Travelfish sets a new benchmark in iPhone travel guides with their guide to Angkor

by Scott Carmichael on

Travelfish has long been one of the most respected resources for travel in Asia. Their site covers Backpacker information for Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Of course, information provided on a web site is great for preparing a trip, but once you are actually on the road, you’ll need to find Internet access to get to it.

This is where the new Travelfish iPhone app can help. Their first app covers Angkor in Cambodia, and my oh my what an impressive app it is. In fact, as the title describes, I’m so impressed, that I’m calling it “a new benchmark in iPhone travel content”.

The application only runs in landscape mode, but it takes perfect advantage of this by presenting plenty of wide screen content. The app covers everything (and I really do mean everything) you need to know about the region For beginners, there is a huge background section, with history of the country and the region itself. It also offers 8 entire sections on how to plan your trip, with everything from visa information to the local weather and what to pack.

The sleep section shows all local hotels on a map, describing the different areas in the city. The application lists the 40 best hotels, hostels and guesthouses, along with a full review, online booking link, phone number and of course, its location on the map. Similar comprehensive guides are offered for restaurants, sightseeing attractions, local transportation.

The walking tours portion takes you on an iPhone guided tour, complete with when to start and exactly how to reach each highlight of the self-guided tour.

The maps support your location, and can be customized to show more (or less) locations.

Final thoughts

Of all the iPhone tour guides I’ve seen, this one really is the most comprehensive. I love the design and ease of use. Best of all, the application stores all its data on your phone, so there is no need for an (expensive) data plan when roaming abroad.

The program is perfect for pre-planning, as well as acting as a live guide when you are actually in Angkor. Each portion of the application offers handy features like bookmarks and “show on map”, and the designers make fantastic use of the touch friendliness of the iPhone and iPod Touch letting you swipe to browse articles.

You’ll find the Travelfish Angkor app in the iTunes store, where it sells for just $7.99.

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Load up your iPod with local music before your trip

by Aaron Hotfelder on

What’s the one thing that connects all people in every country on Earth? If you said “a dislike for Crocs footwear,” that’s a good guess but you’re wrong. It’s music.

Yes, before television or the internet or even the written word, there has always been music. A country’s music is an extremely important component of its culture, but it’s often neglected by travelers, even those who wish to truly experience the place they’re visiting.

Now, I’m not saying you should load up your iPod with two-hundred-year-old polkas and mazurkas and Gregorian chants. Those are neglected for good reason, in my opinion. (Sorry Mrs. Peters, my eighth-grade Music Appreciation teacher.) No, I’m referring to a country’s popular music– its rock bands, folk singers, indie artists, and even its bubblegum pop.

Sure, you’ll probably hear more Bob Marley or Guns ‘n Roses than anything else on your trip, depending on where you go, but most countries have scores of talented local artists. The trick is knowing where to find them. For my money, the folks over at Perceptive Travel have the best reviews and recommendations of world music that you’ll ever come across. Head on over there to check out what they have to say about your next destination.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer a few of my own recommendations on international songs. Here are a couple of my favorites, with their country of origin in parentheses:

Dubbed “Islam’s biggest rock star” by Time Magazine, Sami Yusuf sings hauntingly spiritual songs about faith, mercy, and compassion.

Cambodia meets Los Angeles, literally, in the band Dengue Fever. Lead singer Chhom Nimol, straight out of the musical mecca that is Cambodia, combines her unique voice with LA’s Zac Holtzman’s on this song about love separated by a world but connected– barely– by a phone card.

Slate’s Stephen Metcalf calls Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman a “fully realized pop genius.” His song “A Postcard to Nina” illustrates the typically quirky, funny, and often poignant Jens Lekman tune.

For musical chart-toppers from all over the world, go here. For streaming audio from everywhere, try this.

And be sure to check out Gadling’s series Sounds of Travel for more great songs.

Passports with Purpose raises $13,000 to build school in Cambodia

by Katie Hammel on

One of the most difficult parts of travel is visiting a less-developed country, seeing a need, and wishing there was something you can do to help fill it. So four travel bloggers from the Seattle area got together and decided to raise some money and put it to use on a particular project. This year, that project is building a school in Cambodia, and they’ve been joined by over 50 additional travel writers, bloggers and travel websites in raising the funds.

The effort, dubbed “Passports with Purpose” started with a goal to raise $13,000 by December 21. But they weren’t just asking for donations out of the goodness of your heart – those who contribute will be entered to win in drawings for some pretty cool prizes like Flip cameras, Shutterfly gift cards, travel gear, and even free stays at hotels around the world. Each entry costs $10 and you can enter to win the drawing for the prize of your choice. Each prize will be valued at $75 or more.

As of yesterday, the group met their $13,000 goal, but rather than stop there they’ve decided to go even bigger. Now they’ll try to raise an additional $13,000 to staff the school with a nurse, install a water filer, and plant a vegetable garden.

The deadline to donate and win a prize closes December 21 and winners will be announced on January 5. All proceeds from the entries will go directly to American Assistance for Cambodia, an independent nonprofit organization formed in 1993, which works with the Cambodian government to build school in rural villages.

Photo of the Day (11.29.2009)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Over the past five weeks of my trip through Southeast Asia, I’ve visited a huge number ancient temples. Ancient structures dot the hilltops and city streets pretty much anywhere you go. Perhaps that’s why today’s photo from Flickr user calendartravel caught my eye. Taken at Cambodia’s world famous Angkor Wat, I found myself drawn in by the great use of perspective. As you peer down the photo’s temple hallway, catching a glimpse of orange-shrouded monks in the distance, you feel as though you were right there in Cambodia, crawling around this amazing ancient wonder.

Want your pics considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Submit your best ones here.

Exploring the Mekong River

by Kraig Becker on

Some of the most amazing adventure destinations center around the great rivers of the world. Whether it’s rafting the Rio Grande, kayaking the Congo, or simply taking a leisurely cruise down the Nile, we seem to have a fascination with these waterways that have played an important role in human development. One of those rivers is the Mekong, which stretches for more than 2700 miles as it meanders through Laos, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

In Laos, the Mekong is known as the “Mother River” and it plays an important role in that country’s culture and lore. Travel writer Kate Quill discovered this for herself recently when she made her own Mekong journey, sharing the details with us in this article from the London Times. Kate spent a week on the river back in October, and describes a tropical landscape filled with dense jungles and rocky peaks.

On her journey up the Mekong, Quill stopped at a remote village that gave her a sense of what life is like for those that depend on the river for their daily needs. Villages like the one she visited remain largely untouched by the outside world, lacking nearly all modern conveniences. She also notes that the Laos’ lack of public health care is also evident when interacting with the villagers.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the four longest rivers in the world, spending time on the Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, and Mississippi. Each offered their own unique experiences and glimpses into the cultures of the countries that they flow through. The Mekong seems like it continues this tradition, and offers adventure travelers another destination to add to their list of must see places.