2007 November

Photo of the Moment: Red River, Ottawa

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Traveler’s First Aid: Don’t Forget the Honey

Honey may have a place in the backpacker’s toolkit, alongside Duct tape.

How to Cure a Hangover [VIDEO]

From Mahalo Daily comes How to Cure a Hangover. I’ve seen a number of articles and videos on this, but this one is certainly the most comprehensive. And it doesn’t hurt that sexy geek girl extraordinaire, Veronica Belmont, plays host. Of course, the best advice of all would be not to drink in the […]

A Guide to Better Travel Writing (Part 2): 20 Time-Tested Techniques and Essential Exercises

Twenty techniques and exercises to help streamline your writing process and curb writer’s block.

Almost Getting Crushed By a Plane in St. Maarten

An oldie, but a goody. I never tire of watching this footage from Maho Bay in St. Maarten. I’d have to guess it takes serious stones to stand there and convince yourself that you are not in fact going to be flattened by several hundred tons of aircraft aluminum.

China’s 1300 Pound Book

Quite likely the world’s largest book debuted in China today: According to GX News: Currently on display at the first China Printing and Packaging Products Expo, this gigantic book published by Henan Anyang Daily news agency has a dimension of 2.1 x 1.26 x 0.28 meter (length, width, height) and weighs 598 kg. It gives a comprehensive […]

Photo of the Moment: Humayun’s Tomb, India

The Singing Roads of Japan

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. patent office, was famously quoted saying that “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Evidently the Japanese didn’t get the memo. And you have to hand it to them - they certainly have no shortage of innovation. Their latest project - “The Melody Road” […]

The Secret Language of Vagabonds and Traveling Hobos

Not surprisingly, vagabonds and traveling hobos have their own system of language which I’m sure dates back decades, if not centuries. Some hobos now communicate via cellular phones and e-mail. But the classic American hobo of early this century communicated through a much more basic system of marks–a code through which they gave information and warnings […]

Bug-Eyed Travel Photos with the $10 Fish Eye Lens

Amateur photographers will attest that digital SLR lenses cost way too much. Specialty lenses in particular - fish eye lenses, macros, wide angle, what have you - can be priced well north of $1000 US. Web forums and blogs have prompted a variety of DIY photography tipsters to crop up during the past […]

Photo of the Moment: Pagodas, Khao Luang Caves

To Daydreaming Travelers: All That Extra “Stuff” Is Holding You Back

Sane, thoughtful people know that money doesn’t buy happiness. Nothing new there. But sometimes it’s hard for day-dreaming cubicle jockeys to imagine quitting a cushy 9-to-5 desk job to pursue their fantasies of long-term travel. Good news according to a recent article in Newsweek: Psychologists have spent decades studying the relation between wealth and happiness,” […]

How to Learn a New Language 1 Week Before Your Trip

Tips on taking a crash course in the basics of a language when your departure date is just a week away.

Travel Movie Review: 1408

Motel 6 might be a bit rough around the edges, but 1408 is just plain nasty.

World’s First: Hang Gliding Over Mount Everest

Angelo d’Arrigo succeeded in flying the first hang glider over the summit of the tallest mountain on Earth.

Photo of the Moment: Sunrise in Shanghai

Photo © Stuck in Customs

Argentina Hosts Guinness’ Most Expensive Ad Campaign Ever

Argentina is home to Guinness’ latest and most expensive ad campaign ever. Titled “Tipping Point”, the commercial below was directed by Nicolai Fuglsig of the Sony Bravia advert fame. I have to say it’s pretty cool, but I was left somehow expecting more. Perhaps more amazing than the commercial itself is the days of […]

Traveling Around the World For Free

Alex Boylan must “beg, borrow and deal” for every bit of his six-month, around-the-world journey.

African Pygmies Adopt GPS Technology; World to End Tomorrow at Noon

Yes, the end of the world draws nigh. Animal and plant species continue to disappear at an alarming rate; top rating TV shows feature B-list celebrities doing the cha-cha; and now pygmies are using handheld GPS systems. Yes, that’s right – pygmies. The 4’11” and under tribes of African folks - known more for their […]

A Guide to Better Travel Writing (Part 1): 23 Essential Tips & Habits

Part 1 of our multi-part series on better travel writing: 23 great writing tips to bring out your inner muse.

TS Eliot on Going Too Far

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. - TS Eliot Spoken like a true traveler.

When Sharks Attack [Video]

Taken on a diving expedition in Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico, the cameraman gets charged full speed by a fifteen foot Great White shark: At least the diver learned one thing: what happens when you soil yourself underwater.

Exploring Alien Iceland with Sigur Rós

I simply love Sigur Rós. Their music is at once captivating, haunting, and achingly beautiful. It’s no surprise then that their soundtrack - complete with music box chimes and odd mechanical noises - is a perfect complement to the eerie, alien landscape of the new Icelandic video, entitled Heima: You can also check out […]

Photo of the Moment: Moroccan Desert Trek

A Dashing New (and Free) WordPress Theme for Your Travel Blog

Chris Pearson over at Pearsonified just released a snazzy new WordPress theme, available free for download via his website. The Neoclassical theme is simple, yet elegant, and features a huge rotating header image that you can easily customize with your favorite travel photos. Check out the blog demo in action here.

A Year on Ice: Life in Antarctica

YouTube user Anthony Powell (a.k.a. “Antzarctica“) has captured over 1,000,000 photos of Antarctica while living at McMurdo Station and Scott Base over the past five years. This video captures the dichotomy of the Antarctic summer and winter through stark, fascinating time-lapse photographic imagery. It’s striking how active it is down there - many more people […]

Latest Gasoline Additive: Google

Sometimes I get the feeling that Google’s slow takeover of the world is truly blindsiding us. It’s like the frog thrown into the stewpot - the water’s not boiling yet, but it’s slowly getting there. And by the time he realizes it, it’ll be too late. According to AP: [Google] will dispense driving directions at […]

Travel Tips: 12 Clever Uses for Your Digital Camera

Your digital camera can be a lot more useful than you might think, especially while traveling.

Ben Saunders on Following One’s Dreams

From Ben Saunders, who is “the youngest person to ski solo to the geographic North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton”: If you could offer one piece of advice, what would that be? Follow your heart. Do what you’re passionate about; do it to the best of your ability, […]

Travel Movie Review: Wild Hogs

Nothing beats a road movie. The draw of the long yellow line hits all of us a time or two in our lives, and since we can’t all leave our jobs at a moment’s notice and go all Jack Kerouac for a few months, living vicariously through road movies and books has become quite the […]

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