Travel Picks of the Week - 01/25/08

January 25, 2008

Photo: Flickr/star_trooper

The 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing, China from August 8th to August 24th. As the Olympics fever spreads across sports lovers in all countries, China has stepped up public conveniences like mass transit system and tele networks. Tickets and lodging are still huge expenses for visitors, and contractual teaching work might just be the resource to provide for living expenses and enjoying the Games. Daniel McCrohan provides information about Teaching English in Beijing.

What’s in a name and isn’t age just a number? Bill Benson spent six months traveling the world backpacking, well, flashpacking ( a flashpacker is a young-at-heart backpacker with some money and tech toys). Bill Benson found the extended excursion helping him to be the person he always wanted to be and provides tips that made him view world travel as cheap, safe and accessible in Backpacking around the world.

Traveling includes long layovers and time-consuming procedures and most travelers turn to their portable music players to elevate their mood and release stress. iPod and similar gadgets can be used for a whole lot of other purposes than just listening to music, says Round the World Ticket in Five Ways to Make Your iPod the Ultimate Travel Gadget.

During travel, one is prone to get frustrated when things do not go as planned. Hiccups along the way can be smoothened by readjusting one’s attitude and that makes the experience more meaningful, and probably, provides opportunities for introspection. In the course of his travels, Ben Groundwater finds truth in the commonplace axiom It’s in the Journey, not the destination.

Jaguar is one of the most endangered creatures and only 50,000 mature breeding cats are believed to be surviving in the Pantanal area in Brazil. A new tourism venture aims to convince the locals that these creatures are worth more alive than dead. Nigel Richardson has a vivid description of his excursion in the jungles in Jaguars in Brazil: The cream of cats

Visits to war-torn territories and those ravaged by natural disasters make it into the dark tourism bracket. Fortunately, those who are willing to spread light and goodwill are increasing too. Overseas habitat projects combine work with the pleasure of immersing in the local culture says Abraham Mahashie in Travel with a purpose.