Every woman likes to accessorize. From the right blouse to the right cell phone cover, we use things to outwardly define our unique personalities. As members of Tango Diva, our style is creative, innovative, and culturally influenced. Thus, there is one master who knows how to accessorize our creative thoughts best: Moleskine.
Sleek, luxurious, and a perfect creative outlet, Moleskine notebooks is where we put pen to paper. Since Hemingway, they were the indestructible item for any traveler, artist, or writer. And with their handy city guide notebooks (reviewed by our Tango Diva), they continue to lead the way! Moleskine has now combined with Kindle to produce a cover for both the 6″ and 9.7″ readers.
The Kindle Latest Generation is also perfect for travelers with it’s slender design. The Moleskin cover supports this functionality by providing a notebook alongside your Kindle. Note your surroundings or jot down a great quote or two from your reads.
The features and style of this cover are those of a classic Moleskine notebook: sleek rounded corners, elastic band, and the legendary smooth black cover. A suede lining protects the Kindle, while elastic bands hold it in place. Each cover includes two reporter-style notebooks.
As I have mentioned in my blog before, I have taken my show on the road! I have moved back to Madrid, Spain and will continue to write for Tango Diva from Spanish soil.
Returning to live in Spain is what I have always wanted. It is not a question of anti-patriotism; it’s a matter of lifestyle and taste.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time back home in San Francisco— working for Tango Diva reading, editing and moderating all your exciting tales of solo travel and accomplished goals.
Now it’s my time.
The very first adventure I am going to accomplish when I arrive in Spain is hike the 500 mile El Camino de Santiago – about 5 weeks. As my friends and family can tell you, it’s been a dream of mine to do so for many years.
Now, I finally get to achieve my dream-on a travel writing assignment no less. However, I’m not content to merely hike it, then write a one-dimensional narrative of my experience. How do you sum up the epic-ness of a 500 mile, 1000+ year old pilgrimage and being all alone on the open road in just ONE article?
I plan to revolutionize the way people experience the trail both in person and online. This may be a centuries old tradition, but I see no reason not to bring it into the 21st century-plugged in. Thanks to the modern marvels of twitter, YouTube, FLIP digital camcorder and the Sony VAIO P, I will be live-blogging, tweeting and posting videos daily from the trail—all the while connecting with locals and sharing other pilgrims’ experiences. It will be as if you are right there on the trail with me! I hope to inspire countless individuals to someday take to this path on their own or to accomplish their own life-long goal.
I also hope to raise funds and awareness for VIDA USA through my actions. In addition to shipping medical supplies to desperate hospitals throughout Latin America, VIDA USA is doing amazing work helping teen mothers infected with HIV in Lima, Peru by preventing the spread of HIV to their newborn.
HIV and AIDS assistance/research is something that I feel very passionate about. I will be counting on my network of friends and readers to spread the word of what I am achieving so even more people can discover my hike, and therefore VIDA USA, to possibly contribute to the cause.
The goal is to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on October 5th, my birthday. I can think of no greater gift to myself than to accomplish such a feat, all the while raising awareness and funds for VIDA USA.
Job role:Your role will be to travel the length of New Zealand, meeting with our suppliers, clients and the occasional possum and promoting Entirely Kiwi to the world through any means possible, and telling everyone exactly why New Zealand is the best country in the world – beyond the obvious fact that it is.
Chronicle Books is excited to partner with Moleskine to participate in the 2009 San Francisco myDetour program, running from September 10 – October 1, 2009. myDetour is a Moleskine project dedicated to the community of Moleskiners and anyone who loves to paint, photograph, illustrate, write and use their Moleskine notebooks for other creative projects. It is a chance for Moleskine users to show their notebooks, both online and offline, and share their creativity and imaginations with both their local communities and with the larger Moleskine community.
