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December 30, 2005
New York Times Travel Photos of 2005
If you haven't already, check out the beautiful travel sideshow on the New York Times website. The commentary is interesting too; the editor tells us a little about the photographer and/or the subject photographed.
Click here to see sideshow
Posted by insideoutmag at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)
Oddball Arizona
There are a lot of Arizona places I wanted to write about but I have the flu and focusing is getting harder and harder as the hours go by... so I thought I would at least share a section of the Arizona Republic website I found interesting--Oddball Arizona in which I found is a very cool-looking motel on Route 66 where guests stay in tepees.
I hope everyone has fun plans for New Year's Eve. Have any travel-related resolutions for 2006? Share them with us by sending an e-mail to editor@insideoutmag.com.
Posted by insideoutmag at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2005
Desert Botanical Garden
Because it's warm most of the year in Phoenix, hiking is very popular (even more so during the winter since summer temperatures go up to the 120s). I couldn't possibly list all of the hiking trails around Phoenix because there are too many but if you're looking for a nice stroll through the desert, I'd recommend going to the Desert Botanical Garden. The 50-acre park is mostly outdoors, in the middle of the red buttes of Papago Park which makes for a beautiful view.
It's home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from deserts around the world although the focus is on Sonoran Desert plants. It opened in 1938 thanks to a group of Valley residents who wanted people to have a deeper appreciation for desert plants.
Posted by insideoutmag at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)
We're in Phoenix
Although SFO wasn't too crazy yesterday, the rain and fog caused delays and some flights were cancelled. Our flight was delayed too but we made it, we're in Phoenix where it's sunny and temperatures are supposed to go up to 76 degrees by Christmas Eve!
Airports are expected to be busiest today and tomorrow so be sure to arrive early. A safe flight to all of you who are traveling this holiday season. And for those who aren't (or those who are already thinking about their next trip), check out this great deal on Air France: $165 one-way from New York (add about $100 to depart from the West Coast) to Paris. Better hurry, the offer ends December 27th but tickets can be used until March 31, 2006.
Posted by insideoutmag at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2005
Happy Holidays!
Josh and I are heading to Arizona today, too bad I'm not taking my laptop because reading TravelPost, I found out that Sky Harbor Airport now has free Wifi. While in Phoenix, I'm planning on relaxing and hanging out with family and friends so forgive me if I don't blog much. Happy holidays everyone!
Posted by insideoutmag at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2005
New Orleans Disaster Tour
I don't think I like the sound of this but you can decide for yourself (or share your opinion with us). The Associated Press reported on a new Gray Line New Orleans tour that will start in January. The three-hour tour, called "Hurricane Katrina — America's Worst Castastrophe," will take visitors from the French Quarter, to the Superdome and Convention Center. The tour also may include the destroyed marina and neighborhoods like the flooded Lakefront, Gentilly and eastern New Orleans areas.
Janet McConnaughey writes "Restaurant owner Roland Adams, tearing up the ruined oak flooring from his Lakeview living room, said it is great that tour guides have been told to explain the origins of the disaster, including deficient levees and other human errors.
'It's like an awareness program,' he said."
Posted by insideoutmag at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
Around The World Deliveries
Wired published an interesting article today about The Casual Courier.
Rachel Metz reports "As part of an express, door-to-door delivery service called The Casual Courier that launched in November, some travelers are hand-delivering packages for customers paying a deeply discounted shipping fee. The company matches up people who want to deliver packages with others who are going the same way and are willing to deliver for a fee, which is negotiated between the sender and the carrier."
Not a bad idea considering how expensive it is to ship things abroad although, as is mentioned in the article, there are some packages I'd rather not go through customs with.
Posted by insideoutmag at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
Job Abroad Opportunity Of The Day: Sydney Travel Guidebook Writer
This job, posted on Craigslist.org, is for a company based in San Francisco but they're looking for writers in Sydney.
If you write with a keen eye, sharp attitude and insightful wit, if you can name ten hot Sydney restaurants and nightclubs without taking a breath, if you know those uniquely Sydney activities the current travel guidebooks fail to mention, then here’s your opportunity to share that talent and knowledge with the world.
Greenline Publications, a travel publisher based in San Francisco, is seeking an author for our new Fun Seeker’s Sydney guidebook.
The Fun Seeker’s Guides are a series of travel guidebooks created for discerning travelers who want to experience the best, the latest, the most fun things a city has to offer. The target reader is late-twenty-to-fortysomething, fun loving, sophisticated and financially comfortable. Nightlife and cool restaurants are as important as daytime activities. In other words, this guidebook will not be another Rough Guide, Fodor’s or Lonely Planet.
The author we are looking for must have lived in Sydney for at least one year, be able to write in American-English, posses a strong working knowledge of MS Word and FileMaker, have a home office with high speed internet and a printer, and, of course, have the ability to efficiently write lively, fun and clean copy.
To apply, please submit the following:
- A brief resume or CV.
