Learn photography skills while trekking the Himalaya originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Craig and Linda Martin have been traveling the world together since 2006. In that time, they've launched the Indie Travel Podcast and turned it into a successful website (they were named Best Podcast in Lonely Planet's 2009 Travel Blog Awards) and an excellent source of information for the independent traveler. Now, in a time when major glossies seem to be folding right and left, they've launched a magazine. You've got to admire that kind of moxie.

The Indie Travel Podcast website combines inspiring destination features with practical advice, like how to use Skype and other internet phone services or what to look for when booking a hostel. There are also entertaining and informative podcasts, videos and hotel reviews. The newly launched magazine combines the best features of the website with the same Indie Travel focus - it's geared towards independent, adventurous travelers, and budget and long-term travelers.

The Indie Travel Podcast Magazine launches September 1. There will be four issues per year, available at NZ$40 (around US$27) including postage. I had a chance to take a sneak peak and was quite impressed with the quality of the production and the writers (familiar names in the blogosphere) attached to the project.

Continue reading Indie Travel Podcast launches new magazine

Indie Travel Podcast launches new magazine originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Listen to Times Online's eco-holiday discussion today! originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Worlds Highest Photography and Videography Workshop originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 04 May 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1. From the Amplified Journeys website, enter your destination starting and ending point
2. Then, select your preferred genre of music and a musical artist within that genre
3. Hit "Play" and you will be given driving directions as well as cool tune suggestions that are easily downloaded from the site itself!

Continue reading Amplified Journeys

Amplified Journeys originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What does it take to get picked as an Amazing Race contestant team? In this Columbus Dispatch article, there's some insight. Victoria Hunt, the female part of the Columbus-based married couple team--Brad and Victoria, who are competing in Amazing Race 14, tried out for Survivor several times.

She never made it onto Survivor, but when she showed the powers that be a photo of her husband, Victoria was bumped over to the Amazing Race with Brad in tow. It helps that both of them are attractive and fit. Like Victoria, hubby Brad is an exercise hound. Along with rock and ice climbing, he kayaks, mountaineers at high altitudes and power-lifts. Not only does he participate in marathons, he is in ultra-marathons. Frankly, it sounds as if he could answer the casting call for a good looking, silver-haired Batman.

As for Victoria, she is an avid skier, but I hope she has more experience than Ohio's offerings. Snow Trails and Mad River Mountain are fun--but even I ski those, and I'm no skier.

According to Victoria, the show is looking for folks who "have an opinion" since this makes for interesting TV. Based on the article, I assume Brad and Victoria made it at least through a couple legs of the race. I wonder if they made it to Romania and Siberia, two new destinations this season? The filming started right after Halloween, spanning 40,000 miles and seven other countries.

For a rundown of the other Amazing Race 14 contestants, click here.

Amazing Race contestants: What does it take exactly? originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Two of the things I remember from an interview I heard with David Sedaris on Travel with Rick Steves is that Business Class is known as ICU because passengers are in need of attention and flight attendants pass gas as they walk up the aisles because the sound covers the noise.

A flight attendant told Sedaris that. Not, Heather, our Gallery Gossip gal, someone else.

Here are two travel tips during the conversation that Sedaris passed on in his sardonic m wry wit sort of way.

• When staying in a hotel, you don't put your clothes in drawers because that's how you lose things.
• As a matter of fact, don't let your belongings wander more than two feet from your suitcase.

Continue reading David Sedaris with Rick Steves: Funny travel incidents and observations like when flight attendants pass gas

David Sedaris with Rick Steves: Funny travel incidents and observations like when flight attendants pass gas originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In preparation for the Olympics, The Travel Channel has been offering several China-themed options this week and is continuing with its coverage by repeating various episodes. Here they are in case you've missed them and want to catch up.

For those interested in China's natural landscape and wildlife and how the natural world fits into Chinese culture and sensibilities, check out Wild China. Episodes range from panda bears to the ecosystem and take armchair travelers from Tibet to the Great Wall and from the deserts to the sea. (For schedule.)

Samantha Brown's Passport to China is focused on three places: Beijing, Sichuan, and Xian. The show offers a potpourri look at life in China from a variety of angles. (For schedule)

Great Cruises is offering an episode "Royal Passage to Asia." Like the others, it is being aired a few different times.

For the gastronomic delights--or the opposite of delightful, depending on your tastes, Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations are repeating episodes that are China related. (No Reservations schedule; Bizarre Foods schedule)

The photo of the Bird's Nest, the stadium where the Olympic ceremonies will take place is from the Travel Channel Web site's page that highlights Beijing's attractions.

China coverage on Travel Channel originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When I headed to the West Hollywood Book Fair last September, I didn't know which writers I would meet or what to expect. The scope of offerings was impressive, and one book in particular caught my eye. Sacred Places of the Goddesses: 101 Destinations pulled me in for a chat with the author, Karen Tate.

Tate, who lives with her husband, Roy in one of my most favorite towns, Venice, California, is a world traveler, tour guide and an expert on goddesses. She knows exactly where to see their traces and influences.

Her book--part travel guide, part spiritual guide and part chronicle of history, includes each section of the world. [See earlier post review.]

Since we chatted in the shade of her display booth, Tate has been busy launching her weekly Internet radio show "Voices of the Sacred Feminine" and promoting her new book, Walking an Ancient Path.

We talked on the phone last fall, and I've kept up with her various activities ever since. As a person with a lens focused on travel and spirituality, Tate offers a unique perspective about how one can experience the world.

