conxGuide: Alyson Adventures
North America's leading gay travel company
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| Who Goes On Alyson Adventure Trips? |
While most travellers are gay men (and some trips are exclusively for gay men), lesbians can make up to half of the group on the hiking and less strenuous biking trips.
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| Types of Trips Offered |
Activity-oriented vacations, usually involving hiking, biking and diving.They also have a series of multi-activity vacations.
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| Destinations |
Hiking & Cycling: France, Italy and Switzerland
Diving: Southern Caribbean
Multi-activity: Costa Rica, United States, New Zealand
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| Best Known For |
Small group vacations, particularly their cycling trips in France
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| Travelling Solo |
Most people on Alyson trips are travelling on their own. (Many guests are single but many are partnered yet travel independently.) So it's very typical for Alyson to match travellers looking to share with other solo guests on almost all of their trips. If you prefer not to share, a single supplement will apply. Some trips, however, cannot accommodate single travellers and are required to share with other solo travellers.
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| Price Range |
Prices range widely - from $1,590 to almost $4,000. Hiking trips tend to be less expensive while activity intensive vacations in less-travelled parts of the world tend torward the upper end of the range.
All prices are in US dollars and include all taxes.
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Not Just For Fitness Freaks
Not all Alyson trips are gut-wrenching physical challenges - but some definitely are.
Most are designed so that you can focus on enjoying
yourself and forget about some of the more mundane
aspects of travel.
For example, guests on hiking or cycling trips don’t have
to worry about lugging their bags with them as they
wander through the countryside. A driver will collect your bags in the morning and have them waiting
for you when you arrive at your next destination in the
afternoon.
The level of physical activity and challenge can vary
greatly from trip to trip. Check the trip descriptions for an indication of the physical fitness required to comfortably
enjoy the trip.
Many trips only require a reasonable level of fitness. This
means you don’t have to be a gym bunny to participate -
but you should, at least, exercise regularly.
In order to accommodate a wider range of participants,
some trips include alternative routes between certain
points for those who would like to try something more
physically challenging. Some offerings (such as the sportspecific
or multi-sport trips) are clearly designed with a
higher level of experience and fitness in mind so some
amount of pre-trip training or conditioning may be in
order.
Aside from the physical challenge or the charms of a
particular destination, the real appeal of this type of
holiday is the powerful camaraderie that quickly develops
between the people on the trip. Dan DiStasio of Alyson
Adventures has seen many great friendships start over a
glass of wine after a rainy day’s cycling. “Nature is
unpredictable and the travel isn’t always easy. Once you
share the experience of overcoming a challenge with a
group of strangers, you aren’t strangers any more. You
bond and make friends very quickly.” In fact, DiStasio
has a group that met each other on a trip years ago who
now repeat the same trip annually.
Which leads to - when should I book? Alyson has already released trips for the summer of 2009 because group sizes are small (typically no more than 15 and often smaller) and most trips produce a high "repeat factor" - that is guests end up booking another Alyson trip the following year. As a result popular trips (such as Splash and the French cycling trips) can sell out quickly. "You snooze, you loose" definitely applies here.
Active Adventure
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Splash!
July 3 - 12, 2008 |
July 17 - 26, 2008 |
August 13 - 22, 2008 |
August 27 - September 5 , 2008 |
July 2 - 11, 2009 |
August 26 - September 4 , 2009 |
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Raft down the entire 280 miles of the Colorado River, through a hundred whitewater rapids and with a motor to keep you moving so you can relax and enjoy the changing spectacle around you. Explore the hidden side canyons and enjoy waterfalls and swimming holes. In the evening socialize over a tasty dinner with others in the group -- just 16 in total. By night, sleep under a canopy of stars, as the river continues its journey of the ages. |
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Antarctica Adventure
December 28, 2008 - January 7, 2009 |
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Extreme by any measure, Antarctica is a place beyond the imagination of most travelers. The coldest, windiest, driest, most remote place on earth—Antarctica is radically different than nearly any experience you may have had in your life. See orcas, penguins, albatross and seals. Finally, walk on the southernmost continent, a rare and rewarding experience. |
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Cycling
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