Everyone’s invited to the BootsnAll Travel Network bash!

by Abha Malpani on


BootsnAll Travel Network, one of the largest and most widely interactive travel portals full of travel resources and conversation, is having their annual bash and everyone’s invited!

About 150 people passionate about travel are expected to turn up for some snacks, beer and wine.

It’s absolutely free to attend and would be a great opportunity to meet other travelers.

When: December 1, Saturday; 7pm-11pm.

Where: Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby St., Portland OR 97209

Prizes: Everyone who attends is eligible to enter the draw to win $500 for airfare, and other prizes.

What do you need to do? Just show-up!
If you are one who feels the need to RSVP, you can do so on their Facebook page.

Check out their website for more details and updates if you fancy going.

Party in the Subway, Russian Style

by Neil Woodburn on

The subway, like most modes of transport, is designed to get people from point A to point B. And that’s about it.

For the most part, the subway is the most anti-social place on our planet; commuters disappear into their own little world when they sit down and almost never talk to anyone. It’s the unwritten law.

Some partygoers in Moscow, however, recently decided to deviate from the norm and turn their subway train into a party train. As you can see from the above photo, they’ve managed to set up a bunch of tables and even prepare a feast to commemorate the passing of a favorite local poet.

Can you imagine stepping into the subway and coming across this party? Hilarious. I’ll bet no one even bothered to come up with a law preventing such an activity.

Thanks go out to English Russia for spotlighting such a great idea. Let’s spread the word and make subway parties a regular part of commuting around the world.

The Worst Places to be Hungover When Traveling

by Martha Edwards on

Most of us have gone a bit overboard on the local beer or spirits when in another country. My worst experience was in Sydney, where my two friends and I found ourselves with a 4L box of wine that we bought for $10 and refused to haul any further on our way up the coast. We had one night to drink it, and it just happened to be Mardi Gras.We finished it all right. But most of my share ended up coming up the way it went in, if you get my drift. Running through the halls of the hostel, trying desperately to get my key card to open the door to the communal bathrooms before spewing up last night’s ill-advised double serving of fries rates up there as one of the worst days of my life. Make that two days.

Here’s what I consider to be the worst places to be hungover. Feel free to add your own in the comments:

  • On a boat off the coast of … well … anywhere: After one tequila-fueled night in Puerto Vallarta, my friends and I had to take a booze cruise or forfeit our deposit. So we went and oh my goodness, I’ve never been so seasick in my life. Actually, I’ve never been seasick period, besides that day. The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns is also notoriously choppy — one girl on a boat trip I went on had to be air-lifted back to shore!
  • In a Tuk Tuk: Bangkok is beautiful but it’s also hot and polluted and I can see why people splurge on cabs — breathing in the exhaust is enough to make anyone hurl, whether they’re already feeling a bit queasy or not.
  • In transit: Not only will exhaustion make you prone to missing your bus/flight/train/ferry but the motion/turbulence/rocking is bound to make you feel a bit ill. Plus, those miniature bathrooms leave something to be desired when you’re feeling nauseous.
  • Locked out of your hostel: Many hostels have lock-out rules during the day so while you want nothing more than to sleep it off, you’ll have to do it elsewhere. I recommend a nearby park if it’s nice out. If it’s not, you might be outta luck.
  • Outside when it’s hot: Laying on the beach with a bunch of bottled water is an okay way to recover, but there’s a fine line between being tolerably hot and being unbearably hot. Insane heat is uncomfortable when you’re feeling your best, so it’s really, really brutal when you’re feeling your worst.

So while we don’t ever really plan to be hungover, next time you’re tempted to say ‘cheers’ a few too many times, look at your surroundings. Must-haves for the hangover are air-conditioning, a decent bed that you can crash in for as long as you want, a supply of water and aspirin, and good friends who will bring you greasy food when you’re too sick to move.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of February 18

by Adrienne Wilson on

As another work week comes to a close on this Friday evening, let us all let out a sigh of relief and “TGFG” or Thank God for Gadling or for the non-religious Thank Goodness for Gadling. Whatever – just kick back and check out some of this week’s posts to get the travel idea engine going.

5. Should You Pay For Airport Electricity?:
For frequent travelers always plugged into an airport socket this might be something to think about. Would you be willing to pay to be connected during your layover or would you rather let you battery die and wait until you make it home? Doesn’t sound like it is a trend spreading fast, but you never know?

4. The Year of the Pig is Here:
We love holidays! (Especially ones that give us a reason to run off and explore foreign culture.) Chinese New Year is here and this year is the year of the Pig. You don’t have to go running off to China to get in on the action or even learn a little about this unique calendar system, Jaime does a fine job listing several destinations to find out more about the Pig.

3. Come Back Alive: Pelton’s Website:
I’m not too certain “Come Back Alive” is a travel slogan many folks would feel comfortable with, but for the individual who likes to flirt with risk, chance, danger or possibly be taken hostage and held for ransom – this is a site for you. Go see dangerous places and come back alive with helpful tips from Pelton.

2. How to Travel America:
Curious to find how to make your next journey across America safe and enjoyable? Check out this online guide which focuses less on roadside attractions and more on issues like tipping and what American’s attitudes are like towards foreigners. It’s a guide full of the practical stuff.

1. Top Party Beaches for Spring Break:
Spring breaking doesn’t cross my mind anymore, but for some tender and young college student Spring Break trip planning is all the rage right now. If you’re planning on escaping the books and heading to the beach here is a list of a few greats to visit on your week long stint to erase everything you learned with beer, sand and sun.

Prague’s Charles Bridge For Sale

by Iva Skoch on

As if Madonna is not causing enough stir with her European tour, she got herself wrapped up in another controversy.

Louis Vuitton invited her to perform at a party on the Charles Bridge before her September concert in Prague. She accepted. The controversy is not with Madonna this time, it is with the bridge. LV booked the 14th century Czech national treasure for a mere $54,000 from Sept. 6-10, just to throw a private VIP party.

It would require the city to close it to all traffic for those days. Starved for cash (and probably after a few bribes) the City of Prague actually said yes, until some historians and politicians raised a big stink about it.

In an article titled Material World, the Prague Post quoted a senator who said that the Charles Bridge is no “whore for sale” and compared renting the bridge to “holding an eating party inside St. Vitus Cathedral [the famous Gothic church inside the walls of Prague Castle].”

Enough people protested that the city actually had to call the party off, suggesting to LV that they can take the waterfront instead. Poor little VIPs. Must feel a lot like wanting a Louis Vuitton bag and settling for a Gap totebag instead.