Want to find out a bit more about Adventure Life? Check out some
of these great publications that have written articles about our tours.
Browse through these brief summaries or click on the links below to
read the full articles!
USA Today
Published: December 15, 2010
By: USA Today
USA Today continues to feature Adventure Life in their travel tips section. Here are recent highlights for Costa Rica, Peru and Galapagos!
Pacific Northwest Adventure Cruises
by Susan Sedgwick
Puget Sound Cruise
Adventure Life Voyages offers a cruise through the Puget and Howe Sounds with stops in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria city on Vancouver Island, as well as the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Highlights include a tour of Vancouver's Stanley Island and the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a visit to Nanaimo, a historic island that was once home to the Hudson Bay Company, a trip to Victoria's famous Butchart Gardens and walking tour of Port Townsend's Victorian seaport.
Peru & Galapagos Tours
by David Thyberg
..."Frommer's Travel Guide recommends Adventure Life, a US company specializing in South American tours. Choose from options including organized mountain biking, rafting and rain forest eco-lodge expeditions. This organization has non-profit ties aimed at giving back to local communities..."
Costa Rica Eco Tours
by Barbara Dunlap
..."Adventure Life has more than a dozen eco tours in Costa Rica, each with its own focus. On some tours, you take a cruise ship; on others, you stay active with zip-lining, snorkeling, rafting and kayaking. The Pura Vida trip focuses on the rain forest, with visits to the Pacuare River and the Arenal Volcano; Wild Costa Rica lets you enjoy the renowned biodiversity of the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park. Most Adventure Life tours last eight or nine days. Adventure Life 1655 S. Third St. W. Suite 1 Missoula, MT 59801 800-344-6118 adventure-life.com..."
Machu Picchu & Galapagos Tours
by T.L. Chancellor
..."On this tour, explore Incan ruins and see Charles Darwin's inspiration for his theory of evolution, the Galapagos Islands. This guided tour begins in Cusco, Peru, which is located in the Sacred Valley. Shop and explore. Next, spend two days among the ruins of Machu Picchu to learn about Andean traditions and the Incan people. During the Peru phase of the tour, there will be some down time to shop and explore the city of Cusco, The tour then moves to Ecuador for a cruise of the Galapagos Islands. During the cruise, the tour will visit between eight and 10 islands. A boat will ferry travelers ashore to explore each island. Take photographs of the islands' animal life, such as iguanas and the sea lions that live in this national park. The tour takes 16 days. Adventure Life 1655 S. 3rd St. West, Ste. 1
Missoula, MT 59801 800-344-6118 adventure-life.com"
New York Times
Published: November 24, 2010
By: Kate Murphy
The New York Times reviews Adventure Life in it's Travel Section.
...As if dodging gunfire and improvised explosives isn’t stressful enough, military personnel like Major Barker are using their time off to pursue strenuous and adrenaline-charged activities, and some tour operators are offering packages specifically designed for them...
...For his midtour leave, which he took in January, Sergeant Cutting went on a rafting trip down the Futaleufú River in Chile, organized by Adventure Life. Besides rafting, the trip included mountain biking, horseback riding and zip-lining. “I wanted to push the limits,” he said. (Not that he was roughing it the entire time: the camps where he spent his evenings had fully stocked bars and massage therapists.)...
Published: October 31, 2010
By: Kari Bodnarchuk
The Boston Globe features our Ecuador Service Project that combines a chance to explore Cotopaxi National Park with lending a helpful hand to nearby community projects in the region.
Bike 12 1/2 miles into Cotopaxi National Park, and then post signs that tout leave-no-trace ethics and warn against illegal hunting. Or go ziplining through the canopy at Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve and help with trail maintenance. This five-day Ecuador trip, run by Montana-based Adventure Life, blends adventure experiences with volunteer conservation efforts. You start with a horseback ride among herds of wild horses to the foothills of Rumiñahui Volcano, led by guides who will tell you about the area and its medicinal plants. Then spend three nights at the Hacienda El Porvenir, around which you will plant trees as part of a reforestation initiative.
