Journeys Near and Far

Win a Rosetta Stone Course & Learn a New Language

One of my favorite things to do before going abroad is to learn a few words in the language of the country I'm visiting.  Even better is to take a language course.

If you enjoy learning languages, too, I suggest you head over to  My Itchy Travel Feet:  The Baby Boomers Guide to Travel where freelance writer Donna Hull is offering her readers a chance to win a Rosetta Stone course.  All you have to do is visit her blog, read the post about the drawing, and post a comment. 

Rosetta Stone offers computer software courses in over 30 languages, which students can take at their own pace.  They use words and images with no English translation so that students learn instinctively rather than by translating the words in their heads before speaking.

These courses are quality products.  I have the beginning level of their Hebrew Course, and find it to be fun and comprehensive.  I'm considering getting their Spanish course as well.

So take advantage of this opportunity if you can.  You'll have to hurry though.  The drawing ends on September 3rd at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Standard time.  The winner will be announced on Monday, September 7, 2009.

February Travel Book Drawing

Everybody loves travel tips.  Here you'll find 1,001 of them...

On March 1st I'll be giving away a copy of Fodor's 1,001 Smart Travel Tips, a book so packed with travel tips and suggestions that you can't possibly go wrong.  Whether you're traveling just beyond your own backyard or halfway across the planet, the information in this book can steer you in the right direction.

Chapters cover everything from planning, booking and packing to family travel and traveling with pets.  It even gives tips on how to pack for your pet - something I hadn't thought of.  But then, my only pet is a fish and he (thankfully) prefers to stay at home.

The book also covers train, bus and cruise travel, seeing the sights, and dining out.  There's even a whole section on specific destinations.

You'll find some amusing bits of wisdom here as well.  For example, under Costa Rica:  "Once you get to the capital, leave."  (San José is not representative of what the country has to offer.)  Under El Salvador:  "Try pupusa"  (I totally agree) and "Expect Adventure on Road Trips."  Absolutely.

Also, the winner of this month's drawing is Babette from Kentucky.  She won a copy of An Embarrassment of Mangoes:  A Caribbean Interlude, written by award-winning writer, magazine and book editor Ann Vanderhoof.  Congrats, Babette!

If you're not already a subscriber to The Journeys Near and Far newsletter, sign up now so you can be included in this and future travel book drawings! 

 

 

January Travel Book Drawing

They Chucked Their Jobs and Said Good-bye to the Rat Race

That alone was enough to make me want to read this book.   The fact that they spent two years sailing around the Caribbean clinched the deal. 

If you love a good travel tale I think you'll enjoy of An Embarrassment of Mangoes:  A Caribbean Interlude, written by award-winning writer, magazine and book editor Ann Vanderhoof. 

It tells the story of the Vanderhoof's more than 7,000 mile journey to 47 Caribbean islands, and as a bonus, the book includes some delicious local recipies they discovered along the way.

I'll be giving away a copy of An Embarrassment of Mangoes on February 1st.   If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, sign up now so you can be included in this and future travel book drawings! 

Meanwhile, congratulations are in order for Colette from Vallejo, California, who won a copy of  The Essential Cruise Book, 4th edition, by Jim West in this month's travel book drawing!    Congrats, Colette!

 

Win a Trip to South America

Intrepid Travel Contest

Love to travel?  Do you enjoy writing about your adventures?  Well, here's your chance to win a fabulous trip!  Write a travel story and submit it by January 31, 2009, and you could win a 15-day Intrepid Travel trip to South America called Sacred Land of the Incas.

Intrepid Travel is a company that opens up the world to travelers who yearn to get off the beaten track.  Started in 1989, the company's goal was to get travelers to explore some of the special places in Asia, and introduce people to different cultures and ways of life. 

Darrell Wade, Director and Co-founder of Intrepid, explains on the company's website, "We wanted to develop a style of travel that was all together different, where as travelers we became a part of the country - and not just tourists looking in. We wanted to have fun, meet people, learn things, explore, and do stuff we could never do at home. We wanted to travel by anything and everything, and stay anywhere and everywhere.  We wanted to be intrepid!" 

Today the company offers more than 400 trips to over 90 destinations, how's that for variety?  And they offer many different styles of travel. 

I haven't had the chance to travel with them yet but I've heard great things about them, and believe that if you like freedom, flexibility and small groups, they might just be the tour company for you. 

To learn more about Intrepid, check out their website.  I especially like their Inspirations Section, where you can watch travel videos, access their blog and read articles (many written by Intrepid's trip leaders).   

So spread the word about the travel contest, and get out your pens (or computers) and start writing you travel story.  For contest rules and information on how to enter, just visit the WanderlustandLipstick blog, and follow the instructions.  

And look for a post about Wanderlust and Lipstick, coming soon.

Note:  If you want to give back to local communities in the amazing places that you've visited around the world, you can do so by supporting one of the projects sponsored by the Intrepid Foundation - check it out.

Photo - Machu Picchu, Peru

Travel Book Drawing - December

An Essential Guide to Cruising...

I'm still a bit behind on the monthly travel book drawings but here goes...  This month, a copy of the Berlitz Pocket Guide to New York goes to Rosalie from Big Flats, New York.  Looks like she'll be able to explore more of her own state!

