Global Basecamps was recently visited by one of our in country tour operators from Australia, Wayoutback. Wayoutback shares our commitment to ecotourism and is an award winning advanced Eco Accredited 4WD adventure tour operator in Central Australia. Locally owed and operated from Alice Springs, Wayoutback specializes in exploring Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley, and West MacDonnell Ranges. Their reputation as an expert on this region of Australia was recognized when they received a 2010 Brolga Award, the industry’s highest honor for the best tourism products and services in the Northern Territory. Wayoutback specializes in the following areas:

Global Basecamps is offering our clients a special discounted price on a Fiji yoga and surf retreat December 3rd-10th at Tavarua Island Resort! Tavarua is a tiny heart-shaped jewel among the hundreds that comprise the Fijian Chain. Boasting the most well known and consistent waves in Fiji, Cloudbreak and Restaurants, Tavarua Island also offers that special Fijian hospitality and island beauty that forever touches all who have had the opportunity to experience it.

Following the April Japan travel updates, in which the U.S. State Department lifted their Japan tours warning, there has been another change to the U.S. government Japan travel alert. Below are some frequently asked questions about Japan that will give travelers more information about the current situation there.

1. Is Tokyo safe for travel?

Yes, Tokyo is safe. The Japanese government has confirmed this as well as foreign governments. On October 7, the U.S. government downgraded the Japan travel alert recommending that U.S. citizens avoid all areas within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, while the previous travel alert recommended staying 50 kilometers from the plant. Experts assessed the situation in Japan and determined that the health and safety risks to those outside of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant area are very low and don’t post a significant risk. Also note, that they have not only determined Tokyo is safe to visit for a short period of time, but it is safe to live there or spend an extended amount of time there.

2. Are the radiation levels in Tokyo dangerous?

No, they are not. In every country in the world there are safe, low levels of radiation. The radiation level in Tokyo is similar to the levels found in other major cities of the world. For example, on April 25th the level of radiation in Tokyo was lower than the levels of radiation in New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul. The radiation levels in Tokyo are within normal limits and are not hazardous.

Danielle is an international peace advocate and Co-founder of the nonprofit Kids for Peace who recently graduated from Harvard with degrees in Religion and Sociology. From summer 2011-2012, Danielle will spend nearly a year traveling in Asia and Africa. Her blog documents her experiences as she seeks out new adventures, learns about other ways of life, and studies issues related to vulnerable children and conflict resolution. Read her last guest blog here.

On one of the last days of my Southeast Asia tour, I picked up a copy of Eat, Pray, Love from a used bookstore and realized that Elizabeth and I were on the same trip. Sure there are some notable differences: the autobiography’s author had suffered a horrible divorce prompting her to visit three I’s—Italy, India, and Indonesia—with the goals of pursuing pleasure, devotion and balance. I had no such explicit goal at the outset of my trip, but here I was, lying on a sun-kissed beach in Koh Samui, Thailand, reading my book, sipping a Mai Tai, and…pursuing pleasure.

Danielle is an international peace advocate and Co-founder of the nonprofit Kids for Peace who recently graduated from Harvard with degrees in Religion and Sociology. From summer 2011-2012, Danielle will spend nearly a year traveling in Asia and Africa. Her blog documents her experiences as she seeks out new adventures, learns about other ways of life, and studies issues related to vulnerable children and conflict resolution.

After four years of hard work completing my undergraduate degrees, I decided to treat myself to a trip I had dreamed about since my youth. Southeast Asia beckoned me with images of orange clad monks, golden Buddha statues, and seemingly endless rice paddies. With the highest proportion of practicing Buddhists on the planet, I went to experience peace: to meditate in temples, contemplate beauty from the peaks of Laotian mountains, learn and connect.

One month of travel took me to the magnificent temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia, rural villages of Northern Laos, and tranquil beaches of Koh Samui, Thailand. As part of my personal mandate to experience the fullness of life, I sought not only experiences that foster peace and joy, but those that could teach me about human suffering—the key component of the Four Nobel Truths that form the basis of religious practice and culture for much of the region. I designed a trip that would go beyond touring the temples and art I admired and delve into the depths of the human experience, embracing too the suffering true of our existence.