Rick Steve's Free Paris Podcast

by Erik Olsen on

If you don’t already have your fill of
itinerant travel writer Rick Steves through his multitudinous books, TV shows,
etc., you might be interested that he is also doing audio
tours now, available from his site and/or through itunes. And if you act now…well, and/or later as well…you can
download a free copy of Steve’s walking tour of Paris.

Steve’s audio
tour includes tours of the Louvre and Orsay Museums, Versailles Palace, and a walk through historic Paris. Now, do you
want Steve’s dulcet voice coming into your head as you walk the Louvre? That’s a question you’ll have answer for
yourself. We are but mere messengers here. We merely want you to know you have the option.

GADLING'S TAKE FIVE: Week of March 28

by Adrienne Wilson on

On this Friday it looks as if March has come to an end and before
we say farewell to the ‘madness’ that was, it’s time to take a look back at some of this week’s various travel-related
highlights. Shall we?

5. Where to
Wear Guides: Thanks to Karen’s watchful eye and her passion for shopping, she points travelers with a love
for collecting designer pieces and vintage threads globally to the pages of Where to Wear guide books. Find out where to
nab one of these pocket-sized guides for your next big shopping-spree in the big city.

4. iPod Resources: Even if I’m the
only person in the world without an iPod, Neil’s post on the growing number of resources available for travelers who
actually do have them makes me want to jump on the bandwagon quick. It’s not just music, movies and audio books
anymore. Think maps and find out how to download the handy subway maps for 23 cities around the world. Lost – no
more.

3. Delicious,
Mouth-Watering Kangaroo: At first I thought the story I found in the Miami Herald about one woman’s food
sampling experience in Australia was pretty interesting, (especially her short notes on the delicious Kangaroo meat)
until one of our readers pointed out how and where to snag pre-packaged Kanga meat in local Aussie grocery stores. Who
knew?

2.
Hidden Gems: Princeton, New Jersey, a photo essay: Journey with Sarah Gilbert and her fisheye cam through
Princeton to discover the areas best hidden coffee shops, ice cream parlors, Indian food, cheap gyros, camera shops,
and spots made famous on the silver-screen. It’s so majestic you’ll want to experience Princeton for yourself. I
promise.

1. Free Ways to
Travel: Excuse me? Yes, you heard correctly. Erik does a most wonderful job in helping us find a will, a
way and the resources to reach our final destinations without going broke. I kid you not, but have a look with your own
two eyes and start saving on your next Central American, African or New Zealand adventure quest. The possibilities are
endless.

Rick Steves

by Neil Woodburn on

As a fellow
traveler, Rick Steves is the type of guy I really hate. 

And when I say hate, I mean it in that jealous-of-another-person’s-success type of hatred.  I
am in fact envious of Rick Steves.  His $31 million travel empire churns
out travel books, PBS shows, podcasts, and radio programs—not to mention a travel agency which sent 8,000 people abroad last year. 
But churn, is perhaps too harsh of a word.  Steves is passionate about travel and the work he produces
reflects this philosophy.  His successful Europe
Through the Back Door guidebook series serves up inside scoops, off-the-beaten-path locations and folksy
advice.  It’s certainly no Frommers. 

Take a moment to read more about this
prolific traveler writer; soon you’ll join me in hating him as well. 

 

Gadling on AOL Travel

by Erik Olsen on

Some of you may have noticed, perhaps because you came
here from there, but we here at Gadling.com have done a couple of helpful travel pieces this week for the good folks at
AOL.com. We worked our brains over how best to satisfy the AOL audience as Spring
approacheth and people are making plans. And we settled on seven ideas for seven days.

We hoped to cover wide enough variety of trips to satisfy just about everybody, and so did
write ups on the best secret places to go in Mexico and Hawaii, as well as both East and West Coast Trips (Even through I’m from the West Coast, Neil
lives there now in So Cal, so he handled the West. And since I live in New
York, I took on the East Coast). Then there was a piece on Family Spring Breaks, and one on Spring Ski Slopes. And finally, last but by no means least, a
piece by Adrienne on Caribbean Trips. Anyway, if you came
to Gadling.com from these pieces, then welcome! Bookmark us and come back often. If you are a Gadling.com regular or
occasional visitor, go check out these pieces, maybe they’ll give you some inspiration to do some traveling.

Spring Break 2006

GADLING'S TAKE FIVE: Week of February 21

by Erik Olsen on

It’s that time again, time to highlight some of the more
interesting Gadling posts from this last week. And it was a rather rich week, I’d say, especially when you consider
that we put up another podcast for your ear budding pleasure. But let me start at the beginning with this week’s
list:

5. Blimp Travel: This was a post I
found over at Popular Science and it really fired me up. I’ve long been puzzled why we haven’t been able to ply the
skies slowly in a dirigible. I mean, the technology has been around for a while, and yet, no blimp rides. Did the
tragedy of the Hindenburg ruin blimp travel? Well, perhaps not. Looks like someone may be building blimps for us after
all.

4. Tiki Mania: To be honest, I had only
heard of this whole Tiki business through Neil, whose post on Tiki Mania made it clear that the current Tiki revival
(revival? When was the last great Tiki boom, again? Oh, the 60s) is something to pay attention to, at the very least
for the promise of delicious fruity drinks.  But seriously, little did I know that the Tiki craze has its own magazine, blog, and, a band called Ape.

3. Calypso:
Adrienne, you might have read, is spending some fine time in Trinidad, and are we jealous! Well, she’s somehow found a
nice connection down there and is sending some excellent dispatches on life in a place most of us have never been. They
are really superb, and we are grateful. I’d like, in fact, to direct you to this wonderful post on Calypso and Soca
music. I read it last night, and then the daylight come and me wanna go home.

2. Tunisian Star Wars Locations: Sorry, I’m,
about a big a Star Wars geek as they get. I’ll not get into the details, but trust me, I’m out there in a galaxy far far
away. And so that is why I enjoyed Neil’s post on Tunisian Star Wars locations. What can I say? I’d go there just to
stand in the sand and say: These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

1. Gadling Podcast: Joshua Davis: I really
enjoyed chatting with author Josh Davis about his new book Underdog: How I survived the World’s Most Outlandish
Competitions (not to mention the forthcoming film on his sumo exploits). The podcast here is our first since we spoke
with Fabien Cousteau about his shark submarine, and I think you’ll really enjoy it. Josh is a great guy, and his story
will make you shake you head in wonder.