Matador Trips co-editor, Carlo Alcos; Photos courtesy of Carlo Alcos

After recovering from two weekends spent re-flooring his campervan, Carlo Alcos takes a few minutes to tell us about himself.

Name:

Carlo Alcos

Role at Matador:

Co-editor of Matador Trips

Photo courtesy of Carlo Alcos

How You Found Matador:

I can’t recall exactly how I stumbled on Brave New Traveler, but that is the site that led me to Matador as the two had freshly merged. Specifically, it was Daniel Harbecke’s article Budget Travelers are Hippie Scum (try NOT to click on that link). It remains one of my all-time fave pieces on the network.

How You Got Brought on Board as an Editor:

I’d contributed a few articles across the network and was very active in the Community. I interacted with Matador members, read their blogs, commented on them, posted forum topics, and also read and commented on articles across the Matador network.

You’d have to ask the senior eds to verify this, but I think my involvement with Matador and the fact that the articles I submitted didn’t need much revising were key reasons why I was approached to join the team.

Where You Live:

Melbourne, Australia…for now.

Your Next Trip:

A 5-6 week cycling trip in Cuba — the inspiration started with this interview…Freewheeling: Lynette Chiang’s Two Wheel Journey from Cubicles to Cuba.

What You Do When You’re Not Working on Matador Stuff:

Besides holding down a 9-5 (I’m trying to quit…honest), I am currently in deep preparations and plans for leaving Melbourne in January 2010. My wife and I have about half a year planned; after that, it will be played by ear.

We’re working on a campervan conversion to tour Australia down the road: I Am S.A.M. the Van. I’ve just started my personal blog at carlo-alcos.com and I’m also working on a new website, which will hopefully be launched before the new year!

A Favorite Travel Memory:

Here are two: skinny dipping in Lake Baikal in October and getting beaten with a besom in a Russian banya in Petrozavodsk.

Community Connection:

Want to read more from Carlo? Here are two of my favorites:

Hostel on Wheels: The Coolest Campers Around

A Budget Traveler’s Guide to Wedding Planning: 9 Useful Tips

Anna Brones (l) and Emily Nuchols (r); Photo courtesy of Anna Brones

As senior editor at WEND Magazine, Anna forged a special relationship between WEND and Matador, recognizing that the core audiences of both publications were people who were living adventures by passionately pursuing their dreams.

Now, Anna’s jumped the WEND ship to set out on her own adventure: launching Under Solen, a social media start-up company, with her business partner, Emily Nuchols. Emily, by the way, is also a Matador member.

Over e-mail, the three of us talked about Under Solen, travel, Scandinavia, and whether they’re crazy to start a business in this economy:

What was the impetus for you and Emily to start Under Solen Media?

Emily and I have both been working in the outdoor industry for the past few years, she in the non-profit world and I in publishing. Because social media had been a large part of both of our jobs, we saw that there was definitely a niche in the outdoor industry that wasn’t being filled. The Internet and new media have changed the way companies, organizations and individuals brand themselves, and so much of marketing is about connecting with a message or a cause.

We want to provide the tools to bring these people together to push these messages out in the most interactive, dynamic way possible. In a day and age where a brand can offer a technical, do-it-all waterproof jacket, which company are you going to buy from: the one that listens to you as a consumer, supports worthy causes, and is committed to a certain set of ideals, or the one that simply markets their latest sales offers?

What does the name mean?

Under Solen means “under the sun” in Swedish. Emily and I first bonded over our Scandinavian heritage, so we figured it was only appropriate to choose something that related to that. And since we’re working with folks who love the outdoors…

Will this job allow you to be location independent?

Definitely! We believe in doing business a bit different than usual and that means traveling, exploring, and getting out the message of our clients on the ground. Plus, when you’re constantly working with a bunch of crazy cool adventurers and causes, how can you not be inspired to get out and explore? That being said, Portland is an excellent place to be based, both for the brands that are headquartered here, the general ethos and the number of amazing people.

Who are your ideal clients?

We started this business because we want to work with people who are driven to make positive change in this world and really get their message out. Since Anna and I are steeped in the outdoor industry, we haven’t had to look far. We are stoked to be connecting with people who are passionate about their causes — be they businesses, advocates, or adventurers.

What do you expect a typical work day to look like?

Every day begins with coffee. Swedes LOVE their coffee But seriously, we spend the majority of our time connecting with people — online, on social networks, on the phone, or in our own backyard. We obviously spend a lot of time in front of our MacBooks writing blog posts, streaming content from our clients through social media channels, and promoting our clients.

But Anna and I do things differently and that means a lot of travel and adventure — that could mean jetting off to Brazil to meet up with one of our expedition teams or hitting the trail for a run to mull over a new project.

Your future office?; Photo: mike baird

No one starts a business in a recession. Are you nuts?

Honestly, we didn’t think twice about taking the leap. Some people say that the people we work with are nuts — paddling first-descents on the most remote and dangerous rivers of the world, traveling for months in search of the perfect photo, or going head-to-head with the U.S. government to remove dams…. Well, we’re just proud to call these folks our partners.

We have an amazing group of folks who encouraged us from the very beginning. And we have the connections, energy and passion to succeed and we think that is exactly what is needed to jumpstart a flagging economy. How could we not dive in?

Community Connection:

Planning a trip to the Caribbean? Anna is also Matador’s Guadeloupe expert, and she’d be happy to answer your pre-trip questions.

Picture yourself here. Photo: nattu

Last month, when we announced the creation of the Matador Flickr pool (which, by the way, now has more than 80 members and more than 700 incredible photos!), we alluded to some big plans we’d soon be unveiling for photographers.

[Insert virtual drumroll here.]

Matador U, Matador’s travel writing school, will be expanding its course offerings in the first quarter of 2010 with the launch of a travel photography course.

Working in collaboration with some of the world’s best known travel photographers, the course has been developed by our in-house editors and professional travel photographers Lola Akinmade and Paul Sullivan. Between them, Lola and Paul have had their photography featured in Vogue, CITY Magazine, and Time Out and Hedonist’s guide book series, among others.

More details about the course will be announced here as the launch date nears. In the meantime, we invite you to download our FREE report, 15 Publications That Pay for Travel Photography to get you excited about the program.

Community Connection:

We’re always interested in featuring Matador members’ exceptional photos in our photo essays. If you’d like to see your photos published on Matador Trips, please contact Trips’ editors, Hal Amen and Carlo Alcos: hal@matadornetwork.com and carlo@matadornetwork.com.

Intern-turned-editor, Michelle Schusterman.

If we’re looking for talent and skill, we’re likely to find it right under our noses.

Almost all of the Matador editors were brought on board after their Matador Travel blogs were noticed by Matador staff. Whenever possible, we scout talent from within our own community, filling open positions with people who are already channeling the Matador vibe.

This week, we’re pleased to announce that Michelle Schusterman has been promoted to associate editor after serving as intern with Matador Goods since May.

Michelle is a musician, long-term traveler, and freelance writer who has been focusing on writing gear and tech reviews for Matador Goods.

In her new position, she will continue working closely with Goods editor Lola Akinmade to research and write gear-related articles that are relevant to travelers.

Have a tip for Michelle or a special request about a product you’d like to see reviewed on Goods? You can reach her via e-mail: michelle@matadornetwork.com.

Matador member Grady, a documentary filmmaker

Since its founding in 2006, Matador has always been dedicated to publishing the best travel writing online. As our community of travelers has grown, though, we’ve realized that not every story is told with words. Matador is also home to thousands of talented photographers and filmmakers.

Which is why we’re launching MatadorTV.

While there’s tons of incredible travel video on the Web that makes us want to get offline and go exploring, there hasn’t been a single place where all of this material has come together to be showcased. That’s what we’re building with MatadorTV.

MatadorTV will be headed up by editor Joshua Johnson, who will scour the Internet for the best travel video online. In addition to curating existing work, he’ll be working with freelance video producers and filmmakers to create original content.

Sound interesting to you? If you’re stoked about doing a film project at home or on the road, we want to hear from you. Read our contributor guidelines here, then hit us up with your best travel video.

And if you’re not handy with the camera, pop on over to MatadorTV to enjoy the collection of videos we’ve already put together for you.

Community Connection:

Want to perfect your filmmaking skills? Check out our archive of travel video tips here.

Photo: dbdrobot

Little did Ross Borden and Ben Polansky know when they launched Matador in October 2006 that they’d have a staff of more than 30 employees and interns just three years later.

Every day, Matador staff fire up our computers in New York, San Francisco, Mammoth Lakes, Vancouver, Oaxaca, Melbourne, Berlin, Buenos Aires, and points in between to bring you sweet, relevant writing about travel and life on our network of 10 blogs. Working across almost every time zone, we exchange as many as 100 emails a day (102 today at my last count), read a dozen or more submissions each day, moderate comments, plan contests, search through the community for new talent, and respond to readers’ and travelers’ questions.

It’s a big job, one that’s got to be shared among a few dozen brains, hearts, and hands.

We’re stoked to announce that two new folks have joined the Matador team. Candice Walsh and JoAnna Haugen, both students in Matador’s travel writing school, Matador U, have come on board as associate editors. They’ll be working with the team to identify timely story ideas and to continue our tradition of producing the best travel writing online.

Candice and JoAnna each bring a unique voice and set of experiences to the team. Candice will put good time experts Kate Sedgwick and Tom Gates, editors of Matador Nights, to the test. She’s already written a couple articles across the Network, sharing a voice that’s authentic, believable, and always funny.

JoAnna, who’s currently on a press trip in Honduras, is a former Peace Corps member who recently took the plunge into full-time freelance writing. She also embodies the Matador vibe– if you haven’t already read about the fund she set up for Peruvian porters who lead treks to Machu Picchu, you should definitely check that out here.

We welcome both to the team!

Community Connection:

Are you interested in working for Matador? Keep your eyes on our job listings.

Here are three of our favorites:

Matador Nights co-editor Tom Gates on Halloween in Berlin: “It’s not me but I just love the whole family thing. Even Satan needs to refuel on some fries and currywurst.” Photo: Tom Gates

Candice Walsh dresses up as every child of the 1980’s favorite traveler: “This photo is me dressed as the lovely globetrottin’ Carmen Sandiego. I spent the night on George Street, which hosts its annual Mardi Gras celebration every Halloween, with a huge costume contest on the street.” Photo courtesy of Candice Walsh

Sydney-based Larissa de Villa, dressed as Luigi from Super Mario Brothers.

Community Connection:

Missed our call for costumes? Add your Halloween photos to Matador’s Flickr pool!

Porters of Machu Picchu, Photo by Lola Akinmade

Americans who haven’t seen the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Mexicans who have never been to Chichen Itza. Egyptians who’ve never cast their eyes upon the Sphinx.

It’s one thing to choose not to visit these places. It’s another entirely when your job involves ferrying travelers to the edge of these wonders but never being able to cast your own eyes upon them.

Such is the case in Peru, where porters carry 55 pound packs of travelers’ gear right to the edge–but not within viewing distance–of Machu Picchu before turning around and catching a train to Cusco to start the trek all over again. “[V]ery few porters [can] ever actually visit Machu Picchu,” wrote JoAnna Haugen, adding, “[It] hits a nerve. Global travelers can probably name countless times they’ve met local people who have never experienced the things that draw travelers to a country.”

And she wanted to do something about it… at least in Peru.

Collaborating with Julio Tello, the founder of the tour outfit Karikuy, Haugen co-founded the Karikuy-Haugen Fund, which is raising money to pay`for porters to visit Machu Picchu.

Read more about the fund and learn how you can support the project here.

Community Connection:

Headed to Machu Picchu? Matador Trips co-editor Hal Amen tells you how to visit on the cheap.

Matador managing editor Julie Schwietert eating in Oaxaca. Photos: Francisco Collazo

The Matador editorial tribe is a diverse group of folks, but if there’s one thing we share (besides our love of travel), it’s a love of food. Whether we’re sampling mole in Oaxaca, indulging in Korean tteok in Mexico City, or subjecting ourselves to a tour of the world’s worst pizzas, followed by a full day of binge eating in Berlin, we’re as alert for our next meal as we are for the next adventure.

