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February 18, 2021
Free travel contest for YAs
Travel site CheapTickets is running the “Travel in your 20s” contest to help young people make up for all the travel opportunities they lost in 2020. If you’re between the ages of 20 and 29, you can enter to win here until March 13.
All you need to do is fill out your basic details — name, email address, physical address, and phone number — and answer the following three travel-related questions.
Would you rather wake up in a foreign country without your wallet or wake up without your passport and phone?What is the trip you most want to take before you turn 30? If you win, how will you decide where to travel to every year?”The questions are open to interpretation, meaning you can be as creative as you want. This is a good time to pull out your bucket list and start dreaming of everything you want to see, experience, and taste before you hit the big 3-0.
One contestant will win $5,000 to travel every year for the rest of their 20s. If the winner happens to be only 20 years old, that amounts to a full decade of travel worth $50,000.
If you’ve ever dreamed of island hopping in Greece, exploring Brazil’s stunning countryside, or kicking it back in Costa Rica with the sloths, this just may be your golden ticket. Get your answers ready and submit your application by March 13. 
The post Win free travel every year, but only if you’re between ages 20 and 29 appeared first on Matador Network.
Best Filipino slang
Like for any language, to truly speak Tagalog fluently and understand the people of the Philippines, you need to learn the everyday Filipino expressions. Tagalog is constantly changing — there are Filipino idioms that date back to our grandparents’ era, expressions influenced by the Spanish and American colonization, as well as pop culture-referenced street slang. To get you started on your Tagalog learning experience, here are 10 Filipino expressions that will not only help you blend in with the locals, they’ll also give you some serious street cred.
1. Anak ng ___!Meaning: Son of a ___!
Usage: A Filipino expression to convey annoyance. Just fill in the blank with any Tagalog noun, but the most common ones used by Filipinos are kamote (sweet potato), pating (shark), tokwa (tofu), teteng (no direct translation) and tinapa (smoked fish). It’s similar to the way Americans use the expression, “Son of a gun!”
Example: Anak ng tokwa! Natalo na naman ako. (Son of a tofu! I lost again.)
2. Diba?Meaning: “Right?” or “Isn’t it?”
Usage: One of the easiest Tagalog expressions to learn, diba may be placed at the start or end of your question, and you may sprinkle your English sentences with diba, making it sound like you know Taglish (Tagalog-English).
Example:
In Tagalog: Taga dito ka, diba? (You’re from here, right?”)
In Taglish: The food tastes great, diba? Diba, you’re from Manila?
Meaning: A contraction of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Usage: As an interjection, especially when you’re angry, frustrated, or in disbelief. You may also use the shorter versions, “Sus!” and “Maryosep!”
Example: Niloko na naman siya ng asawa niya? Susmaryosep! (Her husband cheated on her again? Susmaryosep!)
4. Hay nako!Meaning: Hay niko is “sigh,” but hay naku has no direct translation. Some linguists say it comes from the phrase “Nanay ko po!” which means “Oh my mother!”
Usage: Hay nako is best used to express frustration or exasperation in the likes of “Oh my,” “Oh my gosh,” “Oh dear,” or “Uh oh!”. It’s also the title of a catchy Filipino song we encourage you to listen to if you want to learn how to pronounce this Tagalog expression properly.
Example: Your friend says, “My cellphone was stolen this morning.” Your answer: “Hay naku!”
5. Ano ba?Meaning: Ano means “what,” while ba is an untranslatable word that Filipinos like to pepper their conversations with. “Ano ba?” is similar to the American expression, “What the?!”
Usage: When said calmly as a question, “Ano ba?” just means “What?” but when you say it as an interjection, it means you are annoyed, insulted, or frustrated at the person you’re talking to. For maximum effect, pronounce it this way: a-noo-bah! Other versions are: “Ano ba yan!” which literally translates to “What is that,” but has the same effect as hay naku; and “Ano ka ba?” which means, “What are you?”
Example: Your friend calls you stupid. You reply with: “Ano ba!”
6. Sayang!Meaning: As a noun, it means, “waste,” but it can also be used as the verb “to waste.”
Usage: As a Filipino expression, it translates to, “What a waste!” because you’re frustrated over something that was lost or almost achieved.
Example: Nabuhos ko yung tasa ng kape. Sayang! (I spilled my cup of coffee. What a waste!)
