All photos by author Lola Akinmade

Here on Goods, we’re always on the lookout for multipurpose gear and gadgets that are stylish, practical, lightweight, and more importantly, affordable (think $100 or less). With Meray Arnett bag prices ranging between $95 and $195, I wasn’t so sure.

However, our readers range economically from budget-conscious backpackers to six-figure earners, and are willing to dole out money on high quality, eco-friendly, durable products. So I agreed to review the convertible tote (cheapest on the list) from Meray Arnett.

Background

Meray Arnett is a designer line of lightweight and versatile handbags ergonomically designed for shoulder comfort.

Their product line includes backpacks, clutches, crossbody (messenger bags), hobos, and tote bags.

The black review copy of the clutch I received is made from a very lightweight yet very durable satin nylon material that appears to be water-resistant.

Its sexy nylon material (I could seriously run my fingers over it all day long) makes it suitable for all seasons. There are no main zippers closing the bag, only a magnetic snap closure which surprisingly seals it quite well. The clutch comes in 3 color combinations: black/white, black/grey, and beige/red.

As one would expect from custom designer brands, when it comes to top-notch quality, this attractive foldover clutch scored a couple girlie points right out of the box.

The Test

Billing itself as a convertible bag “perfect” for travelers that turns into a tote for daytrips to cafés and a clutch for latenight partying, I stuffed its tote-side with a few magazines and other items one would trek around a city with for a day.

Its two inner and outer pockets are just large enough to fit ID cards, a small Moleskin journal, and other items like lipgloss, money, and chewing gum.

As a tote, it’s large enough to fit a small compact camera, a novel, a journal, and other daytripping supplies such as snacks, but not large enough to comfortably fit magazines.

When I think “tote bag”, I think “big enough for newspapers and magazines.” As an cute clutch purse, it scored high marks.

As a tote? Not so much and I’ll explain why later on below.

What I Loved

The foldover clutch is a sexy product. Plain and simple. Its elegance coupled with featherlightness (it barely adds weight to your luggage) makes it such an attractive accessory for those of us who like to keep our sense of personal style (translation -> stay fab) while traveling.

Room for Improvement

While the width of the clutch is more than sufficient, its height as a tote doesn’t work well for storing and concealing items larger than paperbacks, such as travel magazines which many travelers tend to pick up on the road. Making the clutch a bag that actually folds over twice might address this.

The Bottom Line

Would I realistically travel with this bag? Absolutely.

Besides being cotton-candy light (well, relatively) and chic, it can be used in different ways to suit different occasions, and would make a sweet gift for a female traveler you know (guaranteed).

And like buying a sturdy Samsonite suitcase, I’m willing to dole out money for long-lasting quality.

Price: $95 | BUY at www.merayarnett.com

“While hiking the Abel Tasman trail in New Zealand with my travel buddy, whom I met in New Zealand, we took a short break on the first day to rest our feet and enjoy the beach.” Photo by Justin Bachus

This week’s winner: Justin Bachus!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

Photo by Robert Thomson.

From Charyn

People frequently ask me what I pack in my travel first aid kit. I tweak the contents of my kit depending upon the destination, availability of pharmaceutical supplies and foreseeable medical services.

Believe it or not, everything on this list fits into a fairly small zipped container, with the exception of prescription drugs, which I always put in my carry on luggage – just in case.

Since most of my volunteer projects for The Global Citizen Project are in impoverished places, I plan to take this locked and loaded version of my travel first aid kit to all the destinations.

Once there, I can pick and choose what I may need on a daily basis and stash a short list of items in my day pack (in a Ziplock bag to play it weather safe). So far, I haven’t run into a situation where I’ve needed something not on this grandmaster list.

Since I’m always eager to improve my Girl Scout-like packing and travel skills, please share any can’t-live-without first aid items I should add to my kit.

* Ace bandage

* American Red Cross Adult CPR with First Aid card

* Antifungal cream

* Aspirin

* Bandaids (various sizes)

* Benadryl (pill and cream form)

* Cloth tape

* Condoms (if sexually active)

* EpiPen

* First aid antiseptic

* Gauze All Purpose Dressings (4” x 4”)

* Hand sanitizer

* Ibuprofin

* Insect repellent (EcoSMART when malaria/dengue fever isn’t an issue; Ben’s Deet when it is)

* International Certificate of Vaccination (a.k.a. the “Yellow Card”)

* Latex gloves

* Lighter

* One size fits all cough/cold medicine

* Pearls Probiotics

* Prescriptions (Cipro for diarrhea, Ambien for insomnia, Doxycycline as a malaria preventative, altitude meds when necessary)

* Scissors

* Sunscreen (since I’m on Doxycycline for the year and sun sensitivity is a side effect, I pack SPF 50 and above)

* SteriPEN

* Superglue

* Syringes (various sizes, prescribed by travel doctor)

* Temparin One Step Lost Filling Repair

* Tweezers

* World Nomads travel insurance

Community Connection

Do you know you could turn food into first aid? In case you do fall ill while traveling, here are 10 common travel health problems and how to handle them.

My first aid travel kit consists of a couple band aids, and maybe mosquito repellent if I remember. What’s in your first aid kit when you travel? Tell us below.

1. Seems innocent enough, right?… According to photographer Nathal, “Dutch souvenirs with Denmark painted on them. Weird.”

2. “Mr. Perfect..He says what you want to hear”…Photo by UTAC New York Trip

3. One sad looking panda bear…Photo by jetalone

4. A Halloween costume idea from Hungary…Photo by m-louis

5. A weird hybrid camel-like tortoise…or is that a baby tortoise on its back? Either way, still an odd looking fellow…Photo by matsuyuki

6. Dripping boob-looking candy? pastries?…Photo by jetalone

7. According to photographer LunaMoth116, “The “Eiffel Cower”! I guess…I mean, how else do you explain it?”

8. Based on the happy fish drawings on the packet, I’m guessing a not-so-happy fish product….Photo by htby

9. Photographer Nagyman picked up this keychain at a stationery store: a smoking baby “…complete with tarred lungs!”

10. Because you actually need both to complete the outfit…Photo by Adam Jones, PhD

11. “Admit it. You are totally jealous of my bottle kilt.”…Photo by Meggrs

12. A Mt. Fuji Jelly Bean…Isn’t that dangerous? Could easily slice open the roof of one’s mouth…Photo by jetalone

13. Shop for dead cows along with Indian pottery and moccasins…Photo by Pocheco

14. Photographer ainudil didn’t get it either.

15. Needs no explanation…Photo by markehr

16. Pirate bear finger puppet. Kind of cute actually…Photo by theogeo

17. Souvenir from Austria…Photo by Jay Cross

18. Dracula mugs from (you guessed it)…Romania…Photo by martijn.munneke

19. And how is Niagara Falls water different? Please advise…Photo by Paul Young

20. Some pissed off owls from Russia…Photo by hirotomo

*Feature photo by nicolasnova.

Community Connection

Souvenirs don’t have to be tacky. Here are 5 Creative Ideas for Souvenirs – Set I and 5 More Creative Ideas for Souvenirs – Set II.

Got a funny souvenir photo you’d like to share? Please add a link to it below in the comments or email it to lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com to be considered for our next photo essay.

“Namibia, Africa. Child at heart.” Photo by Sheila Moloney

This week’s winner: Sheila Moloney!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

All photos by Lola Akinmade.

The email I got from National Geographic’s Maps Division began like this, “…so in recent conversations with Julie and Michelle at Matador, I understand you know a thing or two about maps! ”

They instantly scored two points for tapping right into my soft spot – beautifully crafted, superb quality cartographic maps. Before diving head first into the world of travel writing and photography, I built, designed, developed, and integrated maps for 14+ years, first as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programmer, and finally as a GIS System Architect before resigning last year.

Photo by author

I lived and breathed maps for years. Geography had always been my favorite subject and still is.

So when I received a complimentary stack of pretty National Geographic maps to review, I instantly morphed into a child at a candy store, wondering which pack of gummy bears or Smarties to dig into first.

I remember running little fingers over country boundaries, subconsciously outlining my future path and vowing to tread those lands in my lifetime, God willing.

Could I truly write an unbiased review of a company I’ve so admired since my childhood days in Nigeria?

The Booty

The following set of maps arrived:

• U. S. Scenic Drives road map and travel guide, part of their GuideMap™ series
• Washington, D.C. DestinationMap ™ city map and travel guide
• Southeastern United States GuideMap ™ road map and travel guide
• Shenandoah National Park , VA Trails Illustrated Map
• TOPO! 4 Outdoor Recreation Mapping Software for the Mid-Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia

I immediately went straight for the DC city map, which included all the obvious details such as points of interest and their descriptions, a map of the transit system, a reference legend, and distance scale. An added bonus were a map of Alexandria, Virginia, illustrations of both airports – Dulles and Reagan National – as well as 3D renditions of the tourist attractions so you actually knew what the buildings looked like and if you were approaching them from the right direction.

Photo by author

With traditional paper maps, my pet peeves had been overlapping text as well as easy-rip material (they were made from paper after all) that seemed to tear at inopportune times.

The cartographic quality of these maps in terms of text rendering, resolving text overlap, symbology, feature layering, and labeling are on point. They’re also made from some durable glossy elastic paper material that seemed darn near impossible to rip…and believe me, I tried.

If anything, the maps kept stretching creepily as I tried pulling them apart; which seems to back up their waterproof claims too.

