Intelligent Travel
#FriFotos: Houses of the Holy
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 18, 2012 
This week’s #FriFotos theme is HOLY PLACES, so we decided to run this stunner that Ken Thorne submitted to National Geographic Traveler’s 24th annual Photo Contest. This photo of a grove of ancient baobab trees, sacred to the Malagasy people, was taken near Morandava, Madagascar. The contest runs through July 11th, so you still have plenty of time to enter.
#FriFotos: Two Tickets to Paradise
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 11, 2012 
This week’s #FriFotos theme is PARADISE. The Paradise side of Mount Rainier is famous for its wild flowers and breathtaking views. Our favorite look-out is Inspiration Point. Thanks to Allen Abendroth for submitting this keeper to our My Shot community!
How We Navigate the World
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 9, 2012 
By Trevor Frost, a National Geographic Young Explorers grantee We navigate every day. To the bathroom to brush our teeth, to the bus stop to catch a ride to work, to stay on-trail when we’re hiking. We do it so often we don’t even think about it. A year ago my friend Trip Jennings found himself in…
Port of Call: Off the Ship in Halifax
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 8, 2012 
By Everett Potter for the May issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine — One hundred years after trying to rescue passengers on the Titanic, Halifax remembers the disaster. The Nova Scotian capital has a bevy of the ship’s artifacts, as well as a bounty of local seafood and a strong seafaring tradition.
NOLA Jazz Fest: A Healthy Addiction
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 4, 2012 
By Monica C. Corcoran, senior photo editor at NationalGeographic.com I knew I had a problem when a coworker asked how long I’d been going to Jazz Fest and I couldn’t remember if it was 17 … or was it 18 years? It’s my annual pilgrimage to the promised land of lip-smacking food and hip-shaking music,…
#FriFotos: Flower Power
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 4, 2012 
#FriFotos is a weekly themed Twitter chat founded by @EpsteinTravels where travelers share their favorite pics. Want to see one of your photos featured on our website or on the Intelligent Travel blog? Make it happen by uploading your favorite travel pics (don’t forget to add a caption!) to ngm.com/yourshot. Tag all your submissions #travelshot – then look for your photos in one of our My Shot galleries or on our blog.
On Your Mark, Get Set, GOOD!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 3, 2012 
We’re sending one of our most popular bloggers out on the classic American road trip to uncover uncommon stories of everyday people who are bringing change to their own communities. Aric S. Queen = The Good Traveler, and the adventure begins on Monday, May 7th. Follow Aric’s journey on Intelligent Travel, Twitter @GoodTravelerNG and Instagram (@GoodTraveler) to get inspired, to be entertained, and to give him advice about what he should see and who he should meet as he blogs his way across the U.S.
My Cuba, Then and Now
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 3, 2012 
By Juan José Valdés, The Geographer at National Geographic, and the Director of Editorial and Research at National Geographic Maps. Some of the world’s most historic and picturesque cities are instantly identified by their nicknames — The Big Easy, The City of Light, The Windy City, to name a few. Then, there are those cities whose monikers are…
Your #ParkPic Photos!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on May 2, 2012 
National Park Week just ended and to play into this year’s parks week theme, “Picture Yourself in a National Park,” we asked our readers to tag photos they took at any park around the U.S. Here are 15 of our favorite submissions from Twitter and Instagram. Photograph by @random_man
Joshua Tree, Retrofied
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 27, 2012 
By Monica Corcoran, senior photo editor at NationalGeographic.com. It’s funny how your mind can change after you’ve tried something for the first time. I was convinced that Hipstamatic – an iPhone app that let’s you apply film, lens, and flash settings to your pics to achieve a retro look – was more gimmick than photography. So last month,…
#FriFotos: Pool Party!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 27, 2012 
This week’s #FriFotos theme is POOLS, so while we could have gone with a photo of the man-made warm-weather variety, we thought we’d take the natural route instead. We chose this stunning image of the mineral-rich Champagne Pool in the Wai-O-Tapu (Māori for “Sacred Waters”) geothermal park near Rotorua, New Zealand. The abundance of carbon dioxide in this natural hot spring makes it resemble a glass of bubbly. Cheers!
What’s Your Favorite Big-City Escape?
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 27, 2012 
With the Olympics and William and Kate’s first anniversary coming up, the world’s abuzz about London. But sometimes you just want to get away from it all — especially when things are at their most frenetic. What’s your go-to escape destination when you want to get away from the city? Tell us in the comments section for a chance to appear in the next issue of Traveler magazine!
