Outside Magazine Green List

by Neil Woodburn on

Eco-Travel is something we really support here at Gadling. No, we’re not tree-hugging, granola-eating hippies; just citizens of the world. And, it happens to be a world we like. So, let’s tread lightly.

Fortunately, as part of their Green Issue, Outside Magazine has published a short but sweet “Green List.” For those of you interested in lessening the impact your travel has upon the globe, check out these six locations which would make even Mother Nature smile:

Ski Iceland
Montana Ecotourism
Eco-Friendly Hotels
Top Five Ecolodges
Rafting in Patagonia
Kenyan Ecolodge

Lost Bags. Lost Souls.

by Willy Volk on

Subtitled “Kang Yatse: A Skiing Misadventure,” Lost Bags. Lost Souls. is a mysterious, innovative, creepy, esoteric, snarling, thoughtful, electronic-moleskine webumentary. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but after you check it out, you’ll know what I mean.

Nominated for a Webby for “Reality Animation,” this travelogue relates the story of two American adventurers and their attempt to climb up and ski down the 21,000-foot-high Kang Yatse in the Indian Himalaya. Nothing goes smoothly, as their perfectly-planned vacation rapidly devloves into misadventure involving lost luggage, strandings, rolling blackouts, negotiation with cabbies, and surprises at the “global village.”

Is this the future of travel journals? I certainly wouldn’t mind if it were.

Solar-Powered, Robotic Snow Surfing

by Willy Volk on

If you think engineers are funny, then you’re going to love the trip report posted by Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. While testing their scalable, solar-powered autonomous science platforms for the Antarctic (hereforthwith referred to as SSPASPFTA), the team inadvertently invented a new sport — solar-powered, robotic snow-surfing:

One morning, while taking walking behind the robot and dragging a sled of equipment for quantitatively measuring the strength and cohesion of the snow underfoot, we realized what fools we were to man-haul the equipment ourselves. And, for that matter, how silly even to walk. So, we hooked the sled to the robot and went for a ride. The robot, it turns out, can haul its own weight (nearly 200 lbs.) on a sled and hardly notice it.

What fools, indeed. Though no one will be calling this sport extreme — the SSPASPFTA only travels at the pace of a walking person — it is somewhat novel. Plus, it gives engineers the chance to be outside, read, AND engage in some “man-hauling” all at once. Next stop: Vail.

Austria Says Nyet to Russians

by Erik Olsen on

I admit that I a fascinated by Russia and Russian culture. Neil knows it far better than I, but I’ve been trying to read as much as I can fit in about the country. I just recently added Warren Beatty’s Reds to my Netflix cue. (I know, can you believe I haven’t seen this yet?). The recent intrigue over radioactive sushi, the growing power of former KGB spook Vladamir Putin, the influence of oil and resource wealth in the country…it all adds up to a modern day Sopranos with an accent. Well, it seems some folks are tired of the Russians.

Take a look at this story from the UK’s Telegraph about how the ski resort of Kitzbühel recently imposed a cap of 10 percent on the number of Russians it allows to stay at the resort. Who in the world was counting them and what criteria were they using? Well, according to the piece the locals claim the Russians are “loud and brash nouveaux riches who lower the tone of the resort”. Ah, I guess there aren’t enough Americans going to Kitzbühel these days. My guess is the cap would be set to 5 percent.

Cheap Travel During Shoulder Season

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s “shoulder season” time in some places. That means it is between high and low seasons. In April and May, crowds are not so big and not so small and temperatures are not too hot and not too cold, particularly if you are heading to the Caribbean, Europe or to ski resorts. I guess if you are going to a ski resort, you do need it cold enough for snow.

Considering that it snowed today in Columbus, Ohio (yes, the tulips do look pretty with their white dusting), it’s not so far-fetched to be thinking of hitting the slopes next week. Here is a link to OnTheSnow.com, a site that covers snow resorts and snow conditions.

If you’re interested in Europe, here’s a link to a web page of Transitions Abroad. It provides links to budget travel in Europe. While you’re looking, you can find other budget travel hotspots as well.

For Caribbean travel, here’s a website I came across called Cheap Caribbean. That sure gets right to the point. If you want to broaden your scope even further, here’s an article on shoulder season travel on away.com.