TOPO! Outdoor Recreation Mapping Software

The software was easy to install in 4 steps. I just clicked Next->Next->Install->Finish, and that was it. After entering the complimentary serial number, a screen requesting I enter my mapXchange account information popped up. This account allows you to download all types of maps – USGS Topo Quads and GDT Street maps – to use within the software. You can also choose to sign up for an account later as the software comes with 6 disks worth of map data to use.

Photo by author

Similar to the way an accountant knows his way around a spreadsheet, I felt quite at home within TOPO! The software comes with a slew of GIS tools – from finding locations and coordinates to importing GPS points and creating 3D flyovers of landscapes. You can use the software to plot out your own personal recreational hiking and camping maps, and (I suspect) a whole lot more.

The initial map activating sequences might be confusing for the casual map user, and some of the panning tools such as Centering Tool and Traveling Tool could be merged into one continuous “Move Around” hand tool which would be more natural to navigate.

While I definitely don’t see our regular Matador readers particularly using TOPO! (Unless you really dig drilling down into the nitty-gritty yourself), this software is more useful for those with a little bit of GIS experience and are well versed with navigating and deciphering outdoor maps.

Photo by author

The Practical Stuff

There’s a reason why book publishers keep churning out paperbacks and hardcovers by the hundreds every month. Physically flipping through pages of a book still feels more natural than scrolling down an e-book or Amazon Reader.

Plain and simple.

The same goes for paper maps. Sure, GPS units are extremely popular and location apps on smart phones are being downloaded by the second (statistics not verified), there’s nothing like unfurling a paper map in a new city and plotting out your next route; very much feeling like an explorer in your own way; tourist-in-the-street look aside.

A major plus if you’re also unfurling your map under the pouring rain.

While I may not sway you from your trusty iPhone apps, in-car Garmin unit, or Blackberry maps, if anything, buy these NG maps as collector’s items. Think vintage in a couple years. Plus, check out National Geographic’s World Atlas iPhone App which Michelle reviewed, and download some candy-sweet cartographic goodness to your iPhone.

Price: $7.95 – $11.95 | BUY online at National Geographic Maps

Photo by Tara Russell.

Who needs a laptop? Spotted this guy at Starbucks with his entire desktop – CPU, monitor and all – loaded up on a cart.

Netbooks are for wusses, apparently. This guy means business.

Tara Russell is a Life Sabbatical & Long-term Travel Coach whose mission is to empower people to change their lives (and ultimately the world at large,) through meaningful international travel and volunteer experiences.

Community Connection

Got an interesting, funny, offbeat technology or gear-related photo to share? Please send it to lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com with a brief backstory.

All photos by author.

After traveling for days on end with limited access to laundry facilities, it’s safe to say that accumulating lingering stench is inevitable. While I’m more than guilty of spraying whiffs of perfume into funk-filled sneakers and onto dirty clothes to mask odor, I’m usually on the lookout for more natural remedies or products like Febreze intended for such cover ups.

But first, the marketing spiel – Fresh Wave ® products are eco-friendly and are made from natural ingredients such as lime, pine needles, aniseed, clove, soya, and cedar wood. This blend of ingredients allows the products to neutralize smoke, mildew, musty clothes, and other relatively unpleasant smells.

Instead of masking odors, Fresh Wave ® says its products use “the power of nature to neutralize them.” If you’re interested, here’s the nitty-gritty chemistry behind their battle between nature and stench:

The science behind Fresh Wave odor neutralizer is its natural molecules. By carrying an electrostatic charge on their surface, these molecules attract and bind malodorous particles. Once saturated, the Fresh Wave molecules fall away, effectively neutralizing the odor.

So when Fresh Wave® sent me a couple complimentary odor neutralizing products geared towards travelers to test, I knew exactly what to try them out on…my 12-year old beat-up Adidas running shoes.

Anyways, I tore into a pine needles-scented packaging box to unveil a sexy bag of gel beads (Pearl Packs), a 2-oz travel sized spray bottle, and an aromatic soy-based candle. Each pungent sachet of odor destroying beads was enough to take out an entire army with its heavy smell.

Maybe I’m not as outdoorsy as I think I am, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the pine-y goodness that instantly filled up the room.

I pulled out my running shoes, which were thankfully stinky on cue, and tossed a satchel of beads into each shoe, leaving them to simmer overnight.

The Results

By daybreak, I removed both sachets of pearls from the shoes, clearly baffled by their superhuman regenerating capabilities. Their scent seemed even stronger than the day before, and my stinky shoes had been neutralized into submission.

The pearl beards are designed to last for 30 days without losing strength and I wholeheartedly believe they do.

Sexy packaging? Check.

Effective? Check.

Efficient? Check.

But that odor?

Though the pearls are non-toxic and free of harsh chemicals, the word “unscented” on the packaging seemed confusing as they clearly contain extracts of lime, pine needles, aniseed, clove, and cedarwood.

If heavily-made up attendants wielding perfume bottles at malls freak you out, this set of odor neutralizing products, no matter how natural their scents, will definitely overwhelm you.

Other Fresh Wave® products include jars of neutralizing crystals, carpet shake powder, vacuum pearls which go into your vacuum cleaner bags, a multi-purpose liquid additive that can be added to laundry to remove odors, and a slew of other items.

Price: $8.95 – $150.00 I BUY at Fresh Wave Online

“Learning to live the HybridLife at an early age, thanks to her KEEN sandals!” Photo by Alicia Macemon

This week’s winner: Alicia Macemon!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

Feature photo by Cosmic Kitty. Photo above by Loozrboy.

I find dollar stores quite intriguing with their fluorescent-lit aisles of cheap plastic trinkets and dubiously named products that regularly feature on Jay Leno’s Headlines.

Yet on occasion, I’ve found one or two little plastic containers or pouches that have proven useful during trips.

So, I would love to run a photo essay here on Goods that showcases usable, lightweight travel items you can get for $1 (well…less than $5) at your local dollar store.

How to Participate

1) Visit your local dollar store with your camera or cellphone in tow.

2) Look for items you think might actually work as travel gear and snap away.

3) Email your photos to lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com with captions.

4) Please make sure your photos are at least 960 pixels wide/high on its longest side.

Please send in your photos by Friday, July 16th.

Maji delivering water to local families in Nicaragua. Photos courtesy of Maji Water.

And Maji Water is the latest in feel good products we’ve discovered.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Maji Water bottles spring water sourced from protected natural springs at Saint-Elie-De-Claxton, Quebec.

How It Works

Maji Water currently runs three missions in Nicaragua, India, and Darfur. When you purchase a 500ml bottle of Maji Water, up to 1.5 liters of water will be donated to one of their community-based missions.

Here’s an excerpt from their work in India:

The World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water.

In India, diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths daily – equivalent to the total number of passengers in 8 jumbo jets.

Rural India needs more access to clean drinkable water today.

With the help of the diaspora, MAJI is working on sustainable solutions to provide potable water to communities in rural India.

Unfortunately Maji Water is only available in local Montreal stores. While you can order biodegradable boxes of water via their website, driving 2 minutes to your grocery store may seem more practical.

However, Maji Water supports a solid cause – providing fresh drinking water to marginalized communities – and if you can’t get their own brand of water, grab another brand from your local grocery store that actively supports a similar cause.

Price: 6-Pack ($5.99), 12-Pack ($9.99), 24-Pack ($19.99) | Shop Online

Photo by Mat Packer.

Long gone are the days when a basic flip-open cellphone and laptop sufficed for our daily technical needs. If the multi-block line of customers I saw on CNN waiting for the newest iPhone is any indication, our definition of technical “needs” is constantly expanding.

Ironically, as we amass more technology and gear, we’re also touting various lightweight minimalistic approaches to packing for travel.

Hence, the dilemma – Which gadgets to pack for lightweight travel?

In his NYT piece titled Packing the Right Gadgets to Go, Farhad Manjoo shares packing tips for different types of travel; touching on various topics such as charging gear, making phone calls, accessing Wi-Fi, using e-readers, and taking photos.

For example, a single adapter can be used to charge a myriad of gadgets such as camera, smart phones, e-readers, and laptops.

Depending on your trip, it’s always a good idea to take along a few extra cables, adapters and other accessories. For foreign travel, a power adapter — to charge your camera, phone, e-reader and other gadgets — is a must.

How about the universal question of keeping in touch while traveling?

Manjoo suggests using Skype and setting up a call forwarding number. If you plan on making tons of local calls, consider purchasing a SIM card on location which gives you your own local number to use.

For leisure travel, Manjoo suggests the iPad because it’s the “perfect way to read books and watch movies on the go.”

But if you plan to write the great American novel while visiting Parisian cafes, take along a small Bluetooth keyboard (Apple makes a nice one) to connect to your iPad; even with the keyboard, the iPad setup is easier to carry in a satchel or large purse than most notebooks.

Overall, Manjoo’s article provides good packing tips for various travel scenarios – leisure, business, foreign – and more.

For me though, I’ll rather shrink my definition of technical “needs” and stick with my little flip-open cellphone and $30 MP3 player for now.

Which gadgets do you usually carry with you when travelling? Check out the Matador Team’s favorite gadgets.

“Kayaking the Wailua River on the Island of Kauai (and yes, I am wearing my Keens).” Photo by Chris Lynn

This week’s winner: Chris Lynn!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

“Blowing bubbles at a peak on the famous Kepler Track of Milford Sound, NZ.” Photo by Tyson Schutz

This week’s winner: Tyson Schutz!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

Move over Swiss Army knives, this Chinese Military Shovel is the only multipurpose tool you’ll need for your travels.