I Heart My City: Elaura’s Portland (Oregon)
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 25, 2012 
National Geographic intern Elaura Rifkin spent the first 22 years of her life in Portland, Oregon until the itch to go to graduate school finally forced her east. She is currently based out of Washington, D.C., but still proclaims her love of “the Pacific Northwest’s greatest gem” loudly and proudly to just about anyone who…
Photos: Where You Went
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 24, 2012 
Belize, the Seychelles, Madrid? We’re practically salivating over here. Here’s a taste of where our Facebook friends went this weekend.
#FriFotos: We Are the World…
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 20, 2012 
This week’s #FriFotos theme is EARTH DAY, and appropriately so, as it’s being observed on Sunday. Wendell Berry said, “The earth is what we all have in common.” We couldn’t agree more. Earth Day isn’t a hollow, token day. It’s a time to reconnect with nature and recommit ourselves to better habits that will improve the world we share. So get outside this weekend (all parks are offering free admission during National Park Week). Breathe the air. And remember to take pictures and leave only footprints while you’re there.
Picture Yourself in a National Park!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 19, 2012 
National Park Week starts Saturday, April 21st — and we’ve just launched our newest mobile app, “National Parks by National Geographic,” to help kickstart the celebration. You’ll get instant — and FREE — access to Nat Geo guides to the 20 most visited parks. The park service is offering free admission to all 397 parks from April 21-29. Share your park photos with Traveler by using our #parkpic tag on Twitter and Instagram.
Photos: Where You Went
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 17, 2012 
Our jet-setting friends on Facebook never fail to impress us with their adventures near and far. Here’s a taste of the places you and your fellow gallivanters have visited lately.
Inside Traveler: Now on Newsstands
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 17, 2012 
Nobody knows this world better than National Geographic Traveler, and this month’s issue proves it with 50 Tours of Lifetime. Our expert editors will lead you all over the globe — from Botswana to Bulgaria to bicycling the “Blue and Gray.” There’s something for everyone, guaranteed. Also in this issue: Just in time for National Park Week,…
Traveler Photo Contest: Enter + Win!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 16, 2012 
The 24th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is underway, and we’re off to a great start so far. The magazine is giving away seriously spectacular prizes this year, so you won’t want to miss your chance to win. The prizes: The grand-prize winner will earn a spot on a 10-day National Geographic Galápagos Photography Expedition to experience — and document —…
Where Did Titanic Survivors Go?
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 13, 2012 
113 Jane Street in New York City has long been a respite for weary – and cash-strapped – travelers. But in the spring of 1912, the boarding house received a rash of unexpected guests, when more than 100 Titanic survivors — many of them crewmen — sought shelter there after being rescued from sea. The…
Top 5 Nat Geo Travel Favorites
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 13, 2012 
In our digital world, we don’t have to rely on guidebooks to tell us where to go and what to see when we travel — we can just ask our friends. Since we announced the beta launch of Travel Favorites – a new social sharing tool that will help you have the most memorable trips around —…
#FriFotos: As Time Goes By
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 13, 2012 
This week’s #FriFotos theme is TIME. And what an elusive thing it is. We chose this image of a felled giant sequoia’s life rings in Yosemite National Park to remind everyone to make every day count. Some of these ancient trees have been around for close to three millenia. Puts everything in perspective, doesn’t it? Thanks to Chris…
Finding Zest in Zanzibar
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 12, 2012 
Growing up in Ohio, I never gave a second thought to cinnamon. I just accepted it as a fact of life: toasted split-top wheat bread in the morning spread with butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar. At that point in my life, spices came in little red and white plastic bottles that lived forever on…
Investigating Iceland
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 12, 2012 
In our increasingly crowded world, finding a true getaway that’s not too remote can be a challenge. Iceland remains an exception: Its cosmopolitan capital is easily accessible by plane from North America and Europe, but its wild, unspoiled landscapes can make it seem a world away. That’s why we asked Skafti Jónsson at the Embassy…
Schoooool’s Out for Summer (Almost)!
Posted by Intelligent Travel on April 11, 2012 
Ah, summer vacation. That three-month stretch with no school, no schedule, and plenty of time for family trips. The possibilities were endless back then, weren’t they, when visions of Disney World danced in your head, and the days seemed to last forever. Not every 12-year-old is as well-traveled as Reed Golomb – son of digital media vice…
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