Mei-Ling McNamara

Back in August, we launched the Discover Dominica contest, inviting Matador readers to submit a photo related to the exploration of Mother Nature for a chance to win a trip for two to the Caribbean island of Dominica.

After reviewing hundreds of entries, moderating dozens of comments, and learning a lot about how we can run contests better, the Matador team has selected a winner: Mei-Ling McNamara.

Mei-Ling is a is a writer, advocacy journalist, and international development worker who is currently authoring a new travel guidebook to Senegal with Bradt Travel Guides. She’s also an extraordinary photographer who has documented plenty of outdoor adventure on her travels.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to Mei-Ling!

Community Connection:

Are you looking for a chance to win? Matador sponsors regular contests for gear, photographs, trips, and books. Find out about current contests here.

[Editor's Update 10/29/09] -

Ross Borden
Co-Founder, Matador

A big thank you to everyone who submitted their photos! Be sure to be on the lookout for our future photo contests!

1. Anthony Lewis – “Exploring Torres Del Paine, Chile.”

2. Annie Nelson – “At the Devil’s Golf Course in Death Valley National Park. The ground is made up of crystals of pure salt from lakes that dried years ago. I tasted the ground, and sure enough, it tasted just like table salt.”

3. Julie Han – “Jumping over white sand dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam.”

4. Karen Keeney – “St. Paul’s on Pitcairn Island.”

5. Matt Bigelow – “America’s greatest outdoor past time: roasting marshmallows over a river of molten lava.”

6. KWilliam Beasley – “A little silliness after hiking up from the valley floor in Yosemite.”

7. David Tai – “Preparing to enter the cold pool, Buckskin Gulch.”

8. Emmy Lenevald – “Preikestolen, Norway. 604 meters down. Vertigo.

9. Lara Silver – “Crawling through an ice tunnel while hiking the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.”

10. Chelsea Raubenheimer – “Exploring the ends of the Earth!!!”

11. Vamsi Vasireddy – “What happens when your shower head is an elephant trunk? The look on our faces – priceless!!”

12. Alex Montalvo – “A joking attempt at backwards dowsing unexpectedly yields a Komodo dragon.”

13. Fabio Barbon – “That’s me walking over the waters of Barra Velha, BA , Brazil.”

14. “With storms coming in, a manatee herd heads for open water, allowing us to swim alongside them before heading down to Paul’s Reef, Florida.”

15. Alex Budak – “Exploring the sand dunes of Rajasthan, India, isolated from the rest of the world, as we watched the sunset as the golden sand in the horizon gradually faded to black.”

16. Jennifer Eden – “My boyfriend showering in the waterfall.”

17. Dacey Zelman-Fahm – “My father and I hiking across a natural land bridge in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, Arizona.”

18. Laurin Ensslin – “Laurin conquering the Boquette Tree Trek, the real canopy tour of Panama…hope there is cold beer at the bottom!”

19. Katie Peterman – “Sandy Spit in the British Virgin Islands.”

20. Chris Tse – “Stopping to pose while hiking in Plitvice Lakes National Parks in Croatia.”

21. Kurtis Hastie – “Here’s a picture I took while myself and a few friends explore mother nature in the form of ice climing! Picture was taken at Restoule Park in Northern Ontario. Climb pictured is “The Snake”. How much more can you get in touch with mother nature than in the form of seasonal ice climbing? She creates it, we climb it.”

22. Aisha Springer – “Hiking in Great Falls, Maryland.”

23. Curtis McLeod – “We took the phrase “When in Rome…” to heart. So, when in Wales, act like mountain sheep.”

24. Krishana Clark – “The sun setting over the beach in Montego Bay Jamaica! Me on the left hand side enjoying the moment…how I miss this place!!!”

25. Mei-Ling McNamara – “A baptism of solitude in the Desert du Lampoul in Northeastern Senegal.”

Photo: kretyen

Who doesn’t like a free trip?

Matador is giving away a paid trip for TWO people to Dominica and all YOU have to do is send us an amazing photo of you exploring the outdoors.

The contest, open to residents of the United States and Canada, kicks off today. Winners will be chosen at the end of October.

The two lucky winners will receive round trip airfare from the United States or Canada and lodging for four nights at one of Dominica’s premier hotels.

Full contest details are here.

Questions? E-mail ross@matadornetwork.com.

Community Connection:

Read up on Dominica by checking out this article from our archives: Caribbean Romance in the Shadow of Volcanoes, written by one of Matador’s Caribbean experts, Anna Brones.

Photo: ThisParticularGreg

This month, Wend’s Friday Photo Contest is all about cycling. Whatever you’re doing or wherever you’re going on two wheels, Wend wants to see your photos!