That’s why we love to hear about other travelers’ favorite food moments.

Matador member Layne Mosler has lots of them… so many, in fact, that she documents them in close detail on her blog, Taxi Gourmet.

Mosler’s mode of travel revolves around food: wherever she goes, she hops into a taxi, asks the driver to take her to his or her favorite restaurant, and then narrates the ride, the meal, and the cultural/political/historical context of the whole experience on Taxi Gourmet.

More than a “Look at what I ate today!” post, Mosler’s writing offers a thoughtful, often funny and often poignant look at cab drivers’ lives. Her writing is so good, in fact, that she’s been featured in The Economist, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, among other international magazines and newspapers.

For the past three years, Mosler’s posts have mapped the culinary landscape of Buenos Aires, but in June of this year, Mosler returned to the US to settle down in New York… and become a cab driver herself.

You can follow her quest to secure a coveted taxi driver’s license–and her ongoing adventures at the table–at Taxi Gourmet. Taxi Gourmet also features loads of useful information for food lovers on the move, including a list of her favorite food blogs, as well as links to cabbie resources in the US and elsewhere.

Community Connection:

Headed to Asia? Check out our 5 favorite Asian food blogs before you go.
What are your favorite food and travel blogs? Share links in the comments below.

Nancy Harder

So what is Kungaroo?

According to its founder, Nancy Harder, Kungaroo is a online social network intended to help travelers who practice yoga or meditation to make connections with like-minded folks during their journeys.

She says:

“My intention for this network is that those on their respective spiritual journeys will find oneness and connection through reaching out to others in their communities and abroad. As I’ve traveled around the globe and utilized other networks like couchsurfing , I’ve often wished I could reach out to others practicing yoga or meditation.

Whether you can offer information to locals or visitors about yoga and/or meditation classes in your area, share your own practice with others by meeting up for yoga and/or meditation, share service projects in your area, or just simply connect to others on the path to enlightenment, I hope this site is of service to you.”

If Kungaroo sounds like a service that may be of use to you–or if you can provide information and support to people who may be traveling through your community– you can register for Kungaroo by visiting the site here.

Community Connection:

Are you new to meditation? Check out Nancy’s beginner’s guide to meditation retreats here.

And you can find all of Matador’s yoga articles here.

Juli Huang; Photo courtesy of Juli Huang

It’s happened to lots of Matador members: you get together with some friends, have a couple drinks, talk about travel, and before you know it, you’ve dreamed up your next adventure.

For Matador intern Juli Huang, it happened at a birthday party last month. After telling some people about her volunteer work with a community health clinic in Berkeley, California and her passion for advocating health care for everyone, Juli learned about Global Medical Brigades, an organization that brings together medical professionals, students, lay health care workers, and volunteers to provide health care and health education to communities in Latin America that lack health care access, resources, and information.

After learning more about the organization, Juli signed on for a week-long volunteer trip in Honduras that will take place in January 2010.

The trip is an extension of the work she’s been doing in Berkeley. As she says, “the provision of health care as a basic human service independent of privilege or race or condition or history is extremely important to me. And though I am not interested in embarking down the path to becoming a medical professional, helping to provide people with the information to exercise more agency over their own health is something I feel strongly about.”

As part of the medical brigade, Juli will help with patient intake, triage, pharmacy, and education. Depending on the amount of money the organization raises prior to the trip, she may also be involved in public health education workshops in Honduras, focusing in particular on getting word out about how hand-washing and sanitized water can cut down on the number diarrheal deaths and disease transmission. If you’d like to make a donation to support the brigade’s work, click here.

We look forward to her first-person dispatches from Honduras.

Community Connection:

Want to learn more about volunteer opportunities abroad? Check out Matador’s organizational member listings here.

David got started on his research early…. Photo courtesy of David Page.

Each year for the past 25 years, the Society of American Travel Writers has sponsored a travel journalism contest that has become the premier competition in this field. The Lowell Thomas Awards, named for a radio and print journalist who made his media reputation as a globe-trotting correspondent, are considered to be travel writing’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.

And Matador’s own David Page earned one this year.

The Lowell Thomas Awards are given in 25 different categories; David took the bronze in the Guidebook category for his Great Destinations: Yosemite & the Southern Sierra Nevada. Explaining why they selected David’s book for an award, the judges wrote:

“David T. Page presents a thorough, entertaining guide to the region. It contains an unusually detailed section on the natural history of the area, sure to appeal to Page’s outdoor-minded readers. It’s a joy to read.”

The Lowell Thomas Award isn’t the first honor David has received for this guidebook; it also won the distinction of the Best Guidebook of 2008 from the Outdoor Writers’ Association of California.

If you’d like to read David’s book for yourself, here it is:

And be sure to check out the articles David has published on Matador, including:

How to Travel to Socotra Island, Yemen

Powderquest Patagonia: Trip Report from Devin McDonell

10 Fundamentals When Packing for a Fun Family Ski Trip

Adventures in Weaning: Cold Turkey in the Great American Desert

Community Connection:

Would you like to see your name on the list of Lowell Thomas Award winners? Join Matador U’s travel writing school to learn how to author guidebooks…and much more.

Matador Life editor, Leigh Shulman. Photo courtesy of Leigh Shulman

It was right around this time last year that Matador launched the blog Matador Life.

The idea behind the creation of the Life blog was that it could be the platform for articles and conversations about everything that happens between trips. As we wrote when we introduced Life:

Everyone comes home from their travels eventually, and the way we return can be the most important part of all.

Matador Life is about people in their hometowns, how they represent where they’re from, and what we can learn from each of the unique places we inhabit.

Here you’ll find articles ranging from financial advice and tips on being more productive at work to portraits of people’s hometowns and profiles of individuals strongly rooted in their communities.

Since then, the Matador community has grown and become even more diverse. Our members range in age from 15 to 70+. They’re parents and partners, single or divorced. New graduates, drop outs. Professionals, retirees. Artsy fartsy, business minded. Expats, experienced travelers, people planning their first journeys into the world, and soldiers looking forward to finishing up their deployments.

What they share is the eventual need to come home and make a meaningful life where they thrive by bringing their travels into daily life. And what they need is someone who’s where they are… and who can publish writing that speaks to their experiences.

The`Matador team is confident that we’ve finally found that person.

We’re happy to announce that Leigh Shulman has joined the Matador editorial team. Her first post is up on Life today… say hi and share your ideas about the types of articles you’d like to read on Life.

Community Connection:

Want to know who’s who at Matador? Meet the team here.
Want to work for Matador? Our job listings are posted here.

Susan Marjanovic, winner of Matador’s Twitter tuition contest.

The winner was Susan Marjanovic, an artist, photographer, writer, audiophile and healer. We interviewed Susan to learn more about her…not surprisingly, she’s totally living the Matador vision.

Matador: Tell us a bit about you: where you’re from.

I kind of feel like I’m from all over. I consider San Francisco ‘home’ these days, but before that I lived in NYC for about a decade. I was born and raised at the Jersey shore, and my parents are from the old Yugoslavia (Serbia and Croatia), so I grew up in a European/Socialist sort of household surrounded by beach culture environment, stuck between two major cities.

When I was younger, I kind of felt like an outcast because of all those crazy juxtapositions but when I got older I was able to realize how lucky I was to have been exposed to so many different cultures all at once and it really shaped me in ways I am eternally grateful for.

Matador:… why you travel…

There just isn’t any other experience that comes close to it. I can’t really imagine life without traveling. I took my first overseas flight to the Adriatic coast & Serbia when I was 4 and was instantly hooked.

Photo: snowcrash

My parents had one of those huge fancy world atlases and I used to spend hours poring over it, planning all the places I would go when I got older and could afford it.

We used to get National Geographic too, which fueled even more daydreams (I loved the free maps that came with it) of exploring cultures all over the world. I was especially interested in tribal cultures, where people seemed to live more in harmony with each other and the earth, and where ritual, dance, and body decoration played a huge role.

Matador: …what you do…

I’m in pursuit of ultimate freedom always.

I’m also an artist, photographer, writer, audiophile, and healer.

I am interested in so many things, so I’ve never had one official career. The idea of doing the same thing over and over for days on end makes me cringe.

I studied photography at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, did some commercial work for record labels and magazines, had art shows, helped run an indie hip-hop label in NYC, worked at Current TV watching documentaries about the world for a brief stint, and then temped for a year because it gave me freedom, not just physically but mentally and emotionally, which were even more important to me at the time.

I tried going back to work at a landscape architect’s office for a bit. Temping doesn’t really provide financial stability, and I really love plants, so I thought I could learn something new and sort out my finances at the same time. But I found the environment to be really stifling and knew my freedom and happiness were worth way more than a steady paycheck so I began trying to sort out ‘How do I get paid to travel around the world doing what I love – creating art, making beautiful images, spending time in nature, meeting amazing people, and helping others?’

I had a health crisis. As I began to learn how to heal through a steady diet of raw/living foods, herbs, spiritual work, and hours spent in the wilderness hiking, I ended up stepping into my power as a healer, which really clicked everything together for me….

All the synchronicities in my life began to increase. I knew I was on the right path and didn’t need to focus only on one thing – what I needed was to find a way to make them all work together.

I signed up for a raw foods nutrition class and was praying for everything to get taken to the next level when I got fired from my job. It was a huge blessing. I began blogging about raw foods, health, life transformation and began consulting with clients one-on-one to help sort out their health issues. I finally had the time to spend my energy doing things I loved, so I began volunteering more than ever and immersing myself in [my passions]: food, permaculture, food foraging, the environment, and healthy living.

I knew travel was an integral part of the puzzle, so I applied for a paid WWOOF sponsorship to study permaculture in Bulgaria for six months and got it. Everything was coming together perfectly.

Matador: What are you up to these days?

I planned to spend some time with my family back east for a month or two before heading to Bulgaria and decided to take a cross country road trip to get there. Just as I was finalizing my trip, the WWOOF Bulgaria program told me that because I wasn’t an EU citizen, they weren’t going to be able to get my paperwork processed in time to make the funding deadline.

I trust that everything happens for a reason, so decided to just roll with it. I turned my cross country adventure into a bigger trip with no real end date. I left San Francisco in February and embarked on an experiment to trust that if we’re being of service, we are always being provided for. In my case this meant educating people about raw food and inspiring them to take their health back into their own hands, volunteering on organic farms and gardens, and exploring the power of community everywhere I went.

Photo: Ian Muttoo

It’s been amazing so far. I’ve met some of the most positive, inspiring, beautiful people who are changing the world. I’ve also been taking part in a lot of intense North American Indian ceremonies and sweat lodges and deepening on my spiritual path. It’s been beautiful and empowering experiencing how everything in your life shifts when you begin to trust the universe, listen to your intuition, and live in alignment with your soul.

My life feels so magical. I don’t really want this trip to end, but I think it’s time to head back to SF to work on a few projects and work my magic on a few other areas.

About a year ago I decided to start a raw, organic, medicinal chocolate company because I wanted to build an eco-conscious business of my own that would allow me to do good things in the world and allow me to travel and fund my art. On this trip I’ve had so many chocolate and herb syncs, so I’m itching to get work on that and start working with an incubator program to get that off the ground.

I’m also applying to school to become an herbalist and continue to work with plant medicines all over the world, especially South America and the Himalayas.

I also have a few big art projects I want to work on, especially one I am excited about that harnesses the power of community and human connection. It’s a roving art gallery in a truck that travels to cities all over the country. I’m really into alternative economies, so instead of purchasing the art, people will barter their own art for what’s already on the walls. The new art show will travel to the next city, and the barter process will continue.

I really like things that are constantly changing and evolving and want to be able to connect art communities all over the world and have everyone be a part of something bigger. I want to try to also capture the whole process digitally in an online museum of sorts so that people can know where their art ended up & keep in contact with whoever has it. I’d really love it if it spurred a few collaborations as well.

Matador: How did you learn about Matador?

I can’t remember exactly, but I know I found it while researching how to be a location independent digital nomad. I think it might have been through a link from Soultravelers3 on twitter.

