2010 › May

New contest lets you blog your way around the world!

by Kraig Becker on

Updated: A slight correction to the story. When I wrote it earlier, I said that eight people would each win one of the trips, but actually, it’ll be one person winning all eight trips! Even more reason to sign up!

Aspiring travel writers have an opportunity to share their talent with the world thanks to a new contest that promises to send winners off on an adventure of a lifetime, giving them a chance to write about their experiences as they go, and most certainly earning fame and fortune in the process.

The recently launched Blog Your Way Around The World contest has eight amazing trips to give away, from some of the best adventure travel companies in the world, and entering couldn’t be any easier. Simply head over to the contest website and fill out the online application form and select a photo to upload with your entry. You’ll also be asked to write a 400 word essay explaining why you should be selected to go on one of these adventures and how you’ll blog from the road if you do win. After that you’ll need to mobilize the troops and get your friends and family, and anyone else who will listen, to vote for you online. The person who receives the most votes before the contest ends on December 31st of this year, will win all eight of the trips and will be off with a friend in tow, to explore the world.

The eight trips that you’ll be vying for include a rafting trip on the Salmon River courtesy of OARS, a tour of the Czech Republic and Austria by bike from Backroads, a heli-hiking expedition led by Canadian Mountain Holidays, and a visit to Canada to spot polar bears from Natural Habitat Adventures. The other trips include an adventurous escape to Costa Rica from Off the Beaten Path, a Galapagos Islands cruise hosted by Lindblad,Expeditions, a luxury adventure cruise to Borneo from Orion, and an African safari custom built by Micato.

Admit it! On more than one occasion you’ve read Gadling and thought you could blog about travel. Now’s your chance to give it a shot, and earn yourself an amazing adventure in the process. Good luck!

Photo of the Day 5.19.10

by Melanie Nayer on

I love photos that you can see yourself in, like this one from mikeyu1402, titled “1+2”. Taken on a beach in Asia (which is the only description I could find on the photo), the scene is perfect for anyone needing to escape a little reality in their day.

Have a photo of the day that you think evokes some sort of reality escapism? Upload it to our Flickr pool and we might just choose your snapshot for a Photo of the Day.

Gadlinks for Wednesday, 5.19.2010

by Aaron Hotfelder on


Time now for another edition of Gadlinks, your go-to source for all the latest happenings in the world of travel…

More Gadlinks here.

Free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi on Alaska Airlines this summer

by Scott Carmichael on

Alaska Airlines is celebrating the rollout of Gogo Inflight Internet on their fleet with a summer of free access.

Gogo Inflight Internet is available on six of their Boeing 737-800 planes and the current plan is to have the entire fleet outfitted by the end of the year.

You’ll know that you are on a Wi-Fi enabled plane thanks to a Wi-Fi decal next to the boarding door. Once the plane reaches 10,000 feet, you’ll be able to turn on your portable device and search for the “gogoinflight” Wi-Fi network.

Through July 31st, access will be free of charge, compliments of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card – saving you up to $12.95 per flight. You’ll need promotional code “ALASKAVISA” to bring the price down to $0.

Once the free period ends, access prices will vary between $4.95 and $12.95 depending on the length of the flight and the kind of device you are using.

At the moment, the Gogo Inflight service is only available when the plane is flying over the contiguous U.S. – coverage in parts of Alaska is scheduled to be available in early 2011. A map of the coverage area is available on the Alaska Airlines Wi-Fi information page.

Archaeologists lose Charlemagne’s tomb

by Sean McLachlan on

After the fall of the Roman Empire, he was the first to reunite Western Europe. He ruled a vast kingdom that encompassed what is now France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Low Countries. The Pope even crowned him Emperor of the Romans. But while Charlemagne is famous around the world, very little is known about the real man.

There’s always been an air of mystery about Charlemagne, who ruled the Carolingian Empire from 800-814 AD. Historians aren’t sure where or when he was born, or who his siblings were. They can’t even agree on his native language.

Now it turns out he may never have been buried in his tomb.

Archaeologists studying the atrium of the Aachen Cathedral, Charlemagne’s traditional resting place, can’t find any evidence he was buried there. The oldest artifacts they found date to the 13th century. They weren’t expecting to find his bones, because a later ruler put them in the cathedral shrine, but they hoped to find some of his personal belongings or the original coffin to prove he’d been buried there.

This won’t stop Aachen cathedral from remaining popular for history junkies visiting Germany. The UNESCO World Heritage Site not only has Charlemagne’s bones, but also his throne and bragging rights for being the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. Once every seven years the priests bring out the cathedral’s collection of artifacts: the cloak of St. Mary, Christ’s swaddling clothes and loincloth, and the cloth that held the head of St. John the Baptist. Unfortunately you’ll have to wait until 2014 to see them again. Maybe by then archaeologists can tell us where Charlemagne was originally put to rest.