Sherman's Travel

Nature lovers and avid gardeners will definitely delight in this amazing natural sight: The Valley of Flowers National Park high in West Himalaya, India. The park, nestled between snow-capped peaks, is blanketed in beautiful alpine flowers. The central valley of the park occupies around three square miles, and the lowest part sits at around 11,000 feet above sea level. It is inhabited by countless threatened species (like the snow leopard) and unique plant life.  Read more

Hikers and photographers across the States are drawn to The Wave in Arizona’s Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Iron deposits and the unique Navajo sandstone explain the mixture of orange, yellow, and red coloring characteristic of The Wave. Some have claimed the rock formations actually date back to the Jurassic period. Read more

For avid hikers or bicyclers, it may be tough to remember the routes you’ve conquered, which remain your wish list, and which were your favorites. For those who enjoy spending as much vacation time as possible in the great outdoors, you may be itching for ways to capture those special excursions in order to look back on what made certain trips so worthwhile. If you just so happen to be a smartphone owner, I’ve got a few apps that can be of assistance. Read more

Here at SkyMall Tuesday headquarters, we’re no strangers to products that help us heed the call of nature no matter where we find ourselves. Whether you’re stuck on a long road trip, out for a hike, or spending the day on the water, bathrooms aren’t always conveniently located. In the past, this forced people to wear adult diapers, relieve themselves in public, or soil their clothing. Those are hardly appropriate solutions to this all too common problem. If we can go anywhere, why can’t toilets do the same? In these modern times, everything is made to be portable and used on the go. Well, we need something that is used when we need to go! Not surprisingly, SkyMall saw this problem and addressed it head on. Rather than frantically searching for a restroom or seeking out some large bushes, take (waste) matters into your own hands – or bags – with the Biffy Bag.

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With only about six weeks left before the end of the year, it’s time to look ahead to 2013 and the promise of new outdoor adventures. If you haven’t started yet, it’s also probably time to think about the outdoorsman on your holiday gift list. The trouble is, there’s a lot of stuff out there vying for your hard-earned money. Almost every season, new equipment ranging from the essential to the incidental appears in stores and online, and it can be tough to keep up with every new development in outerwear, boots, and backpacks. But since a few pieces of outdoor equipment always help to inspire travel and recreation, I’ve spent some time narrowing down the field. And so for the adventure-seeker you always have trouble shopping for, here’s a short list of gift-worthy gear they’ll be thrilled to unwrap this year.

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For most of the northeast, camping season ended weeks ago. The foliage is past its peak and as the end of the year creeps closer by the day, temperatures will continue to drop. Many seasonal adventure seekers have probably already put their hiking and camping gear into winter storage. What these people will be missing out on though, is the chance to experience a number of parks and wilderness areas across New York and New England in the off-season – no shivering required.

How is this possible? By staying at a rustic cabin or lodge maintained by the state or a non-profit. In the Pine Tree State, Maine Huts & Trails operates a 45-mile recreation corridor that includes three small, comfy “boutique hostels” (a fourth is due to open in late December) with hot showers, heated bunkhouses, kitchens, and dining rooms. Hike, ski, or snowshoe from hut to hut or choose Poplar, the hut closest to the town of Kingfield, for a shorter, easy-access trip. Sweeping views of Flagstaff Lake and the Bigelow Range are included at no additional charge. Read more

Across the country, fall is in full swing. Pumpkin beers crowd the shelves of bottle shops, trees have begun to shed their colorful leaves, and Halloween is two short weeks away. Which means that cold weather is already creeping south from the Canadian interior and the year’s first frost isn’t far off. Before winter arrives, make the most of October and plan a short road trip around two outdoor activities that are perfectly suited to autumn: hiking and pumpkin or apple picking.

Apple season is over for the handful of orchards between Boston and Providence, but plenty of pumpkins remain to be chosen and carved, and fresh-pressed cider is still available for thirsty pickers. C. N. Smith Farm in East Bridgewater, Mass. is one such place where you can buy a big orange gourd for the front porch. Purchase a ticket for a hayride and you’ll be carried out to a pumpkin field where acres of future jack-o’-lanterns are priced by the pound. On your way to C. N. Smith (or before making the return trip), stop at Blue Hills Reservation, a chain of 22 hills that aren’t particularly steep individually, but add up to a respectable hiking challenge when attempted in succession. Make the short climb to Eliot Tower from the Trailside Museum in Milton, or test your hiking mettle on the nine-mile Skyline Trail. Read more

Summer is great for enjoying nature, but there’s just something about fall – the crisp weather, the scent of a wood fire burning, the frenzy of college football – that seems to fire up the adventurous spirit. Fortunately, festivals abound this time of year that cater to those of us who’d rather enjoy the brilliant foliage from the saddle of a bike than the backseat of a car. Here, some picks for fall festivals with adventure front-and-center.

Moab Ho-Down Mountain Bike & Film Festival, Moab, Utah, October 25-28
Extended to four days this year, this gathering at one of the country’s top mountain biking meccas encompasses all the essentials of the sport: biking, beer, and revelry. Sponsored by the local Chile Pepper Bike Shop, the festival also features a film component, with evening showings of movies featuring independent mountain biking footage. Rounding out the action is a Hot Pepper Eating Contest and Ridiculous Costume Party that promises plenty of photo ops galore – all for the bargain price of just $35 for a festival pass.

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Checking bags can be a waste of time and money, two things that I simply don’t have enough of when it comes to travel. I always prefer to carry on my luggage, which means leaving behind things like multitools, knives, and other TSA-banned items. That might not seem like a major inconvenience, but when I’m planning to do any camping, hiking, or other adventure activities while on the road, I like to have some basic tools with me. Thankfully, one of my favorite gear companies has a simple solution. Wherever I go, the Gerber Shard Keychain Tool comes with me. It’s tiny, useful, and safe for air travel.

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For American travelers contending with a cutthroat dollar-to-kroner conversion rate, budget Norway travel may read somewhat as an oxymoron. Happily, a bit of budget-savvy planning can help you to tuck a few kroner away during your Norwegian stay.

Fresh off the boat (and train, bus, and ferry) from the country’s popular Norway in a Nutshell tour, which weaves together transportation, lodging, and activities for an unforgettable trip through western Norway’s breathtaking fjord, mountain, and coastal countryside, herewith the full report on how to best crunch those kroner and maximize your wow-factor stopovers when plotting your route.

Granted, a Norway in a Nutshell excursion won’t exactly cost you peanuts, but these money-saving travel tips can help ensure that what you do shell out for won’t leave you plain nuts. Read more