Holiday gifts for food (and drink)-loving travelers

by Laurel Miller on

Holiday shopping is easy if the people on your list like to eat and/or imbibe. If they’re into travel–be it armchair or the real deal–the options are endless This year, think beyond the predictable bottle of wine or pricey “artisan” cookies and give reusable, portable, eco-friendly gifts or small-batch edibles that are the taste equivalent of a trip abroad.

As for where to get these items, look at farmers and flea markets, street fairs, specialty food shops, wineries/distilleries, and boutiques. One of my favorite spots to shop: foreign supermarkets.

For the green at heart

An inflatable wine bag is ideal for wine and spirit-loving travelers. They’re multi-use and work equally well for olive oil, vinegar, or other fluid specialty products.

A logo tote bag (preferably made from recycled materials) from a specialty food shop, winery, etc. is great for practical recipients. A co-worker recently brought me a signature navy blue number from Neal’s Yard Dairy, a famous cheese shop in London. In two months, it’s traveled to South America and across the U.S., doing time as a souvenir satchel, laundry and grocery bag, and all-purpose carry-on. When I don’t need it, i just roll it up and stash it in my duffel bag or day pack. Love it.

Gift a wine key (opener) salad tongs or bowl, chopsticks, or other kitchen utensils made from local, sustainable materials such as wood, antler, bone, bamboo, or shell. Do a quick online search or ask (I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: phrasebooks) about the origins of said object. If you have any qualms about the eco-aspect, don’t buy it and let the shopkeeper know why.

[Photo credit: Flickr user noramunro]Drink coasters are always appreciated. I’ve picked up woven palm versions in Indonesia, as well as purchased colorful Portuguese azuelos tiles for this use. If the country or region you’re visiting is famous for its leather, woodwork, ceramics, or even recycled metal handicrafts, you’ll probably find a nice, inexpensive set of coasters. Again, be sure they’re made from sustainable materials.

Vintage kitchenware–even if it’s not functional–can be a great gift, especially if your intended is a collector. Salt-and-pepper shakers, wine openers, cheese knives, a set of Melamine bowls: hit up antique stores or street fairs, because you’re sure to find treasures at affordable prices.

For the adventurer

A pocketknife or plastic folding knife from a famous cheese shop or winery is indispensable to hikers, campers, foragers, and DIYer’s who enjoy a good picnic while on the road. Just make sure your loved ones aren’t the type who don’t check their bags when they fly. A mini-cutting board of wood/bamboo or slate is also a nice gift.

Know someone who’s into mountaineering or other high-altitude pursuits? Coca leaf tea (or for a less effective but more entertaining option, caramels or hand candy) really works, and it’s legal.

For the locavore

If you have a friend of the “Eat local/Support family farms” variety, a gift from your travels can still fit the mold. Whenever and wherever I travel, I make a point of purchasing local, handcrafted foodstuffs: jam or other preserves, honey, cheese, candy. What I buy depends upon where I am and whether or not I have to abide (cough, cough) by customs regulations or have access to refrigeration.

If customs and temperature aren’t an issue, consider a gift of cheese, charcuterie, or even some spectacular produce (A would-be suitor once presented me with a tiny disc of goat cheese and one perfect peach before I departed on a flight; I wasn’t into the guy but loved the thoughtfulness of his gift).

If you you’re looking for a shelf-stable product, some suggestions: leatherwood, manuka, or tupelo honey (from Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Florida Panhandle, respectively); sea salt (I love the red alaea salt from Hawaii); Argentinean dulce de leche; drinking chocolate; real maple syrup; dried chiles or posole from New Mexico; palm sugar from Indonesia; spices from India or Morocco; Spanish saffron or paella rice–look for Calasparra or Bomba from Valencia; Provencal chestnut cream; Italian tomato paste or canned sardines (canned tuna from overseas is very often not from a sustainable fishery); barbecue or hot sauce; heirloom dried beans; stoneground grits…

I particularly like to buy items grown/produced by farmer co-ops but unless they’re manufactured for export or are a dried good, beware. A jar of manjar (the Chilean version of dulce de leche) I purchased from a tiny bakery wasn’t sealed properly, and was contaminated with mold when opened. Botulism or other foodborne illness is not a thoughtful gift (although I suppose it’s better to give than receive…), so make sure you’re getting professionally packaged goods.

