Scourist Rules

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure how many people remember the numerous times we’ve blogged about Mr. Jon Rawlinson, but it’s time we did so again. Jon sent me an email recently that kind of sat there waiting for me to click on it. There was a link there that looked enticing, but for some reason, I just kind of let it languish there in unclicked limbo.

Well, no longer. And boy was I missing out. Jon is the man (well, one of them) behind an amazing, fabulous, wonderful new site called Scourist. What does that mean, exactly? Well, he means that they are “scouring” the earth in search of adventure. But more than that, they are shooting gobs of video, cutting it all into nice bite-sized segments ,and posting the stuff online.

I’ve been sitting here checking these videos out and if I looked in the mirror right now, I’d be looking at a very green face. I am OVERCOME with envy at this moment because of all the things I would like to be doing in this world right now, shooting video in an African game park is definitely near the top of the list. Top of the list would be hanging out ,martini in hand in Hef’s jacuzzi, but that’s another kind of dream.

I urge you to go and spend some time on Scourist now .It is really one of the best travel video sites I’ve seen in a while.

And this time we REALLY mean it .

Mexico By Train…With Money

by Erik Olsen on

We’re big on Mexico by train. Why, just a few days ago Adrienne posted about doing Copper Canyon by rail. I have it on good authority that this is a MUST DO trip, that the canyon is gorgeous and the ride, while at times perilous, offers a wonderful mixture of comfort, luxury and adventure.

And for those willing to pay out a bit more, you can enhance that luxury quotient by several-fold. The folks over at Luxist have posted about a company offering uber-luxurious trips in Mexico. called GrandLuxe Rail Journeys they offer a nine-day package that takes you on a meandering tour down from Texas to Mexico City. You will chug and choo-choo through Copper Canyon and then to Guadalajara and Tequila (where you will need to disembark and do a shot..sorry, it’s the law), then you are headed to the historic town on San Miguel de Allende and over to the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at the ancient city of Teotihuacán.

But such fun doesn’t come cheap. The trip starts in October and a Presidential Suite costs $6,190.

Understanding Soccer

by Erik Olsen on

Well, we are now moving swiftly towards the finals of the World Cup and, oh my, how exciting it has been. The Brits English got beat, the Brazilians got beat and it looks like it might be WWIII with the Germans and the French going at it. French and Italians going head to head. But who knows? I do know one thing, however. I know that I understand very little about soccer strategy. And it is my guess that the average American knows very little also.

So in the spirit of goodwill towards all, and in an effort to help my own countrymen feel a little more a part of the bigger world, I offer you a very fine little Wiki-lesson on understanding soccer strategy.

Yes, some of the “tips” might seem very obvious (i.e. “Learn how counter attacks can lead to goal scoring opportunities. ” Yeah, OK.), but much of what’s here might just help you better enjoy the next game you watch. 

You are watching the World Cup, right? 

Farecast

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve read a couple of things about this new site Farecast, and figured I’d go take a look for myself. The site is still in beta, or out of beta though hardly ready for primetime, but what it offers is a unique and much-needed (or at least very useful) take on the whole Web 2.0 travel site thing. What FareCast does is shows you the price history of a particular flight and then offers you what the price forecast is.

That is, through a series of complex algorithms…and some weird juju I don’t profess to understand, black magic if you will, the site will tell you if the price is trending up or down. They also offer a confidence meter showing the likelihood they are right and how the price differs according to time of day.

In other words, it takes what a company like kayak offers and then throws a lot more useful information at you. Really pretty cool. The sad thing is that , as I mentioned, the site hardly works yet, with the ability to view only outgoing flights from Boston and Seattle. But so far, this could be a really cool new way to shop for flights.

Pursuit of Happiness

by Erik Olsen on

What does happiness mean to you? Well, it appears to mean different things to different people. Although it never seems to mean, “having a hot poker stuck in my eye”. So there is some commonality.

But over at the Philly Inquirer, they ask that simple question and get a lot of different answers. One person says happiness is: “The struggle to live for something outside yourself.”  Another writes: “Being satisfied in the present while envisioning and working towards a better world.”

You are asked to provide your own. So go ahead. Go over and say: Traveling the world, seeing new things, meeting new people, helping out where you can. Oh, and then something about Swedish models.