Assistant Editor's Note: Don Mankin is a long-time friend of the ATTA and his new endeavors may prove quite interesting to ATTA Members serving Baby Boomers.
Dear Friends,
No, not a baby, nor even a dog or cat, but a new outlet for my stories of adventure and occasional indolence. As of today I will be the regular travel writer for the new publication, Vibrant Living, to be published every other month in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. My first article, which can be found athttp://www.vibrantlivingmagazine.com/Vibrant-Living-Magazine-May-June-2011/#?page=40 and on subsequent pages, is a slightly longer version of the “Last Frontier of Costa Rica” article published in Active Over 50 a couple of months ago. If you did not get a chance to read it then, you have another chance, and if you have already read it, there are a few additional photos that did not appear with the earlier article. You will note the reappearance of the unmistakeable photo of me in the hammock, with a colorful beak rivaling the toucan’s mentioned in the article.
I think that the publisher did a very classy job with this inaugural issue. If you want to “leaf” through the “virtual” edition to see the rest of the magazine, just click on the arrows at the bottom of the page. There is a bio of me with a relatively new photo on p 11 and a full page ad for my Brazil trip on the back cover.
The latest issue of Active Over 50 also just came out with a shorter version of my Cambodia article, which appeared last year on the web site, www.yourlifeisatrip.com. My plan for the next year or so is to publish my articles in both Active Over 50 and Vibrant Living, when possible, plus a couple of articles each year that will appear only in VL to match that magazine’s more frequent publication schedule. I hope to build up my “syndicate” over the next few months by lining up other regional magazines for active seniors for my articles. My goal is to build up my readership to a million by next year. I will have more information about that in upcoming emails.
One other bit of news. Two of the luxury accommodations we will be using on my August trip to “the far corners of Brazil” were cited in the March-April issue of National Geographic Traveler as among the best hotels in South America. If you are interested check out http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/hotels/2011/parati-brazil/ (scroll down to the section "OUTSIDE OF TOWN: POUSADA PICINGUABA") for information on the Costa Verde, the town of Parati and the hotel, and http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/hotels/2011/best-hotels-brazil/ (see #2. Caiman Ecological Refuge, Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul) for information on the lodge in the Pantanal (also see the lodge’s website http://en.caiman.com.br/).
Katherine and I leave next week for a short trip to Montenegro. You will have a chance to read about that trip in upcoming issues of Vibrant Living and Active Over 50.
All the best,
Don
Don Mankin, PhD
President, Adventure Transformations
www.adventuretransformations.com
(310) 401-0092
Co-author, Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean:
A Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler.
(National Geographic Books, 2008)
" One of the best travel books to cross our desk this year...A wonderful -- and inspiring -- read."
Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2008.
Check out my latest articles on www.vibrantliving.com, www.activeover50.com, www.yourlifeisatrip.com/home/author/donmankin or go to my blog, www.donmankin.blogspot.com.