Daily deal – 1 year digital subscriptions to many popular magazines

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is part freebie, part eco friendly deal. Through the “Read Green Initiative” you can sign up for a 1 year subscription to 100’s of different magazines.

This is perfect if you want to save some trees, or if you want to lighten the load if your carry on bag on your next trip.

The magazines can be read through the Zinio online reader in your web browser, or through their offline reader which is available for Windows and Mac machines. Best of all, Zinio also offers specially formatted access for iPhone users, which could be a great way to kill some time at the gate.

The magazine lineup includes popular titles like Elle, Penthouse and Ebony. No credit card is required to sign up, and the only personal information you need to supply is your email address.

You’ll find the magazines here, just be sure to click on the various topics on the left of the page to see more of the magazines on offer.

British Airways In-Flight Mag Goes Online

by Josh Lew on

High Life, the 35-year-old in-flight magazine of British Airways, is headed from airspace to cyberspace. The famous rag launched its online incarnation on October 9th. BA hopes that the success of the print version will translate to the online world and raise the airline’s profile amongst travelers. The publisher of High Life’s print version, Ceder, teamed with web development company Reactive on the project. They are aiming to attract advertisers eager to have their name and product associated with High Life. Perhaps they are also hoping that well-heeled cannabis aficionados will happen across the site after Googling “high life” and decide, on the spur of the moment, to book a flight to one of the site’s featured destinations.

The first online issue has a food theme and is guest edited by celeb chef Heston Blumenthal. It seems mainly aimed at gourmets and those with an taste for the upscale aspects of travel. There is a bit of hipness, with contributions by the likes of Hot Fuzz’s Simon Pegg. Still, the site maintains the glossy feel of its printed kin.

Time Magazine’s top travel related websites 2008

by Abha Malpani on

Lists are great. Especially website lists that have been selected by a reliable body after combing through the abundant clutter on the world wide web.

Undoubtedly, Time Magazine’s list of 50 top websites is one such great list and here are their travel-related website selections for 2008: (no particular order)

  • Wikitravel & Wikisky: After much contradiction on the value of Wikitravel, it’s interesting to see it on here. Wikisky is new for me; it allows you to Wiki the Universe’s sky!
  • Tripkick: Launched in May 2008, Trip Kick reviews hotel floors and rooms of 250 hotels in 12 US cities, to help you avoid getting a crappy room in a good hotel.
  • Gasbuddy: Particularly useful if you are taking a road-trip in the US or Canada, GasBuddy helps you find the cheapest gas prices in your city.
  • Serious Eats: Is a food blog based on sharing your food enthusiasm with others.
  • MapJack: According to Time, it is an alternative to Google Street View and Live Search Map, with brighter/sharper photos and better navigation tools.
  • Carbon Rally: Specially for those who want to be green, Carbon Rally posts challenges (example: line-drying your laundry for a month) to motivate you to reduce your carbon footprint. (Hmmm…why is this site blocked in Dubai!?)
  • Free Rice: Where you get to learn a word and feed the hungry in exchange, reviewed before on Gadling here.

You can check out the full list of Time Magazine’s top websites for 2008 here.

Why not everyone should become a travel writer

by Anna Brones on

There are some great travel writers out there; big names like Rolf Potts and Paul Theroux come to mind. There are even online communities like the Matador Network that promote up and coming travel writers, aspiring to a profession where they actually get paid to travel. But despite lugging around a journal and a camera, not everyone is destined to pursue such career.

For the 10th anniversary issues, the editors over at Budget Travel decided to enlist readers to do the writing and photography. Although as Editor in Chief Erik Torkells put it, “I hesitate to make fun of any of our readers, but…a few of the pitches we got were kind of funny.”

So here is a sampling of the stories that weren’t assigned:

“China. Most challenging restroom facilities. Especially for women. Title: Bathrooms I have Known.”

“My dream trip to Tahiti turned out to be a disaster. I vomited on the French man beside me.”

“I always thought it would be really cool to make a coffee table book about toilets around the world. Everyone needs them, uses them and they are such a cultural thing… I’ve heard of the places that are just a hole you stand over. And, since this could be a monumental project… but you would pay the tab… I say we choose a venue that would over a lot of toilets, yet not be a round the world trip. Toilets of the Orient Express. I think it has a nice ring to it…”

“Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium: The best destinations for your final days. A story about death tourism, or the practice of some persons choosing to die in a country other than their own, would certainly grab the attention of readers.”

For more un-assigned pitches, go here.

Bringing the Underwater Marine World to Your Couch

by Abha Malpani on

For someone (like me) who is petrified of marine life — but still thinks it’s phenomenal and often moans about probably never being able to see the “real thing” — the leading resource of marine life imagery, Wetpixel has launched a quarterly print magazine to quieten such moans and to bring the splendor of the marine world to your couch.

In the market since 2000, Wetpixel is the best online resource for professional real-life underwater photography and videos; the new quarterly is an extension of the site that will bring that quality to print.

When I see mind-boggling photography (especially underwater shots), be it online or in print, I always think that there must be some computer manipulation here. But no: It is possible to capture marine life in its complete essence without using Photoshop, and Wetpixel’s new print piece proves just that.

Wetpixel has always provided a platform encouraging dialog between those interested in marine conservation, and is open to contributions from professional as well as amateur photographers and videographers; the magazine will continue with that.

For as little as $45 a year, you can subscribe to this slick quarterly, especially if — like me — you want to see the underwater wonders without any fear of fish attacking you or of your tank running out of air.

To get a taste of what you’ll be getting as a subscriber, check out the sample images below…