Last week we told you about Passports with Purpose, the travel bloggers annual fundraiser, and how this year our goal was to raise $80,000 to build two libraries in Zambia. We asked you to consider donating to this worthwhile cause and encouraged you with the incentive that in return for your $10 donation, you have an opportunity to win some incredible prizes. Of course, we think the prize we are giving away, a golf stay at Austin’s Barton Creek Resort, is pretty awesome but there a so many other great prizes to enter to win as well. To get you even more pumped about donating to Passports with Purpose, we have decided to highlight some of these truly awesome prizes. Here are some of our favorite  prizes that  Passports with Purpose donators have a chance at winning:

Kindle Fire:  This has got to be one of the most sought after gifts this holiday season. The  7-inch tablet with Wi-Fi from Amazon is  slim, lightweight,is in full color, and holds 18 million movies, books, and apps, making it perfect for travel.  With Europe up Close, The Solo Traveler, Mother of All Trips, and The Vacation Gals all giving one away, your chances of winning are pretty decent! Psst…. Budget Travelers Sandbox is also giving away a Kindle Touch…

Xbox 360 with Kinect Bundle:  Can you imagine how cool your kids will think you are if an Xbox 360 shows up under your tree? Yes, video games can lead to way too many hours on the couch but Kinect features active games so your kids will get some exercise while playing. Score! Wandermom is hosting this amazing giveaway.

4 Nights in a Suite at the Honua Kai Resort in Maui: Delicious Baby is hosting this 4 night giveaway in an ocean view suite. 4 nights. Maui. Ocean view. Enough said.

Three Night stay for a family of four at an all-inclusive Beaches Resort in Jamaica: I love all-inclusive resorts so the all-inclusive stay in Jamaica that Have Baby will Travel is hosting definitely caught my eye. Imagine hanging out with your little one’s poolside with a cocktail in hand and the Caribbean sun on your shoulders. Not bad, eh?

Two Night Stay at the Four Season Scottsdale at Troon North: My family just returned from this amazing resort (I can’t wait to share the details with you all!) so I know that this is a tremendous prize. In addition to the resort stay, the winner will also be treated to a dinner at Talavera, where I enjoyed the best steak I have ever had. I will definitely be entering in hope of returning to this incredible resort. This giveaway is hosted by My Itchy Travel Feet.

Disneyland/Hilton Garden Inn prize pack: It’s no secret that Trekaroo loves Disney so when we saw the prize that Travel Mamas is giving away, we couldn’t help but get excited. One lucky family will win 4 park hoppers for Disneyland and California Adventure as well as a two night stay at the Anaheim Hilton Garden Inn.  What an ideal family getaway!

$1000 HomeAway voucher: We love HomeAway because it give travelers access to 260,000 vacation rentals around the globe in one location.  Vacation rentals are great for extended family travel, travel with large families, or families who would love the convenience of staying someplace with all the comforts of home (like a kitchen!.)  Nerds Eye View is giving away a $1000 voucher which can be used to take your family on an adventure in a vacation rental that is perfectly suited to your needs.

$500 BedandBreakfast.com gift card: Last year we featured BedandBreakfast.com in our holiday gift guide  giveaway  so when we saw that Land Lopers was hosting this prize, we were happy to see another chance to win this great prize. The  BedandBreakfast.com can be used at more than 4,000 small inns and bed and breakfasts which makes it an idela gift for travelers.

110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points: There is something just so exciting about hotel points. Hyatt is one of my favorite hotel brands (extremely family friendly) so winning $2640 worth of Hyatt points turn me into a kid in a candy store.  I could spend hours researching what sort of luxurious hotel stays I could get with all those points! According to the giveaway host,  Loyalty Traveler of Boarding Area, this prize can buy 5- 22 nights, depending on how you use them. Donate to win this prize and start daydreaming!

There is only one way to win all of these fabulous prizes- head on over to Passports with Purpose and DONATE.

The last day to donate is Friday, December 16, 2011.

Sharlene Earnshaw is the blog editor  for Trekaroo.

