Earth Day is a few days away and Space Goddess and friends are celebrating by attending the Lifetime Fitness Green Living Weekend tomorrow and Sunday, April 18 and 19. We’ll be at the Lifetime Fitness Club in Overland Park, Kansas. See you there!

I admit it—-this city girl (okay–suburban girl) has morhped into an adventure-travel afficianado! To be honest, I am a lover of “soft” adventure—where I can soak up the beauty of nature, all types of flora and fauna, as well as being able to sleep “off” of the ground, take a hot shower, and eat yummy food!

I’ve traveled through:  Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia—in the footsteps of Captain Cook; Antarctica; Alaska; Costa Rica; Peru; Ecaudor; the Galapagos; Argentina; Chile; Egypt; China; Indonesia; India; Fiji; the Amazon; Kenya; Tanzania; Botswana; South Africa; Zambia; Zimbabwe (when it was safe); Mauritius; Colorado; Arizona; New Mexico; northern Wisconsin; and southern Missouri (actually slept on the ground on the canoe trip—years ago!). 

I’ve sampled many wonderful adventures and now I want to let you know about one of our exceptional partners, Natural Habitat Adventures. NHA knows adventure—from soft to adrelin-flowing! They follow the same philosophy as Great Getaways, which is “Cookie cutter vacations are great if you are a cookie cutter!” We both specialize in experiential travel and both companies are committed to sustainable travel. NHA guides are experienced, well-trained, knowledgeable and professional.

The trips they offer are unique! Let me give you an example: I’ve been to the Galapagos twice and hope to go back again soon. Both times I was on a wonderful expedition ship with great naturalists and guides. What I’ve discovered is that I like “small” and that is what Natural Habitat provides. The yacht they use for the Galapagos holds a maximum of 20 people and they offer something quite special and unusual—you can elect to spend the night in the highlands of Santa Cruz in a safari tent or “tree house” amid an area known for its giant tortoises! Another special offer from NHA is their new land-based Galapagos expedition, in which you stay on 3 different islands, almost unheard of, don’t you think?

This year they’ve added a few new adventures—including the Wild Colorado, Alaska’s Secluded Southeast Coast, Yosemite and the California Coast, and the remarkable San Juan Islands.

Next month I’ll tell you about an exciting opportunity to win a journey to visit the Polar Bear Capital of the World, Churchill, Manitoba, courtesy of NHA, Great Getaways and Lifetime Fitness!

So, if you are an adventurer of any kind, from soft to rugged, contact me today to experience the amazing journeys we create with Natural Habitat Adventures!

Groucho Marx once said, “I don’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member!” Well, Groucho, I disagree! Once again, I’ve been included on a panel of travel experts for Forbestraveler.com. Here’s what Jeff Koyen of Forbes Traveler says about the list of the top 400 Hotels in the World and the people who chose them:

The world’s most distinguished travel experts pick the finest hotels

“A once-in-a-lifetime experience that sets a new standard for over-the-top luxurious hotels. This is a masterpiece. If you want to see what living like a billionaire is like—just once in your life—stay here.”

“In 35 years of hotel design and visiting, this is the best hotel experience I have ever had. Such a wonderful location and such wonderful service—it was a magical experience. I was heartbroken to leave.”

“Truly one of the most beautiful spots—and hotels—in the world. What more can I say?”

“These are just three of the many comments we collected from the Forbes Traveler 400 board of travel experts who determined the 2008/2009 list of the world’s top luxury hotels. You’re just dying to know which hotel they’re talking about, right? Well…to paraphrase the Bard, there’s the rub.

When we first published this groundbreaking list two years ago, we broke rank from the other travel magazines and websites that place great emphasis on mathematically ranking the best hotels in the world. Statistically speaking, the only way to make such a claim is to ask several thousand people for their opinions. The world’s best hotels, then, are often ranked by a sea of anonymous web surfers.