With this single compact lightweight tool, you can shovel, dig, saw, cut, slice, chop potatoes, peel fruit, measure distances, use it as a scissors, climb, use it as an anchor, shield against an attacker, grapple, hammer nails, pull nails, open bottles, use it as a can opener, tighten cable wires, use it as a pickaxe, hanger, prier, as boating oars (if you’ve got two), as an isolation belt, as a hoe, to set up tents…

No joke.

Watch the video below which comes complete with its own 80s superhero soundtrack.

Visit ZGWNJQ for more (if you can read Chinese).

Weighing in at 3.6 oz and with the size of a portable USB drive, the lightweight SteriPEN purification system is a practical tool for traveling in hygienically-challenging locations.

With this nifty pen, you can sterilize half a liter of water in under 50 seconds.

It also comes with an optional solar charging case, should you find yourself outdoors in backcountry woods with no way of replacing its batteries.

The filter uses two non-rechargeable, disposable CR123 batteries and comes with a custom-fit neoprene pouch.

More details on the SteriPEN water filter:

Weight: 105g/3.6 oz. with batteries.

Size: 6.1″ high – 4.75 cubic inch volume

Battery: Uses two CR123 batteries (included)

Battery life: Disposable — 100 treatments (16oz./0.5L); Rechargeable — 40-50 treatments (16oz./0.5L)

We’re giving away a free SteriPEN water purification kit!

AND THE WINNER IS…

@Eblandina

We will be contacting her to send her a SteriPEN filter.

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

” Waiting for the big waves to roll in, after hiking into a remote beach on the coast of Vancouver Island.” – Photo by Avery Deboer

This week’s winner: Avery Deboer!

KEEN believes in encouraging people to balance what is important to them – playing in the outdoors, caring for the world around them, creating something new. It’s about living a HybridLife and being part of a greater community.

How can you win a pair of KEEN shoes? Just upload a picture of yourself living your HybridLife and check back every Monday for the next eight weeks to see if you’ve won!

The Daily Mail reports that the latest in bulge-battling technology has been developed by a Harvard biomedical engineer. Professor David Edwards has invented a chocolate spray that you inhale to help curb your chocolate craving.

According to Edwards, “..when you breathe the chocolate into your mouth, it dissolves immediately and coats the tongue and taste buds.”

His invention called “Le Whif,” (an ingenious name I might add) comes in a lipstick-size tube which contains only 8-10 puffs of chocolate scent depending on how much you puff.

More from the Daily Mail:

Critics question whether the experience of biting into a bar of chocolate can really be replaced by a pocket-sized aerosol.

They also point out that the smell of food usually heightens appetite, rather than suppressing it.

Louise Thomas, a chocolate consultant who runs tasting events, said that ‘whiffing’ would not confer the many health benefits associated with eating dark chocolate.

Word on the street is that Edwards has also developed a coffee Le Whif version and according to Daily Mail, “…is working with Michelin-starred French chef Thierry Marx to create new varieties, including aerosol spices, cheeses and liqueurs.”

Classic Le Whif is available in pure chocolate, raspberry chocolate and mint chocolate flavors.

At $2.50 a pop to “smell” chocolate, I might as well just skip a meal and buy a 99 cent king size Twix candy bar from a gas station.

Buy: Le Whif Chocolate and Coffee | $2.50

Have you tried sniffing a food item instead of consuming it to curb a craving? Did it work?

Photo by jenny downing.

Every week TravelBlogs.com reaches out to a couple travel bloggers, soliciting their advice or thoughts on various topics such as Travel Snobbery and To Haggle or Not To Haggle in panel discussions.

In the crowdsourced piece, 18 Things You Don’t Need on Your Packing List, bloggers listed a slew of items from soap and too much underwear (guilty as charged!) to books and jewelry (you mean no one carries a complete set of pearls too?!).

Here are some of my favorite answers:

Too much underwear. Or any cotton underwear.

Nikolas Tjhin from Unearthing Asia: On my last big trip, I learned that I didn’t need to pack my normal cotton underwears for the trip. I got myself some paper underwear which were good for one time use, and that was a great help I intend to follow next time I’m on a trip. It helps because I can live with wearing a slightly dirty shirt and or pants, but an underwear that’s not clean is just gross.

Zip-off convertible trousers

Geoff from Itinerant Londoner: The most common packing mistake I regularly see other travellers make is to bring those zip-off convertible trousers. Why such a mistake? Well, it’s quite simple. They make you look like an idiot.

Soap

Shelly Rivoli from Travels with Baby: An entire industry has been created for little boxes to carry your personal soap as you travel. But when’s the last time you needed an entire bar of soap on a trip? Generally speaking, soap is inexpensive and easy to come by.

It’s even free at most hotels (they want clean people in their beds!). I’m always curious to see what the soap will be like where I am headed: the aroma, the shape, the lather. It’s all part of the travel experience, no to be missed.

High expectations

Bonnie Brewster from The London Spy: It’s better to be pleasantly surprised once you arrive rather than expect too much from a city you’ve never explored.

For the complete list of unnecessary items, check out Travelblogs.com.

Community Connection

Wondering what you should actually pack? Check out our What’s In Your Backpack? series and 10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing.

I’ve always been a fan of maintaining one’s personal fashion sense while traveling and often strive to publish more pieces like 10 Items Women Should Pack To Stay Fashionable On The Road here on Matador Goods.

Our newest find in travel clothing for women is fashion label, Vogel10 (previously known as Park Vogel). Vogel10 has launched a new line of lightweight, versatile high-end travel clothing for “smart, jet-setting folk.”

Their concept is based on 10 pieces of essential apparel and accessories – assorted sweaters, tank tops, bottoms, skirts, necklaces, and many more – that can be mixed and matched to form a myriad of styling options.

And to keep their clothing line fresh, each month, Vogel10’s collection changes to give you fresh new alternatives. The Preview option on their site shows you creative ways in which you can wear each month’s combinations.

Vogel10 is the brainchild of Vanessa Vogel, a former costume designer whose work has appeared in movies such as Good Will Hunting and Indecent Proposal. She believes women truly only need 10 versatile pieces to make a fully functional wardrobe. “That’s why I created Vogel10 to feature high quality, off-beat basics and essential accessories at more affordable prices, ” she says.

Below are Vanessa’s 10 basic items she wears:

• 3 – Tees
• 2 – Sweaters
• 1 – Dress
• 1 – Pair of pants
• 1 – Necklace
• 1 – Bag
• 1 – Pair of shoes

This is really what I wear every week in some variation; the thin t-shirts are key for me because I can layer and still be comfortable….Vanessa Vogel

Items from her clothing line aren’t dirt cheap. Tops and camisoles start from roughly $50 per item with necklaces costing upwards of $170 each.

For more on Vogel10, visit their website or follow their blog.

And here at Matador, we’ve covered jet lag extensively; from outlining 13 ways of avoiding jet lag to reviewing the book, The Cure for Jet Lag; so you’re armed with some solutions.

Yet, the ultimate cure seems elusive.

If all natural remedies have failed you, and you happen to own an iPhone, now you can finally fight jet lag with technology, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic.

Teaming up with the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, Virgin Atlantic has released the Jet Lag Fighter; an app that is compatible with both iPhones and iPads.

To fight jet lag using the…well… Fighter, you’ll first need to type in your flight details as well as a few personal details like age, sex, and any history of insomnia (or sleep patterns). The app then does some crunching and spits out a jet lag fighting itinerary with exact times of day to do some basic activities like sleeping and exercising.

It also tells you when to seek out some light or when to avoid it altogether along with a predictor that tells you exactly which day and time your jet lag will be eliminated.

Assuming you don”t cheat.

Price: $1.99 | BUY

Named after a Finnish city, Kuru Footwear’s shoes are the “world’s most anatomical” in terms of fit and design.

I recently reviewed Kuru slip-ons while traveling in Nigeria, and now, we’re giving away a free pair (valued between $79.97-$89.97) to one (1) lucky winner.

The winner will take their pick of men’s or women’s sizes from the following slip-ons: Drafts, Rapid, or Slipstream.

To enter our Twitter contest, be sure to read our previous Kuru Draft review and you’ll find the answer to our question below.

AND THE WINNER IS…

@bboutside

We will be contacting her to send her a free pair of Kuru slip-ons.

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

Measuring in at 7 feet long comes the latest breakthrough in sleeping bag technology called the ChumBuddy. Hand crafted with care using soft fleece fabric and 30 lbs of poly fill material, this bag also doubles up as a plush stuffed toy for kids.

According to designer PatchTogether,

In an effort to make sharks (a very misunderstood animal that also happens to be one of my favorites) more cuddly, I designed and produced a prototype for the ChumBuddy.

So do you think this is an ingenious idea?

Well, the Huffington Post thinks otherwise, citing:

What child wants this? No offense to the creator, as it’s an ingenious design, but we repeat: what child wants this? Kids have enough problems being afraid of the dark (there was even a SNICK show dedicated to this subject matter), so we can’t imagine there’s a kid out there begging their parents for the sleeping bag that will devour them in their sleep.

That said, if such a kid does exist (and we hope he doesn’t), make sure he gets this “Chumbuddy” – he’s not someone you want to cross. (via Patch Together)

And what do I think?

Anything that reminds me I’m merely flesh and bones that can be gobbled up by an animal just like I tear into grilled chicken churns my stomach…pun intended.

Price: $199.95 | Estimated Shipping Date: 4th Quarter, 2010

Community Connection

For more wacky creations, check out:

Grow Moss In Your Bathroom
Bang Bang The Egg Toaster
Build Your Own Secret Door Knock

All photos courtesy of Yanko Design

While this gadget has nothing to do with travel (unless you’re willing to lug one around), I love hopping over to the conceptual design site, Yanko Design to find out what wacky new designs they’re currently working on. Created by Loo Chi Di, Bang Bang is an egg steamer designed to look like corals and sponges from the ocean. Eggs are placed into allotted holes and steamed.

