Ten Thousand Villages: Don’t forget the festival sales!

by Kelly Amabile on

It’s never too early for holiday shopping tips, right? I was in Media, PA last weekend, which is officially known as America’s First Fair Trade Town. Its’ quaint main street is home to a variety of earthy shops, organic markets (including a Trader Joe’s) and its very own Ten Thousand Villages, a spectacular fair trade gift shop with artisan treasures from around the world. Since 1946 the company has supported the work of craftspeople in over 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

I love shopping at this store — I’ve bought several gifts at their Media, Bethesda and Baltimore locations, but was disappointed last holiday season when I was unable to find any of their shops in the NYC area. I was stumped, but went back to their website for a closer look. I searched the festival listings and discovered that they had a booth at The Bryant Park Holiday Shops in Manhattan. Bingo! Although the selection was much slimmer then their retail locations, I was still able to find some suitable (and fun!) fair trade gifts.

Keep this in mind as the season of giving gets underway — or go shopping right now in support of Fair Trade Month! Although their stores may not always be located in the “big” or most obvious cities, Ten Thousand Villages merchandise is available at a plethora of these holiday sales and festivals across the U.S. and Canada.

Enter to win a copy of Peter Greenberg’s “The Complete Travel Detective Bible”

by Catherine Bodry on

You’ve read our interview with Peter Greenberg, The Travel Detective. You were fascinated by his explanation of the importance of travel as a “process” … but you want to learn more. No problem!

We’ve got 10 copies of Peter’s new book to give away to some lucky Gadling readers! Here’s how it works:

  • To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us your best travel tip.
  • The comment must be left before November 5, 2007 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • 10 winners will receive a copy of “The Complete Travel Detective Bible” valued at $17.95
  • Click here for complete Official Rules.

Good luck!

Flight attendant gives hilarious safety message

by Jamie Rhein on

Happy Monday and this should perk you up. If you’ve ever spaced out during the flight attendant safety talks and casually wondered if perhaps you should actually look at the card in the seat pocket in front of you, here’s a video that will remind you exactly how many exit doors there are–and everything else you need to know in case of an emergency. All the information is accurate, it’s the delivery that gets your attention. Here’s a sample.

“If you don’t like our service, the flight gets too long, we have 6 emergency exits–2 at the front, 2 over window doors, and 2 at the rear–signs over head–lights on the floor– leave through those exits.”

The life vest, the seat becoming a floatation device, the oxygen mask and that seat pocket instruction are all covered. Thanks, Marilyn Terrell, our friend at Intelligent Traveler, for sending this hilarious gem our way. And thanks to rodizzl for recording the attendant and posting it on You Tube. Stellar.

Birds nest, white fungus. No I would not like some, thank you.

by Grant Martin on

You know those shows you see on the telly where the adventurous, sexy host eats ox testicle because that’s what the back country pygmies eat? Or that one friend you have who will eat fermented shark bile because its the Icelandic specialty? I’m not that guy. Case in point, Birds Nest, White Fungus. This Vietnamese drink comes in a Redbull sized can and contains, well, birds nest and white fungus.

Having a notoriously weak stomach, I’ve never been privy to shooting myself in the foot and trying “new, exciting” food. But in the company of family, it’s harder to refuse. One sip of this stuff though and I was on the floor crying for A&W rootbeer. Who’s idea was it to put these two constituents together into a beverage?

So next time you find yourself in far off lands and you feel pressured to be like that one guy from the Travel Channel and eat sauteed Yak hair, feel free to decline. It’s ok to have a weak stomach and not be the culinary hero. I’m talking about you Bourdain; you’re turning my friends into crazy people. I’ll be in New York with my Santoku knives next Friday and I’m ready to throw down.

European Bookstore Guide

by Kelly Amabile on

Bibliophiles headed to Europe may want to bookmark this new website: the Bookstore Guide has only been around for about two months, but they already have over 40 independent shops listed on their site. This growing collection includes bookstores in cities like Tbilisi, Istanbul, Oslo, Liverpool and Graz. I discovered the blog because they referred to some reviews I wrote last year about my own European bookstore browsing days.

The allure of the out-of-town bookstore has been written about before, and I’m sure many travelers would agree with this sentiment. I’ve spent many hours on several continents idling in a variety of bookshops, especially English-language ones, which can offer precious familiarity and comfort during long stretches of time in places far from home. My favorite so far? Still has to be Massolit in Krakow, which is actually run by an American from New Jersey.

But now, thanks to Sonja and Ivan (creators of the new guide) we’ve all got a new and expanding list of shops to refer to on future European book-buying (or browsing) excursions.