BLOOMINGTON - Hal Graff of the Twin Cities has long made a hobby of collecting travel brochures on places to hunt and fish.

He collected so many over the years it takes a bookcase 7 feet tall to hold them.

Now, Graff, 59, a longtime insurance sales manager who holds a doctorate in business, has found a way to turn his love of the outdoors and travel into a new vocation. Graff has joined Outdoor Connection, a travel bureau specializing in booking outdoor adventures.

"Over the years, I'd always get calls from people who would phone out of the blue and say, 'Hey, where should I go to do this or that?' It's a really fun and an exciting business opportunity."

The seeds of the venture were planted years ago when his father and grandfather invited clients of their farm equipment business to their homes to hunt pheasants near Graff's native Gibson City and Minier.

The family also made regular trips to Lac Seul near Sioux Lookout, Ont., to fish for walleyes, northern pike, smallmouth bass and lake trout. That's where his collection of travel brochures began. That's also when his love of nature, hunting and fishing took root.

"That was lifelong, from the time I was a kid," said Graff, a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University who teaches business courses in person and online for three universities.

Outdoor travel companies like Outdoor Connection are popular, he said, because they take the worry out of booking vacations to destinations clients have never visited. As he pointed out, people booking trips on their own often take three trips to an area before they learn exactly where to go and when to go there to enjoy their sport at a peak time.

The challenge increases when international travel to places like Canada, Mexico and Central America is involved, he said. For the novice traveler who wants even more adventure, just try to book travel sight-unseen on your own to Africa, which is increasing in popularity for hunters and people who merely want to view animals like elephants, lions and tigers on their home turf, he said.

Travel agents from Outdoor Connection do the advance work by visiting resorts and hunting and fishing with outfitters and guides in the region. Only resorts and services that measure up are used. The company represents about 260 destinations, which all have been researched.

"It's all about time," Graff said. "People are busy, but they want a quality experience. What we offer is that we inspect all these places. If they don't meet our standards, we cut them loose."

Marc Glades, 36, has owned Kansas-based Outdoor Connection since 1999. He bought the company founded in 1989 after he spent time as a franchise representative of Outdoor Connection and an outfitter who guided clients to hunt turkey and white-tail deer. He also taught school.

After expanding franchises into Canada last year, Outdoor Connection grew to have 99 representatives in North America.

Whether for hunting, fishing or viewing nature, outdoor-related destinations are a growing segment of the travel industry, Glades said. The trend is fueled by his customers' desire to get away from it all and discover adventure unlike anything they normally experience in their lives, he said.

"I think people what to get away from everything they see on a daily basis," said Glades. "They are trying to get away from the cell phones, the pagers, the Internet. They are looking for something different."

Consumptive sports, such as hunting and fishing, are Outdoor Connection's bread and butter. But, more and more customers without those skills are booking outfitters just to take them into the mountains or the plains of Africa just to look at wildlife, he said.

The same guides may lead people packing guns one week and people with cameras in hands the next. Destinations with whitewater rafting, trekking and climbing are becoming more sought-after, he said.

People once warned Glades the Internet would hurt his business because people could do their own research and book their own travel online. But, that hasn't happened, he said.

Companies like Outdoor Connection offer a service that remove that worry because company representatives have been there first, Glades said. Booking travel online continues to intimidate many people who fear investing money and time to visit a place sight unseen.

"You get somewhere and something isn't like what you thought. I've wasted half my time on this or that or whatever," Glades said.

Instead, travel companies offer the chance of no-hassle travel, he said.

Having someone visit the spot before you is especially important for trendy destinations like New Zealand and Africa halfway around the globe, he said.

South American destinations, like sports offering wing-shooting or fishing in Argentina, are other hotspots, he said.

Still, Alaska remains "the backbone," especially since Sept. 11, 2001, he said. People remain timid about flying. Therefore, flying to a destination that offers adventure and unique outdoor experiences but remains in the United States is attractive, he said.

"We can't guarantee a world-record fish but we can guarantee a quality experience," added Graff.

Why more activity travel?

• Baby boomers are reaching a time in life when they have more disposable income and an empty nest.

• Younger travelers want to escape cell phones and the Internet to relax.

• More services are available to help avoid the pitfall

s of booking activity travel long distance. Companies like Outdoor Connection visit the destinations before clients do to check out lodging, guides and other services.

Sources: Hal Graff, Marc Glades of Outdoor Connection

Compiled by Scott Richardson