Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

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Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby RYP » Thu Dec 09, 2010 3:09 pm

For Immediate Release
December 9, 2010-12-08
Contact:
Kevin Pollard
Babel Travel
kevinp@babeltravel.com
Phone: +61 450 220 351

Robert Young Pelton and Babel Travel announce the first Cultural Engagement journeys into the World’s Most Dangerous Places.
Robert Young Pelton and Babel Travel have teamed up to create the first organized entries into the World’s Most Dangerous and forbidden places. These Cultural Engagement journeys have been created to give socially focused individuals an insight into the root problems of conflict and to help create lasting relationships and then pragmatic, sustainable solutions.
The team has developed breakthrough itineraries which journey to some of the world’s most inaccessible and controversial countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, North Korea, Burma and Iran.
These carefully planned Cultural Engagement trips will challenge the intellectual, emotional, participatory and educational interests of a very select group of individuals. All groups will maintain the highest level of personal and physical safety based on Pelton’s 30 years of continuous travel and work in conflict zones and Babel Travel’s experience in the adventure travel business.

“These trips are considered ‘dangerous’ because they are designed to challenge how people view these places, not to scare them” says Pelton. “Being face to face with people who are changing our world is an unforgettable experience. The slow decay of media coverage and the rise of personal communications mean it’s time for a small group of people to take on the work of bringing the truth of oppressed and abused people to the world.”
Pelton has travelled through over 120 countries and 36 conflicts in his efforts to give voices and insight into the world’s least accessible places.
“Being inside a country and being involved instead of watching it from the outside is going to dramatically energize and engage these people” says Pelton. “Each member will be interviewed, trained and more importantly tasked with creating an end product to tell their host’s story. Stories, interviews, research, video and photographs will be combined to create a portal for the next group and the world. Communities in these regions don’t have time to entertain outsiders unless they have come to help. They are happy to engage, challenge and share with visitors but only if they leave behind good, share their experience with the outside world.”

Kevin Pollard of Babel Travel has long wanted to tap into Pelton’s expertise and extraordinary access ever since he read his best selling guide The World’s Most Dangerous Places, which was first published in 1993 and is now its fifth edition. Participants in this program will also help in updating the 6th edition and carry on a two-decade legacy of penetrating the world’s least understood regions to bring understanding.
Pelton has designed the tours using his extensive experience and will rely on trusted local and foreign experts with whom he has worked. Itineraries run from 11-22 days with group sizes limited to 12 participants. Each journey will cost in the neighbourhood of USD 6-16,000 per person excluding airfare with the first trips commencing in March 2011.
Robert Young Pelton
Robert Young Pelton, 55 is an author, journalist and documentary filmmaker. An iconoclast known for his entry into most of the world's conflicts over the last 30 years, Pelton is considered an adventurer and a witness to conflict. His reputation is built on his interest and ability to enter forbidden, deadly and violent places and emerge with a stunning story. Pelton has been present at conflicts such as the battle of Qala-I-Jangi in Afghanistan, the siege of Grozny in Chechnya, the rebel campaign to take Monrovia in Liberia and approximately 50 conflicts. As well as interviewing John Walker Lindh (The American Taliban), Erik Prince and Ahmed Shah Massoud, Pelton has interview the leaderships of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, FARC, MILF, SPLA, LURD, spent time with the CIA during the hunt for Bin Laden and also with both insurgents and Blackwater security contractors during the war in Iraq.

Pelton's regularly publishes the survival and political guide; 'The World's Most Dangerous Places', which provides practical and survival information for people who work and travel in high-risk zones. With the book's best seller status, Pelton has become an expert on work and travel in high-risk environments. He was also host of the Discovery Travel Channel series "Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places" from 1998 to 2003. He is also a frequent television and magazine interview subject, often appearing as a humorous raconteur of his various adventures and safety tips on shows as diverse as Oprah, Conan O'Brien, CNN, Fox, BBC, ABC, CBS, NBC and others. He sums up his motivation by simply saying “the most dangerous thing in the world is ignorance”
http://www.comebackalive.com
Babel Travel
Babel Travel offers small group adventure travel in 4 languages (English, French, Spanish and Italian) to off-the–beaten track destinations in Asia, Africa and The Middle East.
Babel Travel’s unique itineraries have been designed with the adventurous in mind. Babel Travel offers four different trip styles- Cultural Engagement, Babel Adventurer, Babel Traveller and Babel Comfort- with each trip giving travellers the opportunity to experience a country at a grass-roots level. Babel Travel aims to burst the tourist bubble and show travellers the real world, up close and personal. Travellers are encouraged to immerse themselves in local traditions, sample local cuisine and catch local transport where possible. Babel Travel trips facilitate many opportunities for face-to-face interaction with local people which helps foster cross-cultural understanding.
Babel Travel believes that giving back to local communities is essential. All trips benefit small, locally owned travel companies, locally owned hotels, transport and local guides. Babel Travel wants to encourage others to make a difference to the world, not just visit it. Every trip incorporates a visit to a local charity thereby helping to improve lives of the less fortunate in communities all over the world.
Babel Travel believes that travel should be sustainable causing no impact to the host communities or the environment. By travelling courteously and respectfully in small groups (12 is the maximum group size), ensures that every Babel Travel adventure is a beneficial experience for everyone involved.
http://www.babeltravel.com


