Men's Journal Adventure Issue

by Neil Woodburn on

The
May issue of Men’s Journal is their annual Adventure Issue.  Unfortunately, they post very little of it
online.  I’ve only just started thumbing through it and am disappointed we can’t share links to all
the great articles the editors have shoved in this year’s issue. 

But, what we can do is summarize some of the articles and direct you to your nearest newsstand to pick up a copy
for yourself.  That’s the only way you can read about Tony Hawk snowboarding in Alaska, Richard
Branson’s wild adventures, an Alaska to Panama road trip, adventure photographers, and a piece on what it took to
accomplish the world’s greatest quests.  There are plenty of other goodies in the issue as well—such as
a gear guide.  And it wouldn’t be Men’s Journal without a workout routine and a model
shoot. 

So, sorry if this sounds like one big plug for the magazine, but this is one worth picking up. In the meantime,
check back on Gadling for a couple of brief summaries on some other articles in the issue that we will be discussing in
a little more detail.  Tomorrow: Men’s Journal tackles the 20 Greatest Adventure Authors.

Seattle is Smartest

by Erik Olsen on

Sorry, just got to throw this out
there…an interesting little piece about my old town, Seattle. Turns out, just like we all thought, Seattle is the smartest place around. Or at
least the best educated. According to a recent analysis by The Associated Press, Seattle was the best-educated city in
2004 with just over half the adults having bachelor’s degrees. Yeah! Then, limping along behind, were San Francisco,
Raleigh, N.C., Washington and Austin, Texas. Of course, it’s easy to stay indoors and read and drink coffee all day
when it’s raining outside.

 

Top 10 Travelers

by Neil Woodburn on

Proud
of the places you been?  Fancy yourself quite the explorer?

Well, take a moment to see how you compare with
the “The 10 Greatest Travelers of all
Time” as compiled by The Independent (UK) and Wanderlust Magazine. 

I was
quite surprised by the list myself.  I expected, but did not find Marco Polo.  Instead, the list includes a
handful of virtual unknowns who did quite amazing things long before planes, trains and automobiles made this a much
smaller planet—such as Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century geographer who covered more than 120,000 kilometers from
Europe to Asia while fending off pirates and bandits along the way. 

While you may have never heard of
Battuta and some of his other honored colleagues, you will recognize at least half of the remaining names on the list,
including the only traveler mentioned that is still alive today: Michael
Palin. 

Mustang: Hidden Kingdom of Nepal

by Karen Walrond on

From CNN.com:  Pasang Gurung, a Tibetan
monk from Nepal’s desert of Mustang, has accomplished something no person from Mustang has done before:  he’s made
a film of his region, hoping of attracting Westerners to his beautiful, but impoverished region.  The video is 42
minutes long, and featurers scenes of Mustang’s desertlands, as well as shots of life in the area — pictures of
temples and monks, and even yaks.

"I want money to come to our … monastery. I want more money to come
to our region, because then local people will get employment, and living standards will go up," says Gurung.
"Tourism is the only way out because our beautiful land is all we have."

The monk’s life story is an amazing one, as
is his mission.  It makes me want to travel to his homeland myself — and I haven’t even seen the film.

GADLING'S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 1

by Neil Woodburn on

Friday is wrap-up time.  That means we give you one more chance to catch some of the posts
you may have missed earlier in the week when you were cheating on us and visiting another other website.  Shame on
you. 

5. Red Corner: Walking to Russia
Here’s a great one about a British ex-paratrooper who is 7 ½ years into a 12 year journey around the
world.  And why does it take 12 years to circle the globe?  Well, try doing it on foot and you’ll
understand.

4. Palin to Explore Inside of
Cruise’s Head
Well, the title just about says it all.  As part of our April Fool’s celebration we
did a short bit on what it would be like if traveler extraordinaire Michael Palin were to journey into Tom
Cruise’s head.  It ain’t pretty, it’s comedy.

3. Baby Cone of Silence
Erik’s
contribution to April Fool’s Day was a fictitious product all travelers have wished for at one time or another: a
baby silencer.  Tired of that little brat hollering away in the back of an airplane?  Erik’s little
invention drops from the ceiling and muffles the noise so that we can all go back to sleep. 

2. Putting the ‘F’ Back in
Adventure Travel
How about skipping Disneyworld with the kids this year and take them kayaking in Alaska
instead?  Adrienne penned a nice post this week about the recent increase in family vacations that lean towards
the adventurous instead of the mundane.  It seems parents are opting for real outdoor attractions that don’t
require their children to “be at least this tall” in order to have their senses stimulated. 

1. Sabbaticals and Gap Years
This
is one of those dangerous posts you probably shouldn’t read since it will make you want to do something totally
irresponsible like quit your job and spend a year traveling.  Karen, our newest writer, fills us in on the best
way to do so.  So read up, and quit that job.