7. Ganon?Meaning: A shortcut of the Tagalog word ganoon (pronounced ga-no-on), ganon means, “like that.”
Usage: Saying “Ganon?” with an intonation of disbelief can mean, “Oh really?” or “Is that so?” A less sarcastic version is “Talaga?” To advance to a higher level of slang, try “May ganon?”
Example:
1. Your ex-boyfriend says, “Huwag na tayong mag-usap.” (Let’s not talk anymore.) Your reaction: “Ganon?”
2. Someone gives you a compliment. You reply with, “Talaga?”
Meaning: Short for “Anong nangyari?” which means, “What happened?”
Usage: A somewhat recent Filipino slang, anyare is a rhetorical and cooler way of asking, “What happened?”
Example: You finally arrive at the bar, only to find your friends already dead drunk. “Anyare?!”
9. Ansabe?Meaning: Short for “Anong sinabi?” which means, “What did he/she say?”
Usage: “Ansabe?” is a rhetorical way of asking what the person just said.
Example: Your normally cynical friend suddenly waxes poetic about a girl he’s in love with. You react with, “Ansabe?”
10. Bahala na!Meaning: Bahala means “care” or “responsibility,” while na means “already.”
Usage: When someone uses the Filippino expression “Bahala na!” it means he/she is entrusting the uncertainty of the situation to a higher being, to nature, or fate. If you’d like to advance your level of street Tagalog slang, include Batman (yes, the superhero) in the sentence, i.e. “Bahala na si Batman!” Translation: “Let Batman decide (or take charge)!” We cannot pinpoint exactly when in history Batman came into the picture, but this expression has been around for years.
Example:
1. You’re eating Filipino street food for the first time and you’re not sure if your sensitive stomach can handle it. You say, “Bahala na!”
2. 2. Your deadline is in an hour, but you haven’t even started with the project yet. Your officemate asks you if you can handle it. You respond with, “Bahala na si Batman!”
A version of this article was previously published on April 2, 2015, and was updated on February 18, 2021, with more information.
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February 17, 2021
CrushGlobal customized itineraries
The way we travel has changed dramatically in the last decade. We’ve been inundated with travel media that touts seeking “authentic” experiences, yet many of us, strapped to the rigors of our everyday lives, find these types of itineraries difficult to plan with limited resources and time.
Some folks have no idea where to start at all. You may be a brand new recipient of your first passport and are unsure how to put an international trip together. Or maybe you’re just looking for something different, and the usual travel media has led you to hunt down different resources.
Kristin Braswell, the founder of CrushGlobal, seeks to identify these types of issues that have left so many unsure or unsatisfied with travel planning. We spoke with Braswell about how she created the brand and where she intends to take it now.
“I have always been incredibly inspired by people I’ve met around the world: chefs, tour guides, historians, a seller at a market,” Braswell expounds on the underlying “people-first” ethos of her travel brand. “I created CrushGlobal with the aim to connect my clients directly with local people around the world, as well as educate my clients with intimate experiences like salsa lessons in Havana, a private wine tasting at a family-owned vineyard in Bordeaux, or a tour of Tokyo through the eyes of a Black tour guide.”
After years of working at publications such as CNN and ABC News, Braswell realized the life of breaking news just wasn’t for her. The crush of a constantly rotating news cycle wasn’t the life she had envisioned for herself. “I began to think about how I could make an impact as a journalist without reporting constant doom and gloom,” she says, “and realized that travel could be that ticket.”
CrushGlobal was born from the desire to share her experiences in a new way; she wanted to take a step further, to build relationships with people that journalism alone couldn’t offer. “I wanted to move beyond just reporting and find a way to make an impact on people by offering the same experiences I was having around the world,” she says of this decision.
Now, five years after launching her travel site, CrushGlobal is thriving. Much more than simple guides, Braswell carefully curates holistic travel experiences that are self-directed, so users can go at their own pace and tailor their trip to their own budget. “I believe that travel should be accessible for everyone,” says Braswell, “and this has always been why I work with almost anyone reaching out for trip services and try to find a way to make it work within their means.”
Photo: CrushGlobal
Currently, Braswell provides seven different international guides for Havana, Tokyo, Marrakech, Los Angeles, Grenada, South Africa, and Thailand. Each one is a collection of destinations, recommendations, images, inspiration, and contacts for folks offering curious experiences that travelers wouldn’t always encounter naturally abroad. Everything you find in one of her guides Braswell herself or someone on her team has experienced personally, from where you sleep to where you eat.
