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[Cousin Orville]

@Calfan and @CaliforniaGirl09 ,

The pictures I saw of this trip were incredible! Which Patagonia trip did you take? There's an Exploring Patagonia 11 day with Light/Moderate Activity. There's also a Patagonia Hiking Adventure 13 days. with Strenuous Activity. I'm interested in these, but don't regularly hike or walk 5-15 miles daily. How would you recommend preparing for these trips? I don't prepare with daily walks/runs when going anywhere from Europe to Walt Disney World, but these active NatGeo trips are probably on a totally different level. In short, how in shape does one need to be to consider these trips?

 

[Calfan]

@Calfan and @CaliforniaGirl09 ,

The pictures I saw of this trip were incredible! Which Patagonia trip did you take? There's an Exploring Patagonia 11 day with Light/Moderate Activity. There's also a Patagonia Hiking Adventure 13 days. with Strenuous Activity. I'm interested in these, but don't regularly hike or walk 5-15 miles daily. How would you recommend preparing for these trips? I don't prepare with daily walks/runs when going anywhere from Europe to Walt Disney World, but these active NatGeo trips are probably on a totally different level. In short, how in shape does one need to be to consider these trips?

With the scenery in Patagonia, it isn’t hard to take good pictures, lol! Seriously, though, I have to say that Patagonia is the most visually stunning place I have visited so far. We did the Patagonia Hiking Adventure, which is apparently Nat Geo’s third most difficult active trip. My take from having done the moderate Hiking the Emerald Isle trip last year is that you’d be ok with the Exploring Patagonia trip (which I take is more geered toward sightseeing) with light/moderate activity with minimal trip-specific training as long as you are in decent shape. But you would definitely want to train for the hiking version. I do have to say that if you are up for it, I’d lean toward doing the training and doing the hiking trip since certain of the views we saw can only be achieved at the end of a hike, and can’t be driven to or walked to with light or moderate activity. CaliforniaGirl can chime in more on her own training, but I know she hiked a lot on a specific trail with a few significant climbs, and she also trained at altitude in Lake Tahoe. We weren’t really at altitude in Patagonia, but a number of the hikes involved elevation gains of 2,000 or 3,000 feet. I live a bit at altitude in Boise, but I also trained by doing a number of fast-paced fitness hikes with a hiking meet up group, as well as some other hikes, working out with a personal trainer and OrangeTheory. In addition, both CaliforniaGirl and I have done a number of half marathons over the last year. I’d recommend at a minimum doing some training hiking with hills and some lower body weight training to prepare. The other thing to keep in mind about hiking in Patagonia is that a lot of the terrain is pretty tricky and involves scrambling over rocks and boulders. It can be hard on the knees if that is an issue for you at all. Otherwise, it just takes a lot of mental concentration and energy to watch your foot placement. But I highly, highly recommend this trip.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

With the scenery in Patagonia, it isn’t hard to take good pictures, lol! Seriously, though, I have to say that Patagonia is the most visually stunning place I have visited so far. We did the Patagonia Hiking Adventure, which is apparently Nat Geo’s third most difficult active trip. My take from having done the moderate Hiking the Emerald Isle trip last year is that you’d be ok with the Exploring Patagonia trip (which I take is more geered toward sightseeing) with light/moderate activity with minimal trip-specific training as long as you are in decent shape. But you would definitely want to train for the hiking version. I do have to say that if you are up for it, I’d lean toward doing the training and doing the hiking trip since certain of the views we saw can only be achieved at the end of a hike, and can’t be driven to or walked to with light or moderate activity. CaliforniaGirl can chime in more on her own training, but I know she hiked a lot on a specific trail with a few significant climbs, and she also trained at altitude in Lake Tahoe. We weren’t really at altitude in Patagonia, but a number of the hikes involved elevation gains of 2,000 or 3,000 feet. I live a bit at altitude in Boise, but I also trained by doing a number of fast-paced fitness hikes with a hiking meet up group, as well as some other hikes, working out with a personal trainer and OrangeTheory. In addition, both CaliforniaGirl and I have done a number of half marathons over the last year. I’d recommend at a minimum doing some training hiking with hills and some lower body weight training to prepare. The other thing to keep in mind about hiking in Patagonia is that a lot of the terrain is pretty tricky and involves scrambling over rocks and boulders. It can be hard on the knees if that is an issue for you at all. Otherwise, it just takes a lot of mental concentration and energy to watch your foot placement. But I highly, highly recommend this trip.

i second everything Calfan said about the trip and training required. Assuming you are in good health with decent knees, I think you could easily train to be able to do the Hiking Adventure by next fall. It would be worth it! I'm sure the other trip is great, but seeing some of this stuff up close ... it's awesome in the true sense of the word.