Matador: You won Matador’s Twitter contest for free tuition… have you ever won anything before?

A few things. I won a small photography scholarship fund in high school. My freshman year of college, SVA had a photo show that was judged by one of the curators of MoMA and I placed…I think my prize was a gift certificate for photo supplies. Oh, and last year I won a Japan guidebook from Lonely Planet.

Matador: What are you hoping to get out of the Matador U program?

I want to connect with other people who are living a nomadic lifestyle and get high off the journey. I feel like I need to learn the economy of words. Several people who read my blog have been writing me to suggest I turn this current adventure into a book, so it would be fantastic to learn how to do that and get published.

I’m also in the process of revamping my photography site, elasticfate.com, so I’d like to learn how to morph it into a monetized travel site that will help me bring in another stream of income from doing what I love and inspire others to do the same.

Matador: What’s your favorite kind of travel writing or travel writer?

The kind that has the power to transport you fully to a place and moment in time without having to rely on crazy partying and outlandish tales to keep you riveted, though those can be entertaining in their own way. I really like travel writing that gets inside the local culture and teaches me something new and inspires me grow in some way.

Community Connection:

Want to learn more about Matador U? You can do that here. To read more about raw food and spiritual healing, check out senior editor David Miller’s review of Sofia Brandon’s book, The Adventure Cookbook, published on Matador Goods earlier this week.

Mongolian girl, Photo by Matador Trips co-editor, Carlo Alcos

But admittedly, photographers have gotten short shrift in our three years of existence.

That’s all about to change.

Matador Trips editors Hal Amen and Carlo Alcos have already taken the lead in highlighting Matador members’ photography by publishing stunning photo essays from Iceland, Brazil, and Papua New Guinea, to name just a few. Other Matador editors have followed their lead, featuring photo essays on Matador Sports and on Matador Change.

We’ll have some other exciting news to share with photographers over the next few weeks and months, but in the meantime, why not add your travel photos to Matador’s Flickr pool?

If you already have a Flickr account, all you need to do is join the group by following this link and clicking “Join This Group.” Then, you can add photos from your own photostream to the Matador pool, sharing your talent and your travels with the rest of us. The photos you add will carry the same license you’ve selected for them in your own photostream. Leave your photos licensed for Creative Commons and commercial use, and you may just see your work featured in a Matador article!

Interested in having your photography considered for a photo essay? E-mail me at julie@matadornetwork.com and I’ll direct your query to the appropriate editor.

Community Connection:

Would you like to WIN a beautiful photograph taken by professional travel photographer Peter Guttman? Check out our Twitter contest– details here.

Photo courtesy of Abbie Mood

Since then, dozens of aspiring travel writers have joined the course, working through the curriculum at their own pace and enjoying the conversation with other students and the Matador editorial team.

One of those students is Abbie Mood, who has also been a member of the Matador Travel community for about six months. Abbie registered for Matador U two weeks ago, and says, “I already feel like I’ve gained so much! Besides the chapters being really informative and interesting, being able to connect to and share feedback with editors and other writers has been amazing.”

Abbie has taken full advantage of Matador U’s features, including the Market Leads board, which provides students with exclusive listings of online and print opportunities for publishing their work. In fact, Abbie has already landed a writing gig through the market leads; she learned this week that she has been hired as Planet Eye’s local expert blogger for Orange County, California. “I’m very excited,” she says, “because this is my first official writing gig!”

Abbie has lived in Orange County for just over four years and will be using her experience to inform her postings for Planet Eye about what’s going on in Orange County. Some of her favorite places there are El Moro Canyon/Crystal Cove State Park to trail run (”There is a beautiful view of the ocean, and the trails kick my butt!”), Main Street on Huntington Beach to bar hop and people watch, and the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine for shopping!

Though it will be a few more days before her local expert page is active, you can check out the site and other cities’ local experts–including Matador’s own Twitter Ninja and Edinburgh local expert, Andy Hayes–at www.planeteyetraveler.com.

Community Connection:

Abbie isn’t the only Matador U student who has landed a writing contract since entering the travel writing program. Over the next few days, we’ll be profiling other students who have found gigs through the Market Leads board.

Interested in joining the U? Learn all about it here. And keep your eyes on that page– over the next few months, Matador will be introducing other courses, too!

Photo: Andrew Ciscel

Matador’s own Austin Chu, who occasionally reviews gear for Matador Goods, was laid off his job in December 2008. Rather than sit around and despair about his bank account or struggle to find a new job in a dismal economic market, Austin hit the American road with his brother Brian to make a documentary about the current state of the economy and, more importantly, what’s next.

Less than a year later, the Chu brothers can say they traveled through all 50 states, completed editing and post-production, and launched their documentary, “The Recess Ends,” to enthusiastic reviews. The premiere was held last night in San Francisco. Matador’s co-founders, Ross Borden and Ben Polansky, showed up early and still had to sneak in to the theater; it was that packed.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the trailer and then head on over to TRE’s website to find out when the film may be showing near you:

Official Trailer: The Recess Ends from B-Rilla on Vimeo.

Community Connection:

Were you at the premiere? Share your thoughts about “The Recess Ends” below. You can also check out other clips from the film on TRE’s Vimeo channel.

My big news? Baby Mariel!

There have been some exceptions, but during that time we’ve looked mostly outside of our own community to find “news.”

Though we always cared about finding the stories that were overlooked by mainstream media and bringing them back to you–as often as possible by reaching out to someone on the ground for a first-person dispatch like this one– we recently realized how much news is being overlooked within our own community.

In the three years since Matador was founded, we’ve created a large, tight-knit community of travelers and writers around the world who are living what we call the “Matador vision” every single day. That vision is to:

“…raise questions and share ideas and information in a way that isn’t bounded by geography or culture but ripples out from one traveler to another worldwide. Over time, these connections, dialogues, and relationships are affecting positive changes and creating new opportunities in the real world.”

Living the Matador vision looks different for each of the 12,000+ members of the Matador Travel community, the 1.6 million + people who visit our blogs each month, the nearly 8,000 people who follow us on Twitter, and the 70+ students enrolled in our travel writing school, Matador U.

For new member justdanny, who is currently serving in Iraq (which has a “hell of a sunrise,” he says), living the Matador vision means figuring out how to use the time and experiences he’s had at war once he gets back home. For HittheRoadJACK, it’s figuring out how to “hold on and continue believing in this dream” of living in their RV and “taking photographs and sharing our stories with others,” even when nothing seems to be going their way.

So long story short: go get your travel news elsewhere. Check Global Voices Online for politics and world news. Check other travel blogs for fare deals. And stay here to learn more about the incredible people who make up the Matador community.

Community Connection:

Want to contribute to Matador? Read our submission guidelines here.

If you have a story about what’s going on in your part of the world or if you want us to celebrate your good news, send me an email at julie@matadornetwork.com.

[Feature photo: qrtzcntrl]

Photo courtesy of JoAnna Haugen

You’re probably already familiar with JoAnna Haugen, an active member of Matador.

She’s a Matador contributor, having written the popular article “5 Things You Should Know Before Joining the Peace Corps” for MatadorChange.

She’s an enthusiastic and supportive student in Matador’s travel writing program, MatadorU.

She’s an active blogger, writing here on Matador and on her own self-hosted blog.

She was one of the Roads Scholars, using her travel stipend to explore the U.S.’s national parks and to write about her transformative experiences at Burning Man.

So the Matador team was stoked to wake up this morning to an e-mail from senior editor David Miller, who shared JoAnna’s latest blog–and good news–with us. JoAnna has won the 2009 Wine Food Travel Scholarship, awarded by the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In addition to being awarded a one week trip to the Caribbean in the dead of U.S. winter, JoAnna was given a one year membership to IFWTWA and will have at least one of her articles published in Global Writes.

Best of all, JoAnna’s decided to start a new writing project: her two weeks notice at her day job. She’ll be pursuing travel writing as a full time career.

And Matador will be pulling for her all the way!

Community Connection:

Interested in connecting with people like JoAnna? Set up your MatadorTravel.com profile today to meet other passionate travelers. You could also consider joining MatadorU, a 12-week curriculum developed by the Matador team where we teach you all you need to know about the history, craft, tools, and future of travel writing.

Photo: Ed Yourdon

Sorry, it’s too late for you to get into the game, but four Matador members have made it into the semi-final round of Trazzler’s NYCGO Writing Contest.

At stake is a $10,000 prize and a most-expenses paid two-week stint to visit New York City, where the winner will spend his or her mini-residency writing about the city.

To get to this round, entrants had to make an initial editorial cut after submitting a short trip guide on the theme “Oasis.”

The initial pool of entrants has been culled to 200 semi-finalists. Visitors to the Trazzler site will vote for their favorite trips and the 10 entries garnering the most votes will move on to the finals. A jury will choose the grand prize winner. Even if you’re not a Trazzler member, you can vote for your favorite semi-finalists by logging in through your Facebook account.

Here are the Matador members who are in the running for the next round:

Katie Hammel:

Katie is a regular contributor to Matador Trips, writing frequently about her hometown of Detroit. She’s also written about Chicago, Denver, and Iceland.

Katie’s Trazzler entry is “Brunching at a Hidden Urban Oasis in Detroit, Michigan.”

Sabina Lohr:

Sabina is Matador’s expert on Martha’s Vineyard, an area she writes about frequently for Matador Trips. Her most recent Matador article is All Over the Map: A U.S. Festival for Each Month of the Year.

Sabina’s Trazzler entry is “Jumping Off the Jaws Bridge on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.”

Michelle Schusterman:

Michelle, a musician, Matador intern, and regular contributor to Matador Goods, currently calls South Korea her home base.

Michelle’s Trazzler entry is “Stumbling Onto a Bahiano Making Dende Oil in Santo Amaro, Brazil.”

Ryan Van Lenning:

Ryan is a writer, educator, activist, and regular contributor to Matador Change, where he writes about environmental and social justice issues.

Ryan’s Trazzler entry is “Lounging in the Turquoise Pools in Semuc Champey, Guatemala.”

Click on over to Trazzler to vote for these Matador members!

Community Connection:

We’ll forgive Katie, Sabina, Michelle, and Ryan for using the word “oasis,” but don’t be caught using it when you send a submission to Matador. “Oasis” is one of the 10 Words and Phrases We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again.

Screenshot from WordPress Showcase

First up, many thanks to WordPress for including Matador at the WordPress Showcase. Currently we’re rated #1 based on our implementation and use of WordPress. To vote, please click here and roll over the number of stars you feel we deserve, then click the mouse. You don’t have to sign up or register for anything, however, please vote only once.

As far as why we were included in the showcase, WordPress wrote:

Matador is made up of a number WordPress blogs that work together to provide content on a variety of travel-related topics.The site averages more than 1.8 million monthly pageviews.

I fired off a couple questions to Ian MacKenzie, who (along with his wife Karen) has been the primary architect responsible for Matador’s design.

David: How many designs had you and Karen worked on before this latest one?

Ian: Well I’d say it was the second major theme makeover since the first one. We’re always making tweaks, but this was substantially different.

David: What was the overarching design element you were going for with this latest theme?

Ian: We mostly wanted to showcase more content from across the entire network, in a visual way, and make it easier to catch people’s eyes. We also wanted to increase the ability for people to scan many headlines.

David: What does it mean to you and karen as developers to have a design currently ranking # 1 in the WP showcase?

Ian: Ha, is it really?

David: Yes.

Ian: I’d say we’re happy people seem to like the theme, and we’re looking forward to its continued evolution in the future.

Spoken like a true developer, I think. Thanks again to everyone on the team and in the community–this is really the cumulative vision of many many people with lots of feedback.

Community Connection

Interested in site design, or just wondering about which blogging platform is best for your writing? We’ve been having a good discussion on this at the Notebook this week.

Matador writer Sarah Shourd.

Earlier today, mainstream US media reported that three American hikers were arrested in Iran after crossing the Iran/Iraq border on Friday. According to this report in The New York Times, Iranian television confirmed the arrests.

The news hits close to home for Matador, as one of our contributors, Sarah Shourd, is believed to be one of the arrested hikers, though her name has been spelled inaccurately in various reports. The other two detained hikers have been named as Shane Bower and Joshua Steel.