Travel with kids to: CA |CO | DC | FL | HI | IL |MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

Can you imagine your children growing up  in a world without books? I certainly can’t imagine my kids living a life devoid of Eric Carle, Margaret Wise Brown, and Dr. Suess. Sadly, millions of children around the world go their entire childhood without ever experiencing the joys of being read to, let alone ever learning to read themselves. Passports with Purpose is aiming to improve the lives and opportunities of children in Zambia by raising money to build two libraries.

What is Passports with Purpose? It is the  annual Travel Bloggers’ fundraiser founded by Pam Mandel, Debbie Dubrow, Michelle Duffy, and Beth Whitman, who happen to all be great travel bloggers themselves. In 2009, travel bloggers raised almost $30,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia. In 2010, we  raised $64000 and built a village in southern India.  Now in 2011, 100 travel bloggers have been given an even bigger goal- raise $80,000 and build two libraries in Zambia. With fabulous readers like you, I know we can do it!

To do our part Trekaroo has teamed up with the posh Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas to give one lucky winner a one night stay at Barton Creek Resort & Spa and a round of golf for two on either the Crenshaw Cliffside or Palmer Lakeside course. Imagine what a gift this would make for the golf lover on your holiday list! Want to know more about this amazing resort? Then read Texas Destination Guroo Heather Reed’s own firsthand take on the property:

At Barton Creek Resort & Spa you can expect the finest in luxury from the hand crafted wood and stone décor, to Texas’s top rated golf course, tranquil spa, luxurious rooms, and fine dining, all delivered with unbeatable Texas hospitality and customer service. Barton Creek caters to every type of venue including romantic vacation destinations for couples,  golfing enthusiasts, and family retreats. The resort’s hillside location boasts incredible floor to ceiling views of the rolling hills, large oak trees, and winding rivers. It’s staff exudes professionalism, is pleasant, knowledgeable, and quick to offer help or advice. The rooms are luxurious and elegant with hardwood entries, granite countertops, an oversize desk, and the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept on.

Barton Creek has 4 distinctly different 18-hole golf courses that have been rated as #1 in Texas by Golfer’s Digest. Fazio Foothills is Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s signature golf course, designed with cliff-side fairways, natural limestone caves, waterfalls, and superb TiffEagle Bermuda grass. Fazio Canyons is a 7,153-yard, par-72 course with it’s own pro shop and practice area. Crenshaw Cliffside’s course takes advantage of the natural terrain and is woven between native vegetation and plateaus. Last, but definitely not least, Palmer Lakeside, designed by Arnold Palmer, is located 25 minutes away from Barton Creek on a secluded hilltop overlooking Lake Travis. At Palmer Lakeside, there is also a spectacular clubhouse retreat that takes advantage of the lakeside and golf course views.

After taking your turn on one of their famed courses, hit the tennis courts or take a stroll on their nature trail. If relaxing is more your style, make a reservation at 3 Springs Spa or lounge in a chair by the pool. If you have kids in your group, check them into Barton Kid’s Club, visit the putt-putt course, play giant chess, and take a scavenger hunt through the resort. No matter what your reason is for visiting, I can guarantee you one thing…you’ll want to stay forever.

Read Heather’s full review of Barton Creek Resort.

How to enter

Go to the Passports with Purpose donate page  and donate!  For every $10 you donate, you will be given a “raffle ticket” to apply to any prizes listed on the donate page.  We think our prize is pretty great but feel free to apply your $10 to any of the dozens of  AMAZING prizes being given away.  After you have entered the raffle, be sure to spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, or Carrier Pigeon so Passports with Purpose can reach their goal of raising $80,000 and permanently changing the lives of children.

The last day for donations is Friday, December 16, 2011.

Sharlene Earnshaw is the blog editor  for Trekaroo.

Travel with kids to: CA |CO | DC | FL | HI | IL |MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

Happy Thanksgiving! All of us at trekaroo extend our warmest wishes to you this Thanksgiving season. We are truly thankful for you. Thank you for contributing to the grassroots community of parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers who make up trekaroo. And we are thankful for the daughters and sons who inspire us, whom we seek to guide, love, and care for.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on what we’re thankful for, whether it be friends and family, a piping hot turkey with gravy, beautiful fall colors, or a roof over our heads.