Check out the full contest details here.

This month’s prize? KEEN Cycling Shoes and the month’s grand prize: A KEEN Commuter Bag.

Community Connection:

Need some photographic inspiration? Check out Hal Amen’s photo essay about the 20 of the Freakiest Custom Bikes on the Road.

And along the same lines, Megan Hill rounds up 8 Quirky Bike Rides Across the US.

One of my favorite waterways: New York’s Hudson River; Photo: Francisco Collazo

From our friends at Wend:

“For July’s Friday Photo theme we want the kind of pictures that are going to inspire activism, and since it’s summer, what better way than photos from your favorite water hangouts that are probably being severely affected by pollution? But we don’t want to be total downers (remember we’re all about inspiring change) so we’re looking for all kinds of photos that represent our waterways, both positive and negative. That means anything from plastic polluted beaches to river cleanups.”

For submission instructions, click here. Prizes include Klean Kanteen reusable water bottles.

Community Connection:

While water’s on your mind, check out these 40 shocking facts about water.

Photo: The Sierra Club

Honest Tea and the Sierra Club have teamed up to raise consumers’ consciousness about environmental issues by giving away free trips.

Though you don’t have to purchase any of Honest Tea’s products to enter the contest, a portion of proceeds from the sale of Honest Tea stamped with the Sierra Club logo goes toward funding youth environmental education programs and ecosystem conservation efforts lead by the Sierra Club.

Four separate drawings will be held between the end of June 2009 and March 2010. Prizes include: a trip for two from Sierra Club Outings, a one year supply of tea, and Jamis bikes.

The fine print? You have to be a legal resident of the United States over the age of 18. For full contest information, visit Honest Tea’s website.

Community Connection:

And speaking of free travel… have you applied for the Matador-sponsored Roads Scholarship yet? If not, get moving! There are only 10 days left to submit your application. Full details are available here.

Photo: Laurel Fan

Question: What’s better than winning a contest?

Answer: Winning a contest during an economic crunch.

Our friends over at Wend Magazine are giving away some great gear all month for photographers who win their Friday Photo Contest.

Up for grabs? An Eagles Nest Outfitters double nest hammock (how romantic!), a slap strap pro, and a gift certificate to U.S. Outdoor. A grand prize winner, drawn at the end of the month, will win a Patagonia lightweight travel duffel.

What do you have to do? Just submit your best photo of a trail scene by uploading it to Wend’s Flickr pool. Then, send an email to fphoto[at]wendmag[dot]com with a description of where the photo was taken.

Simple!

Click on over to Wend for the full details…and good luck!

Photo: Mirci

With the recession cramping even the most dedicated budget traveler’s style, it’s time to explore some different options for satisfying your travel jones.

The Spanish government just might be able to help.

Earlier today, the Spanish government announced that it is actively soliciting applications from volunteers willing to exchange their English language teaching skills for housing, a monthly stipend, insurance, and weekend excursions in the Castile-Leon region of north-central Spain.

Volunteers accepted for the program will be expected to work as teaching assistants with groups of three to eight year olds in local schools. The opportunity is expected to last three months.

Vacancies are hoped to be filled by early April, so if the opportunity appeals to you, apply quickly. For full details, read the announcement and review the application process here.

Maybe you’ve heard about the four hour work week.

But how about the 12 hour work month?

That’s what the Australian Tourism Board is promising– along with a three bedroom villa (that comes with your own pool) and a $150,000 salary–to the applicant who is selected to fill the position of chief explorer and blogger.

Job duties include “having lots of fun” exploring Australia’s islands, bringing back stories, and finding an effective way to share them with the rest of the world. Only 12 hours of actual work are estimated per month for the position. And the job’s temporary– the new hire will be done with the gig in just six months.

Applicants proficient in SCUBA, snorkeling, and sailing will be given preference, as will those with skill in photography, blogging, and communications in general.

Sound like the dream job? Get all the application information here.

And if you win, let all your friends here at Matador know, won’t you?

Photo: idrewuk (Flickr creative commons)

Eager to get people to vote because he can’t, my pal Emon is getting creative as the US presidential elections get down to the wire.

Emon, a photographer, videographer, writer and guitar player, is giving away two FREE two hour introductory guitar lessons to the first five people in New York City who take an undecided friend to vote tomorrow.

For full details, contact Emon via Twitter or visit his blog and leave a comment.

So, if you’ve always been wanting to take guitar lessons, take someone to vote and you’ll get your chance– for free!

Photo: …dotted… (Flickr creative commons)

Do you love New York City?

Do you love free stuff?

