GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – White Water Rafting (part 2)!

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 28 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ready for part two of Travel Talk’s White Water Rafting adventure?! We’re taking you on the rest of our white water rafting down California’s mighty Tuolumne River on an action packed 2-day adventure. We’ll show you what it takes to navigate Class IV+ rapids and teach you all of the vocabulary that you’ll need in order to stay dry.

In this episode’s couch talk, we’ll explain some of the jargon that rafting guides use to describe the river’s obstacles and give a short run down of some of the world’s best rivers for thill-seeking and white water adventure.

So take a deep breath and get ready for more action!

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links
Appetite wet for a real rafting trip? Then check out Oars.com for some of the best guided expeditions around the world.
Tuolumn-what? Get familiar with the mighty T!
Want the full rafting glossary? Check out a sample here.

All images used under a Creative Commons license. All music used courtesy of Nonstop Music.

Win $200 from REI and Ford Explorer on our Facebook page

by Annie Scott on


Ladies and Gentlemen, Ford and Gadling have teamed up to bring you $200 toward whatever REI adventures, gear and clothing you fancy!

The giveaway is in celebration of the new, reinvented 2011 Ford Explorer (above). This vehicle not only has the right name for a traveler (“explorer”), but it includes an all-new Advanced Terrain Management System with special modes for mud, snow and sand. Other features include industry-first rear inflatable seat belts, Trinity front impact structure, AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) and Curve Control functionality, and it aims to raise your expectations about SUV fuel efficiency with a 20 percent miles-per-gallon improvement from their 2010 model. The vehicle has the tagline “Redefining what it means to be an SUV,” and you can read lots more about it on the 2011 Ford Explorer website or become a fan on the Ford Explorer Facebook page, where you can find videos, executive interviews and more.

And now, the giveaway: this $200 REI gift card can totally stock your adventure vehicle with gear for all terrains, including boots, snowshoes, paddles, skis, camping equipment, backpacks and state-of-the-art electronics. They also have attractive, comfortable apparel for men, women and kids (for the less outdoorsy).

In addition to the $200 gift card, you can have an adventure tip that you wrote featured on the Ford Explorer Facebook page.

How to win:To enter our first-ever Facebook Giveaway, follow these three steps — and be sure and read carefully or we might not see your entry!

1. To enter, visit the Gadling Facebook page and click “Like.” (If you’ve already done that, the button won’t show up and you don’t have to do it again.)

2. Go to your own profile and type the “@” symbol, then the word “Gadling,” like “@Gadling.” The icon for the Gadling Facebook page will come up, and by clicking it, you’ll be tagging us in your post. That’s how we’ll see it!

3. Share an adventure travel tip of yours — anything is fair game, from rock climbing to cross-country skiing.

We’ll choose one winner to receive the $200 gift card to REI and have their tip featured on the Ford Explorer Facebook page! You know you need something for your next adventure. Get it free — or at least $200 cheaper.

Legalese:

  • The comment must be left before Wednesday, September 1st at 5pm Eastern time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will receive a $200 gift card to REI and have their tip featured on Ford Explorer’s Facebook page.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Prize valued at $200.
  • Click here for complete Official Rules

Ten things Gadling readers love about airports

by Annie Scott on


The airport can be a depressing, frustrating, even infuriating place. I was staring blankly at the plastic-wrapped apples at JFK, bored out of my gourd, when I decided to try and get some perspective, so I tweeted a question about what people like about the airport. I didn’t hear anything for hours, then I got a few chirps about people-watching.

I knew that some people must like the airport, or at least have found things to like about it so as not to go through every queue in anguish. I found that group of folks on the Gadling Facebook page. Here are Ten things Gadling readers love about airports (we’re at 43 comments and counting):

  1. “The fact that it means you’re going somewhere.” — Carrie
  2. “The excitement of where people are going and the destinations/locations!” — Shane
  3. “When I arrive after a long, amazing trip and my partner is there to greet me with a hug and a kiss.” — Lisa
  4. “Good public art.” — Catherine
  5. “First class lounges” — Frank
  6. “The sense of being in-between” — Jay
  7. “The shops & grocery store in Frankfurt airport.” — Jessica
  8. “The exit door” — Wendy
  9. “The opportunity to be a blessing to some who are not having a blessed day there, particularly our soldiers.” — Dean
  10. “The fact that i could go anywhere! and the duty free naturally :p” — Maia

So, maybe have a re-read over that list before your next journey. To see more and to participate in the conversation on Gadling’s Facebook page, click here.

[Photo by Uggboy via Flickr.]

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – White Water Rafting on the Tuolumne!

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 27 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Suit up, strap in, and get ready for this week’s Travel Talk! We’re going white water rafting down California’s mighty Tuolumne River on an action packed 2-day adventure. We’ll show you what it takes to navigate Class IV+ rapids and teach you all of the vocabulary that you’ll need in order to stay dry.

In this episode’s couch talk, we’ll delve into a little bit of the history behind America’s National Park System; what the first established park was, what the most frequently visited park is, and what terms the NPS uses to classify our many protected lands.

Think you’re ready? Click the link below to watch.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links
Appetite wet for a real rafting trip? Then check out Oars.com for some of the best guided expeditions around the world.
Tuolumn-what? Get familiar with the mighty T!
Want more info on a National Park near you? Check out NPS.gov for information.

All images used under a Creative Commons license. All music used courtesy of Nonstop Music.

Justin Glow and Rolf Potts embark on round the world trip — with no bags

by Grant Martin on

Two of our favorite people in the world, Gadling editor-at-large Justin Glow and travel writer and personality Rolf Potts are teaming up on a wild project starting this week, traveling around the entire planet with absolutely no baggage.

The journey begins this morning on a flight between Kansas and New York City, where the team will be spending two days prior to their departure to London, Paris, Morocco, Cairo, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Singapore, Queenstown and Auckland, to name a few places, all with nothing more than the gear loaded in their SCOTTeVEST clothing and various and sundry camera equipment.

“Why?” you might ask? It’s partially to show the ease and fluidity of travel when unburdened (figuratively and literally) by luggage and it’s also a challenge. A challenge about making compromises on the road, pushing their gear to the limits and keeping cool while traversing the planet in one set of britches.

Rolf will be the pointman for the operation, and you’ll be able to see dispatches from his sexy gourd in both video and words every day over at rtwblog.com. Justin, the (no less sexy) camera and logistics man will deal with all things technical and with getting the dispatches updated. Along the way, they may even have a few visitors swing through.

Keep an eye out for updates as the weeks pass by and try to contain your jealousy. It sounds like a fantastic trip.