And what comes after Thanksgiving? Well, Black Friday of course. During the unofficial kick-off to holiday shopping season, the masses rise before the crack of dawn and wait out in the freezing cold seeking to find the best deals on clothes, electronics, toys, and more.

Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity

We’re truly thankful for what’s important in life. And I think we can all agree that the people in our lives are most important. Family, friends, and experiences with one another. So this Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday season, think about gifting experiences and buying locally. What does that mean? Studies on consumption show us that people are happier when they have experiences instead of obtaining material objects. Buying locally helps our economy and neighborhood small businesses.

So we encourage you to think differently this year. Give experiences and mix it up with the purchase of local gifts. Give a “gift” of a hike, or a picnic to the beach, a trip to a National Park, or a gift certificate to the local go-kart racing place. Support local businesses. Buy a locally made hand-knit sweater from your local shop on Main Street, pick up baked goods from the farmer’s market, or buy someone art classes. Hire a local worker to do yard work, or carpentry, or to tune-up a car, or fix a friend’s computer. Give an overnight stay to a local hotel or bed & breakfast.

Shop local. Bella Vita Home - Oakland, CA

And don’t forget the neediest among us. Try volunteering at a soup kitchen as a family, or singing carols at an elderly home, gathering clothes for a non-profit, or just stopping for a minute to greet the homeless guy on the street and buy them a cup of coffee.

After September 11th, we had a nationwide campaign of, “America Open for Business”. In our down economy today, we can each do our part to help. This holiday season, let’s band together and occupy Main Street. We’re thankful for you. You are America. Keep on keeping on and keep on trekarooing.

Find experiences, activities, hotels, and local businesses at trekaroo »

Support local grocers and farmers.

Photo: Flickr User GothPhil

Way back in 2006, I almost went to New Zealand. My husband had a 6 week sabbatical scheduled from work and I had the guidebooks for Australia and New Zealand practically memorized. Then, I got pregnant.  When we first received the good news, we figure we could still take our trip, as long as we went early in the pregnancy.  Unfortunately, the day I went in for my 7 week check up, morning sickness started. It lasted for 9 miserable months.  Funny thing about morning sickness, it doesn’t always make an appearance in the morning. In my case it was all day, every day, and I lost 30 lbs in my first trimester. Needless to say, our trip to Australia and New Zealand was canceled.  5 years later, I still stare at those guidebooks sitting in my closet and dream of the trip we have yet to take.

Photo: Flickr User AnthonyCramp

Blog For New Zealand

This week, travel bloggers across the globe came together and blogged about their own experiences in the land of Kiwis in an effort to boost tourism in the wake of the earthquake that hit Christchurch this past February.  Trekaroo wanted to contribute to the cause and since none of us have actually been to New Zealand (a stat that I hope to change in the near future), we figured we would share the stories of those who have visited with our readers.  Here is a small sample of the amazing stories written about New Zealand this week.  Many more can be read by either following the hashtag #Blog4NZ on Twitter or checking out the Blog4NZ Facebook page.

• The Vacation Gals have a great post about RV travel in New Zealand and Driving Across Arthur Pass with Kids on their site.
• Sharing Travel Experiences put together a great Foodie’s Guide to New Zealand.
• Vagabond Quest shares 10 Spectacular Natural Wonder’s in New Zealand’s North Island.
• The Mother of All Trips dreams about Taking Kids to New Zealand.
• The Traveling Canucks take us on an incredible Photo Tour of New Zealand.
• Travel Plus Wine shows us 7 Crazy, Outrageous Things to do in New Zealand.

Do you have an outing that you would like to spotlight this week?

Perhaps its a post about a vacation you just took or a day trip that you think our readers should know about.  Or maybe its a post about the vacation you are currently planning and going to book through Trekaroo!  Link up something fresh from your blog using the Mr Linky below.

