Video of the Day: 4 minutes of boat fails

by Mike Barish on
Who doesn’t enjoy a boat ride (except for people with extreme seasickness)? Whether you’re on a schooner, a yacht or a cruise ship, being on a boat makes you cooler. However, no form of transportation is perfect. Cars break down, planes crash and boats…well, there’s apparently more that can go wrong with boats than we ever could have imagined. So, if you have four minutes to kill and want to see boat after boat meet a horrible fate, then this is the video for you.

Of course, we never root for disasters and we hope that everyone walked (or swam) away safely. That said, we’ll be laughing our way to the life boats and making sure that we have a floatation device handy at all times.

[Via Gawker]

Video of the Day: Wile E. Coyote in 127 Hours

by Mike Barish on

127 Hours tells the story of mountain climber Aron Ralston, who had a boulder fall on his arm and trap him in a canyon in Utah. It’s an epic tale of survival and a harsh reminder that adventure travel can be gravely dangerous. The film features some gruesome scenes, including Aron cutting off his own arm to escape. Thankfully, this parody starring Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner is much easier to watch.

Stay safe out there, kids. Pack a first aid kit and always let people know where you are. We do, however, recommend that you leave your dynamite at home. The TSA frowns on you bringing it on planes.

[Via Vulture]

Video of the Day – San Francisco fog timelapse

by Stephen Greenwood on

San Francisco and the outlying Bay Area is widely known for its natural beauty. Today’s Video of the Day is a collection of timelapses that captures a slice of the remarkable scenery in and around the best that “NorCal” has to offer.

Photographer Simon Christen collected the various scenes over the course of a year by taking 4-5 second exposures on a Canon 40D. He named the video the “Unseen Sea” after the famous rolling fog that blankets San Francisco on a regular basis.

Do you have any videos or pictures from the Golden State? Share them with us! Add it to our Flickr Pool or leave a link in the comments below and it could be our next Video/Photo of the Day.

Video of the Day: Saturday Night Live mocks cruises

by Mike Barish on

Cruises have long been the butt of jokes in the travel world. From the midnight buffets to the touristy nature of the industry, many travel snobs enjoying mocking cruises. But does that mean that these floating resorts – and the people who enjoy them – deserve to be disrespected? Apparently, the writers at Saturday Night Live believe so. This past weekend, Miley Cyrus hosted the long-running sketch show and played a jaded singer who resented that her failed career had led her to be the entertainment on a cruise ship. She openly ridiculed the passengers and the intent was obviously to put down the people who enjoy cruises.

Was it a cheap joke or an accurate representation of the cruise world? At the very least, it was a poorly written sketch that lacked a strong punchline. It’s no wonder that it was buried in the last ten minutes of the show. What do you think? Was the sketch funny, out of bounds, accurate? I’m sure that our resident cruise expert, Chris Owen, has an opinion and you can let us know what you think in the comments.

Video of the Day: Smuggling marijuana from Amersterdam

by Mike Barish on

Mr. Show with Bob and David is, arguably, the greatest sketch comedy show ever. When they took on the nerve-wracking experience of trying to smuggle marijuana back from Amsterdam, it was hilarious. While the TSA has made the airport experience stressful even if you aren’t doing anything illegal, this scene hysterically captures what happens when backpackers try their hand at something that professional drug smugglers struggle to do: act natural.

Of course, we at Gadling neither condone nor recommend drug smuggling. Furthermore, there is certainly more to do in Amsterdam than just smoking pot (not to mention that, pretty soon, tourists might not even have access to weed in Holland). However, this clip had us laughing as hard as we did when it first aired years ago. Travel safely and always be sure to remember where you packed your shampoo!

If you have a great travel video that you think we might enjoy, share the link in a comment below. We could feature it as our next Video of the Day!