Explore the world with Trazzler’s new iphone app

by Jessica Festa on

Trazzler’s new free iPhone app, called Trazzler, allows people to explore the world through their smartphone.

When the program first opens, users will be asked to take a short quiz that will allow the app to get to know their personality. The test consists of a series of images in which the user will be prompted to click the photos that appeal to them the most. Through the user’s answers, Trazzler can delve deeper into the personality of the user and figure out who they are most compatible to travel with as well as ideal destinations that fit the personality type.

Like a social network, this app makes it easy for you to find your friends who are also using Trazzler and see how well you would fit as traveler partners. Not only that, but users will also be able to read expert recommendations on travel.

The app seems to be getting a lot of attention, as last week more than 30,000 iPhone users downloaded Trazzler. To download the app for yourself, click here. The app is also available on the iPad and iPod Touch.

Yellowstone tops 3 million summer visitors for third straight year

by Kraig Becker on

For the third straight year, Yellowstone National Park has seen more than 3 million visitors pass through its gates during the summer months alone. Those lofty numbers come despite a colder than normal start to the season and a host of unique PR challenges that could have easily discouraged travelers from visiting.

Winter in the western U.S. was a long and cold one, with heavy snow lasting well into the spring. When the roads into Yellowstone opened in May, there was still plenty of snow and ice throughout the park. That resulted in a slower than normal start to the travel season, although June, July, and August, traditionally the three busiest months of the year, rebounded nicely.

It was a challenging summer for visitors to America’s first national park. Avalanches and rock slides closed roads early on, making travel difficult. Later forest fires were a small, but potential danger, and in July, a grizzly bear attacked and killed a hiker. That tragedy was the first of its kind inside Yellowstone in more than 25 years.

Despite those challenges however, visitors still flocked to the park, with more than 900,000 in July alone. Those impressive numbers prove that the national parks remain a popular option for travelers looking to explore the best outdoor destinations in the U.S.

Alabama celebrates its haunted past with an entire month of events

by Jessica Festa on

Throughout October, the state of Alabama in the United States will celebrate its haunted past with a variety of events, including ghost walks, story-telling festivals, and a moonlit tour of Old Cahawba, a historic ghost town.

Here are some of the scheduled events:

7th Annual “Historic Haunts Walk”
Athens, Alabama (Oct 4, 12, 14, 19)

This spooky walk will begin at the Houston Library and includes stories about paranormal activity at twelve local structures. For instance, hear about the girl who fell to her death at Athens University and is still said to wander the halls. Each walk lasts about 90 minutes, with tickets costing $5. For more information, contact Limestone County Tourism at 1-256-232-5411 or Jeanette@visitathensal.com.

Storytellin’ Campfire Talk: Spooks in the Valley
Fort Payne, Alabama (Oct 22)

This free event takes place at the large pavilion in DeSoto State Park. Sit around a campfire and listen to ghostly tales and scary stories. For more information, call 1-256-782-5697.

Ghost Walk & Fall Festival
Thomasville, Alabama (Oct 23)

The Thomasville Arts Council will be acting out some of renowned storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham‘s famous scary stories. There will also be haunted tours, street dancing, a motorcycle poker ride, a car show, and a haunted house. For more information, call the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce at 1-334-636-1542.

To view the complete list of scary events for the month of October, click here.

Download Wikitravel to your smartphone for free

by Grant Martin on

One of the biggest difficulties for the modern traveler in a foreign country is in acquiring smartphone data. Domestic telecom companies, still stuck in the stone age of pricing models charge a ridiculous amount for international data, and horror stories about $85,000 phone bills have flooded the internet.

Without a data plan to download Google Maps or reference the cloud for research, dynamic and engaged travel becomes difficult, and a great deal of planning needs to be done in preparation to avoid connecting.

Of course, a full range of smartphone apps have entered the market that are capable of alleviating part of this problem. Lonely Planet and a variety of other guides for most cities are available to download online. But each of those guides is for a singular city, and in many cases, the guides cost a moderate amount of money.

For a free alternative, Gadling Labs discovered a great set of apps tied to Wikitravel that allow you to download the entire database of destinations to your phone (minus the pictures) and use that as a wireless-data-free reference. For android, use OxygenGuide. All that you have to do is download the database (about 55Mb or 10 songs), put it on your phone and link to it in your browser — there are instructions on the site. The more user-friendly iPhone has an app called iTravelFree that allows users to download data and store it locally.

A recent trip to Seoul brought an excellent opportunity to test out the OxygenGuide. With no internet on the plane, the Seoul Wikitravel page was loaded to research a few different hotel options and learn the layout of the city. During the brief layover in Osaka, a reservation could quickly be made before scrambling over to the Asiana flight bound for Korea.

As far as interface goes, since no pictures are involved (that would take up too much space) the Wikitravel guides are a fairly bulky, word-heavy read, with spartan menus linking directly to each destination and very little search functionality. But on the flip side of the coin, it’s free, it gets rid of the nasty need to rely on international data plans and it’s a public project with good intent.

Consider this the food co-op of travel guides – by the people, for the people and with no frills to distract you.

[flickr image via Mr. T in DC]

Craft beer takes over Brooklyn, New York

by Jessica Festa on

The Village Voice’s Brooklyn Pour Craft Beer Festival will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 3PM to 6PM at the Skylight One Hanson in Brooklyn, New York. The event will feature over 100 craft beers from local, national, and international breweries. Attendees can expect complimentary beer tastings (especially of seasonal brews), a souvenir glass, and entertainment. Some of the breweries in attendance include Brooklyn Brewery, Bluepoint Brewing Company, Weihenstephan, San Francisco Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, and many more.

General admission for the event is $40 (the VIP tickets have already sold out).

Not looking to make it an early night? The local biergarden Der Schwarze Kolner will host an after-party for the event. Ticket holders will receive free admission and discounted drinks all night.

Skylight One Hanson is located at One Hanson Place, Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Der Schwarze Kolner is located at 710 Fulton St., right off of Greene Ave. in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.