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Adventure, Ho
Kirby's Korner · December 24, 1999

The next big thing in Internet travel is clear. Forget the namby-pamby armchair traveler stereotype. Close your book, douse the fire in the hearth, and head for adventure.

But take a tour with your Web browser before you do. You'll find a wealth of information for the active traveler online, including opinionated articles, just-the-facts descriptions, advice from fellow travelers, and gear and tour-package sales.

I've written before about new and narrowly focused Web sites related to adventure travel. But the Web has seen so much activity from adventure-travel sites in recent weeks that a look at the competition is in order.

The granddaddy of all adventure- and outdoor-travel Web sites -- and probably still my favorite -- is GORP.com. (GORP stands for Great Outdoor Recreation Pages, not that raisin and nut mix we used to eat when we'd had too much to -- drink, yeah, that's the ticket.)

GORP is one of those rare Web sites that's been around longer than most people knew there was a Web. It was started by Bill and Diane Greer, two outdoor adventure enthusiasts, and its somewhat clunky, static design is a good indication of its heritage. But don't let the lack of flash put you off.

It's difficult to imagine a richer, deeper repository of knowledge on all things outdoors. You'll find feature articles from staff and freelance writers, as well as discussion forums. But the real editorial strength of the site is its database of destination descriptions, complete with contact information for those of us who never are satisfied. (The site used to be awash with links to outside Web sites, and it was useful as the ultimate outdoor travel directory for that reason. A few looks this week uncovered none of these links. They've either been buried, or GORP is trying to keep the visitors it gets.)

You can buy books and gear, and you can reserve rooms in hotels and bed and breakfasts through a link to the Places to Stay site, part of the WorldRes.com accommodations network. Tour package bookings are coming, thanks to a recent acquisition by GORP of a tour operator.

That acquisition raises the most troubling question about GORP's future. The site has always tried to be a moneymaking operation, but this year its gotten serious, bringing in new outside investors and hiring high-powered executives. Look for an IPO in 2000. GORP fans can only hope the quest for "respectability" doesn't rob it of the primary reason we favor it over its competitors -- a down-home charm.

The newest kid on the block is Adventureseek, launched last month from San Francisco. You'll find editorial content, including articles and destination information, discussion forums arranged by trip and destination, books for sale from the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore (which also has ties to GORP), and travel bookings from Expedia.com.

Also available for purchase is gear from REI, the nationwide co-op of retail outlets that has made a minority investment in Adventureseek. The Web site for Seattle, Wash.-based Recreational Equipment Inc., REI.com, is itself worth checking out for adventure travel. It's primarily a retail store, to be sure, but it also has a reasonably active set of discussion forums, arranged by activity.

MountainZone.com, from ZoneNetwork.com, also of Seattle, is another leading site, dealing chiefly with winter activities and best known for its video feeds. You'll find articles on adventure travel, discussion forums, gear reviews, gear sales through Gearzone.com, and auctions of gear and clothing.

Great Outdoors.com is a joint venture of media giant Cox Interactive Media and cable TV network Outdoor Life Network. Expect promotions for OLN, but also look in on the feature articles, chats and discussion forums, destination information, gear sales (through Gearstore), and equipment auctions.

Gearstore is an affiliate of Backpacker, a Web site tied to the magazine of the same name published by Rodale Press. Much of the site's content comes from the magazine, but you'll also find gear sales, discussion forums, otherwise-unpublished photographs, and daily news items.

GreenTravel.com isn't about "green travel." I'm not sure of the origin of the name, but the site, based in Washington, is headed by a fellow named Sean Greene. The destination information and tour descriptions are available elsewhere on the Web, as is the gear for sale (through a link to eBags). But the geographic arrangement of tours, as well as the original discussion forums and trip reports, make the site worth a look.

Finally, several adventure travel sites are designed to do nothing other than entice you to sign up for that trip you've been wanting to take. Few do it better than AdventureQuest.com. You'll find detailed descriptions of 1,400 tour packages from 300 companies. You can't actually book online in real time, but you can't miss the toll-free telephone number. Better yet, the online form that lets you request more information is tied tightly to the page from which the request is made.

This neat programming trick saves us visitors from typing an extra line of text and clicking back and forth from the form to the rest of the Web site. It's a small thing, but it's the type of consideration more Internet retailers should adopt.

What other nifty travel-related Web sites should I let Ticked.com readers know about? After several weeks of "inside the industry" issues, I'm anxious to branch out. Tell me about your favorite online travel pastimes, and I'll see about getting them before the world.

David Kirby is the editor of the Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.