The arrests were reported to the US Embassy in Iraq by Shaun Gabriel Maxwell, a fourth hiker who had not been with his friends when they were detained. Though some reports have indicated that the three hikers defied local warnings not to cross into Iranian territory, other reports tell a different story. USA Today reported that Maxwell stated that the detained hikers–who contacted him by phone–told him they had gotten lost and wandered across the border unintentionally, where they were surrounded by troops and arrested.

Shourd penned this story for Matador in November of 2008.

While details are still coming in, Matador will continue to follow the story and wishes the best for Shourd and her companions.

Feature photo: Lezan

Community Connection:

Read Sarah Shourd’s story, “Escape from Iraq: A Muslim Family Finds Solace in Ramadan,” here.

Photo: Amir Farshad Ebrahimi

The future of incumbent candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at stake in tomorrow’s election. Ahmadinejad, often described as a hard-line traditionalist, is being challenged for the country’s top political seat by former prime minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The two candidates couldn’t be more different, but that’s not the main issue galvanizing many Iranian voters and outside observers.

Instead, it’s Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rahnavard, a former university chancellor, who has captivated the country’s attention as the final hours of campaigning approach.

In an article in Der Spiegel, journalist Ulrike Putz explained Rahnavard’s appeal and influence:

“Since the revolution in 1979 no other political spouse has been so much in the public eye. Rahnavard is even featured in her husband’s election posters: she stands next to him, holding his hand. In Iran’s strict Muslim society this alone is nothing short of spectacular. She wears her black chador loosely and instead of a plain scarf, hers is printed with a colorful floral pattern….

For weeks Rahnavard has been travelling around Iran — with and without her husband — trying to drum up support for the conservative reformer. She talks about providing women with more rights before family courts, better education opportunities and more jobs. That is not only appealing to the female half of the estimated 46 million eligible voters — many of their fathers, brothers and husbands also think this the right way forward.

While Rahnavard is certainly the most visible example of women increasingly defining and claiming a space for themselves in Iranian politics and social life, she’s not the only one. Throughout Iran and neighboring countries, women are openly addressing larger audiences, talking about traditionally taboo topics and asserting their right to define their own roles in society.

For another example of the ways women are articulating and exercising their rights, check out this excerpt from the PBS Wide Angle documentary, “Dishing Democracy,” which features popular TV hosts Fawzia Salama, Rania Barghout, Muna AbuSulayman, and Farah Besiso talking about their Cairo-based program, “Kalam Nawaem.”

If you’re interested in seeing the full documentary, you can access the video segments here.

Community Connection:

Interested in politics outside the West? Be sure to read Sarah Stuteville’s dispatch from Pakistan, “Pakistani Politics: Why Women’s Voices Matter.”

Photo: snappybex

The Roads Scholarship is the pet project of Matador member Pat the Digital Vagabond, a long-time traveler who wants to make travel possible for other people. Pat dreamed up the idea of sending one person–a “Roads Scholar”– around North America during the summer of 2009 on an unfixed route of their own choosing, fully funded, ending up at the popular Burning Man Festival in September.

The only catch? That the winner document his or her journey on Matador and other multimedia platforms.

More than 100 aspiring Roads Scholars submitted applications.

Pat found many of the applications so compelling that he couldn’t choose a single winner. Instead, he chose one primary Roads Scholar and three honorary scholars. They are:

Primary Roads Scholar: Kyle Smith

Honorary Roads Scholars: Joanna Haugen, Marina, and Alanna

Visit Digital Vagabonding to learn more about the winners. And be sure to sign up for Matador’s RSS feed so you can keep up with all the digital dispatches we’ll be featuring from this year’s winners.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to Pat for his generosity and vision!

Matt Kepnes, happy about new friend.

We were stoked last week when Matador contributor Matt Kepnes, aka Nomadic Matt, sent us a copy of his first travel ebook.

In Matt’s own words, his ebook “teaches people some basic coding and what to think about when creating a travel site. The real meat of the ebook are the sections on SEO and how to make money with your blog. I go through the whole process and where to find advertisers.”

I read through the book and found the information to be laid out in a very easy to follow, step by step kind of way that draws directly on Matt’s own experience over the last year, as he’s gone from someone without a travel blog to someone able to sustain himself on ad revenue generated via his site NomadicMatt.com.

After reading the ebook I realized that even though I felt like I “knew” Matt, especially after working with him on several of his classic stories on Matador (such as Top 20 Craziest Party Hostels around the World), there were still several basic things about Matt I wanted to know for this article.

Where are you from? What’s your age / background?

Born and raised in Boston, I have a background in teaching and business but abandoned both to follow my dream of endless travel. I’m 27.

How long have you been with Matador?

Since April 2007 (you guys gave me my big break!).

How long since you started your own site?

February 2007.

How many pageviews do you get?

350,000 per month (not bad, huh?).

Where do you work from?

My laptop.

Where are you right now?

Bangkok, Thailand.

Where are you going next?

Scotland for my birthday! (June 12th!).

What’s the ‘big vision’ for the next 3-5 years?

Finish seeing every continent, getting to the World Cup in 2010, and moving to Europe (Paris or Amsterdam).

Anything special you want readers to know about the ebook?

This book is designed to help those with blogs make an even bigger and better blog and make some money off of it. Many people get discouraged that they put so much work in but see such a little return. The book is here to help you put in less work and get bigger returns by avoiding common mistakes.

Community Connection

You can connect with Matt either via his website or friend him up at Matador.

Photo: Zarko Drinic

Eva Holland and I have been co-editing Pulse for a while now, turning out an average of two pieces per day about international news. The stories have included quirky quick takes (Obama fingers, anyone?) to concise, thoughtful analyses about world developments overlooked by mainstream media.

As the Matador Network gets a face lift, we’ll continue to bring you news about travel–and we’re not talking about fare deals or new airline routes. Though Eva will be taking a sabbatical at the end of March as she hits the road, you can still count on Pulse to keep you up-to-date with what’s going on in this big world.

The winners of the third annual Solas Awards, honoring the best travel stories of the year, have been announced — and a few Matador members are in the mix!

Congrats to all the winners, but special shout-outs go to Matador Goods editor Lola Akinmade, who took the bronze in the “Travel and Shopping” category (and also landed a couple of honorable mentions), Matador member Darrin DuFord, who received second place in the “Travel and Food” category, and Matador member Dana Hill, who also received an honorable mention.

The Solas Awards are put on every year by Travelers’ Tales, a San Francisco-based publishing house dedicated to literary travel writing and travel storytelling at its best. If you’re an aspiring travel writer, consider sending in your best stories for next year’s Solas Awards, and check out the submissions page for the latest Travelers’ Tales anthologies, too.

To learn more about what Travelers’ Tales is looking for (and to read some great writing — one of the best ways to keep learning!) give The Best Travel Writing 2009 or The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009 a read.

Congratulations again to Lola, Darrin, Dana, and everyone else! And if we missed your name on the winners’ list, because we only know you by a Matador nickname, please let us know!

Keep writing, everybody.

Photo by tnarik (Creative Commons)

David Miller – Senior Editor

David Miller with daughter Layla. Morning after her first camping trip. Elwha River, Olympic Peninsula, Washington.

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

There were so many good blogs and articles written this year, but one in particular, Teresa Ponikvar’s What’s up with Pachuca just hit all the right notes. “How can a town without a living river be a living town?” she asks. This piece speaks for the growing number of us who seem to be perpetually searching for and in love with place.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

This year we moved to the Pacific Northwest and quickly discovered the Olympic Peninsula. It’s the best place we visited this year and now one of my favorite places in the world for sure.

This was the last place in the US to be “settled,” and unique in that the native peoples here, particularly the Quiluete Nation, were able to remain in their homeland, and to a large extent, preserve their culture and way of life. When you roll in to La Push (a classic surf break), you pass a sign that says “Quilete Nation: You are welcome in these lands.”

People are smiling, stoked. The water is clear; the forest is massive. There were gray whales out there while I was surfing.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

Over the last several years my travel style has changed. Instead of traversing places, now I’m more interested in deepening relationships with places I’m still just getting to know.

So even if money were no object, 2009 would still be about heading back down to Patagonia, where our family has been traveling for the last several years. Some local trips on the wish-list: expedition / exploratory kayak trip in the Rio Azul headwaters. Backcountry snowboarding in the cordillera above El Bolsón.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

I keep peeping this one. KRS-1 just killing a freestyle. What I love about this video is the full-on Buddha presence KRS-1 exudes–just totally calm and centered–as he goes from just walking around, to entering the studio, to flowing right over whatever is coming out of the speakers.

Here’s someone who takes nothing for granted: when he first walks in, one of the engineers asks him “what’s poppin’?” His answer: “the world.”

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

It would be a trip. Say a multi-day overnight float trip through some high-desert canyon in the American West. Maybe the Dolores River in Colorado. Someplace where he could float in, then set up camp dozens of miles from any roads or buildings, and hike up in the sandstone to ancient Pueblo granaries–places where you could literally see the fingerprints of peoples who lived here thousands of years ago.

I don’t even know why this is what I’d want his present to be. Maybe it’s just the idea that he’d see into a different part of this place we call America.

Ian Mackenzie – Matador Network Architect

Ian in Hawaii. Looks like Canadian Survivor.

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

Very difficult to choose, but my favourite would have to be 10 Revolutionary Acts Of Courage By Ordinary People. I came up with the original idea for the article, but Robyn Johnson fleshed out each person and really made it her own. It’s intelligent, thought provoking, and it makes me proud that this type of material can be published on Brave New Traveler.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

Last February, I spent 3 weeks in Hawaii. The first two, I was shooting a documentary project that took me to some incredible locations. The first week I found myself on the summit of Mauna Kea, gazing up at massive telescopes crusted with ice and snow.

The second week I was wandering miles and miles of hardened lava at the Volcanoes National Park. Finally, the third week I was finished working and my wife and I flew to Kauai to cap the end of an unreal trip. Despite being a well-trodden tourist destination, Hawaii is still magical.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

Bhutan. I’ve simply been hearing too much about it -from the incredible scenic beauty, to the startling discovery that they balance their economic growth with the happiness of their people. Money aside, that’s definitely where I’d go.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

I know it’s past the point of cliche now, but definitely Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. There’s something about that whole phenomenon that went beyond merely tricking your friends/family into a “Rick Roll.” It was a cultural milestone.

Plus, I spent hours crafting how to best develop my strategy… from embedding the video into a new page, to hiding link with a TinyURL…etc. Good family fun.

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

A George W. Bush bobble-head. Because that would give Obama a chuckle whenever he needs it.

Julie Schwietert – Managing Editor

Julie con la gente.

1) Favorite article on Matador in 2008:

That’s tough, but my pick is Misty Tosh’s The Ultimate Baja Escape.. Misty has totally nailed the Matador formula: Take your deep knowledge and intense experience of a place, write about it in your own unique voice, and make it real and relevant for readers.

“The Ultimate Baja Escape” is a three day road trip guide and it’s clear that she knows the terrain from her own experience of riding it. She provides insider tips you can’t know just by surfing the internet. This is EXACTLY the kind of article Matador editors and readers want to see. And after I read it, I was ready to find myself a truck and hit the road.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

What a cruel question! I have to choose?! 2008 was an incredible travel year for me, the best of my life so far. I was able to spend significant amounts of time in my favorite stomping grounds, Latin America, where I listened to amazing stories and found ways to bring them back to readers.

I spent a month in Colombia, about six months in Mexico City (with trips to Oaxaca, Veracruz, Perote, & Guadalajara), and just enough time to fall in love with Chile. I also went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It’s impossible to choose a best place; they were all incredible, each with their own unique people, experiences, and stories.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

I know that I should say I’d go some place really far-flung or spend the money on a round-the-world trip since money’s no object, but I really just feel pulled to settle down in Latin America and do some serious slow travel around Central America, South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

I love to live in a place, not just pass through, so if money were no object, I’d travel around for the whole year, settling down for awhile and renting a home.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

I’m pretty stoked about some video footage I shot during my visit to Guantanamo Bay that Matador’s video editor, Joshua Johnson, worked wonders with and got live a couple weeks ago.

