This cozy machine washable blanket from Westin (yes, the hotel chain) is great for those who need those creature comforts while traveling. It opens up into a full sized blanket and folds up nicely, converting into a pillow.

More from Westin:

Following the zealous response to its 2008 partnership with United Airlines, Westin added a crisp white travel blanket to its retail line—proving it’s possible to bring Heaven on the road.

Inspired by the Heavenly Bed’s fluffy comforter, the blanket tucks into a hidden pocket for portability.

The blanket measures 50 x 72 inches when unfolded; when folded into its attached pocket, it serves double duty as a plush travel pillow.

The Heavenly Travel Blanket retails for $60 at the Westin online store and we’re giving away one for free.

HOW TO ENTER

1) Make sure you follow us @MatadorNetwork so we can get in touch if you win.

2) Post the tweet below to your own Twitter account to help us spread the word about the contest.

3) Leave your @twitter_user_name in the comments section below .

Want to win more free stuff from Matador? Follow us here @matadornetwork and keep your eyes peeled for the next contest!

This second review covers Rosetta Studio™ which allows you to practice what you’ve learned by engaging you in “structured conversations with learners at your level”. A way of building your confidence to verbally practice what you’ve learned.

Getting Started

The way Studio works is this: once you’ve reached a certain learning milestone, for example, you’ve completed all 35 lessons under Level 1 Unit 1, you can choose to “Schedule” a studio session.

You can always schedule sessions without reaching any recommended milestones, but once you’re in class and you begin interacting without any basics, you’ll quickly understand why milestones are important.

Each studio session is a live chat session with language learners at your level as well as a Studio Coach that facilitates the discussion for 50 minutes each session. You choose your day and time slot from a calendar and you get a reminder to log in a few minutes before it starts.

My Studio Experience

So I signed up for an 11 PM session slot, eager to find out what Rosetta Studio was all about. Right on schedule, my coach Anna was waiting for me. I could see Anna in the top left corner box and I was the only student or “elev” who’d signed up for that time slot.

This turned out to be advantageous. I had Anna’s full attention.

Easy access to one-on-one conversations with a native speaker at a time of my choosing from anywhere in the world was fantastic.

After pleasant introductions, she’d ask me questions, waiting patiently, listening, and politely correcting me when I goofed. She’d point to various visual learning elements, ask questions, and prompt me to ask follow up questions as well. She sometimes typed up the right spellings for clarification so I could see what the right words looked like in written form.

By the time we were halfway through our 50 minute session, we were laughing (mostly because of intentional nonsensical answers I gave), and….wait for it….we were actually having a ton of fun.

Jättebra! (“Very Good”) she’d exclaim when I answered correctly or kind of answered correctly by saying what the item wasn’t. For example, I’d answer “Det är inte gult” which means “It isn’t yellow” when she’d point to an odd color I didn’t quite recognize and such.

Once our session was up, I’d learned a lot in just that short time frame. After exchanging “Hej då” (goodbyes), Anna noted she’d like to see me in the Studio again and I promised to set up a new session once I reached another learning milestone.

The Verdict?

This feature alone is what makes TOTALe ™ a superb learning product. In my previous review, I addressed the pricing structure in the comments section because (let’s face it) Rosetta Stone isn’t cheap.

But its interactive TOTALe ™ Studio module and the easy access it provides to live chats and sessions with a real teacher and fellow students is such an invaluable tool.

It fosters remote learning from anywhere in the world where internet access is available so you could be learning Swedish with a live native speaker while island hopping around the South Pacific.

Rosetta Stone should consider the option of also selling Studio as a standalone subscription product.

Seriously.

What to Watch Out For

Since Studio uses Flash, make sure you’ve installed the required plug-in. You will also be reminded to do so before you start the session. Also, if your internet connection isn’t fast and reliable, your experience will be miserable.

Bonus

Though I’ve been using an existing headset to go through the audio courses, I only just discovered a free headset tucked away in a compartment behind the set of CDs in that signature yellow Rosetta Stone box. Sweet!

Read Review Series: Rosetta Stone TOTALe – Part 1.

Pricing information

The entire program costs $1,199 per year and this includes unlimited online access to the three modules outlined above and an accompanying audio kit to use offline for learning the courses.

And now as part of the launch of TOTALe, Rosetta Stone is offering an introductory price of $999. Click here for more details on how to purchase the program.

Photo credits: Rolf Potts

I’m not much of a gear-geek — and I tend not to bring much with me when I travel — so my selections are pretty simple.

Eagle Creek Voyage 65L

I’m a big advocate of packing as little as possible. In Vagabonding, I advise people to take a very small pack — one they can fit into the overhead bin of an airplane.

This Eagle Creek bag has worked best for me in this regard. It’s small and simple, and it has a removable daypack that I use constantly.

It doesn’t fit much unnecessary gear, and that’s kind of the point. Last summer, I traveled through Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia with this pack, yet I never felt like I was missing anything.

Canon PowerShot SX110

I went through a phase where I didn’t take many photos on the road, since I felt like the camera was getting in the way of less self-conscious interactions.

I missed having the visual record of my travels, however, and now I tote a camera again. This one is small but powerful, and it seems to suit my needs well.

Moleskine X-small soft-cover notebooks

For well over a decade, I’ve been carrying small notebooks in my pocket — not just to record travel notes, but to keep notes at home as well. These Moleskine notebooks are small and flexible and durable — great for keeping in a pocket for weeks at a time.

They’re also kind of expensive, but most stationery stores in the developing world stock an equivalent — usually a plastic-covered variation of the pocket-notebook that works just as well.

Nylon stuff sacks

These bags are cheap to buy in camping stores (you can even make your own, if you know how to sew), and they help me keep my backpack-gear organized. They also fit into a pants-pocket when they’re empty — which makes them good for impromptu shopping trips, beach excursions, and such.

Ziplock bag full of vitamin C and multivitamins

This is a new addition to my gear, but I find it useful for keeping my health in order. The multivitamins help supplement my diet when the on-the-ground food situation is less than ideal. The vitamin C is good for fending off illness — I tend to take two pills a day if I’m taking a long plane ride, train or bus trip someplace.

More on Rolf Potts

Rolf Potts has reported from over fifty countries for dozens of major venues, including National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Slate.com, National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel.

Rolf is perhaps best known for promoting the ethic of independent travel, and his book on the subject, Vagabonding has been through ten printings and translated into several foreign languages.

For more Matador Network interviews with Rolf, check out the articles below:

• Interview: Rolf Potts On The Future Of Travel Writing
• Rolf Potts: On His New Book, “Letting It Flow,” And The Stories
• Rolf Potts: Backpacker Culture Is Not Destroying Civilization
• The Art Of Long-Term Travel: An Hour With Rolf Potts

Photo by Wesley Fryer

My sister who has been using their Italian program for the last couple of years swears by them, and a colleague who’s currently learning Russian once took me through a walk-through of the Rosetta Stone interface.

Though intrigued by this learning program, my constant on-the-go lifestyle meant packing up and carrying along language CDs all the time wasn’t practical. So when I was approached by Rosetta Stone to test out its new TOTALe ™ online integration learning program which allows you to access the program online from any location without carrying around CDs, I was totally on board.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

My language of choice? Swedish.

Why? I currently split time between Stockholm and the US and consider myself an advanced (word loosely used) beginner .

While Swedish is a relatively easy language to learn, what makes it super challenging are those “extra” pronunciations required to differentiate between words that are written exactly alike and sound exactly alike.

Confused yet?

Read about some of my Swedish language learning woes here.

Brief Overview

The Rosetta Stone TOTALe ™ program is a collection of three learning modules that can all be accessed online as long as you’ve got a steady internet connection, a laptop/desktop computer, and a headset for voice recognition and participation.

Its flagship, Rosetta Course™ provides all the audio guidance and learning programs guaranteed to get you up and running quickly in your new language of choice.

The Rosetta Studio™ allows you to practice what you’ve learned by engaging you in “structured conversations with learners at your level”. A way of building your confidence to verbally practice what you’ve learned.

Rosetta World™ allows you to play with your newly acquired language skills. Literally. You can play games, engage in chats, and other activities to help you apply your knowledge in everyday situations.

In this three part series review, I will be testing out each of the three components above, and providing some in-depth analyses on my experiences with this new Rosetta Stone program.

Part 1 – Rosetta Course™ Review

The first time you log on, it checks your system configuration. You will be required to download a “speech component” that allows for voice recognition. You also get to select your Simbo™ language.

According to Rosetta Stone,

Simbio™ language is your native language or the one you speak most fluently. In Simbio activities, you’ll exchange languages: practice with a native speaker, and help your partner practice your Simbio language.

Setting up my system and voice was a breeze, and I couldn’t wait to start a Level 1 course.

Pros

Right off the bat, I was totally taken by the layout and approach to learning Rosetta Course applies – large pictures with native words denoting each activity, action, noun, and such.

As we all know, children are most impressionable when it comes to quickly picking up languages at an early age through recognizing pictures and associating them to words, and Rosetta Stone, with its layout, aims to tap into that base natural way of learning.

I learn best by directly immersing myself into the language and in classroom settings, not by picking up books and learning on my own. This visual-auditory approach worked great for me, and instant feedback was given when I totally messed up the pronunciation of words.

The use of pictures meant I was always wanting and anticipating what the next visual cue would be. In short, I felt like a kid again, which opened up my mind to readily absorbing the repetitive native phrases that were being fed through the program.

If internet connections drop or you’re done for the day, TOTALe™ resumes where you left off the next time you log back into the system.

Cons (Sort of)

What I found a little confusing was some of the matching sequences where the words weren’t on the screen and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I suppose if I’d actually followed their introductory video before diving right it, I would have solved my own problem.

At first, I chucked it up to a slow Internet connection not loading the words, but once I figured out how that lesson was actually structured, it was smooth sailing from there.

Summary

At the end of each lesson, you get graded and scores are displayed back to you. All in all, I really enjoyed working with Rosetta Course ™.

The interactive, graphics-heavy approach to learning meant I never got bored and boredom is one of the key reasons a lot of people quickly abandon self-learning programs.

Stay tuned for Part 2 – RosettaSTUDIO ™ in the upcoming days.

Pricing information

The entire program costs $1,199 per year and this includes unlimited online access to the three modules outlined above and an accompanying audio kit to use offline for learning the courses.

And now as part of the launch of TOTALe, Rosetta Stone is offering an introductory price of $999. Click here for more details on how to purchase the program.

Photos courtesy of SoSauce

It’s true hard-copy photo albums are quickly being replaced by digital albums on online platforms such as Flickr and Picasa. However, nothing replaces that nostalgic feeling we crave while flipping through a thoughtfully prepared photo album in hand.

So travelers are now turning to publishing outlets like Blurb to print out coffee-table books of their travel photography.

There are numerous photo printing sites out there but what makes Sosauce worth checking out isn’t just its extensive (and impressive!) catalog of photo products such as prints, frames, posters, canvases, and other novelty items (luggage tags, magnets, and playing cards) at competitive prices.

It isn’t just the fact that Sosauce provides you unlimited storage for $19.95/year to upload, store, organize, and manage your high resolution travel photo albums with over 250,000 user-generated photos currently online.

Photos courtesy of SoSauce

What caught my eye was Sosauce’s commitment to environmentally-safe and responsible products with its line of Eco friendly products – Eco Note Card, Eco Folded Cards, and Eco Notepad ranging in price from $7.95 to $24.95 per pack.

They’re made from high-quality, heavy-weight, 30% recycled material that is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

Kudos, Sosauce!

And from now until Friday, November 20th, Sosauce is also running a postcard contest titled “Decorate Our New Digs!” which so happens to be one of the few contests I know that actually gives you free prints and more just for entering.

From Sosauce:

We’re looking for saucy travel photos turned postcards that create a sense of place with breathtaking images of people, architecture, and landscapes. Our postcard contest is open to all travelers.

Make sure you check out Sosauce and also upload some travel photos into its postcard fun contest.

Move over retinal and fingerprint scanners, the latest in personal identification devices is this door knock detector, made from Arduino hardware, PVC pipes, and other bits and pieces programmer Steve Hoefer found in his tech lab.

Basically, the detector works by recording and counting time between a series of knocks and then unlocking your door. Simple enough, right?

According to Make:

Of course, this system is susceptible to a replay attack, because anyone can listen to the knock pattern and then know how to get in.

If you are planning to use something like this, I would recommend either incorporating a timestamp into the message, or using a series of one time knocks, in order to make it harder to break into. Actually, that might make it more secure than a regular lock.

So what do you think? “Cool” or “Weird”?

Recently stumbled across this cool video produced by Vodafone. 1,000 cellphones along with 2,000 text messages play Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture in an innovative (yet disturbingly time-wasting) production.

Intrigued? There’s apparently a followup video that shows us how Vodafone orchestrated (pun intended) the whole thing in an Auckland, New Zealand studio.

A staple of every backpacker and a must if you plan on venturing into shared hostel bathrooms, flip flops are usually among the top five items on any packing list for travelers. Besides the comfort they provide, they are extremely practical and work well in most situations.

For Kyle Berner, he yearned for a lifestyle that involved wearing flip flops every single day. Seeing his background in Marketing eventually leading up to a life trapped inside a cubicle, Kyle quit the rat race and moved to Thailand for a year where he wore flip flops to his heart’s content.

The concept of Feelgoodz™ was hatched when Kyle went perusing local Thai markets for a new pair of slippers and discovered that Thailand was and still is the world’s leading exporter of rubber.

Kyle’s “flops” are made from rubber harvested from tropical Yang Para trees, and they come in a variety of earthy themes: night, twilight, woods, earth, moon, clay, and cumulus. There’s also a pink Ladyslipper for (you guessed it) ladies, and a limelight slipper with a dash of lime green color. The slippers are made from 100% eco-friendly natural latex rubber and natural, non-toxic dyes.

What sets Feelgoodz™ apart is its commitment to giving back through its triple bottom-line donation model:

Feelgoodz has created a unique partnership Ashoka. Feelgoodz will use sales of our flip-flops to support Ashoka Fellows globally. We will start in Thailand, and our areas of focus are Environmentalism (Planet), Fair Trade (People), and Community Development/Micro-Finance (Phitsanulok, Thailand). See our triple bottom-line donation model below:

1. 1% for the Planet
2. 1% for the People
3. 1% for Phitsanulok (Thailand)

This means 3% of all its revenues goes to fair trade organizations, environmental organizations, and micro-lending institutions such as Kiva.

As Kyle would say, “Mai Pehn Rai”, which means “take it easy” in Thai; a philosophy the folks at Feelgoodz™ has adopted for building a “better business and healthier lifestyle”.

Price: $19.99 | BUY

Photo by Terry Wha

From their impressive list of photojournalists (Paul Fusco, Megan Lewis, Jack Picone, Masaru Goto, Gerhard Joren, Ed Kashi, Gary Knight, Marcus Bleasdale, Adam Ferguson, and many more), one particular name in the mix drew me to the event.