- A list of your published writing titles with a few word description of each. If you have numerous articles, list the ten most recent or relevant.
- Up to 300 words describing a one-day Sydney itinerary you might suggest to a Fun Seeker’s target reader. Your itinerary must include a hotel, breakfast cafe, morning activity, lunch restaurant, afternoon activity, dinner restaurant and after-dinner venue.
- Your selection for Sydney’s hottest restaurant and best see-and-be-seen bar with a 60 to 120 word description for each. The ideal description will paint a vivid picture of your chosen venue showing the reader why it is your choice without saying it in so many words.
- Up to three writing samples (optional).
Files in PDF format are best but we can also accept RTF, Microsoft Word, JPEG (for scanned writing samples) and text embedded in emails. All applications must be in electronic format. And please, no phone calls!
Our apologies in advance for not being able to respond to all applications.
* Job location is Sydney
* Compensation: above average for travel guidebook writing
* This is a contract job.
Know of a job abroad, or looking for one in a specific location or field? Let me know. Send an e-mail to editor@insideoutmag.com.
Posted by insideoutmag at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
That Plane Ticket Will Cost You About 60 Wendy's Soda Cups
Here's a funny (weird funny) article in USA Today about people diving into dumpsters, looking through ketchup- and mayo-filled boxes for free miles offered by Air Tran and Wendy's. Some lucky finders are auctioning miles online while others will be visiting family and friends thanks to the promotion.
That's great but that's not why we found the story weird. The USA Today article talks about a fly-thru restaurant at Altanta's Hartsfield airport. What's a fly-thru restaurant, you ask? Well kinda linke a drive-thru only with a plane. I hadn't heard about this until now but AirTran Airways, The Coca-Cola Company and Wendy's International, Inc. took America's affinity for drive-thru service to new heights on November 10 after executing the world's first fly-thru quick service order. Only in America...
Posted by insideoutmag at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2005
Call For Submissions For 2006 Lonely Planet Anthology
I found this on www.LaurieKing.com and thought some of you may be interested:
Call for Submissions
LONELY PLANET’S 2006 LITERARY ANTHOLOGY: “TALES FROM NOWHERE”
We’ve all been to Nowhere. It might have been in the middle of Borneo or Bolivia, or in the back of a bus in Beijing or Boston. It might have been a Zen retreat, a no-man’s-land border outpost, or a six-palm Pacific island in an endless sea. You may have found Nowhere on a sultry summer night in Paris when you’d spent your last franc and had no place to sleep, or on a midnight jeep safari in the African bush after you’d blown your last spare tire, with your campsite a distant pinprick of light, or in the comforting cocoon of an all-night train compartment, in the arms of an intimate stranger. Nowhere is a setting, a situation and a state of mind. It’s not on any map, but you know it when you’re there.
Following in the grand tradition of The Kindness of Strangers and By the Seat of My Pants, Lonely Planet’s 2006 anthology, Tales from Nowhere, will present a rich, multi-faceted portrait of the many Nowheres we visit in our lives. The collection will comprise 30 true travelers’ tales, full of passion, surprise, wonder, curiosity and revelation. Through stories widely varied in setting and situation, Tales will celebrate and illuminate the fundamental truth that travel sometimes takes us places we never planned to go – and that those unexpected journeys can enrich and enlighten us in ways we never otherwise would have discovered.
Have you been to Nowhere? What did it look like and feel like? How did you get there? What did you do there? What did Nowhere teach you?
Lonely Planet is looking for original, unpublished tales of from 1,000 to 3,000 words. These can be about a Nowhere you wanted to be in, a Nowhere you accidentally found yourself in, or a Nowhere you desperately didn't want to be. We are looking for a wide range of stories -- funny, adventurous, romantic, philosophical; the subject, setting and tone are completely open.
Please email submissions to Tales from Nowhere editor Don George at don.george@lonelyplanet.com, or mail them to Don George, Global Travel Editor, Lonely Planet Publications, 150 Linden St., Oakland CA 94607 USA.
The deadline for submissions is Jan. 15.
Posted by insideoutmag at 01:09 PM | Comments (0)
Go Ahead, Play With Your Food
Forget what your Mom told you as a kid and play with your food in these extreme cuisine restaurants mentioned in a USA Today travel piece.
Jerry Shriver reports "At Homaro Cantu's Moto restaurant in Chicago, diners order off the menu. Then they eat the menu. The sheet is made of parmesan-flavored rice paper imprinted with edible soy ink and is framed by puffed rice and freeze-dried shallots and sits atop a bed of crème fraîche. Stir it all up after the waiter leaves, and it tastes like risotto."
The article includes many other restaurants that are dishing up some interesting food items that some food critics view as silly and gimmicky. The article also talks about restaurants that serve up many small dishes which I personally like. I remember going to Patrick's Homestyle Cooking, an excellent but affordable restaurant in St. Georges, Grenada. On the porch of his house, Patrick serves up a great and very strong rum punch and 20ish local dishes including breadfruit salad, callaloo soup and spice cake. Mmm just thinking about it, I'm getting hungry!
