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...

Tomgirl's Picks of the Week

In the course of each week, we come across so many great websites and blogs relating to women’s and adventure travel, read interesting news stories we want to share, meet other fantastic women and discover exciting new companies. So, I decided to start giving fellow Tomgirls a one-stop spot where I’ll share some of my favorite news, people, places and updates in a weekly “Picks of the Week” blog post. I hope you’ll enjoy my picks each week (and, please share some of your own!) Here are some of my favorite things this week:

In the News

• A couple new media sites for travel lovers and those, like me, who enjoy exploring: First, togfrog.com, a compilation of adventure reviews and videos from adventure travelers around the world (and a nifty map to help you locate them); Second, Signature Magazine, a new magazine celebrating those over 50 who enjoy travel and exploring the world around us.
• This report that luxury travel is rebounding, meanwhile, is reason for those of us in the travel industry to smile as we head into 2010!

Interesting People and Places

• Bloom With Barb is a site by Barb Scala, a certified coach, speaker and spokesperson for women in transition who want to sprout their dreams and grow their life and career. I was lucky to meet Barb at a recent event and, given her positive outlook and desire to empower other women, we instantly clicked. The Bloom With Barb site is filled with insightful, inspirational posts and information.
• Holiday Goddess is a fantastic editorial site focused on women’s travel. Beautifully designed, easy to navigate, and filled with great info!

From Tomgirl Tours

• Only a few days remain before Christmas… if you are considering giving one of our gift certificates to a woman in your life, call or email me today!

Join Tomgirl to Help Prevent Breast Cancer Through Education & Early Detection

The last of our four holiday gift certificate partner charity profiles is one Tomgirl Tours and I have long supported: the National Breast Cancer Foundation. While there are many organizations that help in the fight against breast cancer, the National Breast Cancer Foundation has a proactive prevention-focused approach that I am especially drawn to.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation's mission is to save lives through early detection and to provide mammograms for those in need. They strive to increase awareness through education, providing diagnostic breast care services for those in need, and providing nurturing support services. The organization was founded by Janelle Hail, now its CEO. Hail faced breast cancer when she was only 34 years old. At the time of her diagnosis she was living a healthy lifestyle and had no family history of breast cancer.

Long an advocate of women's health, which is a fundamental element of our own mission statement at Tomgirl Tours, this organization speaks to me. And I encourage all to join me in supporting it.

To help, I've made the National Breast Cancer Foundation one of the charities you may select to receive a donation when you purchase a Tomgirl Tours Gift Certificate this season. For more on how to purchase a gift certificate and help the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the process, see here.

Join Tomgirl in supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters this season

The third of our four partner charitable organizations in Tomgirl Tours’ holiday gift certificate program is the amazing Big Brothers Big Sisters. I’ve long been an advocate of mentoring young girls to help them grow into strong, confident women (Tomgirls, you might say!) And, as the country’s oldest and largest youth mentoring program, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes such a vast impact on our greatest resource: children.

Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors children, ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. Their mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that help create brighter futures, better schools, and stronger communities for all.

National research has shown that positive relationships between youth and their Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentors have a direct and measurable impact on children's lives. By participating in our youth mentoring programs, Little Brothers and Sisters are:

• More confident in their schoolwork performance
• Able to get along better with their families
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• 52% less likely to skip school.

We are proud to support this organization, and saw this commercial on a local network this week showing Laura Bush doing the same!

Purchase a Tomgirl Tours gift certificate this season, select Big Brothers Big Sisters as your charity of choice, and we will make a contribution on your behalf. Your gift will both give a special woman an amazing Tomgirl tour while, helping special children receive the support and mentoring they need.

For more on our gift certificates, see here.

The National Forest Foundation: Preserving Our Precious Outdoor Spaces

In our series of "profiles" here on the charitable organizations we've teamed with for our gift certificate program, up next is one near and dear to outdoor-adventure-loving Tomgirls like me: The National Forest Foundation.

A Congressionally chartered organization, the National Forest Foundation engages Americans in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System, and administers private gifts of funds and land for the benefit of the National Forests. In other words... it is the group that makes sure we have those wonderful outdoor spaces in which we can explore, enjoy nature, and breathe clean, fresh air. We are especially appreciative of their efforts because two of our tours, the Green Mountains Escape in Vermont

and the White Mountains Adventure in New Hampshire,

are set in National Forest areas (more on the National Forests here and here, respectively).

For those who purchase a Tomgirl Tours gift certificate this season, if you select the National Forest Foundation as your charity of choice, we will make a contribution to this wonderful organization. Your gift will both give a special woman an amazing Tomgirl tour while, as the National Forest Foundation so perfectly summarizes: help ensure a sustainable future for the many resources your National Forests provide to us all - fresh air and clean water, outdoor recreation experiences, diverse wildlife, and wild places to roam.

For more on our gift certificates, see here.

Thoughts on Holiday Gifts, Giving Back and (of Course) Travel!

Turkey leftovers in the fridge, an onslaught of catalogues in the mail and miles of traffic around the malls... yes, it's officially the holiday shopping season!

Yesterday, of course, was Black Friday, and we're less than 48 hours away from the so-called Cyber Monday. According to early reports, Black Friday sales held their own... not exactly robust, but no decline, either. The same is expected for Cyber Monday. (A personal aside: I'm all about the cyber shopping thing... why fight the crowds and get the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tune firmly lodged in your brain if you can shop online?!)

Being, clearly, a fan of travel, I'm happy to find some fantastic gift ideas for the fellow travelers on my shopping lists. theplanetd just listed these fun ideas that every Tomgirl like me is surely coveting.

That said, these early retail sales reports underscore the financial struggle many are facing this year. Given the work I've been doing with non-profits in planning our gift certificate promotion that gives back to our partner charities, I've become hyper-aware of how the financial struggle is magnified for charitable organizations this year. So as I poke around online, I am thrilled to see other companies also offering gift ideas that "give back". Here are some fun, low-cost items to consider from Sensational Color.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimates that charitable giving will be down nearly 10% percent this year (more on that in a later post). So, as you shop for the holidays, please consider these wonderful opportunities to not only give, but also give back. And, if you are an adventure travel lover (or have one on your list), remember that every Tomgirl gift certificate purchase this season provides a significant contribution to your choice of our four partner charities (and that you need not battle the traffic at the mall to purchase one!)

Meanwhile, happy cyber shopping to all... (and, by the way, please let me know if you find any fabulous travel gadgets that I need to add to my wish-list!)

Tomgirls Make Wishes Come True...

As part of Tomgirl Tours' holiday gift certificate program, which supports four of our favorite charitable organizations, we will be sharing a bit about each of the charity here on Travel for Tomgirls.

Kicking off this series of four posts is A Wish Come True.

Unlike our other partner organizations, A Wish Come True doesn't focus on women, health or the outdoors; it is simply a wonderful organization with an admirable mission (providing "wishes" for children battling life-threatening illness) that speaks to me and many other women.

A Wish Come True, founded in 1982, grants wishes to children aged 3-18; as of this year, they have granted 1,200 wishes, costing an average of $5,000 each. It is difficult to read through the stories of the children they've helped without getting choked up and wanting to help them grant wishes to more children... and so, Tomgirl Tours has vowed to do just that this holiday!

Anyone who purchases a Tomgirl Tours gift certificate this season can choose A Wish Come True (or three other organizations) and Tomgirl will donate at least $75 ($125 for week-long tour purchases) directly to A Wish Come True... allowing you to truly give special new meaning to your holiday "wish" list.

Call (866) 922-4990 or email me directly at lori@tomgirltours.com for more information or to purchase a gift certificate.