Ed Kashi.

His unprecedented access to and coverage of the oil business and its social repercussions in the Niger delta has always fascinated me; a volatile area of Nigeria which even her citizens understandably avoid. His book, 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, is filled with powerful and evocative photographs that chronicle the country’s violent love-hate relationship with the oil industry.

Here on Matador, we’ve covered the struggles and issues surrounding big oil in articles like The Trouble with Black Gold: 7 Sins of Oil Production and Big Week Ahead for Big Oil, where we followed the proceedings of the Wiwa vs. Shell case, and spotlighted advertisements against Chevron’s environmental impact.

While many aspiring photojournalists may never reach those difficult regions Ed Kashi has been able to navigate, pick up one of his books below to travel along and delve into some of the world’s most challenging stories to tell.

Photo courtesy of Laptops Arena

Here at Matador, we’ve reviewed many laptops, guided you through picking your perfect laptop, and showcased various lightweight alternatives.

For travel writers always on the go, Netbooks are more than sufficient for your writing and blogging needs. Throw in some photojournalism work which includes heavy photo editing and other graphics-related tasks, and you may be looking for something stronger.

At the end of this month, I’m leaving the 9-5 gig and transitioning into the role of fulltime freelance photojournalist. This meant assessing what I had in terms of technological support, upgrading any outdated kits, and investing in a new workhorse laptop to serve as a mobile home office.

Outlined below is a field guide to buying a new laptop including some essential questions you need to ask yourself.

What are others in your field using?

While the laptop someone else uses may not be the best option for you, there are a range of netbooks and laptops that fellow writers and photographers have been using for months and absolutely swear by.

I perused the Matador Network archives and also I hit up Google with a quick search phrase “Best Laptops for Photographers”. Because processing photographs and RAW files take up more memory than working with mostly text, I was looking for solutions specifically geared towards photojournalists.

By reading different reviews and opinions, I was able to boil down the list to the following brands: Apple, HP, Sony, and Lenovo.

What do you need in terms of features and functionality?

With the top four brands for photographers in hand, I began developing a list of minimum functionality. While Apple brands are extremely popular among creative types, it fell off the list because of years of experience with PC platforms.

This decision was based solely on my comfort level, thus bringing the list down to: HP, Sony, and Lenovo.

During my career, compiling code and connecting to large geospatial databases meant getting used to a certain level of processing speed, RAM and memory requirements.

So my rough list had only 3 important items on it:

• Speed – Nothing less than Intel Quad processors
• DVD Rewritable drive – Because even the best laptops don’t come with DVD drives and this requirement can inadvertently slip through the cracks
• USB ports galore – With two external hard drives, a Logitech headset, a mouse, USB printer and much more, I wanted to be able to connect my peripherals all at once.

By listing out features you absolutely need, this also limits the various models left for your review.

What extras would you like?

Once the base list was written down and finalized, I started thinking of nice features to have such as amped up graphics cards, extra hard drive space, and much more.

For months, investing in a Wacom drawing graphics tablet for maintaining my comic strip – Office Supplies – The Comic, was always on the back of my mind.

By this point, my choices were down to Sony and Lenovo having already filtered out HP based on graphics technology, other nice-to-have features, and the level of Adobe RGB color gamut support I needed.

Then I discovered the Lenovo Elite ThinkPad W700.

What made this particular model attractive was its built-in Wacom digitizing tablet which would support the comic strip. This meant not having to lug around an additional peripheral device.

I was instantly hooked.

Photo courtesy of Digital Photography Review

How much are you willing to pay?

It ultimately boils down to how much are you able to dole out on a pricey new system without pulling out all your savings. With the Lenovo ThinkPad W700 starting at $1,799 (basic features only), you can easily run upwards of $4,000-$5,000 for a complete configuration customized to suit your taste.

Ouch.

With a clear budget in mind (way less than $2,000), and finally having to dip into lean savings (double ouch), I was able to customize the ideal solution for my needs while keeping the overall purchase way less than $3,000.

The order has finally been placed and I’m currently keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that the Lenovo ThinkPad would truly be the perfect mobile office for this photojournalist.

Read more reviews of the Lenovo ThinkPad W700. Lenovo also offers an online outlet store where you can purchase refurbished laptops at half the price.

What laptop do you currently have and why did you choose it? Please share with us below

BNT editor Ian Mackenzie rocking his Matador tee in Plaza del Bolivar, Colombia.

You asked us for a store, and now we’ve opened one up.

Matador Apparel is a collection of original designs that reflect the lifestyles of our members and values of our community. The designs you see on our online store have been contributed by Matador designers, artists, photographers and travelers for people to wear as they explore the world. We also offer a line of custom coffee mugs, catering to our die-hard community coffee drinkers.

Ways of accessing the store:

1) There’s a new link called “Store” under Matador Goods.

2) You can bookmark – http://www.cafepress.com/matadortravel – directly

The team is currently working on new designs within the next few months, and will be expanding the selection to include bags, stationery, and other sweet gear

Bonus – Be sure to send us shots of you in your Matador apparel during your travels! We may run a photo essay on Matador Trips – Where has Matador been?

Matador Member – Kcarriedo

Photos by Kcarriedo

I’m a capricorn–with that, I mean I really justify what it means to be a capricorn! I’m driven, ambitious, very frank sometimes and doesn’t want to be stuck in one place–my feet itches.

Be sure to check out Kcarriedo’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: All Mitch Albom books, A Walk to Remember, Love in the Time of Cholera, Water for Elephants.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

I loved rediscovering Idealist.org all over again – the leading network that connects volunteers, students, and professionals with nonprofit organizations, groups, campaigns, and programs all over the globe. Last October, I’d already touted their benefits over at Travel Channel’s World Hum, excerpted below:

….as I started compiling my ever-expanding list of possible 2009 volunteer locations (now at letter “M”—Mongolia, Mozambique, etc.) for some photojournalism work, I needed a one-stop shop to help centralize my search efforts.

Opportunities offered through the site range from volunteering as photographers with local Red Cross satellite offices to executive management of nonprofit and aid programs across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It fed my wanderlust—and served me a heartwarming spoonful of service and volunteerism.

So when I found out they’d published a handbook, grabbing a copy for review was imperative.

Brief Overview

The handbook is divided into three distinct parts:

Part I. And Idealist is Born delves into the whole concept of idealism, helping readers discover why they want to volunteer.

It also breaks down how nonprofit organizations are structured and how they operate, and it also suggests the best fits based on your experiences.

Part II. Taking Action moves to the next level, teaching you everything you need to know about volunteering, serving on boards, and personal philanthropy.

Part III. Idealism at Work shows you how you can start small – from volunteering through your workplace to changing the world and actually making a career from it.

A juicy Appendix A thrown in talks about the Nine Types of Nonprofits – from organizations dedicated to arts and culture to those covering environmental issues and health.

Why I love it

What I loved about this book is that it doesn’t assume there’s one particular reason why people choose to volunteer which usually is “I want to make a difference” or ”I want to give back.” Rather, it outlines 14 other possible reasons such as honing leadership skills, exploring new career options, and even, “just for the fun of it!”

This all inclusive tone lies beneath the entire book as you browse through chapters, driving home the message that idealism comes in various forms. Edited by Stephanie Land, the book is peppered with links to organizations you can connect with right away and personal anecdotes and empowering stories in blurbs called “Idealism in Action” that showcase real world examples.

One of my favorite quotes is from Cliff Landesman, a donor and volunteer.

One of my lifetime goals is to be as generous as I can be. I am not the most brilliant thinker in the world, so I am not going to push forward the frontiers of human knowledge. Nor am I especially ambitious in my career, so I am not going to be the CEO of the next Google.

However, I do have moral ambition. I would like to stretch myself to be the most generous person I can be. I think that is in my power.

Even if I fail, it can’t hurt to try…..Cliff Landesman

Some Criticism

The first few pages, besides the introduction to what Idealist.org is, start off really basic. It assumes that someone picking up the book for the first time is extremely clueless as to why they want to volunteer.

While this was probably done for mass appeal, chances are a first time volunteer flipping through knows what they would like to do but is mostly looking for advice on how to execute it.

Conclusion

Idealist Handbook is a thorough journey of self discovery which uses questions to help you uncover key pieces of your persona and identify your particular brand of idealism, and how those parts can be appropriately channeled to leave a mark on the world.

It leaves you with a section “Stay True to Your Passion” that implores you to stay the cause and the timeless adage “Action Speaks Louder than Words”, that challenges you to take the plunge now that you’ve been armed with all the information.

I consider this book an excellent blueprint for building a better world…and building a better you.

Matador Member – ErthDrift

Photos by ErthDrift

I believe we should allow ourselves the freedom to be surprised and amazed by whatever beauty, irony, tragedy, or humor each new day brings.

We should allow our senses to experience these things with a childlike wonder and curiosity, and we should let the daily newness profoundly and constantly change us.

Be sure to check out ErthDrift’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Bill Bryson, My Antonia by Willa Cather.

1.“August 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida. My 15-year-old brother’s room (which I have commandeered for the two months I’ve been home). With the help of Fly Mother and some Zip-Lock bags, I’m all packed for three months on the road….”…..Fly Brother

Observe

2.That would be one dress shirt and a pair of khakis, some jeans, 6 pair of draws, four pair of socks, 3 white tees, swim trunks, gym shorts, four short-sleeve t-shirts, two long-sleeve tees, and a pair of size-13 loafers

.

3.Taking one pair of loafers…

4.…stuffed with socks for saving space.

5.Rolling up clothes significantly saves space.

7.…as well as vacuum packing clothes…

8.Ziplock bags are great for packing underwear.

9.All apparel packed. Now on to accessories….

10.Essentials for the trip include a laptop, 3 guidebooks, 2 notebooks, camera, toiletries, and other miscellaneous items..

11.…all packed into this small backpack

12.Ta-Da! Now set for a trip around the world.

Feature photo by ronnie44052. Photo above by Alaskan Dude.

Amazon wants to introduce you to music from the rest of the world.

As part of its online World Music Festival, the store is offering up unique sounds from countries like Israel, India, Nigeria, Romania, Ireland as well as more inclusive worldwide sets .

The compilations are expansive and impressive: Reggae samplers from Jamaica by VP Records and Pressure Sounds, Turkish Hits compiled by Mu-Yap, and the Cumbancha compilation spotlighting rhythms from Africa.

Belly dance to hypnotic Middle Eastern tunes. Sway your hips to pulsating Brazilian beats. Tap your feet to Flamenco music. Pump your shoulders to African drums.

And the best part?

Do it all for free by downloading complimentary MP3 music files from Amazon.

Price: Free | Visit Amazon

New from camera giant Nikon is the sleek Coolpix S1000pj camera which – you guessed it – comes with an in-built projector. Touted as the world’s “first camera with an ultra-small, built-in projector”, this 12.1 megapixel Nikon Coolpix S1000pj comes with a 5x wide-angle zoom Nikkor lens and a hybrid vibration reduction (VR) system that minimizes shakes using two stabilization techniques – optical and electronic.

More technical features include:

* Motion Detection which automatically detects moving subjects and adjusts shutter speed and the ISO setting to compensate for camera shake and subject movement.

* High ISO up to 6400 capability which helps give you sharper results when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects.(ISO 300 and ISO 6400 are available at 3MP or lower resolution.)

* Nikon’s original Best Shot Selector (BSS) which automatically takes up to 10 shots while the shutter is pressed and saves the sharpest image.

With its tiny projector, you can project images up to 40 inches in size for 1 hour from a maximum distance of 6ft 6 inches.

Pretty sweet for a hand-held gadget.

It uses EN-EL12 batteries and also includes an audio-video cable, a projector stand, and a remote control in addition to the basics (charger, software, USB cable).

Would love to get my hands on one of these for a detailed video review.

Price: $489.99 | Pre-Order on Amazon (Drops on September 20)

Feature photo by R.P. Piper. Photo above by pashasha.

The Matador Team started us off with the Top 7 Summer Road Trips in the US/Canada, highlighting various regional routes such as Southwest classics that take travelers through national parks as well as a Nova Scotia Loop itinerary.

You can follow Matador members and brothers, Josh & Dustin Johnson as they hit Yellowstone National Park and other iconic spots on their Montana Road Trip as well as Roads Scholar Kyle Smith as he dispatches along the way – most recently from Zion National Park.

In Roadtrip Australia, Matthew Lynch takes us through the alternative scenic drive from Melbourne to Sydney along the Sapphire Coast.

If you’re ready to hit the road, here are 8 ways to save money on a U.S. cross-country road trip.

Can’t hit the road on a long haul journey this summer? Pick up one of these books about great road trips and ride along with the authors.

Recently stumbled across Howcast.com, a source for “fun, free, and useful how-to videos.” From learning how to pick out jewelry for a woman to learning how to whiten your teeth with a strawberry, Howcast.com’s multimedia catalog is extensive and quite impressive.

With this nifty video below, you can finally learn how to fit everything you need for your travels into one carry-on bag.

In Case You Were Wondering – How to Pick Out Jewelry for a Woman

Feature photo by faster panda killl kill. Photo above by Martin Kingsley

Backpacking and semi-roughing it in hostels doesn’t mean your daily grooming routine should go down the drain. Here are a few travel-sized items guaranteed to help you maintain your debonair style while on the road.

Tie Caddy

Unpacking your neckties from your backpack only to find them wrinkled can be irritating.

Say No! to wrinkled ties with the Tie Caddy, a plastic cylinder for storing rolled up ties.

With its transparent design, you can easily spot the tie you’d like to wear out without unloading your entire backpack.

Inflatable Hangers

Face it, finding hangers for your suits in hostels can be a drag.

Why not bring your own lightweight, inflatable hangers? Made from durable vinyl, its backflow valve technology allows you to easily inflate the hangers when needed, and quickly deflate them.

Multi-Purpose Lint Brush

Forget Swiss Army knives.

The only multi-purpose tool you need is this Austin-house plastic lint brush that also morphs into a shoe horn, mirror, and comb, with a bonus sewing kit thrown in.

Laundry Pack w/ Sink Stopper

Now you can have a fresh pair of socks everyday with this handy travel laundry kit.

Included are 5 liquid Woolite sachets (to be used with cold water), a sink stopper for plug-less sinks, and a portable laundry line with suction cups for hang-drying your clothes.

Jack Black On-the-Road Travel Pack

TSA-friendly at 3 oz each, this all-in-one pack includes:

• A beard lube conditioning shave with jojoba and eucalyptus,
• An All-Over-Wash for face, hair, & body with wheat protein and panthenol,
• A face buff energizing scrub with Vitamin C and menthol,
• An industrial strength hand healer with vitamins A & E,
• A double duty face moisturizer with blue algae extract & sea parsley SPF 20,
• and an intense therapy lip balm.

All in a sleek looking black travel bag.

Dual Voltage Travel Clothes Steamer

Using a portable iron on your Hugo Boss suit while backpacking is nothing short of heresy.

