The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May thirtieth, riding the Green Tortoise.

Tired of the hectic pace and jack rabbit rush of travel? When you ride the Green Tortoise, getting there is more than half the fun.

Since 1974, the Green Tortoise company has offered a variety of Magic Bus travel experiences that harken back to the late 60's. The San Francisco-based company, which advertises its expeditions as being "nothing like your last bus trip," operates a fleet of well-traveled vehicles on small group jaunts, which are more like a summer camp on wheels than anything offered by the folks at Greyhound.

For example, there will be five Green Tortoise departures this summer from Boston for 12-day, cross-country odysseys to San Francisco. Green Tortoise passengers, who tend to be young or at least young at heart, swim, hike, camp and raft their way across the country. Most of the driving is done at night, when passengers curl up on mattresses across the floor of the bus. Each morning, they wake someplace new to explore.

The Green Tortoise is certainly not for those crave comfort or fast travel, but it is cheap. A 12-day, transcontinental journey costs $590, including meals, although passengers do much of their own cooking. There are shorter trips from San Francisco to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Green Tortoise also offers a variety of expeditions to Mexico and Central America, and a month-long Alaska Odyssey. Despite the rigors involved, most trips sell out, so advance reservations are a must.

FMI For Green Tortoise tours, call 800-227-4766 or visit www.greentortoise.com

Back to May 2003 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.