LP Less Than Three

by Erik Olsen on

Aspiring filmmakers out there pay attention. Lonely Planet, the guidebook colossus, is offering a big time travel opportunity to folks who send in the best travel film that lasts, and here’s the gimmick, less than three minutes. That may seem like a short duration, unless you actually spent time watching some folks’ homemade travel video, (which believe me, I have), in which case you know that some folks are just not meant to be filmmakers (what is so hard about holding a camera steady?).

It seems like a pretty good deal. If you check out the FAQ, you can read that LP is offering a first prize of 10,000 Australian dollars (which comes out to, what? about $780? JK!) to help pay for your own Round-The-World economy flight, an STA travel voucher and the choice of either hanging with LPTV folks in Melbourne (LP’s home base) or taking the rest of the cash and heading out on your own “dream journey”. Hmmm….hanging with the LPTV folks would be fun, buuuuuttttt….so the hitch is you actually have to produce the film, make it under three minutes and, here’s the catch, make it interesting enough that people will actually WANT to watch it.

Hungry Planet: The Book

by Erik Olsen on

It’s already been pretty much established that America is a fast food nation. In fact, a book by Eric Schlosser with that exact title pretty much spells it all out. Many of us eat our own weight in hamburgers and fries every year, and you could fill a Volkswagen with the amount of grease that oozes its way though our bodies in a lifetime.

But is America unique in this respect? I’m always reading articles about how the Chinese are becoming increasingly obese. Same with the Europeans…yes, even the culinarily snooty French. But it still raises a very interesting question: What does the world eat?

In an amazing-sounding book of photos and text called Hungry Planet, photographers Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio offer a study of families from around the world, revealing what people eat during the course of one week. Each family’s profile provides a description of their weekly food purchases and is accompanied by photographs of the family enjoying food at home as well as shopping and out in their community. There is also a main shot showing the family surrounded by, well, food. The book also contains essays by a gaggle of well-known writers like Francine R. Kaufman, Corby Kummer, Charles C. Mann, Michael Pollan, and Carl Safina. I’m actually listening to Pollan’s Botany of Desire right now on my iPod, so I’ve been tuned into these “What do we eat and why” books, shows and articles.

Anyway, I thought this was one of those really simple, but cool, ideas that reveal a lot about how we live in this fast food day and age.

JenLeo Live in Australia

by Erik Olsen on

One of our favorite traveling friends and travelers, Jen Leo, is in Australia right now and has posted a slide show from the road. Lucky girl is there for two whole weeks, checking out the Land Down Under as part of an apparent press junket. She’s posting not from her traditonal spot of the Web WrittenRoad, but from a new site where she is chronicling her adventures.

And speaking of Jen, I have to say that the good folks at Travelers’ Tales sent me Jen’s latest gender-specific travel humor compendium (GSTHC, or Gosthack): What Color is Your Jockstrap, and after just a few stories I can tell you it’s a giggle-inducer. More on the book at a later time, later post.

Travel Prep

by Erik Olsen on

Being a good traveler is a bit like being a Boy Scout. To have the best experience possible, you definitely need to Be Prepared. Of course part of the thrill of travel is not knowing what is going to happen next…but that is part of the misery of travel as well. Who knows where you’re going to get stuck and/or with whom?

As we have seen in the relatively recent future, a natural event like a tsunami or a hurricane can suddenly change your life. Well, let me direct you to a couple of places that can help. First of all, about.com has a list of things to conhsider from vaccinations to passport issues. Probably the most informed source on this topic is Tim Leffel, who never fails to offer exhaustive advice on everything from money to getting around to, well, just name it.

Finally, the Los Angeles Times has a piece about how to prepare yourself for danger and misfortune overseas. It offers solid advice like, “hey, leave your name and whereabouts with others” and carry a cell phone. Travelers pre-tsunami might have disregarded this kind of advice, but today at least for a while, most people will probably know better.

Storybook England

by Erik Olsen on

I’m already a big fan of the United Kingdom. I’ve probably been there a half dozen times or so, and every time I go, I wish I could stay and live for a while. But I’ve never much thought of Great Britain as a kids place until I read that the British National Tourist Office has started campaign to get young folks to visit. Called Storybook England the site maps out the various UK locations where many of your favorite kids books were written or took place. It covers some 40 famous children’s stories including Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and (of course) Harry Potter (although the exact location of Hogwarts is not specified).

(via Written Road)