Incredible & Edible: In search of extreme cuisine
Posted by insideoutmag at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
Bed Bugs Are All The Rage These Days
The media loves trends and it seems that bed bugs are very trendy these days so we're hearing about them everywhere. From the New York Times to Budget Travel Magazine, they're stealing the show. Here are some interesting articles on the little blood suckers:
What To Do After You Check In A Hotel, Budget Travel Magazine
Bed Bud Army Attacks San Francisco, SFist
Bed Bugs Are Up And At 'Em, The New Jersey Star Ledger
Posted by insideoutmag at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)
Tsunami Updates
Lonely Planet features an interesting section which gives travelers an update on what's going on in Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia. It will be a year on December 26 that the tsunami hit but damage can still be seen in the area. If you're traveling there soon, check out this comprehensive page.
Posted by insideoutmag at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)
Aerial Views from Microsoft
Everyone's heard about the crazy news about the man getting shot at Miami International Airport yesterday so I won't blog about it. But for those of you who haven't, here are some links:
Reading the SF Chronicle this morning, I found out that Microsoft, like Google, now offers photos of the earth. I checked out San Francisco and saw a few cool views of downtown. The search function seems limited right now but they're still in the Beta phase so who knows what it will look like later...
Check it out here
Read SF Chronicle article here
Posted by insideoutmag at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2005
Job Abroad Opportunity of the Day: Rough Guides Writer
Here is the job abroad opportunity of the day. This one comes from Kelly at WrittenRoad.com
Possible authors needed for a brand-new guide to Puerto Rico. Take a look at the requirements under “Interested in writing for Rough Guides?” and email a proposal or inquiry to write@roughguides.com.
Posted by insideoutmag at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2005
Job Abroad Opportunity Of The Day: Editor in Bangalore
People often ask me how to find jobs abroad so I thought I would help them out by posting jobs offers that I find interesting. Although I'm calling this post "Your Job Abroad Opportunity Of The Day," I have to warn you that I may not be able to do it every day but I will post as many job opportunities as I can. If you're interested in specific field or destination, let me know and I'll keep an eye out and post relevant information here.
Here's today's opportunity from www.Monster.com
Wizmatrix is a HR consulting firm engaged in the business of working with organizations, to understand and meet the requirement imperatives of the ever changing and growing Industry, providing them with the competitive advantage with the intellectual capital we offer & we donot charge the candidates.
We have an urgent requirement for Editor – (Content writing), for one of our premium client in India.
Position : Editor – (Content writing)
Job Description:
Priorotisation of news inflow
Writing and editing news/articles, for important financial and economic developments
Creation of captions and headlines
Writing special features and news analysis reports
Incorporating impact of financial developments
Experience: 3 to 5 years.
Location : Bangalore
Note: Requirement is very urgent and of high Priority ! So pls mail us your updated profile ASAP.
Interested Candidates, pls email your updated Profile in MS word format as an attachment to Arvind at ites@wizmatrix.com along with the details of your Current CTC, Expected CTC & Notice Period ASAP.
Posted by insideoutmag at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
Toilet Paper
Travelers will all agree toilet paper is very important when on the road. While traveling in the Middle East where the norm is to go sans toilet paper, some have even been known to bring their own, just in case. Thanks to Renova, you can bring your own roll and still travel in style. The Portuguese company has started selling black toilet paper rolls and according to the company's international brand manager, customers are going wild over it.
The product became available in France in November and the press is calling the black roll "a revolutionnary product in the toilet paper world."
You think we're kidding? Check out the article in the Globe and Mail here or Renova's website here. And don't worry, black toilet paper will be had by all--Renova will start selling its rolls in the US and Canada in early 2006.
Posted by insideoutmag at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Want To Be a Presenter on Japanese TV? Here's Your Job Abroad Opportunity of The Day
Here's a cool job opportunity for UK citizens who are interested in checking out Japan.
This job was posted on Gaijinpot.com
Weathernews is looking for presenters for their content, which will be broadcast in English via a new media channel. The content will serve the market in both England and Ireland and they are looking for potential presenters who viewers from both countries would be able to engage with.
The terms will be modest but basic accommodation, air travel and insurance will be included. In return, we are offering what could be the experience of a lifetime for someone with “the right stuff” and who wants to be able to gain invaluable experience for their CV.
Unusually, this job is open to everyone, you do not need any qualifications other than a willingness to work hard and to be flexible and a resilient personality. Although you must speak English to native level, you will not even need a UK work visa (we will arrange a Japanese visa for you.)
During your 3 months you would be paid the equivalent of around ￡12K per annum (but basic accommodation and air travel will be provided free.)
Auditions and interviews will be held in London on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th December.
Posted by insideoutmag at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)