I was really intimidated by the "strenuous" rating and ended up training quite a bit, which really helped. I was much improved from the Coast to Coast where I felt a lot more sore, tired, and winded. I did a number of 5-8 mile hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail in Tahoe (at altitude) that really helped with my overall fitness level and endurance. It also helped with the footing we faced in Patagonia as there are lots of rocks and quite a bit of scree in Tahoe. I probably averaged two-four hikes month in the past year, with more like four to six as the trip got closer. As Calfan mentioned though, the difficult part of this hiking in Patagonia is the footing. It's tricky and at times intimidating. You'll want to get used to poles and break in a really good pair of waterproof hiking boots with great ankle support.

I can't remember where you live, but maybe start out with a three mile hike on a local trail and take it from there. If you like it, look for places with hills. We have a 5 mile hiking trail with about 1100 feet of elevation near our home that REALLY helped wth the coast to coast, and has become a staple on our weekends with the whole family, although my special needs son doesn't love it, LOL.

I hesitate to mention this because I don't want to put you off (if the training hasn't already done so), but in the interest of full disclosure, I do want to mention that two of the nights are spent at rustic accommodations called refugios. For this 5-star hotel fan, it was a bit of a shock to the system, LOL. I've never been a backpacker and have never stayed in a hostel. I used to camp with my family when I was a kid, but that was (cough, cough) 35+ years ago. The first place was pretty basic, but the second place was so charming, I could have stayed a couple nights even with the shared showers and bathrooms. One of the jokes of the trip was that Calfan and I were going to get t-shirts that said "we survived the refugio."

I was never much of a hiker growing up, but the Coast to Coast trip a couple years ago was a life-changing trip. My entire family now hikes quite a bit and we've made it a part of our life and most of our travel. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think you will regret any work that would go into prepping for this trip. It's been an amazing lifestyle change for me, and as I near my 50th birthday, I'm really glad of it

 

[disneyphx]

Just wanted to share that we went on an amazing trip with Natural Habitat over Thanksgiving to see the polar bears. It was their first time doing a family trip, and it was all around incredible. There were 15 in our group - there were actually 3 groups of the same size, but they rotated activities and restaurants so we were really only together on the charter flights.
They also do family trips to Botswana and Galapagos. For other trips you have to ask about taking kids - from what our guide said, they sometimes say no depending on age and destination. Fortunately he said he thought DD would be Ok on all of them. Interestingly, he said when he has had kids on trips, often the issue is not the kids, but that other people on the trip don't want kids to be there......so that might be a consideration in looking at some companies.
Happy to answer any questions!

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Interestingly, he said when he has had kids on trips, often the issue is not the kids, but that other people on the trip don't want kids to be there......so that might be a consideration in looking at some companies.

That's because not everyone wants to travel with kids. Whether it's their own or someone else's. I know that I personally am not a kid person. I don't have kids myself and don't plan on ever having kids. I don't want to travel on trips with kids. It's why the few ABDs I did were the adult exclusive and why I opted to travel with the Nat Geo. They are adult trips. We are doing a private expedition with them next year, which may or may not accommodate kids, I don't remember. I think you have to talk to Nat Geo about it because it's up to the Game Lodge what age they accept as we are staying out in the middle of the game reserve at bush camps, not just at the main lodge so that would determine what age the kids can be.

We've had a bit of fun with the pre-trip organization of this trip, which you'll be able to read about when I start posting the blog for this trip next year. This was a brand new trip for Nat Geo so we've been working through a few kinks in the system.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

That's because not everyone wants to travel with kids. Whether it's their own or someone else's. I know that I personally am not a kid person. I don't have kids myself and don't plan on ever having kids. I don't want to travel on trips with kids. It's why the few ABDs I did were the adult exclusive and why I opted to travel with the Nat Geo. They are adult trips. We are doing a private expedition with them next year, which may or may not accommodate kids, I don't remember. I think you have to talk to Nat Geo about it because it's up to the Game Lodge what age they accept as we are staying out in the middle of the game reserve at bush camps, not just at the main lodge so that would determine what age the kids can be.

We've had a bit of fun with the pre-trip organization of this trip, which you'll be able to read about when I start posting the blog for this trip next year. This was a brand new trip for Nat Geo so we've been working through a few kinks in the system.

Which Nat Geo trip are you going on? It sounds very intriguing!

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Which Nat Geo trip are you going on? It sounds very intriguing!

We're doing the Nat Geo Private Expedition to Zambia. Normally this trip only goes to Zambia, ending with a stay at one of the hotels in Livingstone on the Zambia side of Victoria Falls. Except our trip. The hotel decided to sell out to a tour group during our trip dates so we are actually staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe instead. This was a new trip for Nat Geo in 2017. We're going in 2018 but they are still working out the kinks for it. We've had a lot of "fun" in the planning/organizing side of it, just with getting proper/correct information. This is a bucklist trip and one that will definitely be one to remember. This will be our bushcamp for 2 nights while we're there. http://bushcampcompany.com/bushcamps/chindeni.php

 

[sayhello]

View attachment 285702

Just wanted to say, that is a *fabulous* photo!!!

