Last week, we announced Matador’s upcoming party, which is less than a month away.

We hope you’ll be able to make it, but if not, please consider offering a donation that will support the party’s cause.

Besides providing all the fixings that will help you get your groove on, all proceeds from the party will go towards the establishment of Matador’s scholarship fund, which will provide two inner-city students with the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time.

Our goal is to raise $5,000 by August 16.

Can you help us get there?? No donation is too small (or too large!).

If you’d like to help us with this important project, please visit Matador’s scholarship fund page.

Thanks!

Photo: sml! (creative commons)

A Matador member’s home in Baja

Do you have a favorite travel gadget or must-have piece of travel gear?

Maybe it’s a perfect pack or a trusty pair of hiking boots. Maybe it’s an iPod.

Whatever it is, Matador Goods wants to know!

Send your go-to gadgets and gear, along with a description of why they get the nod, to Goods editor Lola Akinmade, via lola [AT] matadornetwork [DOT] com. If you’ve got a picture of yourself using your fave, even better! Send it along, too.

Your selection could wind up being featured in a review on Goods, Matador’s excellent gear blog.

Photo by Laura Bernhein

Photo by Obbino (Creative Commons)

If you know Vienna or Budapest like a local because you ARE a local, then PlanetEye wants to hear from you!

PlanetEye is an online travel planning service that is heavy on gorgeous photos, great content about the world’s most exciting cities, and technologies such as geotagging.

At present, PlanetEye is seeking local experts for Vienna and Budapest. Local experts are the backbone of PlanetEye’s content generation, sharing news, reviews, and exclusive insiders’ views of the cities they know so well. Local experts are expected to share at least three blog entries a week that give travelers a look at what’s going on in their city.

And for travel writers looking to build publication experience, there’s extra good news: the local expert positions are paid!

To apply for a local expert position, visit Planet Eye, get a feel for the site, and then check out the application process. Need some insider’s tips? Shoot me an e-mail; I’m PlanetEye’s Mexico City local expert.

Photo by Nicholas T (Creative Commons)

It’s been a busy week for travel writing opportunities. Here’s the latest:

Longstanding travel writing advice/news blog Written Road is looking for some fresh voices: one or two new writers to contribute a couple of blog posts each week. Check out the full call for writers for details.

In case you’re not already familiar: Written Road was founded by travel writer Jen Leo to document her early efforts at travel writing, and to share what she learned along the way.

Since Jen retired from the site, it’s been taken over by a couple of other writers (Abha Malpani and Nicholas Gill - both Matador members!) and covers a mixture of travel publishing news, writing and editing opportunities, and personal notes on the bloggers’ careers and progress.

Written Road is read by an awful lot of editors and writers - it’s a great place to get your name out into the travel writing world.

Sound like your thing? Well then, get applying!

I’m not one to get excited about advertisements, but I have been noting the increasing interest that the liquor industry is demonstrating in travel with more than a little fascination.

First, it was Bombay Sapphire’s travel blog contest , complete with a snazzy website designed to appeal to members of the hip young jetset who also happen to document their travels in writing.

Now, it’s Chivas Regal’s ThisIsTheLife.com, a website which would be just another well-designed, visually appealing, quality content-oriented travel site if it didn’t have that tiny little tag in the top left of your screen that says “Sponsored by Chivas Regal.”

But clever advertising aside, This Is The Life is actually a smart, attractive, highly navigable site for “people who want to get the most out of life.” The purpose?

…to replace the time invested ploughing through countless City guides, travel books and magazines with a singular world wide web forum where the earth’s best experiences could be raised and reviewed, not just by an editor and his team (although we do have very good ones), but by everyone.

You can look up other users’ top experiences by continent or by type of experience– from adrenaline thrills and best views to voluntourism travel and best places to propose. And you can share your own top experiences if you sign up for a free account.

For being a website designed and sponsored by a major liquor company, the site is refreshingly free of advertisements of all sorts, even subtle ones. Even under the World’s Best Bars, there’s no flashing ad or obvious pandering for the user to buy Chivas products. Believe it or not, this is a great website to add to your list of must-visits for planning trips.

Photo: jasoneppink (creative commons)

Photo by Greg Westfall (Creative Commons)

If you’re an aspiring travel writer and long-term travel enthusiast, chances are you’ve come across ‘Vagabonding’ author Rolf Potts at some point.

Well, now’s your chance to write for his site. Vagablogging.net has issued a call for writers interested in contributing 1-2 blog posts per week, and the deadline to apply is July 25.

I also contribute to Vagablogging, and while the position is unpaid, I can say from personal experience that writing for the site is a great way to network and make contacts leading to paid opportunities. Rolf’s a big name in the travel writing field, and he goes out of his way to help his bloggers out. Particularly if you’re just starting out in travel writing, take a look at the site and think about applying!