This compact steamer gently removes wrinkles from your clothes by converting water into steam within a few minutes. Its handle folds away nicely, and this design makes the steamer ideal for travelers.

Magic Wand® Stain Remover

Now, red wine and pasta sauce mishaps on the road can be quickly remedied by busting out your magic wand, applying it to the stain, wetting it, and rubbing it out.

This non-toxic, biodegradable stick works seamlessly on chocolate, grass, and blood stains and is safe for double knits and synthetic fabrics.

Community Connection

Looking for more travel-sized items? Check out 10 Surprising Travel Sized Items and 10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing.

Feature Photo by (nutmeg). Photo Above by Shockie

Fourth of July is just around the corner and you’ve probably got a few cookouts to hit and fireworks to marvel at before the weekend’s up.

Wondering how your fellow citizens will be celebrating? Hal Amen brings us independence day events being organized by American expats from around the world, as well as top notch events being held within the States.

Looking for ways to enjoy the festivities with minimal environmental impact? Julie Schwietert details various ways of “greening” your 4th of July party.

If you’d like to shake up your cookout menu this holiday weekend, it’s never too late to try out some new finger-licking barbecue recipes and these cookbooks deliver.

After browsing through our readers’ comments submitted as part of our latest book giveaway, Keith Jenkins‘ comment below instantly transported the Matador editors right there with its ripe descriptions and thus made him our winner!

I find Bali very therapeutic.

It can be very hectic & the traffic is sometimes horrendous (especially around the main tourist areas) but there’s something about the charm and grace of the Balinese, the enchanting scenery and temples, and the amazing spas (the concept was probably invented there!) that I find absolutely soothing.

Sinking my feet into the cool sand of Jimbaran or Seminyak with a cold beer and a lobster platter while watching the sunset is my idea of bliss!…Keith Jenkins

He wins a copy of the new book Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need To Go? – filled with stunning photos of exotic locations from around the world.

Check out the accompanying mouthwatering photo essay on Matador Trips that spotlights locations described in the entries.

Thanks for participating!

…..Olivia of Powered by Tofu

Olivia was randomly selected to win the player. This Portland, Oregon native keeps a pretty fascinating blog that chronicles her “adventures of a quarterlife crisis and year-long trip around the world.”

Check out her entry below:

My favorite travel song is Kaiser Chiefs “Oh My God”. The “Oh my god, I can’t believe it, I’ve never been this far away from home…” song ….Powered by Tofu

Be sure to check Matador Nights in the next few days for an article spotlighting readers’ favorite travel songs.

Photo by DDFic

The TSA lady looks at me with pursed lips as I start unraveling two laptops, two external hard drives, a gargantuan Maxtor drive (which on many occasions has raised security concerns), and other peripheral devices – headsets, mouse, webcam, adapters – from a single laptop bag.

“I’ve got this down to a science,” I assure her. Seriously.

There are telecommuters who usually work from a single location such as a tricked-out home office complete with VoIP and a Transformers-like scanner/printer/fax/copier combo, and then there are telecommuters who work from multiple locations, constantly shifting base much more like location independent professionals (LIPs).

The last three months alone have seen me commute from Stockholm, Washington D.C., Baltimore, London, and now back from Stockholm.

While most companies set up their telecommuters with technologies such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) access and blackberries/iPhones, there are some additional tools you personally need to seek out that will enhance your experience.

Here are the daily essentials that help sustain my location independent lifestyle.

High Speed Internet Access

Definitely a no-brainer but if I can’t pick up a strong signal, I’m pretty much done working for the day and might as well just a take a vacation day. Not just a meager 36 Mbps cable line but a network that can support connecting through VPNs and streaming large files (couple gigabytes) back and forth.

Skype Online Number & Forwarding

At this point, you’re already using either Skype or one of many international phone plans for telecommuters.

Photo by re-ality

In fact, you may already be pimping your Skype experience with add-ons such as the Belkin WiFi phone to receive calls when you’re not online.

Beyond internet access, the most important tool for me is a personalized Skype telephone number.

For just $18.00 for 3 months, you’re hooked up with a local area code number from whichever country you choose.

So friends and family without Skype software can call my online number.

The best part? – I can forward calls from my office extension number (say, extension 222) to my Skype number (222-222-2222) which rings on my laptop. So technically, I never miss calls while away from my desk back in the US.

Taking it one step further, if I’m offline or busy, Skype then forwards the call on to my cell phone.

Instant Messaging

There’s no quicker way to access colleagues while working from another continent than sending them a quick instant message via Spark, Google Talk, or any one of the many instant messaging applications out there.

Photo by Wesley Fryer

Telecommuters can quickly feel excluded but with instant messaging tools, you can seamlessly chat with a colleague in San Francisco while working from Scandinavia.

Web Conferencing

Another perk of Skype is that you can initiate conference calls, dialing in the various key players of the call.

But there are more advanced (and more stable) web conferencing solutions designed specifically for this purpose.

Tools such as Microsoft Live Meeting, eMeeting by WebEx, and Citrix’s GoToMeeting allow you to not only initiate calls but also connect remotely to other machines for demos or to help troubleshoot problems.

External Hard Drives

Since you’ll be off your company’s WAN grid for extended periods of time, chances are tech support isn’t backing up your laptop, and you’re pretty much on your own. Investing in at least one external hard drive such as the Western Digital HD Passport can be a lifesaver.

Sooner or later, you will drop your laptop as you constantly shift bases. Be sure to read professional photographer Terence Carter’s article, Back Up. And Running: How to Back Up Your Digital Goods on the Road.

I always travel with two external drives. My backup needs a backup.

And the third drive sits at home….wherever it may be at the moment.

Additional Resources

For more telecommuting tools to fit your particular lifestyle, check out Tools that Telecommuters and Remote Workers Can’t Live Without , and 5 Tools for Successful Telecommuting.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Jason Policastro introduces us to the 10 Ugliest Cars Being Made Right Now such as the futuristic, Jetsons-style Smart ForTwo and the Mini Clubman, a stretched-out version of the Mini Cooper.

So happy to see the hippopotamus-shaped Chrysler PT Cruiser make the list.

In a fantastic photo essay that spotlights the 20 Freakiest Bikes on the Road, Hal Amen rounds up some unique looking choppers, cargo bikes, art bikes, clown bikes, and much more.

Maybe you’d rather stick to tried and true methods of getting around?

Check out Tom Gates’ Guide to Traveling via Eurail, and Carlo Alcos’ tips on taking sidetrips while doing the legendary Trans Siberian Railway.

For more wacky transportation, check out these books.

Photo by James Cridland

We love lightweight, practical travel gadgets here at Goods, and the slick new Sansa slotRadio player joins the ranks.

This revolutionary mp3 player holds up to 1,000 songs on a tiny memory card. Its built-in FM radio allows you to tune into local stations while traveling in foreign countries as well as NPR so you’ve got instant access to the latest news. At just 1.3 oz in weight, it is super portable and barely takes up any space.

It has an integrated clip on its back that allows you to attach it to belt straps and clothing so you can take it jogging/walking.

How It Works

1,000 songs organized into various genres are preloaded onto a small chip that gets inserted into the player. I was a bit skeptical about the playlist because when it comes to music, tastes severely differ, but the slotRadio card boasts an impressive mix.

From contemporary artists such as Coldplay, Maroon 5, and No Doubt, Hip-hop artists like Akon and T-Pain, as well as Alternative and Emo Rockers such as Kaiser Chiefs and Hinder, there are at least a couple hundred songs that will satisfy your musical preferences.

Other genres include Rock, Country, and a mix of Workout and Chillout tunes. And with up to 13 hours of battery life between charges, you’re sure to be rocking out uninterrupted.

To start up the player, all you have to do is insert the slotRadio card that comes with the player and switch to PLAY.

It’s that simple.

Photo courtesy of Crunch Gear

Swapping Out Playlists

The very first question that came to mind (besides wondering if U2 made the cut) was how I would change out my playlists.

What if I got tired of continuously playing the same old…oh…1,000 songs? Additional song mix cards can be purchased online.

You can also order genre-specific music cards such as all rock tunes, if country music isn’t your style.

What’s Included

I’m a sucker for clean, attractive packaging and the slotRadio Player’s square-shaped, compartmentalized media case includes Sansa ear buds, a USB cable for connecting the player to its AC Adapter (included!), as well as a protective silicone case, a user’s guide, a 1,000 song mix card, and the player itself.

It retails for $99.99, and additional music cards can be purchased for $39.99 each from the slotRadio store. The slotRadio will also be available at Radio Shack stores, but the best part is….

We’re giving one away for free! That’s right.

From now until Friday, June 5th PST, all you need to do is tell us (in 50 words or less) about one of your favorite travel songs that reminds you of a place or reason to travel in the comments field below. We will randomly pick a winner to receive a slotRadio player after the deadline.

We will also be publishing select readers’ entries in a feature piece on Matador Nights.

After browsing through our readers’ vacation tips and their top family getaway spots submitted as part of our latest giveaway, Carol S’s comment below was randomly selected.

Our family’s favorite destination so far has been Washington DC-all the sights and history is incredible and it is so green!…..Carol S

She wins the slick new book from National Geographic – The 10 Best of Everything Families – full of valuable information for planning her family’s next adventure.

Carol S’s submission in addition to a couple favorites are featured in a spectacular photo essay on Matador Trips.

Thanks for all your tips and suggestions!

Feature Photo by Melody.loves.you | Photo above by Editor B

Head over to Matador Trips to read about the Annual Mooning of Amtrak and other head-scratching traditions and competitions from around the world compiled by Ruth Stokes.

Why not swap your grilled chicken dinner for savory goat brain curry? Tom Gates shares this delectable recipe plus four others over at Matador Life.

Auctioning off one’s virginity is odd enough, but paying taxes on your earnings? The Romanian Government definitely wants in on the action as Christine Garvin discusses over at Brave New Traveler.

As a nation of extremes, if we aren’t supersizing cars and meals, we’re making mini-me versions of everything else. You never know when you’ll need that snack sized cigarette or white zinfandel harvati cheese. So head over to Matador Goods to grab your mini duct tape and other surprising travel sized items.

Still looking for love? If you’ve exhausted all your Craigslist.org and Match.com options, why not hop aboard an Air New Zealand flight? As Kate Sedgwick points out over at Matador Nights, the airline will now offer matchmaking flights to “help single Americans find New Zealand dates with a themed flight headed toward a dual hemisphere singles party.” Ouch.

Looking for more bizarre stories? Check out these compilations.

Photo by mikebaird

This elegant book compiled by author Susan H. Magsamen for National Geographic pays homage to the whole institution of family travel and is laid out like a buffet of vacation ideas that can easily keep you planning sample itineraries for months.

The Layout

Succinct and to the point, the first section of the book (Part One) breaks down the entire US into manageable chunks of travel spots.

From the Best 10 local farmers’ markets to buy fresh strawberries to favorite pastimes like amusement parks, focused within each region of the country.

It also includes top 10 ice-cream spots and other regional specialties to try such as Po Boys and Key Lime Pies when visiting the Gulf Coast, along with mouth-watering, instant hunger-inducing photographs.

Price: $21.95 | BUY from National Geographic Online

I quickly flipped to the section on Mid-Atlantic travel to see if they’d missed anything and was pleasantly surprised to see local favorites like Rita’s Ice in there.

Chapters are broken down into interests such as sports, parks, and outdoors including best of lists like the Ten Best Beaches and Shorelines, Ten Best Bike Trails.

There are tons of vacation ideas for planning family reunions, extreme adventures, or even workout vacations.

Part Two focuses on personal enrichment through travel with emphasis on “traveling to learn” with chapters such as the Ten Best Peaks, Ten Best Depths, Ten Best Deserts, etc. Was definitely happy to see the dramatic Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai, Hawaii under the Ten Best Coastal Cliffs.

The Chesapeake Bay also gets its very own chapter.

In addition to travel information, there are resource chapters from preserving memories using photography and video to scrapbooking, writing journals, and making photo albums. There are packing lists, planning and wishlist worksheets, and every (well, almost) imaginable family travel tip you can think of.

What I Liked

Besides the fact that the book is square (my favorite shape), like with all National Geographic publications, it’s aesthetically pleasing in its layout with lots of photographs and a clean presentation.

It can be tricky when trying to sum up the rest of the world under a Ten Best list, but Magsamen and team approached it sensitively, breaking the interests down by culture and not necessarily pitting one culture against another.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

For example, Ten Best African Gatherings, Ten Best Hispanic Experiences, and Ten Best Native American Ways focuses on where to experience these within the United States.

There is also a short “See the World” section which focuses on what to see on each continent, and I’ve definitely added a few to my running list from the book.

Lots of countries were left off the list and I had to constantly remind myself that the book is geared towards family vacations especially with young children so classics like trekking the Inca trail were rightfully left out.

Under Africa, Kruger National Park wasn’t included which made me wonder if there are age-limits.

Intermittently sprinkled throughout are also random travel quotes and vacation stories from everyday folks which definitely answered my initial questions about how the book was compiled.

As if already anticipating this question from their reader, the entire compilation and research process is laid out in detail at the end.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Minuses

Because it tries to be an all-in-one resource, it does jump around in terms of information delivery.

Finding a random recipe for making s’mores under the “Ten Best Ranches” threw me a little, and then I found more randomly inserted pieces of information (though important) like “Safety Rules for Biking” squeezed in under the Ten Best Bike Trails.

So I would have to specifically bookmark that page if I needed to find that random tip later on.

Short biographies of local personalities are also randomly inserted in various sections, so initially, I wasn’t sure if they actually contributed to the book, were being spotlighted as regional celebrities, or both.

Summary

With this book, you’ll definitely be flipping back to the table of contents every time you open it up for reference because it’s literally chock full of pretty solid information.

But then again, with an all encompassing title – “Best of Everything” – I guess that was the point all along.

If you’re planning on some family travel this summer, rest assured, this is all you’ll need (besides plane and hotel reservations) to plan your most memorable family adventure to date.

Giveaway – The Book

Have a favorite family vacation tip or favorite travel location for your family? Share it with us below by Friday, May 22, 11:59 PM PST and a winner will be randomly picked to get the review copy of this book.

After browsing through some spectacular submissions as part of our Book Review + Giveaway – Nepal: 25 Classic Treks and 12 Climbing Peaks, your Matador editors have picked their favorite shot:

The Khopara Ridge in Nepal – Shot by photographer Andris Bjornson

He wins the slick new book – The Andes – which outlines 26 treks and 18 climbing peaks around the region.

Andris’ shot, in addition to a couple favorites will be featured in an accompanying photo essay on Matador Trips.

Stay tuned!

Feature photo by Ben Fredericson. Photo above by Mussels

Squirting on inordinate amounts of antibacterial sanitizer. Doubling up on face masks. Incessantly washing hands. Covering mouths with both hands to protect a sneeze.

