Trip Planner - Sept 2024

How Far Ahead You're Planning

• Long Term (Travel in 6-12 months)

• Medium Term (Travel in 3-6 months)

• Short Term (Travel in 1-3 months)

Long Term (Travel in 6-12 months)

Planning your adventure up to a year in advance has a lot of advantages and it’s best thing you can do to make sure that your trip becomes a truly unforgettable experience.

By booking this far ahead, you’ll have access to the most sought-after trips while they are still available. This gives you the flexibility to choose the dates that suit you best, and even secure exclusive perks that others might miss out on—like a master suite on an adventure cruise or a ‘kayaking add-on’ during a Polar expedition.

As we’re now in September, booking a trip for next year means you’ll be traveling during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer of 2025. This is the prime season for adventure in Europe, North America, and the South Pacific.

Here are some epic adventures you can book now for your 2025 journey.

Cycling El Camino Primitivo

Bucket-listers from around the globe come to Spain every year to hike the various versions of “El Camino”. Being born in Spain myself, I can tell you the easier routes often take walkers on long stretches near major highways and lead to crowded hostels, which in our books is no fun.

The Camino Primitivo on the other hand gives adventurers a more raw and exciting experience taking them through the open pastures, forested valleys, ancient villages, and remote mountains of Northern Spain. It’s the very trail that The King of Spain himself used when he was the first one to cross Camino Primitivo in the 9th century.

Location: Spain

Duration: 8 days

Price: $3,105.00

Available Dates: May 18th - 25th, 2025 & Sept 14th - 21st, 2025.

Yosemite Grand Traverse

Most people visit Yosemite as a day-trip, take a picture of El Capitan and the Half Dome, maybe go for a short hike among the crowds, and leave. Checked. “They’ve been to Yosemite”.

If you’re here I assume you’re looking for something different. Twice a year, you can set off on a 8-day adventure specifically tailored for nature enthusiasts.

It’s called the Yosemite Grand Traverse and it passes sites such as Isberg Pass, Clouds Rest, and Cathedral Lake, uncovering hidden treasures along the way that most visitors have never even heard of.

Location: California, USA

Duration: 8 days

Price: $2,995.00

Available Dates: July 5th - 12th, 2025 & Sept 6th - 13th, 2025

Hut-to-Hut Laugavegur Hiking Trail

I will be honest with you. Iceland is pretty, but if you don’t get out of the Ring Road, it sucks. Every summer, tons of tourists come to Iceland looking for their Instagramable shot. They don’t care about the outdoors or adventure. They just want the picture to post it on social media.

But here’s a little secret: the Ring Road serves a purpose—it keeps most tourists in one place. Step off that well-trodden path, and you’ll discover breathtaking landscapes, hidden hiking trails, glaciers, rivers, and biking routes, all waiting to be explored—with hardly anyone else around.

One of the best ways to experience this untamed side of Iceland is by hiking the Laugavegur Trail, staying in cozy huts along the way, and enjoying the side of Iceland most tourists never see.

Location: Iceland

Duration: 6 days

Price: $2,890.00

Available Dates: June, August & September, 2025

Sailing and Exploring Adventure in Greenland

If you’re seeking a truly magical, exploration-filled adventure in a remote location—and you don’t get seasick—sailing along the east coast of Greenland is an experience like no other.

Aboard the Varuna, a comfortable expedition sailboat, you’ll navigate the wild waters and untouched landscapes of the Sermilik and Ammassalik fjords. The area is packed with wildlife, including walruses, narwhals, belugas, humpback whales, polar bears, arctic foxes, and more. After all, Northeast Greenland is home to the world’s largest national park.

Location: Greenland

Duration: 10 days

Price: $7,030.00

Available Dates: July 20th - 29th, August 2nd - 11th, August 14th - 23rd & August 25th - September 3rd, 2025.

Liveaboard Diving Tubbataha Reef

If you’re planning a dive trip for next year and have already experienced a few, consider exploring the Tubbataha Reefs in the Philippines.

This isolated and protected marine park is only accessible by liveaboard, meaning you won’t encounter the usual day-trippers. It’s arguably the most biodiverse scuba diving destination in the Philippines.

However, due to its remote location and position in the path of typhoons, the diving season in Tubbataha is brief, running only from March to June.

Location: Philippines

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights

Price: $4,195.00

Available Dates: March to June, 2025

Adventure Lodges

The best option for next summer is to head to the South Pacific, where the season starts in April and goes all the way until October. There are many great lodges in the area, but these two are some of our favorites.

Matafonua Lodge, in Tonga. Located on one of the South Pacific's most beautiful beaches on the northern tip of Foa Island, in the Ha'apai island group, this lodge is something else. Spend your days in isolation scuba diving, kayaking, sailing, SUPing, kiteboarding, and swimming with Humpback whales!

Ratua Private Island Resort, in Vanuatu. If you are dreaming of an idyllic tropical island but, if you are like me, can’t stand the awkward pampering by staff in white polos that come with resorts, this is the lodge you’re looking for. It’s a wild, magical place with authentic people who offer a simple yet comfortable stay in a naturally beautiful environment with great hiking, diving & kayaking right out the door.