Sayhello

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Just returned from our first Rick Steves trip to Sicily. So far I have now traveled with ABD, Tauck, CIE, G Adventures (National Geographic co-branded trip), and now Rick Steves.

The trip was great because Sicily was amazing, but this is a very, very, very different experience from traveling with ABD. It is very budget friendly, though.

 

[riot23]

Just returned from our first Rick Steves trip to Sicily. So far I have now traveled with ABD, Tauck, CIE, G Adventures (National Geographic co-branded trip), and now Rick Steves.

The trip was great because Sicily was amazing, but this is a very, very, very different experience from traveling with ABD. It is very budget friendly, though.

Thanks for sharing! I'm booked for my very first ABD next summer in Germany. I wondered how other tours, specifically Rick Steves, would compare since I use his books to plan my pre and post activities. Could you give more specifics of things you enjoyed or disliked on the Rick Steves tour?

 

[tink1970]

Just returned from our first Rick Steves trip to Sicily. So far I have now traveled with ABD, Tauck, CIE, G Adventures (National Geographic co-branded trip), and now Rick Steves.

The trip was great because Sicily was amazing, but this is a very, very, very different experience from traveling with ABD. It is very budget friendly, though.

Thanks for letting us know-RS has so many tours/itineraries that I know I would adore but suspect my lazy, overpacking self would not be a good fit. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, though.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Thanks for sharing! I'm booked for my very first ABD next summer in Germany. I wondered how other tours, specifically Rick Steves, would compare since I use his books to plan my pre and post activities. Could you give more specifics of things you enjoyed or disliked on the Rick Steves tour?

It's a good question since I'm still mulling this over with my other half. What did we like/dislike about this trip? We DID enjoy it immensely. Sicily is AMAZING. But let me think if I can be concise here on my just returned from a trip impressions.

Liked:
--- Hotels. They aren't as upscale as some of the ABD selections, but they were all fabulous (think character and hotels of yesteryear) with great locations which made them so very walkable for free time. I'm still in love with our first hotel in Palermo which was one of my three all time favorites in Italy.
--- Food. The tour (like many others) provides all of your breakfasts and half your lunch and/or dinners. On most RS tours, alcohol is on your own. On this tour, it was included with every tour-provided lunch/dinner. Also the places we visited were all run by locals who stepped out of the kitchen to show us something about their cuisine or how to prepare a certain dish. Yes, ABD does this in some locations as well, but we saw this feature multiple times on this trip.
--- Extra Experiences. It's impossible for me to compare the extra experiences from one tour company to another (unless they just don't provide any real extras at all), but this tour did a wonderful job of throwing in extra moments that made this trip feel special. (No pins, of course.)
--- Packing Light. This is not my strong point, but since you're responsible for carting your own luggage on a RS tour, it's best to pack light. On this trip, we did our best job ever of packing light, and we learned a lot from it.
--- Fellow tour participants. This was one of the best tour groups I have ever encountered, hands down. Everyone was friendly, and we quickly fell into an easy camaraderie. RS has a stated 'no grumps' policy for all of their tours, so perhaps that helped?

Didn't Like:
--- Orientation Walks. Many locations had an orientation walk shortly after arrival and check in at the hotel. In the summer, this would be a lot of fun. We were there in late November. The walk was done after dark with a map you couldn't really see. I didn't think this was effective at this time of year. Otherwise, it would be great.
--- Too Much History. Now those who love history will take exception to this part, perhaps, but let me start by saying I did a history minor at university. I used to work as an historical interpreter. I love history. But in this case, there was a nonstop litany of names, dates and geopolitical histories going back to the times of the Phoenicians. Don't get me wrong. Sicily has an amazing history which has shaped its current culture. It is unique compared to the rest of Italy in that respect. But after a certain point, I would have loved to hear more about other topics like the many wind turbines we saw or how Sicily is handling this/that/the other in current time. Our guide was great to answer questions if asked, but the daily litany was always a line of dates and names. (Again, the guide wasn't just reading it off a sheet. She knew this stuff backwards and forwards, but this often seemed to be the entire emphasis of a day's remarks.)
--- Initial Orientation Meeting. While most tours start off telling you a bit about the local culture and customs, this one started off with a history lesson and a package of tissues to take to the restroom. We've traveled in Italy before, but for those people for whom this was their initial introduction to Italy - well, I think a few explanations about bathrooms and how to order coffee might have been in order.

