Specialty Travel

Specialty Travel involves special-interest vacations worldwide, and covers quite an array of categories to fit any specialty need.

Here are the most popular specialty travel categories:

- Eco-Friendly Travel
- Family Travel
- Senior Travel
- Single Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Educational/Language Travel
- Health/Disability Travel Resources
- Travel with Pets
- Volunteer Travel

Below are great web resources for some of the more popular specialty travel topics:

ECO FRIENDLY TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Audubon Naturalist Society, (301) 652-9188, Ext. 11,
http://www.audubonnaturalist.org. The local preservation group’s Travel Program offers trips to observe the outdoor world.

-Better World Club, (866) 304-7540, http://www.betterworldclub.com. Organization that touts itself as more socially responsible than AAA offers roadside assistance and eco-friendly car rental discounts. Its travel service charges $35 for inquiries. Basic membership is $53.95 a year.

-Conservation International’s Ecotravel Center, (800) 406-2306,
http://www.ecotour.org. Check the Web site for profiles of biodiversity spots and information on in-country eco-friendly agencies (it doesn’t offer itineraries or travel-planning assistance).

-Green Hotels Association, (713) 789-8889, http://www.greenhotels.com. Its Web site shows eco-conscious hotels arranged by state.

-National Park Service, (888) 467-2757, http://www.nationalparks.org. A site for anything and everything to do with traveling to national parks. Recreation.gov offers information on wildlife watching, hunting/fishing permits and information on Federal Recreation Pass programs, like the Golden Age Passport, which includes admission to national parks and discounts for those 62 and older; $10 for a lifetime pass.

FAMILY TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Family-Reunion.com, http://www.family-reunion.com. “Mister Spiffy” offers hints on good reunion locations, organizational tips, entertainment suggestions and geneology guidelines, all with a sense of humor.

-FamilyFun.com, http://www.familyfun.com/travel. Disney-produced Web site with many non-Disney vacation ideas, plus travel checklists and tips for those with tweens.

-Family Travel Files, http://www.thefamilytravelfiles.com. Special features include a Vacation Ideas Directory (organized geographically) and a list of special events and festivals organized by state.

SENIOR TRAVEL RESOURCES

-AARP, (888) 687-2277, http://www.aarp.org/travel. Popular advocacy group offers travel discounts among its other services. Membership (50 and older only) is $12.50 a year.

- Elderhostel, (877) 426-8056, http://www.elderhostel.org. Nonprofit group organizes adventures for almost a quarter-million travelers 55 and older each year. Take the grandkids on one of the Intergenerational programs or check out the associated Road Scholar program at http://www.roadscholar.org.

-Grand Circle Travel, (800) 553-1129, http://www.gct.com. This company markets tours and cruises specifically to the over-50 set (but anyone older than 13 is welcome) and efforts are made to limit single supplements for solo travelers. The Overseas Adventure Travel division offers trips a bit bolder than those under the Travel division.

SINGLE TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Connecting: Solo Travel Network, (800) 557-1757, http://www.cstn.org. Helps solo travelers find compatible travel partners through a bimonthly newsletter and offers tips on avoiding single supplements. Annual membership is $30.

-Going Solo Travel Club, (800) 475-3755, http://www.goingsolotravel.com. Offers international tours for single travelers and matches travelers with roommates to avoid single supplements. No membership fees.

-O Solo Mio Singles Tours, (800) 959-8568,

www.osolomio.com. Travel club of group trips for individuals, about 75 percent of whom are women. It aims to arrange roommates for those who want them, but it’s not guaranteed.

-Singles Travel International, (877) 765-6874, http://www.singlestravelintl.com. Agency guarantees you a roommate on its singles-only trips or it will pay the single supplement.

ADVENTURE TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Appalachian Mountain Club, (800) 411-5776, http://www.outdoors.org. Hike through the Appalachian region with the oldest recreation group in the United States. Excellent workshops and family outing suggestions on its Web site.

-Away.com, http://www.away.com. Extensive site that features Top 10 lists of places, activities and adventures, and highlights travel deals. Also, great photography (including a “Behind the Image” section) and feature stories. The same company runs Outsideonline.com (the site for Outside Magazine) and GORP Travel (www.gorptravel.com), a guide and reservation service that also includes destination reviews and “best of” lists.

-iExplore.com, (800) 439-7567, http://www.iexplore.com.

