Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Try on shoes in the afternoon, when your feet are largest.
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Try them on with the socks you'll be wearing.
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Replace your shoes every six months or after 500 miles, whichever comes
first.
By moving more slowly, you get to meet locals, stop in tiny cafés, hear about the cow
that got loose last night from Farmer John's field, and breathe the fresh air. It's the only way
to fully immerse yourself in the cultural and natural history of a place. And do we really need
to point out the health benefits? Everyone from fitness guru Kathy Smith to your doctor will
tell you that walking burns calories, boosts energy, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your
risk of diabetes and perhaps even osteoporosis.
The following are two companies that offer amazing walking vacations complete with
self-indulgent lodging (after all that time on your feet, don't you deserve it?), gourmet dining,
and fascinating itineraries:
Classic Journeys.
This company out of La Jolla, California, offers what it calls “cultural
walking adventures” throughout the United States and to dozens of countries around the
world. In its view, walking is the best way to travel because that way “the world can't slide
past you faster than you can absorb it.” Classic Journeys hires locals to lead the tours, guides
who, as the brochure says, will “be the kind of person who knows the man whose wife's
brother owns the olive press…the opening day of truffle season (and the truffle hunter who'll
let you tag along)…and which local specialties don't appear on the menu.” If you need help
with anything from haggling for a rug to buying guidebooks, their guides have an “in.” Typ-
ically, you'll walk for three to four hours a day. Some of their North American itineraries
include Washington's San Juan Islands, Napa Valley, Utah's national parks, Nova Scotia's
coasts, and Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Prices range from $2,395 for a six-day trip to Nova
Scotia to $3,895 for a ten-day tour of Vietnam. Both of these trips include accommodations,
transportation within the region, and most meals.
Classic Journeys,
7855 Ivanhoe Avenue, Suite 220, La Jolla, CA 92037, 800-200-3887,
www.classicjourneys.com.
Country Walkers.
Leading guided walking tours at an easy (4 to 6 miles a day) to challen-
ging (up to 14 miles a day over rugged terrain) pace, Country Walkers offers more than 80
itineraries in the United States and all over the world from New Zealand to Bhutan. Accord-
