Personalized Playlists for your Travels

by Neil Woodburn on

Personalizing a soundtrack to match your travel destination is a cool idea, but something that few people have the time for. And besides, what exactly are you going to put on your playlist for a destination you’ve never been to before?

That’s why the experts at Audio Sushi are here to serve you. This British company specializes in compiling the perfect blend of music for any occasion, be it a wedding, birthday party, running on the beach, or basically any other activity you can think of.

You can even pick a travel location and Audio Sushi “compiles a bespoke selection of music that embodies the essence of your holiday destination in a style of music you’ll appreciate.”

The price is a bit steep, £130 for an 80-minute playlist, but I suppose it might be worth it if they nail the mood of the place and make your vacation all that much better.

Portable Hand Generator Powers your Gadgets on the Road

by Neil Woodburn on

Generating power for all your portable electronic goods can be a challenge when you’re miles away from the nearest power source. When your iPod dies in the middle of a camping trip, for example, what do you do?

Fortunately, an entire industry has sprung up in the last few years catering to those who are terrified of losing power and falling off the grid.

As a result, human powered generators now come in all shapes and sizes. One of the more cool designs I’ve seen recently is the Pull-Cord Generator manufactured by Potenco.

This handy little 14 oz. device is like a miniature outboard motor; simply pull the attached cord and you have power. Pull it repeatedly for a minute straight and it produces enough juice to power:

* 20 minutes on a cell phone
* 1 hour of flashlight use
* 4 hours play time on an iPod Shuffle

Very cool! They should figure out how to attach one of these things to my car.

Shufflin’ Along Your Own Path

by Brett Atkinson on

OK, so I may be a guidebook writer, but I’m actually a big fan of random travel. It’s good to get lost every now and then. When I do it’s nice to have a totally random selection of music as a soundtrack. Here’s the first five songs that came up when I pressed “Shuffle Songs” on my iPod.

How does your random selection compare?

  1. “There There My Dear” by Dexys Midnight Runners
  2. “International Jet Set” by The Specials
  3. “Heart Shaped Bruise” by Elvis Costello
  4. “On and On and On” by Wilco
  5. “Panic” by The Smiths

Thanks to davegolden on Flickr for the pic of the mighty Mr Costello

Boom Box for iPod

by Neil Woodburn on

For those of you who like to bring along your entertainment system when you travel, let’s spare a moment for the new iMep.

The iMep is another auxiliary toy designed to work in conjunction with the ubiquitous iPod. In this case, however, it transforms the tiny iPod into a more bulky, yet still entirely portable entertainment center.

Weighing in at just nine pounds, the iMep is basically a glorified boom box with two, ten-watt speakers and a seven-inch LCD screen. Simply plug your iPod into the docking station, and share your music and video with fellow campers or beachgoers.

What, no iPod? If you are part of the no iPod minority, the iMep also offers a TV and radio tuner as well as a DVD player. It almost makes you wonder why you left home in the first place.

Price: $299.99

Prague’s Hotel for Hipsters

by Iva Skoch on

The days when Prague was the mecca of backpackers are long gone. They have slowly been out-priced and replaced with the “weekend-trip city-dwellers” from Western Europe, especially the UK. Few new hotels have been quick to respond to this trend and cater to the semi-affluent Western hipster who comes just for a few days (and doesn’t mind that virtually everything in the hotel is branded.)

At the chic Icon Hotel in Prague’s city center (where you get into the room with a fingerprint) the staff wears Diesel clothes, gushes over the oh-so-comfy Hastens beds, guests are encouraged to use Apple computers and iPods and bring the Navirent GPS systems when walking around town.

Friends recently stayed there when visiting Prague and loved the 120 Euro Urban Secrets package, complete with champagne breakfast and the above-mentioned GPS system. They also confessed they would run and buy a pair of Diesel jeans immediately because they liked it so much. Just kidding. At least I hope so.

Watch for The Gap/IBM hotel in the neighborhood near you. It’s only a matter of time.