Travel Partners

Need a hand with that upcoming trip? Check out this great collection of tour operators, travel agents, networking opportunities, and bulletin boards. If you can't find someone to help you here, you're just not looking hard enough.

Access America
America's leading provider of travel insurance and protection products.
http://www.accessamerica.com

Earthbound Expeditions 
Let Matthew Brumley and Co. provide you with an authentic, rewarding, and exhilarating small group travel experience.
http://www.earthboundexpeditions.com/

Wildland Adventures 
Wildland Adventures, led by Kurt Katay, offers authentic worldwide cultural and natural history ecotourism explorations for active and inquisitive travelers.
http://www.wildland.com/

Elizabeth Holmes Travel
They strive for "first class service at discount prices." If customer feedback is any indication, they completely succeed.
http://www.elizabethholmes.com/

Crooked Trails
A non-profit, community-based travel organization helping people broaden their understanding of the planet.
http://www.crookedtrails.com/

Caravan-Serai Tours
Caravan-Serai Tours Inc. specializes in tours to the Middle East and North Africa. Rita Zawaideh, the President, has been recognized by Conde Nast as a Top Travel Specialist for the second year in a row!
http://www.caravan-serai.com/

Melitour
Co-host of Rick Steves' shows on Turkey, Meli Seval leads cultural, educational, private, and special interest tours to Turkey, Central Asia, Mongolia, Western China, and other Silk Road regions.
http://www.melitour.com/

MIR Corporation
Offering scheduled and custom journeys to Siberia, the Silk Route, St. Petersburg & Beyond since 1986, MIR, whose name means "peace" and "world" in Russian, is an American tour operator with unrivaled destination expertise. Seattle based experts design trips and work closely with local affiliates in Western Russia, Siberia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan to carry them out.
http://www.mircorp.com

Adventure Associates (of Washington)
Offering all-women and coed programs to domestic and international destinations, each of their programs promises to promote an ethic of care, and nurture a sense of global relationship
http://www.adventureassociates.net/

Adventure Travel Company
The Adventure Travel Company is a North American retail travel agency, specializing in adventure travel. They offer international wholesale/consolidator airfares, and they also book small group adventure trips for several tour operators.
http://www.atcadventure.com/usa

Roads less Traveled
Small tours, primarily to the Balkan Peninsula, that focuses on creating deep personal experiences through interaction with the wonderful people of the region.
http://www.roadslesstraveled.net/

Mirage Comfort Shoes for Women
Shoes that fit a woman's everyday comfort needs. Excellent travel shoes for a comfortable walk anywhere in the World.
http://www.miragecomfortshoes.com/

S.E.E.D.S.
S.E.E.D.S. (Social, Educational, Environmental, Development Services) provides grassroots relief to Nepal's poorest villages.  They direct their efforts to areas in Nepal that currently receive little or no attention from other agencies.  It's Executive Director, K.P. Kafle, is a long-time friend of the store and trekking guru.
http://www.nepalseeds.org

Patty's Places
One of Seattle's most experienced travel organizers, Patty specializes in small group travel.
http://www.pattysplaces.com

REI Adventures
America's largest consumer co-op leads a nice variety of tours for the active and adventurous traveler.
http://www.rei.com/adventures/

Getaway Guy 
Seattle and Sacramento travel guru, Gerry Thuringer, wants to help you make your travel dreams come true.
http://www.tvgetaway.com  

nGoAbroad 
Fulfill your dream of serving abroad with this global referral service and clearinghouse.
http://www.ngoabroad.com

Nordic Saga 
Nordic Saga Tours is a wholesale tour operator offering the very best of escorted and customized tours to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries.
http://www.nordicsaga.com

Fraser Connection
Boasting a 70 percent return rate of guests, The Fraser Connection offers deluxe European tours with no hidden costs.
http://www.fraserconnection.com

Mountain Hiking Holidays
Mountain Hiking trips immerse you in Europe's mountains. You can expect to be physically active on each day of their trips.
http://www.mountainhikingholidays.com

Do It Yourself

Since there won't always be someone there to hold your hand, make sure that you're equipped with the right tools to take care of yourself. You know what they say, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."

Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree
Whether offering or soliciting advice, this is the ultimate travel forum. Just be sure to double-check anything that sounds too good to be true.
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

Rick Steves' Graffiti Wall
Similar to the Thorn Tree, this is an outstanding resource for all things European. As always, use common sense when trusting total strangers.
http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/

Trailfinders
Trailfinders is the UK's leading independent travel agency and has been expert in creating individual tailor-made itineraries Worldwide for over 30 years.
http://www.trailfinders.co.uk

Airtreks
Offering a great combination of prices, service, and information, Airtreks is a travel agent's best friend.
http://www.airtreks.com

Destinations Unlimited
Customized travel services.
http://www.destinationunlimited.biz/

Hostelling International
Hostelling International is the leading provider of budget accommodation, with 4,000+ hostels in great locations around the world.
http://www.hihostels.com/openHome.sma

Hostelling International -- USA
The American affiliate of the Hostelling International network.
http://www.hiayh.org

Peace Corps
Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.
http://www.peacecorps.gov

REI Adventures
America's largest consumer co-op leads a nice variety of tours for the active and adventurous traveler.
http://www.rei.com/adventures/

Johnny Jet
Self-proclaimed "The Ultimate Travel Website," Johnny Jet.com has an abundance of travel deals, tips, guides, news, and stories.
http://www.johnnyjet.com

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Backdoor
For people plotting their own course, ETBD offers free information through its travel center, free travel newsletters, website, and travel classes.
http://www.ricksteves.com/home.htm

International Travel News
Largely reader written, ITN is an invaluable aid to high-frequency overseas travelers for over 25 years, covering budget to luxury travel for both independent adventurers and group tour takers. 
http://www.intltravelnews.com/

Seattle Language Academy
Seattle Language Academy is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote language learning among the residents of Puget Sound.
http://www.sealang.com

Seattle Languages International
Offers courses in 10 languages and free trial classes.
http://www.seattlelanguages.com

King County Metro Online
Why you don't need a car in Seattle.
http://transit.metrokc.gov

Northwest Forest Pass
Revenues from pass sales go directly to maintaining and improving the trails, land and facilities you own and enjoy. (We also sell them at the store!)
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/feedemo/

Washington Trails Association
Washington Trails Association is a volunteer-driven nonprofit membership organization working to preserve, enhance, and promote hiking opportunities in Washington state through collaboration, education, advocacy and trail maintenance.  In other words, they're awesome.
http://www.wta.org

Mountaineers
Yes, THE Mountaineers.  A Seattle-based non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.
http://www.mountaineers.org

Nature of the Northwest
Operated as a partnership between the State of Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, it is your destination for complete recreation information for Oregon and Washington.
http://www.naturenw.org

Recreation.gov
Federal recreation pass programs.
http://recreation.gov/recpass.cfm

Support & Reference

You've come to the right place for all of those pesky logistical questions. From currency to customs to electrical currents, these sites will answer your most objective questions. It's like your own travel almanac, only not nearly as heavy.

Currency Converter
Independently ranked as the world's favorite currency site.
http://www.xe.com

US Embassies and Consulates Worldwide
Links to United States' Embassies and Consulates worldwide. 
http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions_embassy.html

US State Department
The US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs (in other words... the US government's official stance on all things travel-related.)
http://travel.state.gov

US Passport Services
How, why, when, and where to get your US passport.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

World Time
The most accurate current local times of any world clock on the Internet.
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/

International Weather
This one's pretty much self-explanatory, huh?
http://www.weatherhub.com/

World Electric Power Guide
A guide to some important issues when deciding to use your electrical appliances in another country.
http://kropla.com/electric.htm

World Atlas.com
A fully accessible (and free) online atlas.
http://www.worldatlas.com

International Media Directory
A massive directory to international media outlets organized geographically.
http://newsdirectory.com/

Weights & Measures Resources
A directory of all things dealing with weighing and measuring other things.
http://www.refdesk.com/factmeas.html

CDC Traveler's Health
For all of a traveler's infectious disease concerns.
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/