For more on the pros and cons of writing for free, you can check out this post I wrote at yet another excellent travel blog, Vagabondish.

The Matador Team is throwing a party and you’re invited!

When: Saturday, August 16th 9 PM to 2 AM

Where: 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA

The Cause : Travel can be one of the most powerful experiences in a young person’s life.

The cultural exchange that transpires during travel abroad unites young minds and voices and empowers young people to look at themselves, their communities, and the world differently.

Unfortunately, many young people lack the resources to travel.

To address this disparity, Matador is bringing its online community off-line with a blow-out party to raise money to send two Bay Area inner-city high school students on their very first trip abroad.

The Party : The event will feature SF’s best soul DJs, live painting, live music, local art & photography, 2 full bars, free food, raffle prizes, a photo booth, leg shakin’ & much more.

Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Reggae & House from DJ Pleasuremaker and Professor Belway will be bumpin’ in both rooms all night, with a special live set from the Afrolicious band (from Thursday nights at the Elbo Room).

Local Art & Travel Photography will be on display from Oliver Black, Ian Ross, & Friends.

A special exhibit will feature essays from young travelers from around the world.

Don’t miss this one!!

Bring your family and friends.

Come celebrate the power of travel.

Give back.

Get down!

$15 Door Cover, 21+

Photo by T U R K A I R O

I don’t want to become that “look! a good news story about Africa!” girl, but hey, here I go anyway:

Look! A good news story about Africa!

AfriGadget.com is a website that showcases the latest inventions and problem-solving tools created by entrepreneurs - often self-taught amateurs - on the continent.

The idea, in the words of the About AfriGadget page, is to publicize the many examples of “Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.”

Re-using materials, and turning bad things into good things, are both common themes. Take this story: Ethiopian Ingenuity: Turning Mortar Shells Into Coffee Makers. Fair Trade latte, eat your heart out. That’s a cup of coffee with a difference!

The writers and editors behind AfriGadget get many of their stories from wire services and news organizations around the world, but they’re also actively looking to cultivate more grassroots reporting.

So writers and photographers, if you’re headed to the continent, or if you have cameras, audio recorders or other equipment to spare, get in touch!

In the first part of our occasional series spotlighting the interests and projects of Matador members, we introduced you to 7 people living, traveling, and realizing amazing projects all over the globe.

The piece was so popular, we’re back with round 2. Meet:

Craig Martin: www.indietravelpodcast.com

You may know him as the IndieTravelPodcast guy and Matador’s #1 podcaster. But did you also know that Craig has been living on the road full-time since 2006 with no fixed address? His most recent Matador article was “Everything You Need to Know About Traveling with a Eurail Pass.” If you need insider info. on a European destination, Craig’s website is sure to provide you with some useful tips.

N. Chrystine Olson: www.wranglingrhinos.com

Chrystine describes herself as a “geographical mutt,” which only serves to stoke her insatiable curiosity about almost everywhere! She’s wrangled rhinos in in Africa, tagged kangaroos in Australia, and rebuilt sailboats in Baja. In addition to contributing frequently to Matador–check out her latest piece, a road trip guide to Idaho’s panhandle–she also writes for Everywhere Magazine.

Stephen Orchard: www.freelancetravelwriter.co.uk

One of Matador’s consistently creative and funny writers, Stephen has written about everything from the five worst travel gadgets to surfing in Croyde Bay. He also has some pretty great photos in his online portfolio.

Michaela Lola: http://michatheperegrine.googlepages.com/

Born in the Philippines, Michaela currently calls Berlin home. Her candid blogs are funny snapshots of expat life, and her articles always tackle tough, travel-relevant issues. On her personal website, she brings all of these interests together under a single cyber roof, adding her vivid photos for a complete travel writer’s portfolio. Check out her thoughtful blog, The Second Leap.

Stay tuned! Installation 3 is coming up next week, introducing you to some of Matador’s newest members! And if you haven’t already sent us your website, what are you waiting for? Drop us a line, won’t you?

Photo: canonsnapper (creative commons)

Awhile back I wrote about my cousin Sam and his buddy Peter, who’ve been blogging about their preparations for a major motorcycle trip.

They’ll be riding from Cairo to Cape Town this summer, raising money for a great little malaria prevention charity, Spread The Net.

Well, the day has (almost) arrived: Sam and Peter have arrived in Cairo, and are just waiting for the bikes to clear customs in the nearby port, Alexandria.

Be sure to check out their blog and stay tuned - this promises to be an adventure worth following along with!

(Photo courtesy of Peter Loewen)