Daily rituals such as handshakes and simple hugs are being limited as an extra level of precaution, and swine flu is already leaving a huge dent on international travel as Julie Schwietert describes.

This got me thinking.

How would locals that greet each other with a cultural kiss adapt? What other norms would be affected by this latest health scare?

Ironically, we’ve been talking a lot about common etiquette this week. From taking your shoes off while visiting homes to keeping your cheesy grins at bay, Chris Tharp introduces us to 10 Korean Customs To Know Before You Visit Korea.

Along the same lines, Turner Wright rounds up ten Japanese customs you need to know – from table manners and wearing masks, to taking baths and using chopsticks correctly.

Rachel Turner describes 5 Common American Gestures That Might Insult The Locals, and in his classic post, Put Some Damn Clothes On!, Tim Patterson implores us to show a little respect when dressing abroad.

Want to know what other cultures consider common etiquette? Check out some of the essential reads below.

Photo by fredcamino

The ideal multi-purpose gadget for travelers and flashpackers alike, this latest smartphone from Blackberry combines the benefits of an MP3 player, interactive yellow pages, a map gazetteer, external storage drive, a DVD player, a camcorder, an eBook reader, and, a 3.2 MP quality point-and-shoot camera into one lightweight, time saving device.

Oh yeh, you can make a couple calls on it too.

Here are a few reasons why the Storm is ideal for jet-setting travelers.

…….
3. Make and receive calls in over 220 countries – Whatever else it does, you want an international cell phone that delivers when it comes to making and receiving calls. The quadband GSM device will keep you connected.

4. Email anywhere – Send and receive email in over 90 countries. Email setup is simple, and lets you forward your webmail to the Storm or receive your corporate email – a must-have for every business traveler!

5. Lost? – Pretty likely in a foreign country. The Storm removes that worry. Know where you are, wherever you are with BlackBerry® Maps……

For more, check out 49 solid reasons why the Blackberry Storm smartphone is perfect for international travelers, compiled by Vodafone.

Feature/Photo above by Lola Akinmade

The fresh rebirth Spring brings lures us outdoors to take in the warm air and enjoy early hikes, and we’ve provided tons of exciting, hiking options here on Matador.

From the best hikes in Puerto Rico and Maine to hiking the Inca trail in Peru and trekking Torres Del Paines in Patagonia, it’s time to get back to nature in the most organic way possible – one footstep at a time.

David DeFranza takes us through 13 Of The World’s Richest National Parks – from the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park in Mongolia to Yosemite National Park in the US.

Want to live to be a hundred years old? Try hiking the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Tai Shan in China – a sacred mountain which draws thousands of pilgrims each year.

Still looking for more inspiration before hitting the trails? Check out these hiking documentaries.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Sure, a solid point-and-shoot camera such as the Panasonic Lumix can more than cover your photography needs. However, if you’ve purchased a digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR), be sure to pick up at least two of the three lenses listed below to get more mileage from your gear.

Telephoto Zoom Lens

Your new DSLR camera usually comes with a 18-55 mm kit lens.

While sufficient for most portrait photography situations, within a few months, you’ll notice a hankering for something that can zoom out much further – a zoom lens of sorts.

Lenses such as the 55-200mm pick up where the 18-55 mm lens stops, but a better option is the 18-200 mm telephoto zoom lens which combines both into a single body.

So instead of dragging along two telephoto lenses, you pack only one.

Wide Angle Lens

Most professional travel photographers use wide angle lenses and you’ll see why once you try it out.

Wide angle lenses capture everything within your peripheral vision and much more, pulling you right into the midst of the scenery – whether it’s a concert, market scene, or festival.

An affordable ultra wide angle lens is the Sigma 10-20mm, which is at least 60% cheaper equivalent than its Nikkor 14-24mm equivalent.

Can’t tout the benefits of an ultra wide angle lens enough.

Fixed Lens

A fixed lens means it doesn’t allow you to zoom in or out. What you see through the viewfinder is what you get.

At under $150, the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8 is the perfect lens for low light situations which do not require flash, such as night photography and dimly lit rooms.

So if you’re heading out at dusk or night, this is the only lens you’ll need to ensure great night photos without using a tripod.

Now you can pack some romantic ambiance along on your travels with this ingenious idea by artist Kate Pruitt posted on the design blog, Design*Sponge, which is dedicated to all things design as well as fun D-I-Y (Do It Yourself) projects.

Using simple altoid cans, you can create handy travel size candle kits.

Items you’ll need to complete this creative project are:

• Altoid tins
• Candle wicks
• Wax
• Mod podge glue
• Decorative paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Paint brush

You could also grab some coloring for your wax and scents to mix things up. So pick up your supplies, grab the step-by-step instructions from Design*Sponge and let us know how it turned out.

Library of Congress Photo retouched by 20after4

Montana: Portrait of a State

This catalog of vivid photographs shot by musician-turned-photographer Vasapolli covers rustic landscapes of the state including Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.

Price: $11.53 | BUY

The Montana Cowboy

A powerful photographic essay that takes us behind the scenes of life as a cowboy on the range and the century old history behind this iconic slice of Americana. This collaborative effort pairs photographs taken by David R. Stoecklein with narrative text written by Pat Dawson, a native of Montana, and illustrations from renown artist, Buckeye Blake.

Price: $42.00 | BUY

Montana: A Scenic Treasure

In Scenic Treasure, Photographers John Lambing and Wayne Mumford go in search of hidden Montana – its remote lakes and scenery, historic monuments, and “elusive wildlife”.

Price: $16.47 | BUY

Montana Wildlife Portfolio

Wildlife photography requires an inordinate amount of patience and for photographer Donald M. Jones, it pays off in this collection of over 140 color photographs spotlighting Montana’s varied wild animals in their habitats.

Price: $18.96 | BUY

Photographing Montana 1894-1928

For vintage shots of early Montana, this book with more than 150 of Evelyn Cameron’s photographs shows early pioneer settlements within the state. The shots include landscapes, farms, cattle and horses, and other glimpses into turn-of-the-century lifestyle.

Price: $25.55 | BUY

Well…for the downloadable travel guide that is.

This comprehensive eBook provides solid information to help you prepare for your European adventures – from visa requirements and transportation to accommodation and money matters.

It includes chapters covering solo and family travel written by contributing authors.

And now for the low price of $5.95, you can pick up Travelling Europe – a practical travel planner published by the award winning Indie Travel Podcast team.

Travelling Europe is also available in audio form for $5.95.

Price: $5.95 | $9.95 (+ Audiobook) | BUY

Photo by Taro Taylor

In the hilarious, off-the-wall public events in Finland article compiled by Carlo Alcos, we’re introduced to the up-and-coming sports of swamp soccer, wife carrying, and mobile phone throwing.

Via a breathtaking essay shot by Taro Taylor titled Wild Places Exposed: Papua New Guinea in Photos, we journeyed through this mysterious South Pacific island.

In Melbourne: A surprise awaits you at every turn, Carlo takes us around this laid back, down to earth yet vibrant Australian city.

Want to try couchsurfing in Petrozavodsk, Russia? Words from Russia: A Couchsurfer’s Take on its Culture also penned by Carlo is worth a read.

So if you’re thinking of island hopping around the South Pacific or exploring the vast Arctic north, check out these travel guides to whet your appetite.

“So you can hear me?!” I squealed in unbelief for the fifth time.

“Yeessss,” my colleague was pretty exasperated at this point.

Considering I’ve burned through 3 supposedly Skype-certified headphones while telecommuting for the last three months from Sweden, this Logitech is a breath of fresh air.

It actually works.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice its sturdy quality. Its noise canceling microphone ensures optimal communication. Inline volume controls allow you to quickly adjust sound settings.

Though it looks bulkier than it actually is, soft form earpads make it very comfortable and it fits snugly around your head.

I’ve only tried it with Skype, but it is also compatible with Yahoo, Windows Live, and AIM chat.

So here’s to no more embarrassing dropped conference calls. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this one doesn’t end up atop the pile of headset carcasses.

Price: $15.95 | BUY

Do you use other Logitech models with Skype? Do share your experience below.

Images from WorldOfGood.com

Goodprint – is how sellers display the positive imprint you leave when you purchase a product on WorldofGood.com.

Your one stop shop for all things “green” and eco-friendly, World Of Good by eBay is dedicated to selling environmentally conscious goods which curb unnecessary waste.

From organic toothpaste and refurbished electronics to handcrafted musical instruments and Fair Trade food items, you can choose from over 15,000 unique products online in its marketplace.

You can also shop by a “Goodprint” category – selecting by People Positive, Eco Positive, Animal Friendly, or Supports a Cause.

Each product page includes information about its seller, the story of its producer, its trust verification status, and its goodprint

Photo by Lola Akinmade

People Positive products like handmade crafts and jewelry aim to improve quality of life through empowerment and preservation of communities and individuals alike. Eco Positive products such as organic clothing and environmentally safe lotions and soaps aim to conserve resources.

Animal Friendly products are usually free of dyes and chemicals that could be harmful to your pets, while proceeds from the sale of products that “Support a Cause” go to their beneficiaries.

Articles covering a host of sustainable living and ethical shopping topics are readily accessible via its vibrant online community which includes a mix of media partners, sellers, buyers, and trust providers.

Be sure to stop by and peek in through the window of a more conscious lifestyle.

Price: Various | Visit World of Good

Photo by Lola Akinmade

After a full day of binging on shopping mall food in Bangkok Binge Eating 101, Tom Gates aims to appease his pasta craving in Random Restaurant Review: Authentic Italian In Bangkok.

Ross Tabak goes in search of the best barbecue around the world and Hal Amen follows the waft of garlic, chilies, and ginger into a Korean store in Mexico City.

To wash down your grub, Juliane Huang even explored the benefits of drinking tea over coffee in Tea v. Coffee: Which One is Better for You?.

Want to try your hand at bringing a taste of the world home? Catherine Melton gives us 7 Reasons To Take A Cooking Class.

Not ready to jet off quite yet or sign up for a class? Why not pick up an international cookbook and experiment?

It debuted at #1 in over 30 countries during its first week. Rolling Stones gave it 5 stars in an almost borderline worship of the band in its review. Early reviews coming in are already naming No Line as one of the best albums of the year.

Photo courtesy of U2.com

With the release of their last project, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (HTDAAB), a lot of people (U2 fans alike) were left scratching their heads.

We didn’t fully get it. It felt incomplete.

Sure, there were tracks like “Original of the Species” and “Crumbs from Your Table” that showcased the band’s lyrical depth, HTDAAB was one of those albums you kept skipping tracks to get to your 2-3 favorite tunes.

So why such high marks for No Line?

Were we fans looking for something so different from HTDAAB that maybe we’re lavishing inordinate amounts of praise on this latest effort?

Pluses

No Line’s retro-hip sound easily slides somewhere in between the edgy Achtung Baby and the more contemporary All That You Can’t Leave Behind albums, but with a distinct spiritual undercurrent to it.

You get the sense that despite being a pop-rock band, you’re listening to experience, profound depth, and multi-layered individuals urging us to introspectively examine ourselves and how we’ve each contributed – both negatively and positively – to the world as it stands today.

With lyrics such as “How can you stand next to the truth and not see it” on the track, “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” and “Hear me, cease to speak that I may speak… Shush now” on “Unknown Caller”, each track’s lyrical content is solid…

Photo courtesy of U2.com

There are obvious standouts such as the energetic “Breathe” with its powerful aesthetics, but already an early contender for Song of the Year is the overly melodic “Magnificent”.

At first, you think it’s just Bono wailing almost gratuitously (which as a die-hard U2 fan, is my staple), but then you strip back the driving harmonics and guitar riffs, and read its lyrics:

I was born to sing for you, I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up, And sing whatever song you wanted me to, I give you back my voice, From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise……

And Bono’s wails take on a whole new, more somber feel, which left me saying, “this song is pretty magnificent”.

No Line on The Horizon feels complete and wholesome, and the high praise it’s been garnering all over the world has been for its lyrics.

It’s been all about the lyrics.

Minuses

On the first pass-through of this album, you get the feeling U2 tried really hard to produce a totally opposite sound from HTDAAB. They didn’t need to. This may actually be a plus for fans of U2’s earlier sounds from say, Joshua Tree and War, in terms of the musical composition of the songs.

Overall: A

They get an A, not A+ for actually releasing the politically charged “Get on Your Boots” as their first single – one of the weaker songs on the album. Considering Boots is a sort of political anthem with a strong voice, that says a lot about the album’s strength.

Eleven albums later, and over 30 years together still producing socially, politically, and culturally relevant songs, U2’s staying power is hard-earned and truly deserved.

No Line is no doubt one of their best albums lyrically.

Price: $9.99 | BUY | DOWNLOAD FOR $8.99

Have you listened to the new U2 Album? Tell us what you think below.

Photo by kainet

To find out what people are truly grooving to in Brazil these days, Julie Schwietert heads down to this vibrant country to round up a list of artists such as Marcelo D2, Alceu Valenca, and Siba E a Fuloresta, whose sounds are currently permeating its airwaves.

Next up is Chile where Matt Dillinger introduces us to the freshest grooves – the politically-charged melodies of Inti-Illimani, the retro-pop tunes of Los Bunkers and the emotion-laden, vibrating wails of Lucybell.

Want to check them out yourself? Pick up some of their CDs below.

What People are Listening to in… Brazil

What People are Listening to in… Chile

That’s been our philosophy here at Matador Goods and I hope you’ve appreciated it so far.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Matador has built a strong network of diverse, unique, and pretty cool folks who see travel more as a journey that occurs deep within than a quick vacation, and by engaging our community members, you get firsthand, tested advice on practical travel gear to take on your next adventure, favorite travel books and anthologies, environmentally-safe goods, and such.

While one can argue that besides food and water, nothing else is truly essential, we aim to spotlight products that certainly enhance your travel experience without reducing it to just scenes captured through a viewfinder .

The mandatory pose-y shot.

Finding the perfect balance between necessity and nice-to-have has been my challenge.

I strive to regularly focus on goods that are either lightweight or eco-friendly, but most certainly practical and durable.

We give our readers monthly peeks into the backpacks of other avid travelers and occasionally write about “feel good” products (such as TOMS Shoes and Cleanup Soap).

Some proceeds from the sales of these products go directly towards sustaining many communities around the globe and improving overall quality of life.

So, what other types of gear and products would you like us to spotlight regularly?

I’d love to hear from you .

You can send me short recommendations via our contact form or email me directly at lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com.

Interested in writing a gear-related, consumer-focused article? Please submit your piece following our contributor guidelines.

Happy Travels.

Capturing quick travel videos on the road has never been easier with mini camcorders and pocket-sized video cameras.

A sleek, lightweight alternative to the widely popular Flip Camcorder is the Kodak Zi6 High Definition Video Camera.

You can readily record high definition videos on its built-in 128 internal memory as well as on external memory cards – up to 32GB in size.

The video camera focuses up to 2 inches, giving you clear, crisp images, and recorded videos (captured in Quicktime MOV format) are downloaded to a computer via a built-in USB drive.

