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Adventure Travel

Linda Ballou Finds Corvallis, Oregon To Be Organically Charming, Energetic, Highly Walkable and Worthy of Your Visit

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Overview of the Willamette River as viewed from Corvallis. Photo courtesy of Linda Ballou Nestled in the heart of the fertile Willamette Valley, Corvallis, Oregon is located just forty-five minutes from the Oregon coast. It enjoys mild temperatures year-round, without the dense fog and blustery winds of typical […]

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Ojai, California:  This Santa Fe Knock-off, Nicknamed “Shangri-La,” Offers Visitors Spirituality, Music, Art Tours, Wine Tastings — And Coastal Breezes

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Scene from the Adobe Arcade in downtown Ojai. Photo by Ranee Ruble-Dotts courtesy of the California Association of Boutique & Breakfast Inns. Just thirteen miles inland from the coast, Ojai enjoys a moderate climate all year round. Long heralded as a place of health, serenity and a cradle […]

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Linda Ballou Recommends Awesome AI-Powered Tools Designed to Improve Your 2025 Travel Planning & Experience

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Now is the time to plan your summer holiday. Here are some tips to help you streamline the process. Artificial intelligence plays a significant role in shaping travel experiences. Travelers are utilizing AI-powered tools for personalized trip planning, enhancing convenience, and customizing their journeys. Expedia, Travelocity, and others […]

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Linda Ballou’s Costa Rican Odyssey Part Two: A Little Country with a Big Heart

Some of the flowers at Blue River Resort. Linda Ballou photo.  By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Bowers of luxuriant tropical flowers grace the well-tended grounds of the Blue River Resort and Hot Springs. Magenta spikes of torch ginger, mounds of yellow hibiscus, and many varieties of dripping orange heliconia brighten the scene. Meandering […]

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Linda Ballou Shares Part One of Her Costa Rican Odyssey: From the Lush Rain Forests to the Shining Sea

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Linda and fellow adventurers, Laura, Patricia and Pelar enjoy rafting Sarapique River. Photo courtesy Linda Ballou. After enduring hours of cramped airplanes, air-conditioned hotels, and buses, being immersed in nature once again finally settled my molecules into place. My tired body came alive as we rocked and rolled […]

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Linda Ballou Shares Her Adventures on the Coconut Coast of Kaua’i

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate As a young woman, I had dropped out of society and landed on the North Shore of Kaua‘i. It was a head-spinning transformative time in my life. There, I was introduced to people experimenting with alternate lifestyles and those leading highly creative lives. After a year of Island […]

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Linda Ballou Wonders Whether She Was ‘Blissfully Sinking’ or ‘Gloriously Synching’ into River Time, During Her Recent Rogue River Raft Trip. Either Way, She Relished Every Moment.

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Every bend of the river beckons—every pool may bring better luck. Life should be like that. — Zane Grey The Rogue River is a vital artery in southwestern Oregon that flows 215 miles from Crater Lake to Gold Beach on the coast. Rainie Falls is the take out […]

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Travel Wings Clipped by Pandemic, Adventure Travel Writer Linda Ballou Pens Historical Novel About Equestrian Explorer Lady Isabella Lucy Bird: Embrace of the Wild

I was not initially familiar with the story of Englishwoman Lady Isabella Lucy Bird, so I didn’t know what to expect when I began reading Linda Ballou’s newest book, Embrace of the Wild: Inspired by Equestrian Explorer Isabella Bird. However I was lucky enough to read it just days after publication, and am pleased to […]

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Too Many Elephants in the Room!!

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 […]

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Linda Ballou Shares Part One of Her Recent ‘Deep Dive Down Under’

The ultimate Australian experience with Overseas Adventure Travel is a journey through a maze of micro-climates, multi-cultures and natural wonders. It begins in Melbourne and ends in Sydney; on the way taking in Alice Springs, Uluru, the Daintree forest (the oldest tropical forest on earth), and the threatened Great Barrier Reef. Melbourne is a vibrant […]

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You Must Come And See – Yosemite

Skirt the crowds and beat the summer heat in Yosemite with a stay at Tenaya Lodge, an all-inclusive resort with hot and cold pools and a complete spa center. Located just outside the south entrance of Yosemite (1-hour drive from Yosemite Valley) it makes a perfect home base for explorations in the famed 1,169 square […]

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