[Photo credits: wine opener, Flickr user corktiques; honey, Laurel Miller]

On a tight budget this year? Make your own edible gifts based upon your recipient’s interests, favorite holiday spot, or ethnic heritage. Check out the below clip for an easy holiday recipe; bonus points if you know where Moravia is.

10 best art hotels for creative travelers

by Jessica Festa on

Sometimes when traveling, the average hotel can get a little boring. Why not try something unique and artistic on your next trip? These ten hotels don’t just hang paintings on the walls, they make guests feel as if they’re staying in a real life work of art.

Daddy Long Legs Independent Travellers Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa

The designers of Daddy Long Legs had independent, creative backpackers in mind when building the property. Staying here is like being inside an interactive art exhibition, with unique rooms decorated by artists, poets, photographers, musicians, and designers who had free range to do whatever they pleased. The result is a mix of funny, ironic, and adventurous themed hotel rooms. Some room examples include:

  • the Freshroom- This is the only room to be commissioned by a commercial product. Guests can expect a retro Mentos theme, including a blinds with a pinup of Mona Lisa holding a pack of Mentos, circular raised wallpaper, and furniture adorned with 2,500 rolls of Mentos mints.
  • Far From Home- This room makes guests feel as if they are in the Karoo Wilderness by turning photographs of the region into wallpaper.
  • The Photo Booth (pictured above)- This room contains 3,240 images that are geared around the theme of “life”.

The Henry Jones Art Hotel
Tasmania, Australia

The Henry Jones Art Hotel is a unique hotel offering first class accommodations. Australia’s first art hotel, Henry Jones features original contemporary artworks by emerging and established Tasmanian artists. Sculptures, design pieces, paintings, prints, photographs and more can be perused in the rooms, restaurants, bars, and public spaces, and some of it can even be purchased. For guests who want the full art experience, take a guided tour through the hotel to get a closer look at the range of works as well as the historical overview.

Hotel des Arts
San Francisco, California

The Hotel des Arts is located in the French Quarter and presents the contemporary work of local artists. Guests will not only look at art, but interact with it. Staying in one of the hotel’s Painted Rooms will immerse you in your choice of imaginative installations or edgy graffiti from floor to ceiling. And, if that’s not enough, there is an art gallery on premises that hosts an array of creative exhibitions.

Gladstone Hotel
Toronto, Canada

The Gladstone Hotel is more than just an accommodation; it’s an ongoing experiment that intertwines urban development and cultural entrepreneurship. Along with being a values driven business with a green philosophy, the property also promotes art. Artists created unique themes for each room, a few of which include:

  • The Biker Room (pictured right)- This room features furniture and adornments influenced by motorcycle culture.
  • The Map Room- The goal of the artist was to have guests create their own view Toronto by engaging with the room’s features. For instance, the headboard and ceiling chart the surrounding streets, while a line drawing in the bathroom depicts the nearby ferry route and street grid.
  • The Felt Room- This room is based on the material and the idea behind it. Associated with modern industrialization, felt is rich in scope and can be worked as a surface as well as a structure.

New Majestic Hotel
Singapore, South East Asia

The New Majestic Hotel includes 30 rooms, all designed by artists whose creations were made specifically for the accommodation. While some rooms may contain hidden messages in the art work that can only be read when laying in bed or sitting in the bathtub, others are more flashy with mirrors making up the walls and ceiling. There is an array of creative and interactive experiences for guests to choose from.

Arte Luise Kunsthotel
Berlin, Germany

Originally a building for artists to camp out after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the structure eventually evolved into what is now known as the Arte Luise Kunsthotel. Often called “a gallery where you can spend the night”, this hotel offers rooms that have each been designed by established artists. Guests can choose from an array of themes. While one room may have life sized women painted onto the walls, another may be created to make you feel like you are on safari. Others may have shoes protruding from the walls or have accessories that make you feel as if you are an actor in a sci-fi film.