As with most companies in the travel sphere, CrushGlobal was also faced with having to pivot when the pandemic broke. “With international travel at a sudden halt,” Braswell says, “I decided to shift gears to domestic travel opportunities. Road trips became very popular last year, so that became my next venture.” Her Road Trip Guides feature eight thematic guides for road trips spanning three different US regions.
And if you can’t find one you love, she and her team are well versed at putting together custom itineraries for wherever you want to hit the road. “Last year, we created a road trip for a couple through Savannah and Charleston,” Braswell explains. “They wanted to focus specifically on wine tastings and supporting as many Black- and women-owned businesses as possible, which we were able to provide.” Using her vast connections that she has garnered in her years in the travel industry, she put together this custom itinerary with a specific theme. This is a service she offers anyone with something very specific in mind, or with a destination that isn’t covered by one of her pre-established guides.
Being a Black woman informs all of her guides — from highlighting Black-owned businesses to tailoring itineraries with experiences that support Black people — but with her Road Trip Guides, it was particularly important that she remain cognizant of the specific struggles that Black people can face on the open road in the US.
“Though the ‘great American road trip’ has been around and romanticized for a long time, the marketing narrative and actual logistics of such trips are often not inclusive of or safe for all people,” Braswell explains. “So my aim was to create road trips where people of color and LGBTQIA+ people felt as safe as possible on the road.”
While her itineraries can be enjoyed by anyone, her specific take, with POC and LGBTQ+ people in mind, offers more value than simply including things she herself thinks they might like. There’s the element of assuring their safety, as well, and it’s a responsibility she takes seriously. “I specifically wanted to market them as guides for people who historically may not have felt safe on the road or were looking for ways to support more diversity in travel,” Braswell says, “especially in wake of the pandemic and how greatly so many businesses suffered.”
Safety is, in many ways, the cornerstone of her road trip guides. Be it making sure that members of traditionally marginalized groups will feel safe following her itineraries or making sure that the hotels she recommends are adhering to proper COVID-19 protocols, her clients’ health and wellbeing are always at the forefront of her product.
Braswell’s goals are lofty. While her product is a series of travel guides, her overall onus is about changing the industry completely, and much of that is about diversifying the travel far beyond simple tokenization. “It’s exhausting to have to talk about challenges being both a woman and Black,” she explains about how her own personal experiences have informed her work, “I, and many Black women, simply want to travel freely like other people.”
Working to achieve this, for Braswell, is about forcing the travel industry to have its own reckoning with its internal practices, and she aims to accomplish this by empowering travelers to divest from companies and corporations that don’t take the interests of Black people to heart. “My hope is that the travel industry will make it a priority to diversify their staff and marketing narratives so that people in both the US and around the world see people of all backgrounds included.”
For Braswell, being able to direct a client to a locale where they can create their own stories is as satisfying as telling the story herself. “There’s really nothing more gratifying than knowing you have impacted someone’s life with connection or opened up their perspective of the world.”
This is why she is so determined to grow CrushGlobal — more than just a travel company, she sees it as a conduit to bring people together and to find common ground. “It’s always about the people I meet abroad, that magic of connection, and my desire to share their stories and expertise with as many people as possible,” says Braswell. “I want people to experience their gifts first hand.”
The post This tour brand is curating the coolest experiential and diverse itineraries in the industry appeared first on Matador Network.
Durham Distillery’s Corpse Reviver
There comes a time in the lifespan of a city when the old buildings that residents once knew begin to transform into something else entirely. Sometimes the historic and the modern meet, as Melissa Katrincic found on one of the first opening nights at her Durham, North Carolina, cocktail spot Corpse Reviver Bar & Lounge. A man stopped by and told her how he used to work in that very same building, back when it was used for a very different purpose: building coffins.
Today, that former coffin shop turned cocktail bar serves up drinks made with award-winning gin from Katrincic’s attached Durham Distillery — and it’s gaining widespread recognition in North Carolina’s cocktail community and beyond.
Katrincic and her husband Lee opened Corpse Reviver in October of 2020 after years of planning and more than a couple pandemic-related delays. The space, as well as the upstairs area that’s currently used as the distillery’s office, was a coffin manufacturer in the 1960s, Melissa tells me over the phone.
That’s in part how the cocktail bar got its name (“We can’t take ourselves too seriously,” she says). It’s also a nod to the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail made with absinthe, gin, vermouth, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. The bar’s logo reflects both inspirations: It’s a cocktail shaker, but one in the shape of a coffin.