Medium Term (Travel in 3-6 months)

If you can’t wait until next summer for your next trip (and who can?) and you’re looking for something a bit sooner, here are some great options for trips to take early next year (January - April).

Everest Base Camp Rugged Luxury

If you can afford the price tag, this is arguably one of the coolest hiking trips you can take—if not the coolest. Everest Base Camp is epic on its own, but experiencing it with an Everest summit guide, staying in luxury lodges along the way, and gaining access to the actual base camp where the summiteers stay takes it to a whole new level.

Location: Nepal

Duration: 18 days

Price: $18,995.00

Available Dates: March 24th - April 10th, 2025 & March 28th - April 14th, 2025.

Hut to Hut Backcountry Skiing in the Bow-Yoho Traverse

I don’t mind being cold and exhausted as long as it’s worth it—and that’s exactly the case with the Bow-Yoho Traverse in British Columbia, Canada. This epic route used to be quite miserable when the weather turned bad.

However, with the recent addition of the Richard and Louise Guy Hut, which offers comfort in the rugged backcountry, some of British Columbia’s most scenic peaks have become much more accessible.

Location: BC, Canada

Duration: 7 days

Price: $1,830.00

Available Dates: February to April

Alps 2 Ocean Bike Trail

Imagine pedaling through some of the most breathtaking landscapes New Zealand has to offer. You will get dropped off by a helicopter at the base of Mt Cook, in the majestic Southern Alps, and you will spend the next week cycling all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It doesn’t get any better than this, now does it?

Location: South Island, New Zealand

Duration: 7 days / 6 nights

Price: $2,550.00

Available Dates: January to May

Liveaboard Diving the Farasan Banks

Every diver I know has been to the Red Sea in Egypt. It’s fantastic—affordable, with great diving, but also crowded. But what about the other side of the Red Sea?

Saudi Arabia has only recently opened to tourists, offering the same incredible reefs with a fraction of the divers. The Farasan Banks, in particular, is the top spot to explore.

Location: Saudi Arabia

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights

Price: $1,950.00

Available Dates: November to April

Adventure Lodges

Uga Chena Huts, in Sri Lanka. It’s located right at the border with the Yala National Park, and between February and July, it’s the best season to spot leopards.

Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge, in Nepal. Guided jungle safaris take guests into Chitwan National Park, home to some of Nepal’s most famous wildlife, including endangered species such as Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinoceroses, and Asian elephants. Pretty sweet, huh?

Short Term (Travel in 1-3 months)

If you are like me and love the spontaneity of booking a tour last minute, here are some fantastic trips you can still book today for travel before the year ends.

The Sardine Run

Swimming with stripped marlins in MagBay is something else. The area is still somewhat under the radar, and while crowds are growing each year, it’s not overwhelming yet. The best time to go was last year—the second best is this year.

Location: Magdalena Bay, Mexico

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights

Price: $3,595.00

Available Dates: Oct 13th - 20th , Oct 20th - 27th, Nov 27th - Dec 4th & Dec 28th - Jan 4th

Hiking the Manaslu Trek

Nepal is great, but some of the popular hikes are way too crowded for my taste. Manaslu however is different. It’s one of the best options for those who are looking to avoid the crowds of Annapurna Circuit or the EBC Trek.

Location: Nepal

Duration: 16 days

Price: $2,975.00

Available Dates: Sept - Nov, 2024 & March - May, 2025

Multi-Sport Adventure Cruise in Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is one of those places that is on everyone’s bucket list, and for a good reason. But should you go diving, kayaking or just exploring? Well, now you can do all of the above with this multi-adventure cruise where every day you choose if you want to kayak, dive, trek, snorkel, or SUP.

Location: Sorong, West Papua - Indonesia

Duration: 12 days

Price: $6,500.00

Available Dates: Nov 17th - 28th & Feb 3rd - 14th

Swimming with Orcas in Norway

Let’s be clear: The water in Norway in winter is freaking cold. But hey, it’s also crystal clear and packed with orcas. So, if you’re up for it, you know exactly what you’re getting—arguably the best place in the world to get up close with these magnificent creatures.

Location: Tromsø, Norway

Duration: 4 days / 3 nights

Price: $3,510.00

Available Dates: Oct 26th - 29th , Nov 2nd - 8th & December (several trips)

Adventure Lodges

• The Aurora Bubbles at Nellim Wilderness Lodge in Lapland, Finland. A great place to see the Northern Lights and do any sort of winter adventures like an Arctic safari using a snowmobile or a husky sled.

• Cosmoledo Eco Camp in the Seychelles. If money is not an issue and you’re looking for something very exclusive and isolated, this eco camp offers a remote island where you can scuba dive untouched reefs, walk empty coastal trails, and paddle through turquoise bays with no one around.

That’s it for now! I hope you found this lengthy email useful. Feel free to forward it to friends who might find it interesting.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this type of email. Please scroll down to the poll and let us know!

Until next time…

Keep exploring,

-Antonio