I Tried the New Program That Rewards You for Getting Outside on Vacation

Last weekend, I headed to a running, SUPing, and hiking adventure in Northern California. Being the managing video editor here at Outside, I vlogged the whole thing (which you can watch above).

As part of my trip, I tested out the new partnership between Outside and Marriott Bonvoy, activating an Adventure Pass just outside of San Francisco, California. The Marriott hotel location where I stayed was a launching point into wine country and the redwoods. After linking my Outside and Marriott Bonvoy accounts, I wound up on the Adventure Pass landing page, which handily linked me out to Outside’s various editorial sites and the OutsideTV content library so I could dig into stories, audio stories, and adventure documentaries on my trip. The landing page also took me to Outside Inc.’s fitness and adventure apps in the Apple Store, where I downloaded MapMyFitness, Gaia GPS, and Trailforks.

It happened to be my first time using these apps, and I found them simple and user-friendly. I made use of Trailforks to research a hiking route in Armstrong Redwoods State Nature Reserve, and Gaia GPS to plan out a river SUP route on the Russian River. I tracked both of those activities in the apps, even without cell service, thanks to their offline features. Then, I headed to the vineyards and used MapMyFitness to track a jog on a running path through Guerneville wine country. I wrapped up the day at a winery just a few miles away from the hotel, sharing snacks and stories with a friend in the area.

Sure enough, I racked up 50 Marriott Bonvoy points per app activity, and 1,000 points for linking my Outside+ and Marriott Bonvoy accounts—and saw all of my Marriott Bonvoy points hit my account just two days after my trip. (Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors guests who aren’t paid subscribers to Outside+ have the option to activate a paid subscription at the end of their stay, unlocking an additional 2,000 points Adventure Pass made for an active and easy weekend getaway.)

I can’t wait to use the Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors site to find my next active vacation location, whether it be treating myself to the ski-in, ski-out Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, the new Marriott Bonvoy Postcard Cabins location headed to Mendocino, or something outside of the boundaries of my home state, California. Regardless, I’ll be activating another Adventure Pass and earning Marriott Bonvoy points to put towards future stays.