Corpse Reviver is an extension of Durham Distillery, which has made innovative, award-winning gins since 2013.
Photo: Durham Distillery
The location is just as, if not more, ideal for a cocktail bar as it is a distillery. The building’s basement faces trestle train tracks that were once central to moving tobacco from Durham’s warehouses to the rest of the state. Just out front is the Durham Bulls baseball stadium featured in the 1988 baseball movie Bull Durham. Durham Distillery’s logo — a martini glass with bull horns — pays homage to the location, and you can hear the ding of batting practice on sunny days as you sip your drinks. All of this, mixed with the building’s coffin-making history, makes for a place with one foot in the past and one foot in the present.
“North Carolina is an interesting hybrid state” when it comes to spirits, Katrincic says. “It’s got the history of moonshining and bootlegging, and now it has a lot of really good new spirits on the horizon.”
The Katrincics moved to Durham from Philadelphia in 2006. Lee had worked for 20 years as a pharmaceutical chemist, and Melissa earned a degree in physics before working with ad agencies in the Northeast, including a stint with Burt’s Bees. Gin was long her spirit of choice. When the Katrincics started thinking about building a brand of their own, they set out to try as many gins as they could and eventually tasted between 150 and 200 gins to train their palates and come up with a unique expression.
“In Durham,” Melissa says, “you’ve got to ultimately be focused on quality in order to be embraced by the community. They will see through any sort of gimmick.”
For their own gin, they took a hybrid route that blends innovation and traditional distillation techniques. Durham Distillery uses a custom German-designed pot still for its flagship Conniption gins as well as a rotary evaporator that allows for vacuum cold distillation — the first distillery in the US to do so. The rotary evaporator (or rotovap) can gently extract flavors from delicate flowers and cucumbers without running roughshod over the ingredients like hotter-burning conventional distillation does.
The result is a core duo of gins with a loyal following. There’s the Conniption American Dry that’s a contemporary style perfect for people who think they don’t like gin. It’s made with familiar ingredients like juniper, coriander, angelica root, and cardamom and then seasoned with a hint of cucumber, citrus, and honeysuckle flowers distilled in the rotovap. Then there’s the Navy Strength, which sits at 57 percent ABV and is flavored with six times the amount of juniper along with cassia, coriander, caraway, rosemary, cardamom, and citrus and fig from the rotovap. It’s a gin for gin drinkers, Katrincic says, and Lee describes it as a gin that they were able “to cram as much flavor and complexity as possible” into.
Their work has earned them plenty of distinction’s at home and abroad. That includes induction into The Gin Guild — which was started in London in 1638 by Royal Charter — in 2018.
A bar that showcases the cocktails that Durham Distillery’s gins are designed for seemed like a natural addition to the business. On July 29, 2019, that became easier with the passage of North Carolina Senate Bill 290. The bill allows distilleries to sell cocktails on site for the first time in more than a century. One of the first leading the charge was the state’s very own coffin-shop-turned-cocktail-bar.
Photo: Durham Distillery
Corpse Reviver was in the works for a year before the bill passed. They planned to work around the laws in place at the time by registering the cocktail bar business under Lee’s name and keep the distillery under Melissa’s name. It wasn’t an ideal setup. They’d have to purchase their own liquor (along with all of the taxes that come along with doing so) from the distillery to sell it at the bar, for one.
Needless to say, the changed law made life easier for Durham Distillery and the rest of the 80-plus distilleries in North Carolina. Katrincic eventually predicts that other craft distilleries will have similar success, now that customers have more access to different ways to experience the spirits at distillery-owned bars.
Photo: Durham Distillery
COVID-19 slowed things down for many distilleries that planned to open their own bar the year after they were first allowed to. Corpse Reviver had a planned, and then passed, opening target of April 2020. There was a short window of time in the summer when Katrincic thought they could open, but case numbers were too high. They finally opened the bar’s doors in October with a long list of safety procedures in place, only to shut down again when cases surged in December. As of February 4, the patio side of the bar is open, and Katrincic plans to follow guidelines set by the city and state to determine when the full bar will open. When it does, a roving martini trolley will be ready to offer tableside cocktails to guests.
The true highlight of Corpse Reviver hinges on the fact that Durham Distillery and the bar have one eye toward history and another looking at what’s to come. That includes the possibility of more cocktail-friendly gin styles that’ll be served in Corpse Reviver, like Old Tom gin.