21C Museum Hotel
Louisville, Kentucky

The 21C Museum Hotel holds a creative experience in every room and space, including the bathrooms and sidewalk outside. While the rooms themselves hold unique pieces of art, what’s really special about this property is the fact that it houses North America‘s first museum dedicated only to collecting and showcasing 21st century contemporary art. On the first floor you will find the actual gallery, while the restaurant and bar also feature a rotation of exhibits. Upon check-in, guests will be given an I-Pod that will give them a guided tour of the hotel’s collection.

Hotel Fox
Copenhagen, Denmark

Hotel Fox is an exciting and creative lifestyle hotel that features 1,000 ideas from 21 different artists in 61 rooms. Combining comfort with the bizarre, each room is a unique piece of art. Some themes include the wacky and humorous, street art, Japanese Manga, fairytales, monsters, and more.

Kosta Boda Art Hotel
Kosta, Sweden

The Kosta Boda Art Hotel is a hotel with a glass art theme, with a glass bar, glass art installations and exhibitions, glassblowing workshops, and rooms featuring creative glass works. Not surprisingly, the hotel is located in the center of the Kingdom of Crystal, so even when you venture out of the hotel your glass art experience will continue.

Propeller Island City Lodge
Berlin, Germany

The Propeller Island City Lodge is truly a unique property as it is a “habitable work of art”. All rooms and their contents are creations of German artist Lars Stroschen, with every object in every room being custom made. While rooms vary from the tame to the extreme, your sense of reality will be altered. And with hanging beds to entire rooms being made of mirror, you will encounter a lot of unusual and trippy scenery.

10 days, 10 states: Keeping it weird in Austin, Texas

by Kyle Ellison on

“We were headed down the road, hit the border, by the morning, to let Texas fill my soul…”
-Pat Green

I will admit that I eat some pretty strange things on occasion, because when you’re on the road a lot, that’s simply what you do. Snails in France, squid in Singapore, and what might have been cat in Vietnam. Never in my life, however, of all the culinary curiosities that have found their way into my gullet, have I ever harbored the urge to roll out of bed and immediately start eating a taco.

In Austin, however, this is apparently just what you do. You get up. You brush your teeth. And then you go eat some tacos.

Rousted out of bed by my taco-needing, still-intoxicated-from-last-night college roommate who now calls Austin home, morning pleasantries were barely exchanged before making a beeline for a taco stand clear on the other side of town. What initially seemed like unnecessary haste proved to be a keen sense of timing. As it turns out, on any given Saturday morning thousands of young people in Austin, Texas are simultaneously craving tacos. Maybe tens of thousands.

Don’t believe me? I wouldn’t either. That was until I pulled into Taco Deli at 9:30am only to be thrust into the back of a line at least 65 people deep which wrapped around the side of the building into the hinterlands of South Austin. Already well documented by fellow Gadling blogger Elizabeth Seward as being a city known for its food trucks and DIY food culture, old and young Austinites alike have a serious soft spot for Mexican food in the AM.

And, I found out, so do I.

Morning meat aside, Austin is a city that has been well documented in Gadling lately, and justifiably so. As the “Keep Austin Weird” movement has demonstrated, Austin is one of the funkiest and most fascinating cities in all of the 50 states. A bubble of progressive thought in a traditionally conservative state, the movement to keep Austin as a locale which promotes independent businesses and champions large amounts of music, art, and culture has infused the capital city with an energy and an atmosphere that draws people to the city in droves.How large is the current allure of Austin? In a 2011 list put out by Forbes magazine, Austin was listed as the fastest growing city in the entire country with a 37% spike in population over the last decade. Add in the 52,000 students currently matriculating at the University of Texas, and you might understand the depth of the morning rush for tacos.