EDUCATIONAL & LANGUAGE TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Interhostel, (800) 733-9753, http://www.learn.unh.edu/interhostel. The
University of New Hampshire-sponsored trips mix lectures and excursions for travelers older than 50.

- Lingua Service Worldwide, (800) 394-5327,
http://www.linguaserviceworldwide.com. The independent agency represents schools for 10 languages with intensive programs in about 15 countries. Prices are listed in dollars for easy comparisons.

-Shaw Guides, (212) 799-6464, http://www.shawguides.com. A comprehensive source with more than 5,700 listings for cultural, art, photography, language and cooking vacations, with links to more complete info.

-Smithsonian Journeys, (877) 338-8687, http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org.
Premier (and expensive) worldwide educational programs organized by the
venerable Smithsonian, including trips based on Smithsonian magazine stories.
Members only, but the $29-per-household fee can be applied to your trip.

HEALTH & DISABILITY TRAVEL RESOURCES

-Access-Able Travel, (303) 232-2979, http://www.accessable.com. Comprehensive site of travel agencies, tours, cruises and travel tips for mature travelers and those with special needs.

-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (877) 394-8747,
http://www.cdc.gov/travel. Indispensable site for travel information on disease prevention from the U.S. Department of Health, listing travel medicine clinics, vaccinations and more.

-Emerging Horizons, (209) 599-9409, http://www.emerginghorizons.com. Magazine and Advertisement

Web site for people with mobility disorders, including slow walkers. Extensive travel resources include accessibility information for various destinations and a Q&A column. Annual subscriptions are $14.95.

-Global Dialysis, http://www.globaldialysis.com. Listings of 11,800 dialysis centers in 127 countries as well as travel agents who specialize in working with dialysis patients.

-MedicAlert, (888) 633-4298, http://www.medicalert.org. Worldwide emergency medical information service. Members wear a special bracelet or necklace engraved with an ID number that is linked to medical history. Membership is $35 for the first year, $20 annual renewal fee.

TRAVEL WITH PETS RESOURCES

-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, (866) 723-4827,
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel. The official word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on what to do when traveling with pets.

-Hike With Your Dog.com, http://www.hikewithyourdog.com. Search for dog-friendly hikes by state. Other screens suggest relevant books and give advice on traveling with dogs. Also offers “Hike With Your Dog” tours of the mid-Atlantic region and notes that the top two beaches in the United States (ranked by “Dr. Beach”) are dog-friendly.

-Pet Travel.com, (954) 684-9535, http://www.pettravel.com. Worldwide lodging information with 28,690 listings. Also, comprehensive info on immigration laws and airline policies.

VOLUNTEER TRAVEL RESOURCES

-American Hiking Society, (800) 972-8608, http://www.americanhiking.org. One- and two-week trips to preserve U.S. trails while camping. You supply the camping equipment, work six to eight hours daily and help with chores. Trips cost $120.

-Amizade, (888) 973-4443, http://www.amizade.org. Both short- and long-term community service projects in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and the United States. Trips range from $560 at a Montana ranch to lmost $2,700 in Bolivia.

-Cross Cultural Solutions, (800) 380- 4777,
http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org. Two- to 12-week humanitarian trips in 10 countries, including China, Brazil and Russia, with the specific task tailored to your skills and interest. Fees ($2,389 to $4,996) include all in-country expenses.

-Earthwatch Institute, (800) 776-0188, http://www.earthwatch.org. No experience necessary to collect data alongside scientists on archaeological digs and wildlife studies in 47 countries. Trips usually range from one to two weeks, $700 to $4,000.

-Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Program, (800) 422-4828,
http://www.habitat.org/GV. Short-term house-building projects in 100 countries. Costs $1,200 to $4,000.

-Passport in Time, (800) 281-9176, http://www.passportintime.com. Archaeological and historic preservation programs by the USDA Forest Service. No fee to participate, but you often must provide your own transportation, food and lodging.

-Wilderness Volunteers, (928) 556- 0038, http://www.wildernessvolunteers.org.
Weeklong projects on U.S. public lands, where you’ll maintain trails and prevent erosion. Most trips are less than $200 a week. Camping gear is not supplied. Check Web site for a complete 2006 trip schedule.

If you can’t figure out which of your interests to indulge on your upcoming travels, check out Specialty Travel Index
(888-624-4030,www.specialtytravel.com), a magazine and accompanying Web site with plenty of ideas.