Cables are also included to connect to a High Definition TV (HDTV) so you can also view those travel videos on a wide, high resolution screen.

It uses rechargeable AA batteries, which (along with a charger) are included in the kit.

Price: $149.99 | BUY

Thanks to Planet eBook, I can finally finish up Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy without having to lug around a 700+ page beast of a book.

Planet eBook touts itself as the “home of free classic literature”. A generous collection of classic novels have been provided in downloadable, high-quality PDF documents.

Titles available for download (amongst its 70+ online novels) include:

• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• The Odyssey by Homer
• The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Worried about copyright infringements?

The electronic books published by Planet eBook are out of copyright and are within the public domain.

Can’t find your favorite literature classic on their site?

You can actually suggest a book.

Price: FREE | Visit Planet eBook

I wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t know how to drive a stick shift. That accident at the construction site just outside Auckland Airport marked my first day in New Zealand.

Photo by Robyn Gallagher

Memories long forgotten but instantly revived when I picked up my worn out travel journal one lazy Sunday afternoon.

This week, we put out a call for submissions to the new Notes from the Road series over at the Traveler’s Notebook, inviting you to dig up those travel journals and send us engrossing narratives.

And you did.

Eric Warren takes us on a poignant romantic journey in On the other side of the world.…..

In a prolific piece that spotlights race and class in a non condescending way, Julie Schwietert explores racial dynamics during the world renown Carnaval in On the Ropes.

With a fresh contributor’s copy of Fodor’s Patagonia in hand, David Miller is instantly transported back to that sandy coastal road en route to Bahia Bustamante, and we ride along in his Econobox Ford.

Photo by sukhjeet

Notes from journals and travel memoirs make us voyeurs – peeking into the lives of others as they navigate and grow through life and at the end, we find ourselves enriched as well.

Recommended by Matador members, here are three travel collections and memoirs definitely worth picking up.

The World: Life and Travel 1950-2000 by Jan Morris

Jan Morris is quite possibly the greatest travel writer of our time – and certainly among the all-time greats.

The essays in here span Morris’ entire storied career, from her big break, at Everest Base Camp for the Hillary expedition, to her thoughts on Hong Kong’s return to Chinese control at the end of the last century…..Eva Holland

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

In Patagonia is one of the few travel books I’ve read while actually traveling through the place being described…and the descriptions were so spot on, and so poignant, that it felt like I couldn’t decide which was more real, the landscape or the book.

Chatwin manages to make his writing very real and very simple; no exaggerated descriptions or depictions of local characters. …..Sarah Menkedick

West With The Night by Beryl Markham

The tales in this book chronicle Beryl Markham’s life in Africa – from childhood encounters with tigers to buzzing trees as a bush pilot.

It’s told in a way that can make anyone envision Africa perfectly, even if that person has never seen a picture taken on the continent.

West With The Night is one of those few books that can be read at different points in your life, possibly swerving your brain in a direction that it didn’t pivot upon the last pass…..Tom Gates

Have a favorite travel book or memoir you’d like to share? Do tell us below.

You’ve rolled up your clothes into tube-like shapes to save space and to (ironically) prevent wrinkling, only to unroll them and find unattractive creases running all over the fabric.

It’s probably time to add a simple wrinkle-free spray to your toiletry kit. With just a few spritzes of liquid sprays like the Lewis N. Clark Wrinkle Free Spray, wrinkles practically vanish (well, the liquid relaxes the fabric’s fibers) within minutes.

I usually pack a small can on my travels to maintain a clean, fresh look while on the road. And at just 3-oz per can, they pass through TSA security without incident.

The spray also reduces static and removes lint and odors. It is recommended for use on only colorfast, natural fabrics to avoid color runs.

Now you can bring those linen pants along and with the spray’s ease of use and quality of results, you may very well ditch your home iron and use it permanently.

Price: $6.00 | BUY

So we’ve been recommending you buy the smallest, ultra-lightweight, most durable, super portable travel laptop to carry with you while on the road.

Well….as you scale down the physical size of a laptop, the design of its navigation touchpad is proportionally scaled down. So the smaller the laptop, the smaller (and more sensitive) the touchpad becomes.

If you’re not quite ready to resort to using your fingernails, invest in a mini mouse such as the pocket-sized Targus PAUM01U Ultra Mini Retractable Optical Mouse.

This tiny mouse utilizes instant plug-and-play technology to connect swiftly to your laptop.

It works great on tight surfaces such as on the dreaded airplane tray (which tends to be smaller than your laptop!) and can also run along the free areas of your laptop.

It comes with a retractable cord which allows you to adjust to the required length based on space allocations.

I’ve burned through two mini mice over the last four years, mostly due to owner rough-handling. Its small size may take some getting used to, but its practicality beats out any initial inconvenience.

Price: $14.99 | BUY

Photo courtesy of Yanko Design

In our ongoing efforts to be environmentally conscious, recycle frequently, and reduce our carbon footprints, a slew of green products and concepts have been hitting shelves to help us along with these collective goals.

The latest addition to the eco-friendly market is the Live Moss Carpet – a soft grass carpet that thrives from the few drops of water you leave behind when stepping out of the shower or bath.

Designed by La Chanh Nguyen, the base of the moss is made from decay-free foam called plastazote which prevents dangerous mold and other equally-nasty minuscule lifeforms.

There are three types of low maintenance moss – ball moss, island moss, and forest moss – within each foam cell. The humidity within your bathroom and those few water droplets are all that’s needed to keep your little moss garden sprouting all year round.

For more information about this sleek carpet, check out Yanko Design. Even though they maintain an online store, tracking down a price estimate for this carpet was quite the feat.

Price: Contact Yanko Design

Photo by annia316

Are you considering moonlighting to augment your income? Check out Olivia Giovetti’s Five Lucrative Side Jobs to Take During the Economic Crisis. From selling art and crafts picked up abroad at your local craft fair to working as a wedding photographer, there are various ways you can earn some extra cash.

Now is as good a time as any to start investing your money and William Moss Wilson shows us how in How to Get Started Managing and Investing Your Money Now.

In 6 Tips for Saving Your Money and Saving the Planet, Robyn Johnson outlines ways of reducing your environmental footprint while saving some dough in the process. For pet owners, she also penned a piece about making sure your pet survives this economic downturn in Recession-Proof Your Pet.

Photo by RogueSun Media

Yes! You can also save money like……Buddha? Lucia Byttebier explains how in 5 Steps To Save Money Like Buddha.

So in the spirit of less spending this week, here are a few free eBooks to help you get smarter on saving and surviving during these rough times.

Mint.com

Mint provides a comprehensive list of 30 (yes, 30!) free eBooks that cover everything you need to know about getting your house in order financially.

Moolanomy

From infancy to retirement, Money Matters for All Ages covers various strategies for saving money at various points during your life.

M-Network

Download the M-Network’s free eBook – Money Saving Tips for the Holidays.

Know of any other free financial eBooks worth checking out? Please tell us below

If you’re reading this and:

A) you’re in  a different country,

B) not in an Internet cafe, and

C) carrying a laptop,

Chances are you’re using an adapter of some sort.

There are hundreds of travel adapters you can easily buy to help you use your electronics (laptops, cellphones, etc) on various continents, and choosing the right one can be a tiring task which ultimately boils down to price and size.

If you find yourself still switching different adapter heads and plugs, its probably time to upgrade to an all-in-one travel adapter.

The pocket-sized, lightweight Kensington 33117 Travel Plug Adapter (weighs about half a pound) is designed to work in over 150 countries. All its power plugs are built into a single unit and slide out easily to match the country power outlet you need.

Even though there is a built-in fuse to ensure you don’t get jolted with uninvited electricity, it is important to note that this adapter is not a converter and does not step up or down based on the country’s electrical voltage so always check your electronic device’s requirements.

Voltage ranges supported are from 110-volts to 220-volts, and Mac 275-watts to Mac 550-watts.

Price: $15.71 | BUY

Photo by sfmission.com

Who knew Carnaval was celebrated in Oruro, Bolivia?! Hal Amen’s spectacular photo essay gives us a glimpse into the colorful festivities in this Altiplano city.

Ian Mackenzie also shows us some highlights from the Barranquilla Carnaval, Colombia in yet another stunning photo essay of unique costumes and vividly-clad dancers.

In Brazilian Carnaval: Going Beyond Rio, Julie Schwietert dispatches from the cities of Recife and Olinda in Brazil, taking us on a photographic journey through their unique ways of celebrating this festival.

Still looking for more classic shots from Carnaval? Check out these coffee-table gems:

Carnaval – Photographed by Claudio Edinger

A collection of semi-risqué photos taken by photographer Claudio Edinger that captures the rawness of Brazilian Carnaval.

Price: $7.37 | BUY

Carnaval! – Edited by Barbara Mauldin

Over 300 colorful photographs take you through various celebrations around the world. From New Orleans and Trinidad and Tobago to Basel, Switzerland and even rural Bulgaria.

Price: $7.27 (Used) | BUY

Carnival In Rio mini: Samba, Samba, Samba

Accompanied by a CD of select Samba sounds from Rio, you can flip through this coffee table book while listening to music to instantly transport you there.

Price: $10.17 | BUY

Having a digital voice recorder within easy reach while traveling is becoming more and more essential. By capturing audio moments that may otherwise have remained unmemorable, you enhance your overall travel experience.

For travel journalists – professional and amateur alike – a voice recorder is a worthwile investment. You minimize those awkward moments of silence that occur during interviews while you try to scribble down notes as fast as you can.

I own this particular model and its been a breeze to work with.

With up to 260 hours of audio recording capacity on two AAA batteries and 512 MB in-built memory, the ICDP620 gives you a lot of functionality for a decent price.

Its navigation keys are basic: “record”, “play”, “enter”, “stop”, “rewind”, and “fast-forward” buttons. You can adjust the microphone sensitivity, and choose from three recording modes – Long Play (LP), Standard Quality mode (SP), and High Quality mode (HQ).

Other cool features include a voice activated recording (VOR) mode which pauses the recorder during significant silence, and resumes recording once voices are audible again.

Included with the kit are digital voice editor software, two AAA batteries, and a USB cable for downloading audio files.

Price: $50.85 | BUY

We’ve all done it.

That last minute repacking we do at the airport security checkpoint – combing through carry-ons for every gel, gloss, liquid, and powdery substance you can find, and trying to force fit them into a free plastic bag.

Well, FlyBags are the latest in travel kits and are designed to meet TSA 3-1-1 Requirements (i.e. 3-oz bottles in clear bags, etc).

In addition to getting the nod of approval from TSA, they are actually super sturdy and excellent for organizing those grooming essentials and toiletries while traveling.

FlyBags are free of Azo dyes and pigments, making them safer for the environment, and each bag comes with three 2.5 ounce refillable bottles for your liquids, an eye mask, and earplugs.

What’s even cooler than their ultra-chic design are the color options: “blue bomb,” “pink scissors,” and “gray dagger“. How’s that for tongue-in-cheek humor?!

So, if you want to make your TSA experience a breeze or you just like collecting cool looking, travel organizing kits, the FlyBag’s for you!

Price: $16.00 | BUY

If you’re seriously interested in travel photography, you probably need to add a solid wide angle lens to your kit if not already in there.

Perfect for capturing scenery, cityscapes, market scenes and pretty much any situation with activity, wide angle photographs pull you right into the midst of the action.

Its no wonder, according to professional photographer Jim Richardson, most National Geographic photographers prefer wide angle lens for capturing those award winning and visually stunning shots.

That said, vendor specific wide angle lenses like Nikon Nikkors can definitely break the bank in terms of price, but vendors like Sigma come out with comparable topnotch lenses that cover at least 99% of the same functionality at half the price.

The Sigma 10-20mm ultra wide angle lens (the much cheaper equivalent of the $1,650 Nikkor 14-24mm Wide Angle Lens) has a silent Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM) for high-speed autofocus.

In our What’s In Your Backpack Series, professional photographer Ryan Libre also touted the benefits of carrying this ultra wide lens, and I personally travel everywhere with mine.

Its Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements help compensate for color aberration, and it measures in at 3.3 inches round by 3.2 inches long with a weight of 16.4 ounces.

Comes with a one (1) year warranty.

Price: $429.00 | Sigma for Nikon | Sigma for Canon

If you’ve ever crossed time zones, no doubt you’ve probably experienced these decades old symptoms of jet lag at some point:

Fatigue, irritability, nausea, anxiety, dehydration, constipation, diarrhea, headache, sweating, temporary memory loss….am I missing any?!.

Finally, beating the inevitable jet lag is possible and each crucial step on how to fight it has been detailed in The Cure for Jet Lag.

Authored by Lynne W. Scanlon and Charles F. Ehret, Ph.D, this book demystifies jet lag and scientifically breaks down its symptoms with various ways of treating them.

The first two chapters cover symptoms of jet lag such as fatigue and their expected duration and effects on the body.

Subsequent chapters are dedicated to explaining the different time zones, how they impact the body, and how to trick the body into naturally adjusting without incident.

The Cure’s three step program outlines how to overcame jet lag using specific foods, tea, coffee, low/high calorie meals, physical/mental activity, light/dark settings, and how to use them preflight, inflight, and postflight.

If you’re ready to kick jet lag for good, you may want to grab a copy.

Price: $20.00 | BUY

Ever find yourself squatting in some dirt-cheap room battling a severe bout of insomnia brought on by constant fear?

This portable device is just what you need to ensure some peace of mind while you snooze.

Joining the security-providing ranks of TSA approved padlocks and Bag Protector Alert is the nifty Reliance Controls THP215 Portable Wedge Alarm.

The alarm wedges nicely beneath any door or window and lets out a screeching 120 decibel sound that will surely deter unwanted guests.

Designed to easily grip carpets, it also comes with optional double-sided tape for fastening to frames, tiles, and other hard surfaces.

At just 4.8 ounces, it is super light in weight, comes with a 12V battery and a 1-year warranty.

Price: $13.15 | BUY

Our next feel-good product discovery is Cleanup – bars of soap designed to resemble landmines.

Money raised through sales of the soap goes towards landmine removal efforts, as well as the Cambodia Landmine Museum Relief Fund.

This unique concept was developed by Hideaki Matsui as part of his senior thesis for the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

He’d been exposed to the horrors of landmines through photographs his parents shared during his youth, and thus, the idea of Cleanup was born.

The landmine design of the bars are a metaphor for the landmine removal process….”as the soap disappears, so do the landmines.”

The soap comes in two scents – Rosemary Mint and Coconut, and are made with natural ingredients.

So grab a couple bars of Cleanup and actively participate in raising awareness about landmines.

Price: $8.00 per bar (includes $2.00 Donation) | BUY

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we’ve been doling out tips on specials ways to enjoy this weekend.

Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown shared her Top 5 Valentine’s Day Getaways in the US and also gave us a peak inside her suitcase in Must-Haves for a Romantic Getaway.