Next, on January 1st,  2009, I'll be giving away a little book packed with info:  The Essential Cruise Book, 4th edition, by Jim West.  If you're a cruising aficionado, or just want to learn more about heading out to sea, this book is for you!  Written by a cruise director who has explored all seven continents, this book gives practical advice on everything from deciding where to go to finding the best price on a cabin.

Some of the many topics covered include:

• Where to Go
• Choosing and Planning your Cruise
• How to Pack
• Ports and Shore Excursions
• Cruises for Families and Other Special Groups

Also, if you're interested in cruising, you might want to check out the following links:

• Like Cruising?  Check out these Websites
• Be a Smarter Cruiser - A Chat with Cruise Expert Clark Norton
• Smarter Cruising Blog

And if you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, sign up now so you can be included in this and future travel book drawings!

October Travel Book Drawing

Make the Most of your Time in New York City

Congrats to Sheila from Indiana, who won a copy of Rough Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Places to Stay, Make the Most of Your Time on Earth in this month's travel book drawing!  Sheila can now read how to chill out in the Icehotel in Sweden, spend a night with the Iban in a Borneo Longhouse, and soak away her troubles at the Hotel Gellért -- one of my favorite spas in Budapest. 

For the November drawing, I'll be giving away a copy of the Berlitz Pocket Guide to New York to one of my newsletter subscribers.  This book is the perfect companion for traveling around New York City -- there's nothing better than a guidebook that fits in your purse or pocket, weighs almost nothing, yet contains a wealth of information and stunning color photos to boot.  And it's really nice to have help when you're navigating around a city with some 13,000 taxis, 5,000 city buses, 19,000 restaurants, and 70,000 hotel rooms!  You'll learn what to see and do in New York City with lots of travel tips thrown in. 

If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, sign up now so you can be included in this and future travel book drawings!

Travel Book Drawing -- August

Time for Another Travel Book Drawing...

The last book I offered as a prize was a copy of The Rough  Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Middle East, meant to go to one of my newsletter subscribers in June.   I sincerely apologize but I had to take a couple of months off to rest due to surgery.  But I've just drawn the winner... drum roll please...  and it's William from West Virginia.

For the September travel book drawing, since it was such a favorite, I'll be giving away another copy of Rough Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Places to Stay, Make the Most of Your Time on Earth.

Whether you want to have lakeside romance in Rajasthan, play Tarzan in a Tanzanian jungle treehouse, or stay in an undersea lodge, this little book will tell you how.  And the photography is beautiful, as you can see from the cover shot.

If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, now's the time to sign up if you want to be included in future travel book drawings!

Travel Book Drawing -- May

Experience the Wonders of the Middle East

Congratulations to Kathy from Las Vegas, Nevada, who won a copy of The Rough Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Ethical Travel in this month's travel book drawing! 

Next month, subscribers to my newsletter, The Traveler, can win a copy of The Rough  Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Middle East.  Maybe you'll want to spend a night camping with the Bedouin à la Lawrence of Arabia at Wadi Rum in Jordan.  Or dive the Gulf of Aqaba -- the inlet that divides Africa from Arabia -- the sea life there is fantastic!  Or drift lazily down the Nile on a traditional wooden felucca.  No matter what your desire, this book will inspire you to hop on a plane and begin your dream adventure.

If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, now's the time to sign up if you want to be included in this and future travel book drawings.

Travel Book Drawing -- April

Congratulations to Helen of Kennebunk, Maine, who won a copy of Jim Watson's The Alien's Guide to Britain in this month's drawing! 

Next month, subscribers to my newsletter, The Traveler, can win a copy of The Rough Guides' 25 Ultimate Experiences:  Ethical Travel.  This vibrantly colored book covers unusual and rewarding ethical travel experiences, from a quiet homestay on Lake Titicaca to meeting the people in Cuba or digging and dancing in Madagascar.

Want to learn more about responsible travel?  It's all about maximizing the benefits of tourism and minimizing the negative effects.  Surf to ResponsibleTravel.com , an online travel company that markets vacations that protect the environment and the local people.  They represent more than 270 tour operators who care about the environment, and hundreds of places to stay.  Also check out their tips for responsible travel.

And,  for an excellent directory of responsible travel tourism operators visit EcoTravel.com.

Want to do some offline reading?  Try these books:

• The Ethical Travel Guide, by Polly Pattullo with Orely Minelli for Tourism Concern
• Green Places to Stay by Richard Hammond
• Ethical Tourism:  Who Benefits? by the Institute of Ideas

If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, now's the time to sign up if you want to be included in this and future travel book drawings.

Travel Book Drawing -- March

Congratulations to Phillip from Sausalito, California, who won a copy of Fodor's London's 25 Best  in this month's drawing! 

Next month, subscribers to my newsletter, The Traveler, can win a copy of Jim Watson's The Alien's Guide to Britain. This book gives an amusing look at British life and its oddities.  Topics range from Food and Drink, Culture, Work, and Leisure to Sports, Class, Health and Language.  Whether you're planning a trip to Britain or not, you'll get a kick out of this book and its comical illustrations.

If you're not already a subscriber to The Traveler, now's the time to sign up if you want to be included in this and future travel book drawings.