And the winner is...

In the last newsletter we had a contest to see who could come up with the most creative idea for things you could do to meet 3 goals: 1) be good for the environment; 2) be good for your health; and 3) save money. We got some excellent suggestions, many having to do with biking, all of which are posted here. Honorable mention goes to Julie (#1) for her idea about how to commute on a bike when you live a distance from work; and Christy (#9) for her goat idea- which we all loved but didn't think it was practical for city dwellers nor did it tie into health. But the winner was Pat, who gets $100 off her next trip:

"My list would have to include the Spring cleaning task of washing windows!! To do this for fun, health, and going green for cheap I would put on my head phones with my exercise Ipod shuffle, grab my old newspapers out of the recycle bin, fill up a spray bottle with diluted white vinegar and get washing to the beat!!! I especially like the great stretching workout I get on my 8 ft. sliding glass doors that will sparkle in the sun from the combination of newspaper and vinegar cleaning. It sure fits the $ saving category too. I learned this great tip from my 100yo mother-in-law when we lived in Florida and had to clean those old fashioned jealousy[sp] windows with all the slats!!!"

We have our 2009 winter and spring trips posted on our web site now and will have summer 2009 up by the end of August. I often jokingly say that 2008 was the year I finally realized not everyone wanted to go to Minnesota for a winter vacation- except it isn't a joke! So in addition to repeating our highly successful Sea Kayaking the Caribbean and Beaches, Castles and Caves of Mexico trip, we have added a new trip over New Year in Costa Rica and a hiking and sea kayaking adventure to Panama. Other new trips include the Amalfi Coast of Italy, one of the most gorgeous coastal areas anywhere, and Death Valley in California. And we're also returning to Everest Basecamp in Nepal and climbing Kilimanjaro by the full moon.

Is it too early to sign up for 2009? Absolutely not. Our Caribbean and New Year dogsledding trips are already half full. For further incentive, see below.

An explanation of our new trip prices

Our trip prices now show a range e.g. $1964-2075. For the last several years we've offered an Early Bird Discount for sign-ups 6 months before international trips and 4 months before domestic trips, because it makes our jobs so much easier in multiple ways. We have now added a second variable: method of payment. I have long resisted "punishing" people for paying by credit card- we use cards all the time for convenience and for the rewards. But as we were looking at the budget for anything we could reduce in order to moderate the inevitable increases in trip prices, the amount we had budgeted for credit card costs jumped out. And then I realized that in fact we were "punishing" people who paid by check, in the sense that they had to pay more to cover those fees- and they weren't even getting the rewards. So this year there is a 3% discount for paying the balance by check. Note that you can still pay the deposit by credit card and get the 3% discount off the entire fee if you use a check for the balance.

So now there can actually be 4 prices for any trip, depending on whether or not you get the discount and whether or not you pay by check. If this turns out to be too confusing for either you or us, we'll revisit it.

A tip for Southwest travelers

Exit row seats, the ones where you actually have enough leg room, are harder than ever to get these days without paying. It is still always worth asking at the counter, in case the seats haven't been bought or assigned.

On Southwest, however, you should head to where the flight attendant is standing in the middle of the plane. (S)he is standing in the exit row, and because (s)he is there, most people just walk on by, assuming that there is some reason they can't sit there. But you can- all you have to do is ask. And as long as you meet the requirements (and if you're reading this newsletter you almost certainly do), you get the seat. Cool, eh?

The silver lining in the new baggage fees

As you probably know, almost all airlines are now charging for a second checked bag and some are charging for the first one. I find this as annoying as everyone else, but I am hoping it starts to cure what I see as one of the illnesses that often impacts a trip - overpacking! Overpacking not only leads to heavy bags that you have to haul around, it also leads to many hours spent repacking and looking for the things that you know you brought but can't find now. I know it can be nerve wracking to not pack every single thing you think you might need but give a try. You can always overpack on the next trip. To get some ideas about how to start, check out these links:

http://www.onebag.com/ - This is probably the best and most comprehensive site, and it is totally non-commercial. Inspiration for why you should consider it, solid information on how to do it.

For some useful tips specifically for women, check out http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/womenpacking.htm

For lots of useful woman-specific but not always lightweight packing tips, look at http://journeywoman.com/PackingTips/PackingTipsindex.htm

Remaining 2008 trips

Is it too late to get a vacation this year? Absolutely not. We still have spaces on several trips that are listed on the right side of our home page. Two in particular that I want to draw your attention to:

Summertime in Door County The little Wisconsin peninsula that sticks out in Lake Michigan, Door County is almost unknown outside the Midwest. Think Cape Cod without the salt, crowds, and traffic jams. In addition it has 5 state parks, the oldest Icelandic community in the US, and fish boils. Between hiking, biking, sea kayaking, sailing and shopping, it is going to be an amazing week.

Sea Kayaking the Low Country: Combine learning all about fascinating Low Country culture with sea kayaking in a variety of freshwater and saltwater environments. If you love sea kayaking (or want to learn how to do it), Low Country cuisine, and a comfy bed at night, this is the trip for you.

FitnessTravelGear is looking for inspiring, amusing, informative stories about your outdoor and travel adventures. We want to hear about hiking trips, epic rides, eco resorts, rafting outings, volunteer travel, and more. Win lots of fancy outdoor gear from Outdoor Research, Steripen, Keen, Crumpler, Vasque, Teva, SIGG, Osprey, Pacsafe, Shred Alert, and McNett. Submissions due July 15, 2008. See contest details at www.fitnesstravelgear.com/contest.html.

I hope each of you is having a great summer. I (re)learned an important lesson on our Alaska trip: being out of touch, away from the depressing daily news, and immersed in natural beauty does wonders for restoring perspective. If you haven't given yourself that gift recently, you might want to give it a try.

-Marian, for all the guides at Adventures in Good Company