In 13 Dream Locations for Travelers in Love, Michaela Lola Abrera takes us on a panoramic journey through thirteen love (and lust) inducing locations around the world.

Not going anywhere this weekend? Why not get between the sheets of these 10 modern romance tales compiled by Olivia Giovetti?

Better yet, grab one of these gourmet goodies to complete your weekend indulgence.

Price: $27.99 | 1940’s Retro Candy Gift Box

Price: $59.95 | Happy Valentine’s Day: Kosher Cookie Box Executive Gift

Price: $59.95 | Chocolate Gift Basket Supreme

Price: $39.95 | Breakfast In Bed

Price: $59.95 | One Notch Above Gift Basket: The Perfect Gift – Large (Kosher)

Photo by SarahDepper

From Tokyo to Copenhagen, discover eight cosmopolitan cities with wallet-draining tendencies in 8 Cities that Burn Through Your Money.

Looking for the best vegetarian fare? Voralak Suwanvanichkij introduces us to 11 of the World’s Most Vegetarian-Friendly Cities. In How to Move to Paris with No Money, Tom Dibblee outlines 5 tips to help you relocate to the city of lights sans dough.

If you can’t hop the next flight out to Singapore or Moscow quite yet, why not pick up a coffeetable book to visually transport you there?

Over Singapore

Fly through Singapore, home to some of the tallest skyscrapers in Asia, with professional photographer Guido Alberto Rossi – well known for his intriguing aerial shots and perspectives.

Price: $15.88 | BUY

Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Golden Ring

Journey through Russia’s panoramic main cities – Moscow and St. Petersburg – via 200 vivid color photographs.

Price: $29.75 | BUY

Paris Then and Now (Then & Now)

This book covers the City of Lights from two photographic angles: contrasting old photographs of key locations and scenes with more recent color photographs of the same scenes.

Price: $18.95 | BUY

The Beauty of Seoul

Compiled by Korean photographer Jai-Sik Suh, this coffeetable spread brings various aspects of Seoul – its culture, people, and architecture – right to your living room in a stunning array of photographs.

Price: $58.50 | BUY

Photo by Rain Rannu

5 Writers Who Affirm the Importance of Travel by Olivia Hambrett explores the literary works of five influential writers – Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Margaret Mead, Samuel Johnson, Rosalia de Castro – and parses out their views on travel.

In What Tyler Durden’s Philosophy Teaches Us About Travel, Juliane Huang examines the musings of famed Fight Club character, Tyler Durden, and how they apply to travel in general.

From 5 Eastern Thinkers Who Understood Inner Travel to 5 Western Thinkers Who Understood Inner Travel, philosphers of various generations have penned down invaluable thoughts and advice about travel.

Want to delve deeper into the philosophy of travel? In addition to the 10 Spiritual and Philosophical Books to Take Traveling‏, why not pick up these titles:

Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century

In this book rooted in anthropology, James Clifford compiles a collection of travel journal entries, narratives, and academic lectures amongst other literary notes to explore how cultures transition from one era to another.

Price: $21.15 | BUY

Deconstructing Travel: Cultural Perspectives on Tourism

Written by Arthur Asa Berger, Deconstructing Travel looks at why we travel, how it impacts tourism, and its “cultural phenomenon through social, cultural, psychological, and economic forces.”

Price: $24.95 | BUY

Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses

This book chronicles Bruce Feiler’s epic 10,000-mile trek from Mount Ararat to Mount Nebo using the five books of Moses – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy – as his guide. It is the ultimate story of inner reflection, and the emotional and physical manifestation of how travel spurns changes deep within us all.

Price: $10.17 | BUY

Do you have a favorite travel philosophy book? Tell us below.

Has your little webcam taken quite the beating while constantly dispatching about your travels to family and friends?

Are you looking to upgrade?

The Logitech QuickVam Pro 9000 is a lightweight webcam that clips to any flat-panel surface – laptops or notebooks – and connects via a USB 2.0 cable to either your PC or MAC.

Its 2-megapixel sensor paired with Carl Zeiss optics (mostly found in digital SLR camera lenses) makes for crisp, sharp images, especially at a very close range. Automatic autofocus technology helps reduce vibration and refocuses the webcam as you move around.

More importantly, it is Skype-certified with full-screen video call support, and works well with AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo! Messenger, SightSpeed and iChat videoconferencing.

Additional tools out of the box include the QuickCam software that works only on Windows machines. It also comes with a slew of video effects and filters like the ’50’s Movie Reel effect or a standard fisheye effect to enhance your video experience.

Price: $72.95 | BUY

Do you own the Logitech QuickCam? Tell us what you think about it below

Photo by liber

That’s the question we’ve posed to Matador readers this week. In What Every American Should Know About the Middle East, Matador Video Editor Joshua Johnson interviews Melissa Rossi, a special correspondent for Newsweek and author of the recently published What Every American Should Know About the Middle East.

Matador Pulse Editor Eva Holland recently introduced us to the Middle Eastern geography quiz designed to test your knowledge of the region.

Dreaming in Arabic, Learning in Yemen by Baxter Jackson spotlights Yemen as a viable location to study Arabic, while Benjamin Orbach takes us on a journey through 6 Under-the-Radar Destinations In The Middle East.

Thinking of adding the Middle East to your travel plans this year? Rough Guides publishes solid travel guides covering more than 200 destinations worldwide including the titles below:

Price: $5.99 | BUY

Price: $13.59 | BUY

Price: $39.95 | BUY

Price: $3.24 | BUY

Price: $10.19 | BUY

Photo by visulogik

No one I know (besides Survivorman Les Stroud) wants to be stranded in the Sahara without water, lost in the backcountry wilderness, or bounce on a bumpy chicken bus ride with diarrhea.

This week, Erik McLaughlin identifies the Top 10 Travel Health Problems such as diarrhea, jet lag, and mosquito bites, and outlines ways to handle them. In Three Essential Medical Books for Travelers, Juli Huang introduces us to 3 books that can help you survive during those harrowing medical emergencies when there isn’t a doctor for miles.

Stemming from experience, Senior Editor David Miller provides solid tips on surviving in the backcountry in Avoid the Classic Dumbass Move and Stay Alive This Winter.

But most importantly, your emotional health while traveling takes top billing, and Claire Litton shows us how in Handle with Care: Protecting Yourself from Emotional Abuse While Traveling.

Still want to forgo all the advice above? Check out these unbelievable tales of survival.

Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival

“As his feet begin to rot during raging storms, as he loses all sense of direction, and as he begins to lose all hope, he wonders whether he will make it out of the jungle alive“…Amazon Review

Already feeling shivers up my spine!

This true life story revolves around four travelers who meet up in Bolivia, later become friends, and head into the Amazon Rainforest for an adventure of a lifetime only to end up lost and disoriented.

Author Yossi Ghinsberg is forced to survive for weeks on his own after he becomes separated from his group.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival

Renown adventurer and expedition climber Joe Simpson comes close to death while climbing in the Peruvian Andes. The book recounts his expedition with his climbing partner, Simon Yates up the 20,813 foot Siula Grande mountain.

Simon Yates never made it down.

Even if expeditionary-style adventures aren’t in your near future, grab this book to take a deep look into the psyche of climbers and other risk takers who push their minds and bodies to the limits of human endurance.

Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman’s Survival Against All Odds

A small slip and she found herself careening 60-ft down the side of a mountain in California Sierra Nevada range during a solo hiking trip.

She broke both legs.

Thus, began Amy Racina’s four day battle to survive in the remote backcountry wilderness. She details her ordeal; pulling her weight along with both arms, moments of despair, and exhaustion as well as her dramatic rescue.

Have a favorite nonfiction story of survival to share? Please tell us below.

In 5 Affordable Wellness Retreats in The World, Linda Handiak takes us on a journey around the world to places like La Plâtrière, France for mineral baths, and Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains for Ashram Yoga in Canada.

You can opt for more unconventional relaxation techniques such as the spa treatments highlighted in Snake Massages & Bull Semen: World’s Weirdest Spas. Voralak Suwanvanichkij introduces us to some of the weirdest spas – from bull semen hair treatments to soaking in warm beer.

If you can’t afford an exclusive spa getaway to the Maldives, why not bring the spa home? Here are some in-home spa kits to help you relax both body and mind.

Lavender and Sage Bath Gift Set

Indulge in a much needed bath with this bath set which includes gel, soaps, lotion, a loofah sponge and more.

Price: $19.95 | BUY

H2O Plus Spa Traveler

A spa set that can make it through TSA security!. All products follow the 3 oz. airline restriction guidelines for liquid carry-ons. The set include a sea salt body wash, hydrating body butter, hydrating body gloss, sea marine revitalizing shampoo, and a marine collagen conditioner.

Price: $20.00 | BUY

Sacred Spa Music Series

Music to get you into the mood for relaxation. Each CD provides an hour of soothing music.

Price: $53.98 | BUY

Soy Travel Candle Gift Set

Aromatic candles set the ambiance needed to complete your in-home spa experience. Not only are they made out of 100% soy wax which burns cleanly, scents like the citrus scented A-Peel a Sevilla or the tropical fruit scented Frolic in Fiji instantly transport you to your favorite travel destinations.

Price: $65.00 | BUY

Photo by Ahron de Leeuw

If visiting Asia isn’t in your travel plans this year, why not check out 9 Reasons to Visit Sri Lanka in 2009, 7 Classic Adventure Spots in Asia, and Why You Should Travel Independently on the Trans-Siberian Railway for a change of mind?

You could also seek out opportunities to volunteer during your travels. In A is for Attitude Adjustment: Learning How to Teach & Live in China, Virginia Fortner implores us to look outside ourselves and reach out to others.

We also profiled two organizations doing great community outreach work in Asia – Big Brother Mouse: A Book for Every Child in Laos and For the Children: Thai Mueang Volunteers.

Rough Guides continues to publish solid travel guides covering more than 200 destinations worldwide. Pick up the following guides to stoke your wanderlust.

Price: $10.19 | BUY

Price: $19.13 | BUY

Price: $17.81 | BUY

Price: $19.79 | BUY

Price: $15.99 | BUY

Photo by Aylanah

Juliane Huang introduces us to 24 Super Healthy Eats and Drinks For 2009 – from the Amazon’s antioxidant powerhouse, Acai berries to everyone’s favorite aphrodisiac, chocolate.

If “travel more” shows up on your list, you’ll probably want to stay abreast of health concerns in regions you plan on traveling to. Erik McLaughlin draws our attention back to the fatal power of malaria in In Search of a Malaria Vaccine: What Travelers Should Know.

Voralak Suwanvanichkij spotlights the Top 12 Places People Go for Cheap Healthcare should you need some medical attention in the new year.

As you continue your journey towards optimal health in 2009, here are a few resources to help you out:

Eat This, Not That

David Zinczenko, Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health magazine shows you thousands of simple alternatives to common foods we all enjoy without limiting what you can or cannot eat.

Price: $11.97 | BUY

YOU: The Owner’s Manual

America’s doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz and his trusty partner, Dr. Michael F. Roizen bring you a complete manual to knowing the intricacies of how your body works and what you need to do to keep it working.

Price: $12.86 | BUY

The Complete Homeopathic Resource for Common Illnesses

Always wanted a quick guide to help you treat your cold at home? Dr. Dennis Chernin gives us an encyclopedia of remedies for treating common illnesses as well as some borderline problems such as jet lag and phobias.

Price: $21.86 | BUY

Photo by TKnoxB

In Rwandan Genocide “Masterminds” Convicted, Sentenced, Matador Pulse editor Eva Holland gives us an update on one of the worst genocides the world has ever witnessed.

“More than 18 years later, three of the leaders behind the Rwandan genocide have been convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sentenced to life in prison,” she writes.

Matador members Aimee and Ryan blogged about their experiences while visiting the Genocide Museum in Kigali, Rwanda. One of our member organizations, Nursery of Peace Organization based in Rwanda is actively working to educate and empower genocide survivors.

Focusing on Rwanda today, Eva sends us a list of books and movies that provide excellent education on Rwanda and its bitter history.

Shake Hands with the Devil

Eva Holland - “Powerful story of the genocide as witnessed by Canadian general Romeo Dallaire, the leader of UN forces in Rwanda at the time. He tells the wrenching story of being forced to watch the killing unfold, and being ordered not to intervene. Dallaire later attempted suicide.”

Price: $13.11 | BUY

You can also check out the documentary, The Journey of Romeo Dallaire.

Price: $26.95 | BUY

We Wish To Inform You…

The book, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families, is a collection of gripping stories and interviews with a cross section of Rwandans, from victims to opposition groups, and much more.

Price: $10.20 | BUY

Hotel Rwanda

This near flawless movie depicts the Rwanda genocide through the eyes of a hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina played by actor Don Cheadle. Rusesabagina saved 1,200 fellow Rwandas by hiding them in his hotel. Cheadle gives his best performance to date.

Eva Holland - “I thought this one was pretty well-done, for a Hollywood movie. Restrained rather than sensational, and a better movie for it.”

Price: $9.99 | BUY

Machete Season

In this book, 10 militia members, all friends from the same village, speak out in interviews detailing their participation in the genocide.

Price: $10.20 | BUY

Aiding Violence

Eva Holland - “Thought-provoking academic work that offers controversial arguments about the role the international development industry played in setting the stage for genocide in Rwanda.”

Price: $26.00 | BUY

Articles such as US Set to Lead the World in Solar Power and Do Not Pass Go – Go Directly to Solar Power highlight how solar power as an alternate source of energy is positively washing over the nation.

We regularly recommend solar powered gear such as the Solio Universal Hybrid Solar Charger and many more in 12 Gadgets That Harness the Power of the Sun.

But like many of you, I’ve been curious about solar technology and had so many questions.

- How viable is it when used with everyday appliances?

- How would this work when I’m in a colder climate?

So I decided to put one of the leading solar-powered gear out there – the Voltaic Backpack – to the test.

When I first opened the package, I was initially thrown off by the amount of electronics that came with it.

• Battery
• Battery Cable
• Power Out Cable
• 11 Adaptors
• Car Charger
• Car Charger Socket
• USB Adaptor
• AC Charger

Once I cracked open the manual, it all made sense.  The solar panels on the front of the bag generate up to 4 watts of energy. The included battery is meant to store up captured solar energy and provides 55 hours per charge for later use. The adaptors are used to charge a myriad of devices from cellphones and media players to laptops and GPS units within the bag.

To fully charge the battery from direct sunlight, the bag must be placed angled towards the sun. This takes upwards of 8 to 10 hours to fully charge it. The car  and AC chargers are provided to be used on those days when the sun remains hidden.

I left the backpack out of the porch facing sunlight for 4-5 hours, and the light indicator at the top of the bag that denotes whether the solar panels were generating a charge or not, was illuminated.

But my battery never fully charged – probably due to user error. Setting the bag up wasn’t as intuitive as I’d initially expected it to be, but with some trial and error, you can get the battery feeding from the solar panels correctly.

