Practical Traveler; Travel to Asia. Planning a trip to
Asia this year? Better get booking. Simone Farbus, air travel
manager at Asia Transpacific Journeys, notes the Discover Asia
Airpass, offers flights between 22 Asian destinations, ranging from
$145 to $345 per segment.
Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary destination for your next
vacation? Check out our Papua New Guinea trip, hand-picked by
National Geographic Traveler editors as one of the best
for 2011.
The Los Angeles Times | Sunday Travel Section | May
16, 2010
Sri Lanka- Exploring wilderness and ancient cultures. The 16-day
Splendid Sri Lanka tour features the South
Asian island nation's principal highlights, emphasizing its lush
wilderness and ancient cultures.
Westlake Magazine | Venture into Mongolia | Spring
2010
How about camel riding in the Gobi Desert? The 14-day
Mongolia group trip - In the Path of the Nomad excursion from
Asia Transpacific Journeys (from $6,995) explores one of the
world's last remaining nomadic cultures.
China Silk Road
Q: We're planning a trip to China this spring. Which outfitters
offer packages with classic itineraries? -Michael, Bellevue,
Wash.
A: The 17-day
tour of China's Silk Road from Asia Transpacific
Journeys (from $6,195) retraces parts of the 5,000-mile
trading route-from Beijing to Urumqui-with a detour at the carved
temple grottoes at Mogao.
Laos: An Off-Limits Jungle
Guests can leave the planning to Asia Transpacific Journeys,
the first (and so far, only) outfitter to run trips to this region
of Laos. Spend four days exploring the region's trails by bicycle,
foot or four-wheel drive, and ventured into untouched Ahka
villages."
Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary
and Memorable Travel Experiences | Summer 2009
Wild Borneo
"This tour de force lets you experience some of the world's
greatest jungle and marine habitats and their rare
inhabitants-including wild orangutans. Biologists believe that
there could be thousands of additional plant and animal species
that have yet to be identified on Borneo."
National Geographic Traveler | 50 Tours of a Lifetime
| May June 2009
Three Faces of Buddha
"From the raked rock gardens of Kyoto to the temple architecture
of Laos to the traditional paintings of Bhutan, explore how
Buddhism informs three different cultures in this ambitious journey
inspired by a longstanding interest of the operator's founder.
Highlights include an overnight in a shukubo (traditional Japanese
temple lodgings) and a hike to the cliffside Tiger's Nest Monastery
in Bhutan." Asia Transpacific Journeys: "The Cultures of Buddhist
Asia-Japan, Laos, and Bhutan."
National Geographic Adventure | The Adventure Ratings
| February 2009
The Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth
"More regional than global, Asia Transpacific Journeys sends
some clients to Australia, but most familiar territories are India,
China, and Vietnam. It teaches clients local ways, such as how to
barter for a camel at India's ancient Pushkar
camel fair. And if getting your new camel home proves too big a
challenge, Asia Transpacific Journeys will arrange to donate it to
a local charity."
The New York Times | Sunday Travel Section | January
11, 2009
Practical Traveler; Where the Pros Are Heading
"Asia Transpacific Journeys has a 14-day trip (from $6,995)
to
Yunnan Province in China, where local ethnic groups continue to
hold fast to their tribal cultures."
Travel + Leisure | Travel Changes Everything |
November 2008
20 Trips You'll Never Forget
Travel + Leisure recommends Papua New Guinea Featuring
the
Tumbuna Sing-Sing. "Attend the Tumbuna Sing-Sing, the
astonishing song-and-dance 'challenge' among tribes wearing their
proudest costumes and performing their most mesmerizing
chants."
Condé Nast Traveler | Roads Less Traveled | October
2008
Central Asia - Roads Less Traveled
"Asia Transpacific Journeys can help you minimize the challenges
and maximize the rewards of a journey through
Central Asia's forbidding landscapes and byzantine
bureaucracies. The Colorado-based operator offers an 18-day
Lost Jewels of the Silk Road trip led by a Central Asia
scholar."
Condé Nast Traveler | Friends in the Right Places |
September 2008
Travel companies provide relief after Cyclone Nargis,
Myanamar
"Asia Transpacific Journeys had a charitable foundation in
place prior to the cyclone. Asia Transpacific Journeys
reacted to the Cylcone Nargis crisis by stepping up its
distribution of clay water filters, which can be lifesavers during
a natural disaster where clean, running water is scarce."
Andrew Harper Traveler | Island Hopping | July
2008
Idyllic Islands
"Asia Transpacific Journeys notes many of the upscale Fijian
beach resorts are accessible by ferry, helicopter or sea plane.
Private yachts and sailboats with or without crew may also be
chartered."
National Geographic Traveler | Winning the Currency
Game | April 2008
"Thailand remains a superb value, and Bali is the bargain of the
century," says Marilyn Downing Staff, CEO of Asia Transpacific
Journeys. Staff also recommends Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for
affordable, exotic travel, at prices well below trips to Europe.
Land costs in once pricey Japan have also moderated.
Condé Nast Traveler | 40 Trips of a Lifetime - The
Dream List | December 2007
India | Tailing the Tigers - Asia Transpacific Journeys
suggests, track Bengal Tigers on elephant-back in Bandhavgarh
National Park with the president of the World Wildlife Fund- India.
This big-cat specialist will also help you spot clouded leopards,
boars, jackals, foxes, bison and monkeys in the park, formerly the
private hunting grounds of the maharaja of Rewa.
