Reminder: Dumb Travel Mistakes = Prizes

by Willy Volk on

Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of The Smart Traveler’s Passport: 399 Tips from Seasoned Travelers this week. The deadline for the contest is June 6, 2007, at 8 pm. That means you still have plenty of time to enter — but you need to get cracking!

All you have to do to win a copy of the book — which we reviewed recently and which will undoubtedly help you travel smarter in the future — is share your dumbest travel mistakes with us. Tell us your stories here.

Even if you don’t have any mistakes to share (which we don’t really believe), you should check out some of the stories others have shared. People have done some really head-smackingly dumb things.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of May 27

by Adrienne Wilson on

The Take Five feature is one I have had a love hate relationship since the day we kicked it off here on Gadling. To go through each week and select ONLY five that should once more win your affection is a real tough duty. This week after reading through every post here I sort of covered my eyes and threw a dart at each one. Enjoy!

5. Avoiding the Side Effects of Bad Street Food:
If only we could place anything and everything on our palates without dealing with what Neil calls the “nasties” later on… Sigh. Well according to Budget Travel you can have your cake and eat it too! Find out now or go later. Know what I mean?

4. BioToi: For Conveniently Pooping in the Woods:
Don’t like squatting in the woods with your rear in the wind? Here’s a handy piece of gear to place a little comfort for those bodily deeds done out in Mother Nature.

3. NYC Shoe Store Gets Its Own Zip Code:
For those who really love shoes place this one on your travel wish list. And I mean it is for those that REALLY love shoes.

2. Carrying Children:
I’ve never traveled with kids and the thought makes groan on the inside a bit, but this gallery on carrying children as you go makes it look like it can done and fun at the same time. Beautiful!

1. Talking Travel with Seal Press Founder Barbara Sjoholm:
Kelly sits down with the author of Incognito Street to talk about travel, of course, but an abundance of other great information is shared. Don’t miss your chance to win a copy of the book for your summer reading by the poolside.

Traveling Sketchbook, Stationary People, Interesting Project

by Willy Volk on

Better traveled than many people, Blank is a traveling, collaborative sketchbook journal. For most of the 2005 calendar year, the first book of Blank roamed the country, slowly getting its pages filled with all kinds of glorious doodles, oddball doohickeys, and loving color. Upon conclusion of its journey, the creators scanned the innards of the book and uploaded them for all the world to see.

Book II free-wheeled it through most of 2006. Again, its contents are online.

Books III and IV have hit the road. With dreams of crossing international borders, the end result(s) will no doubt be even more amazing.

If you’re interested in participating in a collaborative art project in which you stay put while the art comes to you, send Blank an email — or read about the similar-yet-slightly-different project Chookooloonks is cooking up.

Wheelers on “Wait, Wait” During June US Book Tour

by Kelly Amabile on

Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler are kicking off a two week book tour of the US with an appearance at Book Expo in New York City today. They will then continue on with a series of events at bookstores and other venues from Boston to Portland.

They will visit The Geographical Society of Philadelphia and The Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Book Fair, and will also stop by NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me while in the Windy City next week.

The publishing powerhouse duo is touring in support of their two new books, both released this spring: Tony Wheeler’s Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil and Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story. Tony’s book offers a first-hand look at his travels through some of the world’s most dangerous regimes; places like Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Libya, Cuba and North Korea. The other book, written together by the couple, is a personal account of their 40-years in the travel guidebook biz. I’ve only had time to skim the Table of Contents of my copy, but it looks as if it must read like a good story while also serving as a textbook for the travel publishing industry.

Learn About Cultures’ Cultural Guides

by Willy Volk on

Learn About Cultures produces downloadable books that detail the important cultural “dos and don’ts” you should be aware of before embarking on an international trip. Designed with both the business and leisure traveler in mind, the books — covering 16 of the world’s “most popular” travel destinations — are filled with information ranging from business dress to dining etiquette, from negotiation strategies to gift-giving protocols.

If you’re interested, you can see a sample of the China guide (PDF). Each Culture Guide-To-Go is only $19.95; order three or more at a time, and get a 10% discount.

They also produces a few broader “global guides to etiquette,” which cover entire continents. Interestingly, these books, sold through Amazon, are nearly half the price of the click-n-print PDF versions available for download.