Even with its rapid growth. however, Austin remains the largest city in the United States that doesn’t have a professional sports team. Much of this is of course due to the Longhorns being the undisputed owners of every shred of sports passion from here to San Antonio, and most argue that there’s simply no room for a pro team in a city that bleeds burnt orange.

Don’t believe me again? Go to a UT tailgate outside the football stadium and begin to question the level of passion. As I undertake the epic road journey that has become “10 days, 10 states, 10 great American sights”, I was fortuitously able to sculpt my itinerary around a Texas home game in an effort to experience the mayhem for myself. Judging from the the throngs of beer toting, burnt orange wearing good citizens of Austin, if you had told me the entire city had shut down for the occasion I wouldn’t have begun to argue. Though Austin may be a progressive bubble, this is still football in Texas, and nothing gets in the way of that. Ever.

Cruising through the uber-hip South Congress (SoCo) district of town prior to the game, it’s fair to say that there’s much more to Austin than breakfast tacos, food trucks, live music, and football. One of the most popular districts with visiting tourists, South Congress is an artsy, oft-photographed neighborhood rife with boutique salons and vintage shops that exude the “weirdness” Austin aims to maintain. As if to justify the funky vibe, a purple-haired man with a guitar and a pair of zebra pants comes waltzing out of the psychedelic themed costume shop Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds, easily melting into the sea of energetic passerby.

Staring down the street at the Texas capitol building (which is the largest state capitol in America, and 7th largest building in the world when it was first built), the streets of South Congress teem with a curbside mixture of proud alumni, tight-jeaned hipsters, camera-toting tourists, hungover coeds, and some poor guy just trying to get a taco.

Thanks for welcoming me to your city, Austin. And thanks for keeping it weird.

Follow Kyle on the rest of his journey as he explores “10 days, 10 states, 10 great American sights”.

Meet the 2012 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year

by Kraig Becker on

On Monday of this week, National Geographic announced their list of the 2012 Adventurers of the Year, bestowing the honor on eleven men and women who have pushed the envelope in their particular fields over the past 12 months. This year’s group includes mountaineers, a professional surfer, a long distance hiker, a mountain biker, and more.

Several of the names on the list will certainly be familiar to Gadling readers. For instance, we told you about Jennifer Pharr Davis when she set her new speed record on the Appalachian Trail a few months back and we took note of climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner when she summited K2 in August, ending her quest to become the first woman to climb the highest peaks in the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. We even told you about Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar, the two men who paraglided off the summit of Everest last spring. Others earning Adventurer of the Year status include mountaineer Cory Richards, who became the first person to climb Gasherbrum II in the winter and snowboarder Travis Rice, who rode some of the toughest mountains in the world, in style no less. To view the entire list of winners and read more about their exploits, click here.

With the announcement of these recipients, Nat Geo has also opened an online poll that allows you and I to weigh in on who we think deserves the most recognition for their accomplishments this past year. Readers are encouraged to vote everyday until the poll closes on January 18, 2012. Then, in February, they’ll announce the winner of the 2012 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year Award as well. Click here to cast your vote for your favorite adventurer.

Finally, to catch these men and women in action, check out the online photo gallery that National Geographic has put together to highlight their selections. Not only are they fantastic photos, they also capture the winners in their natural habitats, namely mountains, oceans, forests, and so on.

Congratulations to all the winners.

[Photo courtesy of Cory Richards]

Giant world map made from recycled computers

by Elizabeth Seward on

Have you ever thought about turning parts from your old, run-down computers into a giant world map? Maybe you have thought about, maybe you haven’t. But Susan Stockwell actually did it. She’s a UK-based artist and, thanks to her most recent work, she’s an eco-friendly artist.

Stockwell created this enormous world map from broken and unused computers for the University of Bedfordshire. She began working on the piece in 2010. She used motherboards, electrical wiring, fans, and many other recycled computer parts to put the piece together. Also known for making artwork from maps and other paper goods, Stockwell is an artist at the hand of various mediums. Take a look at photos of this huge creation here. You can check out more work from Susan Stockwell on her website by clicking here.