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Step 1: Pick a recent post (past couple of days)

Step 2: Under “Name” write: “Title of your blog post (blog name)” – blog name in parenthesis
Under “url” paste: the link to your blog post (not your home page)

Step 3: Grab the Spotlight Thursday image and link to this post so your readers can see who else is playing along this week.

We want to be sure that everyone who participates in Spotlight Thursdays gets their moment in the spotlight so blogs that don’t link back will unfortunately have to be removed.

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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

It’s 6:15PM. Everyone is restless, but attempting to sleep. Tired, but energetic from the day’s climb to Camp Muir, I settle into my sleeping bag and try to dream of electric sheep. Except, I can’t. Because, you can’t really dream when you’re not sleeping. Sure, daydreaming, but it’s just not the same. Someone’s climbing boots are really just too odorous, they should have left them outside, or thrown them off the mountain. And then there’s that guy who sounds like a train, a train broken down and in need of service, maybe like a BART train in San Francisco. It was recommended that I bring ear plugs and perhaps an iPod, obviously I didn’t. Someone gets up, dons their boots, and clomps out the door. The very very noisy door which is insulated with cut up thermarest camping pads. It’s still light out, when is it going to get dark? Ah, finally it’s dark. Someone can’t help from laughing in response to the snoring moose in the bunk above. I fight every urge in my body to look at my watch. I just want to sleep. I can’t. I have to pee, but it’s cold outside. I don’t want to leave my warm sleeping bag. The hours pass. I drink some water. More people get up and walk around. Curse that loud door.

I think there was a period when I may have fell into something resembling a semi-comatose state. I think that period was 10 minutes before a guide opened the creaky door and shined a bright headlamp in my face. Where am I? Am I dead? Rustle, rustle, groan, the climbing zombies quickly stir and then the adrenaline starts kicking in. The guide says, “Everyone get up and get ready. We’re leaving in under an hour.” It’s 11:23PM.

I fire up my headlamp, throw my water bottles and food into my pack, and put on my heavy but trusty warm boots. I fill my 32 oz mug with starbucks instant coffee and don my down jacket and gaiters. Gaiters are “man-leggings” that cover your lower legs and protect your legs and expensive climbing pants from the sharp points of your crampons. I scarf down a clif bar, a couple of poptarts, and I’m good to go. I exit the hut and am hit simultaneously by the biting cold and the utter beauty of the clear night sky. Windstopper hat, check. Helmet, check. Headlamp, check, coffee candies in pocket, yup. My pack feels wonderfully feather light, absent my sleeping bag, trekking poles, and some food. I put on my crampons and I’m ready to go. Crampons are spikes that attach to your boots and make you feel like you can walk upside down. I detach my ice axe from my pack and we start roping up into our four-man rope team.

We set off into the dark and across the Cowlitz Glacier. The snow trail seems narrow and we trudge one foot at a time. It’s difficult to see much beyond our feet and on numerous occasions I have the feeling that a slight misstep would send me tumbling into the abyss. I had recalled that a sign I had read at Camp Muir warned of hidden crevasses. An hour passed and we continued ascending, moving into the pumiced volcanic rock switchbacks of the Cathedral Gap. The rock here was loose and wiley, liable to conk you on the head when you’re looking the other way.

After some time (more than an hour), we stop for a break and put on our down jackets to weather the cold night air. I take a few swigs of water and eat a clif “mojo” bar. I think it gave me some mojo, good mojo, mojo rising. We start up the Ingraham Glacier and then begin ascending Disappointment Cleaver, the physical crux of the climb. I’m feeling pretty good and enjoying the pace and the rhythm. Several minutes of crunch, crunch, silence, punctuated by sporadic drifting sentences of pseudo conversation. Zig, zag, switch ice axe to the uphill hand, zig, zag, “clank!” on the rock, zig, zag, the sound of metal crampons on hard snow and ice, and the light rumble of unstable rock to pass the time. Watch out! Crevasse, step over it! I generally did not look down the crevasses, just straight ahead. We continue to climb one to two hours at a time through the night.