Published: October 21, 2010
By: Karen E. Klein
At a time when most independent travel agencies are struggling as travelers increasingly make reservations themselves online, Adventure Life is flying. That’s because the Missoula (Mont.) agency isn’t trying to compete with major travel booking sites, such as Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity. Instead it’s catering to American travelers who want to do more than just book a vacation: They want to have a meaningful adventure.
By focusing exclusively on tours in Latin America and cruises on small ships around the world, Adventure Life aims to provide experiences that delve into foreign cultures and help customers connect with local people. "What we’re doing is different. You can’t buy a specialized, guided trek on the Inca Trail on Orbitz. The big travel consolidators don’t want to bother with the very specialized itineraries that we do," says Chief executive Brian Morgan, 37, who founded the business after spending a year working for a humanitarian group in Ecuador. "The travel industry builds its commission into retail pricing, but recently that commission has gotten smaller and smaller, because the industry is operating like a commodity."
Read the complete article
Published: August 1, 2010
By: Judy Mandell
The LA Times features us as a go-to for solo-traveler trips.
"Before you decide where to go or even when to go, decide how you're going to go about finding a way to keep your costs reasonable...
Adventure Life offers solo traveler trips to Galápagos, Belize, Peru, the Amazon, Argentina and Patagonia and has eliminated single-supplement fees on these special packages..."
Outside Magazine
Published: May 1, 2010
By: Outside Magazine
For the second year in a row, Adventure Life is once again rewarded by Outside Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work. We are honored!
National Geographic Traveler
Published: April 22, 2010
By: Margaret Loftus
Adventure Life's Bolivia Backroads + Oruro Festival trip was selected by National Geographic Traveler as one of their Tours of a Lifetime. Truly a unique and special trip, we're so please with the feature.
We're traveling again. Tour operators are reporting big spikes in inquiries and bookings. But an uncertain economy, ongoing wars, and the fragile health of the planet have, perhaps permanently, reordered priorities. Travelers now seek more perspective, meaning, and challenge. They want to see the unvarnished reality of a place, not just the fantasy. Outfitters have responded by dialing down the luxury and refocusing on core offerings. Their itineraries are more innovative and experiential—aimed at developing lasting connections between people. Here are 50 of the world's best guided tours for 2010, as chosen by the editors of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
...Kicking off with Carnaval de Oruro, Bolivia's most spectacular festival, this journey immerses you in local rituals that are still part of everyday life, such as baking bread in a traditional adobe oven at a working hacienda and shopping at the Tarabuco Market, where even the younger generation dons traditional ponchos, sandals, and headgear. There’s action, too: Explore the salt desert and cap your trip with a climb up the 16,500-foot volcano Tunupa. Adventure Life: "Bolivia Backroads and Oruro Festival," CULTURE - VALUE
Outside Magazine
Published: March 1, 2010
By: Stephanie Pearson
Outside Magazine features Adventure Life in their Falklands Island adventure! A great read. Check out a snip below or click here to read the whole article.
"It's in the middle of nowhere, populated by quirky sheep farmers, and just a footnote in British military history. But the world is finally discovering what Darwin found out 176 years ago: The Falkland Islands are one of the last great wildlife destinations on the planet...
...Montana-based Adventure Life offers three new land-based itineraries. Their popular Wildlife Week gives you eight days to get among seabirds, penguins, albatrosses, sea lions, and other interesting creatures on Sea Lion, Saunders and East Falklands Islands. The eight-day Falkland Island Life offers a mash-up of islands wildlife, history and culture on East Falkland, West Falkland and Sea Lion islands..."
National Geographic Adventure
Published: November 1, 2009
By: Claire Martin
We are so pleased to have our Peru Service Project trip featured in National Geographic Adventure's Best New Trips issue! Read a short highlight below, or click on the link to read the entire feature.
