Author: Sean Keener

Family Travel in the Amazon, Making Shark Movies in Mexico, Solo Travel Tips for Women in Egypt, Trip or Treat for Free Travel from BootsnAll and World Nomads

Happy almost October! This week on BootsnAll we’ve been talking about fears and misconceptions about “riskier” destinations and travel activities and how to deal with them before, during and after a trip. Vickie Lillo shows us that family travel doesn’t have to mean giving your tourism dollars to an all-inclusive resort or a theme park–if you’re open-minded enough to take your teenager hiking in the Amazon rainforest, that is. How do you dismiss childhood nightmares about Jaws? If you’re Maurice D. Valentine, by cage-diving with great white sharks in Mexico (and getting it on film for posterity).  Been dying to get to Egypt but worried about going alone? Despite dire warnings from friends and family, fearless traveler and staff writer Jenn Miller is just back from a lovely solo trip there–with overland travel tips to share. Finally, if you’re ready to travel but your budget isn’t quite there yet, you should take five minutes and enter Trip or Treat to win a free trip to Cambodia, Central Europe or Egypt from World Nomads, BootsnAll, and Intrepid Travel.

A Family Vacation in Guyana: Seeing the Amazon From an Amerindian Perspective

family trekking in Guyana
What if your tourism dollars could help save the Amazon rainforests and wildlife and conserving traditional culture on an Amerindian reservation? Vickie Lillo shares practical information on how to do just that, as well as highlights from her family’s stay in Northern Amazonia, Guyana (think anacondas, waterfalls, and Amerindian Philosophy).
“Damon, our host and heir to the Hereditary Chieftancy of the Eagle Clan of the Lokono-Arawak nation, brings out the real ‘herps‘- a red-tailed boa constrictor caught on the savanna a couple of days before our visit and two land tortoises from the enclave out back planted with low-growing papaya shrubs. ‘You see how its jaws unhinge?’ His hand is securely clamped at the back of the boas’ neck, to disable the head, as he shows off the constrictor’s fangs and pasty-white mouth. ‘That’s so it can swallow an animal whole.’”

How One Man Overcame His Fears to Make a Shark Movie in Mexico

Shark diving in Mexico
Maurice D. Valentine is in Mexico on a mission: to convene with the Great White Sharks off the coast of Guadalupe Island and make a short movie about the experience. But first he’ll have to face his his fears, confront his own misconceptions, and figure out how to film it all without blocking his camera with air-bubbles.
“I’d been sitting in the cage for almost 30 minutes when the first Great White appeared. It came out of the gloom some 70 plus feet in front of us as this slithering grayish shadow. And no, it didn’t charge the cage like I envisioned it would. Nor did it zip around the water like it was propelled by turbojets; it gracefully glided over to us with ease, taking its sweet time. It really threw me. As the size of this behemoth began to dawn on me as it drew closer, whatever fear I had, whatever thoughts I had of this denizen of the deep mauling and trying to eat me – washed away.”

Overland Egypt: Notes for Women Traveling AloneTips for Women traveling alone in Egypt

Forget what you saw about Egypt in the news. With the right attitude (and clothing) it’s a safe (and lovely) place to solo travel, even as a woman –Jenn Miller just did and she has tips on how you can, too.
“I received numerous warnings from well meaning loved ones as I prepared to take off for Egypt this fall, alone, as a woman. Everything from, ‘Don’t fly Egypt Air, their planes fall right out of the sky!’ Not quite true; it was a Russian jet that crashed, the Egyptian one was hijacked to Malta. To, ‘Are you SURE you want to go there alone as a woman, is it safe? Aren’t you worried?’ ‘I’m packing my burqa,’ I smiled in reply, ‘Though I don’t expect to need it. Things will be fine.’ ”

Win a Free Trip from World Nomads and BootsnAll

Trip or Treat Win a Free Trip from Bootsnall and World Nomads this Halloween
This Halloween, forget  bite-sized chocolate treats. With Trip or Treat, you can enter to win a trip-sized one. This year we’ve partnered with World Nomads and Intrepid Travel to give you a chance to win a trip for two to Cambodia, Central Europe or Egypt. All you’ve got to do is go to Trip or Treat and share which destination gives you goosebumps in a good way. But hey, even if you don’t win the grand prize, you’ll score travel goodies in your inbox, just for participating–and that’s a win-win for everyone.
Photo Credits: Vickie Lillo, wildestanimal, syrotkin, World Nomads