Win a trip to anywhere!

by Kraig Becker on

Creative, socially responsible travelers have the opportunity to win a trip to anywhere they choose, thanks to a new contest that is being run by the non-profit organization travel2change. The contest, which is accepting submissions through July 10th, seeks to identify and fund the best proposals for the sustainable use of water in any destination on the planet, with the aim of funding those projects to generate a positive impact on local communities in the places we travel to.

Entries to the contest can be for any travel destination, in any country in the world. Submissions are being accepted in four categories, including: Health, Environment, Education, and Sport. The submissions will be posted on the travel2change website, where the community can comment and discuss the projects as well. The most valuable participant in those discussions will also be allowed to join the trip to one of the four selected destinations too.

The idea is to show that travel can have a positive, lasting impact on the local communities that we visit in our journeys and to encourage more interaction with the people that live there. In this case, they are encouraging us to consider the sustainable use of water in the projects that we propose. Those proposals will be evaluated on the basis of creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability.

Do you have a great idea that fits the description above? Submit your proposal, and you may be off on a journey to the destination of your choice later this year.

Travel services for this project are being handled by Kuoni Travel.

Luxury hotels in U.K., U.S. warned of ‘Mumbai-style’ terror threat

by McLean Robbins on

Authorities are warning luxury hotels to be on the watch after new intelligence obtained reveals that Al Qaeda was planning a “Mumbai-style” attack on luxury hotels, specifically The Ritz-Carlton, in London.

The information was obtained after authorities found materials at a checkpoint in Mogadishu where Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the Al Qaeda operative who masterminded the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, was killed Saturday, reported Fox News.

According to The Sun, The Dorchester on Park Lane and Eton College were also on the handwritten list.

The three days of Mumbai attacks in 2008 killed 174 people and wounded more than 300.

The FBI briefed hotel leaders in New York yesterday and has planned a similar briefing for today in Washington as well as others in major U.S. cities.

Fox reports that the latest intelligence was believed to have been found on a thumb drive at the scene of his death.

Of course, travelers are urged to take basic precautions. Read a recent Gadling article that discusses a similar topic.

Photo of the day – Cocktail hour

by Meg Nesterov on


It’s always cocktail hour somewhere in the world, they say, though if you’re 8 months pregnant like me, it’s not for another 5 weeks or so. Even as a non-whiskey drinker, I looked at this and wanted a nice warming glass of scotch and perhaps a fire to drink it by. Flickr user JRodmanJr snapped this drink (and presumably drank it) in Basel, Switzerland; it’s a 14-year-old single malt from the Scottish distillery Oban. A beverage like this one can inspire a trip to taste the drink at its source, or just provide a mini-vacation in a glass.

Photograph any refreshing beverages on your travels? Upload your pix to the Gadling Flickr page and we may use it for a future Photo of the Day.

Vorticism: avant-garde art at the Tate Britain, London

by Sean McLachlan on

In the years before the outbreak of World War One, European artists developed a variety of different styles to reflect the pace of change and industrialization in what used to be a traditional continent.

Cubism and Futurism were two of the biggest movements. One of the briefest and most vibrant was Vorticism. The Vorticists started around 1913 and focused on the hard lines and quick pace of the machine age.

Now the Tate Britain in London is hosting a major exhibition on the movement called The Vorticists: Manifesto for a Modern World. It brings together more than 100 Vorticist works from all the major players.

One of the leaders of the movement was Wyndham Lewis, although some Vorticists say the only reason he was popularly seen as the leader was because he gave more interviews to the press. He was certainly important, though. Lewis was the founder of the Vorticist journal Blast, the first issue of which had a hot pink cover and featured writings by T.S. Eliot and Ford Madox Ford. A whole section of the exhibition is dedicated to this journal and its groundbreaking design and typography.

Some of the rarer works on display include those from the many women welcomed into Vorticist ranks, a daring move at the time. There are also the Vorticist photos of Alvin Langdon Coburn, often hailed as the first abstract photographs. These photos will blow your mind and hurt your eyes.

%Gallery-126430%While Vorticism was mainly a British movement, this exhibition also explores its influences on the New York modern art scene. In fact, it was an American poet, Ezra Pound, who gave the movement its name.

The output of this movement was remarkably small. Blast only had two issues, and there were only two Vorticist exhibitions. World War One killed some of the Vorticists and left others embittered against the modern world. Yet Vorticism had a major impact on modern art and its works are still discussed and copied today. The two issues of Blast are still in print almost a century after they first appeared. One advantage of its brevity is that an exhibition of this size can encompass a majority of the major works, giving the visitor a full understanding of the meteoric life of one of modern art’s most intriguing avant-garde movements.

The Vorticists: Manifesto for a Modern World opened yesterday and will run until September 4.

[Image of Workshop c. 1914-5, by Wyndham Lewis courtesy of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust]

“Hyatt for Her” launches at select European hotels: what else would improve a woman’s travel experience?

by McLean Robbins on

Airlines baggage fees and liquid allowances are a particular inconvenience to female travelers, particularly those (yes, we’re guilty) who load their bags and carry-ons with perfume, hair straighteners and various creams and gels.

We’ve found a few workarounds – sites like 3floz.com to find our favorite products in travel size, gadgets like Travalo, a refillable perfume atomizer, and the Inouis CORE, a handbag organizer that doubles as our in-flight gadget and makeup holder.

Still, we’re excited by the launch of Hyatt’s new “Hyatt for Her” program, a special initiative to increase the comfort of, and show special attention to women when they travel.

“We created this special offer for female travellers because it is essential to us to understand the lifestyle and needs of women who travel a lot and are always in a hurry but have to look smart all the time,” said Fred Hürst, the general manager of Grand Hyatt Berlin.The new program offers a “hair menu” so that guests can choose the shampoo and conditioner perfect for their individual hair type and style. Developed in partnership with Kérastase, the menu includes three types of products: one for coloured hair, one for dry hair and one for weak and fine hair. The program also includes an in-room manicure, pedicure, and blow dry service. The mani/pedi is a reasonable €50 per treatment, comparable to a spa service in the states.

The program is currently available at the brand’s Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne, Mainz and Zurich properties.

It’s a good start, although we probably wouldn’t bother with the blowout or mani/pedi. We’d like to see the program expanded to include supplies of items like hair straighteners (CHI, please) and curling irons upon request, and the addition of miniature hair spray cans to complimentary available amenities lists.

We were particularly excited by a recent stay at Gramercy Park Hotel in New York, where we found our in-room amenities curated by none other than the editors at Allure magazine – our supply included Davines shampoo and conditioner, which we promptly purchased after our stay. The boutique hotel can easily adapt its menu, which might not be feasible at a large chain like Hyatt, but still, the option remains for increased brand / hotel partnerships.

What else would you add to your travel wish list, ladies?

[Flickr via garybembridge]