A day at Guantanamo Bay; one guards perspective from Matador Network on Vimeo.

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

I don’t think I’d buy President Obama anything. Instead, I’d encourage him to read stories about Matador members and their travels. There’s no single site where he would feel more inspired by how people build community online, at home, and in the world, and there’s no single site where he’d find better writing about it.

Tim Patterson – Contributing Editor

Tim hard at work.

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

Apart from my own brilliant articles you mean? I gotta go with Sarah Stuteville’s essay Why We Still Need To Write About African Poverty. Remember that name, Sarah Stuteville. She’s an up-and-coming superstar journalist, gonna be the next Nick Kristof, guaranteed.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

Tough call. I rang in the New Year with college buddies in El Chalten, Patagonia, but it was too freaking windy down there. Plenty of fond memories of crazy times in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay with Brian Meissner and the hostel crew. Went back to some old haunts – camping on Koh Rong island in Cambodia with my friend Jon and two curvaceous Dutch girls was a blast….and while it wasn’t exactly a happy experience, visiting the Kachin Independence Army’s mountaintop base in northern Myanmar was a unique privilege. Can’t pick just one, sorry.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

I would go home to Craftsbury, Vermont and stay there for a while. But my job is to travel so I’ll be bouncing back and forth between New England and SE Asia. Tough, huh? I’m sure y’all feel sorry for me.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

No question about, the BNT 1,000 subscriber celebration video where I get naked and Ian gets drunk.

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

A lump of coal in his stocking. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got great respect for Obama, but he needs to know just how “clean” coal really is. Check out Exposing the Bi-Partisan Myth of Clean Coal for more.

Tom Gates – Editor, Matador Life

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

I loved this blog by member Jon Brandt and it has kicked around my brain ever since. The article that really got to me was Digging out of the Sinkhole by Susan Greenwood. Next year isn’t going to be any better for the economy and this article gave me a little bit of hope.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

Laos by a mile. I think it might have had something to do with the fact that by then, I was in The Zone with my 3 month trip through SE Asia. Nothing much could phase me and, even if it did, there was valium readily available. This place is delicious.

One word: Tom.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

No matter how incredible and remote the experiences have been since, I’ve never enjoyed a weekend more than the one I had at Singita Game Reserve in South Africa. You can romanticize the bum mattresses in guest houses only so much before you bump into an experience like this, where the concept of luxury is completely re-invented. Incredible people, the most astounding rooms, a great respect for nature, unbelievable food and a massive wine cellar. Oh, and the animals. RIGHT THERE. Yeah. This is where I’d go.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

I’m really bad at these. They enter and leave my brain in minutes. I keep coming back to the Snagglepuss sketch on SNL from a few weeks ago. It just cracked me up to no end. Watching Jay Brannan fumble and bumble through a career in music is pretty fun too.

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

A subscription to Coast To Coast AM’s podcast. This is the best talk radio show in the world. Conspiracy theories, UFO’s, ghosts, space, abductions, secrets…I could listen to theories about the disappearance of honey bees and mysterious calf mutilations for hours. Perhaps this is too revealing.

If only 5% of what is covered on here is true, the world is a much different place than anyone understands it to be. I’m dying to know what secrets the incoming president gets to know and which are outside of even the his boundaries. By the way, if you’re traveling, this show makes bus rides fly by!

Eva Holland – Contributing Editor

Eva, seconds before licking the microphone.

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

It’s hard to choose, but probably Spencer Klein’s essay, When Maximo Was Our Captain: Surfing Bocas. I don’t know much of anything about surfing, or Panama, but Spencer had me right there with powerful, hard-working word choices, telling details, and great use of dialogue.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

Oh gosh, this is tough. I covered a ton of ground this year and had a lot of amazing experiences. I’ll have to go with New Orleans, though – I visited for the first time in March and absolutely fell in love with the city’s food, its architecture, its people and its play-hard ethic.

NOLA combines everything that’s wonderful and welcoming and alive about the South, with the live-and-let-live progressive attitudes of a San Francisco or Vancouver. I was back there this summer for several weeks, and got caught up in the evacuation leading up to Hurricane Gustav. It was a sad way to leave, but I know I’ll be back.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

South Africa, no question.

My answer to that one hasn’t changed in years: I got hooked on the country’s history, culture and literature as an undergrad, and – as anyone who follows Matador Pulse or my blog in the Matador Travel community knows – I never get tired of talking about it.

I’ve never yet managed to scrape together the money to get there (the flight alone from Canada can run between two and three grand) but when I do, I’ll probably be one of the best-informed tourists ever to land in a new place. Someday, I plan on solemnly taking in Robben Island, hitting up the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, eating my way through Soweto’s up-and-coming dining scene (while pausing to appreciate the tragedy and political impact of the Uprising) and, of course, cheering the Springboks on at an international rugby match.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

Is it too corny to pick the “Yes We Can” clip?

Barring that, definitely the footage of ImprovEverywhere “freezing” Grand Central Station:

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

Not to go on about South Africa too much, but probably Antjie Krog’s Country of my Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa. It’s an account of Krog’s experience as a journalist covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the end of apartheid, and it’s one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. It also has an awful lot to say about the immense challenges and rewards of healing and bridge-building after a terrible period of division.

Lola Akinmade – Editor, Matador Goods

Lola, not enjoying herself at all.

1) What was your favorite article on Matador in 2008?

One of my standout favorites is 5 Ways Inner Travel Helps Your See Other Cultures. As avid travelers who move beyond the mainstream to the offbeat, we can also fall into the trap of constantly pursuing the most “authentic” experience, when it’s actually being lived all around us.

2) Where was the best place you visited this year and why?

Peru was hands down my favorite spot this year and hiking the Inca Trail was the experience of a lifetime. I totally hammed it up at Macchu Pichu – jumping in a Matador t-shirt. Be sure to check out my Peru photo gallery. You can find more travel photography at http://www.lolaakinmade.com.

3) If you could travel anywhere in 2009, money aside, where would it be?

Mongolia has been calling me for awhile. Would love to spend some time in Mongolia, take in its raw beauty, and immerse within the culture. Sometimes, I consider myself a cultural ambassador and would love to share more of my own culture and heritage in far flung places.

But honestly, if money was not an issue, I would probably go on a year long round-the -world volunteering/photojournalism trip. It would be focused on working with children and in orphanages and I would work my way from the South Pacific islands through Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and back.

4) What is your favorite online video (youtube, etc) from this year?

I wish I could link to some thought provoking, insightful piece, but this video hands down, had me laughing and clapping in total admiration of the dancer’s talent – Guy dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies.

5) If you had to buy the incoming president a holiday present, what would it be?

Not to get into any religious tiffs here, but I’d probably buy him a Bible as a continual guide for the inclusive, “my brother’s keeper” exemplary lifestyle he’s already leading by. People caring for and sharing with each other at the grassroots level can change a nation. And together, they can do many great and mighty things.

1. 50 Things to do Before You Die

# 27: Participate in Burning Man. Photo by John Curley.

From participating at Burning Man to seeing India by train, Matador’s bucket list of 2008 went both far and deep. In an editor’s forward to this piece I’d hinted at that common perspective where “sometimes it feels like we’re racing against time to experience something or somewhere before whatever it is that makes it special has been exhausted, used up, crowded out.”

Instead of choosing all obvious experiences (i.e. skydiving), author Josh Lew included long-term experiences, like learning a foreign language, or surfing.

2. Teaching English in Japan is Awesome and Sometimes Hilarious

Our man in Japan, Abram Plaut, posted this essay that one of his students wrote.

Little did he know it would be read by almost half a million people.

Best comment: “I’m all about the pants romance.”

3. 10 Customs You Must Know Before a Trip to Japan

Photo by: kalandrakas.

From tipping to table manners, bathhouse etiquette to using chopsticks, Turner Wright keeps us on point when it comes to Japanese customs.

Of particular interest were the insights on fear and conformity in Japanese society. Turner writes: “When groups of high school students in Japan were asked to identify the dangers facing children today, the majority agreed on the number one threat: individualism.”

4. 10 Things to do in Amsterdam Besides Smoking Pot

Photo by: earcos.

Marla Seidel’s piece on Amsterdam and the resulting conversations it started represented the best of both Matador and Digg. People who have lived in Amsterdam for years not only agreed with her picks, but also helped with a few minor corrections as well as new suggestions.

This was one of the few pieces we’ve seen go popular on Digg where the haters seemed to stay under their bridges.

5. Where to Find the Hottest Girls Outside the US

Photo by Celeste.

Denis Burke’s geographic roundup of female beauty pretty much became a free for all in the comments, and maybe deservedly so. (Brazil was a major omission.)

But then again this topic proved the old adage beauty is in the eye of the beholder, only now with a web 2.0 (and mildly perverted) twist. Just take this comment from Babage: “The internet has the most beautiful girls, never fail to satisfy.”

6. The Red Pill: 10 Films Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind

“The following 10 films are chosen because they shed light on the forces at work within our lives, this very moment. They use satire and metaphor to approach the truths that would otherwise be too difficult to understand, or too terrifying to comprehend.” So writes Matador Network architect Ian Mackenzie.

This article produced a record number of comments (547 as of this writing), and prompted a follow-up piece: 311 More Films Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind.

7. How to Deal With Your Bus Getting Hijacked When Living Abroad

Photo by: Weidmaier

This piece started out as a blog from our friend Jon Brandt. It was heartbreaking to read, one of those worst-case scenarios that’s always out there when you’re traveling–even though you try not to dwell on it.

But all of us in the community were proud of Jon for choosing to stay in Ecuador, to keep traveling, and to share his experience.

Our friends over at World Nomads just announced the opening of their 2009 contest for aspiring travel writers.

If you include yourself among the legions of globe-trotting, pen-wielding writers looking for a free trip and a big break, then keep reading.

According to Chris Noble, World Nomad’s General Manager:

The scholarship recipient will go on assignment to Kerala, India in early 2009 with travel writing mentor David Stott, spending 10 days on tour with The Blue Yonder exploring the River Nila civilization and 10 days writing and reviewing for the upcoming Footprint India Handbook.

And if the destination itself doesn’t sound fantastic enough, there’s more:

The Blue Yonder Tour, specifically tailored for the scholarship recipient, will be based on the age-old tradition of story telling that reveals the uniqueness of the region and the importance of rivers for a sustainable life. It will include interactions with musicians, folk artists, bell metal workers, potters, sand miners, fire worshippers and ritualistic healers, and planting saplings at the Traveller’s Forest, a community driven eco-restoration project.

Sounds like a trip tailor-made for a Matador member!

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The trip is scheduled to take place between February 16-March 7, 2009, so you’ll need to be available these dates to be eligible to win.

2. You’ll need to write a 500 word essay on one of the following topics: a journey that changed lives; responsible travel; or adventure in an unknown culture.

3. Applications must be received by January 9, 2009.

For full contest submission details, visit World Nomad’s site.

Photo: Robbie73 (Flickr creative commons)

Darren Cronian of Travel-Rants chose the nominees, but the winners were selected by online voting — so thanks Darren, and a huge shout-out and thank you to everyone who sent some ballot love our way!

Congrats also to our fellow-nominees, BootsnAll, Lonely Planet, and WikiTravel.

It’s great to see the array of quality content offered here at Matador seeing some recognition. If you’re new to the network, or have only browsed a couple of our sites before, why not take a moment to look around?

We’re home to a thriving online community of travelers, and an interconnected network of informative and inspiring travel blogs, covering everything from hot nightlife to studying abroad to spiritual travel, and more.

Here’s a video introducing the Matador Network, from our YouTube channel:

If you’re at all connected in the travel blogging community, it’s likely that you already know about Passports with Purpose.

Just in case you don’t, you can get the quick low-down by reading Matador writer Robyn Johnson’s interview with Pam Mandel.