The moon is a crescent sliver in the black sky above us. It’s not only a crescent, but it beams a bright firey orange color, reflecting the color of the sun. The recent forest fires have filled the air with particulates which cause the light to refract and reflect in fantastic ways. We continue to be whittle away the hours and finally the burnt orange sun begins to rise. The sunrise is phenomenal, one of the most dramatic and magnificent I’ve ever seen. We pause for a few photos and continue the ascent through the thinning air.

We reach the crater rim at 7:05AM. Mount Rainier is a dormant volcano and is topped by a crater. We reach the lower part of the rim, drop our packs, and unrope. There are steaming vents along the rim of the crater which don’t look too friendly, though apparently stranded climbers have used them for warmth. Ice axes in hand, we start the last few minutes to the high point on the other side of the crater. We descend the rim and walk across the crater through a field of enormous jagged sun cups. If I didn’t know better, I’d think those things could impale you. It looks like another world, like something from “Avatar”. We reach the summit (elevation 14,410 feet) at around 7:30AM. The sun is out, but the wind is also out in force. We snap a few photos, sign the summit register and head back down into the crater. We stop briefly to refuel and congratulate each other, then we rope up and start heading down the mountain.

Mountaineers know that heading up the mountain is only half the battle. Getting down safely is the other half. Heading down is a long chore which is hard on the knees, but at least we have daylight now. As the sun rises, the danger of rockfall increases. The snow begins to melt and the rocks which were once frozen to the ice can start to slide. We spend several hours weaving our way down the mountain while trying to avoid kicking rocks onto the teams below us. We stop for a break at 9:40AM at the top of Disappointment Cleaver. As we move on, we step over a few crevasses, some of which are quite deep. One crevasse requires us to cross a ladder. They’re definitely a bit scarier when you can see them in the sunlight. At one point, I jump over one and get a scolding from the guide, “Keep your feet on the ground next time!”. My rope-mate thought it looked cool at least, if not the safest thing to do. Duly noted.

We arrive back at Camp Muir at 11:44AM. The guide advises us to not go into our sleeping bags and to prevent anyone else from doing so. If we did, we might never leave. Within six minutes of our arrival at the high camp, it starts snowing on us and the winds turn blustery. There goes our good weather! We rest up a bit and pack up the rest of our gear for the final leg down the mountain. As we descend the mountain unroped, the weather devolves into white out conditions and a mix of snow, rain, and wind. We stop at intervals to make sure everyone stays together. We slide down the giant mogul-ish sun cups of the Muir Snowfield. It’s just not quite as fun when you’re not on skis though. My knees are hurting a bit, but the ibuprofen is moderately successful at masking the pain. At some points, we encounter snow chutes that previous climbers had graciously carved out for us using their behinds. I whip out my plastic garbage bag and happily slide down some of these chutes. Unfortunately, I’m too lazy to put on my waterproof pants, so I end up getting fairly drenched for the first time during the entire climb. Getting so wet makes the last bit of the decent fairly miserable for me. What was I thinking? I’m feeling somewhat spacey and disconnected. I just want to get down this giant mountain and put on some dry clothes.

We reach the visitor center at Paradise at 2:30PM and hop on the bus for the 45 minute ride back to Ashford. I take a brief nap on the bus and am ecstatic to change back into dry clothes when we arrive back at the Whittaker Bunkhouse. A few minutes later we’re eating burgers and pizza, drinking beers, and talking of our exploits. The guides present us with certificates and we all sit around for a while as people slowly say their goodbyes.

One of my rope-mates read this quote from his meditation book at Camp Muir, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20

Nothing is impossible indeed.

Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Donate online here:
http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7034

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The Summit for Someone benefit climb series raises money for Big City Mountaineers. BCM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides outdoor wilderness mentoring programs for at-risk teens. The mission of Big City Mountaineers is “enhancing the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences.”

With your help and my summit attempt, the BCM program will reach at-risk teens nationwide (over 2,600 program days last year!). I’m seeking to raise $4000 for the organization. Thank you for considering donating on my behalf. Get out there, do good, and have fun!

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Brennan Pang (brennan) is co-founder and COO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA