Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:00AM: While researching my travel series on Greece I noticed some interesting things that didn't fit into any of the articles. Some of these observations may be obvious to those more familiar with Greece, but odd first impressions are one of the fun things about travel!
1. Flying low over the Aegean as we made our descent into Athens airport, I swear I saw dolphins playing in the blue waters. We were ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
couchsurfing posts
Ten random observations about Greece
Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:00AM: While researching my travel series on Greece I noticed some interesting things that didn't fit into any of the articles. Some of these observations may be obvious to those more familiar with Greece, but odd first impressions are one of the fun things about travel!
1. Flying low over the Aegean as we made our descent into Athens airport, I swear I saw dolphins playing in the blue waters. We were ...50 states in 50 weeks: A unique interpretation of modern America
Jan 1st, 2012 at 2:00PM:
What does it mean to be an American in modern times? That is the question propelling Josh Hailey forward on a mission to visit 50 states in 50 weeks and capture modern America in a visual way. The final project from the road trip will be a 100-page photography book.
The project will go further than photography, however, as Hailey plans to conduct interviews and shoot video footage, as well. ...
10 tips for planning your next trip on a budget
Dec 24th, 2011 at 10:00AM: As someone who is constantly traveling, my friends are always asking me how I can afford to go on trips so often. Traveling doesn't have to mean spending a fortune, and if you're willing to forgo the 5-star hotels and Michelin starred restaurants, it can be pretty simple to have a full travel experience without going broke. Here are tips that I use to get the most out of my travels while spending ...6 tips for dealing with culture shock
Nov 2nd, 2011 at 4:00PM: When traveling, especially internationally or to more remote destinations, culture shock is bound to happen. Sometimes it is just the smallest feeling of discomfort, and at other times can lead to complete panic and an intense longing to get on the next plane home. While it is completely normal to experience these feelings of culture shock, it is also important to not let it ruin your trip. Keep ...In the United States? Catch a free ride with the Kindness Cab
Nov 1st, 2011 at 11:00AM: From now up until November 13, 2011, anyone located in between Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, California, can catch a free ride in a 1985 London Sterling taxi. CouchSurfer Leon Logothetis started driving the Kindness Cab in a an effort to give back to the community as well as raise money for charity. If you're interested in hitching a ride with him, you can click here to follow his whereabouts ...Couchsurfer rhymes a "gift rap" to his host
Oct 23rd, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Hello.
Couchsurfer Matthew Bloomfield really appreciated his stay at host Elmar Bierbaum's apartment in Lima, Peru. If fact, he felt so grateful that he composed a rap as a tribute to Bierbaum (and he stayed within the 1,000-word limit for a CouchSurfing reference).
Bloomfield calls himself "The Rapping Professor", as he not only writes rhymes for those you give him a couch to sleep on, ...
The ever-evolving language of travel
Oct 16th, 2011 at 12:00PM: While it is clear that travel itself has evolved in many ways in the past decade or so, it appears that travel language has, too. It is something that seems to happen overnight, without anyone really noticing that new vocabulary words are being invented but using them anyway. Check out this list of some relatively new lingo that has stuck in the language of travel.
Couch Surfing
While at one ...Man sets out on 5,000 mile hike throughout Asia to raise money for charity
Oct 13th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Winston Fiore, a 26 year old Marine from Bloomington, Indiana, has set out on a 5,000 mile journey, by foot, throughout Southeast Asia and China. Fiore arrived in Southeast Asia on September 25, 2011, for what is called "Smile Trek", and is projecting it will take him a year to walk the entire route, which begins and ends in Singapore.
The goal of the journey is to raise $50,000 or more for the ...Couchsurfing: more than just a free place to stay
Jul 9th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Here at Gadling we've talked a lot about Couchsurfing, a very cool organization where members host each other. It's an amazing example of how the world can work if you have a bit of kindness and trust. Millions of people have slept for free on millions of couches and made millions of friends in new places. I've been a member for a year and I've gotten a lot out of it, yet I've never once surfed a ...5 reasons you should use AirBnB
Jan 24th, 2011 at 2:00PM: I lived in New York City for over eight years. I spent many months out of those eight years traveling. With expensive rent due in each month I was away, I quickly mustered up the temerity necessary to regularly relinquish my apartment to a subletter from Craigslist. Craigslist did the trick well enough to keep me afloat and mobile all of those years in NYC, but Airbnb.com is better. At least for ...Ten real budget travel tips
Nov 29th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Do you continually feel wanderlust's pull but fear that you don't have enough money to see the world?
Your fears, thankfully, are misplaced. Despite the mainstream travel media's concerted, ongoing effort to make you think that travel is solely the domain of the rich, it is actually possible to travel well for surprisingly little money--and not just in those places where good deals are ...Chinese artist creates sculptures from suitcases
Sep 15th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Ever packed so much in your suitcase that it felt like you were carrying around a whole city? Apparently you're not the only one. Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen had a similar feeling during her recent travels and decided to turn it into art. Xiuzhen has recently been using suitcases and discarded travel clothing to recreate miniature model cities in a project she calls "Portable Cities."
The idea ...Airbnb founder to eat his own dog food
Jun 22nd, 2010 at 2:30PM: Couch surfing – or whatever else you'd call the hitchhiking equivalent to sleeping – might work for a few nights, but can you make a career of it? The founder and CEO of a spare room rental service is about to find out.
Brian Chesky, one of the minds behind Airbnb, which helps people rent out their spare rooms to strangers, is going to spend the rest of this year using Airbnb to ...Roadtrippin' with a theme - Road trip tip
Feb 20th, 2010 at 8:53AM: Road trips are meant to be fun and adventurous. Up the stakes by picking a theme for your trip!
Choose a theme that you and your travel buddies agree might be interesting, and do your best to center your stops and sightseeing around this theme. The possibilities are endless:
Food theme: Eat only barbecue across the Southeastern U.S.
Sports theme: Pit-stop at small town parks for quick ...7 alternative European accommodation options
Jan 29th, 2010 at 8:00PM: If you love to travel but are having difficulty finding a way to pay for that trip to Europe, consider some alternative lodging options. Not only will these unconventional options save you a few bucks, but you're bound to end up with some amazing stories in the process, since everyone else stays at hotels ... but YOU were far more resourceful.
Convents and Monasteries
tweetmeme_url = ...Join a community of travelers - International travel tip
Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:58PM: Travel communities such as Couchsurfing exist to connect travelers with locals.
By joining communities like these, meeting new people, and making new friends, you can experience each destination a little more personally, participate in more "insider" or "locals only" activities -- and even save money. After all, locals know all the best places to eat, see, and visit -- and they should know how ...Coming attractions: Morocco
Dec 3rd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Morocco isn't exactly off-the-beaten-path for many Europeans-- in fact, this North African country lies only eight miles away from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar. But it's a world away in terms of culture, language, religion, geography, and just about everything else.
Americans, who are much more scarce in Morocco than Europeans, are missing out on perhaps the world's safest Muslim ...Top ten alternative lodging options
Nov 20th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
When it comes to lodging, most people automatically look for a hotel. And if you want room service, a business center, gym, and all the other perks that come with a hotel, that may be your best bet. But if you're looking for a more unique place to stay, if you want to save money, or if you want to experience a destination in an entirely new way, you have a whole range of options outside ...Gadlinks for Friday 11.6.09
Nov 6th, 2009 at 6:00PM:
I don't know about you guys, but I'm really grateful it's Friday! I need the weekend to decompress, but these great reads have already helped me on my way.
I love companies that give back. Here are five travel outlets that make giving part of buying. [via Jaunted]
Yikes! As a single female traveler, I've been wary of couchsurfing. This give me more reason to avoid couchsurfing altogether. ...Pay to sleep on a stranger's couch with AirBnB
Jul 22nd, 2009 at 3:30PM: I recently came across the website AirBnb.com, which promises to connect "adventurous travelers" with "nice folks" willing to let strangers stay in their apartment, spare room, or even on their couch - for a fee. Basically, if VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and CouchSurfing had a love child, this would be it.
At first I thought it was just a way to get money out of people who (somehow) still ...