Indonesia | The Lost Kingdom - Asia Transpacific Journeys
suggests experiencing authentic village life in a remote hamlet
that the Balinese consider a "lost kingdom". The village was
isolated for centuries because of an ancient curse. To this day, it
can't be found on any map.
National Geographic Adventure | Best Outfitters on
Earth | November 2007
Passage to Indochina
When planning the adventure trip of a lifetime, the most important
decision you'll make is not where to go, but who to go with. Asia
Transpacific Journeys was selected by National Geographic
Adventure as one of the Best Outfitters on Earth, in the
Do-it-All Category with the signature trip
Passage to Indochina.
National Geographic Traveler | Tours of a Lifetime, 50
of the World's Best | October 2007
Exploring the Undiscovered Waters of the Mergui Archipelago |
Snorkeling Burma
Off the coast of Myanmar lies the Mergui Archipelago, host to
thriving coral reef systems teeming with fish and limestone karst
formations that jut from crystal clear waters. It is also the home
to the Moken people, who live on the sea in small boats for more
than half of the year. Explore these far-flung islands by snorkel,
nature walks and Zodiac boats.
Cooking Light | Points to consider before booking a
walking trip/tour | October 2007
Experience. Find out what type of guides a tour company uses.
"Local guides can describe the intimacies of a location, while
outside experts provide a broader overview," says Marilyn Downing
Staff, CEO and founder of Asia Transpacific Journeys. Group size.
Look for a group numbering 16 or fewer. "This helps optimize social
dynamics and prevents a crowd from overwhelming a location,"
Downing Staff says.
AARP magazine| A Group Can Go Anywhere |
September/October 2007
Bhutan
Be one of the privileged few to visit this Buddhist Himalayan
kingdom, with an 11-day trip that includes time at the ancestral
home of Bhutan's royal family and a stop at the Taktshang
Monastery, which clings to a vertical granite cliff 3,000 feet
above the valley floor.
Condé Nast Traveler | Honors Top Travel Specialists |
August 2007
Condé Nast Traveler has conferred three "Top Travel Specialists"
awards for 2007 to three members of our staff. We're delighted at
being recognized for our unsurpassed commitment to first-hand
knowledge in Asia Travel. The recognition is part of Condé Nast
Traveler magazine's annual review of the industry's most
knowledgeable experts. The three Asia Transpacific Journeys "Top
Travel Specialists" are Eric Kareus, Jarrod Hobson and Rebecca
Mazzaro.
Business Week | Adventures of a Lifetime | July
2007
Trekking through Bhutan by Patricia Schultz
A policy of limiting visitors means only 10,000 a year travel to Bhutan, one of the
most remote and tantalizing corners of Asia. The last independent
Buddhist mountain kingdom in the Himalayas feels light years from
anything familiar. Television didn't even arrive until 1999. Its
youthful, environmentally sensitive king ensures that the nation
treats nature with respect. Trekking is the natural way to see the
country. Amid its countless highlights is the 8th century monastery
called Taktshang, the Tiger's Nest, clinging to a sheer mountain
ledge about 3,000 feet above the terraced Paro Valley. Hook up with
a reputable outfitter who will introduce you to the whirling
festivals and gracious residents of this Himalayan Shangri-la now,
before the first traffic light arrives.
Condé Nast Traveler |20 Places to See | May 2007
What's at Stake Borneo's rain forest, along with hundreds of
species of plant and animal life, including the world's largest
population of wild orangutans.
Best Way to See It A guide and permit are required for entering
the Tanjung Puting National Park. Asia Transpacific Journeys
can arrange both. Don't Miss Orangutan feeding time at Camp Leakey.
When to Go The driest time is March through October.
The Today Show | Where in the World is Matt Lauer? |
May 2007
Matt Lauer traveled to Bhutan -- as part of his Where in the
World series. Asia Transpacific Journeys
Group Trip to Bhutan, was featured and higlighted by NBC Travel
Editor, Peter Greenberg. View the video clip here. (The video starts with a :32
second commercial.)
National Geographic Traveler | Tours of a Lifetime, 50
of the World's Best | October 2006
Myanmar | Secrets of Burma
It's no wonder that Burma, officially known as
Myanmar, is one of the least visited countries in Asia. Some
travelers may be put off by the country's repressive military
regime, but Asia Transpacific Journeys rejects government-run
agencies in favor of local contacts and guides cultivated since its
first foray here nearly 20 years ago. The newly revamped tour
ventures deep into the countryside, including a visit to the
17th-century ruins in the Shan State. ATJ's charitable arm-Asia Transpacific
Foundation- continues to support Burmese refugee camps along
the Thai border.
Travel + Leisure | Ask T + L | October 2006
Q: Can you recommend a few great culinary tours of China?
--Lauren S, Lancaster, PA
A: Have Asia Transpacific Journeys (800/642-2742;
www.AsiaTranspacific.com; from $300 per person, per day, double) customize your
China tour, arranging trips to Xian, a former royal city, and
lessons in making dumplings fit for an emperor.
National Geographic Traveler | Family Volunteer
Vacations | July 2006
New Family Values, Today's summer vacation is all about
learning, giving, doing
Asia Transpacific Journeys, for example, has seen a 22 percent
rise in family bookings to places such as Australia, Borneo, and
Thailand in just the past year. CEO Marilyn Downing Staff says its
clients are looking for vacations with an educational component.
"They want to expose their kids to things they wouldn't ordinarily
see, to dig deeper."