Featured RealTravelers

Summer is nearly upon us, RealTravelers, have you prepared yourselves? For many of us, summer is the one part of the year we have the time (vacation time, specifically) to set out on those big adventures; the trips we’ve been scrimping and saving for all winter long, like the ants from that famous story involving the lethargic grasshopper, except seasonally and perhaps thematically, the opposite. Yes RealTravelers, the sunny summer travel season is just around the corner and we know that some of you are still knitting your brows together, fretting over where to go in these coming months, what to see, how to see it…

May we make a suggestion? May we make a suggestion involving four wheels (or six to eight, depending on your budget)? We may? Then why not make this the summer you see the great American landscape from the road—the Route 66’s, the I-94’s, the pit-stop greasy spoons, campgrounds, and canyons both grand and not so grand—all from the majestic comfort of an RV?

Now, the thought of maneuvering such a large vehicle can be intimidating, but that’s what makes summer the perfect time to get behind the wheel. You’ll be able to avoid many winter hazards, such as snow or ice, and as an added bonus, you’ll be able to sleep much more comfortably (read: warmly) in campgrounds around the country.

Last summer, RealTraveler, brc, traveled across half the country, making his way with his parents from park to park in their rented RV, lovingly dubbed “Shep”, after its license plate that began with “5HEP”. Setting off from San Francisco, the group traveled from the Bay Area, to Yosemite Park, made some time to stop over in Las Vegas, and even got to see the Grand Canyon. Check out an excerpt from his impressions of, as he puts it, the world’s grandest “ditch”, from the view of a helicopter ride he and his family took over the Grand Canyon:

“We took off over the forest and flew towards the canyon - my parents were facing backwards towards me. I could see the edge coming but my Mum couldn’t - the look on her face was priceless as the ground beneath us dissappeared and we shot over the edge of the canyon - one minute youre 40 metres above the ground - the next minute your 1,040 m above the ground. She nearly twisted the arm rest off the seat.”

“The flight was beautiful - perhaps marred only by the amount of haze in the sky - a factor of being summer - there was thunderstorms around but thankfully they all stayed a healthy distance away. We crossed the canyon, circled around the north rim and re-crossed back again. A truly memorable experience.” (more…)

The mystique of the recreational vehicle feels distinctly American, somehow; there’s a frontiersman-like quality to these neo covered wagons. So, it seems not only appropriate to make your way across this country in one, but almost necessary. The RV is a rolling piece of Americana, and one that can be secured relatively cheaply. Many dealers offer discounted rates for RV rentals in nearly every part of the country. A large Class C-30 type RV can comfortably house up to seven people, and start around $450 to rent plus a small fee per mile. Throw in a couple of bucks for sandwiches, gas, and campgrounds and you’ve got an inexpensive experience you’ll remember for a lifetime.

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The Patagonia region of Argentina (and partly located in Chile) is home to some of the world’s most stunning arctic landscapes. From the leviathan glaciers of El Calafate to the shadows drawn by Fitz Roy’s peaks outside El Chalten, the southern-most tip of Argentina is a destination full of adventure, ideal for any travelers hoping to avoid the crowded beaches this summer in search of something a bit chillier.

This winter we’ve seen a few of our own Realtravelers conquer the churning frozen waters surrounding Perito Moreno—the massive 155 mile glacier named after explorer Francisco Moreno—and a few more who have stopped over in the windy little town of El Chalten before hiking through the valleys of Monte Fitz Roy.

Two such Realtravelers are Cass and Worth, traveling from Colorado, who have been backpacking their way throughout South America since this January. Just last month, the pair stopped over in El Calafate to enjoy the local fare and to set some awe-inspired eyes upon Perito Moreno:

“The boat cruised along the glacier’s perimeter, allowing views from the base up. Every time you looked seemed to warrant a picture. Then, just about when the hour was up and the boat was turning to cross the lake and head back to port, that’s when it happened. The belly of a huge whale–surely the largest whale ever seen–surfaced right in front of the glacier. Then it started to slowly roll, revealing skin more jagged than one would expect of a whale. Slowly it dawned on me that we were in a lake, there are not whales in lakes, there cannot even be whales anywhere as large as what was surfacing in front of us. No, that marine grey mass was a block of ice, broken off from the glacier’s submarine surface to slowly emerge and reveal itself to the world for the first time in centuries. Millennia? Slowly adjusting to its new found buoyancy, the ice berg dwarfed our rather large boat.” (more…)

A short two-and-a-half hour bus ride from El Calafate will bring travelers into the tiny village of El Chalten. The town was named after the original indigenous pseudonym for the craggy peaks now known as Monte Fitz Roy. Chalten is the Tehuelche word meaning smoking mountain, given because of the clouds that seem to drift from the Fitz Roy’s peak like ash from a volcano—a staggering sight.

The Patagonia region is very accommodating to backpackers. Much of the area is dotted with little towns whose sole industry is housing and feeding the weary travelers making their way through Argentina and Chile. Lodging is usually very inexpensive, and camping in much of the area is free of charge. This May to August will most likely see less tourists as the temperatures dip, so begin making your travel plans, now.

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