When they’re ready, they pop up just like toast.

The diagram below illustrates Bang Bang at work.

All photos courtesy of Yanko Design

Once you’ve got perfectly poached eggs, why not couple them with some slices of smiling toast fresh out of the Smile Cooking Toaster designed by Xu Yan Xiang?

All photos courtesy of Yanko Design

Community Connection

Looking for more gadgets? Check out our Travel Gadgets focus page.

Photo of Chris by Stephanie Zito.

Writer, traveler, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed lifelong learner, Chris Guillebeau is living the quintessential location independent lifestyle. His extremely popular project, The Art of Non-conformity (AONC) is followed by roughly 35,000 readers, and according to him,

The Art of Non-Conformity (AONC) project chronicles my writing on how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time. In the battle against conventional beliefs, I focus on three areas: Life, Work, and Travel.

So what does a man on a quest to visit every single country carry around with him? Matador caught up with Chris to find out what his top five items are on his packing list.

From Chris

Running Shoes

These take up the biggest space in my bag, but I don’t want to be without them. I run 4-5 days a week at home and 2-3 days a week while on the road. On my last trip, I remembered the shoes but forgot my running shorts. Oops — but thankfully I had some Lufthansa pajama pants that I put to good use out on the pavement.

Hipster GTD System

I use a $3.79 notebook as my main source of outlining ideas and creating to-do lists. To be fair, I’m on my laptop several hours a day as well, but the best ideas tend to start in the notebook.

Verizon MiFi

I’m not a big tech guy, but being able to get online is critical for my work. Having the MiFi is the best technology investment I’ve made. For now, the MiFi works only in the U.S. and Canada, so it’s not of much use on international trips — but I’m hoping for a global version at some point.

Important Looking Papers

This includes my Passport, Backup Passport, International Driver’s License, Proof of Yellow Fever Immunization, etc. Once in Nigeria, I forgot to bring the immunization record, and I was coming back across the land border to Benin.

A nurse friend who shall remain anonymous agreed to forge one for me. The funny part was that it was a child’s form, so it asked for the names of both my parents and how tall I was. The guy at the border gave it a strange look — but let me through.

Amenity Kit Collection

On a typical round-the-world journey, I’ll collect 5-10 different airline amenity kits. I then give them away to blog readers, to the audience whenever I speak somewhere, or to surprised hostel and bar staff who didn’t expect to be blessed with an Air New Zealand or Singapore Airlines washroom bag.

More on Chris Guillebeau

Photo of Chris by Robert Gash.

Chris served as a volunteer executive for a medical charity in West Africa from 2002-2006.

He gave keynote speeches to presidents, hung out with warlords, and learned far more in those four years than anything he learned in college.

After his time in West Africa came to an end in 2006, he went to Seattle for a graduate program in International Studies at the University of Washington.

He enjoyed his studies, but enjoyed travel even more – during every break between quarters, he traveled independently to countries like Burma, Uganda, Jordan, Macedonia, and 20 more.

So far he’s been to more than 100 countries…

Continue reading more about Chris and AONC

This list of 20 useless and impractical travel gadgets rounded up by Vagabondish in 2007 remains a classic and one of my favorites.

Whether it’s the “Pillowig”, a travel pillow you wear on your head like a wig or the Nordic Bearded Cap pictured above, there’s at least one item on the list guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.

Other items include a mobile smoking shelter hat (confused? me too, check out this link), wearable sleeping bag, a weather forecasting umbrella, a vending machine camouflage you can actually wear, and a Wi-Fi network detector t-shirt.

To view the complete list of items, click over and read Vagabondish’s Top 20 Useless Travel Gadgets piece.

And oh! to learn more about personalized airline seat covers, check out this video:

Photo by Fergus Randall.

From using dental floss as thread to storing your jewelry in ice cube trays, Woman’s Day rounded up 15 clever ways you can reuse everyday household items.

Here are excerpts from the piece:

Transform old magazines into wrapping paper - Don’t just recycle your old wrapping paper. Turn a flashy fashion spread or a pretty gardening page into cheap and chic gift wrap.

Clean your toilet with Alka Seltzer – So you’re having friends for dinner in 20 minutes, and you’ve just noticed your grimy toilet? No worries, drop in a couple of tablets Alka Seltzer, leave for ten minutes then easily wipe scum away! The fizzing action of Alka Seltzer works as a powerful cleaning agent, so you don’t have to get your hands dirty.

Use dryer sheets to freshen stinky shoes – Good News: You’re making good on your promise to hit the gym every day. Bad news: You’re running shoes and gym bag smell to high heaven! Until you can give them a good wash this weekend, air out those bad boys by stuffing dryer sheets in them and leaving over night. The sheets will absorb the odor so you can hit the gym tomorrow, odor free!

Read the entire article here.

Community Connection

For more ideas on how to reuse common everyday items, check out 5 Ways to Use Dental Floss While Traveling and 10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing.

Valued at roughly $800, the latest Everio GZ-HM550BUS is a dual memory Full High Definition (HD) camcorder complete with Bluetooth compatibility. Videos are recorded at 10.6 megapixels (MP) quality while still digital photographs are snapped at a resolution of 9.3 MP.

Its Bluetooth compatibility allows you to use the following devices as a remote control for the camcorder, as well as use headsets as an audio recorder:

RIM

• BlackBerry Bold 9000
• BlackBerry Curve 8900
• BlackBerry Curve 8310

HTC

• Touch Diamond
• Touch Pro

You can geo-tag videos and photographs by using the camcorder with a GPS device to record location data. According to JVC, “…the data synchronizes with Google Earth™ when viewing the file on a PC using the bundled Everio MediaBrowser software.”

Its dual memory offering comes with a 32GB internal storage as well as external SD memory card support.

More on the GZ-HM550:

• Super LoLux improves low-light sensitivity to capture clear images with precise colors even in low-light environments.
• KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS – currently one of the world’s smallest and slimmest HD lenses – offers 16x dynamic zoom without any degradation of picture quality.
• 10.62 megapixel Back-illuminated CMOS sensor enables shooting of 1920 x 1080 Full HD videos and real nine megapixel digital stills.
• Time-lapse recording allows recording in intervals ranging from one to 80 seconds. When played back, hours-long segments will be reduced to mere seconds.

AND THE WINNER IS….

Catherine – @catauskali

We will contact her to send her one (1) free JVC Camcorder.

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

Photo by author.

Touted as producing the “world’s most anatomical” active shoes, Utah-based Kuru Footwear aims to create shoes that are supportive and mold to your feet, providing more natural treading. Named after the Finnish city, Kuru, the company’s styles are inspired by Scandinavian design which tends to be simplistic yet versatile.

By employing its patented KuruSole™ midsole technology, each shoe custom-molds itself to the wearer’s foot, providing optimal comfort and support.

Kuru offers both women’s and men’s lines with a variety of slip-on, water resistant, hiking and walkabout shoes. When asked to review their footwear, I opted for the odd looking Java/Olive Draft slip-on and promptly let Kuru know I’ll be putting their midsole technology to the test in back road villages in Nigeria.

The Location

Traveling around with Nigerian-based NGO, C.H.I.E.F, we were visiting tiny communities and villages along the Lekki Peninsula which separates Lagos Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean.

On a visit to one particular fishing village along the lagoon, I slipped into my Kuru Drafts to see how they’d hold up. With a terrain spotting various fishy-smelling gutters and pungently stinky runoffs as well as mushy wetlands and swamps, completely covering one’s feet when navigating environments like fishing villages is a must.

And the last thing you want is your shoe to be left behind as you leap across backed up drainage, causing an undesirable fall.

What Worked

The Draft is a lot more lightweight than it looks. I immediately noticed the Draft’s glove-like quality once I slipped it on. It wraps around your foot as if welded on.

Next, I vigorously shook my right foot to see if the slip-on shoe would indeed slip-off, and it held on for dear life.

As I moved around the village, walking around the jetty, surrounding vegetation, and on wet soil, its padded soles made me feel like I was practically gliding over various types of ground: from dry beach sands to concrete and wet mud, without paying close attention to where I was walking; usually a no-no in unfamiliar territory.

What Didn’t

Like many hiking shoes, Kuru soles run half a size smaller so if you wear a women’s size 9, you’ll need to buy size 9.5 or even 10, depending on the shape of your feet. While this isn’t a huge issue, potential buyers need to read the fine print when ordering their shoes so they don’t get sizes too small.

Also, in hot and humid locations such as sub-Saharan Africa, donning Kurus all day, no matter how comfortable they are, will make your feet warm and after a long time, borderline uncomfortable due to the heat. So full-covering Kurus are best for more moderate climates.

Final Grade: A-

The very fact that I vigorously shook my foot and the shoe didn’t slip off was more than enough to give Kuru an A+ for its design. Coupled with the super comfort and support it provides, Kuru makes some solid soles.

I can easily see myself running around in these shoes: from daily grocery store runs and city treks to longer travel stints.

The Draft comes in four color styles: Black, Blue, Orange, and Java/Olive. Check out more detailed specifications on Kuru Draft slip-ons.

Price: $89.97 | Visit Website

Photo by acme.

For a recent trip, I needed to pick up a few phrases of Hungarian quickly. One look at Magyar text, and I knew there was no way I was going to memorize those phrases in time for my trip.

