Green Tortoise

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The Green Tortoise is a self-described "adventure travel" company based in San Francisco, California that hosts tours in North America, mostly within the United States. It operates a bus line and two hostels (in Seattle and San Francisco).

The Green Tortoise buses are customized so that all of the passengers are able to sleep on bunk beds while the bus is moving. The social environment is more communal than other carriers, such as Greyhound or Amtrak. Most meals, for instance, are cooked as a communal effort. These meals are often vegetarian [ [http://www.greentortoise.com/ Official Green Tortoise website] ] , and feature fresh produce. Trips are operated to a number of destinations in the USA including Alaska, including one coast-to-coast route from San Francisco to Boston and back. Trips are also offered to many destinations in Mexico, especially the Yucatan peninsula. En route, there are usually opportunities for camping. The itinerary prioritizes stops at places of natural wonder and cultural interest over the fastest and most efficient alternatives. A frequent highlight is a stop at a hot springs. The trips are very popular with young backpackers from all over the world. Special trips are also arranged to popular festivals every year, including a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans, the Oregon Country Fair and Burning Man, where they also operate a shuttle bus from the event into nearby Gerlach and Empire, NV.

Hostels

San Francisco

The San Francisco hostel shares its space with the bus line headquarters.It is located at 494 Broadway in North Beach, close to Chinatown. Similar to its 'sister' hostel in Seattle, Washington (see below), it offers free dinners three nights a week, live music every Sunday, free internet and free daily breakfast, as well as guided pub crawls every Thursday and Friday. It operates 365 days a year, has over 40 rooms with over 200 beds, and is typically filled to capacity at all times.

Seattle

The Seattle, Washington hostel is located centrally at 105 Pike Street, adjacent to Pike Place Market. The hostel has approximately 120 beds, some in dormitories and some in private rooms, and operates 365 days a year. Visitors must show proof of travel (such as a plane or train ticket stub) in order to be checked in. Individuals involved in the Alaskan fishing industry frequently stay before or after expeditions along with younger people and foreign travellers. As with the San Francisco hostel, free dinners are offered twice a week. The hostel is known for its Wednesday night entertainment showcase featuring amateur and professional acts from Seattle.

See also

* Backpacking (travel)

References

External links

* [http://www.greentortoise.com/ Green Tortoise (Official)] - Bus Line and San Francisco Hostel Info
* [http://www.helpx.net/backpackers-map-san-francisco.asp Location map] of Green Tortoise Hostel San Francisco Hostel
* [http://www.greentortoise.net/ Seattle Hostel Green Tortoise (Official)]
* [http://www.channel4.com/4car/gallery/gallery/green-tortoise/route-1966.html Route 1966] A Channel4.com reporter relates his experiences aboard the Tortoise
* [http://nomoss.com/tortuga/] "On the road with the Green Tortoise" Costa Rica 13-29 March 1998
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_n3_v9/ai_20581510] "Slow, but steady: with the Green Tortoise Bus line, getting there is half the fun - adventure tours bus line" An article posted on E: The Environmental Magazine, May-June, 1998 by Steve Wilson
* [http://www.anchoragepress.com/archives/document281a.html] Wanna Go for a Ride? by Jordan Marshall July 31-August 6, 1997 / Vol. 6, Ed. 30 an article in the Anchorage press.

Further reading

# It was, like, real; Green Tortoise tours delivers intimate views -- of your fellow travelers. (Travel) Kelly Wilkinson. The Washington Post, June 21, 1998 pE01
# Slow, but steady: with the Green Tortoise Bus line, getting there is half the fun. (adventure tours bus line) Steve Wilson. E, May-June 1998 v9 n3 p46(2)
# Tortoise on a desert run: relive the days when getting there was half the fun. (Green Tortoise bus tours) T. Kelly Rossiter. Vegetarian Times, Sept 1995 n217 p92(3)
# A 1990's road trip worthy of Kerouac. (Green Tortoise bus tours) Lynda Edwards. The New York Times, November 14, 1993 v143 s9 pV8(L) col 1 (43 col in)
# A day camp on the road. (Green Tortoise offers travel and living in a bus) Eric Hubler. The New York Times, March 8, 1992 v141 s5 pXX41(N) pXX41(L) col 1 (27 col in)
# Trip on the Tortoise can be hair-raising if you aren't hip; rolling remnant of the 1960s, a bus unlike Greyhound, still plies the West Coast. (Green Tortoise a gypsy bus line) Bill Richards. The Wall Street Journal Western Edition, January 14, 1991 pA1(W) pA1(E) col 4 (29 col in)
# Touring with Green Tortoise; this California-based company offers the ultimate in adventure travel by motorcoach. (Green Tortoise Tours) (Focus: Group Travel) Susan O'Gorman. Travel Weekly, March 31, 1987 v46 p54(3)