SLOW DOWN AND EMBRACE THE JOURNEY ONBOARD THE ROCKY MOUNTAINEER

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada- Say "bye bye BlackBerry" and "hello" to glacier-fed lakes, towering canyons, lush ranchlands and the breathtaking Canadian Rockies. Travellers looking for a trip that makes them slow down, but still offers a little adventure, are finding it on the railways of Western Canada.

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (RMV), a luxury train company based on Canada's West Coast offers vacation packages complete with adventure and relaxation. Reservation agents and train staff are seeing an increase in guests looking for a vacation where the journey is the destination, with a little off-the-beaten path excitement thrown into the mix.

"People want to slow down and have a relaxing vacation, but they still want an experience. Our guests are seeing that train travel offers a way to do both," says Tertius Serfontein, Director of Reservations for Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. "Guests want scenery that will inspire them. They want to be off the beaten track, where only a train can take them, and they want a chance to get off and explore it for themselves."

Coined after the slow food movement, slow travel (www.slowtrav.com) is defined as an "easier, simpler and slower way of travel" and includes rail and cruise travel, as well as villa stays. According to the U.S. Tour Operators Association, slow travel remains popular, however the quest for adventure is on the rise, and is a growing trend in the leisure travel industry. Rocky Mountaineer Vacations has a variety of packages that allow travellers to enjoy the spectacular scenery à la window seat, or to take advantage of their one-of-a-kind access and pair it with a wilderness adventure. The key is that the rail packages can be customized, allowing travellers the freedom to choose their own level of adventure - slow or fast!

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations new Rail and Wilderness Adventures combine luxury comfort and adventure in the great Canadian wilderness. Options include the eight-day Rockies, Whales and Bears tour with its magnificent Pacific Coast scenery and chance to visit a natural hot spring and search for black bears and whales. The Gold Rush, Rails and Rockies package is a 14-day Canadian outback experience in British Columbia's Cariboo Region that includes five days of action added into the middle of a two-day journey on the Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route. In addition to a tour of Banff, Jasper and the Icefields of the Canadian Rockies, a ranch stay offers adventure options such as gold rush, aboriginal cultural and wildlife tours, and even a cattle drive.   
For additional information or to book a Rocky Mountaineer vacation package, contact your local travel professional or Rocky Mountaineer Vacations directly at (800) 665-7245 or visit: www.rockymountaineer.com
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations offers unique Canadian vacation packages and four spectacular rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta. Best known for the world-acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train, a two-day, all daylight rail journey through Canada's West and the Canadian Rockies, the company also offers trips onboard the Whistler Mountaineer train, a daily three-hour experience between North Vancouver and Whistler, BC.

Since its inception in 1990, the company has grown to be the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America and will welcome its one-millionth guest in 2008. In 2007, RMV was honoured with the World Travel Award as the "World's Leading Travel Experience by Train" for the third consecutive year.
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