Vacation on a budget: Raft the Klamath River

Northern California's famous Klamath River is hidden away from the crowds nestled in beautiful gorges filled with sandy beaches, laden with breathtaking tributaries, and stalked with perfect rapids for the family of beginners but still exciting enough for the river expert. The Klamath River is a ideal vacation for anyone, but in an economic year like this when everyone is trying to be wise about how they spend their dollars the Klamath is THE bang for your buck vacation. For two all-inclusive days come experience sleeping under star filled skies for $349 or if two days is not enough, get three days of white water, sunsets, and dutch oven baked cinnamon rolls for $549. Don't choose to not vacation this year, choose to do it for the right price.
So sign up the family and come experiences the Klamath River's rich native American history. Get those pictures of the family swimming and laughing together, and look forward to relaxing in the sun on the beach in the afternoon. Learn more about the Klamath River or reserve your 2 or 3 day vacation.

4 Reasons to Choose a Rafting Vacation

With so many vacation options available how do you even know what you're looking for. Here are 4 reasons why this summer a rafting vacation is the vacation you need.
1 . Adventure:
When was your last vacation that had true adventure. Adventure which required something of you, something you were excited to brag about. A white water rafting vacation, especially if you choose to paddle an inflatable kayak, is this kind of vacation. While we have a river craft selection allowing virtually everyone from the go getter to the sit back and relax raft rider to enjoy wild and scenic river wilderness, at the end or our rafting trips everyone leaves with a feeling of accomplishment. Leave feeling like your adventure was relaxing because it was challenging. Find your rafting vacation here

2. Family Time:
Does your normal vacation provide something unique for each family member? Was your trip to that theme park as enjoyable to you the parent as it was to your 8 year old? When you go on vacation is your teenager excited to spend time with you or do they go roam at the hotel pool? Multi-day rafting trips provide a unique solution to these common family vacation problems.
On your rafting trip you, the parent, can have the adventure of a life time paddling an inflatable kayak while your kids under 12 years old ride in an oared raft with our kid friendly guides. You're having a great, you're kids are having a great time, everyone has a unique adventure at their level, all while traveling together.
Teenagers on our trips usually paddle their own inflatable kayak giving them freedom in the day to navigate the rapids and paddle around the group. Teenagers are looking for freedom and this trip gives it to them. Over the years we have noticed that the freedom of paddling separate boats during the day brings the families together at night. Teenagers and kids look forward to playing cards or throwing the Frisbee with their parents when they hit the shore in the afternoon. We find siblings and parents sitting around laughing and enjoying time away from distractions like cell phones, text messages, Facebook and email.
Find your rafting vacation here

3. Nature, Not Tech:
In the era of text messages, blackberries, I-phones, 100 HD TV channels, and i-pods its said we consume more information in a day than people 200 years ago did in a life time. All of this technology can be a great thing, but sometimes it can also be a distraction. Teenagers constantly text messaging instead of talking to parents, parents hovering over their black berries instead of talking with their kids. Kids playing video games instead of exploring and playing outside.
In his book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv coins the term "Nature Deficit Disorder" when he links the trend of increasing child obesity, attention deficit disorder, and depression with a lack of time spent in nature. A study done by Frances E. Kuo, PhD and Andrea Faber Taylor, PhD in 2003 linked lack of time spent playing in a "green environment" with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Their study showed how children who spent more time playing in a "green" outdoor environment consistently showed fewer symptoms of ADHD.
All of this to say, while technology is good, unplugging and spending distraction free time with your family and friends is also important. Pick a vacation that does more than get you away from work, school, and the house. Pick a vacation that gets you unplugged and distraction free allowing you and your kids to slow down and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S.
Find your rafting vacation here
4. Active:
Are you an active vacationer or a sit back and relax vacationer? Are you one type while your spouse is the other? For some sitting in the sun with a drink in their hand for hours on end is a dream vacation while for others (like me) that is a bit slow to really be enjoyable. On a great rafting vacation like the Rogue or Lower Salmon Rivers a traveler can have both. On the Lower Salmon paddle rapids all day giving your brain and your arms a good workout before relaxing in the sand and sun for a few hours with your beverage in hand at camp. Go home with a vacation you're proud of, one that wore you out but also rejuvenated and cleared your mind.
Find your rafting vacation here

Family Rafting on the Rogue River: A guides perspective

Last summer one of our guides took his family on a 3 day rafting trip down the Rogue River. The pictures were so great I asked Jason to write up something about the experience for the blog followers to read. Jason has been guiding with us for over a decade and with his wife, they have two of the best kids you could take on a river trip.

This past summer I had the opportunity to take my entire family down the Wild and Scenic Rogue River on a three day lodge trip. My wife, two kids and my in-laws decided to take the plunge and come downriver with me on an adventure of a lifetime. My wife, my 10 year old son, and my father in-law have been on trips before, but this would be a first for my 6 year old daughter and my mother in-law.

Although Orange Torpedo Trips specializes in inflatable kayaks, we always cater to the needs of everyone. Each trip is accompanied by a supply raft that is equipped to carry passengers. This is the PERFECT option for those families that have children that are not of the size or age to paddle themselves in an orange torpedo. It’s also an option for those that are a little fearful of white water and simply want to enjoy a nice float while watching the beautiful scenery. This is where my family fit in. They were all passengers on my supply raft. (I’ve been a guide with Orange Torpedo Trips for over 12 years.)

The great thing about the supply raft is that children can ride and have a GREAT time while their parents enjoy the inflatable kayaks. The raft guides are always very well trained and versed in local history as well as plant and animal life. I look at it like a “classroom on the water.” There are also times where your child can ride in a kayak with a trained guide in flat water and get some paddling lessons!

At the lodges, my children had an amazing time exploring, playing games and feeding the deer. Being a lodge trip has its advantages when it comes to children in that they can always change into nice warm clothes, sleep in a comfortable bed and be entertained by our well educated guiding staff. (Most of us are teachers in the off season.) This also gives parents a chance to relax!

Our family trip was something that we will never forget! Getting to spend time together having fun in one of the worlds most beautiful, unspoiled locations is truly priceless! Another cool thing that Orange Torpedo Trips provides, (that no other company does), is a photo memory book and DVD documenting the trip. So if you don’t want to spend time taking photographs, no worries! We take care of that for you! A couple of weeks after your trip, a nice little package arrives at your home.

Overall, my family had an AMAZING time! Those memories will last with them forever. Orange Torpedo Trips is by far the finest, safest way to enjoy a river adventure as a family. The guides are well trained and have a proven safety record. I’m not just saying this because “I” am a guide for OTT. I’m saying this as a husband and father that wants only the “best” for my family. The best is Orange Torpedo Trips!

Thanks Jason! If want to know more about our 3 day lodge trip down the Rogue River, Click Here.