They’re also working on a special barrel-aged series that started in 2020 with planned annual releases in the fall. The first, which is aged in barrels that used to hold bourbon from High West Distillery in Utah, was a hit. Katrincic expects it’ll be completely sold out by May, though she plans to hold some of the bottles for Corpse Reviver. It goes too well in a Martinez cocktail to not keep some for the bar, she says, and the next barrel-aged release is months away.
It’s just one more reason to put this former Durham coffin shop, current gin-filled cocktail bar, on the list of places to visit as soon as travel is safe again.
The post This gorgeous new North Carolina martini bar is housed in an old coffin shop appeared first on Matador Network.
Buffalo Bill's house for rent
Halloween isn’t for many months, but you can still get a dose of horror on your next vacation by staying in Buffalo Bill’s house from Silence of the Lambs. The Pennsylvania home, used in the filming of the classic film, was sold this month for nearly $300,000 and is now owned by Art Director and Prop Stylist Christ Rowan, who purchased the house to host fans of the movies and give them a tour of the filming location.
The historic property sits on 1.7 acres of land in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles outside Pittsburgh. The film is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, but despite its age, the house still retains the aesthetics seen in the movie.
The Sisters Sold It/Youtube
On the house’s website, Rowan says, “I genuinely feel that my passion for film, my profession, and a ‘bigger calling’ presented me with the opportunity to purchase Buffalo Bill’s House. I have so many ideas to preserve the history of the home and share it with the many who love it as much as I do. I hope to see you all soon to enjoy some fava beans and a nice chianti!”
The Sisters Sold It/Youtube
Overnight bookings aren’t available just yet but are expected to open soon. To be notified when bookings become available, sign up for the house’s newsletter.
The post You can stay in Buffalo Bill’s house from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ appeared first on Matador Network.
New Mars rover landing
NASA’s fifth and newest Mars rover is getting ready to land, in one of the most precarious and challenging landings on the Red Planet to date. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is set to touch down in the Jezero Crater on Mars at 3:55 PM ET on February 18, 2021. The crater is a basin where an ancient river is believed to have flowed, and may still show signs of ancient life. The terrain, however, with steep cliffs, sand dunes, and boulder fields, makes landing the rover a tall challenge.
According to Jennifer Trosper, deputy project manager for the mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, “The Perseverance team is putting the final touches on the complex choreography required to land in Jezero Crater. No Mars landing is guaranteed, but we have been preparing a decade to put this rover’s wheels down on the surface of Mars and get to work.”
The entry is so risky some NASA engineers call it the “seven minutes of terror.” Rather than simply following tweets to track the rover’s progress, you’ll be able to watch the event live on NASA TV, with coverage starting at 2:15 PM ET on February 18.
There are several key stages to look out for, which NASA details online, but the main goal is the eventual touchdown. The rover will touch down on the surface of Mars at human walking speed. Since atmospheric conditions on Mars are difficult to predict, there’s plenty that can go wrong, so the event should prove dramatic.
The post NASA’s latest Mars rover will attempt the riskiest landing on the Red Planet yet appeared first on Matador Network.
Where to camp in PNW
The attention lavished on the Pacific Coast Highway tends to focus on its route through California. While the allure is justified, the ultimate road trip is actually due north — along the coastal highways of Oregon and Washington. As you cruise northward, you’ll see towering rock formations protruding from the Pacific Ocean, mountains covered in evergreen forests, and moody beach coves graced by the sound of waves crashing or, in calmer seasons, the laughter of children playing on sand.
The terrain is rugged and beautiful, the deep greens of moss-covered rock contrasting against the gray and brown sea stacks that were formed by coastal lava flows hardening and eroding over millions of years. As it passes through Oregon, Highway 101 is known as the Oregon Coast Highway, only to be redubbed the Pacific Coast Highway once you cross into Washington.
On your journey, you can visit the longest beach in the west, discover places to surf, hike, swim, or simply sightsee, and camp alongside the sound of the sea. The skies are famously overcast and, no matter the time of year, an inquiry about the weather anywhere en route is likely to be met with the word “chilly.” Embrace this, as it’s part of the experience, and everyone looks good in a windbreaker, anyhow. In addition to noted pull-outs, stop at — and camp near — these attractions.
Coos Bay, Oregon
Photo: Trisha Mark/Shutterstock
Two and a half hours north of the California state line, Coos Bay is home to a trifecta of state parks begging for a hike, or at least to pose for your camera: Cape Arago, Shore Acres, and Sunset Bay state parks. Start at the latter and book a campsite here, online in advance, and make it a basecamp for your adventures in the area. From here, you can hike the trail through all three parks, stopping at clifftop overlooks and beaches along the way for picnics.
