By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate After eleven years, I decided it was time to deliver the fruitcake my mother had sent me in 2009 just before she passed away. I would take it to the meadow where I had scattered her ashes. I had kept it in my freezer (even through a severe […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate In writing Embrace of the Wild I hope to have turned the lemons of Covid-19 into limoncello—a zesty elixir that excites and satisfies the senses. In early 2020, I returned from a whirlwind tour of Australia just in time for the Covid-19 lockdown. I was grateful to be back […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate It is hard to think good has come from the virus that has forced all of us to isolate ourselves and not be able to move freely in the world. But, there have been many beneficial outcomes for those eager to tick travel experiences off their bucket list. […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate It’s a wrap! 2020 is coming to a close. Adventure Travel Writer, Linda Ballou, shares highlights of her year in this interview with Adam Asher and Zanne Merkel on their podcast, Wander to the Edge. Topics in our discussion included: Why I need to be on the travel edge. What […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate The Mexican people call retired persons “Jubilants.” I was so busy I never thought much about retirement, but suddenly, due to COVID, here it is. I am unable to sell real estate because dealing with the public is just too dangerous now. My partner, who has been loving […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate In the words of Edward Abbey…”I am not an atheist, I am an Earthiest!” Earthiests are people who literally need to plug into the planet to recharge. Whether sitting on a rock warmed by the sun, or face planted down on the sand at the beach, standing on […]
“We belong to the earth. It does not belong to us.” Aboriginal saying Since time immemorial Tubowgule, the tidal island on which the Sydney Opera House stands, has been a place of gathering for Aboriginal peoples. The clans would meet there to dance, sing, feast, and share their stories. Today that piece of land that […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate When I am not adventuring on horseback through pristine country, hiking some of the world’s most gorgeous trails, or taking life-changing river trips, I am writing about them and my other adventures. Life for me was not always this way. A minor tragedy forced me to re-examine what […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate On my visit to South Africa in 2015, I was surprised to learn that there are too many elephants! With so many environmental groups fighting to prevent the poaching of these emblematic creatures for their ivory tusks, it was ironic to learn that as early as five years ago, […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate From the extreme arid red center of Australia, our Overseas Adventure Travel group flew to North Queensland during the onset of the “wet season” from January to April. This region receives on average 10-feet of rain each year. Our gracious accommodations at the Beach House in Palm Cove […]
