As a AAA/CAA inspector, one of my duties is to evaluate attractions to potentially recommend to members. This year I was asked to check out a whale watching tour while working down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I must admit I have never been 100% comfortable on small boats in the huge ocean so as I enter the marina to leave on the trip I’m apprehensive. ... Read More

The usual travel life cycle is ‘dream, plan, book, travel, and share’.  But when friends invited us to join them on their ‘bucket list’ Celebrity Xpedition 10-night Galapagos cruise/tour, we jumped right past the ‘dream’ and ‘plan’ stages and went straight to our local AAA office to ‘book.’  Now, granted, it was a pretty special trip and we did do some research to prepare,... Read More

It sounded interesting…. an authentic kosher vegetarian restaurant in the Alamo city. I called for information and in the process learned that the rabbi had just visited that morning, so off I went. At green vegetarian cuisine (no caps), I paused and took in their perfect setting: a quiet area, a colorful century-old brick structure with a front-yard herb garden, framed original art, (real) exposed-brick walls, and outdoor dining on the popular fresh air patio.
 
I’m normally not intimidated by menus but  their brown, recycled-paper carte gave me pause.... Read More

As a service to members who consider sustainability when selecting lodgings, we've identified AAA Approved lodgings that have been certified as eco-friendly through a recognized external certification organization. The list of recognized certifiers now totals 26 with the recent addition of state programs for Arizona, Connecticut and Oklahoma properties and two national organizations:... Read More

The Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean have for years been the epitome of ecotourism.  Experiencing this destination with National Geographic in conjunction with Lindblad Expeditions was a privilege and a day-by-day wonder.

National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions have formed a partnership in various parts of the world based on their dedication to preservation and exploration.  From the observations of a professional traveler, one of the reasons that... Read More

(Updated 8/25/2010)
You care about the environmental practices of the hotels you stay in, right?

Our research shows a definite consumer trend of travelers wanting and using information about eco-friendliness in the hospitality industry. A guy I know insists he’ll stay in only “eco-groovy” hotels. You probably would call them “green.”  When I asked him how he knows it’s eco-groovy he pointed... Read More