Starting September 10, myDetour will be featured as a special display at the Chronicle Books headquarters in San Francisco, as well as at various other book and art supply locations throughout the Bay Area. Moleskine users are invited to visit the displays to check out completed books by authors and artists around the world, as well as drop their Moleskine notebooks in the collection boxes for consideration to join the traveling archive as it continues throughout the world.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the West Coach coast launch party of gdgt.com I had a great time! I was particularly excited to attend this event because lately, I’ve put aside my fashion obsession (pfft momentarily, natch) and have become such a tech geek. I have been on the lookout for the latest and greatest in all things travel tech gear to sustain me through the 5 week-long El Camino de Santiago trail in Spain I will be embarking on next month. I’ll be live-blogging, tweeting and posting pics & videos daily… trouble is, I just need to find the best gear to do so! (BTW-if you’ve got the scoop on anything, let me know!)
www.flickr.com/photos/bdu/
I arrived at the event just before 6:00pm, so I could have a full hour with the goods before the masses were allowed in. The doors weren’t set to open until 7:00, but the line was already stretched to the end of the block. Oh, how sweet the promise of free swag and giveaways can be. And judging from the conversations going on around me, it seemed like everyone who was anyone in the tech blogosphere was there. A new product was being launched that night, so the muscle working the door made a big show of acting like extra security was needed. When he got to me and saw that the most offensive thing in my bag was my circa Zack Morris phone, he could barely conceal his smirk.
Upon walking in, the start of a great night was nearly ruined for me when I inadvertently broke my favorite pair of vintage sunglasses. Luckily I didn’t have much time to mourn my loss because I was immediately handed a gdgt.com T-shirt, swag bag and a drink ticket. Result!
The people of SanDisk had the luxury of being placed right by the door and therefore immediately had my rapt attention. We first chatted about the SanDisk Ultra® Backup USB Flash Drive—wow! It’s a USB flash drive with a backup button, meaning it backs up your data without cables or software installation needed. It can be a valuable option for travelers away from their home computer. Just an FYI- it’s not Mac compatible. Another cool feature from SanDisk is the SanDisk microSD memory card. It stores documents, photos, music and videos on your mobile phone—a quick and easy way to turn your phone into a mini-computer, camera and MP3 player. Cha-ching! Money saver. It works with any mobile phone that has an SD slot—75% of
phones do. Great for students, business people on the go and travelers alike.
I next sauntered over to the Sony table. I was on a mission. Quite simply, I need a DSLR camera to become my official, Tango Diva-Photojournalism approved camera that will illustrate all my travel articles. I’ve had my eye on a certain DSLR for quite a while now, but have yet to come to a decision—and time is running out. My friend raves about her Sony-T900 camera, so I was interested in checking out a DSLR from Sony. My photography skills are above the beginner level, so the Sony A330 felt really comfortable in my hands and appears relatively simple to use—ideal for amateur photographers who are serious about improving their skills.
I plan on blogging from the trail daily, but will sadly be leaving my precious Ruby Soho behind. When every ounce counts, I can’t exactly justify carrying around a full-sized laptop on my back. Though likely bucolic and aesthetically pleasing, I’ve been a little concerned thinking about the possible lack of internet cafés in rural, Northern Spain. With that in mind, I can only imagine the sound that came out of my mouth when I saw the Sony VAIO P was of the porcine variety. Who knew such a tiny computer could exist?! If you’re a traveler who needs a laptop for makin’ the money or have an online job (like this girl), this is a really cool, lightweight option to help keep you connected. I picked it up and played around with it for a while and it couldn’t have weighed much more than a pound or so. The guys also informed me that it comes preloaded with a bunch of cool features like GPS, Windows Vista and can receive a wireless internet signal from your cellphone. Success!
Ah, the smartphone. I continue to vacillate between all the worthy options available. I was really looking forward to comparing and contrasting the crème de la crème of smartphones out there. I was disappointed to learn that there would be no Apple representative at the event. As a Macbook owner, the iPhone 3GS is a natural choice, however the neatfreak in me is concerned about the smudging on the touchscreen. Since I will most likely be doing the majority of my blogging from the palm of my hand, the full QWERTY keyboard and slim, lightweight design of the RIM Blackberry Curve 8900 really impressed me. Also the built in GPS is convenient for the traveler (ie ME) who is forever getting lost. I wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost on the trail or carrying a map!
