'Round the Webz: Metrodome collapse, pasties, Jesus-sighting, Santacon, travel trends

Photo from Flickr

Hopefully, you had a good weekend, whether it involved braving the weather or indulging in some Santa-themed fun. Speaking of which, here’s a round-up of happenings around the world:

[1] Winter in the Midwest is notoriously difficult, what with snow, wind, sleet et al. As if you need more evidence, 17 inches of snow in Minneapolis caused the Metrodome to collapse, with snow pouring all over the field. So what, pray tell, does this have to do with travel? If you’re traveling to the Midwest, bundle up. [Source: Bleacher Report]

[2] TSA-proof clothing is all the rage. The flying pasties are particularly fetching. [Source: Matador Goods]

[3] Does anyone else think this Jesus sighting in Australia correlates directly with Oprah’s own visit? [Source: AOL News]

[4] Nothing quite signals the holidays like drunken Santas. This past Saturday, NYC was crawling with a legion of red-clad jollymakers for the annual Santacon, though I doubt they were out for milk and cookies. [Source: BuzzFeed]

[5] Time Magazine highlights the next 10 travel-industry trends. Any others you think should be noted? [Source: Time Magazine]

'Round the Webz: Flight paths, Continental convicted, Spanish strike, Oprah - 454

Drama in your afternoon news round-up, folks. Oh, and one cool video.

[1] Here’s a really fascinating look at “the choreography of flying in all its glory.” GE Aviation and the GE Show produced this cool video which captures take-offs and landing over the course of a day. Particularly interesting is the “making of” video. [Source: GE]

[2] A French court convicted Continental Airlines and a mechanic of manslaughter in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 passengers. [Source: AP]

[3] Spanish air traffic controllers staged a 24 hour strike on Friday as the government approved plans to partially privatize some airports. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero ordered the military in to stop the strike, which affected 200,000 travelers and cost the country’s tourism industry 350 million euros and 100 million euros for the airlines. [Source: Advisor One]

[4] Oooh: Sponsorship drama, courtesy of Oprah. As housewives everywhere gear up for Oprah’s exciting Ultimate Austrialian Adventure (gag), the line has blurred between endorsement and sponsorship. Unlike some people, Oprah’s upcoming episode stretch are “in reality long commercials for Tourism Australia and its partners.” So what you’re telling me is McCafes aren’t Aussie hotspots? [Source: The Australian]

Time to Vote for Van-tastic Adventure Winners! - 401

Remember way back last June when we announced the exciting Van-tastic  Adventures contest from WorldNomads.com? Over the past year, seven pairs of travelers received a set of van keys and travel equipment, and set off to explore Australia on one amazing road trip.

Videos are up, journal entries are complete and photos have been submitted. Now it is time to vote!

Beginning July 2^nd you can vote for your favorite set of road trippers and their exciting explorations. Over 33,000 kilometers were covered throughout Australia and these adventure seekers did it all from caving to swimming with dolphins to skydiving.

Check out the Facebook page for links and updates, and watch over 100 of the travelers videos on the contest’s YouTube page. Then head over next week and cast your vote. You will help one team win AU$10,000!

Wait, you didn’t think they would be the only ones to win, did you? Of course not! As a voter you can be entered to win one fabulous prize package of your own. By voting and submitting your best road trip tip you’ll be entered to win prizes valued at AU$5,000! The package includes an iPod Touch 32GB, iPhone 32GB, MacBook Pro 15’, $100 iTunes voucher, a Canon Legria HF20 video camera and an adventure travel kit from WorldNomads.com!

So watch some videos, enjoy beautiful Australia, get a good laugh and then pick your favorite. You just might win right along with them!

Lori Rice is a freelance health and travel writer, and Galavanting travel news and reviews correspondent. You can follow her adventures at 3 Star Traveler or explore her thoughts as a nutritionist, wellness advocate and foodie traveler at Fake Food Free.

Around the World Travel and Australia Top Trips of a Lifetime Survey - 354

Sydney Opera House by Linh_rOmIs your idea of the perfect once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity an around the world trip or a visit to Australia? According to a recent Trips of a Lifetime survey conducted by iExplore and GeckoGo these are the top two travel destinations on the wish-lists of over 2,300 people.

The survey is designed to offer some insight into consumer attitudes about taking once-in-a-lifetime trips. Data was collected on the topics of top destinations and travel experiences, ideal travel partners, acceptable costs and length of the trip.

Fifty-two percent of those participating in the survey were over 45 years of age. The majority of travelers responding were from North America and Europe. These are a few highlights of what they had to say. Check out the results and see how your attitudes and future lifetime trip plans compare.

• Seventy percent were most interested in traveling to see natural and man-made wonders with places such as Machu Picchu topping the list.
• Only 16% said they are very interested in extreme sports such as sky diving during their lifetime trip.
• Choosing the right travel partner is the most important consideration of the trip, with 59% saying they would choose their spouse/partner.
• Only 27% said travel inspiration and ideas come from television while a whopping 70% said they are most often inspired by books and magazines.
• Over half (52%) of those surveyed are up to the challenge of planning their lifetime trip independently without the help of travel agents and tour groups.

Lori Rice is a freelance health and travel writer, and Galavanting travel news and reviews correspondent. You can follow her adventures at 3 Star Traveler or explore her thoughts as a nutritionist, wellness advocate and foodie traveler at Fake Food Free.

Win a “Van-tastic” Aussie Road Trip from WorldNomads.com

You, a partner, video equipment, the coolest van ever and adventure travel in Australia. Sound good? Then get ready to enter the “Van-tastic Adventures” contest from WorldNomads.com!

Seven teams of two will be selected (one for each state in Australia) to travel for six weeks documenting every bit of the exciting adventure. You’ll be flown from anywhere in the world, given the keys to the super-cool van shown here, get free access to the state’s top attractions and you won’t even have to fork over the cash for petrol.

Did I mention the van will be stocked with camping gear and everything you need to make a stellar documentary of your trip? Think video camera, laptop, editing equipment and wireless broadband access.

After you and your travel buddy finish your six weeks of travel you’ll be given two weeks’ free access to a nearby Global Gossip internet café. Here you will put together your three to five minute mini-documentary to share your “Van-tastic Adventures” with the world. The group with the video voted the best by the travel community will win a whopping $10,000 and two domestic flights from Virgin Blue!

To enter you will need to create a video lasting two minutes or less which introduces your team and upload it to the World Nomads YouTube group. Be sure to show off your engaging personality, your lust for travel and prove that you can go beyond the typical holiday home video.

Each destination has a different application time and travel time. You can find out more on the contest web-site. The first two legs of travel, Queensland and New South Wales, are currently open for application.

So get your best intro together and upload that video! You may just find yourself with one cool van, lots of adventure traveling and the ability to tell the world about it. Oh, and being $10,000 richer doesn’t sound too bad either! 

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Lori Rice is a Galavanting Travel News & Reviews correspondent and features contributor, she keeps two blogs at Blondie in Brazil and Fake Food Free. You can also follow Lori on twitter.