Pluses

The bag is very attractive and the solar panels are laid out in such a way that they don’t distract from the overall look of the backpack.

The included adaptors and chargers are actually an advantage, allowing you to connect and power pretty much any small device you can think of.

Minuses

The fact that it requires 8-10 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the battery feels like a downside.

However, Voltaic provides alternate ways to charge the battery as well such as the AC and car chargers.

For a laptop backpack, it is a little pricey be to quickly adopted as the preferred way of charging devices as well as a replacement for carrying your laptop.

Overall Grade:  A-

I was struck by the superb quality of the backpack. Its shell is made from recycled PET (soda bottles) which makes it extra sturdy and water resistant while still remaining super lightweight.

Voltaic is definitely on to something much bigger with its innovative line of energy efficient products.

Detailed specifications of the backpack can be found here. Also visit Voltaic Systems for a complete catalog of solar powered bags and gear.

Price: $179.00 – $249.00 | BUY

All photos (C) Voltaic Systems

Photo by Humayunn N A Peerzaada

In After the Attacks: What You Need to Know About Traveling in India, Divya Srinivasan gives us a solid on-the-ground report from the grief-stricken city. She provides insight on what to expect when visiting, customs to be aware of, and links to valuable resources.

The powerful photo essay Mumbai Calls for Peace gives you an up close view of the unity and solidarity shared across various religions, ethnic backgrounds, and beliefs after the attacks.

Curious about Mumbai? Check out these books.

Picture Mumbai: Landmarks of a New Generation

Put together by the Getty Conservative Institute, this book boasts an impressive collection of black-and-white photographs of Mumbai’s popular landmarks taken by youngsters from the city.

Price: $10.50 | BUY

Inside Mumbai: Conversations with Ten Women by Lisa Elaine Sipes

Discover the real culture behind Mumbai through the eyes and stories of ten women. This book focuses on women from different backgrounds, castes, ages, and religions to bring you a cross sectional view of life in Mumbai as a woman.

Price: $12.99 | BUY

Lonely Planet Best of Mumbai by Joe Bindloss

One of Lonely Planet’s Best Of Series, this guide walks you through the must-see sights, the best local Indian cuisine, and the top shopping havens. It also introduces you to some of Mumbai’s booming nightlife scenes.

Price: $28.80 | BUY

The winner will be announced tomorrow – December 11th.

Visit the contest page and leave your comments!

Photo by The Irascible Fairy

In 12 Stocking Stuffers for Travelers, Molly McCahan gives you a few suggestions on gift ideas that avid traveler buddy of yours will appreciate. Ashley Schaeffer guides you through some money saving tips in 11 Tips for Saving Money During the Holidays.

In Holiday Shopping Your Way Around NYC, Julie Schwietert takes on you a guided tour through New York’s ultimate gift-shopping stops.

Not sure where to start? Why not pick up a couple gift cards. Through Amazon, you can shop for cards to stores like Target, Apple iTunes, Ace Hardware, and of course, Amazon.

Price: $10.00 – $1,000.00 | BUY

Price: $25.00 – $100.00 | BUY

Price: $22.99 | BUY

Price: $100.00 | BUY

Price: $100.00 | BUY

This contest is now closed.

Here at Matador Goods, we love KEEN shoes.

From the super sexy Newport H2 sandals to the super sturdy Targhee II Mid Hiking Boots, KEEN makes top notch gear that are also practical, efficient, and attractive.

And now we’re teaming with KEEN to give away a pair of solid shoes for free! Up for grabs are cool pairs of men, women, and kids’ shoes as well as laptop bags and other KEEN products.

Photo by LollyKnit

From December 3rd till December 10th, you will be entered into the drawing for a pair of free KEEN shoes or any item of choice from www.keenfootwear.com.

All you need to do is:

1. Visit www.keenfootwear.com.
2. Pick your favorite KEEN gear
3. Come back to this post and leave a comment about it below

On December 11th, we’ll pick and notify a random winner that gets the coupon code for their free product of choice!.

As part of this promotion, KEEN is also providing free shipping on its products purchased on www.keenfootwear.com.

For free shipping through December 11th, enter MATADORGOODS as the promo code during checkout.

Be sure to leave a comment below about your favorite KEEN gear and you just might walk away with it!

Maybe you tried one of Chef Francisco Collazo’s  scrumptious Five New Turkey Recipes to Spice Up This Thanksgiving.

Photo by D’Arcy Norman

Above all, Thanksgiving is all about gratitude for the necessities in life and sharing with others – even just by listening to them. As Matador Senior Editor David Miller pointed out in Happy Thanksgiving, Happy National Day of Listening, “listening to the stories around us–and helping to share them–makes for a richer, more connected and meaningful world.”

So ideally, thanksgiving should be celebrated daily.

Here are a few books to get you better prepared for next year’s festivities.

Thanksgiving by Glenn Alan Cheney

This book spotlights the pilgrims’ first year in America. It focuses on the struggles of the pilgrims as they began their journey on the Mayflower. It provides an in depth historical overview of the stories behind the tradition.

Price: $17.56 | BUY

Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers

Rick Rodgers walks you through everything you need to know for cooking up the perfect thanksgiving feast. The book covers every detail from appetizers and beverages to various pies and desserts as well as teaches you how to avoid the dreaded “dry” turkey through buying, thawing, prepping, and roasting techniques.

Price: $12.76 | BUY

Giving Thanks: The Gifts of Gratitude by M. J. Ryan

Delving into the movement of gratitude and why it’s crucial to our daily sustenance, this book inspires us all to be better individuals filled with thanks for both what we have and do not have.

Price: $11.53 | BUY

Here is an excerpt from the book – Gratitude connects us to others and feeling gratitude allows us to be our best selves–in good times and in hard times. When we are truly grateful, we can count on living the life we want.

This year, going green is at the top of everybody’s minds, so what better way to say “Happy Holidays” than by signing someone up for a subscription to the magazine that cares about the environment? – Wend Magazine

Wend Magazine definitely practices what it preaches. Each magazine is printed on FSC certified sustainably sourced paper using non toxic, soy based ink.

It actively supports the green movement by donating 25% of subscription fees to its environmental non-profit partners.

As a great holiday offer, Wend is offering up half off a second subscription. So you can get a subscription for yourself and another for a friend or family member for half the price.

Visit Wend’s subscription page and get your hands on one of the best narrative travel adventure magazines out there.

To learn more, check out Wend’s website at http://wendmag.com

Photo by John Althouse Cohen

Now you’re considering packing up your textbooks and heading overseas but you’re faced with so many destination choices. Why not consider Chile?

This week on Matador, we’ve also been spotlighting the South American gem that is Chile.

In 8 Natural Wonders of Chile, Julie Schwietert re-introduced us to Chile and its magnificant landscape – from the massive glaciers of Tierra del Fuego to the sweeping sand dunes of the Atacama desert.

Photo by cesargp

She also reminded us that global warming is currently threatening these natural wonders in Global Warming Is Real.

Here are a few books on studying abroad and choosing Chile as a viable option.

How to Survive in the Chilean Jungle

Touted as the perfect book to “help anyone understand the Chilean people”, this book introduces Chile as a great location to study abroad in and travel within. It prepares you with the essential local slang you need to know before heading off to Chile.

Price: $19.99 | BUY

Study Abroad 101

Your ultimate introductory guide to the whole process of studying abroad. It covers topics from passport and visa issues and managing money abroad to lifestyle changes and keeping in touch with family back home.

Price: $15.25| BUY

Moon Chile: Including Easter Island

You may want to explore all the natural beauty your host country has to offer while living there so grab a comprehensive guide to Chile.

Price: $15.61 | BUY

Study Away: The Unauthorized Guide to College Abroad

This book spotlights 68 schools around the world that provide degree programs in English. It includes campus descriptions, cultural information, housing options, and other tips for making the study abroad process smoother.

Price: $11.86 | BUY

In addition to providing a travel alarm clock and flashlight, a couple extra electronics are thrown in for good measure.

With the Traveler’s Companion, you get:

• A digital travel alarm clock with timer and snooze functions
• A mini FM auto-scan radio
• A digital calendar
• A pop-up LED reading light, and
• An LED flashlight

This lightweight travel gadget runs on 3 AAA batteries, and with a dimension of 1.2 inches x 5.5 inches, tucks away nicely and also saves you space.

Price: $19.99 | BUY

Photo by jonrawlinson

In Love Tour: World’s Best Cities for Singles, Sascha Matuszak scouts out the ideal locations to look for love. He also presents dating internationally as a surefire way to improve your language skills in Five Reasons Dating Abroad is the Best Way to Learn a Language,

Erin Ganat gives you seven reasons why an international romance should be on your resolution list for 2009 in 7 Reasons to Fall in Love Abroad in 2009.

Don’t despair if there are no travel plans in your immediate future. Without giving away any plots, here are some classic movies that will flame your dreams of a global romance.

Under the Tuscan Sun

No travel romance movie list would be complete without the staple – Under the Tuscan Sun. A heartwarming story of a divorcee who finds true love against the breathtaking scenery of Tuscany, Italy. This is the quintessential chick-flick so grab some wine and cheese instead of popcorn.

Price: $9.99 | BUY

The English Patient

Adapted from Michael Ondaatje’s award winning novel set during World War II, the English Patient transports you across continents – from Italian countrysides to North African deserts – while unraveling an enduring multilayer love story.

Price: $15.49 | BUY

Before Sunrise/Before Sunset

It all started with a Eurorail ticket – Young American meets French girl aboard a train in Europe and falls madly in love. Thus begins their whirlwind romance that spurred a sequel.

Price: $22.95 | BUY

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

This Caribbean journey of self-discovery finds a successful, independent woman colliding with a young, laid back guy 20 years younger. Set against the lush, tranquil backdrop of Jamaica, its a testament to the fact that love knows no age.

Price: $11.99 | BUY

Do you have a favorite romance movie that flames your wanderlust? Tell us below

Their first title, Travelling Europe takes you through planning for travel within the continent with practical, in-depth answers to common questions designed as chapter titles.

Chapter titles range from “Should I learn another language? Which ones?” to “Do you use budget airlines? What should I look out for?“.

There are also sections on solo and family travel penned by guest authors so you’re bound to find a chapter that speaks directly to your current travel question.

And now for a short while,  Indie Travel Guides is offering the Matador Community 30% off its eBook, audiobook or combo pack.

To get this deal, be sure to use the coupon code “earlybird9xie” – Click here to buy now.

Hurry up as this offer lasts until November 15th.

From Indie Travel Guides: “Remember that Indie Travel Guides give you free updates for life, offers a money back guarantee, and can be put on unlimited devices“.

Feature photo by: Al lanni

No doubt, autumn is here.

Though the weather isn’t cold enough to pull out your heavy winter coats, the Montbell Ex Light Down Jacket is a practical alternative to your autumn fleece jackets.

Touted as the lightest down jacket on the market at just 5.7 ounces, it weighs less than a cotton t-shirt but provides the solid warmth and chill protection you get from a traditional fleece top.

It provides adequate insulation on those fall hikes or backpacking trips.

Made with 900 Fill Power Goose Down with a 7-denier Ballist Airlight ripstop nylon outshell, its design makes the Montbell jacket extremely warm, lightweight, and wind resistant.

There is a downside to this innovative jacket. Because of its ultralight design, it doesn’t work well in “high abrasion” situations such as contact with sharp objects and surfaces, as well as fire sparks.

A great buy for long term travelers who need to pack light!

Price: $159.95 | MontBell America, Inc. Extremely Light Down Jacket – Men’s

Paving the way in tiny printer technology, the Polaroid PoGO Instant Mobile Printer allows you to produce borderless 2 inch x 3 inch photo prints with the touch of a single button.

Photos developed are “water-resistant, tear-proof, smudge-proof and peel-off prints” on ZINK inkless paper.

For less than $100, this device is wireless ready with Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connection capabilities that allows you to readily hook up to cameras, cellphones, and computers.

It uses a 7.2-volt rechargeable lithium ion battery which produces up to 15 prints per charge.

Weighing in at just 8 ounces with a dimension of 2.8 inches by 4.7 inches, mentally convincing yourself that this bite-sized device is capable of spewing out high quality prints is your only barrier.

Price: $99.95 | BUY

Printer Accessories

Your mobile printer kit is incomplete without the following items:

Polaroid Black Carrying Case

Price: $14.99 | BUY

Polaroid Zink Media 30 Pack

Price: $12.99 | BUY

You no longer have to set your toiletries down on shower shelves or floors of questionable cleanliness because the hook transforms the bag into a portable shower caddy.

This travel kit keeps your toiletries and travel documents organized in quick drying mesh pockets with zippers and elastic bands for packing items tightly.

Known for sturdy, high quality travel gear and luggage, this attractive Samsonite set is no different in terms of durability and quality.

An alarm clock is also thrown in for good measure.

Price: $21.95 | BUY

I wasn’t sure what I was listening to, but I was loving every sound and rhythm emanating from my sister’s CD player as we drove to our destination.

When the chorus came on, I strained to make out the words.

“Bullet?…Bullet The Blue Sky? What is this?!“.

Knowing I was a viral U2 fan, she’d purposely popped in this CD.

With a captivating rendition of my favorite U2 tune, “Mysterious Ways” by world renown Beninese songstress, Angelique Kidjo to the percussion laden version of “Bullet The Blue Sky” by Vieux Farka Touré from Mali, every track on this album keeps you guessing how each song transforms.

Africa Celebrates U2 is an excellent cross-section of U2 classics sung by an equally superb cross-section of pure African talents – from heavy sounds of brass in “Where the Streets Have No Name” sung by Nigerian-born Tony Allen, a former drummer for the Late Fela Kuti, to the softer remake of “Love Is Blindness” by Afro-pop musician, Waldemar Bastos from Angola.

This album is very reminiscent of bands such as Afro Celt Sound System that fuse African ethnic sounds with pipes, flutes, and other Irish Celtic sounds.

If you love the cross pollination of musical genres across various cultures or are just a viral U2 fan with an open mind, you’ll love this album.

Needless to say, my sister was forced to part ways with her copy.

Price: $14.99 | BUY

Better yet, you can donate everyday by shopping with companies and organizations that make an effort to donate a portion of their sales, goods, and resources to communities and individuals who need them the most.

Matador Pulse editor Julie Schwietert recently tipped me off on a piece she’d read in Delta Sky Magazine about a certain philanthropic company, TOMS and their shoes.

Intrigued, I had to find out more about their cause.

Founded in May 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, TOMS aims to provide shoes to needy children through the purchases of their shoes. To date, they’ve donated 10,000 and 50,000 pairs of shoes in Argentina and South Africa respectively.

For every pair of TOMS shoes purchased, a pair of shoes is given to a child in what they term their “One for One Movement”.

These fun, colorful shoes redefine comfortably casual. They slip on easily, come with soft leather soles and textured rubber bottoms, and are available in a myriad of patterns, textures, designs, and colors.