Well, keep reading…

Next week, the Matador team will be publishing a guide to visiting NYC on the cheap on the Trips blog and a review of the top 10 NYC guidebooks on the Gear blog.

Consistent with the NYC theme, we’ll also be giving away three copies of my favorite NYC guidebook: Not for Tourists Guide to New York City.

Here’s the deal:

1. Log in to your Matador account between today and September 30. (If you don’t have one yet, sign up for free!)

2. Blog about your most memorable NYC experience. (500-800 word limit)

3. On October 1, the Matador team will review all NYC-themed blogs written between today and September 30. We’ll choose our three favorite blogs and announce the winners here on Pulse. The very best entry will be published on the Matador Nights blog, and all three winners will receive a copy of the NFT Guide to NYC.

Photo: sodapop (Flickr creative commons)

It’s a guidebook.

It’s a history book.

It’s a language guide.

And it has two language CDs that can help whip your Sicilian into shape.

Hippocrene Books’s Language and Travel Guide to Sicily (yep, that’s Sicily above), written by Sicilian born Giovanna Bellia La Marca, may be titled simply, but what its title promises is exactly what it delivers. And remarkably, the book remains small enough to be able to carry along on your trip.

The book’s chapters are organized around all the important themes–geography, food, art, architecture, annual events, and customs–and ends with a generous section loaded with restaurant and hotel recommendations.

I’d keep this book myself, but I’ve got no plans to go to Sicily anytime soon. Instead, I’m giving it away (and it’s brand new!) to the first Matador member who posts the URL for his or her profile and tells us about any past experience in Sicily or any future plans to travel there.

Community Connection: If you’re planning an Italy trip, be sure to check out Marla Seidell’s helpful guide, Slow Food, Slow Travel: Italy, over at MatadorTrips.

Photos: Macorig Polo (Flickr creative commons)

There’s lots of bad news in the world.

War.

Poverty.

Threats to the environment.

But amidst all the doomsday forecasts, there’s lots of good news, too.

And the Global Oneness Project wants you to know all about it.

The Global Oneness Project, an organization dedicated to the exploration of “how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world,” travels the world in search of stories about people and organizations doing transformative community building. What they find is turned into short documentaries distributed for free.

This week’s freebie is a DVD of short films produced by the Global Oneness Project. Taking the viewer from India to Ecuador, every short film–ranging from 4 to 17 minutes in length–is a straight up shot of positive stoke about the state of the world.

I’ll send my copy to the first person who posts a link to their Matador profile in the comments section below. Don’t have one? No problem… sign up for a free account here.

Photos by: Global Oneness Project (creative commons)

No, it’s not just a catchy tagline with impossible fine print to follow.

It’s true: You can see an Olympic event for free.

In person.

Earlier today, Matador member Christine Gilbert announced on her website that John Britton is giving away three pairs of Olympics tickets to the people who impress him the most with a story of how they plan to pay his kind of generosity forward.

It’s imperative that you have flexibility: the tickets are for an equestrian event in Hong Kong that’s scheduled for August 9. If you fit the bill and you have a great idea about how you can spread generosity and kindness to someone else, visit John’s website and post your idea. Hurry, though; John will be selecting three winners on August 6!

Photo: Tama Leaver (creative commons)

Photo by kalandrakas

Everyone loves something free!

Matador member Craig Martin is offering a give-away on his website, and you´re invited to participate!

Craig will be giving away a Lonely Planet guidebook of your choice for just e-mailing, subscribing to his RSS feed, or sending a video clip of your recent travels. Check out the full guidelines here.

Hurry! The deadline is August 8.

As much time as I spend in airports, though, I haven’t been able to use the pass.

Because it expires on July 31, I don’t want this to go to waste: someone out there deserves free drinks while killing time during a layover!

I’ll be sending this week’s freebie–a one-visit pass to Delta’s Crown Room Club–to the first person who posts a link to their Matador profile and who includes their expected destination in the comment.

And if you don’t win it, check out this video, which shares tips for getting access to airport lounges:

In case you’re curious, the following airports have Crown Room Clubs:

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago O’Hare
Cincinnati
Dallas/Fort Worth
Denver
Ft. Lauderdale
Frankfurt
Honolulu
Jacksonville
Kansas City
London/Gatwick
LA
Miami
Munich
Nashville
Newark
New Orleans
New York (LGA & JFK)
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Raleigh/Durham
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco,
San Juan, PRSantiago, Chile
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seattle/Tacoma
Tampa
Washington, D.C. (National)
West Palm Beach

Back when they were in college, my parents’ idea of a cool Saturday night date was hunting for snakes in the Florida swampland.