Turning to the crowd is good for certain tasks. When you can’t remember the capital of Belarus, ask everyone on the bus. Someone will probably remember it’s Minsk (a fifth-grader, no doubt). But when picking the right hotel means the difference between an unforgettable trip and an unforgiving spouse, shouldn’t you ask people who stay in luxury hotels once or twice a week—not once a year?

So, from a wide variety of industries, we assembled a board of 79  luxury-travel experts. Arianna Huffington is a renowned author, publisher and one-time California gubernatorial candidate; her fellow board member, Todd English, is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Adam Tihany is a noted interior designer and architect who’s responsible for several high-profile hotels around the world; Tony Wheeler co-founded Lonely Planet, publisher of the eponymous guidebooks.

We were fortunate to have Erik Blachford, current CEO of TerraPass and former CEO of Expedia, opine alongside Peter Greenberg, noted travel writer and The Today Show’s travel editor. And if anyone knows about luxury hotels, it’s Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, a consortium of upscale travel agents, and Aaron Simpson, group CEO of Quintessentially, a global concierge service for discerning travelers.

We asked our board members to rate nearly 800 highly regarded four- and five-star hotels in seven categories. Because new hotels need time to find their rhythm, we omitted properties less than two years old; and, we didn’t include hotels that are undergoing major renovations. Our experts were promised anonymity so they could speak freely, and they had nothing to gain from any of the hotels they praised (or criticized). We then took the top-rated 400 and commissioned reviews from professional travel writers who have first-hand experience with the hotels (and did not receive complimentary stays during their visits).

The result is the Forbes Traveler 400, a rundown of the world’s best hotels, spread across six continents and presented geographically.”

I am honored to be a member of this panel! I hope you click on the link below to see the Forbes 400!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/

Meet the other 78 members of this panel!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/panel

Okay, I have no excuse for not blogging since we returned from our safari! Well, actually, I have several excuses but none are valid (except for the one about waiting for the stars to be aligned with the orbit of Jupiter—that, my friends, is a very valid reason!).

I will try to upload a movie I made of our safari to Botswana and Zambia. It was our 5th safari in 9 years and we loved every minute of it! Thank you, thank you, thank you to our friends at Wilderness Safaris! We had an amazing adventure! To whet your appetite: we saw a buffalo tree a lioness, a hyena stalk one of Legadema’s cubs (Legadema, a leopard,  is the star of a National Geographic film that chronicled her life), and two starry-eyed humans celebrate their 10th anniversary with a private candlelight dinner a deux at Vumbura Plains (that would be yours truly and Michael, of course!)

Next post I’ll update you on White Knight 2, the mother ship for Spaceship 2. She’ll be unveiled in 2 weeks to the press and I’ll see her a month from today. That reminds me, have you reserved a seat on Virgin Galactic, yet? What are you waiting for? Trust me, the stars have definitely aligned with Jupiter!

No matter what day you think it is, while reading this post, pretend today is June 8th! Unlike Toto, we didn’t hate our version of Oz! We loved our safari and the friends we made along the journey. Like Toto, we came back on June 8th to Kansas! I believe a well-balanced life of a traveler consists of planning glorious journeys, taking the journey, happily returning home, and, best of all, savoring the memories!

As soon as we get our photos together, I’ll post a link to the Picasa website to share with you!

Now, it’s Sunday,June 8th, in the late morning and in Mauritius it’s 9 hours ahead. My body is here in KC, but my body clock tells me I’m still many thousand miles East of here. Jet lag and all, it’s great to be home!

NOTE: For those of you who faithfully followed my directions in my original “pre-Safari” post back in May, bravo! I must admit that I am now totally confused because I am writing this and envisioning myself being back from our journey AND I haven’t yet left! Since I didn’t take my laptop with me, I pre-entered my posts as if we were communicating from Africa. Confused yet? I’m dizzy! I think I need a vacation!