"Long before the term "voluntourism" became etched into the travel lexicon, Adventure Life Journeys was a model practitioner. For years, the Latin America–focused outfitter has made a point of incorporating meaningful volunteer work into each of its itineraries and employing local guides and lodge owners. Now comes perhaps its most compelling offering: a weeklong stay with Inca descendants in the Sacred Valley village of Cachiccata, followed by a trek to Machu Picchu..."
The Washington Post
Published: November 1, 2009
By: KC Summers
...By the way, when researching hotels for this or any other trip, don't forget to check package deals offered by airlines, hotels and tour operators. You can sometimes save quite a bit. For example, Adventure Life, a Montana-based tour operator specializing in Central and South American eco-trips, offers a variety of air-hotel deals that beat the cost of booking the components separately, and the company will customize its packages to suit your schedule.
For Morrow's group of six or more, Adventure Life agent Marissa Jensen said she could modify an existing package to suit a six-night stay, starting with three days at Pook's Hill Lodge, a 300-acre property in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, and winding up at Ambergris Caye's stylish Victoria House hotel for three days of beach fun and relaxation...
Inc.
Published: July 1, 2009
By: Leigh Buchanan
Adventure Life's president and founder, Brian Morgan, was interviewed by Inc. Magazine for their "How to Build You Dream Company" issue. Check it out -- he even made the cover! (That's Brian on the far right.)
...Morgan had just a couple thousand dollars in savings, though, so he accepted a software job and relegated start-up work to evenings and weekends. He printed 200 brochures advertising a single excursion and deposited them in coffee shops and sporting-goods stores near universities. No one called. Travel agencies waved him away. Concluding that travelers wanted more than one option, Morgan created a second brochure offering three itineraries with six departure dates. He also built a website, which looked like the work of an Amazonian howler monkey. Fortunately, a graphic design student redesigned the site a few weeks later. Drawn by the brochure and the site, 100 people booked the first year...
Outside Magazine
Published: May 1, 2009
By: Outside Magazine
Outside Magazine declares what I've long known as true - Adventure Life is one of the nation's Best Places to Work! We are honored.
Family Affair: This international-travel outfitter's home is a modified flat that feels like, well, a home. Attire is decidedly casual (it's Montana), and parents can even set up a playpen next to their desks. "Going to the office and seeing my colleagues actually improves my day," says Brian Morgan, Adventure's founder and president. All employees can opt for compressed four-day workweeks and, once a year, take a free Adventure Life trip -- with a family member or friend to make sure it really feels like vacation.
"These 30 companies share a common belief: that the secret to success in any economy is empowering employees to live balanced lives and remain committed to their communities and the environment," said Michael Roberts, Executive Editor of Outside. "Our winners know that happy workers are good for the bottom line. So even in the current financial storm, they're offering on-site fitness classes and massage, reimbursements for gym memberships and ski passes, flexible hours, amazing travel benefits, and opportunities for on-the-clock community service."
Men\'s Fitness
Published: November 1, 2009
By: Holly Corbett
For proof, take a look at Brian's online album that captures a few breathtaking moments on Mt. Rainier.
Brian Morgan, CEO of Adventure Life, shares the secrets of his health and fitness success.
...We all have dreams, but turning them from thoughts into action can seem tougher than climbing a mountain. To help you reach your goal, Men's Fitness mined advice from a guy who did just that: Brian Morgan, 36, a former couch potato, started his own adventure company after college that morphed into a multi-million dollar business, and recently conquered Mount Rainier....
Published: July 19, 2012
By: Amy Bertrand
The Weather Channel highlights our Cordillera Blanca Backcountry Trek trip -- originally featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Every Thursday I write about place I'd love to visit, if I had the time and the money. I just got an email from Adventure Life that has me drooling over a new 14-day northern Peru backcountry trekking tour.