Continue reading Talking travel with Sacred Places of Goddess author Karen Tate

Talking travel with Sacred Places of Goddess author Karen Tate originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New travel podcast series on the Independent originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 02 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• "My shotgun will take care of any intruder, and I know how to use it."
• "I own a shotgun for the same reason I own a fire extinguisher."
• "Gun ownership is a right and privilege, everyone should exercise it. I think everyone should have one, on the range, on the playing field, in the world."
• "It's not the guns that kill, it's the people."
• "I have nothing against guns, I think they are cool and I love that we have them in the house. My friends are very impressed by the collection we have."
• "It's up to us as citizens to protect ourselves, our family and property. Our constitution provides us with the right and method by which to achieve that objective, and I simply choose to exercise that right."
• "I think the ownership of arms is not only a right, but the duty of a free people to themselves and future generation."

Why do Americans want to own guns? originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Santa Barbara pueblo hopping with J. Peterman originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If this photo doesn't brighten your day, there is no hope for you my friend! Wow, this is a truly spectacular sight. Lovely colors. Taken on Friday in Korea, by ladyexpat.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr site and post it.***

Photo of the Day (10/15/07) originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National Parks Traveler Gets Facelift originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to City Surf, "Guidebooks show you which neighborhoods are cool to visit, we show what's cool IN those neighborhoods." Indeed, City Surf has created audible walking tours of some hip Toronto hang-outs, including Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market, Yorkville, and The Annex.

To use the tours, you download one of the 30-40 minute tours, load it into your iPod, and hit the streets. Rather than having your nose buried in a guidebook, you slip on your earbuds and listen to what makes the area unique. Spaced out, listening to your iPod, you'll look just like a local.

The only downside is that the tours run $9.99 CAD (about $9 US) per download. A little steep? Maybe. But the music-filled sample tracks City Surf has posted sound like they're brimming with great insider tips that'll let you experience the city the way the locals do. I've never gone on an audible walking tour of a neighborhood. I imagine I'd have to do it twice: once to learn the tips; and a second time to feel like I've really immersed myself in the place.

Not heading to Toronto? Montreal and Vancouver tours are in the works.

[Thanks, Ali!]

City Surf's Audio Walking Tours for the "Un-Tourist" originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 09 May 2007 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Running the Sahara originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For more than a decade, Layne Oliver has tested adventure gear ranging from headlamps to tents to climbing gear. Known in the industry as "Lightning Layne," Oliver is a professional field tester whose job is to help gear designers make only the changes that significantly improve a product's performance. Layne ain't no bells-and-whistles kinda guy.

An avid outdoorsman, a National Guard reservist, and an electrician by trade, Layne seems like he's living a sweet life. In this 9-minute interview, SNEWS quizzed Layne about how to break into the industry and how he got his nickname. The answers to both questions are fascinating.

[Via Adventure Travel]

Interview With "Lightning Layne:" Adventure Gear Tester originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Recently, we told you about the [murmur] project, an audio archive of the stories of Toronto. It turns out that SoundAboutPhilly is undertaking a similar project for the City of Brotherly Love. SoundAboutPhilly's free, customizable sound-seeing tours are told by "real" Philadelphians, and provide an insider's look at the city. Moreover, since it's mashed with Google Maps, the site lets you plan an interesting, detailed trip from wherever you are.

Featuring dozens of audio clips, SoundAboutPhilly lets people browse by subject (History, Unplugged Philadelphia, Flavorhoods, My Philly, Philly Noir, Once Upon A Nation, Vintage Philadelphia) and even lets users create and upload their own tours. For example, I just finished listening to Aaron's Haunted/Eerie Philly tour. (The Mütter Museum sounds creepy!)

SoundAboutPhilly allows you to save your favorite tours (and their associated waypoints), so you can create your own personal audio tour/map of the city. Perfect for that upcoming trip, just download all the portions of your custom Philly trip, print your map, and listen to the tours as you explore. If you go by yourself, just don't get scared when you reach the Edgar Allan Poe house.

SoundAboutPhilly's Awesome Audible Tours/Google Maps Mash-up originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of our favorite magazines here at Gadling, Outside, is finally getting into the podcast game.

Instead of sitting down to read the magazine, I can now download portions of it onto my iPod and listen to it on the fly. The whole magazine isn't available in podcast form, but select articles are.

The first I listened to was a little disappointing for technical reasons. It was a live telephone interview with John Harlin III, an adventurer who sought to climb the Eiger 40 years after his father died on the mountain. Unfortunately, it was easy to tell that the interview was over the phone as the quality bore the telltale muffled sounds of a landline. There was no editing, just Harlin gabbing away for almost 20 minutes. Sure, it was interesting, but a rookie production.

Things got better, however, the deeper I dug into the podcasts. The majority tend to be readings of Outside articles by their authors. I listened to a couple by columnist Eric Hansen and my faith was restored in Outside. Very cool.

Check out the (slowly) growing selection here. But be advised, podcasts are great but they lack the ability to display the wonderful photographs which accompany Outside's articles. So you might want to still pick up the magazine on occasion.

Outside Magazine Launches Podcasts originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While some people hate Tony Wheeler for bringing travelers to undiscovered lands and ruining them as a result, others herald him as a travel god who has provided reams of knowledge about obscure locations people wouldn't have visited otherwise.

Tony Wheeler is, of course, the brains behind the Lonely Planet empire. He and his wife began the publishing company after a backpacking trip through Europe and Asia during which they discovered a dearth of information for travelers exploring the region. Like any good entrepreneur, the husband and wife duo sought to fill this niche and Lonely Planet was born. Since their first publication, Across Asia on the Cheap, the publishing house has expanded to cover nearly every country in the world and has become one of the most trusted brands of guidebooks on the market today.

Simon Calder, a regular columnist for The Independent, recently caught up with Tony and his wife Maureen and recorded a nifty podcast of their discussion. To listen in and learn more about these travel gurus, click here.

Podcast of Lonely Planet Founders originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 06 Feb 2007 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.