Behind the scenes in the Round The World travel machine

by Grant Martin on

So what will you do when you get back?

I’m going to collapse in exhaustion – and turn 40. – Rolf Potts

Gadling Labs was in Cairo for much of last week, helping out on the Herculean effort of developing, shooting, narrating, editing, blogging and publishing the internet travel phenom known as the No Baggage Challenge. The journey, set to prove that luggage can be as much physical as it can be psychological is about 1/3 complete, with the team crossing the northern shoulders of Africa and heading south to Johannesburg.

I met up with Rolf and Justin at the Cairo Marriott late one evening, a sprawling, beautiful property at the edge of the Nile on Zamalek, the leafy island at the center of the city. With few hours of sleep and a bad case of jetlag, my condition was actually pretty similar to the travelers, and as we ate dinner at the edge of the property they caught me up on their day-to-day and future activities. We would be spending the next two whole days filming and editing here in Cairo and there was a lot to do.

Like on most days of production, my time with the team was action packed and exhausting. Each morning the team met for breakfast at Omar’s Cafe at the hotel, discussed strategy, gathered our bearings and polished plans made earlier for the day. On the day that we shot Giza Plateau footage, we were out the door by 8AM, deep in camel negotiation by 9 and wrestling with a crowd of touts and salesmen before lunch – all before heading back to Zamalek, barreling through the city streets and shooting b-roll and side-story footage for later episodes.

Only after returning to the Marriott could we consider lunch (or at that point: dinner) but it was time for post production, so offset in two opposite chairs, Justin and I worked on blog and video content from his room while Rolf compiled dispatches from his tiny keyboard and iPod across the hall. For the two travelers, dinner in greater Cairo wasn’t an option, so I took some time to walk down to a local haunt, pick up some shish and some stuffed pigeon and bring it back to the starving lads. Wrapping up late in the evening, we made plans to meet for breakfast at Omar’s the next day and retired to our rooms in exhaustion.

Twenty-four hours after departing the lush Midwest, the process of planning, shooting, editing and posting a round-the-world travel series was nothing short of exhausting for me. The two days of involvement in the No Baggage Challenge left me completely drained, dirty and sick on my return to Chicago a few days later – I’ve no idea how these two guys can continue to do it around the clock. As I write this from the leafy suburb of Evanston the boys are currently roughing it through Johannesburg — check out their progress at rtwblog.com and wish them luck.

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.

Rolf Potts to lead travel writing classes in Iceland, Paris

by Grant Martin on

Our old friend and colleague Rolf Potts is leading not one but two travel writing work shops this year, each among some of the most inspiring settings in the planet, Reykjavik, Iceland and Paris, France, respectively. While the latter is part of Rolf’s normal circuit, this year brings the addition of the Iceland course as part of Angela Ritchie’s Ace Camps.

At a cost of $1950, the Iceland course begins on August 1 and will involve 5 days of travel writing workshops and 7 nights of accommodation with all food provided. Airfare will need to be booked separately. The Paris writing workshop runs from July 1-28.

Here at Gadling we’ve been visited by Rolf before – you might remember his dispatches while on the Marco Polo Didn’t go There book tour, a month-long look inside the world of a traveling author through middle America and the release of a new publication.

Were one to emerge from the writing courses with 10% of the descriptive, gripping narrative power that Rolf possesses, I’d consider the investment worth it. Research and sign up for the Iceland course here, while information on the Paris course can be found here.

South by Southeast: New directions in Southeast Asia

by Jeremy Kressmann on

What is it about Southeast Asia that so captivates our attention? For many Westerners, Southeast Asia has attained an identity of exoticism and escape, enchanting travelers as a destination “off the map” of global tourism. It’s a myth readily fed by popular culture. From Graham Greene’s The Quiet American to Alex Garland’s The Beach we’re painted a picture of a magical world, unsullied by the realities of real life – and we’ve taken the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Southeast Asia, we’re told, is where we’ll go to forge new identities. We’ll quit our jobs back home, find a bungalow on the beach in Thailand, and live out our days drinking 25-cent beers, sunning ourselves under a palm tree. Our problems back home? Distant memory. For anyone struggling with the vagaries of career and post-collegiate life, it’s a powerful fantasy, bandied about during late-night drinking sessions or anytime life becomes “too much of a drag.”

