Geographic Adventures, Tours & Travel

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Walking Connection Blog

Adventures For Your Body, Mind & Urge To Travel

Adventure | Culture | Personal Journeys | Fitness, Wellness, Training | Motivation

The Walking Connection Blog is about our journey through the world.

On this journey, we have: Walked the Great Wall of China, climbed Africa's highest peak (twice), and hiked Tasmania's amazing Overland Track. We have photo-safaried by elephant's back searching for tigers in India, by helicopter for polar bears in Canada, by hot air balloon over the wildebeest migration in Kenya, and by train on one of the world's greatest train rides, the Orient Express from Puno to Cusco in the Andes Mountains of Peru. From the depths of America's Grand Canyon to live volcanoes in Iceland, Hawaii (US), and Costa Rica it is the people with whom we have shared our journey that has made each place memorable.

Our stories are written with the passion of someone who is relaying a firsthand experience. Inspiration is provided by Jo Ann Taylor, co-founder of the Walking Connection, 33-year adventure travel professional, and president of the Walking Connection. She, along with our contributing team members and YOU, our readers are the source of stories created and told on this site.

We've Got Stories To Tell, Yours and Ours.

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Snake Bite Myths & Misconceptions

Sep 10, 2015
2 min

Snake Bite Myths & Misconceptions

Guest blog post: By Tony Nester Rattlesnake Bite Fact and Fiction The golden rule that every wilderness traveler should remember: Don’t put your hands and feet where you can’t see. Most rattlesnake bites occur on the extremities as you are gathering firewood or stepping over a downed log or rock pile. According to research from the University of Arizona, the majority of rattlesnake bite victims are male, 18-24 years of age, and intoxicated. And out of the 6500 bites that occu

Seeing Red in the New Zealand Whirinaki Forest

May 29, 2015
2 min

Seeing Red in the New Zealand Whirinaki Forest

(In celebrating the Walking Connection’s 25th anniversary we are featuring some of the inspiring people we have met along the way that share our love for walking. This is the first segment in a regular series. Enjoy!) John Dwyer hails from Wellington New Zealand. He found us on the internet around the year 2000. In those days we had a membership that included a bright red T-shirt. John a keen walker, wore his proudly. He has kept in touch over the many years and always part

A Postcard from the Galapagos Islands

May 15, 2015
1 min

A Postcard from the Galapagos Islands

Jet black lava glistening as hovering bright red and blue crabs scatter out of the way. Photo Credit: Gene Taylor Our first dry landing a success, we are soon distracted by the approaching iguanas. Unlike the brilliant crabs, they become one with the rock. Blink once, twice to focus and they are everywhere! Photo Credit: Bill Acker It’s a beautiful evening in the Galapagos as we are guided through a grove of Incense Trees. Now barren, but filled with promise that they will

Twenty Five Years And Still Walking The Walk

May 4, 2015
2 min

Twenty Five Years And Still Walking The Walk

This is Walking Connection’s 25th year of not just talking the talk but walking the walk!!! It was 1989, Gene was directing major conventions across the country and I had been working in a marketing job for Nike. … but we wanted something more. We wanted to do good. We needed to do something that would directly impact people in a positive way to help them live an active and healthy lifestyle. Walking was the perfect vehicle… Our business model has evolved many times over. Obs

It All Started With Just One Step…

Oct 31, 2014
2 min

It All Started With Just One Step…

On November 1, 2014 Jo Ann Taylor will celebrate having walked every day in a row for 5 years! That’s 1826 Consecutive Days – Whoo Hoo! It started out as a 30-day goal just to get myself back on track! Well it turns out that one day leads to another and another….More than a few times along the way I told Gene (my husband and co-founder of the Walking Connection) that I didn’t feel like walking anymore. He would just respond by saying, “So tomorrow morning you are going to say

Walking IS The Connection…with Co-founder, Gene Taylor

May 9, 2013
2 min

Walking IS The Connection…with Co-founder, Gene Taylor

Why Walk? For us the answer is easy. In the places we visit, the people we meet and the serendipitous experiences we enjoy seem to come to us at pedestrian speed. The purpose of our travel is to experience life not as we know it, but to learn, share and connect to it, as it exists, untouched, in a place that is new to us. Walking simply is the best way to do that. Much of western life moves past us through a pane of glass. Cars, buses, trains, planes and more frequently the s

1095 Days = Three Years of Walking

Oct 5, 2012
2 min

1095 Days = Three Years of Walking

On November 1st, 2012 I will celebrate having walked every day in a row for 3 years! Whoo Hoo! It started out as a 30-day goal just to get myself back on track! Well it turns out that one day leads to another and another….A few times along the way I told Gene (my husband and co-founder of the Walking Connection) that I didn’t feel like walking anymore. He would just respond by saying, “So tomorrow morning you are going to say Day 1, Whoo Hoo!?” Yep he always knows how to get

Top Ten Reasons To Walk!

Jun 15, 2012
1 min

Top Ten Reasons To Walk!

After a fantastic walk around Sydney Harbor, it is the reason the 10 people above are smiling! The ONLY way you can get to where they are is to WALK! Walking helps build cardiovascular fitness. It is easier on your joints than high impact exercises. Walking can lift your spirit and reduces stress. It improves posture and helps to prevent osteoporosis. You can walk off weight by burning calories. It’s a great way to spend quality time with a friend. Walking is a great way to g

Did You Know – Fun Facts

Jun 15, 2012
2 min

Did You Know – Fun Facts

Side Walk! Walking sideways burns 78 percent more calories than walking forward. Lateral motion takes extra effort by putting your body to work in unfamiliar ways. Walk Away From Trouble A study done at the University of Pittsburgh found that postmenopausal women who had walked regularly for more than a decade, avoided heart disease, falls, hospitalization and surgeries far more successfully than their inactive peers. Do You Have A Need For Speed? Quick! Check out this web

If You Only Walk Long Enough

Mar 14, 2012
1 min

If You Only Walk Long Enough

One of my favorite passages: “‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to go to,’ said the Cat ‘I don’t much care where…’ said Alice. ‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat ‘…so long as I get somewhere,’ Alice added as an explanation. ‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.'” ~ Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland #walking #walk

Desert Ramblings: Am I An Antique?

Feb 7, 2012
2 min

Desert Ramblings: Am I An Antique?

Every time we go for a walk in the desert behind our house we always find something new. Sometimes it is a gift from nature, the first spring wildflower, an intriguing rock formation or an animal print that causes us to wonder what animal made it and when it passed by. Other times it is man made. On one of our long hikes, we found an early 60’s Corvair in a dry arroyo (a dry creek bed for non-desert dwellers) half buried in sand. Gene thought it was way cool. It was one of th