December 2010
8 posts
Fairmont Hotel Giveaway
Trazzler’s Fairmont Hotel Giveaway has a winner: @melaniewyne. The winning tweet: “Last time in Banff I offended the former Mayor. Must make amends. #trazzlerfairmont bit.ly/fPKatb” Have 30 seconds on your hands? Enter our Riviera Maya Giveaway to win a three-day weekend for two just south of Cancun at Yucatan Holidays’ luxury Riviera Maya resort, an eco-friendly retreat...
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Hell on earth: 15 gates to the underworld
The more curmudgeonly among us might call the holidays, to (mis)quote David Foster Wallace, “a sneaky keyhole view of hell.” These days, hell is whatever we want it to be: other people (Sartre), ourselves (Oscar Wilde), a half-filled auditorium (Robert Frost). So much of our idea of hell comes from literature, rather than religion—Dante’s and Milton’s allegories,...
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Unraveling the Real World of Sci-Fi Film Locations
The best sci fi landscapes are those that don’t seem to be anywhere at all—and yet there they are, fully plottable on a google map. Some day soon, these imagined places will likely be pure computer-generated fantasy, but for now, the Earth’s emptiest places still do the trick: A far-flung stretch of Utah desert is the home planet of Mr. Spock, Tunisia the stand-in for Tatooine,...
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Smart Travel Writing Contest Winners
A big thanks to everyone who entered our Smart Travel Writing Contest. This contest had more top contenders than usual, so our choice was not easy. In 2011, our two winners will be headed to Tonga for a Seacology eco-expedition aboard the Nai’a, exploring South Pacific islands and visiting one of the few areas in the world where humans can swim with whales. Here are the winning trips: ...
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Close Encounters With Primates in the Wild
View the Slideshow When our ancestors climbed down from the trees and set into motion an incessant wandering in search of greener pastures, most humans lost touch with our fellow primates. Perhaps this is why finding ourselves face to face with furry long-lost cousins can be so compelling. How could we not recognize ourselves in those faces, fingers, and familiar gestures? While homo sapiens...
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California Slideshows: Escape to Joshua Tree and...
Desert Dreaming: Escape to Joshua Tree With sunny highs in the 60s and bright blue winter skies, December and January are excellent months to hit the road and head to Joshua Tree National Park and the quirky area surrounding it. This brief respite from the blistering heat allows outdoorsy types to rock climb and take long hikes without risking heat exhaustion (though you’ll need...
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In Search of Alien Lifeforms: Mono Lake Road Trip
NASA’s big announcement will surely inspire many to head up to beautiful Mono Lake, peer into the blue water, and ponder just how little we know about our very own planet. The fact that these newly discovered microbial oddballs have been there all along shouldn’t stop us from trying to get to know their remarkable ecosystem better. The area around Mono Lake also happens to be...
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November/December Freelance Assignments
We have another round of freelance writing assignments up for grabs this month. Some are ending next week, so get your submissions in soon. Read more here: Northern California—Lake Tahoe Pacific Northwest—Willamette Valley and Mount Hood New England—Vermont winter destinations NYC/Tri-State—Vermont winter destinations Florida—Miami Southern California—Santa Barbara Any writers who applied...