I needed something quick and practical…a pocket-sized guide that won’t add any extra weight to my gear. So I searched for “printable language guides” and came up with this site, single-serving.com.

Single Serving provides quick access to printable PDF files of basic phrases you need to know in various languages: from essential salutations and expressions of gratitude to asking for directions and shopping. They also include a number chart and days of the week.

Once you’re ready to download your 1-page PDF file, the site provides folding instructions that teach you how to fold the page into a pocket-sized phrasebook.

Some languages come with accompanying MP3 audio files that are also downloadable. The site provides a wide selection of languages such as Afrikaans, Slovene, and Bulgarian as well as your basic French, Spanish, and German guides.

Check out their complete listing of 30+ available languages.

Price: Free

Community Connection

For more language resources, check out Matador’s Language Learning focus page.

All photos by Lola Akinmade

Many professional travel photographers travel light.

This means, one camera body (two if they’re on assignment), 2-3 lenses depending on what type of photography they intend to capture, and a bag of extras such as batteries, memory cards, and sometimes an external flash system.

For many travelers seriously interested in travel photography, a key deterrent is the shear amount of extra gear they may need to carry.

Figuring out what next to invest in after lenses and their camera body can be daunting.

If you’re wondering what additional gear to buy at the moment – from filters to external flash units and other peripheral devices, consider these items below:

Tripod

Photographing a city or street scene at night can be challenging because at that time of day, the light is too low for the camera’s sensor to capture adequately and there is a lot of movement as well.

This combination of low-light and movement makes for blurry photographs.

By setting your camera on a steady surface to help eliminate any type of shake, you have a better chance of capturing a crisper shot of the scene.

From basic table travel tripods and Gorillapods to larger ones, investing in a tripod can help you diversify the types of photos you capture of a particular locale by including night shots.

Cable Release

A cable release system is a lightweight remote device that allows you to control your camera’s shutter button without touching the camera body.

Why this is a valuable tool is that, when used in conjunction with a tripod or flat surface to steady your camera, it helps eliminate any additional movement that you might inadvertently cause when trying to snap a low-light scene.

When buying a cable release shutter system, always check to make sure it is compatible with the brand and version of your camera.

Extra Memory

While filters can help you control some atmospheric elements of your photographs, personally, purchasing extra memory is more important.

Having an extra set or two of memory cards allows you to better focus on snapping as many photographs of that dynamic scene as you can without having to worry about storage or deleting already captured moments.

Community Connection

For more travel photography tips, visit Matador’s Focus on Travel Photography resource.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

SanDisk Solid State Drive

When I think of SanDisk, I think of solid flash memory cards for digital SLR cameras and to a lesser extent, affordable MP3 players around the $40 range.

Now, the storage powerhouse has revealed its new 2.5-inch G3 solid state hard drives, available in 60GB and 120GB versions.

According to Engadget:

You’ll also be thrilled to know that the G3 range supports the newest Windows 7 TRIM feature, which enables the drive to “continuously manage its resources and retain optimized performance throughout its lifespan.”

The drive will cost you around $229.99 for the 60GB version ($399.99 for 120GB).

New Asus Eee Netbooks

Photo courtesy of Blogeee

Ultralight netbooks at just 0.7-inches thick with a purported battery life of 14 hours?

While no release date has been set yet, Asus is planning on releasing three new models of netbooks.

Both the Eee PC 1015P and 1016P will have up to 14 hours of battery lufe (with WI-FI turned off) while the 0.7-inch superthin Eee PC 1018P will have an integrated fingerprint reader and 10 hours of battery life.

Panasonic’s 3MOS HD Camcorders

Panasonic loyalists swear by their products’ topnotch Leica lens optical quality.

Hence, why photographers Uncornered Market, Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View, and myself all carry backup Panasonic Lumix digital cameras in addition to our main DSLR cameras.

Panasonic has now released a range of handheld High Definition (HD) camcorders for shooting professional-quality video – the HDC-HS700, HDC-TM700 and HDC-SD700.

They come with 35mm Wide-Angle Leica Lenses (sweet!), 18x Intelligent Zoom, SD card slots, and 240GB hard drive in the HDC-HS700. All three snap still photos with 14.1 pixels and support Full-HD 1920 x 1080pixel resolution recording – the highest resolution for handheld camcorders currently available.

Panasonic plans on releasing the camcorders in March and prices are rumored to be within the $1,100 – $1,800 range.

Community Connection

For more nifty technology, check out Top Gadgets To Travel With In 2010 and our lineup of cool gadgets in Technology Bytes.

Know of any new, practical, and cool gadgets coming out soon? Please share with us below.

Feature photo by Pink Sherbet Photography. Photo above by Yogma.

Arguably more important than your toothbrush, dental floss is a handy tool that will help you quickly remove uncomfortably wedged pieces of street food and other local delicacies from between your teeth; one of the root causes of stinky traveler breath (besides dehydration).

In addition to threading floss through teeth to remove remnants of that juicy Argentinean steak, here are a few ways you can leverage its minty goodness during semi-emergency situations while traveling.

Sew Clothes

A little piece of floss and a sewing needle can go a long way in fixing popped buttons and small tears. Granted, the stark white textured property of dental floss does make it less than ideal for top notch hemming and pattern work. However, you can use it as a temporary fix for wardrobe malfunctions till you find a proper sewing kit.

Makeshift Clothesline

Doubled (or tripled) up lengths of floss work great as a makeshift clothesline for drying off panties, socks, and smaller clothing items. String your minty fresh clothesline across your window or bunk bed support beams to create an instant laundry room.

Tie Up Gifts

Find a piece of brown paper or newspaper even and use some floss to wrap up that book , candle set, or gift you’ve purchased for your host family. The probability of them examining your gift and asking, “Hmm, is this dental floss?” is pretty low.

Tie Hair

In lieu of rubberbands or missing hair bands, double up some floss and use it to tie hair away from your face as needed. Unless you’re trying to usher in a new fashion trend, use floss until you get yourself a proper high-fashion rubberband.

Replace Broken Shoelaces

Maybe a stretch, but picture this – The morning of your group-hike up a volcano, one of your shoelaces mysteriously turns up missing and the group isn’t too keen on stopping by a convenience store en route. You might want to triple up a couple cords of dental floss and use it till you’re back down from the volcano.

Looking for more ways of using dental floss, how about 30 Unique Uses for Dental Floss?

Community Connection

Did you know you could also use shampoo as laundry detergent? Check out 10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing.

Feature photo by Michael Francis McCarthy. Photo above by epak

And Matador has been covering the games with a passion.

From suggesting 6 sidetrips in British Columbia That Aren’t Vancouver or Whistler to spotlighting the eco-friendly aspects of this year’s games in Vancouver 2010: The Green Olympics, our writers have been assessing various aspects of the Olympics.

In The Dark Side of the 2010 Olympics, writer Chris Vandenberg explores issues of debt, homeless, and poverty that are increasing in Vancouver due to funds being redirected to prepare for the games.

JoAnna Haugen profiles the first (ever!) Iranian female skier to represent the country, while Candice Walsh explains how the Olympic torch promotes world peace.

Be sure to follow our focus page dedicated to all things Vancouver 2010 Olympics and check out the following DVDs to relive some of the more memorable highlights from Olympic games past.

Why do you think more people seem to be tuning in to the Winter Olympics this year? Please share below.

Photos by Lola Akinmade

Granted, the Mid-Atlantic states are currently buried under a least 3 feet of snow and most, if not, all flights have been canceled. However, this shouldn’t deter you from thinking about traveling. In fact, now is as good a time as any to start sketching out possible itineraries for the year and planing your getaway.

Looking for where to start? GlobeTrekker’s solid Year Book will stoke your wanderlust with month by month recommendations of where to go and what to see.

For offbeat travel itineraries and mind-blowing photo essays, head over to Matador Trips for suggestions on backcountry travels and treks that take you off the well-worn tourist paths.

The Matador team also recently rounded up its favorite destinations for 2010 – from Mongolia to Benin, and other far-flung places to explore. And if you’re into riding waves, check out the Top Surf Destinations for 2010.

Still looking for more travel ideas? Pick up one of the books below.

Photo by Ana_Cotta

If you’ve been dreaming about Spanish language immersion, here’s an opportunity to explore and learn in Argentina on someone else’s dime.

From now till March 12th, General Linguistics is running a series of contests in an effort to build its Facebook fanbase up to 10,000 followers, promoting its flagship language learning product, Bueno, entonces…

The program is geared towards expats and travelers in South America.

According to General Linguistics,

Bueno, entonces… is the new generation of language learning. Sort of like a Rosetta Stone meets The Simpsons, the program is really comprehensive, but at the same time hilarious and really engaging, and pretty outrageous.

Apple actually rejected Class #27, deeming it “inappropriate”. It was just released last year, but it has been already featured in the iTunes App Store by Apple and on the Daily Candy website.

How It Works

The grand prize is a trip for two (2) to Argentina including a 10-day intensive Spanish course.

1) Become a fan of Bueno, entonces…on Facebook.

2) Participate in contests posted on their Facebook page. In some instances, you may have to post a photo to their wall and get your friends to “Like” your photo.

3) 100 participants will be chosen as finalists and then entered to win the grand prize.

Be sure to read more about the contest and rules over on Facebook.

Good luck!

Community Connection

The Matador team has got a soft spot for Argentina, with three of our editors living down there, and many more passing through frequently. Be sure to check out the Matador Network’s Argentina focus page for the best this impressionable South American country has to offer.

Photo courtesy of the British Library

For us geography nuts, the world’s largest book – the Klencke Atlas – in the possession of the British Library will be unveiled to the public for the first time in over 350 years this summer.