Perhaps that’s why I liked Jamie James’s book, The Snake Charmer, so much; its subject, the herpetologist (that would be “professional snake guy” for the non-scientific among us) Joe Slowinski, reminded me a bit of my intrepid dad.

But there are lots of other reasons you should like The Snake Charmer.

In the tradition of retrospective eccentric outdoor adventurer narratives gone awry a la Into the Wild, James identified a compelling story and researched it fully without turning the tale into either an overly sentimental hero’s journey or an overly didactic and boring biography.

The life story of Joe Slowinski, the snake charmer of the title, is told with skill and respect. Right away, the reader learns of Slowinski’s fate after being bitten by the deadly many-banded krait, but the story is no less engaging as the result of this early spoiler.

In an impressive inversion of conventional narrative chronology, James delivers the ending in the beginning and then works his way backwards, developing Slowinski’s character by tracing his life all the way back to his outdoor-loving childhood.

Along the way, the reader becomes endeared of the intelligent yet reckless snake expert, seen through the eyes of friends, family members, colleagues, and even Slowinski’s critics. Though the reader already knows what will happen to Slowinski on his fateful 2001 trek into the high northern territory of Burma/Myanmar, the adrenaline rush of the days leading up to and including the snake bite is no less intense, and the efforts his colleagues undertook to save his life remind the reader how on-the-edge off-the-beaten path expeditions can be and how even the most experienced travelers should take precautions and exercise sound judgment on the road.

James’s story of Slowinski’s life is, finally, so compelling because the author seems, with the help (which he acknowledges) of experts, to have acquired such nuanced knowledge of his subject’s passion—snakes—and the places where Slowinski performed field work.

As much as The Snake Charmer is a fascinating tale of one man’s life and death, it is also an important chronicle that touches upon political issues and raises scientific debates, leaving the reader with lots to think about once the book has been closed.

We’re giving away our hard cover copy of The Snake Charmer!

Want it? Here’s what you need to do:

1) Sign up for a Matador profile if you don’t have one already.
2) Post the URL of your profile in a comment below.
3) In the comment, include one sentence describing why you’d like the book or tell us a good snake story.

We’ll contact the first person who responds and get your address to ship the book your way. And if you’re not the winner of this week’s freebie, check out this “trailer” for the book:

Freebies. One more reason to sign up for Matador Pulse’s RSS feed!

Photo: Martin and Kathy Dady (creative commons)

With rising prices on–well, almost everything–your travel budget may be thinner than ever.

If that’s the case, check out these online contests, all of which offer travel as the big reward.

Some require penning a blog entry; others require a few simple clicks:

New York City Culinary Adventure Give-Away: Bon Appetit, The Food Network, O & Co., & Zagat have teamed up to sponsor the Foodie Tour Sweepstakes. The grand prize? A 3 day, 2 night “Foodie Tour” of New York City, which includes a $2,500 food allowance.

For this contest, all you have to do is enter your name and contact information to be eligible. You can also enter every day during the open contest period.

Bombay Sapphire’s Spirit of Exploration Blog: Blog your way to a trip to Bangkok by submitting an entry in response to the prompt “What is the spirit of exploration?” Sorry, this contest is only open to those of legal drinking age.

Conde Nast Traveler’s Where Are You Contest? Correctly identify the mystery location of the month and you’re automatically eligible for $1,000 in prizes and a $10,000 vacation. Conde Nast also sponsors a monthly World Trips contest.

Got any travel contest tips? Submit them below in the comments!

Photo: danorbit

Quick! What’s the local language in Mumbai?

Answer: Marathi.

India is one of the world’s most language-rich countries, with well over 400 living languages still being spoken.

Marathi is the official language in the state of Maharashtra and the capital of Mumbai.

Fortunately for travelers who want to try out Marathi on their journey, there’s a new, slick language guide by Daniel Krasa that’s slim enough to put in a small bag, yet packed with enough information, words, and phrases to actually be useful… a rare feat.

Krasa’s Marathi Dictionary & Phrasebook, published by Hippocrene, has a Marathi-English section and English-Marathi section, as well as short but comprehensive overviews of basic grammar and the Marathi alphabet. What makes this guide really stand out, though, is the phrasebook, which has tabbed sections organized by topic.

A quick flip and you can find handy phrases related to topics as diverse as camping, bureaucracy, and healthcare, as well as the standards: directions to the toilet, basic greetings, and tips for ordering food.

The price is also right: $14.95. But for the first person who submits a comment, we’ll send you our review copy for free.

Community Connection: Love languages? Check out Tim Patterson’s 7 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language on the Road and Felicia Wong’s 10 Steps to Becoming Fluent in a Language in 6 Months or Less.

Photo: natemeg2006 (creative commons)