Nearby Shore Acres is home to a beautiful garden and secluded beach access points to Simpson Beach — not to be confused with the area’s Simpson Reef, where hardcore surfers brave a rocky entrance into a poweful wave. At the end of the trail and road out of Coos Bay, Cape Arago epitomizes the coastal experience in the Pacific Northwest, with its jagged rocks protruding from the water and views extending beyond into the mist. This is a popular lookout point for wildlife, including migrating whales and seals.
Florence, Oregon
Photo: Stas Moroz/Shutterstock
Florence, an hour north of Coos Bay, is defined by its massive pier, extending from the shore out of view into the hazy Pacific. Walking the pier is eerily fun, but the best thing to do in Florence is to check out the Sea Lion Caves, a privately owned wildlife preserve. This massive cave system extends through a series of caverns that give way to the ocean, and hosts large rafts of sea lions. Their calls echo through the caves. Make it all the way down to just above where the sea lions roost for a unique photo opp.
Downtown Florence is lined with souvenir shops and restaurants. Stop at 1285 Restobar for a rich plate of crab ravioli in lobster sauce or the Waterfront Depot for a cajun fish burger. Camping is available at Harbor Vista Campground and Park, a county park that can be reserved here, and South Jetty RV and Camping Resort.
Just north of town is Heceta Beach, a resort community and small town with expansive beach access. Worth stopping at on your way north to Lincoln Beach (or south, if traveling the opposite direction) is the Heceta Head Lighthouse, about 20 minutes north of Florence. The structure was built in the 1800s and is now a bed and breakfast, but a quick photo of the Pacific from the State Scenic Viewpoint or Conical Rock is enough to capture the experience.
Lincoln Beach and Rockaway Beach, Oregon
Photo: Ramblin Rod/Shutterstock
Maybe The Ramones were really singing about Oregon, not New York’s Rockaway Beach, in their 1977 classic of the same name. Whether or not that’s true, the West Coast’s Rockaway is “not hard, not far to reach,” and neither is Lincoln Beach — four hours and two-and-a-half hours north of Coos Bay, respectively. The former is an iconic Oregonian tourist stop, a tiny town with surfable waves year-round (bring a 5/4mm wetsuit) and a row of old beach motels that stand as a throwback to the era of “Endless Summer,” even if that summer was endlessly chilly up here on the Oregon coast. Camp at Barview Jetty Park or one of the numerous RV campgrounds on Highway 101.
Lincoln Beach is home to Fishing Rock State Recreation Site, one of the best spots for whale watching on the Pacific coast. If you don’t see whales at Fishing Rock, head a few minutes south of town to Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint (known to locals as Brigg’s Landing) and try again — this time from higher up on the moss-covered rock and with the eerie vibes of a ghost ship surrounding you. In 1917, the steamship J. Marhoffer crashed into the rocks here, catching fire and firmly embedding the spot into local legend. Several RV resorts are located along the highway, or visit Hipcamp to reserve a private campsite along the coast or further inland in the forest.
Before you cross into Washington via the Astoria Bridge, stop in Astoria to check out the 125-foot Astoria Column on Coxcomb Hill and again to take at least a few photos of the Columbia River at its most vast and Mississippi-esque just before it dumps into the Pacific. Your next stop is just across the state line.
Cape Disappointment State Park
Photo: JasonRenfrow/Shutterstock
Captain John Mears so thoroughly struggled to find the Columbia River in the 1700s that an entire location was dedicated to commemorating his misery. That place is Cape Disappointment State Park, now a much more joyous spot to enjoy hikes, view some lighthouses, and generally welcome yourself to the Evergreen State. Towering waves crash into the rocks here, perhaps a contributing factor in the Columbia River’s mouth being so hard to enter via ship. If you wish to stay overnight, there are 137 campsites located on site. If continuing on, stop for long enough to take a good stroll at Long Beach, a quick drive north of Cape Disappointment. This 28-mile stretch of beach is the longest on the West Coast, hence its name.
Grays Harbor, Washington
Photo: John T Callery/Shutterstock
Encapsulating an entire county, Grays Harbor is worthy of at least a night or two on your drive north. Many beaches are available for swimming, fishing, and lounging, including Copalis Beach, Damon Point, and Ocean Shores Beach. If fishing (or eating ultra-fresh seafood) is your jam, head to the town of Westport on the south side of the harbor. Here, coastal culture shines in all its glory. Fishing boats line the dock, and the restaurants a stone’s throw away serve that day’s catch in all its incarnations. If visiting in May, sign up for a whale watching tour, as more than 20,000 gray whales pass by less than a mile from shore.