The Matador editors are so stoked about Pam & Co.’s project that we’ve put together a prize pack stuffed with goodies any traveler or travel writer will love, including:

-10 CDs and DVDs (worth more than $120.00)
-Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing ($19.99 value)
-Moleskine journals ($12.00 value)
-Broke Ass Student’s Guide to Living in New York City ($14.99 value)
-Matador t-shirts (worth $20.00 each)
-a one year subscription to National Geographic Traveler ($17.95 value)
-The Reluctant Fundamentalist ($18.00 value)
-Nintendo DS Game: Brain Age 2 ($30.00 value)

So how do you get the goods?

Visit Passports with Purpose for full details (including a list of the 50+ OTHER prize packages!) about how you can buy a $10 raffle ticket for a chance to win. The Passports with Purpose project ends on December 29, so get on over there!

Photo: jaaron (Flickr creative commons)

Today, long-time Matador member Olivia Hambrett launches the online magazine, Trespass.

Olivia, who has written on subjects as diverse as national identity and 10 activities in Europe that can make a traveler smarter, started Trespass with the same intention: to provide a forum for writers to engage diverse topics, from the admittedly glossy and superficial to the erudite and edgy.

As Liv wrote:

Trespass has been created on the premise that: Gen Y is smart, informed, engaged, aware and active; emerging writers need opportunities; we need a platform to educate, inform and entertain that doesn’t underestimate its readers; doesn’t claim not to be elitist but prove otherwise; doesn’t ooze pretension; and does acknowledge the sheer wealth of material both online and in print, and uses that to our advantage.

There are plenty of opportunities for writers and readers alike, so add this new online magazine to your daily reading list.

Photo: Dusty Wall (Flickr creative commons)

Matador’s own Tim Patterson popped up in an interview on Written Road this week — you can read it here — and the discussion (with another Matador member, Anna Brones) got me thinking about all the great interviews out there on the interwebs.

About a year and a half ago now, when I had just come home and started working an office job that I hoped would pay my way into the world of travel writing, I spent a lot of time cruising the net and trying to figure out the “secret” to making it.

I read a lot of interviews with writers in that time, and while I eventually realized that there is no “secret”, I did learn an awful lot.

So, to accompany Tim’s excellent interview, here are a few more favourites:

Pico Iyer: On Travel and Travel Writing — This in-depth interview with Iyer, from World Hum, is jammed full of useful insights and fascinating biographical bits and pieces.

In this May 2006 installment of Rolf Potts’ monthly travel writing interviews, San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn is as helpful and funny as always.

David Miller’s interview with Outside Magazine’s Eric Hansen always stuck with me for, among other things, Hansen’s anecdotes about looking for one story, and finding another, in Italy.

Tim Patterson’s interview with Perceptive Travel editor Tim Leffel, over at Brave New Traveler, is another one that stayed with me, for its blunt take on the differences between alternative, online travel writing and mainstream print publications.

Read up when you get the chance, and for more interview fun, check out the World Hum Q&A archive, the Written Road interview archive, the Rolf Potts Writers archive, and the BNT interview archive.

And after you’re done all that reading, make with the writing already!

Photo by rachel_thecat (Creative Commons)

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Matador members are incredible people.

They travel not just to see the world, but to take in what they see and then act as agents of positive change.

Maybe you’ve already met Misty Tosh.

She’s a regular contributor to the Matador Network… her most recent article, “The Ultimate Baja Escape,” left me ready to step away from the computer, get behind the wheel, and get on the road.

She’s a TV and film producer… currently, she’s on location in Kentucky, where she’s also found time to munch her way around Louisville (she’s a food critic in all her spare time. About Louisville’s eats, she says, “I’ve had some of the best food in my belly’s career here.”)

She also produces Pilates retreats in Isla de Mujeres each year–I’d give you the link for the next one, but it’s already sold out–, drives her solar powered travel trailer around the Americas, and sails her boat on the world’s seas.

And oh, she’s just launched phase 1 of her NGO– Fourth World Love. There’s a million things to say about 4WL, and you should definitely check out its website, which channels the Misty vibe just like any other project she pioneers. But the big announcement she’s asked me to make is this:

DONATE $100 and you can not only provide funding for the next phase of her project–which helps kids in Indonesia–you can also win an expenses-paid trip to Indonesia to see 4WL in action, snorkel in the ocean, trek a volcano, and, I’ve got no doubt, eat some seriously good local food.

That’s her up above in the photo, by the way–and I’m pretty sure that jaw-dropping, eye-popping scene in the background is where you’ll find yourself next spring if you win her contest.

Learn all about it here.

When we started Matador, we never anticipated publishing much about American politics. After all, we’re a travel site. There are so many thousands of amazing places and cultures to write about without venturing into the political fray.

But as the primaries heated up, our readers asked for more political content. Since then, we’ve been calling it like we see it.

A Big Moment In History

Here in America we’re facing the most difficult economic times and the bleakest outlook that any of us has ever experienced. These are sentiments also echoed by our parents’ generation.

People who built successful businesses and who gave their productive lives to their communities are now struggling to pay the bills.

How has this happened?

How, with our resources, ingenuity, and work ethic, have we gotten to a point where two parents working full time still have trouble making ends meet? And what effect might this crisis have on the next generation?

These are very serious times, and we need a very serious leader. After much careful consideration of the issues, the Matador team emphatically endorses Barack Obama for President. Here’s why:

At Matador we believe passion is a virtue,

We believe in making the most of opportunities, but always giving back to the community.

John McCain graduated at the bottom of a class of 500 people. Barack Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude, first in his class at Harvard Law School, and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.

Afterward he returned to his community and taught Constitutional Law for over a decade.

At Matador our core values are rooted in respect for other cultures, lands, and peoples.

We recognize the importance of free and open dialogue and cultural exchange as a means to deeper understanding.

After graduating from college, Barack Obama spent two months traveling, connecting with local communities in Europe and Africa.

By contrast, McCain has no record of travel as a young man outside of his military career, and running-mate Sarah Palin never even held a passport until the middle of 2007.

At Matador we believe sustainability and transparency are the building blocks of communities, businesses, and government.

Barack Obama has laid out a clear and practical economic plan that will create 5 million new green jobs.

By stark contrast, McCain’s plan is a continuation of the very same nefarious practices and policies that have plunged our country into a time of historic economic losses.

One of McCain’s top advisers, the general co-chairman of his campaign, Phil Gramm, is directly responsible for deregulating the banking industry in the late 90s and lobbying Congress to roll back state restrictions on predatory and subprime mortgage lending practices.

Effectively, John McCain is being advised by people whose very actions precipitated the cataclysmic downturn of the US economy.

At Matador we’re concerned for the health and well being of our parents and extended families.

Barack Obama has a visionary plan to reduce healthcare costs as well as cut taxes on seniors while protecting and enhancing Social Security.

By contrast, John McCain wishes to privatize Social Security. His “plan” would funnel money straight out of senior’s pockets and into the coffers of multinational corporations.

At Matador we believe in being a good guest, a good ambassador.

On the stage of international politics, this translates into equanimity, diplomacy and smart foreign policy. We have cringed at McCain’s aggressive rhetoric on the prospect of bombing Iran, and his escalating animosity towards Russia.

And whereas Sarah Palin has no foreign policy experience whatsoever, Joe Biden is a long-time member and current chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

At Matador we believe in conserving the earth for future generations and understand the critical need for energy independence.

From our travels, we see how other countries are making real progress, harnessing solar and wind energy and being good stewards of the land. Barack Obama will implement an energy plan that makes America the leader in alternative energy technologies, whereas McCain’s plans for “energy independence” can be summed up with the RNC chant of “drill baby, drill!”

Looking Ahead

Over the next 4 years, the Matador team hopes to see the damage of George W. Bush’s calamitous presidency undone. We want less war and more education. We want less time in the office, and more time with our families. We want less terror, and more hope.

We want our next leader to put the interests of average American citizens before those of big oil companies and other multi-national corporations. We’d like to see a resurgence of the middle class.

While traveling abroad in the last year, we can’t help but notice that being American now carries a stigma. It’s not surprising. We believe that electing Barack Obama will help America earn back the trust of people in all corners of the world.

We will not be silent.

We will not be silent at this crucial moment in history. We believe in the power of the American people to make the right decision. We are proud to support Barack Obama, and we encourage you to do the same.

Call your friends! Call your family! Write letters! The future depends on our ability to rise to this moment.

We hope you will continue to help us build the most vibrant travel community on the Web. We appreciate all perspectives, regardless of political affiliation, but request that the discourse remain civil at all times.

Thank you!

Photo, top, by Joshua Wanyama (Creative Commons)

Photo, right, by springhill2008 (Creative Commons)

Photo by Eva Holland

I’ve just arrived back in New Orleans for a second visit, after catching a serious case of the smittens for the city when I was here in March.

It’s one of those places that catches hold of people – I’ve lost count of the stories I’ve heard from people here, who arrived on holiday however many years back and never did manage to leave. It’s always “I came down here to party after college graduation…and never left,” or “I came down here 16 years ago… been here since.”

New Orleans is not a place that people gravitate to for logical reasons – it never seems to be about the job market or housing prices or an of the usual reasons people pick up and move their lives cross-country. At the risk of sounding completely corny, I’ll say it: there’s something almost mystical about the power this city holds over people.

I’m not the only Matador member who’s caught the New Orleans fever at one time or another. Here’s some of the best NOLA-related content on the network:

My Pulse co-editor Julie headed down this way in June, and turned out several great articles: Top 10 Reasons To Travel To New Orleans NOW (a must-read!), Top 6 Volunteer Experiences In New Orleans, and The Peace Corps For Cooks: Volunteer Travel With The Culinary Corps.

In Matador’s Traverse Magazine, Trips editor Tim Patterson interviewed Katherine Burgess, an urban planning student who got involved in the post-Katrina re-building: From Berlin To The Bayou.

Over at Brave New Traveler, Eric Daams tackled the touchy subject of ‘dark tourism’ – including the Hurricane Katrina tours on offer here.

Matador member Olivebeard has spent a lot of time in New Orleans since his parents relocated here. Check out his blogs: How The Grinch Gave Christmas Back, and Cajun-Tossing and Other Signs of Happiness.

Finally, I posted a few items from here myself: in Faulkner on New Orleans I shared the best description I’ve yet read of the city, and wrote about my impressions of voluntourism in the city in the blog post Seen & Heard.

Last week, we announced Matador’s upcoming party, which is less than a month away.

We hope you’ll be able to make it, but if not, please consider offering a donation that will support the party’s cause.

Besides providing all the fixings that will help you get your groove on, all proceeds from the party will go towards the establishment of Matador’s scholarship fund, which will provide two inner-city students with the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time.

Our goal is to raise $5,000 by August 16.

Can you help us get there?? No donation is too small (or too large!).

If you’d like to help us with this important project, please visit Matador’s scholarship fund page.

Thanks!

Photo: sml! (creative commons)

A Matador member’s home in Baja

Do you have a favorite travel gadget or must-have piece of travel gear?

Maybe it’s a perfect pack or a trusty pair of hiking boots. Maybe it’s an iPod.

Whatever it is, Matador Goods wants to know!

Send your go-to gadgets and gear, along with a description of why they get the nod, to Goods editor Lola Akinmade, via lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com. If you’ve got a picture of yourself using your fave, even better! Send it along, too.

Your selection could wind up being featured in a review on Goods, Matador’s excellent gear blog.

Photo by Laura Bernhein

The Matador Team is throwing a party and you’re invited!

When: Saturday, August 16th 9 PM to 2 AM

Where: 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA

The Cause : Travel can be one of the most powerful experiences in a young person’s life.

The cultural exchange that transpires during travel abroad unites young minds and voices and empowers young people to look at themselves, their communities, and the world differently.

Unfortunately, many young people lack the resources to travel.

To address this disparity, Matador is bringing its online community off-line with a blow-out party to raise money to send two Bay Area inner-city high school students on their very first trip abroad.

The Party : The event will feature SF’s best soul DJs, live painting, live music, local art & photography, 2 full bars, free food, raffle prizes, a photo booth, leg shakin’ & much more.

Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Reggae & House from DJ Pleasuremaker and Professor Belway will be bumpin’ in both rooms all night, with a special live set from the Afrolicious band (from Thursday nights at the Elbo Room).

