Afar
posted under Marine Conservation |
Afar. Kind of a cool word. It invokes romantic imagery of long-distance travel…. nevermind the security checks and the lost luggage and the airport navigation hassles…we kind of forget all that stuff after the trip don’t we? We have the war stories – but they don’t stop us from doing it again and again for those of us infected with the wanderlust.
Afar is also an awesome new travel magazine that I discovered in a doctor’s office today. It’s WAY more than a Conde Nast publication – it gets to the soul of travel and why we love it. And I’m guessing that most if not all of us who are into marine conservation are also into travel and have made a point to travel to as many shores as possible. The articles in this magazine talk about the experiences of travel – not just the places. It’s more for inquisitive travelers than for those seeking the grandest resort in the Cayman Islands. I’m guessing that most of us who are divers would agree that we’ll sleep on a dirt floor if we know the diving is going to be good. I happily spent a week in Indonesia in a primitive bungalow in 100 degree+ weather with no A/C and limited plumbing to spend 20 seconds watching mandarin fish mate. And we’d probably all agree that we’ve met some of the most amazing, interesting people on dive trips. That’s what this magazine is about – though not dive destinations necessarily – though I hope they’ll do more of that. In fact, I’d love to see a spinoff magazine for dive destinations with this same concept…someday maybe.
In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out Afar – and here’s a link to part of an article from the premier issue, which featured 7 trips geared toward ocean conservation: http://www.afar.com/blog/index.php?s=scuba
Updating to add: Ok, I confess. I borrowed a copy of Afar from the doctor’s office. I’ll return it. Seriously. I want folks to know about this magazine.
So now I’m enjoying it cover to cover and – this is so great – not only do the publishers encourage readers to recycle the magazine, they contribute to Sustainable Travel International’s Gold Standard portfolio to offset the carbon emissions generated by the flights taken by the magazines writer/photographers. They claim to have offset 18.44 metric tons with the first issue. Pretty cool.
I didn’t realize I borrowed the premier issue, which includes the story I referred to above “Adventures in Saving the Oceans.” Tomorrow I’ll blog about the locations mentioned in the article where marine-loving travelers can volunteer. I’m so inspired I’m ready to book a flight.
