Can you believe Christmas is next week and the New Year -- and a new decade -- is quickly approaching! If you haven't considered your new decade's resolution, you should think about including travel as part of it! Here are some travel tidbits to mull over this weekend.

• If you're up for something a bit kitschy this winter, check out MSNBC's list of offbeat holiday celebrations.
• My girl Eva Holland gives us the scoop on how travel mixed into the Golden Globe nominations. [via World Hum]
• If you're like me and aren't too keen on rushing in the New Year among hoards of strangers, here are some good places to be if you're anti-social. [via Tripbase]
• Budget Travel exposes some of Oahu's hidden gems, but I assure you there are still plenty of secrets spots on this island that are worthy of discovery.
• Voluntourism is booming, and Green Traveller tells us of yet another program launching this new year.

'Til Monday, have a great weekend!

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Are you craving some good juicy travelers' tales? Here are today's Gadlinks.

• Before you set off on a big trip, here are six very important things to consider. [via BootsNAll]
• Sometimes traveling requires you to bare all -- in every sense of the phrase. [via Vagablogging]
• Did you know the first woman to drive across America was Alice Ramsey in 1909? Neither did I. [via CNN Travel]
• This road warrior gives us the scoop on how to travel to some of the world's most dangerous places. [via Matador Abroad]

'Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks HERE.

Welcome to another week here at Gadling! We're in the final stretch in 2009 and ending a glorious (or maybe not so glorious for some of you) decade. This both Christmas and the New Year around the corner, it's time to get into gear and get the scoop on the latest travel stories from around the web.

• If you're still at a loss for something to by that special someone for Christmas, Journey, Etc. has a handy list of top holiday gifts for wanderers.
• I <3 Seattle. It's a family-friendly place, and this nice guide to Seattle for families shows us just how much the city has to offer. [via Peter Greenberg]
• Ever wonder what it was like to travel on the Orient Express. Based on this story, it must have been grand. [via NPR]
• Spice up your travel attitude by following these tips to being a more spirited -- or "badass" -- traveler. [via Brave New Traveler]
• Talk about tourism being an industry. These countries make billions of dollars from tourism every year. That's pretty astounding. [via Open Travel]

'Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks HERE.

The Honolulu Marathon is being held this morning here on Oahu -- and it's a beautiful day in paradise. Taking a tour of the Honolulu Marathon course basically gives you a comprehensive idea of Honolulu's best sights.

The marathon begins on Ala Moana Boulevard, which in Hawaiian means "path by the ocean." The actual starting line is located in beautiful Ala Moana Beach Park, a peaceful recreation area with over 100 acres of green park, sandy beach, swimming and surfing spots.

The second mile of the course runs through downtown along Honolulu Harbor and the historic Aloha Tower, which was once the tallest building when it was erected back in 1926 and is now the main port for Honolulu's cruise ships. The course turns directions in Chinatown and then passes Iolani Palace, which is the only royal palace in the United States.

At the fourth mile, runners pass by Ala Moana Center, a huge, open-air mall with more than 250 stores and restaurants, and then racers make their way along Kalakaua Avenue through lively Waikiki. Kalakaua Avenue is full of historic sights and sounds, such as the Sheraton Moana Surfrider (Waikiki's oldest hotel, built in 1901), Waikiki Beach (marked by the iconic statue of Duke Kahanamoku), and the International Marketplace.

Runners pass the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Shell (an outdoor stage area), and Diamond Head (the gorgeous volcanic crater popular with hikers). Near the halfway point, marathoners will run along the Kalanianaole Highway, one of the island's most scenic byways, heading east toward Koko Head, another volcanic crater. Runners near the popular snorkel spot, Hanauma Bay before heading back along the highway, running along Kahala Avenue (the famed road with oceanfront homes owned by the island's and nation's elite) toward the Diamond Head and the finish line. The race finishes in Kapiolani Park, next to the Waikiki Aquarium.

The Honolulu Marathon course is a great introduction to this tropical city of delights. Maybe instead of running it, you can take your time and enjoy the sights at a slower tourist's pace. Enjoy!

Riding a ferry anywhere in the world is simply one of the most pleasant experiences in the world, and this photo pretty much sums up why. This particular ferry is the 4:20 to Bremerton on the Puget Sound. The water is as still as glass, and the sky a glowing orange. There's such peace, such tranquility, in this shot. Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" is one of my favorite poems, and in it he writes, "Others will enter the gates of the ferry, and cross from shore to shore." The ferry is a perfect metaphor for the common experience of life itself. How beautiful that metaphor -- and life -- is.