So as you can see, the likes actually outweigh the dislikes. And those aren't hard dislikes. They're personal observations for what did/didn't work IMO. I would easily do another RS tour if it went to a destination I wanted to visit with a tour group. But I would seriously look at my options if other tour companies handled the same areas.

 

[DCPhotoGal]

That's because not everyone wants to travel with kids. Whether it's their own or someone else's. I know that I personally am not a kid person. I don't have kids myself and don't plan on ever having kids. I don't want to travel on trips with kids. It's why the few ABDs I did were the adult exclusive and why I opted to travel with the Nat Geo. They are adult trips.

I agree with keeping the adult trips for adults and family trips for families... I wouldn't push my kids on a trip designed for adults, even with them both being teenagers. My kids enjoy having other kids around on the tours, it's part of the draw to ABD tours vs. going on our own.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I agree with keeping the adult trips for adults and family trips for families... I wouldn't push my kids on a trip designed for adults, even with them both being teenagers. My kids enjoy having other kids around on the tours, it's part of the draw to ABD tours vs. going on our own.

Maybe that's part of the issue we had with ABD as adult travellers traveling without children. Even though we were on the "adult exclusive" trips, the trips themselves were not actually geared towards just adults. They don't have a modified "adult" itinerary for the adult exclusive trips beyond taking out the kids nights etc. I know on my Central Europe ABD, which I took the adult exclusive trip, there were some activities on it that really should have been removed from our itinerary. No one in our group was interested in the pretzel making at all. It was like pulling teeth to get anyone to actually make the pretzels. This may have been a great activity on the family trips but it was a complete waste of time on ours. I know this itinerary has changed since we took it, but I'm just using this to highlight my point. I think ABD is a great tour company - for families. Not for adults who don't want to travel with children.

Only trip we will ever consider doing with ABD again is the Backstage Magic. If we ever feel like touring Disneyland behind the scenes again. But we don't really enjoy traveling en masse with large groups of people. We liked being with the smaller group on our Nat Geo Adventure to South East Asia but even that got trying at times for us. We're both introverts and forced group time can be exhausting for us. We're going to try private expeditions a try and see how we like that. Not to say we won't take another Active Adventure (hiking through Southern France is definitely calling us) but large groups like ABD are definitely not our style, nor is travelling with children.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Maybe that's part of the issue we had with ABD as adult travellers traveling without children. Even though we were on the "adult exclusive" trips, the trips themselves were not actually geared towards just adults.

Didn't really have that issue on the two I took (Australia in 2009 and South Africa in 2017). Would have liked more wine tasting in the wine lands at SA but what we did was fun even for adults. And I had a couple of days pre-tour and used that to take a dedicated wine tour. It wasn't cheap, but worth the money. I would love to get back to South Africa more often to do wine tours, but it's so far that I figured, go for it while I am there.

I think the SA itinerary had a cooking activity, but it had been removed from the itinerary before my tour (all the itineraries, I think, not just the adult ones). And we were offered the movie screening they generally do for the kids, but you didn't have to do it. Most of our group turned up for it. The guides said there were more of us adults at that movie than they usually get when they screen it for the kids. I remember in Australia they just didn't have the movie night at all.

I'll probably do another ABD, but only the adult exclusive.

 

[SingingMom]

We adults enjoyed pretzel making in Central Europe - but Germany's tasted better. lol

 

[hilarys]

We adults enjoyed pretzel making in Central Europe - but Germany's tasted better. lol

Me too. I will take any activity involving cooking or food, but the waltz lesson was another story. I could have done without that.

 

[OhanaCuz]

Me too. I will take any activity involving cooking or food, but the waltz lesson was another story. I could have done without that.

OMG this is so true. I avoided looking at too many details about the excursions because I wanted to be surprised. I would have ran for the hills if I knew that was coming.

Then again I wasn't really interested when I read we were going to a puppet show in Vienna but I found it fascinating.

 

[SingingMom]

OMG this is so true. I avoided looking at too many details about the excursions because I wanted to be surprised. I would have ran for the hills if I knew that was coming.

Then again I wasn't really interested when I read we were going to a puppet show in Vienna but I found it fascinating.

I also don't read too many details so we are surprised, but I wish we had skipped the waltz lesson! Hubby sent DD & I - he stayed back & packed. The dance studio was SO hot that I would have done better just soaking in that gorgeous Ritz Carlton or walking along the pedestrian shopping area in Vienna!

 

[SingingMom]

I also don't read too many details so we are surprised, but I wish we had skipped the waltz lesson! Hubby sent DD & I - he stayed back & packed. The dance studio was SO hot that I would have done better just soaking in that gorgeous Ritz Carlton or walking along the pedestrian shopping area in Vienna!

....But I WILL say - the Flamenco lesson on the Spain ABD was FABULOUS! One of our best evenings!