- END -
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby RYP » Thu Dec 09, 2010 3:16 pm

had to repost as a sticky.

- "Lame travel writers" are welcome but this is not one of those comfortable shoe lady bike tours with extra free seats, everybody pays cuz big chunks money goes to the projects each tour supports.

- I am not chaperoning the tours but they are my local peeps and my itineraries. I will do some VIP tours if I have the time. The point is to get regular (and spectacular) folks plugged in. More importantly every place you visit is just a little bit better for your visit.

- There is a lot of stuff that we can't put into a public press release but the drill is the same. Its not a tour, its an adventure...

- The people, leaders, groups and places we have contacted are equally enthusiastic about meeting motivated, intellectually adventurous people.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby Ultra Swain » Thu Dec 09, 2010 3:30 pm

And the food is excellent.
Geez,am I NOT ALLOWED TO BE INTENSE FOR JUST 10 FUCKING SECONDS??!!!!!!!
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby friendlyskies » Thu Dec 09, 2010 4:11 pm

RYP wrote:- "Lame travel writers" are welcome but this is not one of those comfortable shoe lady bike tours with extra free seats, everybody pays cuz big chunks money goes to the projects each tour supports.


Lamestream! Not lame.

Anyway, that $6-16K pricetag counts me out, but I will play the lottery today! Just in case. Maybe in the future you all would consider some kind of commission deal, if I could deliver a batch of rich people willing to pay full price + bling.

Good luck with the business! That is absolutely fucking awesome.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby Woodsman » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:04 pm

What ^ said. I am sure those people will gain a LOT of insight on the trips.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby svizzerams » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:50 pm

to quote El Pelon: "I didn't come to watch...." There is so much going on on little ole planet earth that needs active witnesses to bring the truth to an unwilling audience (i.e. corporate leaders, national leaders, the UN) and the general public. There is a "real" story happening behind the stories reported or NOT reported in the mainstream media. Borders are silly made up constructs that create an artificial sense of community - i.e. ultimately what happens "over there" does matter to us "over here" - like it or not.

When you engage in these scenarios on a one to one level it changes you - it becomes personal.
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and a well-sharpened sword ~ Charlotte

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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby RYP » Fri Dec 10, 2010 2:03 am

"Maybe in the future you all would consider some kind of commission deal, if I could deliver a batch of rich people willing to pay full price + bling. "

yes the FARC have asked exactly how many rich people we will be bringing...
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby mapandcompass » Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:11 am

Wow RYP that's a hell of a tour agency.

I too, will be playing the lotto tomorrow.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby RYP » Fri Dec 10, 2010 11:09 pm

90 comments already. Themes are
- Thats a dumb idea (from people who clearly arent interested_
- Voyeuristic (they didn't read the press release)
- Quote from some random person makes it sound like its for dinner part chat..and that's bad. Isnt knowing about what causes war and suffering firsthand...good? And isn't fixing it....better?

War-zone vacations pitched to tourists
Last Updated: Friday, December 10, 2010 | 1:28 PM ET Comments90Recommend31
By Amber Hildebrandt, CBC News
A man in Afghanistan, which is not a country on many travellers' destination lists, registers passengers for a bus travel agency. (Musadeq Sadeq/Associated Press)
Think of a packaged vacation, and Iraq likely doesn't come to mind.

But a Swiss-based travel agency is offering just that: organized tours of six war-torn or inaccessible places not typically on the average traveller's destination list, but likely flagged on many governments' "avoid all travel" list.

