2007 November

Google Introduces Collaborative Mapping

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed.Imagine a wiki-style map program that allows hikers and backpackers from all over the world to map out their favorite trails; or traveling sun worshippers around the globe to pinpoint their picks for best beaches on the planet. That’s exactly what the new collaboration […]

Lookin’ for Love in All the Web’s Places

A few e-mails have been rolling in asking where Vagabondish can be found on social bookmarking sites. So I’d like to extend the invitation to anyone interested in “friending” or otherwise “favoriting” us (and vice-versa) on the site’s below: Digg: vagablogger de.licio.us: Vagablogger Technorati: Add to Technorati Favorites If you have a blog and would like to “hook […]

Terra Bite Lounge: Voluntary Pricing Lets Small Eateries Give and Get Back

On its face, Terra Bite Lounge looks like just another coffee shop. The menu features the de rigeur sandwiches and a selection of lattés. Until you look closer and realize that no item on the wall menu has a price mentioned next to it. That’s because this eatery follows a unique and innovative business […]

Chasing Moonbows: Like Rainbows, Minus the Pot o’ Gold

While rainbows have managed to create an iconic place for themselves in the public imagination, “moonbows” haven’t been as lucky. No pot of gold to be found at the end of one, and chances are kids at schools don’t include one in their nature drawings. So what exactly is a moonbow? Well, it’s […]

Photo of the Moment: Test Sign, Denver

Eighth Wonder of the World: Underground Temples of Damanhur

Buried deep underground in the valley of Valchiusella in the Italian Alps lies a secret so stunning the Italian government has dubbed it the “Eighth wonder of the world.” Unlike the other seven wonders however, this one isn’t centuries old. In fact, until a few years ago, few were even aware of its existence. More than […]

Woman Plans 250-Mile Bike Trek of Alaska’s Iditarod

The Iditarod has for decades been one of Alaska’s most iconic events. Mushers and dog teams race across more than a thousand miles of the region’s desolate landscape, fighting off challenges ranging from zero degree visibility, dangerous hills, steep slopes and icy winds. Not exactly a day of golf, and certainly not for […]

Cannonball Run 2.0: From NYC to LA in Just 31 Hours

Race car driver Alexander Roy documents his 31 hour and 4 minute journey from New York to Los Angeles in his BMW M5 in his new book titled The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World (aff). Roy claims the drive, using nothing fancier than Google Earth, a […]

In Defense of Cardiff, Wales: It’s Not That Boring!

“Why are you going there?!” was the question I kept getting asked. “Because!” was my weak response. Apparently, people saw Cardiff as a waste of time. The common song was that there is nothing to do there besides a visit to the castle, which compared to other European castles … ummm … seemed to validate […]

Photo of the Moment: Timeless Cambodian Market

Not Quite Gilligan’s Island: Man (Re)Builds Island Paradise on 250,000 Recycled Plastic Bottles

When Richie Sowa’s tropical island paradise was destroyed in Hurricane Emily in 2005, it contained a two-story house, a self composting toilet, solar oven and three beautiful beaches. Pretty modest as far as private islands go, you think, except that Richie’s island was floated on plastic bottles - 250,000 of them to be exact. […]

How to Write a Travel Journal That’s Worth Reading

Of course you’re keeping a travel journal, so why not craft one that you’ll actually read again?

Flickr Introduces a Page for Every Place in the World

Flickr has taken its tagline of being “the eyes of the world” one step further, with its new Places feature. Something of a virtual and limitless photo gallery from around the world, Places features pictures of news events that are happening around the globe, taken by its geo-tagging members. Places features an interactive […]

Photos of the Moment: Airport Oops Around the World

A salute to the air traffic controllers of the world. You really just can’t make this stuff up … Check out the entire set at Dark Roasted Blend.

Mobile Hotel Provides Room with a View

Is that a plane? A Martian spaceship? No, it’s Hotel Everland! A Swiss artist duo, known for their artwork that invites viewer participation has created a mobile one room hotel. The room includes a bed, lounge and bathroom and can be hoisted onto any surface. Right now, it sits on the rooftop of […]

Recycling or Simply Overseas Pollution?

A child sifts through e-waste in New Delhi / © Wikipedia The green environmental movement is encouraging Americans to increasingly recycle their used electronics, giving away old computers and televisions when new ones are purchased. It not only reduces waste and preserves the local environment, but also enables others to make use of old but […]

Horse Travel: The Story of Rural America

With a film maker and website operator in tow, an Oregon rancher is riding cross-country on his trusted 16 year old steed to show the world the real America. Forty-eight year old Bill Inman and his wife Brenda were so tried of the daily newscasts depicting wars, deaths and crimes that they decided something […]

Photo of the Moment: Pigeon Point Lighthouse, San Francisco

Following the Eternal Sunset Around the World

The sun sets in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Good Magazine points us to EternalSunset.com: The website Eternal Sunset uses 272 west-facing webcams in over 50 countries to show a live sunset 24 hours a day. Right now, for example, we’re checking out the pastel hues over the water in Valle Gran Rey, Spain. The site refreshes every minute or […]

Photo of the Moment: The Open Road, Iceland

Remembering John Lennon: Still Imagining Peace

Close to 27 years after his death, John Lennon has been immortalized in a work of art designed by Yoko Ono and installed in Reykjavik, Iceland. The art work called the Imagine Peace Tower comprises a wishing well from which a tall tower of light shoots out to touch the sky. The surrounding […]

Hypnotic Flight Pattern Animation

Flight pattern animation compiled from 24 hours of flight data around the world. The techno music provides an aurally hypnotic backdrop. The artist’s website provides even more intriguing snapshots of this visual data.

Photo of the Moment: Storm Clouds Over Siem Riep

Australia Proposes “Tubby Tax” for Obese Travelers

An Australian proposal intends to charge obese passengers an additional tax for every extra kilo they weigh.

Mount Everest Explorers: “Can You Hear Me Now?”

China Mobile, Asia’s largest mobile phone company, has successfully tested a mobile phone base on Mount Everest.

4 Ways To Be A Traveler, Not A Tourist

Tourist or traveler? The debate rages on.

Southwest Passenger Asked to Change Outfit Bares All for Playboy

If the prim Southwest Airlines employee who told Kyla Ebbert to adjust her revealing outfit before getting on board meant for the 23 year old college student to be mortified enough to cover up in the future, it hasn’t worked. Ebbert is once again in the news, and this time for wearing even less than […]

Immortalizing the Backpacker’s Best Friend: Ductigami: The Art of the Tape

Finally: the revised and updated edition of the only modern day classic that pays proper homage to the inimitable, essential tool of all backpackers: Ductigami: The Art of the Tape (aff). From the publisher’s website: NASA has a written policy that requires every space shuttle mission to carry at least one roll of the gray […]

Morbid Travel: Woman’s Ashes Buried on Disney Land Ride

Surreptitious scattering of people’s remains at parks, golf courses and other unusual posts may be growing.

Photos of the Moment: Abandoned Pools of the World

An interesting Flickr discussion opened up to pay homage to abandoned pools. Having grown up in Florida (where pools are as commonplace as roofs), I’ll confess to a strange fascination with them as well. By their very nature, pools convey an almost universal sense of all-American family, togetherness, good times and backyard barbeques. To […]

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