Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Aug 4

You and you kids could help spread the word about green travel by entering these 3 competitions!

The best way to pass on information about something you are passionate about is to put pen to paper, talk to them about them or capture the image - and this is just what these competitions could help you to do.

The first is for under 18 year olds still in education and revolves around the future of forests, the second is for those over 18 about your most memorable travel moment, and the final competition is for you both to show what you see in the environment!

Young Geographer Of The Year 2010:
Have you got something to say about he way we are treating our forests?  About what your local woodland does for your community, your family or the local wildlife? Or just something to say in praise of trees!

Whatever your motivation for entering - it doesn’t matter - it’s what you have to say that counts.

And how you say it is up to you: written, taped, a short documentary or video, photographs - or a combination of whatever media you think will best pass on your meaning to others!

Monkey Running From A Storm

There are 3 different categories depending on your age, and the closing date is October 2010.

PureTravel Writing Competition 2010:
Is there something you want to share with the world that you can tell them in under 500 words?  Something amazing that silenced you?  Something disastrous that made you speak up?

Something with some serious meaning that you think could impress the readers and judges and make a difference to your local area, some distant landscape, an endangered species or a threatened community - or just a funny story that you just can’t forget?

All articles will appear on the PureTravel website and the judges will pick 10 for the public to vote on before choosing a winner!  And your prize could be the inspiration for another great adventure!

WWT Photographic Competition 2010:
Take a moment to visit a wetland centre and try to capture what wildlife means to you today.

Whether it is a close up or a rare animal, a new way of looking at something we think we know so well - or to capture that strange moment in your life that might never be found again!

There are plenty of categories this year - including one that doesn’t have to have been taken in a WWT centre - so there is hope for everyone!  All ages, all themes, all places!

Whichever one you enter - I’m sure you will feel that yours is good enough to be a winner, and why not?  Every experience is real and can make a difference at different levels - whether it’s just in the way we think about things - or whether we manage to change other peoples way of thinking too!

Good Luck!

posted by Catherine on Dec 14

This is the story of an amazing 20-month journey around the world without flying!

Nick Tuppin and Holly Gee decided that they were going to travel the world together, but not by buying a round-the-world plane ticket and bouncing across the globe in 6 months!

They wanted adventure - and they wanted it to be an eco adventure.  Whether it’s walking, cycling, buses, trains, or freighters - they will use it!  Talk about inspiring!

And they wanted to give back to the communities they were visiting as well, so they volunteered and worked their way around as well. Working in a school and helping to set up a website are just some of the things that they became involved in along the way.

The Route:
Starting out in France in September 2008, they passed through Spain and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.  On from there to Columbia and up through Central America, the States and finally out the top through Canada and Alaska in September 2009 to Korea, China and ending up in Nepal for The New Year.

In 2010, the journey will continue across Mongolia and Russia, then down south to Turkey and up across eastern Europe on the Danube river, then hopefully home for May 2010.

So far they are right on track and their latest blog posts show them in Kathmandu.  The articles are certainly detailed and shows how they are getting by - including an impromptu job interview!  It also details about the attempts of locals to get into the British Gurkha Army and their participation in a house blessing ceremony!

They have included some great photos of their journey - every step of the way.  They include maps and historic images along the way too - making you feel like you are part of the journey with them.

Although they do have a history of travel - they are just two ordinary people who had normal jobs and just wanted to make a difference.  So they got up and did something about it!

That could be you!

posted by Catherine on Dec 4

If you have ever wanted to become an eco travel writer and broadcaster - here is your chance!

Every year, the Royal Geographic Society (RGS) offer someone the chance to win the Journey of a Lifetime award, to go travel to and write about a pressing and inspiring story from around the world.

The Award:
The RGS offer a prize of UK£4000 to someone who want to communicate their story - their passion - to the world.  Someone who wants to investigate a location or an event that they feel needs to be brought to a wider audience.

Whether it is about a local village close to your home or on the other side of the world, a small family-run enterprise or a global event, whether it affects a few people in one place or thousands across a continent - it doesn’t matter.

Its your version of ‘their’ story - and they help you make the most of your time too - they offer you radio and broadcasting training from the BBC so that you can best create and record your journey - even recording it for a Radio 4 documentary.

And of course the winner will feature in their own magazine Geographical - with last years winners article in the December 2009 edition.

The Details:
You only need visit the RGS website to read the guidelines for applicants - and you can also learn about previous winners stories and watch their video diaries.

Basically, you need to let them know the outline for your independent journey - and why it needs to be you that tells the story!  And you need to pick somewhere to go that is different to the norm - and some aspect of that journey that makes you unique and your story unforgettable.

You need to be at least 18 years old - and it could be you alone or you as part of a small group of travellers - but it must be something you alone are doing - it can’t be part of a tourist trail or charity event organised by others.

The guidelines make it almost look too easy to apply - there is virtually no previous experience needed to apply, and the first stage is just to send them a brief overview of what you are thinking of covering.  There are interviews later down the line and the 2 finalists play it head to head for the winner - but that is a long way off.

Just put pen to paper now - and it gives you virtually a whole year to think about the final details - the closing date isn’t until September 2010!

If you are enthusiatic about something - this could be the best way to explore it and share it with the world!

Certainly something to think about.