Gadlinks for Wednesday 6.10.09

by Brenda Yun on

Here’s a sampling of the best of the rest from around the travel world:

  • Planet Eye brings us a great list of eco-travel mistakes. After a month of traveling back and forth between the mainland and Hawaii I’m feeling like I should memorize this list.
  • This summer could be the year of traveling by hobby, and the Independent Traveler has a cool list of outfitters and online resources to get you started.
  • MSNBC breaks down the world wide web’s newest online travel sites.
  • Why do you need to write a good travel story when you can write a bad one? World Hum brings us a humorous list of suggestions on how to write crappy travel tales.
  • Do you like dim sum — or just staring at the meat hanging in Chinatown store windows? BootsNAll brings us a great list of the world’s best Chinatowns.

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening.

For past Gadlinks, click HERE.

Clean living in Stockholm

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Scandinavians are recognized as being on the cutting edge of environmentally-friendly innovation. Nowhere is this clearer than at Hammarby Sjöstad, a community of apartments in Stockholm designed to reduce carbon footprint and generally enable clean living. Large windows make the most of sunlight, especially in the summer, and carefully planned logistics – down to trash pickup schedules – lead to lower emissions and a reduced environmental impact.

Once fully developed, the collection of 11,000 homes, which can be purchased or rented, take advantage of new technological developments to enable conservation without thinking. The consumption of water, for example, is lowered by showers that mix air with water to create the feeling of deluge without the environmental implications. Even raw sewage is converted to energy.

The flaw in most green initiatives – behavior modification – is present at Hammarby Sjöstad. Technology goes only so far, and people have to provide the final push. But, the residents surveyed said that living in there has inspired many to change their lifestyles.

The development is still new and remains a work in progress. The project is expected to be completed in 2015. But, early signs are positive. The home of the future will not resemble some Disneyland fantasy, it seems. Rather, it will reflect Scandinavian sensibility and an effort to keep the planet alive a little longer.

Why take the Buddha Bus?

by Abha Malpani on

I don’t understand why the OzBus is popular. Why would you want to spend 13-weeks on a bus, traveling with a rigid itinerary and a bunch of people you don’t know?

People say: it’s the most environmentally friendly way to travel, it’s the hippy way to travel (?), it’s a different experience. To me, just the thought is excruciating and exhausting. That’s just me though, no strings independent travel is more my thing and I can travel in an environmentally friendly way without being handcuffed to a bus.

Anyway, I bring this up as I read news of the launch of the Buddha Bus: a bus that will take you from London to China in 16-days. The first “Zen bus” will depart from London on September 6.

“To broaden the mind, to stimulate the senses; the perfect antidote to the stresses of the modern world,” is it’s philosophy. It plans to average about 800km a day (with the occasional rest days inserted here and there) — that’s at least 8-hours of daily bus journey. To me that translates to: a sore bum from bumpy roads, waste of time because of numerous bathroom breaks, 60-odd chattering strangers, traffic jams coming into and leaving the city, occasional overnight travel, departures at dawn — urrmm — how exactly is it an antidote to stress?

The longest time I have spent being on a road at a stretch is 4-days/3-nights on a train in India. It was air-conditioned, I was only with my family, the train had sleeper-bunks; it was a typically smooth ride, I can’t complain but I wanted to strangle my parents at the end of it, and other than green fields and a few dirty bathrooms at the train stations, I saw nothing.

I have not been on the OzBus, or any such journey — so it’s really not my place to rant. I’d love to think that the “environmental-friendly experience” is the whole and sole reason why people choose to take such long and organized road trips, but I have my doubts about that.

Have any of you been on a similar journey? Was it worth it?

New Blog Alert: That’s Fit

by Adrienne Wilson on

After much anticipation it brings me joy to announce one of the newest members of the Weblogs, Inc. Network – That’s Fit. Our latest and greatest sister-blog is devoted to all things that allow us “to live well and stay well,” according to Kristi Anderson, who provides the official site welcome message. If you’re a fan of the Weblogs, Inc. Network be sure to bookmark That’s Fit and get your fill on fit living for the mind, body and soul. Exercise, diet, alternative therapies, organic living, inner growth, natural beauty and eco-travel are just a few healthy samplings to be found on That’s Fit!

Go on – swing by, check it out and send a warm round-of-sound to the team!

Have A Green Summer & Google Maps

by Adrienne Wilson on

Considering summer officially kicked off last month it’s safe to say this Have A Green Summer and Google Maps campaign isn’t new news to all, but for some of us I’m sure it’s new. What has happened is this: Earth Day Network teamed up with Google to bring eco-friendly, green information to folks traveling to five major metro areas this summer. Areas include Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and San Francisco. You can use Google maps to hunt down all your green locations while you use Earth Network’s video tours to explore before you go. I’d say this is pretty gnarly if you’re afraid of going some place like Los Angeles because of all the smog and what not. Even better if you’re not a fan of far-off, tropical jungle escapes where everything is green. You can have your city, cake and eat it too provided the icing is a light frosty colored green.