Local Art & Travel Photography will be on display from Oliver Black, Ian Ross, & Friends.

A special exhibit will feature essays from young travelers from around the world.

Don’t miss this one!!

Bring your family and friends.

Come celebrate the power of travel.

Give back.

Get down!

$15 Door Cover, 21+

In the first part of our occasional series spotlighting the interests and projects of Matador members, we introduced you to 7 people living, traveling, and realizing amazing projects all over the globe.

The piece was so popular, we’re back with round 2. Meet:

Craig Martin: www.indietravelpodcast.com

You may know him as the IndieTravelPodcast guy and Matador’s #1 podcaster. But did you also know that Craig has been living on the road full-time since 2006 with no fixed address? His most recent Matador article was “Everything You Need to Know About Traveling with a Eurail Pass.” If you need insider info. on a European destination, Craig’s website is sure to provide you with some useful tips.

N. Chrystine Olson: www.wranglingrhinos.com

Chrystine describes herself as a “geographical mutt,” which only serves to stoke her insatiable curiosity about almost everywhere! She’s wrangled rhinos in in Africa, tagged kangaroos in Australia, and rebuilt sailboats in Baja. In addition to contributing frequently to Matador–check out her latest piece, a road trip guide to Idaho’s panhandle–she also writes for Everywhere Magazine.

Stephen Orchard: www.freelancetravelwriter.co.uk

One of Matador’s consistently creative and funny writers, Stephen has written about everything from the five worst travel gadgets to surfing in Croyde Bay. He also has some pretty great photos in his online portfolio.

Michaela Lola: http://michatheperegrine.googlepages.com/

Born in the Philippines, Michaela currently calls Berlin home. Her candid blogs are funny snapshots of expat life, and her articles always tackle tough, travel-relevant issues. On her personal website, she brings all of these interests together under a single cyber roof, adding her vivid photos for a complete travel writer’s portfolio. Check out her thoughtful blog, The Second Leap.

Stay tuned! Installation 3 is coming up next week, introducing you to some of Matador’s newest members! And if you haven’t already sent us your website, what are you waiting for? Drop us a line, won’t you?

Photo: canonsnapper (creative commons)

In a daring military operation that may well become one of the world’s boldest rescues in history, and which Betancourt herself described as an “extraordinary symphony in which everything went perfectly,” Betancourt and other FARC hostages were secured and then freed on Wednesday.

You don’t have to know who Betancourt is to understand how extraordinary this news is, but learning a bit more about her reveals how important this amazing, strong woman has been for Colombia, Latin America, and the rest of the world. Betancourt, former Colombian senator and presidential candidate, was known for fighting corruption and supporting social justice movements.

For more about Betancourt, read this January 2002 Salon.com interview. Just one month later, Betancourt was kidnapped.

I also recommend Betancourt’s memoir, Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia.

And check out this video, in which Betancourt reunites with her mother. You don’t have to speak French to understand the intense emotion that is shared between mother and daughter.

Betancourt says she still aspires to serve Colombia as president.
Ingrid Betancourt: LIBRE POR FIN! FREE AT LAST! Miracles do happen.

Matador member Lola Akinmade–herself a carrier of a well-inked passport leafed with multiple visas–sent in a tip about the website Most Traveled People.

Think you’re well-traveled?

Well, compare your passport stamps to those of Charles A. Veley, who has visited 630 of the world’s 673 “countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, geographically separated island groups, and major states and provinces” and has the stories and pictures to prove it.

Nancy Dockry, though, isn’t far behind, clocking in with an impressive 620 place-visits on the MTP roster.

If you want to start keeping track of your travels, check out MTP’s printable list of places and see how you stack up beside Veley and Dockry.

Or if you think you’ve got what it takes to join the ranks of the world’s most traveled people, start your own account.

According to your own count, how many countries have you visited? Post your travel stats in the comments below!

Photo: disco~stu (creative commons)

Somewhere before my bus broke down in Australia, I was called a flashpacker. Despite being on the road for 18 months, it was the first time I’d heard the term.

What is a Flashpacker?

“Flashpacker (def): Someone usually in their mid 20s to early 30s, who travels like a backpacker but has more disposable income, as well as electronics such as a camera, Ipod, or laptop. Flashpackers also expect better accommodation and amenities.”

Neither fully backpacker nor tourist, flashpackers are new to the traveling lexicon. Flashpackers sleep in hostels, carry a backpack, and find cheap transport, but blow their wad on meals, tours, and parties.

They usually aren’t strolling into a hostel randomly or wearing the same shirt for a week.

A number of hostels are upscaling to meet the growing demands and needs of flashpackers and you’ll find them in all corners of the world. Flashpackers still have no fixed journey and all the time to meander around but don’t pinch every penny.

They are backpackers with means.

Is flashpacking backpacking?

What makes a backpacker a backpacker? The backpack? The clothes? The lack of showers? People look down on flashpackers, but they are just as much a backpacker as anyone else.

Backpacking is not a look, it’s a lifestyle. Just because someone doesn’t have the look, doesn’t mean they lack the spirit. It doesn’t make them less of a backpacker. It goes against the backpacker mentality to look down on someone because they travel differently.

Aren’t we supposed to be embracing different ways of life?

When I travel, I don’t want to sacrifice. I pinched pennies at home so I could enjoy my travels. I didn’t work hard to go to Italy and not drink the wine or eat a meal in Florence. I didn’t fly to Japan to not eat the sushi. And I didn’t fly to Australia to skip the Barrier Reef.

It comes down to what makes a backpacker a backpacker. That sprit. The desire to explore new places and experience new people. Backpacking is about opening your mind to new things and looking differently at the world. It’s not about the stuff you carry. If your spirit is the same the stuff you carry shouldn’t matter.

The Wave of the Future

We’re all flashpackers, whether you like it or not. We may not be driving up to the hostel in a limo but we all expect a little “flash” nowadays. According to a 2006 Hostelworld study, 21% of people travel with a laptop, 54% with an MP3 player, 83% with a mobile phone, and a whopping 86% travel with a digital camera.

Think about your last trip- how many people did you see with cameras? Ipods? Laptops? I can’t remember seeing one person without a camera, and at least 3/4 of the people I saw had Ipods.

We all travel with fancy electronics now. We check our e-mail and Skype our friends. We all have a camera and most of us have an Ipod. We’ve become flashpackers…and it’s not a bad thing. All this stuff allows us to stay better connected with our friends, our family, and helps us better document our travels. The key is to put down the camer and turn off the computer once in awhile to enjoy the culture you came to see.

The backpacker who sets off with one shirt, a small pack, and two baht to his name is getting hard to find. Most of us have and expect a little more but we still carry his spirit.

We still seek new cultures, exotic locales, and long term travel. We still look for cheap hostels and transport. We camp on that jungle trek. The difference is that now we also want a place to plug in our camera, check our e-mail, take a hot shower, and splash out on tours.

We just want to be pampered…once in awhile.
*
Matt Kepnes is a globetrotter who’s “fully sick with the travel bug.” Whether at home in Boston or on the road, he offers fresh travel ideas daily on his website, www.nomadicmatt.com.

Are you a flashpacker? What do you think of this idea? Share your reactions in the comments.
Luxury Backpacker Photo: klenze17 (creativecommons)
Lone Packer Photo: Werner Schnell (creative commons)

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)

Another one of the perks of the Pulse editing job is surfing through the Matador network and meeting really interesting travelers who aren’t simply taking cool trips, but are also realizing amazing projects along the way.

In this week’s Spotlight, we’re introducing Matador members who aren’t just frequent contributors to the community, but who’ve also got it going on online.

Lola Akinmade: www.lolaakinmade.com

You probably already know Lola for her fantastic photography articles on The Travelers Notebook and her beautiful photos (that’s hers above!).

Check out her website, though, and you’ll learn a little bit more about her other writing and travel interests. My favorite recent post is a thoughtful, funny, and informative piece about her sister’s wedding in Nigeria.

Christine Gilbert: www.almostfearless.com

In just 11 days, Christine and her husband will be pulling up their Boston roots and setting off on a who-knows-how-long-journey: first stop: Spain. She’s left a cushy job to commit herself to following her bliss, but each weekday she serves up funny and useful posts that are both intimate and totally relevant to the reader. Be sure to check out “Escapism: The Dirty Word That Keeps Us Doing What We Loathe.”

Eva Holland:

In addition to co-editing Pulse, writing for Vagablogging and World Hum, and contributing frequently to the Matador community with articles and blogs, Eva’s film and music blogs are evidence of how wide-ranging her interests are and how well she writes about all of them.

Matt Kepnes: www.nomadicmatt.com

Matt is also a frequent contributor of articles to the MatadorNetwork, but he also manages to post fresh content daily on his own website, which is full of useful tips and lively conversations about every travel-related topic you could imagine. His “Things I’d Tell a New Traveler” is a mandatory read for people new to the open road. Pass it on to someone you know.

Ian MacKenzie: www.ianmack.com

Ian is the founder of Brave New Traveler, one of the nine blogs in the MatadorNetwork, but on his personal website he reflects on film, pop culture and current events, and multimedia.

Richard McColl: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/ricardo_emp

I’m headed down to Richard’s Casa Amarilla in Colombia in a week or so, and I can’t wait to meet this London expat who has called South America home for the past five years. In addition to contributing some great blog entries to Matador, Richard also writes insightful, important journalistic pieces from Latin America. If you don’t know who Ingrid Betancourt is, read Richard’s recent article, “Ingrid Betancourt: FARC Hostage 6 Years and Counting….”

Misty Tosh: www.bigsweettooth.com

Misty’s also a frequent contributor of articles to Matador and is the resident expert on living the solar life from a travel trailer or sailboat, but you have to check out her personal website to begin to get the full scope of what she’s got going on. Reading her blogs each morning gets me stoked for the whole day, but chatting with her just blows me away and reminds me why this one wild and precious life, as the poet Mary Oliver said, is so damn amazing.

Community Connection: Introduce yourself! Who are you? What are you doing? Where can we find you online and on the road? Share your story in the comments below.

Photo: Lola Akinmade

Ahh… June. Time for the annual family vacation! The average experience of spending quality time with the family is generally equal parts fun and frustration.

But Matador member Nancy Sathre-Vogel is not planning an average family vacation. Nancy and her family will be hitting the road next week, traveling by the seat of their pants—literally. Nancy, her husband, and their twin sons are setting off on a bike trip that starts in Alaska and will end in Tierra del Fuego. We caught up with Nancy to ask her some questions about the trip.

Matador: Tell us a bit about your family– how old are your twins? How did the idea for the Alaska to Tierra del Fuego bike trip evolve?

Nancy: We are a family of four – Mom, Dad, and 10 year-old twin boys. This whole idea of biking to Tierra del Fuego sounds kinda…I dunno – out there? But for us, it’s really a natural progression.

My husband and I met on a year-long cycling trip around the Indian subcontinent back in 1990. We spent the year cycling through Pakistan, India, Western China, Nepal, and Bangladesh – wonderful, but intense cycling.

John and I continued touring every chance we got, and once we moved overseas to teach we took advantage of every school break to get out touring in various countries – Yemen, Mali, and Israel, among others.

Once our twins were born (while we were living in Ethiopia), we put our touring on hold for a while – but we always dreamed of taking off with them. That dream came to life in 2006 when John came home after a particularly hard day in the classroom and announced he wanted to get out of the rat race – he wanted to buy a bicycle built for three and take off. A few months later we did exactly that.

As we cycled Baja on that journey, we met a number of cyclists who were headed all the way to Argentina – and we wanted to badly to join them. But reality hit us in the face, and we realized we simply were not prepared for a journey through the Andes – our triple bike was great for a North American adventure, but it wasn’t the machine for a South American one. We put that dream on hold.

It didn’t remain in the holding tank for long though. A mere twelve months after arriving home from our last adventure, we’ll be taking off again – and we can’t wait!

Matador: What are some of the nitty-gritty details of your trip: how long do you anticipate the trip will take? Where will you stay along the way?

Nancy: We expect the journey will take approximately 2 ½ years, give or take a year or so, and we’ll most likely pedal somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 miles.