Yes, the book is three and a half centuries old.

The Atlas contains 37 encyclopedic maps which provide summary views of the world at the time of its inception.

Here are just a few stats on this stupendous book.

• It takes six people to carry it
• It is 5ft tall
• It is 6ft wide
• As previously mentioned, it is 350 years old

Given as a gift to the king by Dutch merchants and preserved in the king’s cabinet of curiosities for centuries, its pages have never been publicly opened until now.

The grand exhibit featuring the Atlas is called Magnificent maps: Power, Propaganda and Art, and will be on display at the British Library in London from April 30th to September 19th, 2010

And the smallest map in the world?

A bird’s eye view of Nuremberg etched on a fingernail-sized 1773 German coin which will also be on display as part of the exhibition.

Photo courtesy of tomsun

Travel gear and technology continue to evolve exponentially with vamped-up smartphones, faster digital cameras, enhanced fabric engineering for adventure wear, and netbooks bordering on microscopic in size. While the variety of tools to pack can seem daunting, one overarching fact remains – aim for multipurpose gadgets.

Utility tools that have several uses will not only save bag space but will also provide a ton of services you’ll most likely need while on the road.

Open Travel recently rounded up Ten Smart Gadgets For Smooth Traveling, and the tools range from Swiss army knives to medical kits and the solid Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 compact point-and-shoot camera.

A staple for travelers, traditional Swiss army knives come with base utensils and toolbox items like a pair of scissors, corkscrews for wine, nail files, bottle openers, and screwdrivers.

However, the SwissArmyFlash 2 GB kicks the kit up several notches by including a 2 GB USB Flash drive and an LED flashlight.

With 10.1 megapixels, a 12x optical zoom lens, and high resolution video recording, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 does double-duty as a quality compact camera churning out pin sharp images, and a camcorder with high definition (HD) video recording capabilities.

Other multi-purpose items on their list include the Tumi Slim Universal Power Adaptor Kit which comes with a ton of adapters and stores enough energy to power your notebook while away from constant supply of electricity, and the ultralight MacBook AIR laptop which is essentially a mobile office.

Traveling with kids? Open Travel also mentions the Bag-buggy, a travel suitcase that transforms into a kid’s stroller.

Anyone who has traveled with kids knows that pushing a stroller and pulling a trolley bag at the same time is quite challenging and exhausting.

Thank God, the Castiglione Morelli team has designed a suitcase and a buggy in one.

When closed, it looks like a traditional bag.

When pulled out, it stretches over the metallic frame and turns into a comfortable and safe stroller.

Now both you and your kid can enjoy the journey.

Clearly missing from Open Travel’s list is the quintessential multi-use gadget; a smartphone such as Apple’s iPhone or a Blackberry.

From making calls, playing music, shooting video, snapping pictures, surfing the web, finding directions, storing data, and fiddling around with thousands of apps, pocket-sized smartphones practically take up no luggage space while providing most of the tools you’ll be needing on your travels; neatly rolled up into one device.

Now, all we need is a mutant Smartphone-Swiss Army knife device and we’ll be set.

Community Connection

For more multipurpose tools, check out 10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing and Matador Team’s Favorite Travel Gadgets.

Know of any other multi-purpose gadgets worth adding? Please share below.

Editor’s Note: To give you an idea of scale, the red arrow above points to an attached SLR camera, also circled in red!

When it comes to travel photography, lighter is preferred, but we couldn’t pass up checking out this behemoth of a lens by Canon.

Touted at the “largest and most powerful prime lens ever created” for an SLR camera, the Canon 5200mm lens reaches optical zoom ranges of 1000x. The camera is 6 feet long and weighs in at around 220-pounds. Its minimum focusing distance is 393 feet and it comes with a maximum aperture of f/14 that regulates how much light filters in through the lens.

The camera was first listed on Ebay with an asking price of $45,000.

Other specifications include:

* Focal Length: 5150mm
* Exposure Control: Light quantity is controlled with the use of built-in ND filters, corresponding to f/14, f/16, f/22, f/32
* Minimum Object Distance: 120 meters (Approx 393 feet!)
* Size: 500mm(wide) x 600mm(high) x 1890mm(deep) [20”x24”x75.6”]
* Weight: 100kg (220 lbs) without stand.

Check out this video to see the Canon 5200mm in action.

Due to its impressive size, its recommended use is for astronomy, space photography, and other sky gazing needs.

Admit it.

You’ve already started planning your 2010 travel schedule.

Well, we’ve got the perfect handy guidebook to help you out. New from the widely popular TV travel series, Globe Trekker, comes a month by month compilation of solid travel suggestions that ultimately answer the question…”When is the best time to go where?”

The ultra lightweight Year Book designed to literally fit in your pocket packs in a ton of travel tips sprinkled with vivid photography throughout for its teeny, weenie size.

The Lowdown

Each month starts with a summary of suggested activities in various countries such as marveling at the Aurora Borealis in Tromsø, Norway in January or heli-hiking to the Fox Glacier in New Zealand in September.

Where the Year Book truly shines is that it breaks down recommended activities into three categories to suit the varying tastes of travelers:

For the party animal, the “Party the Planet” section lists various festivals and celebrations going on during your month of choice.

The Great Outdoors takes more intrepid travelers through adventurous activities such as desert treks, whitewater rafting, and mountain hikes.

Looking to bask under sunlight for hours? Sun, Sea, and Sand will introduce you to world-class snorkeling and scuba diving destinations in addition to relaxing island life.

For those wondering where to go and what to do in any random month, here’s an excerpt for May:

Take off to Africa for an epic trek across the spectacular Dogon Escarpment in Mali….Kick off safari season where four eco systems in Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Feel like a fiesta? Then head off to Mexico for the Battle of Puebla festivities – make merry like a mariachi and celebrate history and heritage and all this Mexican.

Viva el Cinco de Mayo!

Each monthly section is then wrapped up with “Get a Taste” which features international cuisine recipes from Pilot Productions’ travel food shows such as the recipes for Tom Yum Soup in May from Planet Food Thailand and Vanilla-Lime Flan in February from Planet Food Mexico.

The Year Book also lists useful websites such as tourism boards and online resources which tie right back to preceding travel recommendations

Bonuses

As many sights and landmarks are closed during holidays, the book outlines public holidays in major travel hotspots to guide your planning. Additional resources include a chart listing countries, their capital cities, dial in area code, currency, and time difference (+ or – GMT). GlobeTrekker’s TV presenters also share portrait shots and random quotes to round out the Year Book — an excellent start for planning out your travels in the upcoming year.

Best part?

We’re giving away two copies of Globe Trekker’s Year Book.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

@travelsofadam and @oldbay3

We will be sending each of them a copy of GlobeTrekker’s Year Book.

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

Shot by Photographer Cheryl Black.…Matador Goods editor Lola Akinmade with nuns in Nicaragua.

Lola Akinmade – Matador Goods Editor

While a Nikon D300 gets me those high quality, print ready travel shots, my favorite piece of equipment is a backup Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ5K point and shoot camera.

With a 10x wide angle zoom lens, 9 megapixels, video recording capability, and tons of quick access settings such as “candlelight” and “aerial” mode, this camera has captured some memorable travel photography; though it’s probably due for an upgrade to a newer Lumix model.

My “Anatomy of a Smörgåsbord” photo essay on Matador Life was shot using the Panasonic Lumix.

Michelle Schusterman – Matador Goods Associate Editor

At the risk of sounding like an Apple geek – which I am – I’d have to go with my iPod Touch.

Music, movies, Internet, Skype, plus forty applications that let me do everything from checking flights to editing, exporting, and printing documents.

Paul Sullivan – Matador Network Contributing Editor

I think the iPod touch would have to be my top gadget too. It’s just too ridiculously multifunctional and convenient to not be top of the list.

Second to that though would be a good old fashioned beer / wine bottle opener.

So many times my life has been saved and my sobriety beautifully ruined by that device.

Kate Sedgwick – Matador Nights Editor

I’m not sure if this counts as a gadget, but I can see Inspector Gadget using it, so I’m going to add the Utili-key to the list.

How many times have you needed a knife, screwdriver or bottle opener when you’ve packed light? As long as you have your keys, you’re every tool-less friend’s hero.

Though I can’t guarantee you’ll make it through without a hitch, I’ve never had mine confiscated by airline security as it’s always camouflaged by the other keys on the ring.

Won’t you feel smart when someone asks for a screwdriver and you can say, “Phillips or flathead?”

Tom Gates – Matador Nights Editor

I bought a water purification thing for $60 before I left.

It’s in the bottom of my bag, still wrapped, utterly useless (save a national emergency). I bought this all-in-one opener in Chile for $0.72 and I use it every day, for everything.

I’m pretty sure I could perform surgery with it, were it not covered with baked bean stains and rust. It really doesn’t matter which one but get yourself an all-in-one gadget.

MAKE SURE it can open cans (most don’t).

Carlo Alcos – Matador Trips Editor

For pure practicality, you can’t beat a headlamp.

Versatile, lightweight, and hands-free, the headlamp is the gift that keeps on giving.

A close second is the collapsible cup.

These come in handy with a corkscrew and a bottle of vino.

Leigh Shulman – Matador Life Editor

The Leatherman Super Tool 300.

From making peanut butter sandwiches and opening beers to light carpentry and fixing water tanks, there’s never been a time this thing couldn’t help us out.

Lindi Horton – Matador Sports Intern

While the iPod Touch would be high on my list of essential gadgets, most gadgets will not work for extended amounts of time without being charged.

