Welcome to this week's round up of some of the most interesting adventure and travel stories and deal that I didn't have time or space to post elsewhere. Hopefully you'll find a few of these very interesting and worth taking a look at.
- Land Rover Joins the Fight Against Malaria in Africa: The Mobile Malaria Project has just set out on an eight-week journey through Africa -- visiting Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, and Zambia -- with a specially modified Land Rover Discovery to serve as its roaming base of operations. Over the course of the next two months, three Oxford University researchers will cover more than 6300 km (3915 miles) while investigating the challenges faced by those on the frontline in the fight against malaria. Of particular interest is why 93% of all cases of the disease occurs in Africa.
- The Ocean Race Enters New Era: The epic sailing event that was once know as the Whitbread Round the World Race and later transformed into the Volvo Ocean Race, has now entered a new era. Now simply called The Ocean Race, the event retains Volvo as a sponsor and is now gearing up for a 2021 start from Alicante, Spain where two classes of ships will take to the water.
- Grand Trunk Launches New Line of Lightweight Hammocks: Looking for a new hammock for your spring camping trips? Then you'll want to check out what Grand Trunk is offering. The company just launched a new line of lightweight hammocks under the TrunkTech brand, offering durability and strength in a package that weighs as little as 15 ounces.
- Brazil Waves Entry Requirements for Several Countries: Earlier in the week Brazil announced that it would wave the requirement for entry visas for citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. The change goes into effect on June 17, allowing individuals from those countries to come and go from Brazil much more easily.
- Aurora Expeditions Announces Two New Itineraries: Adventure travel company Aurora Expeditions has announced two new itineraries based on the requests from its past customers. The small-ship cruise operator will launch an 11-day voyage that circumnavigates Iceland and a another that explores western Greenland as well. Both options are available for the 2020-2021 travel season.
- Mountain Travel Sobek Wins Prestigious Travel Award: The grand-daddy of all adventure travel companies Mountain Travel Sobek took home a major award from the travel industry this week, earning a TravelAge West 2019 Editor's Pick Award in the category of Best Tour Operator for Adventure/Experiential Travel. The award was given out as part of the TravelAge West WAVE (Western Agents' Votes of Excellence) Awards.
- Kokopelli Packraft Unveils Most Adventure Ready Model Yet: If you're in the market for a new packrat for your next adventure, you may want to take a look at what Kokopelli has to offer. The company just took the wraps off of its Recon model, which is designed to for use in the most demanding environments imaginable, while handling whitewater with agility and grace. Preorders are up now with an early-bird option of saving 10% off the MSRP of $900.
That's all for this week. More to come next Friday!