Finish at Olympic National Park
Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
The most popular attraction on and near the Washington coast is Olympic National Park, where the Hoh Rain Forest, which gets 140 inches of annual rainfall, stuns visitors with its bright green moss-covered trees. The park is also home to massive Mount Olympus, which rises 7,980 feet, and popular hiking destinations like Hurricane Ridge, among several other stunning trails.
Less known to many is that the massive, 1,440-square-mile park also includes a separate, stunning 73-mile-long oceanside stretch of the Olympic Peninsula. Here, Ruby Beach is a lovely stop before venturing inland to the main section of the park. Even before you reach Ruby Beach, be sure to stop at the Kalaloch Tree Root Cave, living proof of the rainforest’s refusal to succumb to the powers of the ocean. Here, a massive tree root forms an enterable cave where the forest and sea meet head-on. Camp in the adjacent parking lot and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean — a fitting end to a picture-perfect journey.
The post For the ultimate Pacific Coast road trip, go north to Oregon and Washington appeared first on Matador Network.
Nepal proposes ban women traveling
A new law has been proposed in Nepal by the Department of Immigration that would prohibit many women from traveling abroad without the permission of their families and government officials.
The law, which would require all women under 40 to obtain permission before traveling to Africa or the Middle East for the first time, is designed to prevent women from being trafficked.
Unsurprisingly, the proposal has not been well-received. Hundreds of women gathered in protest of the law on Friday in Kathmandu, as part of a march to call attention to rape and other infringements of women’s rights.
Hima Bista, executive director at Women Lead Nepal, told the protestors, “What is extremely dangerous is the thought process behind it. The very fact that a policymaker is thinking about drafting this law restricting the movement of adult girls and women tells us how deep-rooted the patriarchal mindset is.”
According to The Guardian, Nepal’s Human Right Commission estimated that 35,000 people were victims of human trafficking in 2018, including 15,000 women and 5,000 girls. Activists don’t believe that this proposed law, which does not take into consideration the many male victims of human trafficking in the country, is the right way to handle the issue.
A similar ruling was recently announced in Gaza, which prohibited unmarried women from traveling without permission from their male guardians. It prompted immediate backlash from human rights activists, who claimed it breached Palestine’s anti-gender discrimination laws. The ruling is currently being redrafted.
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Salt Lake City outdoor adventure
Salt Lake City, Utah, is the perfect hub for wintertime adventures. With a major airport and the epic Wasatch Mountains — along with their chart-topping snowfall — less than an hour away, Salt Lake is becoming a go-to for outdoor enthusiasts wanting to make the most of a few days in nature, particularly during the colder months. These images show some of the incredible experiences you can have near Salt Lake City in the winter.
1We arrive in Salt Lake ready to explore. Our first activity begins just 15 minutes from the airport. We decide to explore the City Creek Center, a space right in downtown Salt Lake City filled with open architecture, shops, and restaurants. The four of us are impressed by the open-air architecture and mixed-use space.
2We drive right outside of the city to begin our snowy adventures, driving southeast from Salt Lake into Little Cottonwood Canyon. Winter often gets a bad wrap for traveling because folks are intimidated by the cold, but great gear can keep you comfortable in all temperatures. We brought the Rumpl Travel Blanket, which packs down to the size of a Nalgene and kept us cozy on the plane, when we’d bundle up to hop out of the car for some sightseeing, and later when we were camping.
3At Little Cottonwood Canyon is one of the many canyons that make Salt Lake such an incredible hub for outdoor adventure. We are ready to make our way into the woods. We pile snacks and water into our packs, strap on snowshoes, and venture on the White Pine Lake Trail into aspens surrounded by a blanket of fresh snow. Snowshoeing is similar to hiking, but the large flat area under your feet disperses your weight to keep you from sinking into the snow.
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4Winter camping is intimidating to many people, but by following a few tips it can be a super way to enjoy the outdoors in winter. We made sure to bring gear that would keep us cozy throughout the night. Warm sleeping bags and sleeping pads are a must, and a Nalgene full of boiling water keeps our toes warm until we fall asleep. Cozy in our tents, we fall asleep ready for the adventures the next day has in store.