My favorite gadget is the Kensington 33117 All-In-One Travel Adapter.

At a price tag of 17 US dollars, this all-in-one adapter allows me to charge up all of my electronics without taking up too much room in my backpack.

Hal Amen – Matador Trips Editor

Well, since Carlo already stole headlamp, I’ll go with my Casio PQ-10 travel alarm clock.

Exciting?

Hardly, but I love the little guy.

It’s been running on the same battery for like 3 years (that’s over a thousand mornings of multiple snoozes), and is loud enough to cut through the fog of whatever you might have been tossing back the night before.

Andy Hayes – Matador Network Twitter Ninja

I assume my iPhone does not qualify as a gadget, since it’s more of a lifestyle essential.

So… since I’m Location Independent, I’d give my vote to a Wi-Fi boosting antenna.

Christine Garvin – Brave New Traveler Editor

At the risk of sounding utterly boring and unoriginal (and probably a bit dated), my old Dell laptop was quite the little trouper.

Before it finally died because of a tragic incident involving my cat (cat is A-OK), it made it through many train rides in Europe and a week-long “Adventure tour” in Australia, along with being dragged on flights around the US, thrown next to me countless times on the BART train, and dropped on the floor of the passenger-side seat in my car because of a sudden stop or thirty.

Now, I’m testing out a refurbished Mac to see if it can take the same heat.

Candice Walsh – Matador Life Associate Editor

My Swiss Army Pen.

It writes underwater, upside down, and on glass (although I haven’t used it for those functions yet, it’s just a sweet, reliable pen).

AND it has a nail file!

Adam Roy – Matador Sports Editor

I can’t live without internet, and honestly, with all the photo editing and FTP uploading I have to do at Sports, it’s just easier to use my own laptop than to screw with internet cafes.

Mobile internet keeps me working.

In Argentina, I use a Claro USB mobile modem.

In the US, I use a Bluetooth dongle and my cell phone (a hand-me-down Katana II from Sprint).

Nancy Harder – Matador Network Intern

An earphone splitter so my husband and I only have to pack one iPod.

The best part is being able to share the same musical experience.

Photo courtesy of mobile-t-mobile

According to Poynter Online,

A decade ago, we wondered whether the arrival of 2000 would shut down our electrical grids and phone systems and leave us without pagers. Now, as 2010 dawns, we look back on a decade that had more downs than ups, but at least created some cool stuff to play with.

These “cool stuff” cover the gamut of technology offerings – from GPS devices and Smartphones to High Definition TV and DVRs. Interestingly, Poynter notes that these advances in technology have “had a significant impact on the work journalists do.”

The decade’s top techno-tools, in no particular order, are:

• GPS devices
• iPod
• BlackBerry
• Digital Cameras
• HDTV
• HD cameras
• Flip camera
• DVRs
• 3G phones (The first 4G network just launched in Sweden)
• High-speed Wireless Phone Cards
• Cell-phone Apps
• Big flat-screen TVs – LED, LCD
• Slingbox
• Nintendo Wii
• Flash Drives
• eBook readers
• Noise-canceling headphones

Both Gizmodo and PasteMagazine have compiled their own similar best gadgets lists.

With all the visionary goodies this decade has produced, I’m certainly looking forward to what techno-tools the next 10 years will bring.

Did Poynter miss any gadgets? What do you think is the single most important gadget developed over the last ten years? Do tell us below.

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your kids?

Here’s your chance to win a box of Zing toys. Zing toys are made from durable EVA soft foam, ABS plastic, and latex rubber, and they come in attention-grabbing vibrant colors and types. From boomerangs and darts to gliders and kites, the toys are geared towards keeping your child active.

For more on Zing toys, browse REI’s selection.

Best of all, we’re giving away an entire box of Zing toys!

AND THE WINNER IS…

@wanderingdona.

We will be sending her a box of Zing toys!

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

In essence, test driving the lens without leaving your laptop.

The Nikkor Lenses Simulator provides a slew of settings and functions that allow you to customize your camera with different optical options before buying additional lenses.

First, you choose your base Nikon camera. Current cameras supported within the simulator are FX formats: D3x, D3, and D700 and DX formats: D90, D300s, D5000, D3000s. Once a camera is selected, you can slide a bar across various focal lengths from 10mm to 600mm or pick the exact Nikkor lens to try from a selection of wide-angle, macro, fixed, telephoto, and zoom Nikkor lenses.

This capability allows you to distinguish between the effects of multiple lenses. For example, a wide-angle versus telephoto lens or a macro versus fixed lens and many more combinations. You can also test out different sensor formats and change your angle of view.

The lead picture above of Amsterdam depicts a photo shot using a wide-angle lens at a focal length of 10mm. The shot below is from the same photograph but it depicts a telephoto zoom length of 600mm.

Here, you can get right onto the balcony and make out nitty-gritty details such as the lounging woman, the red book she’s reading, and what she’s wearing.

As a photographer who swears by Nikon cameras, this is hands down one of my favorite photography-related finds of 2009.

Photo by Unhindered by Talent

Jay Reilly, a commercial/ editorial photographer with a client list that includes the likes of Nike, Sony, Hyatt, and Conde Nast, rounded up some of his favorite coffeetable/photo books over on his blog.

Making his list are The Photo Book by Phaidon, The Polaroid Book by Taschen, Metro by Larry Yust, and No Particular Order which features Gilles Bensimon’s Photography.

He touts The Photo Book by Phaidon as:

…a fantastic collection of any and all photographers that have made serious contributions to the art and evolution of photography.

All in alphabetical order, not one more important than the other, but very insightful, inspiring and collective.

These are photographs that matter.

Anything from art, journalism, fashion, portrait… images that stop you in your tracks and you want to know more.

The nice thing is there is some layman insight to the images included that does give you just enough to move on to the next one.

But in many cases leaves you wanting to know more about the image and the photographer….Jay Reilly.

For more inspiring book ideas, check out Matador contributor and photographer Ryan Libre’s roundup of 10 Photography Books You’ll Never Get Tired Of.

Photo credits: Bob Krist

Words and photography courtesy of Bob Krist

Here’s the breakdown:

Nikon D90

Two D90 bodies, one mounted with a 70-300mm VR Nikkor and the other with the 16-85VR Nikkor. Gotta admit, they rarely come off.

Lenses & Flash

A 12-24mm f/4 AF for the tight spots, and the small, sharp 35mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor primes.

These little primes are great for available light and give me the FX-style bokeh I crave at times. Also, a SB 800 with SD8A battery pack.

Audio Recorder

Olympus LS-10 Audio recorder with Sennheiser MKE 400 mini shotgun mic (with windmuff). Also, not pictured, a small Gorillapod to use as a mic stand/handle.

Other Accessories

• Mini rain umbrella and raincover for the camera
• Extra batteries for the camera headlamp for me
• A Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket (which clips inside the bag) filled with 8GB and 4GB fast SDHC cards
• A miscellaneous bag with cable release, PC adapter (in case I have to plug in big flashes), flash filters, model release forms, wrist brace (!), hot-shoe bubble level, IR remote for camera, hex wrench.

The Bag

A Tamrac Velocity 9x sling bag or a Lowepro Outback 300 AW belt/shoulder bag.

Which bag I pick depends on how my back is feeling at the time I’m packing for the gig (the Tamrac rides high, the Lowe is at your waist).

If I have room, I take both and alternate ( it helps to keep that spine feeling springtime fresh after a 14 hour day!).

The whole kit weighs a few pounds less than the D300s & f/2.8 zoom setup that I used to carry on travel gigs and still use on commercial assignments.

One thing I wish somebody made and that I’d pay good money for? A sharp, fast, compact, DX-format wideangle prime, like a 17mm f/1.8 or something!

Yeah, I know, fat chance on that. But I can dream, can’t I?

More on Bob Krist

Bob Krist is a freelance photographer who works regularly on assignment for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, and Islands.

These assignments have taken him to all seven continents and have won awards in the Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo competitions.

During his work, he has been stranded on a glacier in Iceland, nearly run down by charging bulls in southern India, and knighted with a cutlass during a Trinidad voodoo ceremony.

He won the title of “Travel Photographer of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and again this year at the 2008 convention.

In 2000 his work was honored at the Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography in New York City.

Read more of Bob’s biography and follow his blog, Photo Traveler.

Photo by jenny downing

This latest offering from National Geographic Books has been making a lot of buzz lately. The attractively designed anthology, The New Age of Adventure, celebrates “ten years of great writing” that have graced the pages of National Geographic Adventure magazine. I couldn’t wait to dive into the book once my review copy arrived. I wanted to get deep down into the minds of these adventure writers.

What sets them apart from other writers?

Why did they cross boundaries other writers were willing to set for themselves?

What drove them to spend months with Afghan fighters or forge deeper into Ugandan jungles to find the source of the super deadly Ebola virus?

The Stories

As editor John Rasmus noted in the introduction, as a generation, we’ve switched from old-school exploration of untouched lands and traversing unmapped terrain to an age of frontline conservation and human impact exploration.

He terms this shift the “new age” of adventure.

In a sense, tracking gorillas and going behind the scenes of rebels and guerilla fighters signals a different level of exploration.

According to Andrew Zolli, “we are moving from the age of exploration to the age of conservation.”

The book is divided into the following four sections that group similar stories: Reporting from the Edge, Sexy beasts, Personal Journeys, and Outer Limits.

Thumbing through heart-pounding stories, I was slowly introduced to a different breed of adventurers.