Wednesday       June 04 2008 

  The Oberoi Mauritius

The idyllic island of Mauritius with its unspoilt beaches and azure waters offers a unique experience of European, African and Asian cultures. The Oberoi captures the spirit of the island in a resort that combines its abundant natural beauty with refined luxury. The resort is located in 20 acres of beautiful sub-tropical gardens with a 600 meter oceanfront. Villas with private swimming pools and luxury pavilions offer panoramic views of the ocean. Every room features a romantic four-poster bed. Wooden slatted ceilings and wall-to-wall restful neutral tones contribute to a feeling of relaxed grandeur. Each bathroom has a separate shower stall and a sunken bath in palest marble overlooking an open-air walled garden.

The air-conditioned thatched Luxury Pavilion includes a spacious bedroom and sitting area with a choice of either a king-size bed or twin beds. Each Pavilion has a spacious terrace for private dining and overlooks the gardens and the Indian Ocean.

Tuesday       June 03 2008                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Today you will be assisted onto your helicopter transfer from Shumba Camp to Kafue Airstrip, for your light aircraft transfer to Lusaka Airport for your scheduled flight SA 63 departing at 1:50 PM to Johannesburg

 On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport off flight SA63 at 4:00 PM you will be met by a Wilderness Safaris representative, who will transfer you to Grace Hotel.

Grace in Rosebank is located in the heart of Rosebank and surrounded by boutiques, art galleries, art cinemas, high quality craft markets, restaurants and clubs. The hotel has 73 rooms in total comprising 60 double size or twin rooms, 10 one-bedroom suites and 3 one-bedroom penthouse suites. Each room has an en suite bathroom with bath and separate shower, mini-bar, satellite TV, wall safe, tea/coffee making facilities, hairdryer, air-conditioning and telephone. The suites each have a separate lounge and guest toilet and the penthouse suites are larger than normal suites, and have a private balcony.  Flavoursome cuisine is available in the hotel’s fourth-floor dining room, which opens onto a rooftop pool and terrace garden where one can enjoy light alfresco meals. Specially selected wines can be enjoyed from Vinothèque. The ground floor sitting room with its fascinating library and complimentary Café Complet, which offers tea and coffee with pastries and cakes, has a warm intimate ambience.  There is a heated outdoor rooftop lap pool as well as The Spa which offers a full compliment of treatments. Adjoining the ground floor is a business facility centre where all modern communication and presentation equipment is at hand, as well as secretarial services. Website:         www.thegrace.co.za

Saturday       May 31 2008 

Today you will be assisted to your scheduled road transfer from the River Club to Livingstone Airport. At Livingstone Airport, you will be assisted to your light aircraft transfer to Kafue Airstrip, for your helicopter transfer from Kafue Airstrip to Shumba Camp. Please note that in some instances you may experience a delay at Busanga airstrip & heli pad before your transfer to the lodge – this is due to the limited number of seats available on the helicoptorer. Depending on your transfer time to the lodge, wilderness Safaris will make the appropriate arrangements in terms of this connection – a ranger will accompany you at all times.     

At 22 500 sq km, Kafue National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Africa. In the extreme north of the Kafue lie the Busanga Plains – one of Zambia’s most significant wetland resources and one of the few areas in the world that remain untouched by development and human activity.  The Busanga Plains cover an area of approximately 750 sq km and Shumba Camp is located on the fringes of this wildlife paradise.  The Plains are home to thousands of red lechwe, ubiquitous puku, stately roan and sable as well as the diminutive oribi and duiker.  The Defassa waterbuck, herds of tsessebe, hartebeest, zebra and buffalo make for a full set of antelope. This wealth of game on the plains is also a big attraction for predators, including leopards, wild dogs, cheetah and prides of lion up to 20 strong. Shumba Bush Camp comprises six spacious luxury safari tents on raised platforms with breathtaking views of the surrounding plains. A maximum of 12 guests can be accommodated at any one time and great emphasis has been placed on the “guided” experience – being led by qualified, enthusiastic people with in-depth knowledge of the area and its wildlife. Guests have the option of game drives in and around the Plains and night drives provide the added excitement of the nocturnal wonders of the area. For those interested in birding, the Park boasts 491 species of birds, including endemics such as Chaplin’s Barbet.               

website:  www.wilderness-safaris.com