5 places that offer free classes in New York

by Jessica Festa on

Think you need to pay a fortune to learn something new or gain a little knowledge in New York? Think again. The Big Apple is actually full of free opportunities to take classes and hone your skills in dance, art, computers, comedy, acting, meditation, and more. Check out this list of fun, interesting, and free options.

Check out the New York Public Library class schedule
Locations vary

The New York Public Library is not your average library. In fact, the collections in this library are on par with those of the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Music, film, art, and history exhibits are also part of the library’s regular programming, as are myriad of free classes. Everyday, the library hosts free classes that anyone can attend on an array of usual and unusual topics. Create beaded bookmarks, build your own periscope, bend and stretch during a Yoga session, become a better parent, or write a personal essay under the direction of a successful freelancer. Check their full schedule for a complete list of classes.Learn improv comedy at the Magnet Theater
254 W. 29th between 7th and 8th Ave.

If you’ve never taken an improv class, the Magnet Theater gives people a chance to try it out for free. No experience is required and the class is open to all. The instructors are professionals in the business and include Rick Andrews, who has taught at improv festivals across the country, Mark Grenier, who has studied both film and acting and has taught improv at various institutions and schools, and Megan Gray, who is the Artistic Director of the Magnet Theater and has a performed on cruise ships and written for major networks like MTV2 and Comedy Central.

Learn to Salsa with the NYC Salsa Fiesta Meetup
Locations vary

Whether you’ve never danced before or you hit the club every weekend, the NYC Salsa Fiesta Meetup & Dance Group is a great way to improve your technique and moves…for free. Free salsa lessons can be found every Wednesday at 8:15PM at Honey Lounge and every 4th Sunday at 8:45PM at Abigail’s Cafe.

Learn photography with PhotoManhattan
51 W. 14th St., between 5th & Avenue of the Americas

A few times each month, PhotoManhattan offers a free introductory photography seminar. Participants will learn about aperture, shutter-speed, film speeds, focal length, and light-meter for both digital and film cameras. Click here to check class times and sign up for yourself.

Learn to Meditate at NYC Meditation
Locations vary

In Manhattan and Queens, NYC Meditation offers free meditation classes multiple times each month. The class will go over posture, breathing and concentration techniques, and how create your own mediation space at home. Contact the center to find out when their upcoming free meditation classes are.

Enter to win a $3,000 grant toward responsible, off-the-beaten path travel in China

by Jessica Festa on

WildChina is offering the chance for travelers to win a grant of $3,000 towards pushing the limits of responsible, off-the-beaten path travel in China. The aim of the WildChina Explorer grant is to help people find authentic, life-changing experiences in their travels while also working to protect and sustain local cultures and environments.

The previous winner of the WildChina Explorer grant was Canadian traveler and writer Jeff Fuchs along with British entrepreneur and endurance athlete Micael Kleinwort. Together they traveled to the most isolated section of the Tsalam in Qinghai, completing the expedition in May, 2011 entirely on foot and leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible. The mission was part of Fuch’s desire to bring to light long lost routes in Asia.

Criteria for grant winner includes:

  • Focus on bringing to light a long lost route, cultural issue, promoting aid in a remote community, or a journey of discovery or rediscovery
  • An enthusiasm for exploration
  • Risk management plan
  • Incorporation of Leave No Trace principles
  • Low carbon travel
  • Skill levels that are equal to the proposed itinerary

Applications are due by November 15, 2011. For more information, e-mail expedition@wildchina.com or download the form.

Travel in the southern United States for free with Megabus

by Jessica Festa on

Who doesn’t love free travel? With a new hub in Atlanta, Georgia, Megabus is giving away 10,000 free seats to travelers using their new routes during trips taking place November 16 to December 16, 2011. The eleven cities included in the new route leaving from Atlanta include:

  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • Mobile, Alabama
  • Montgomery, Alabama
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • Gainesville, Florida
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Orlando, Florida

To take advantage of the offer, just enter the promo code ATL10K when reserving your seat online.

Win your dream trip to Canada

by Jessica Festa on

Lonely Planet is currently hosting a contest that gives travelers the chance to explore the world’s second-largest country however they please. Whether you enjoy winter skiing or summer hiking, this contest can help you have the experience your dreams in Canada. First prize is a $10,000 travel voucher towards the Canadian trip of your choice, while the second place winner will $500 worth of Lonely Planet books.

You can enter by going to Explore Canada like a local and browsing their featured trips. Select your favorite destination/activity and then copy the URL of your choice into the form on the Lonely Planet Facebook page. After filling in your information, you will be asked to explain in 200 characters or less why this trip is your dream Canadian experience.

Win a free wine tasting trip to Chile

by Kyle Ellison on

Yes, you read that right. Free wine. Free Chile. Free wine in Chile. It really doesn’t get any better than that.

Better yet, it’s easy. The folks over at The Wines of Chile Experience are currently hosting a contest that simply asks entrants to create a Facebook album that consists of 5 photos they feel best express 5 predetermined themes, those being: For the Love of Chile, Wine and Stars, Horses & Huasos, Harvest Holiday, and Urban Wine Retreat.

If the topics seem vague, you can find further clarifications over on their Facebook page where you can officially enter the contest. Dubbed Only In Chile, the contest is a means of illustrating how the country is able to provide travel experiences which are found, as you would guess, only in Chile. From the wet and rugged fjords of Patagonia to the bone-dry Atacama desert on the northern border, this narrow nation even has the tallest mountain outside of Asia.

Oh, and it’s also home to one of the best wine regions in the world, hence the buzz around the contest. Furthermore, with a prize package valued at $15,000, I have yet to come across a travel contest that has offered so much for doing relatively so little.

So here’s how it works. Create your album and officially enter the contest by November 4th. The top 6 albums based on creativity will be chosen as finalists, and online voting will commence from November 5-11. If you’re the album with the most votes at the end of the week, consider yourself strolling through vineyards in the foothills of the Andes.