With creative names like Democratic Vote TOMS and Split Decision Vote TOMS, you’re sure to find at least a pair you’ll like.

They also manufacture a “Vegan Friendly” TOMS – which I assume passes on leather soles.

TOMS expands beyond shoes, selling fitted hats, t-shirts, bags, and its new fashion-forward wrap boot – an elastic wrap that extends from the ankle up to the knee with Velcro closure.

By supporting TOMS’ One for One movement, you can contribute to bringing one pair of shoes to a child in need – one of 200,000 pairs of shoes planned for donation this year.

BUY TOMS Shoes

The JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds are made from soft silicone material that fits comfortably in your ear, molding perfectly to the ear canal. This sleek design aids in blocking out external noise.

They are also super lightweight and sturdy enough for travelers constantly on the go and, of course, work well with any portable device such as media players, laptops, and other audiovisual devices.

When you purchase the JBuds, you get 3 pairs of silicone earbuds in three different sizes – small, medium, and large – so you can choose the right size for you.

Also available in black and pink.

Price: $15.99 | BUY

I believe it was – WOW!

Photo by Lola Akinmade

With the prices of professional grade equipment and photo accessories dropping, it’s no surprise that the number of photography enthusiasts seems to be skyrocketing. Thousands of travelers straddle the fence between hobby photographers and serious amateurs.

Here are a few items to channel your obsession with photography down the right path.

A Starter DSLR camera

Chances are you already have a digital point and shoot camera that serves you well. But to truly inch yourself closer to the high quality travel photography you salivate at, you must be willing to invest.

For starters, get yourself a solid DSLR camera between the $450 to $750 price ranges. DSLR which means digital single-lens reflex refers to the technique with which light is captured using an automatic mirror and pentaprism.

Sound like technical jargon to you? PCMag.com breaks down the concept of DSLR technology in layman’s terms.

Price: $579.95 | Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

In a nutshell, most professionals use DSLR cameras to create topnotch photographs. Beginner cameras usually come with a small 18-55mm telephoto lens which is sufficient for most of your photographic needs.

The two leading brands are Nikon and Canon. Choosing which brand to invest in ultimately boils down to a matter of personal taste.

A Wide Angle Lens

Most photographs are taken with a mild, mid-range telephoto lens.  They have a narrower field of vision that more closely mimics our natural line of sight. These types of lens are great for portraits which represent the majority of the photos we all snap – family and friends.

Professional photographers opt for wide angle lens which give you a wider line of sight and range to capture more of your surroundings.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Wide angle lenses draw you deeper into the action and are perfect for landscape and scenery shots. However, by flipping your camera vertically, the wide angle lens works just as well by capturing a larger area – from the flowers and grass at your feet up to puffy white clouds in the sky.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

I currently own a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. Third party lenses are a lot cheaper than lenses manufactured by the same brand. Sigma also makes lenses for Canon cameras.

Photography Books

We learn best by trial and error. More importantly, we can minimize the number of errors by learning from others who’ve been down the same road.

Seek out solid photography books for inspiration.

I recently got a Nikon D300 and bought David Busch’s Nikon D300 Guide to Digital SLR Photography.

This guide will teach me all about the new functionality nestled within the D300 – from quick tips to cool tricks my camera is capable to performing.

There is a slew of photography books you can buy; from vibrant, jaw-dropping coffee table books like Through the Lens: National Geographic’s Greatest Photographs to practical step-by-guide guidebooks on creating your own jaw-dropping photography.

A Mini Tripod

As you foray deeper into the troughs of photography, you probably want to start snapping a wider variety of shots. Thoughts of trying your hands at some night photography might have crossed your mind.

Night scenes with moving traffic against stationary lit-up buildings are tricky to capture. Some lenses come with vibration reduction technology, but nothing beats placing your camera on a tripod for absolute steadiness.

Buy a mini tripod that tucks away conveniently into your camera bag.

Price: $9.99 | Vanguard VS55 Mini Table Tripod with 5 Section Legs

On that cool night when the glare of the moon perfectly illuminates the sleeping village below, you’ll be glad you bought that tripod.

Photo Processing Software

Since most digital SLR cameras allow you to capture images in a raw, unprocessed format for optimal flexibility, you can invest in photo processing software such as Nikon Capture NX 2.

Price: $149.95 | Nikon Capture NX 2

For $149.95, you get a box of functionality and transformation tools to help you get the most mileage from your photos.

If you’re not quite ready to leap into serious editing, consider Free Photo Editing Software to enhance your travel photography.

Be sure to check out 5 Essential Tips for the Budding Photographer and The A-B-C-D-E of Travel Photography.

Maybe tape your first bungee jump from your point of view?

Shooting travel videos while in the midst of action has gotten a lot easier and more convenient with the Flip Ultra Mini Camcorder.

This lightweight, pocket-sized camcorder provides 2GB of built-in memory, allowing you to record up to 60 minutes of high quality video and sound.

Its no-glare Transflective LCD allows you to work in low light conditions such as dusk and dawn, as well as under glaring sunlight.

It comes with a tiny USB plug that connects to your computer or any USB-enabled device for video transfers and uploads.

Since video is captured in VGA-quality, you can hook up the camcorder to a TV for maximum viewing.

Now you can add high quality videos to your catalog of travel memories.

Price: $124.98 | BUY

The company has recently taken it up a notch with the introduction of its new line of Moleskine City Notebooks.

With a slew of maps at different scales in addition to pages for planning your itinerary, metro route maps, and enough blank pages for journaling, it aims to fulfill a myriad of travel planning needs in a pocket-sized book.

The Moleskine City Notebook includes a key map that provides you with a geographical overview of the city, and approximately 36 pages of detailed zone maps from scales of 1:5,000 to 1:17,000.

It also provides an invaluable alphabetized street name index.

From Kyoto, Japan to Turin, Italy, the City Notebooks span 42 locales covering some midsized cities in addition to the regular international powerhouses such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

Price: $12.21 | BUY

Already known for sturdy camera bags, Lowepro’s Terraclime Series was designed to be environmentally-conscious.

Made from recycled PET bottles, the bags are water resistant and designed with material that protects against abrasion.

Every single piece of its layered construction, soft cushioning, buckles, and straps are made from recycled materials, making it a true green product.

The Terraclime Series come in four styles and sizes: Terraclime 10, 30, 50, and 100.

It is important to note that portions of all Terraclime Series purchases will benefit Polar Bears International (PBI) which actively works to preserve and conserve polar bear habitats currently being affected by climate change and global warming.

Price: $19.95 – $64.95 | BUY

You’ve decided on where to seek the ultimate adventure thrill.

You’ve even secured your adventure gear through Matador Goods.

How do you satisfy your wanderlust while being conscious of your environment?

Wend Magazine’s mission is simple – inspire adventure.

By blending adventure sport and responsible travel through thought provoking stories and inspiring narratives, Wend Magazine seeks to cultivate environmentally responsible travelers within all of us.

The current issue of Wend Magazine transports you across the Andes Mountains through the treks of Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg, takes you canoeing along the Canadian Boreal with Frank Wolf, and also introduces you to some of the latest environmentally friendly products and green ideas.

Take a few moments to subscribe today, and enter the promotional code matador08 at the end of the online sign-up.

You’ll get a one-year subscription for just $21 and your subscriptions will support the Matador Network as well.

Yes! Your trusty CamelBak needs to be cleaned out regularly.

This prevents odors from forming as well as ‘tasty’ water.

There’s a kit to help you properly maintain your CamelBak’s water reservoir.

Enter the “Me No Speak” series.

A clever (and creative!) series designed by Cheryn Flanagan and Benjamin Kolowich,  the Me No Speak guides are picture books for adults with drawings of common, day-to-day items like cash, water, and transportation.

They also provide common phrases that will “help you eat, sleep, & get around… without bumbling your way through a hard-to-speak language” in a handy little pocket-sized book.

Why didn’t I think of this idea first?!

Price: $9.95 | Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Thai.

• Earphones
• Sync cable
• AC Adapter
• Remote control
• Sturdy storage bag

Also comes with a one-year limited warranty.

Grab your pack today.

Price: $42.99 | BUY

Features of this 1lb jacket include a completely waterproof nylon shell and interior MemBrain breathable layers to keep you dry and toasty. Its flash pockets are designed to keep essentials such as tickets and electronic media players safe.

Its DriClime-lined cuffs prevent water from sipping into your sleeves, and its zip-off rain hood keeps those tresses dry.

Who says you can’t wear light colors after labor day?! Also comes in black if you think otherwise!

Price: $199.00 (30% off – $139.96) | BUY

This is the ultimate convertible dress for traveling light.

You can wear this fabric in four different ways below:

• As a top paired with your favorite pants/jeans
• As a sleeveless dress for a night out
• As a long skirt for travel in conservative regions
• As a short skirt for hitting the beach

Made with jersey-knit (95% Rayon, 5% Spandex) and machine washable , this dress is also easy to maintain, and at less than $20, pretty affordable too.

Price: $17.99 | BUY

I’d previously reviewed the Keen Women’s Targhee II Mid Hiking Boots which kept my feet blister free while trekking the Inca Trail.

And its Keen Newport H2 carries on that tradition.

These quick drying sandals with antimicrobial footbeds allows sufficient ventilation and controls moisture and odors.

It is contoured to provide excellent support and is super comfy.

Men’s Sandals: $89.95 | BUY

Women’s Sandals: $89.95 | BUY

Now if only I knew how to play chess….

Price: $25.00 | BUY

The essential language guide for backpackers traveling around Europe, carrying around a copy of Berlitz’s European Phrase Book is invaluable.

Since you can travel to most European countries in just under 2 hours from neighboring countries, having a handy guide to quickly help you navigate the new locale easily pays for itself.

Languages covered include Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Be sure to grab your copy today!

Price: $8.95 | BUY

Look no further than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K digital camera. In fact, any of the Panasonic models will do.

Spitting out images that rival digital SLRs, its 9-megapixel resolution supports poster-sized prints. Consider the Nikon D40 Digital SLR camera has only 6.1-megapixels, this simple point-and-shoot camera supports 9-megapixels. It has a 10x optical Leica zoom lens with a new Panasonic Venus Engine that reduces noise, continous auto focus (AF) and face detection anywhere in the frame.

View your pictures on its 3.0-inch LCD and try one of many predefined shooting modes; from soft portrait to aerials to candlelight to night scenery; with its intelligent scene selector.

So it came as no surprise when fellow photographer Nerds Eye View and I unknowingly pulled out the same backup camera on a recent trip!

Price: $285.02 | BUY

Made with 450D polyester and a total weight of just 1lb 10oz, it holds up to 20 litres. Its Aeroflex suspension system makes it very light and breathable all the while being absolutely waterproof.

As part of its safety features, it includes a sternum strap with a built-in whistle in addition to reflective hits which illuminate you while biking or hiking in the dark.

Also works great as a light daypack for sightseeing while traveling.

Comes in one size, in black.

Price: $99.95 | BUY

Since most cameras come with the generic black cases that let everyone know you’re carrying a camera, you should consider investing in a nicer bag that protects your camera from potential theft.

And they don’t come any sexier that the Vituri Digital SLR Camera Bag!

Built with customizable compartments (Velco dividers allow you to rearrange the compartments for storage), it provides enough pockets to store batteries, extra memory, cleaning supplies and other essentials.

Professional looking, sturdy and quite roomy, it completely camouflages you when traveling.

I own this exact model and recommended it under 5 Essential Tips for the Budding Travel Photographer.

Now if only Amazon would stock them!.

Price: $34.84 | BUY from Walmart

It instantly converts (….well you manually zip it off….) from long pants to shorts to suit your weather-related needs.

With its integrated UPF 30 protection, this lightweight, portable pants keep you protected from harmful sun rays. Its Omni-Dry technology also keeps you cool in all the right places!.

Great for hiking, trekking, and general outdoor-related activities.

Even if roughing it outdoors isn’t your style, its convertible and multi-use nature lends itself nicely to light packing while backpacking.

Men’s Price: $69.95 | BUY

Women’s Price: $49.95 | BUY

Perusing the journal section, I was instantly enamored by Abroad’s wanderlust inducing cover design without even flipping through it!.

Aesthetically attractive, this rectangular-shaped travel journal authored by Julianne Balmain and illustrated by Bas de Graf is filled with great tools for organizing your journey.

It provides sleeves and pockets for plane and train tickets, a world map including timezones, sections for logging contact information of fellow travelers, pages for sample day-trip itineraries, a mini address book for hostel/hotel details and other pertinent information.

And of course, ample space for journal entries.

So far, I’ve been through 3 of these travel organizers and usually carry one on long trips abroad!

Price: $13.46 | BUY

Consider the Nikon D40 digital SLR. It’s the perfect camera for those testing the waters of digital photography as a serious hobby.

For less than $500 with prices slowly dropping every three months or so, this 6.1 megapixel camera comes with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX zoom lens, shoots 2.5 frames per second, and provides tons of in-camera processing options such as D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Trimming and Overlay functions, and an array of filter effects.

Shooting modes include Automatic, Auto (Flash Off), Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Child, Sports, Night Portrait, and a variety of manual settings.

Price: $474.06 | BUY

With its sleek design and light weight (only a few ounces), the Passport provides enough storage (320 gigabytes to be exact!) to store your high resolution, RAW format photographs as well as other documents.

A major plus of the Passport is that it requires no external power adapter and connects to your source device via a simple USB cable only.

If you’re taking a ton of pictures during your travels, be sure to make the Passport an integral part of your travel kit.

Price: $129.19 | BUY

With its base message being you can experience the sense of “being nowhere” anywhere, its travelers’ tales cover remote regions such as Timbuktu and Antarctica, as well as airports and more popular locations.

Featured travel writers include Pam Houston, Tim Cahill, Simon Winchester, Pico Iyer, and many more.

Grab your copy today!

Price: $11.24 | BUY

These compact cases are extremely portable and great for organizing items that need to stay dry while kayaking, canoeing, and swimming… you get the drift.

With a clear snap top and rubber liner, these attractive cases can also waterproof your toiletries and other personal items like keys and wallets while camping and hiking.

For outdoorsy ladies who still want to look cute while roughing it, they make great makeup cases!

Price: $17.50 | BUY

It wasn’t until days after a 45km trek to Machu Picchu that I realized I never got a single blister en route.

Thanks to Keen’s Targhee Hiking Boots. From moderate day hikes to multi-day challenging treks, this sturdy lightweight (just 1 lb 12 oz!) boot provides rock-solid traction and grip support on uneven, jagged terrain like the infamous stone steps of the Inca trail.

Excellent in damp conditions, its waterproof eVENT® liner evaporates internal moisture caused by perspiration while preventing outside moisture from soaking through the boot.

These super cute boots come in fancy color combinations like black olive/mineral blue, walnut, and deep lichen/rattan.

Remember to get one size larger than you’ll normally wear when buying hiking boots, and be sure to break them in a couple weeks before you set off on your treks.

Price: $119.95 – $120.00 | BUY