Tomgirl’s Picks of the Week: March 2, 2010

And the theme of the week is… shopping! Tomgirls love adventure but (we’re girls, afterall!), we also love a good shopping expedition. While each Tomgirl Tour features breath-taking adventure, there is a reason why shopping is a top vacation activity, so our tours also feature opportunities to explore the best local shopping destinations. Here are a few of our favorites from (of course!) our Tomgirl tours….

St. John Sojourn: What's the best accent to days in the sun, exploring the exhilarating adventure to be found in St. John? Shopping in Cruz Bay!

White Mountains Adventure: When we are done with our zipline and indoor sky-diving, we unwind at Settlers Green outlets... all the bargain-hunting fun you expect from a fabulous outlet shopping experience!

Green Mountains Escape: While this tour features Segways, hot air balloons and culinary delights (among other adventures), we love the time we spend browsing and shopping at the Church St. Marketplace.

Red Rock Rendezvous: Sedona has so much to offer, it isn't easy to fit all the adventure into one week. But, we do! And we manage to take a break to shop, too!

Media

Not shopping related, but we adore Wanderlust magazine, and think you will, too. The appeal of this U.K. based publication is best summarized by its tagline: The magazine for people with a passion for travel. Love!

Tomgirl’s Picks of the Week: January 5, 2010

With so many fabulous resources, it is tough sometimes to figure out Tomgirl’s Picks of the Week. (luckily, however, there are 52 weeks in the year!). Here are our favorite people, companies and media this week… what are yours?

In the News

We are all about the outdoors, adventure, health and travel… so we’re pretty smitten with Outside magazine. A magazine packed with ideas and reviews of outdoor activities, insight on the best gear, and general health tips. A must-read for fresh-air-loving Tomgirls!

For travel industry insiders, Packaged Travel Insider is a B2B bible. No surprise, with editor Matt Poe keeping the pulse of the industry. An early believer in Tomgirl Tours, Poe and Packaged Travel Insider will long be among our favorites.

People and Places

While in Arizona, Pink Jeep tours are one of our favorite excursions… so much so that they are an integral part of Tomgirl’s Red Rock Rendezvous tours. While we already adore the concept that blends rugged dessert exploration with our own signature color (pink!), we’re now loving their new addition: the Pink Java Café, serving pink donuts!

We met Santa Fe Traveler’s Billie Frank via social networking last year. Like Tomgirl, Santa Fe Traveler has a unique and upscale niche in the travel world: a boutique personal concierge service to create the perfect Santa Fe experience for travelers. While we reside on opposite ends of the country and have never met, we have become Twitter friends (twends?) and highly recommend this expert for those traveling to Santa Fe.

From Tomgirl Tours

Our next tour up is a perennial favorite for travelers: Tomgirl’s White Mountains Adventure… this all-inclusive trip to New Hampshire is a 2-day extravaganza of adventure (zip lining and indoor sky-diving!), balanced by relaxation and fun at a gorgeous local hotel. You can see more here on this blog, from our last White Mountains Adventure, if you missed it. There are still a few openings on this tour (March 14 and 15), so call today to join us!

Holiday reflections on family and shared adventures

This holiday season has me, like many people, in a warm and nostalgic state of mind. Sharing time with family makes me cherish memories, both old and new.

I just came across some photos of me with my beautiful niece Brandi; and they made me smile and remember one of the reasons why I started Tomgirl Tours: my love of sharing outdoor experiences with other women... especially when they are family!

Brandi and I started our outdoor adventures long ago... as cowgirls:

Fast forward a couple decades, which landed us on opposite ends of the United States... she in Arizona, me in New England. So, last year, when she decided to join me for a zip lining adventure at Bretton Woods Canopy Tours in New Hampshire, part of Tomgirl's White Mountains Adventure, I couldn't have been more thrilled to take those cowgirls memories of yore and create new Tomgirl memories!

Brandi rarely gets to experience the cold and snow, but she was a trooper and loved it, especially in my fur hat!

We had a fabulous time. I feel very lucky to have these memories and such an amazing shared experience with Brandi. Reflecting on our adventure, I remember why I so often encourage family members--sisters, aunts and nieces like Brandi and I, cousins, or mothers and daughters to take a Tomgirl adventure trip together. The bonding experience is beyond description...

Next Up: A Culinary Adventure in Providence!

We are all still smiling and talking about our adventure in New Hampshire, so here are a few more videos

Lisa's fun zip:

Tomgirls on the bridge:

Caroline rappelling:

But now, it's time to shift gears to the upcoming Savory City

Tours in Providence, R.I. - two amazing culinary adventures. I am

especially excited about the September 18-20 tour because it includes an amazing Providence WaterFire where tens of thousands of people converge to see this series of bonfires installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence. National Geographic Traveler named it one of the 20 “must see” events in the U.S. and we are hoping to see folks from the many nearby (or far away) U.S. cities that have direct flights right into Providence. We would love to see you, too!

Action Video from Our White Mountains Adventure!

You saw the photos, now videos of our tomgirls in action on the zipline Sunday! First Thea, then Vicki...

And, We're Off! (On our White Mountains Adventure)

We are all ready to hit the road for Tomgirl Tours' White Mountains Adventure in New Hampshire tomorrow and everyone is very excited! We have folks flying in from the Washington, D.C. area and several others coming from different parts of Rhode Island. It looks like we are going to have perfect weather if the forecast holds up! (Which was not the case mid week and had me fretting).  

I was up in New Hampshire last weekend and, with all the rain we've had in New England recently, it was the most plush, green scenery I've experienced in years - just gorgeous!  

We're bringing along our newest tech gadget - the Flip Video - so we can capture our zip lining experience "in motion"... the perfect memento for guests to receive as part of their tour experience (and for us to share here on Travel for Tomgirls).  Stay tuned to the blog, as we'll be posting photos and sharing stories from our trip as they happen this weekend. We can't wait to hear your comments and feedback! 

So, until tomorrow, have a great day and we'll "see" you after the zip!