Walking Adventures:
A Feat for Feet and Inspiration for the Rest of You

By Sally Richards

Where to Go Exploring the Alps, Chamonix, France: For many, the world’s “walking nirvana” begins in this lush valley located at the foot of dramatic Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. Chamonix is in France but borders Switzerland on two sides and Italy on the third. Its unique geographic convenience allows you to easily walk into all three countries. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy leading walking adventures here. The scenery is spectacular and your attempts to capture the magnitude of its beauty will fall short: Photos won’t do it justice. However, the good news is that this is an adventure you will never forget. You’ll guard it like a treasure for the rest of your life. This is how you should feel about every trip. www.nordicwalkingco.com/sally/history.php

Experience the Majestic Closer to home, Walking Adventures International offers a journey through Yellowstone and the Rockies, where walkers will be captivated by such sights as Devil’s Tower, the massive, monolithic remnant of stone amidst the beauty of Wyoming’s Black Hills. Other excursions include the Old Faithful Geysers and Hot Pools Walk and the Crazy Horse Memorial Walk. www.walkingadventures.com

A European Excursion A walking tour through Italy, including Rome, Tuscany, and Venice, is one of the trips offered by Tyler Burgess, owner of Walk With Me. The company is based in Eugene, OR. Burgess offers other walking adventures, including a hike along Hadrian’s Wall. Mark your calendars for 2009: She is planning a cultural tour through Morocco, with an optional trek up Mt. Toubkal, summit 13,688 ft. www.walk-with-me.com Marvel at Mystical Machu Picchu Never revealed to the Spanish and virtually forgotten until discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, the aura of mysterious Machu Picchu, “Lost City of the Incas,” defies description. The city is incredibly isolated, architecturally astounding, and breathtakingly beautiful. Join Walking Adventures International to explore this city. Other sightseeing tours make this a South American adventure of a lifetime. www.walkingadventures.com Things to Know Before You Go You should interview representatives of a tour company just as you would a baby sitter. After all, you’re trusting someone else to keep you healthy and safe.

A Few Questions to Ask • What is the guide’s familiarity with the destination? • Did the tour guide live there? Does this person speak the language or know the locals? • How often does this guide conduct a tour? • Is there a daily itinerary? • What meals are included? • What are the accommodations like? And, if you are concerned about personal hygiene, don’t be shy asking about toilets and showers. • Is there a walking itinerary? Do the walks accommodate different fitness levels? • Be sure to cover trip insurance, cancellation policy, and how they will handle personal illness or injury on the road. • Are references provided?

I love to walk. Chances are that if you are reading this magazine, you are already hooked as well. If you aren’t, but would like to be, I’m going to encourage you to choose a walking trip as your next vacation.

Walking vacations are becoming increasingly popular for good reason. If exploring beautiful parts of the world while walking through the countryside and learning cultural tidbits as you go has always intrigued you, here are just a few more reasons to further tempt you.

You’ll Make New Friends
For most people, traveling is much more fun with a few friends or loved ones. Experiencing something adventurous can create instant bonds between people. A walking trip can offer you a bonding experience while you experience a new destination with others.

You may find yourself open to a more acute curiosity while traveling, and this shared sentiment often leads to the wonderful interplay that can quickly turn into wonderful friendships almost overnight. I have seen this happen during the fitness camps for women and travel tours I organize. The “women’s only” trend, while initially sounding strange, quickly proves that anything with a “slumber party” or “summer camp” atmosphere is going to remind us of those carefree days where the excitement of living in the moment ruled. Back then, we bonded almost instantly with our cohorts and then were off and running (or walking) as the spirit of excitement and the unknown embellished every footstep. A walking tour or camp is no exception, except a cocktail replaces the Kool-Aid before dinner.

Fit versus Fat
Baby Boomers have especially come to realize that a vacation seeking nothing but an Optimal Tanning Opportunity, coupled with endless caloric consumption, can leave them even more grumpy by the time they return home.

However, add some walking adventures into the itinerary, and the whole perspective is changed. There is something so earthy and exhilarating about connecting with a new place on foot. We slow down. We pay attention to the way things smell. We notice the birds and the plants. We renew our minds and bodies, and somehow, the more calories we expend, the more relaxed we become. We are truly “away from it all” and yet into it all at the same time.

Curiosity Creates a Walker
I have found that great memories come from doing, laughing, and learning. When we are enthralled by tantalizing stories or historical anecdotes about the land upon which we are walking, our imaginings and capacity to learn are heightened. What better way to stimulate your mental faculties than by walking where those who are part of history walked? By seeing what they saw or built, or by trying to imagine what they were thinking or what challenges they faced, we are left with indelible impressions and a much deeper sense of the spirit of a place.

Pack Your Sense of Fun
I always tell my children that before they plan on marrying, they should first travel with their prospective mate a great distance from home, preferably in a foreign country. There they must have a challenging experience, such as losing a passport or traveler’s checks, and then see how well they get along with each other. If they can both maintain a sense of humor, there are great possibilities for a lasting relationship.

This is something for you as a traveler to think about as well. Inevitably something will go wrong, presenting you with a challenge you might not have anticipated. If you are fearful when things are not completely under control, you may need to work on flexibility before you embark on a trip away from home.

I try to design trips that would simulate what you would do if you and a group of your close friends planned an outing together. My goal is to create the kind of experience that, even if you are traveling solo, you finish by feeling as if you just had a memory-making adventure with your best friends.

For me, the key component to achieving this goal is having a sense of humor and a sense of play. If I, as the trip leader, am not having fun, chances are you aren’t either.

Sally Richards owner of The Nordic Walking Co., was a member of the US National Racewalk Team and the current holder of a World Masters Racewalk Record at 3,000 meters and American Masters Records at 15k and 20k. Sally was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen Hall of Fame in 2000. Sally teaches a number of clinics and also specializes in organizing walking tours and getaways in North America and Europe. For more information visit www.nordicwalkingco.com.