5Our first full day begins with a summit of Toledo Peak. Touring into the backcountry consists of putting skins, or strips of material that create friction, on the bottom of your skis to enable you to travel upward. It’s incredibly important to be safe when traveling in the backcountry due to avalanche risk. Not only did we come in having taken avalanche courses, but we hired guides from The Backcountry Pros. It’s vital to hire guides who are certified and come with years of experience, as well as guides who make you feel comfortable. Our guide, Alex, pictured above, taught us about snow science and safety on our tour. He ensured we were safe and kept us laughing, all while beating us up the skin track.
6Many folks backcountry ski in the Wasatch Mountains, the range right outside of Salt Lake City. If you’d like to take your tour a step further, you can look into hiring a guide to make it even more interesting and add climbing. We hired The Backcountry Pros to help us summit Toledo Peak, a peak across from the Alta Ski Area, via a ridgeline. This required gear like crampons (traction devices), rope, harnesses, and placing trad gear (climbing devices that help protect you against falls). Safe to say, we were grateful to have an experienced guide.
7After hours of skinning up and climbing, we finally reached the 10,530-foot summit of Toledo Peak. The views of the surrounding mountains were incredible, and it made us realize how breathtaking the Wasatch Range is. You don’t need to climb Toledo Peak to have views like this, either. The Wasatch has hiking trails that make views like this accessible to anyone. Again, make sure you are properly equipped and know what to do in order to safely travel through avalanche terrain.
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8After a day of exhausting adventure, we make our way to The Cliff Lodge, where we are staying for the night. The Cliff Lodge is unlike any hotel we’ve stayed at. It’s situated in a canyon at Snowbird, surrounded by epic, snow-covered mountains. The rooftop pool and hot tub at the Cliff Spa have views that take our breath away. We relax our sore muscles in warm water while taking in the views.
9We have a reservation at SeventyOne and are grateful that there is such a delicious restaurant right at the hotel. SeventyOne looks out over the Snowbird resort, so we dig into Moscow mules and such satisfying meals as roasted salmon while we observe the pistes we will be skiing the next day.
10We get a good night's sleep but don’t go out skiing right away. Instead, we head out early to drive metal sticks into ice. As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to go with guides you trust. We rehire The Backcountry Pros to take us ice climbing, and we get to try our hand at a sport that isn’t as scary as it may seem. It’s key to have the right knowledge and clothes for winter activities. We recommend opting for gear made to withstand wind and water, like the Bertagen Eco-Shell Trousers pictured above.
11With just enough time to get a few powder runs in, we head back to Snowbird after a morning of scaling walls of frozen water. We cannot believe how deep the powder is for being in a resort. Then again, with 500 inches of average annual snowfall, Snowbird is one of the snowiest resorts in the country, and we are grateful to be skiing there. The snow is light, fluffy, and plentiful. It’s no wonder Utah claims to have the greatest snow on Earth, and why people flock to Salt Lake City in the winter.
More like thisOutdoorThis road trip shows there’s even more to Utah than its national parksThe post The most epic winter adventure weekend near Salt Lake City appeared first on Matador Network.
JetBlue is slashing fares
JetBlue is slashing prices and offering its cheapest fare yet, but it comes at a price — the tickets don’t include a carry-on bag. In an effort to compete with low-cost airlines like Spirit and Frontier, JetBlue is launching “Basic Blue,” a highly-discounted fare that travelers will be able to purchase as early as next week.
JetBlue will no longer include free carry-on luggage for its Basic Blue ticket for two reasons. Firstly, the carrier wants to align its regulations with no-frills competitors, and secondly, passengers who have purchased a ticket with checked luggage included will have overhead space. Checked luggage fees currently run from $35 for the first bag and from $45 for the second bag as indicated in the airline’s fee chart.
Additionally, beginning on July 20, any passenger within the US who books a fare other than Blue Basic will be guaranteed space for their carry-on. If for any reason the aircraft can’t adhere to this, JetBlue will issue a $25 travel credit that is valid for a year.
The lack of legroom and overhead bin space have been major issues for travelers, which is why JetBlue is trying to fix that. “We’re really excited to be offering this…first-of its-kind in the United States carry-on bag guarantee,” said Dave Clark, JetBlue vice president of sales and revenue management. “We think that makes our (standard economy) Blue Fare really strong.”
In a memo to its employees, JetBlue stated, “As customers return, we want to hold on to a little of this zen during the boarding process and make overhead bin space an expectation, not a gamble.”
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