Here is the email:
This tour journeys to the highest tropical mountain range on earth, with 50+ major summits of more than 18,000 feet. Travelers will spend two days acclimatizing, biking, rafting, and exploring in the mountain town of Huaraz before departing on the challenging eight-day trek. This expedition takes adventurers on an unparalleled alpine undertaking of towering peaks, turquoise lakes, flower filled meadows, and isolated villages seemingly lost in time...
guardian
Published: November 1, 2009
By: Nicola Iseard
For many the Falklands will always conjure up images of war, but today they are increasingly a venue for tourism. You can stay in friendly B&Bs, walk in the unspoilt wilderness and immerse yourself in the local culture. Then jump on board an eight-seater plane to explore neighbouring islands where, if you're lucky, you may encounter penguins, sea lions and orcas.
When? November to February
Book it: Adventure Life offers an eight-day island-hopping trip, including accommodation, all meals and domestic flights. International flights extra. Weekly departures throughout 2010
National Geographic Traveler
Published: October 5, 2009
By: Meg Beasley
We recently received a letter from a reader asking for help finding a cruise across the southern Mediterranean along the coast of North Africa. She hopes to visit cities founded during the Roman Empire rich with remnants of the past. Here are three travel companies with excellent cruising options for exploring the region. All trips are education-oriented and feature prominent speakers and guest lecturers on relevant topics from archaeology to classical culture and language...
...AL Voyages offers two trips with similar itineraries named "North African Mediterranean Coast Through the Centuries" on the 114-passenger, all-suite Corinthian II. Both 18-day trips originate in Cairo, Egypt and end in Casablanca, Morocco. The tours visit important sites from antiquity such as Roman ruins as well as places that have figured more recently in world history like the World War II battlefields of Tubruq. Leading academics in the fields of archaeology and religion offer tours at the sites as well as on-board lectures. Trip price includes all meals, alcoholic beverages and land excursions.
National Geographic Traveler
Cutting Loose: Cruising the Galapagos Islands
Published: June 1, 2009
By: Michael Stoneman
National Geographic Traveler UK
Lying 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands never fail to enchant those lucky enough to experience the archipelago's rich natural diversity and stunning indigenous wildlife...
...
For Scuba Divers: While Galapagos tortoises, land iguanas, lava lizards and a huge variety of birds offer visitors to the islands plenty of wildlife to enjoy on dry land, there are even greater delights for those happy to take to the sea and dive beneath the surface. A seven-night cruise aboard the 100-foot 16 passenger M/Y Sky Dancer offers the best of both worlds. The custom-built dive live-aboard was launched in 2001, giving guests with scuba-diving qualifications the chance to do approximately 21 dives around the islands, as well as three land excursions. Although mostly drift dives along the cliff faces of offshore rocks and peninsulas, there are also night dives around Wolf and Darwin Islands, with a plethora of marine life practically guaranteed at each site, including turtles, dolphins and rays, as well as hammerhead and whale sharks. Contact Adventure Life www.adventure-life.com
Outside Magazine
Published: March 1, 2009
By: Outside Magazine
Adventure Life is very pleased to have our Patagonia Wildlife Safari trip chosen as one of Outside Magazine's Best Trips for 2009. Recognized for its great itinerary and 'killer value' ... we couldn't agree more.
CHILE
Killer Value
Situated on the east side of Torres del Paine National Park, Adventure Life's new EcoCamp—a series of wind-powered, fireplace-equipped domes—is your launchpad for four days of guided treks. Highlight: an 11-mile round-trip to the glacial lagoon at the base of the granite towers of Los Torres. Bonus highlight: Colchagua Valley cabernet back at the dining dome. Trips leave between October and April.
National Geographic Adventure
Published: January 1, 2009
Two Years Running!
Adventure Life is thrilled to be once again selected by National Geographic Adventure as one of the select "Best Adventure Travel Companies On Earth!"
For the second time in as many years, we've conducted an unprecedented survey of adventure travel companies, based on the idea that a traveler’s most important decision is not always where to go but who to go with. For the 2009 edition, we spoke to more guide services—and their clients—than ever before.
Mens Journal
Published: November 1, 2008
By: C.M.