In Dangerous Medicine (one of my favorite stories), Tom Clynes follows a team of scientists as they run right into the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic to set up field labs while others are rightfully fleeing from it. He weaves in the gravity for the situation with humorous scenes such as the one below which I frankly thought only happened in movies.

Bob Swanepoel, a bat hunter has been called in to help the medical teams track the animal sources of the virus:

In a scene that’s vaguely reminiscent of some Great White Hunter epic, Swanepoel’s party – soldiers, hunters, porters, and scientists – trudges over the hills toward the Kalak caves, trailed by an enthusiastic swarm of village children
…..Tom Clynes, Dangerous Medicine

And within the next two paragraphs, Clynes transitions powerfully to a scene where colleagues left behind fear for the lives for Swanepoel’s team after they’d been ambushed right after their gallant ride off into the jungles.

The selected stories highlight various levels of adventure from the stupendous to the surreal to situations where man becomes prey.

Photo by timo_w2s

What would you do if you became lost?

Truly lost?

What if a 30-minute snowmobile ride out into the backwoods turned into a 3-day freezing walk in below zero temperatures back to civilization because a part malfunctioned?

How would you handle it if just one layer of comfort was stripped away from your life?

These are the types of questions the stories ask, leaving their reader reflecting for days afterwards.

In Laurence Gonzales’ Land of the Lost, he breaks down the various stages a person mentally goes through when they realize they’ve become lost in the wilderness/jungle/desert. What’s even more fascinating is the fact that in some cases, children tend to outlast adults in similar desperate situations.

How so? Page 63 hints at this as Professor of Psychology John Leach is quoted:

Establishing a definite purpose to one’s existence strengthens survival, but it must be coupled with the breaking down of the person’s aim or purpose into simple tasks so that life can be handled one step at a time.
…..John Leach, Survival Psychology

In essence, processing situations like a child. A child’s first priority is to seek their comfort, instead of panicking and trying to mentally process the gravity of the situation.

Each wholesome story in New Age of Adventure leaves the reader with a heightened sense of mortality that our technologically advanced age masks so beautifully.

Photo by appenz

In Among the Man-Eaters, Philip Caputo writes about camping with and tracking Tsavo lions, the story behind the movie The Ghost and the Darkness which stars Val Kilmer as the lead actor.

He explores how the lions turned to hunting humans because humans were “safe and convenient” to kill. This heightened sense of death around each corner makes him “mistake his wife’s breathing for a lion’s.”

He goes on to describe just how easily:

…. a lion can drag you out of your tent, and run off with you, wonderful indispensable you, apple of your mother’s eye, and you screaming and scratching and kicking and punching, all to no avail, until he releases his grip to crush your windpipe, and the last sensation you have is of his hot breath in your face.
…..Philip Caputo, Among the Man-Eaters

Area for Improvement

As intriguingly page-turning as the stories were, the excerpts at the beginning of each story really didn’t do the descriptions of the stories themselves enough justice. I easily could have skipped over Peter Lane Taylor’s Off the Face of the Earth because its excerpt didnt’ seem as engaging even though the subject was profound, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Summary

As intrepid travelers, we flirt with the “idea” of adventure – from long distance trekking to kayaking open waters and ice-climbing glaciers.

The difference in mindset these stories aim to show is that life lived one frame at a time and broken down into manageable steps can guarantee survival in any situation.

Once we can get into this base mode of thinking on a daily basis, maybe we too can endure some of these incredible tales of survival and adventure.

After gracing newsstands for 10 years, the recent news of National Geographic Adventure ceasing publication after its December issue means now is the best time to grab a copy of this anthology commemorating the best adventure writing from the iconic magazine.

BUY from National Geographic

A compact, lightweight travel tote and water bottle holder, the Cruising Caddy is the perfect companion while taking walks or orienting yourself to a new city.

You can carry essential identification cards, a camera, cellphone, maps and other gear to help you survive your trek.

Managing editor Julie Schwietert reviewed the Cruising Caddy awhile back for Matador Goods and here’s an excerpt:

The Cruising Caddy is my latest bag, a small tote that’s ideal for filling with essentials for short walks.

Though it would be perfect to stick inside a larger bag and pull out at Immigration and Customs, all documents organized comfortably inside, I like this bag because I don’t have to store it under the bed between trips.

It’s got a dozen day-to-day uses, from a walk around the neighborhood with my dog to an afternoon rollerblading on the Hudson River.

The tote retails for $24.98 and you can read the entire review here. In the spirit of thanksgiving, we’ll be giving away a free Cruising Caddy to our readers.

AND THE WINNER IS…

@namedwon.

We will be sending them their free Cruising Caddy.

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

Feature photo by MPD01605. Photo above via Gerrymay.com

Over at the Freelance Writing Jobs Network, they’ve rounded up a solid list of Black Friday Deals for Writers such as a variety of netbook and laptop deals from Best Buy and Dell.

The official 2009 Black Friday Deals site has begun listing some goodies on sale and stores like Circuit City are offering early deals to those of us who’d rather be sleeping off a heavy turkey dinner than lining up at 3am in the cold.

Here are just a few offerings below:

Acer Aspire 10.1 inch Netbook

Complete with a wireless mouse, lightweight external USB DVD burner, and a protective bag, nab this durable 2.79 pound netbook for $309.00.

The deal also includes free shipping to most US locations.

More specifications:

- Intel Atom processor, a full GIG of DDR2 memory
- 160Gb hard drive,
- 10.1-inch brilliant WSVGA CrystalBrite LED-backlit display.
- Powerful 6-Cell Lithium-ion battery with up to 6 hours playing time

Price: $309.99 | BUY from Circuit City

Sony Walkman 8GP MP3/MP4 Player

This 8GB video MP3 player from Sony provides up to 45 hours of continuous music and 8 hours of uninterrupted video on a single charge. 8 hours of video translates into four full length movies that can be loaded onto the player.

It includes a 2.0-inch LCD display and an obviously long-lasting and powerful battery.

Price: $69.99 | BUY from Circuit City

For more sweet deals, visit Black Friday Ads – The Official Black Friday 2009 Website.

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.

Brief Overview

Rosetta World ™ provides three modules – Solo, Duo, and Simbio. In Solo mode, you get to play games by yourself in your new language (in my case, Swedish). Duo mode means you get to play against another player, and in Simbio, you’ll actually share your native language (in my case, English) with other members and take turns helping each other out. TOTALe’s dashboard is intuitive and so accessing a particular Rosetta World ™ mode was just a click away.

Solo Mode

I had two game options available to me: Mengo and Gambo. Opted for Mengo since it kind of reminded me of mango, plus I couldn’t access Gambo anyways because I hadn’t reached a crucial learning milestone.

The goal of the game was to flip two cards over, find pictures and their matching words or phrases. The game seemed impossible to win or even get into since each time you flipped two cards that didn’t match, it kept saying you were wrong.

If there was some hidden sequence or way of figuring it out besides flipping two random cards, as a Solo player, I didn’t get it right away (read more on Duo mode below).

A cool aspect of the game was the fact that the words were read out in the language you were learning so, in a sense, you kept learning whether you got the concept of the game or not.

Duo Mode

In Duo mode, there were a lot more gaming options. World ™ lets you know how many people are available online to play with and you can also “Find partners” as well. Like Solo mode, some games are in lockdown until you’ve reach certain milestones.

Finding a partner to play with took two days, mostly because Swedish isn’t a popular language but I was finally able to connect with Oleg, another native English speaker learning Swedish. We first played Nimba, a word matching game, but quickly tired of it and moved on to the picture games of Tingo and Mengo.

This was where Rosetta World ™ truly shined.

Once Oleg and I got into the games which required mental mapping and matching pictures with words and phrases, our competitive juices began to flow.

I smoked Oleg while playing Tingo which required quick fingers, matching pictures to words, while Oleg left me in the dust while playing Mengo – the same flipping-of-cards game I didn’t get under Solo mode.

And I finally understood how Mengo worked after playing with a real partner.

Once we were done, I found a way of instantly messaging Oleg using the Connections manager to say thanks for playing, including asking if he was up for one more round of Mengo for the road – which he subsequently won.

Simbio Mode

Simbio mode is when you get a chance to teach others your native language (English) by speaking with them while they teach you theirs as well (Swedish). Since most Swedes already speak English pretty fluently, my Simbio mode had “0 People” available for me to chat with.

I wasn’t able to find a Swedish partner to verbally engage with mostly because of the time difference and because there weren’t too many students studying Swedish so I really couldn’t test Simbio like I wanted to.

But if it’s anything like Studio where I actually got to speak with a live person, I probably would have really liked it.

The Verdict?

I initially approached World ™ skeptically. Nowadays, finding the time to learn a new language, let alone spend hours playing games in that language seemed very unrealistic.

So Solo mode didn’t really work for me, but once I got into Duo mode, I was re-energized because of the one-on-one interaction with another player.

With Duo, I could easily spend hours just playing games with someone else.

Overall Assessment of Rosetta Stone TOTALe

After hours of reviewing TOTALe, an extremely high quality and dynamic product, where it clearly excelled was when there was some real life interaction with someone else. Rosetta Studio is rock solid as is the Duo play mode in Rosetta World.

Like I mentioned in Review 2 of Rosetta Studio, if some of the interactive aspects of the program could be packaged separately, then the pricing structure won’t be a big issue for potential customers.

If you truly are serious about learning a new language while also remotely immersing yourself in the language with native speakers, I highly recommend Rosetta Stone TOTALe.

Read Review Series: Rosetta Stone TOTALe – Part 2.
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.

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.

AND THE WINNER IS….

@AngelineM1. We will be contacting her directly to send her a Westin travel blanket.

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