Travel and technology at the New York City Travel Massive event

by Jessica Festa on

On Tuesday, November 8, 2011, New York City Travel Massive will hold their November event at Winston’s Champagne Bar at the Gansevoort Park Hotel. New York City Travel Massive is a Meetup group in Manhattan that aims to bring together travel bloggers, travel brands, and travel start-ups while having a drink and a fun night out.

From 6PM-8PM, Travel Massive has reserved the entire 2-floor venue. While all are welcome, an RSVP is required to secure your spot. Along with wine and beer specials all night long, there will be free drinks given to those who arrive nice and early, and will be served until the allotted free alcohol runs out.

Event located at 420 Park Avenue South. Click here for more information and to RSVP to the event.

Live music and weed sampling at the 2011 Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, Netherlands

by Jessica Festa on

This year, the Cannabis Cup will take place in Amsterdam in the Netherlands from November 20-24, 2011. Pot fans will not only get to enjoy live music and performances, but will also get to sample some of the best products in the cannabis industry. Seminars will also be held to teach attendees the best tips and tricks for weed cultivation.

One of the highlights of Cannabis Cup is the contests to see what the best sativas, indicas, and weed strains are. Think being the judge of that sounds like a fun job? Then you’ll be happy to know that anyone can purchase a judge’s pass for this privilege. While a bit pricey ($269), the pass not only entitles you to the be a judge for the contests, but also admission to all of the events and expos for the entire four days, an event t-shirt and program guide, and bus transfers to and from the events. If you don’t want to buy a pass, you can still buy single-day event tickets at the door for 50 euros.

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.

Photography class mixes nude models with Italian landscapes

by Jessica Festa on

Master Photographer Mark Laurie of Inner Spirit Photography has created an annual workshop that most people only dream about. Revealing Venus, as the program is called, allows five photographers to travel to Italy and photograph glamour and nude models in off-the-beaten path settings in Sardinia. The trip not only includes instruction by Laurie, one-on-one shooting time with the models, inclusion in a published book, and the model released photos, but it is also all-inclusive, with a private chef and hotel transfers.

Tuition with a private room costs $4,250 CAD, but there are payment plans available. To get a better idea of what to expect, check out this video:


Couchsurfer rhymes a “gift rap” to his host

by Jessica Festa on

Hello.

Couchsurfer Matthew Bloomfield really appreciated his stay at host Elmar Bierbaum’s apartment in Lima, Peru. If fact, he felt so grateful that he composed a rap as a tribute to Bierbaum (and he stayed within the 1,000-word limit for a CouchSurfing reference).

Bloomfield calls himself “The Rapping Professor”, as he not only writes rhymes for those you give him a couch to sleep on, but also for his day job. An event entertainer, the rapper has been able to break into an unusual niche and has been very successful, even performing at corporate parties in Asia.

Check out the Rapping Professor’s talents for yourself in the clip above.