Austin-Lehman Adventures, the small group adventure travel company setting active vacation standards worldwide, has expanded its award-winning offerings to six continents (number seven coming in 2014) and recommends six trips on six continents with six good reasons to travel.

 Bound by many seas, the Balkan Peninsula accommodates a yet-to-be-discovered country, Macedonia. However, an in-country tour company, Macedonia Experience, is bringing the country to the attention of active travelers through a potpourri of touring programs.

Italy’s active leader in guided and self-guided mountain travel, Dolomite Mountains Ltd. http://dolomitemountains.com/en/home.htm, is putting helicopters, luxury resorts and some of the region’s best skiing together this winter spanning three European countries.

STA Travel, the world’s leading student and youth travel company has teamed up with Tourism New Zealand to offer students a trip-of-a-lifetime to New Zealand. This offer comes as thousands of students begin to plan their gap year or summer travels after their exams, with New Zealand being a key must-see destination for most.

The Chilean destination of Lake Llanquihue has completed the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Early Adopters pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The destination joins the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru as the first South American destinations to participate in and complete the GSTC Early Adopters program.
 

Ecuador’s award-winning ecotourism company, Tropic Journeys in Nature (Tropic), since 1994 has led tours through the country’s most engaging landscapes including now the Galapagos where guests enjoy Tropic hospitality at Floreana Lava Lodge on Floreana Island.  http://www.destinationecuador.com/galapagos-hotel-lava-lodge-floreana.html

Wildlife viewing specialist Wild Planet Adventures (WPA - http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/) which in 1991 set the bar for sustainable, up-close and extraordinary wildlife encounters in Costa Rica, has enhanced its 14-day Ultimate Wildlife tour itinerary with a hands-on wildlife voluntourism experience.

By the end of 2012, MSC Cruises' three-and-a-half year partnership with UNICEF and their joint “Get on Board for Children” initiative will have raised two million euros for an innovative project designed to combat poverty and inequality by helping ensure that disadvantaged Brazilian children gain access to quality education.