The destinations include Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Somaliland and Sudan, with plans to add trips to Yemen, Burma, Colombia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The agency, Babel Travel, partnered with Robert Young Pelton, author of The World's Most Dangerous Places and an avid explorer who runs a website, Comebackalive.com.

Kevin Pollard, founder and managing director of Babel Travel, says he contacted Pelton about creating the trips because he wanted to tap into the "extraordinary access" and "range of on-the-ground contacts" Pelton has accumulated during his three decades in conflict zones.

P.O.V.:

What’s the main appeal of travelling for you? Take our survey.

Offering packaged trips to war-torn and inaccessible countries is not new. But Pollard says his company is the first to offer a wide spectrum of dangerous destinations, whereas other travel companies focus on selling tours to one country or just a few. And he says none offer trips to Somaliland or the areas Babel Travel tour companies will visit in Sudan.

The trips won't appeal to every budget. A trip lasting 11 to 22 days can cost from $8,000 to $19,000 Cdn, excluding airfare and insurance.

Nor is the travel agency aiming to appeal to every tourist.

"This is a trip for those who 'do,' not watch," the website proclaims.

The agency promises the highest level of security and requires that customers be fully insured. While baggage loss and trip cancellation insurance would suffice for many vacations, kidnapping and terrorism are additional worries in countries fighting wars.

Dubbed "cultural engagement" trips, Pelton designed each trip to include a local and western leader. He says it's important for people to understand such inaccessible countries.

But Jennifer Laing, a lecturer in the Tourism Research Unit at Australia's Monash University, says the expansion of frontier travel into packaged tours is not just about education, but a sign of a trend toward travellers seeking out a more novel experience.

"People are sick of the same old places and mass travel and are looking for something new and exciting," Laing said. That such "frontier travel" is risky adds to the appeal, giving travellers an "element of prestige."

And, she said, it has an added benefit: "[It's] great for dropping into a dinner party conversation."



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/1 ... alcomments#ixzz17kkiELTN
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby Borsippa » Sat Dec 11, 2010 4:10 am

If only they read the Babel site...http://www.babeltravel.com/site/html/se ... ryp/dp.php.

Regarding commissions, I'd be happy to offer a small commission to anybody that can guarantee at least 4 pax on the same departure. Contact me at kevinp@babeltravel.com for more details.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby seektravelinfo » Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:32 am

[i]
RYP wrote:. A trip lasting 11 to 22 days can cost from $8,000 to $19,000 Cdn, excluding airfare and insurance.

The agency promises the highest level of security and requires that customers be fully insured. While baggage loss and trip cancellation insurance would suffice for many vacations, kidnapping and terrorism are additional worries in countries fighting wars.
[/i]


Whoa, not cheap. And plane tickets to buy too ! And chadors for the women. At least couldn't the agency cover the costs of insurance?
Come on.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby Borsippa » Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:39 am

seektravelinfo wrote:[i]
RYP wrote:. A trip lasting 11 to 22 days can cost from $8,000 to $19,000 Cdn, excluding airfare and insurance.

The agency promises the highest level of security and requires that customers be fully insured. While baggage loss and trip cancellation insurance would suffice for many vacations, kidnapping and terrorism are additional worries in countries fighting wars.
[/i]


Whoa, not cheap. And plane tickets to buy too ! And chadors for the women. At least couldn't the agency cover the costs of insurance?
Come on.


Trips are between 6-16k Canadian. http://www.babeltravel.com/site/html/se ... ryp/dp.php

Price includes full insurance (costly), all meals (B,L,D), heavy security (costly), private transport/internal flights/helicopters, 3 to 4 star hotels, many activities that probably could not be organised if you were to travel there yourself, 1 western and 1 local leader. Our western leaders are 'quasi celebs' and have a background in philanthropy, journalism, adventure travel and are considered to be experts in the countries they are leading trips to. Plus, we donate 5% of the trip price to the 5-12 charities, NGOs, hospitals, schools, refugee centres, womens and childrens groups we visit/volunteer at.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby rickshaw92 » Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:43 am

3 to 4 star hotels


Tell James I said to say hi.
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby Borsippa » Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:57 am

rickshaw92 wrote:
3 to 4 star hotels


Tell James I said to say hi.


Brabazon?
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Re: Hype: DP World Tours Now Available.

Postby coldharvest » Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:36 am

Borsippa wrote:
rickshaw92 wrote:
3 to 4 star hotels


Tell James I said to say hi.


Brabazon?

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