Long-Distance Relationships

by Iva Skoch on

Long Distance Relationships, or as experienced romantics say “LDR”, are side effects of traveling which a lot of people find difficult to deal with. The romance, that seemed so perfect in Thailand, looks decidedly less reasonable in Oklahoma City. Is it worth it to keep it alive?

According to the earth-shattering resources online, it is quite easy. The number one tip is: visit each other frequently. Yeah. Thanks, that’s helpful. Number 2 says: Take pictures of everyday activities and send them to your mate. (Unless, of course, it is something that could make him/her jealous…which is–after weeks of not seeing each other–pretty much everything). Number 3: Send gifts. Here we come. Welcome to capitalism! Longdistancerelationships.com offers gifts for every LDR situation ranging from “Missing you keepsakes” to “Table top photo boxes”. The one thing I couldn’t locate on their website is the “Let’s just be friends” stationary set. I am sure it would be a hit.

Askmen.com says that there are three basic options when dealing with long distance relationships:

A) the couple can remain faithful to each other;

B) they can date other people and see what happens; or

C) they can call it quits and start dating other people right away.

That all makes sense. The unfortunate part is that agreeing on A, B or C is the hardest thing.

Travel Photo Tours

by Erik Olsen on

I switched to digital photography years ago, having purchased one of the old Nikon CoolPix cameras and I have since upgraded to one of the superb Nikon D70 XLRs. As happy as I am with this camera and its 6 megapixel images, the newest Nikons shoot in 10 megapixels and more. What can you do? Well, I suppose one thing you can do is improve your shooting overall. Even ten-plus megapixel images don’t do you any good if they suck. So why not consider a trip dedicated entirely to learning how to shoot.

I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do this. While I have shot my share of photos from all over the world, I know that there is plenty of room for improvement in my own travel photography skill repertoire. And so I was looking around for Photography Expeditions, trips where you go out and get the hands-on knowledge and skill from a bona-fide professional photographer. Turns out, there are LOTS of trips and packages available.

Travelimages.com for example, offers a selection of U.S. based and international tours in 2007 including destinations like the Galapagos, Scotland, the European Alps, New Zealand, Venice, Yellowstone and Vermont (where I am now!). Another possibility is Joe Englander’s Landscape and Travel Photography Workshops and Tours. With Englander, you’ll head to far-off places like Bhutan, Norway, Tibet and Burma. Along the way, professional photographers will take a look at your work and critique your composition and technique. It ain’t cheap, however. The trip runs $3,000, but would be the perfect way to kick your shutterbug skills up to professional levels. And who knows, if you take enough great shots, you might be able to sell them to magazines and cover your costs. .

(via Frommers)

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of December 31

by Adrienne Wilson on

With so many interesting stories coming out and into the New Year it made selecting this week’s five a bit difficult, yet I think I’ve gathered a well-rounded batch for you to review.

5. Think Before You Click:
Here is the sad tale of a German tourist who accidentally booked a ticket and flew into Sidney, Montana when he actually wanted to go to Sydney, Australia. The lucky fellow was able to make it to his intended destination with the help of family and friends, but talk about a costly mistake! Ouch.

4. Ask The Pilot:
Looking for the answer to all your flying questions? Why not “Ask the Pilot” or pick up the book to see if your question happens to make the selection of commonly pondered questions.

3. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum:
When a former president is no longer with us it is a big deal to say the least and many feel the need to pay some sort of tribute. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is just one place to start or perhaps you can think and thank him on your way from the ATM as he was the dude that made it legal to pull money from a machine. Not as grand as a trip to the museum, but its just a thought.

2. Paddling Baja Dispatch: Day 2:
After another great trip, Erik returns to share with us the details of paddling Baja. In this dispatch he talks about his guide Carlos, jagged coastlines, incredible rock formations, Mexican food, and rum and of course he does the favor of including some very cool photos from the affair. There is more to come, but in the meanwhile catch up on this if you already haven’t.

1. Chinese Shish Kabobs:
Death-wish or delicious? I don’t know about the food found in the pictures from Neil’s pal Pete, but I do know they make my skin crawl to the point where these Chinese shish kabob would be staying far from the taste-buds and only close enough for photo ops. Do proceed with caution.

Photo of the Day (1/3/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Today’s photo selection out of the Gadling Flickr pool comes from kelake. Taken in Bangkok, this cool shot of a bicycle standing alone, waiting to be taken on a Southeast Asian excursion caught my attention. It almost looks as though the back wall is a dark forest green color, though the photo appears to be B&W. Good stuff though and I hope to see more Thailand pics from kelake in the near future.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/03/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

On your way to Vietnam in the near future? If all goes well when you arrive you shouldn’t need this Vietnamese vocab to figure out where you luggage landed, but if you should find that you cannot find your goods you may wish to cut the small talk and show them you know what you’re talking about..

Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:

hành ly (haang lee) – luggage

To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.

Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc, tam biêt, bàn dô, phong giat (fom zuht)