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provide you with ideas & inspiration!
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SPECIAL PLACES- LOLIONDO,
NORTHERN TANZANIA
Travel to
the eastern border of the Serengeti National Park, to a
special area not subject to the same rules and
regulations of the National Parks system. Meaning,
escorted walks, night drives and authentic interactions
with the Maasai are just some of the activities that one
can do here.
Loliondo offers beautiful and
diverse landscapes-- mountains, deep gorges, rivers,
acacia and riverine woodlands, rolling hills and lush
valleys, grassy plains dotted with kopjes (rocky
outcrops) and even a volcano.
A group of Global Sojourners
traveled here in March 2008 for an extraordinary
adventure, some of the favorite highlights
were:
- Spectacular sundowners with 360
degree views
- Hiking among zebras, wildebeest and
giraffes
- Exploring gorges and hills on foot
and by vehicle
- Going on a run with a Maasai
warrior
Check
out the photos, read about the trip and highlights
from each traveler.
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SOJOURNERS' TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Travel Log:
Southern Africa
Written by Aley
Hasson
In this issue, we're
sharing a longer, more comprehensive account of one of
our Sojourner's travel experiences. Aley shares
what it's like to travel to Africa for the first time.
Enjoy!
The following is an excerpt from my
impressions while traveling in southern Africa during
May 2008. During this time, I traveled with five other
women through four countries on safari and visited
charitable organizations supported by the Global
Sojourns Giving Circle in Livingstone, Zambia. Please
check out the Global Sojourns Blog for the full
story.
--------
Wait,
what?" The driver had just told us of his recent trip to
Malawi to show his wife what real poverty looked like.
Looking out the van's window, during the first
moments after arriving in Johannesburg I came across the
first of many questions during my time in southern
Africa. Right in front of me, the poverty was as
clear as day, an arm's length away as we drove through
the city. The surrounding unfamiliarity had
suddenly hit me- unsettled, I wanted to know more.
It was a proper welcome to Africa.
Continue
reading
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TRAVEL
TIPS
To read more about this
trend and how it can potentially slow everyone
up and cost
the airlines more, check out the Washington Post
article.
Need more inspiration?
The ONE
BAG website is dedicated to helping people travel
light and offers useful advice for all
travelers.
photo by Terminal5
Insider
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RESPONSIBLE SOJOURNER
 VOLUNTOURISM
It's in all the media these days,
stories about combining international travel and
voluntary work- families going to Mexico for a week to
build a house, a nurse volunteering her skills in
Thailand for a month, a couple doing trail maintenance
in Costa Rica for a few days.
When
organized responsibly, voluntourism is beneficial to
local communities and wonderfully fulfilling for the
traveler. But if the programs are poorly designed,
even volunteers with the best of intentions can find
themselves causing more harm than good and feeling
frustrated.
The key is to know if this is right for
you.
Keep in mind that the shorter the
volunteer experience, the more challenging it is to find
projects that are truly beneficial to the local
community. If you just have a few days to offer,
you might consider environmental related
projects.
Global Sojourns is always keeping an
eye out for volunteer opportunities to offer interested
clients as part of their travels. At times it may
be more beneficial for you to "give back" by meeting
locals, learning, engaging and contributing funds rather
than doing traditional volunteer work. We're happy
to help you find a good fit.
A couple of good
resources include: EthicalVolunteering.org and Voluntourism.org.
For a
good overview of the trend in volunteering, check out
this Conde
Nast Traveler article.
-Priscilla
Advisory
board member of Voluntourism.org and of Traveler's
Philanthropy
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TRIPS IN THE
WORKS
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Where in the World Would You
Like to Go?
Global Sojourns is all about
customizing travel-
whether it's for your family,
your friends
or a
small group of people who don't
necessarily know one another, but all want to explore a
particular destination. Unlike
travel companies that set
itineraries and dates for group
trips at least a year in advance and advertise them to
the masses, we build trips around our clients' interests
and special opportunities that arise.
 At times someone will toss
out an idea that sparks energy and we'll "make it
happen". For instance, it was Priscilla's
husband's b-day wish to go mountain biking in Mongolia
so we created a trip and invited all GS clients and
their friends to join in. The group just returned
and they had a fabulous
time!
GS has organized small
groups to go to Namibia, Botswana, South Africa,
Thailand, Ecuador, Tanzania, Zambia and Peru. Even those
of us who aren't "group travel" people have a
blast. What makes our group trips so darn fun?
The groups are small, we get off the beaten path
in great locations, have unique experiences and we
gather terrific people- generally former clients and
their friends- fun, flexible, curious and adventurous
sojourners!
So, while we have some set
itineraries we're working on, we'd love to hear from you
where you're interested in going. Of course,
you'll find us tossing out various ideas to see what
catches too. It just takes a few people to commit
to a place and a date and we'll quickly get the dates
and details lined up and announce it to
sojourners. So far people have really enjoyed this
and we hope to expand on it.
If
traveling with a fun group catches your interest, take a
look below and let us
know what you think.
Also, check out comments and
photos from past
trips.
2009
Trips
Giving
Circle Trips to Botswana and Zambia:
We'll
take advantage of shoulder season and green season rates
to visit some of the best safari lodges/reserves on the
continent. Learn about issues facing the region and
visit people and projects that the Giving Circle
supports in the area.
Proposed dates: March and
June 2009
Ecuador: Central and southern
highlands- hiking and exploring: Cuenca, Devil's Nose
train, Cotopaxi and Galapagos
Islands
Most likely November
2009
Mongolia: Hiking, Mountain
Biking and Camel Riding
This was such a hit
that we plan to offer it again. Most likely June
2009.
Peru: Hike to Machu
Picchu while staying in mountain lodges,
explore the Sacred
Valley
Another hit from last year that we'd
like to offer again. Most likely October
2009
Other Trips in the Works" for 2009 &
2010
South Africa:
The Garden Route- multi-day
supported hike; the Argus bike ride in Cape Town.
Rwanda & Zanzibar:
Gorillas and Hiking, then enjoying the warm
waters off of Zanzibar and Chumbe Island.
Tanzania:
Southern parks: Ruaha,
Selous,
etc.
Fiji:
Kayak in the rivers
and the sea.
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ETC.
Have you
traveled with Global Sojourns and have two
minutes to spare? We are listed on the Adventure Travel
online directory
and a new feature allows people to write reviews-- so if you have a
moment, share with the world  what you think of Global Sojourns.
It is also a great resource to share with
adventurous
friends in finding reputable companies servicing other
parts of the world.
Click to write a review.
THANKS!
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JUST FOR
FUN
DID YOU
KNOW?
  Dueling is legal in
Paraguay as long as both parties are
registered blood donors.
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We hope you've enjoyed our
newsletter, Off The Beaten Path and that you
will share it with friends. We hope
to provide you with travel ideas, stories and
tips that inform and inspire.
Priscilla
Macy
Global
Sojourns
Global Sojourns
customizes itineraries for individuals and small groups
to Africa and around the globe. Through a
commitment to responsible tourism and relationships with
local experts, we provide you with trips that balance
outdoor adventures with cultural insights and authentic
interactions with local people. We are
passionate about our work and providing you with fun,
meaningful and memorable travel
experiences.
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