I also played around with the cute T-Mobile Sidekick LX™. It has all the standard features of a smartphone that I am looking for, including built-in social networking apps—I’m addicted to Twitter!—but I especially loved the digital postcards you can send as text messages. Call me old-fashioned, but whenever I travel, I always send several postcards. I love ‘em! Perhaps the Sidekick LX™ would help bring me into the 21st century? My only concern is that the network coverage may not be compatible in Spain. Further investigation is needed.
I missed checking out any of the HTC phones…. would appreciate if anyone could fill me in!
For the frequent traveler, I also think the TeleNav voice GPS services is worth checking out. Compatible with most wireless carriers and smart phones, it provides you with over 10 million listings and reviews, traffic and weather alerts… it even tells you where to find the cheapest gas!
I am in dire need of picking up an external hard drive… I’m quickly running out of memory space on my overworked MacBook! To the best of my knowledge, the external hard drives from Western Digital are the most trusted and respected out there. I really liked how WD has external hard drives specifically designed and programmed for Mac users. However, they all can be formatted to be Mac compatible. In addition to needing to free up some room on laptop, I also likely won’t have it with me on the trail. So l need to find a way to store my photos and documents in a safe place. After chatting with the knowledgeable rep and learning that her friend is currently on a Round The Word trip and swears by his WD external hard drive, I was convinced. However given the uncommonness of Macs in Spain, I may need to go with something like the WD My Passport Elite.
All in all, I had a great time at the gdgt.com launch party and everything flowed seamlessly. Congrats to the founders of gdgt.com—we wish you success! Would have loved to chat with the boys though. Also, props to the organizers and promoters for making sure it was a rousing success and everyone was having a great time. I’m so glad I have a better understanding of some of the tech gear out there for the traveler. Now… it’s decision time!
Next month, I will be packin’ up and moving back to Madrid, Spain—my true love. However I will only have a short time to soak up my fave city before I’m off on my next BIG adventure—I have been assigned by Tango Diva to cover the 500 mile El Camino de Santiago trail through Northern Spain. The plan is to set off from Saint Jean Pied de Port, in the south of France on August 28th and arrive in Santiago de Compestela —entirely by foot—on October 5th, my birthday. I will be writing and tweeting from the trail daily, and I will be posting digital videos along my 5+ week journey.
In planning my adventure, I have become a hiking gear research nut! When it came to researching and actually trying on backpacks, I decided: my hips don’t lie. It is the hips that bear the brunt of the weight of the backpack. Not only did I want to select a backpack that can be custom hip molded, I also needed to choose a backpack that was lightweight and comfortable, yet large enough to carry 5 weeks worth of belongings.
After careful consideration, reading user reviews and a trip to my local REI, I decided to go with the Osprey Xenon 70. I thought I would share my experience with receiving a proper backpack fitting.
I arrived at my local REI—admittedly looking like the very antithesis of a hiker in my summer frock and wedge sandals—and headed straight to the backpack department. My non-adventure-ready-appearance, coupled with the puzzled look on my face, caused the sales associate on duty to immediately approach me and incredulously ask if I needed any assistance. My rapid-fire “yes!” seemed to warm his heart and he took pity on me. I told him of my upcoming adventure and he sprung into action with an energy one wouldn’t expect from a man his age.
He began to cluck about like an over-protective mother hen, measuring my back along the spine and my hips with a tape measure, all the while stressing the importance of receiving a proper fitting. And was a really ready for such a grand adventure? After reviewing my measurements, it was determined that I—at 5’9″—was long-waisted with a prominent iliac crest. Again, my hips don’t lie.
When it came time to actually try on various backpacks, the sales associate looked concerned to let me walk around the store with a backpack and heels on, let alone send me out into the world with one. As I tried on the first backpack, I felt as how many brides must feel—it was love at first dress backpack. I ended up trying on several, but it was the first one that felt the most right—the Osprey Xenon 70. In addition to having all the specs I was looking for technically, the fit and comfort—especially of the hip belt—was what immediately won me over.
As I was leaving the store, I waved goodbye from afar to my mother hen and although I can’t be certain, I’m pretty sure I saw a proud tear in his eye.
