Go #OnTheRoad With @GadlingTravel On Instagram

by Jessica Marati on

The Gadling crew is one of the most diverse groups of travelers on the web. But different as we are, we’re united in our thirst for adventure and our hunger for the open road. You read about our adventures here. Now, we’d like to invite you to travel with us in real-time – on Instagram at @GadlingTravel.

Each month, a member of our team will take over the @GadlingTravel Instagram feed for one week and post images from his or her travels with the hashtag #ontheroad. This week, I’m posting photos from my current trip to sunny Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s one of the most artistic and culturally vibrant places on the planet; I’m excited to be your eyes and ears while here.

We’re also excited to open up Instagram as a platform for submitting original mobile photos into the running for Gadling’s Photo of the Day. Just mention @GadlingTravel AND use hashtag #gadling in your image post, and we’ll consider it along with photos submitted in our Gadling Pool on Flickr.

Questions? Comments? We’re also hanging out on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and now even Google+. See you there![Photo Credit: Jessica Marati on @GadlingTravel]

Get An Education In iPhone Photography

by Elizabeth Seward on

Although iPhone photography may still seem amateur to the professionals, let’s face it: more and more of us are documenting the visuals of our lives with our phones. And even while we’re traveling and relishing in picture-perfect scenery, many of us are capturing and sharing those moments. I include myself in this generalization – it requires quite a bit more forethought for me to take photographs with an SLR than with my phone. The fact that my phone is what’s in my pocket when I happen to see the sunlight hitting a tree perfectly while out doing errands is what yields those photos, the ones I wouldn’t have taken at all had I not had my phone with me. Enter Higher iPhone Education. Thanks to Laughing Squid, I now know about Photojojo University, which is now offering a four-week course in iPhone photography. The website is currently advertising an introductory special rate of just $5. So challenge the inner iPhone photographer within you and become well versed in the fundamentals before voyaging out for your next memorable adventure.

[Photo Credit: Photojojo]

Learn Map Design In Online Class

by Meg Nesterov on

Like many travelers, I am a map nerd. I love them all, whether they are scribbled on a bar napkin, printed in an antique atlas, or GPS-enabled (the quirky paper ones are really the best, though). Often, a map is the best way to communicate experiences, share recommendations and tips, and document your travels. How about learning to design maps, meet some like-minded folk, and find out how to “communicate places beautifully”?

Paris-based blogger and designer Anne Ditmeyer is teaching a virtual class beginning this month on map design on Skillshare. The three-week course will cover both hand-drawn maps and mapmaking in the digital age, culminating in some live “office hours” where you can bounce ideas off each other and present final projects. There are no grades, but she’ll feature her top ten favorites on her blog, so you might get some good exposure if you are creative in your map project. You don’t need any fancy computer or design skills, and it’s a bargain at $20 (about the cost of a guidebook these days), so what are you waiting for?! The class already has students in over a dozen countries around the world; check out a map of them (I’m on there for Istanbul) here.

Sign up for the class here. It runs February 18 – March 11, but you can access the lectures and content at any time after they are posted and learn at your own pace. Read more about what you can expect from the course and Anne here.

[Photo credit: Anne Ditmeyer, Prêt à Voyager]

Over-The-Top Valentine’s Day Experiences: Day 7

by McLean Robbins on

For the past week, we’ve been noting all things luxe as they relate to Valentine’s Day travel and tracking the best and the biggest through February 14 in this “over-the-top” series. Today’s offering comes to us from New York City’s Warwick hotel.

Legend has it that publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst built the grand Warwick New York Hotel for his true love, actress Marion Davies. This year, the historic hotel is celebrating the holiday with a package called “The Big Heart.”

For $21,400, guests enjoy:

  • Two-night stay in a newly renovated “On the Avenue” Suite, decorated with couple’s favorite flowers
  • Personal photographer to record the couple’s visit
  • Chauffeured limousine transportation throughout the stay
  • In-room couple’s massage
  • Romantic in-suite dinner experience as well as breakfast daily
  • Welcome bottle of Cristal Champagne with keepsake monogrammed flutes
  • $10,000 gift card to Cartier
  • Late check-out

[Image Credit: Warwick New York]

Google Maps Adds Data For 38 Ski Resorts

by Kraig Becker on

For my money, Google Maps is one of the greatest technological advances of all times. Whether I’m at home or traveling to some new destination, it helps me to find restaurants, museums, shops and other points of interest, then routes me to those locations by car, foot or mass transit. Over the past few years, Maps has continued to evolve and add new features, making the system even more useful as time goes by. Earlier this week, Google announced yet another upgrade to Maps, this time adding data for 38 ski resorts across the U.S. and Canada.

This new addition to the Maps database is already live both on the web and in the Android and iPhone apps. When viewing popular ski resorts such as Big Sky, Mammoth or Park City, skiers and snowboarders will be able to quickly and easily see all of the runs and lifts that are available, with their skill levels clearly marked. Blue, green and black runs are displayed on the map as solid lines while chair lifts are designated by dotted red lines. Parking is also clearly marked and when zoomed in close enough, restaurants, lodges and bars are also visible. There are even Street View options for a few of the resorts, letting you scout out the terrain before you ever visit.

The complete list of mountains that are currently available in Google Maps can be found in the blog post announcing their addition to the system. Google promises more locations will be coming soon, so check back often to see if your favorite ski destination has been added. The maps may just help you discover some new runs and make your day on the slopes a bit more enjoyable.

[Photo Credit: Google]