But what’s it really like to travel through Southeast Asia, circa 2009? Does our fantasy match the reality? Though plenty is left to explore, the romanticized destination of deserted beaches and bumpy bus rides is experiencing a dramatic shift, further connecting itself to global tourism and the world economy. Luxury boutiques dot the streets of “communist” Vietnam. Thousands of travelers show up for Full Moon Parties on the beaches of Koh Pha Ngan. Even Lonely Planet’s hugely popular Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, the defacto “bible” for independent travelers, is nearly 25 years old and 14 Editions in print. How does the region today look after this huge influx of new money and visitors?

It was these very questions that had me thinking. Was there still adventure to be found in Southeast Asia? And how did it match with the visions of escape and personal reinvention I had in my mind? Encouraged by books like Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding, I left behind my full-time job in New York and created a plan. I would spend the next few months traveling through the region. After a stopover in Seoul, I head to Bangkok and then on to wherever luck will have me. Not only is it a chance to reinvent the direction of my own life, it’s also an opportunity to observe the rapidly changing direction of this fascinating destination.

Over the next few months, I encourage you to join me as I investigate Southeast Asia with a fresh eye. We’ll return to familiar stops on the “Southeast Asia tourist trail” to survey the terrain, and introduce you to places you never knew existed. We’ll also be taking a closer look at the art of long term travel, and some of the rewards and challenges encountered along the way. We hope through our mistakes and successes you’ll have a chance to truly understand what traveling through Southeast Asia is all about. Ready to go? Let’s chart a course, South by Southeast…

You can read future posts from Gadling’s travels “South by Southeast” through Asia: HERE.

Six great beach reads for travelers

by Katie Hammel on

There’s a special joy that comes with losing yourself in a good book while relaxing on a beach. The warm sun on your skin, the sand between your toes, and the sound of waves gently breaking on the shore create the perfect environment for shrugging off your cares and transporting yourself to a new world. Here are a few of my favorite travel books – perfect picks for an easy summer read no matter what your style.


If you’re looking for a trashy novel. . .
Summer beach reading should be light, fun, and maybe a little tawdry. Thomas Kohnstamm’s Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? fits the bill perfectly. The subtitle, A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics and Professional Hedonism, describes the plot quite well. The book tells the story of Kohnstamm’s first guidebook-writing assignment for Lonely Planet. He gives up his apartment, job, and girlfriend to travel to and write about northern Brazil and soon realizes he’s in far over his head. What follows is a hilarious and controversial account of his adventures, how he learns the ropes of guidebook writing, and just how guidebooks are created.

If you’re looking for a travel-writing how-to. . .
Rolf Potts’ Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Recollections from One Decade as a Post-Modern Travel Writer is perfect for the aspiring travel writer, or anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a travel story. The book includes some of Potts’ published work (well-written, insightful, and entertaining stories on their own), followed by interesting end notes about how each story came about, from what really happened and what didn’t make it into the final copy to the long road from experience to published article.

If you’re looking for an inspiring story. . .
If you dream of one day taking charge of your life and pursuing your passions, Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story is for you. The story traces the creation of the Lonely Planet empire, from Tony and Maureen Wheeler’s decision to take an overland journey from Europe to Australia to the publishing of their first guidebook and the subsequent failures and triumphs of the company. Even if your goals don’t involve building one of the top travel book publishing companies in the world, the story of chasing your dreams and finding success will inspire you.

If you’re looking for a good laugh. . .
Bill Bryson’s I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away is a quick beach read that will keep you laughing all afternoon. Based on the hilarious writer’s newspaper column, the short stories point out the idiosyncrasies and oddities of life in America. From dealing with the Post Office to the difficulties of preparing a tax return, the book perfectly captures small town life in America and pokes fun at some of the country’s stranger traditions. The chapters are all quite short, perfect if you’ve got kids to mind and can’t commit to lengthier reading periods.

If you’re looking for a collection of short stories. . .
The Best American Travel Writing series has been combining great travel stories and narratives from websites, magazines, and newspapers, and putting them in one place for nearly a decade. The 2008 edition was edited by Anthony Bourdain and covers everything from restaurants in Kabul to weddings in St. Petersburg. With a dozen or so unique tales from different voices in each book, the collection will satisfy your need for short story variety and entertain you with engrossing travel narratives.

If you’re looking for intellectual stimulation. . .
If you’re the type who loves reading about research and studies, Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World is right up your alley. Weiner set off to explore what makes us happy, and how economic conditions, culture, and traditions in various countries make people happy (or not). Along the way he visits countries like Iceland, India, Bhutan, Moldova and Thailand to see just how happy or unhappy the people are, and why. Along with being a fascinating and educational read, it also happens to be pretty darn funny too.