If you’re in the market for a backpack but feeling a little lost, I highly recommend you visit a professional retailer. The sales associates at REI are exceedingly helpful, informative and will ensure you receive the proper fit.
Although Osprey hipbelts are comfy right off the shelf, Osprey exclusive CM Certified™ heat molding is available at REI and will accomplish in minutes what may take several days to achieve. That additional, custom comfort will be immensely appreciated on my first day—Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles is the hardest one day of the whole Camino.
If only the bumbling Inspector Gadget was still around. I’m sure he would find all the gizmos and gadgets on display at the gdgt.com West Coach launch party on Tuesday, August 4th from 7-10pm at DNA Lounge most impressive.
Nerdy boys… a FREE event …cocktails… Where do I RSVP?! Also, this event is all ages and first attendees will walk away with some great swag—but everyone who comes is eligible to win some gear!
But actually I have been researching several tech products to take with me as I cover the 500 mile El Camino de Santiago trail in Northern Spain this September. I will be writing and tweeting from the trail daily, and will be posting digital videos & pictures along my 5 week journey. Can’t wait to find out what other tech gear is out there! (cameras, smartphones—I’m looking at you!)
I recently decided to go with a pair ofTarghee II hiker from KEEN for when I hike the 500 mile El Camino de Santiago in Spain this September. Not only was I impressed by the comfort and fit of KEEN footwear, I also admired Keen’s commitment to social responsibility. I am happy to support a brand that gives back as much KEEN Inc., and am pleased to announce this great opportunity:
KEEN Inc.— a leader in hybrid outdoor performance products, including footwear, socks and bags — is running an exciting contest with the chance to win a week-long volunteer vacation at an animal rescue society near Cape Town, South Africa. Entries are being accepted until August 21, 2009, at www.keenfootwear.com/southafrica.
The trip is organized by i-to-i, a U.K.-based volunteer travel company which has sent more than 20,000 people to volunteer in Africa, Asia, Australasia and Latin America since 1996.
The winner will volunteer at TEARS, an animal shelter that provides pet food parcels, veterinary treatment and animal care education for community members with animals that could not otherwise afford these goods and services. The society also works with children who have had extremely hard lives and teaches them to care and be responsible for animals. Learning these nurturing skills helps to break the cycle of abuse in these children’s lives.
After returning from South Africa, KEEN invites the winner to share stories from the trip on its HybridLife Community page at www.keenfootwear.com/community. The community connects people who are creating possibilities, engaging with the outdoors, and caring for the world around them.
The grand prize is valued at about $4000 and includes: roundtrip coach class air transportation, provided by South African Airways, for one between a major U.S. gateway city and Cape Town South Africa to volunteer with animals in Cape Town, South Africa; and a shared dormitory room in volunteer house for a minimum of one week and up to two weeks. The travel must be completed by September 30, 2010. Beyond the volunteer opportunities, the winner can explore an amazing range of other activities – from surfing to hiking to shopping in and around Cape Town.
Summer has finally begun and the beckoning of a much-needed vacation is on the horizon. Whether it’s a trip to the beach, an outdoor adventure or just a day in the city, OtterBox has protective and stylish solutions to keep your technology safe so you can have a more enjoyable trip.
Relax on sandy beaches and cool off in the ocean waves with the waterproof OtterBox Armor Series™ case line. Newest additions include protection for the iPod® nano 4th generation and iPod touch 2nd generation. Take your tunes along and know they are safe and protected from drops, sand and water. Or protect cameras, wallets, car keys, sunglasses and cell phones in standard OtterBox cases designed to fit a variety of valuables.
Get outdoors with the OtterBox Defender Series™ line. This drop, scratch, dust and dirt-proof case is the perfect sidekick for camping trips, hikes, walks, bike rides, runs and more. Trendy devices such as iPhone™, iPods, BlackBerry® and Palm® smartphones aren’t designed to withstand the rigors of your active lifestyle so protect them with Defender Series cases.
No matter where your summer activities take you, OtterBox offers a selection of completely interactive cases to protect devices from simple everyday ventures to the most extreme summer journeys.
For more information, visit www.otterbox.com or call 888-695-8820
