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: February 9, 2010

As we in the Northeast muddle through these winter storms (snow shoeing, anyone?), we find ourselves with a lot of time to discover fantastic people and media resources. Here are our favorites this week… as always, we welcome your suggestions for great people to know!

Media Resources

Natural Awakenings is a national group of publications focused on healthy, green and natural lifestyles. Originally from Florida, this is now a nationwide franchise. Here in RI, we are big fans of the local version, which offers insight and resources for those, like Tomgirls, who are committed to leading a healthy , socially conscious lifestyle.

The Window Seat blog, written by the expert and passionate travel editors behind the behemoth Travelocity, is a fantastic resource for fellow travel lovers. As they say: “We love waking up in new destinations, counting down the days until that next big trip, and settling into the window seat to see the world beyond our front door.” We do, too!

Interesting People

Aspen Blogger is an entertaining and insightful resource on pretty much everything relating to women and adventure. We adore her posts on all types of adventures; from motherhood to travel, all peppered with her great sense of humor and wit about life’s challenges and joys.

From Tomgirl Tours

If you missed Tomgirl’s CEO Lori Carr’s interview about Sedona on Big Blend radio’s Champagne Sundays, here’s the clip! Stay tuned, as Lori will soon be contributing as Big Blend’s expert source on adventure travel!

Tomgirl’s Picks of the Week: January 19, 2010

What a fabulous week! Our favorite people this week include some great Tomgirl Tours’ friends and not-to-be-missed resources for tomgirls everywhere!

Media Resources

We start our favorites with girlsgetaway.com. Yes, we are especially fond of Girls Getaway this week because (well, we hate to gush, but…) they featured Tomgirl Tours this week as one of the top 6 women’s travel tour companies! But, that is far from the only reason we list this as our top pick. The Tomgirl crew has long been a fan of this site, a one-stop resource and (in their words…) “gathering place for women to plan a wild and wicked world adventure, or a place to find out all about great local weekend trips with the girls”. Amen to that, girlfriends!

Most readers are probably already familiar with Women’s Health magazine, but we wanted to give this fantastic publication a shout out for those who might not be regularly reading. The mission of this well-known title by Rodale is right on par with Tomgirls’ values: “Women's Health is for the woman who wants to reach a healthy, attractive weight but doesn't equate that with having thighs the size of toothpicks. We know that exercising and eating well will make you happier and stronger (even if after-work runs can be drudgery). That looking and feeling good have very little to do with cosmetics and high heels (though they can help you feel glamorous on a Saturday night and we love that too!). And that life can be stressful since there's never enough time, but balance is achievable (with a little help)”

Let's Travel Radio is a Tomgirl favorite when it comes broadcast media. Let's Travel is a live, global radio talk show in which Host Susan Raphael and Producer Michael Zufolo invite listeners to explore the world of travel and culture.

Interesting People and Places

Bretton Woods is one of our favorite places (and site of our White Mountains Adventure). If you don’t already follow our Bretton Woods friends on Twitter, check them out here for updates on what’s happening in their gorgeous corner of the world.

In the News

We did a little cheer this week to hear that a consumer survey reported that there will be a 70% increase in participation in adventure travel over the next three years!

From Tomgirl Tours

Given the poetic description of Tomgirl founder Lori Carr’s lifelong love affair with Sedona, Tomgirl Tours has our Red Rock Rendezvous tour on the brain! We have three of these tours scheduled for 2010, and can’t wait until April 24th, when the first kicks off! (we have some spots still left on that tour. Call us to join!)

My Lasting Love Affair with Sedona

Sedona is unlike any place you’ve ever been. The soaring red sandstone, perfect blue skies, and outdoor, healthy vibe draw you in inspires the moment you arrive. Panoramic vistas are everywhere – stunning, magnificent, even breathtaking at every turn – each more beautiful than the next. That was my second reaction when I visited Sedona for the first time in the mid 80s. My first reaction? Reminding myself to breathe and to blink…. I was captivated the moment I set eyes on Arizona. It was love at first sight and has lasted a life time.

My Mom introduced me to Arizona when she and my sister up and moved west after living their entire lives in New England. As my Mom said, it was an innate, insistent calling that caused her to go west to Arizona, and, it must be hereditary because one of my sisters and one of my brothers went along with her. I was mad as hell when they up and left the Ocean State – the idea of swamp Yankees surviving in cowboy territory unnerved me to no end. …. until, well until, I went to visit….and oh my!

My mom, the original Tomgirl! (below, with my niece, Brandi)

From exploring the mining caves and the Mining Camp restaurant with my sister and family, to horseback riding at the Grand Canyon, to late nights at the cowboy clubs, it was a virtual haven for a tomgirl. Not to mention the spiritual bent… all those hours of meditation within and around the vortex area under a star filled night sky will make you… well… ponder.

My sister, Donna, and I

Twenty years later, I created yet another reason to head back to Sedona every year: The Red Rock Rendezvous in Sedona, one of Tomgirl Tours’ feature adventure tours. This trip (clearly!) holds special meaning for me, and I love watching our guests as they experience the spectacular and pristine red rock country in the high desert of Sedona, Ariz… exploring the spectacular Grand Canyon on a day trip hike below the rim, experiencing a rugged Pink Jeep tour through Broken Arrow and Ancient Ruins, and marveling at the view during a sunrise hot air balloon ride high above the pines and soaring red sandstone. It’s the desert adventure trip of a lifetime, and sharing it with Tomgirl travelers is one of the greatest pleasures of my lifetime!