ARK & TENT Legend has it that years ago, people traveled over land and sea with a host of animals to keep them company on their journey. Today, traveling with animals - or traveling to interact with animals - is just as compelling an idea as it's ever been. Welcome to ARK & TENT, an online magazine dedicated to uniting people and animals...through travel. In these pages you'll discover a world of wonder that celebrates our interaction with the animals who share this planet with us: whether that means taking your pet with you on vacation, traveling to Australia to hand-feed a koala, or diving off the coast of the Yucatan to swim alongside a whale shark. No matter what your particular pleasure, we aim to help you find it. We'll provide practical and useful information to help you get the most out of your travel experiences, notes on what's currently happening in the travel industry, and of course feature articles that will tempt you to journey to the places our writers have explored on your behalf. People. Animals. Travel. We invite you to explore... *************************************************************************************** AUGUST 2010 Letter from the Editor: As I sat down to begin planning the August/September issue of ARK & TENT Travel Magazine, I was going through some old files of mine to see if I could purge any to make room for new material. It's funny how long we hang on to paperwork that's no longer relevant - either because our interests have shifted, or because the information contained within has quite simply become outdated. Because things change so quickly in the travel industry, I made the decision that if I came across an article or clip from a magazine that was older than 2004, I was going to get rid of it. So imagine my reaction when I pulled out a piece from the Los Angeles Times Travel Section dated Sunday, August 7, 1994. Now that, I thought, is an old travel article... The piece itself is about staying in chateaus in France. And while relevant to my travels in 1994, I'm now on a different track in terms of what constitutes a meaningful travel experience (for me). But what really struck me was the information contained in the Guidebook sidebar of the article: "Getting there: From LAX nonstop to Paris...round-trip fares start at about $990." Now, I don't know what that equates to adjusted for inflation, but I do know that I just purchased a RT ticket from SFO to Paris for next month, and my ticket cost me $985 - $5 less than the quoted price from 16 years ago! With everything all around us going up in cost (you ain't seen nothin' until you've seen our "Sewer Usage" fees in San Mateo County), it's truly remarkable that in 2010 - with gas prices holding fast at over $3.00/gallon - a plane ticket could be less today than it was in 1994. So the next time someone asks you how you can afford to travel, let them know that it's actually costing you less than it would have 15 years ago. But it isn't just the cost of travel that we should consider when deciding where, and when, to go. What should compel each and every one of us is the desire to experience something new, or profound, or exciting, or life-changing, outside of the confines of our everyday existence. And it doesn't have to be an "extreme" adventure; we can experience the wonder and marvel of all that the natural world has to offer us in our own backyards. To that end, we're featuring three articles this month on adventures available in the San Diego area: the "backyard" of three of our contributing writers. In this issue, you'll find an eclectic mix of articles to help inform and inspire you to view the world around you. You can learn a bit about the migratory habits of the  Monarch Butterfly, as well as discover (alongside the author) what the Coronado Islands have in store. And with all there is to "sea" in San Diego, you should be more than geared up for any one of a number of options. We've also got a fun article on getting (and staying) fit with your pet, as well as learning how to work with herd dogs in England's Lake District. And we've brought you new Animal Hero, Taking Care Organization and Animal Artistry selections. As always, feel free to poke around the Articles Index to find what interests you. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions, so contact us at: info@arkandtent.com with your comments, questions or concerns. And be sure to keep checking back in as we'll be adding new articles, information and travel deals. Welcome (back) to ARK & TENT Travel Magazine...we're glad you stopped by!   Erin Caslavka Managing Editor

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