Today's photo comes to us from Andy Bokanev, a Seattle native with an amazing array of travel photography. If you have some great travel shots you'd like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!

We're closing in on mid-December and Christmas is lurking around the corner (it's in two short weeks!). This weekend is the last minute Christmas shopping push for those of you hoping to send your gifts in time to have them under the tree. As for those of you who got your shopping done, you may have a few more minutes to spare to read up on some of the latest travel stories from about the web. Enjoy!

• Who said you can't find love on the road? This article makes it seem like your true love may just be waiting for you on the other side of the world. [via CNN Travel]
• If you didn't know this already, there is such a thing as apparel etiquette when traveling abroad. Try these tips on for size so you don't make a fool of yourself. [via MSNBC Travel]
• Less than 1% of the world's population will ever see the likes of the top of Mount Everest, but we can always dream, can't we? [via Travel Fusion]
• If there's one place floorsurfing comes in handy, it's London. This article from the Faster Times shows us how it's done in the East End.
• Winter in Hawaii means unbeatable surf on the north shores of the islands, but it also means you can hit the slopes and go skiing/snowboarding! [via Honolulu Magazine]

'Til Monday, have a great weekend!


More Gadlinks here.

It is arguably the most famous wave in the world, the wave that all other waves are measured against. In recent years, Pipeline has provided the perfect arena for the final stage of the Vans Triple Crown, and the first day of competition will be held today in 10+ foot surf.

With its shallow coral reef and a lack of continental shelf to break up the open-ocean swells, Pipeline is one of the most dangerous waves in the world. Add a packed lineup of wave riders trying to get a piece of the action, and Pipe becomes not just a dangerous ride, but an extremely entertaining show for spectators.

While some of you were catching some sick rides on the slopes, these pro surfers were riding mountain-sized waves on the North Shore of Oahu at the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational yesterday. Either way, I hope you all had a great start to the week. We're in the thick of it now, and here are some cool travel stories to get you through the next few days.

• Read about some of the weirdest and wackiest winter activities in the world. [via Peter Greenberg]
• Eco-tourism is the latest and greatest travel method, and these countries are among the eco-friendliest. [via Open Travel]
• If you're curious about the best way to see and travel to Tunisia, check this out. [via Journey, Etc.]
• Here are some travel scams you should avoid. [via Travel Rants]
• Did you know Sweden has some of the best thin bread (called tunnbrod) in the world? Check out my friend Lola's photo essay on how it's made. [via Matador Life]

'Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks here.

It's time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you're close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

• Toronto - The Festival of Carols, a holiday tradition, will be held in Toronto this Wednesday, December 9th.
• Oslo - The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony will be held in Oslo Thursday, December 10th. The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony takes place every 10th of December, the date on which Alfred Nobel died in 1896.
• Cape Town - The Hout Bay Harbour Festival will take place in Hout Bay, Cape Town on Friday, December 11. The festival will continue until December 13.
• St Lucia - The Festival of Lights Celebration will take place for two days in St Lucia starting this Saturday, December 12. Saint Lucians celebrate this day by going to church services, attending parades and rallies, organizing sports meetings and staging cultural presentations. December 13th is the National Day of St Lucia.
• Auckland - Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park will take place in Auckland on Saturday, December 12 . This is a free musical event that begins at 7:30 p.m.
• Tokyo - Gishi-sai takes place on Sunday, December 13 in Tokyo, Japan. This is a festival honoring the forty-seven loyal retainers (ronin) in Akoh, who were made popular in movies and dramas.
  
• Tanjay City - The Bod-Bod Festival will take place Monday, December 14th in Tanjay City in the Philippines. The festival celebratesto the Bod-bod, a native delicacy made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt. The festival will continue until December 16th.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an even that's coming up, please let us here at Gadling know and we'll be sure to include it in the next "Get out and go" round-up.

"The waves are going off right now." That's the typical phrase you'll hear here in Hawaii. With this being the El Nino season, the waves on the north and west shores have been bigger and better than normal, and it looks like the islands will be experiencing one of the biggest days in history. Forecasters are saying some waves will have 60-foot faces. The last time the waves were this big was the winter of 1969. That was forty years ago; this is now.

If you happen to be on Oahu today, the "Eddie Aikau," an annual big wave surfing invitational, is being held. The "Eddie," as locals call it, is one of the few events that is held only if waves reach 25+ feet. Today's event will be a particularly special day because the two past winters didn't have waves that high, so the event wasn't held. The bravest and best surfers are called on a moment's notice and fly out to Hawaii to participate in the "Eddie."