Along the way, we will stay wherever we can. On our last journey we stayed in a dead gold miner’s house, in a cabana by a swimming pool, on the side of the interstate with cars whizzing past twenty feet from our heads, on the concrete porch under a café’s awning, and in many, many kind and generous people’s houses.

We expect more of the same on our upcoming journey. We are totally set up for self-contained camping, so can camp pretty much wherever we need to.

As for food, we will mostly shop in grocery stores and cook on our little camp stove. Restaurants are reserved for a treat – they are too expensive to frequent on a regular basis.

Matador: What do you hope your kids get out of this trip? How are you handling schooling along the way?

Nancy: We hope our kids learn that they are not limited by anything and that they can do anything they set their minds to. Yes, they will also learn the “3 R’s of Education,” but those will take a back burner to learning about life.

We will take advantage of each and every educational opportunity we find – whether it be national/state parks, historical sites, or daily life in small villages. We’ll seek out experts who can help us learn all kinds of things – from sea turtles laying eggs on beaches to ancient Aztec ruins.

Our boys will write regular journal entries to record their thoughts, which will help them with their writing. They will read all kinds of stuff – novels and informational signs and more. We will also carry with us some small math workbooks for the kids to work through.

Matador: Tell us a bit about your gear: your bikes, accessories, what you plan to carry with you.

Nancy: Our basic setup will include a tandem bike and two singles. John will captain the tandem, while I’ll be on one single. The boys will switch between the rear seat of tandem and the other single bike.

We’ll have two trailers – one behind the tandem and I’ll pull one. Strapped, lashed, or otherwise attached to the three bikes will be all kinds of stuff – our tent, sleeping bags, stove, cooking pot, rain jackets, clothes, laptop computer, and beads. (Yes – I did say beads. I figure a certain amount of beads is an indispensable item!)

Matador: What do your boys think about the trip?

Nancy: For the boys, this journey just…is. It’s not anything spectacular or unusual. They don’t understand all the hype around it at all. For them, it’s basically no different that taking an afternoon trip to the zoo.

Along the way, we will be volunteering our time with and raising funds for Reach the World (www.reachtheworld.org) – a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the world to under-privileged kids in inner city schools. As we pedal southward, we will be posting what we’re seeing and learning on the internet, and the students will follow along with us. In essence, our journey will become their curriculum. We’re thrilled to be helping kids learn about the world!

To keep up with Nancy’s adventures on the road, check out the family’s website: www.familyonbikes.org.

What’s your craziest family vacation? Would you ever consider a long distance bike trip? Share your experiences in the comments section below!

Photo: worldwidewandering (creative commons)

I recently posted an entry about TripFilms, which I dubbed the traveler’s version of YouTube.

Afterwards, I received an e-mail from Matador member Chris Scott, co-founder of Triporia, another travel film website. I’d describe Triporia as YouTube crossed with TripAdvisor.

Most of Triporia’s content consists of short clips that are reviews of hotels, restaurants, and other travel-related sites. What makes Triporia’s niche distinct is that the videos are posted by travelers and businesses. In effect, Triporia serves as a visual, virtual guidebook… but may raise questions about the “true” nature of the places being reviewed. The site is still young, though, so time will tell how the public responds to the concept.

Have you checked out Triporia? Do you use TripAdvisor? How much do reviews of any type influence your travel decisions? Leave some feedback in the comments below.

Photo: bayswater97

The South: It ain’t all ’bout beer ‘n’ guns.

Pulse co-editor Eva Holland recently returned from a month-long road trip around the American South and wondered why more people don’t choose the southern states as a travel destination.

From music and food, to accents and souvenirs, Eva penned some fantastic entries about Southern culture over on Matador’s community blog.

I thought about her observation as I returned to my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina yesterday.

You should put the South on your travel to-do list, and if you can visit soon, here are some great summer events taking place in Upstate South Carolina:

Upstate Farm Tour: Tours of local farms, with special emphasis on sustainable and organic practices: May 31 and June 1

Scottish Games: Sports, bagpipe, and dancing contests celebrating Scottish heritage. June 6 and 7

Reedy River Nighttime Concert Series: Every Wednesday night in June

Downtown Alive: Every Thursday night in June

Main Street Jazz: Every Friday night in June

Upstate Shakespeare Festival: June 5-8

But if you can’t come visit us here over yonder, dip into some super place-based writing about the southern states. One of my favorite contemporary Southern authors is George Singleton who, in full disclosure, was once my instructor.

Singleton, a short story writer and novelist, specializes in stories about true Southern characters, and while these folks may seem outlandish to the non-Southern reader, Singleton insists they’re “just regular people trying to get by.” He’s singularly adept at capturing and conveying Southern culture in an authentic, empathic, and humorous way.

Check out this excerpt from an interview over at www.failbetter.com, in which Singleton talks about the South as muse:

“I barely have to make anything up. One time I was in line at the little general store…, and the man in front of me looked outside at the gas pump. The driver hauled a horse trailer. The guy in front of me looked at the trailer and boomed out, ‘What the hell kind of donkeys is them?’ ‘They were llamas.’”

If you’re headed South–or even if you’re not–check out Singleton’s writing. And while you’re at it, let us know what you’re reading. Which writers capture the essence of a place so perfectly that you’re practically transported?

Photo: Felix the Kraut (creative commons)

Matador members love travel, and because they’re on the road, in the skies, and on the seas so much, they have a lot to say about how the travel industry could be better.

I asked Matador members to share ideas about how the travel industry could improve in a recent Forum post.

To be honest, I forgot about their answers until today, when I was asked to take my flats off and go barefoot through a security checkpoint at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport. (Thanks, Richard Reid, for exposing millions of travelers to athlete’s foot; we’re all paying for your failed shoe bomb escapade).

Here’s what we hate about travel… and love to complain about:

*Airport Food: Is it really impossible to have at least one decent option for fresh food?

*Airport Check-In Procedures: Why do kiosks exist if they hardly ever work? Can’t baggage be handled more efficiently?

*Airport Bathrooms: Sure, we passengers should scale back on the amount of stuff we lug around with us. But since some people seem to be incapable of doing so, could you please make a few oversized bathroom stalls– and while you’re at it–install more shelves so we can put our stuff somewhere other than the floor?

*Airport/Airplane Advertisements: We know fuel costs are up… more than 85%, according to Delta’s CEO. But we’ve already paid the equivalent of our first born child for this plane ticket… why do we have to be subjected to shameless advertisements on our tray tables and extra “exciting” announcements about a “low, low fee” credit card? (US Air, I’m talkin’ to you!)

What’s your travel gripe? Sound off in the Comments section!

Photo: veganstraightedge (creative commons)

The Matador community is full of people with interesting businesses, and it’s not surprising that a handful of members are travel industry entrepreneurs. This week, we highlight two members who own and run hostels.

Be sure to check out their profiles and click on the links to their blogs and websites to learn more. And if you visit, let them know you learned about them from Matador!

ricardo_emp: Casa Amarilla, Mompox, Colombia:
Richard McColl, a freelance writer from London, had been calling Colombia home when he decided to make it official, buying a run-down house and turning it into a sparkling new hostel in a town designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Read all about Richard’s adventures restoring the house here.

bmeizz: El Diablo Tranquilo, Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay: After spending 8 months traveling around South America, Brian happened upon the seaside town of Punta del Diablo, where he “fell in love with the place before the end of the first day.” Quickly becoming obsessed with Punta del Diablo, Brian had a dream he couldn’t shake: opening a bar and hostel in the town and setting down some roots. Check out Brian’s story of how the hostel went from dream to reality here.

Matador Network has tons of great content about hostels. Check out a few of our favorite pieces!

The Top 10 Hostels in Europe

What Every Backpacker Should Know About Self-Catering

Do you have a favorite hostel? Tell us about it in the comments section!
Photo: thephotoholic (creative commons)

Many people carry cameras to capture images of the people and places they encounter while traveling, but what happens when the people who are usually the subjects of pictures take up cameras to tell their own stories and share them with the world?

Colombia’s Disparando Camaras Para La Paz (”Shooting Cameras for Peace”) is a program that works with kids in at-risk communities to teach them photographic and storytelling skills that allow them to depict the realities of their surroundings and their hopes for the future. The result? Powerful photos, as well as skills that can potentially help the kids gain access to opportunities for an education and a profession.

On Flickr, professional photographer Kresta King Cutcher Venning maintains an impressive gallery of photos from her work with the African organization, Sisters of Rwanda. As she writes, “I am a firm believer that cameras build communities and offer constructive learning opportunities.” Kresta is also a Matador member.

Several other Matador members believe in the power of cameras for community building, too.
Active Matador member Lola Akinmade uses her photography skills to document NGOs’ work around the world. See her fantastic gallery of photos here.

Beija-Flor uses photography as a way to connect with street kids in Brazil through the Children at Risk Foundation.

Photo: proudof7

Photo by Eva Holland

Ahhh, Europe.

Sometimes I think I could spend the rest of my life lounging on a bench in a Venetian campo, or wandering the coastal paths of south west England, and not get bored.

Of course, boredom probably wouldn’t be my first problem; bankruptcy would be!

In honor of the almighty Euro (and the powerful British Pound), this week Matador Pulse brings you the best of the Matador Network’s advice for cheaper travel in Europe.

For some general advice to get started, try Brave New Traveler’s 8 Budget Travel Tips to Make Europe Cheap Again and 5 Budget Friendly Ways to Get Around Europe.

Over at The Traveler’s Notebook, check out the Top 10 Hostels in Europe and the Top 10 Websites for Finding a Cheap Place to Stay.

Getting down to specific destinations, check the Notebook again for a podcast on the Top 5 European Travels for a Falling US Dollar. Headed to the British Isles? Browse through Brave New Traveler’s Budget Travel Tips for Great Britain.

Finally, Matador Trips has kicked off a whole series on cheap European travel with two great articles about France: How to Travel in France For Less Than $100 a Day and How to Enjoy Paris On $100 a Day.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for lots more cheap Europe advice from Matador Trips!

Community Connections:

Lots of Matador members have been traveling around Europe and posting fantastic blogs about their experiences. Here’s a small sample: jgbrandt’s Crashing at James Joyce’s House, Adam’s The Old Front, or Valerie’s No Looking Back.

Join Matador today and start your own travel blog!

From starting your own travel blog to researching your travels, getting paid writing assignments, and more, here are our top 10 favorite ways to use Matador every day.

Warning: this can get addictive.

From starting your own travel blog to researching your travels to getting paid writing assignments, here are our top 10 favorite ways to use Matador every day.

1. Research your travels with local experts.

The Matador community contains hundreds of local experts from all over the globe. Reach out to them for free, specific advice.

2. Find paid writing assignments and become a travel writer.

The bounty board offers dozens of article ideas that Matador editors are actively seeking.

3. Explore volunteer opportunities.

Connect with grassroots organizations through volunteering. Also, the new Volunteer blog has profiles and stories on volunteer programs around the world.

4. Dive into the world’s first interactive travel magazine.

Matador is one of the most vibrant online travel magazines in the world. Get inspiration and valuable info on everything from nightlife to volunteering, adventure travel to cultural immersion.

5. Find information and discuss issues in the Forums.

In the forums you can ask and answer travel-related questions and discuss what’s on your mind.

6. Reach out to people.

Make friends and connections at Matador. Our community has thousands of people doing remarkable things, spread across more than 85 countries around the world.

7. Learn something new.

The Travelers Notebook is like an instruction manual on finding jobs abroad and improving your travel writing / photograph / podcasts and videos. It also serves as a resource with numerous green guides, especially in areas that aren’t traditionally thought of as having green travel.

8. Get fired up on school.

Be a student. The Study blog provides tips for short- or long-term immersion, as well as opportunities for ESL teachers.

9. Check your Pulse.

Every day we scope the web and the Matador community to bring you the most interesting travel and place-based stories in to-go sized bites.

10. Read the best travel writing online.

From Brave New Traveler to Traverse, Matador’s writers bring you dynamic stories, profiles, essays, and new-school mixed media pieces on people, place, travel, life.

How do YOU use Matador?

Drop us a line!