Finally, outfitters are getting creative with their Peru itineraries. Latin American specialist Adventure Life, for one, leads a multisport trip from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. American, Continental, and Delta have the most one-stop flights to Lima. When you arrive, check into Hotel Carmel in coastal Mira Flores. DAY 2: Fly to Cuzco, which sits at more than 11,000 feet, and spend the day acclimating. DAYS 3-7: The next five days are an adrenaline-fueled journey to Machu Picchu that includes hiking, whitewater rafting the Urubamba River, and a screaming mountain-bike descent from a 14,000-foot pass into a rainforest. DAYS 8-11: See Machu Picchu, soak in hot springs in the town of Aguas Calientes [now known as Machu Picchu Pueblo), and kayak Lake Titicaca, exploring its Floating Islands and staying in the homes of indigenous families.
National Geographic Traveler
Published: May 1, 2009
By: By Norie Quintos
This year, 2009, may be the best year ever to travel on a tour.
Like the rest of the travel industry, guided tour operators are trying to entice travelers with unprecedented discounts, freebies, and incentives. Tour companies that have never been known to discount are doing so. We've assembled some of the available deals below, but it isn't comprehensive. If you are interested in a specific tour or operator, don't be shy. Find out if the tour is full; if it isn't, there may be room to negotiate an upgrade, an add-on, or a break on the price. It's a buyer's market, and it won't last forever...
Adventure Life Voyages: $2,400 to $6,000 off Antarctic cruise
The company offers from 20 to 25 percent off its Antarctica, South Georgia, Falkland Islands tours, if booked by June 30, 2009. The departure dates are Dec. 18, Jan. 3, Jan. 29, and Feb. 14. The price for this tour ranges in price from $11,995 to $31,595, depending on the season and type of cabin.
ForbesLife
Published: November 1, 2008
By: Todd Pitock
Sailing to Antarctica requires strong sea legs. The payoff: a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
...On the third day, our fall through the rabbit hole of the Drake is complete and we are in wonderland. The water calms, and our first iceberg encounter is a half-mile-long, high-walled rectangular platform whose symmetry looks too exact to be real. The sun comes out and sends a silver streak across one side of it. Color returns to people's faces, and to the world around us. Even at a distance, the brilliant blue of packed ice glimmers... Adventure Life Voyages' 11-day trip on the Antarctic Dream.
Incentive
Published: May 12, 2009
By: By Kassia Shishkoff
The travel company encourages its employees to enjoy the experiences that it sells to its clients.
If you are going to be enthusiastic about the company you work for, you should be familiar with the products it sells. That is no less true for Adventure Life, a Missoula, Mont.–based travel company that organizes outdoor tours throughout Central and South America. At Adventure Life, employees are allowed—in fact, encouraged—to visit the locations where the company sends its clients. Each year, they are given a $1,200 stipend to go on one of the company’s many South and Central American tours and asked to keep a travel journal, which is put on the Web site for the benefit of potential clients...
...Adventure Life staff members can select from any of the company’s many destinations, including the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Guatemala, Antarctica and a worldwide expedition cruise.
...Other programs and benefits that Adventure Life offers its employees include paying half the cost of a health club membership, a small education stipend, and flexible scheduling. New mothers are even allowed to bring their infants in to work until they’re five months old. This allows moms to continue work instead of staying home with their child until the baby is eligible for daycare....
National Geographic
Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic: A Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler
Published: May 20, 2008
By: Shannon Stowell and Don Mankin
Published by National Geographic Books
Adventure Life has two featured trips -- our Hiking Galapagos and End of the World adventure -- in the upcoming book published by National Geographic Books as one of the top choices for seasoned travelers!
It's time to rediscover the fun and excitement of traveling off the beaten path. In Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean: A Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Travelers published by National Geographic Books, expert guides Don Mankin and Shannon Stowell offer both an inspiring collection of personal, often unique, experiences and practical how-to, detailing some of the world's best trips. In-depth narratives convey the rich allure of 26 destinations with lively anecdotes and specialized information, while concise descriptions highlight an additional 26 amazing trips, selected in a survey by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) as top choices for people over 40...
