jps246's Full Review: National Geographic Adventure Magazine Subscriptio...
What you say, another outdoors adventure magazine? National Geographic Adventure (NGA) does fit the bill but also carves out its own niche for the category. Decidedly bent towards people who may actually take these sorts of vacations, NGA is sort of a cross between a National Geographic Explorer issue, an issue of Outside Magazine and Conde Naste. In the end, the strange mix works and NGA is a magazine that is definitely worth taking a second (or third) look at.
I thought I would start out with NGA’s mission statement (of sorts) because it does give you a good idea of what is behind the magazine, and where it is coming from: Adventure is a magazine for people who want to explore the exciting world of National Geographic for themselves: to travel and protect the wildest corners of the planet; to see and understand the wonders of nature; to interact with different cultures and inspiring landscapes. I probably couldn’t have said it better – if you are the type that reads National Geographic Explorer (the main National Geographic Magazine) and wants to get out to these places, NGA gives you what you need to get out there, along with a healthy does of the National Geographic ethic of preservation and protection.
The Basics
Each issue runs between about 100 to 120 pages (roughly) and probably about a third of that is advertisements. The advertisements run the gambit from outdoor equipment suppliers, to vacation companies. They aren’t that obnoxious and the magazine doesn’t suffer from to level of advertising that others do.
Should you pick up an issue at the newsstand, it’s going to cost you $3.95. Right now the magazine is running a special, where you can get a 10 issue (1 year) subscription for $10. Elsewhere through the net subscription services, it runs from $9.95 to $15 for a 1-year subscription.
What’s in an Issue?
Each issue (for some reason, as I am typing this, I keeping wanting to put “episode” and I keep having to delete it and write “issue,” talk about annoying) is made up of two main sections, Features and Departments. The Departments section is then broken down into several different sections: Journal; Gear; From the Editor; Contributors; Letters; Travel Directory; and Wild Angle
The Features section, as you would expect, is made up of several in-depth stories and generally consists of the stories that you see advertised on the cover of the magazine. The current issue has four different feature stories. On average it is four or five stories in each Features section. This month (October 㤋), the Features section includes stories on “The Lure of Impossible Places,” exploring the “Land of Extremes,” (stories on the most extreme places in North America), visiting the Island (or I should say islands) of Krakatoa, and finally, the fate of the Siberian Tiger
Within the Departments section, the Journal is a collection of news, short articles, stories and how-to information that is an easy read, is interesting, and is useful. The smaller sections include stories on the frontiers of adventure travel (trips that are a bit more “on the edge” than normal), cheap travel, essential how-to information and advice on different types of adventuring, short trip ideas for weekend travel, a longer “special report” type story on a certain issue, a review of new books and information to look for out on the web. The Gear section includes reviews of equipment that you’d be using on your outdoor adventures. In the latest issue, they are reviewing how to go about layering your clothes and what kinds of materials you should be looking for in your layers.
The remaining sections of Departments are your typical run-of-the-mill sections in a magazine. From the Editor is the monthly letter from the editor talking about issues in the current magazine, or other issues the Editor finds important. Contributors is a review of the main writers and photographers for the issue. Letters consists of letters written by readers and published in the magazine. The Travel Directory is a guide to the various travel and vacation companies and is set up so that each company gets a small picture and a small area for text (sort of like a business card directory). And finally, Wide Angle is a parting shot on the last page, along with a small story to go along with that shot.
Well, do you recommend it?
Do I have a subscription? Yup, I signed up for it at last month after having picked up an issue here and there over the last few years. I think the magazine is perfectly suited for people who are interested in the outdoors, but also share some concerns about the environment and who are interested in more than just a typical adventure vacation. NGA gives you a chance to get behind the scenes of your vacation destination, to learn about the environment and about the different cultures there. It’s well worth the issue price, or the subscription price for anyone looking for new explorations and destinations.
However, if all you do is sit on your couch and dream of the outdoors, then NGA probably isn’t all that useful to you. You’ll enjoy the great photography and probably some of the more generalized stories (on cultures or environmental issues) will probably be interesting, but you won’t get the gist of the magazine, that is, a guide to the exotic, wonderful and precious places of this planet.
So get off your butt, let your beard grow for a few days, tighten up the backpack, and get out and explore the world and its treasures with National Geographic Adventure. You will be glad that you did.
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