The Collage Foundation: Travel

What a Long, Strange Trip it Could Be

After I graduated high school, I wasn't exactly what the guidance counselors would call college-bound. After I graduated high school, I wasn't exactly what the guidance counselors would call college-bound. I'd had enough of sitting in a classroom, listening to bored adults tell bored kids about life-I was going to go on a road trip and find out for myself. When learning of my after-graduation plans, most people would act as though I'd just told them I planned on swallowing a cyanide capsule. "Well, it was nice knowing you," they'd sigh with that she had so much promise look in their eyes. Occasionally, news of my trip was met with the encouraging, "But you're a girl! Traveling cross-country by yourself? You'll be killed!" Oh well, I thought to myself. Better to be killed than spend the rest of my life in this stupid town! I cut all my hair off in the empty High School parking lot, bought a Greyhound Ameripass, and hit the road.

Whoa. Wait! A roadtrip without a car? But that's not how they do it in the movies! Even if I had the money for a car, gas, or insurance - Hell, even if I knew how to drive the damn thing - I just couldn't stand the thought of all the consumption and waste. I couldn't justify driving a car thousands and thousands of miles just because I was "Young and Confused" and needing to "Find Myself." I needed to see the open road and I wasn't going to let anything stop me. Not even my lack of a vehicle. That left only one option; I was bussing it.

Although definitely conserving oil and reducing CO2 emissions, the 'Hound was definitely not the Luv Bus. For one thing, we went to McDonalds at nearly every meal stop. I was less than thrilled at being forced to patronize McDonalds. Besides that, the food was totally gross, "It's time for your daily helping of salty grease," the driver bellowed over once when we pulled up to yet another Golden Arches in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly what my health-conscious vegetarian heart desired. I would stare glumly at tray after tray of sad-looking meat. So much plastic! So much Styrofoam! It was enough to make a girl like me weep. I pulled out an apple I'd bought back in Cincinnati and gingerly tried to eat around the bruises. This sucked. Wasn't there a better way to do things?

There was - Green Tortoise Adventure Travel.

-Ocean Capewell

Travel at your own pace...with Green Tortoise

Green Tortoise began in the early 1970's, when owner Lyle Kent's father realized that he could actually make a living out of his hobby: carting hippies around the country in his converted Greyhound bus. Since then, the company has burst its shell and grown into a full-blown business. Tortoise tracks can be found stretching all the way from Alaska to Costa Rica and dozens of North and Central America's most beautiful outdoor spots in between. Their eight custom-sleeper coaches bring people together from all over the world for the ride of their lives. Over 500,000 riders can agree that a Green Tortoise trip is truly "the only one of its kind."

"It's like the ultimate carpool!" Kent said. Indeed, trip prices reflect the shared load. For instance, their 12-day cross-country trip costs around $700 including food, which Kent assures consists of the freshest, top-quality goods available. We're not talking about roughing it camp food. Travelers do, however, enjoy share the responsibilities for cooking and cleaning up each meal, as if it were a commune on wheels.

The low cost of Green Tortoise does not, however, reflect any lack of activity or excitement. Depending on what kind of trip you choose, you'll spend the majority of you daylight hours off the bus, exploring national parks, scuba diving in the Pacific or partying in happening cities like New York or Las Vegas. Spend twilight hours chatting with your new friends or simply taking it easy in your comfy rear bunks. (Don't worry, Kent assured me that no traveler will be stranded without a spot to sleep). Wake up refreshed and ready to take on a new adventure -which will undoubtedly include - taking your first "natural bath." Oh, that's right...did I mention the bus doesn't have a shower?

Whether this is your first nine-day stretch without a shower or you're a stinky-seasoned veteran, the Tortoise will welcome you with open flippers. Travelers old and young come together to support something that never gets old: sustainable business practices.

Eco-friendly travelers are happy to support a company whose business practices reflect important environmental issues. They, like so many other consumers nowadays, try to support business reform by investing in companies that share their same values. Green Tortoise, for example, purchases food for each trip from organic farmers in an effort to support eco-friendly growing habits. While passing through Mexico or any country in Central America, local, sometimes Spanish-speaking, guides are hired to lead fishing, or boating excursions. Kent explained that an essential part of the Green Tortoise experience is "contributing back to the places we visit." Wouldn't it sooth your mind to realize that your money is going towards the education of the guides' underprivileged children rather than some yank exploiting the area for its cheap labor?

Green Tortoise, itself, is moving wholeheartedly towards providing the most sustainable transportation possible. They recently updated their aging fleet of converted Greyhounds to "Detroit Diesel." Coined the "fuel-economy leader," by Kent, these buses from the early 90's get seven miles per gallon and burn "little to no oil." In time, he hopes to evolve to a fleet run solely on bio-diesel, a renewable energy source.

Don't think Green Tortoise is your style of travel? Don't fret; you can still support them by checking into one of their funky hostels in San Francisco or Seattle.

Got an idea for an adventure of your own that doesn't match up with Green Tortoise's routes? Good news, you can book a charter trip with GT and finally follow through on the road trip you've been talking up for years.

Check www.greentortoise.com for more info.

-Mike Crowley

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