Today, Gekko announced the launch of Gekko.com in Beta, the first online service that uses proprietary technology to find places suited to your tastes based on your unique profile and the preferences of likeminded people. Unlike most travel, review or lifestyle sites, Gekko.com gives you an easy way to find an ideal place without searching through the hundreds of thousands of hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs available online. Gekko’s smart matching technology matches you to a much smaller selection of 20 highly targeted and relevant spots that you are most likely to enjoy and shows recommendations from other Gekko community members who have similar profiles and tastes.

“People don’t have time to spend hours online looking for a restaurant or hotel, and then waste their money making the wrong choice,” said Dino Van Es, founder of Gekko. “Most websites provide an overwhelming amount of information, but in an anonymous, impersonal way. Gekko is taking a different approach by applying the idea of smart matching and personalized recommendations to travel, in the same way that Netflix did for movies and Last.fm did for music.”

Gekko has been developing its technology and service over the last year. After doing market research by surveying 7,500 people across Europe and the US, Gekko worked with leading marketing intelligence firm MI Company to develop the unique matching algorithm behind the Gekko Profiler. The research showed that people were taking more than 40 criteria into consideration when choosing a hotel or a restaurant. The algorithm helped reduce this list to nine determinant choices with different relative weight, making it possible for people to not only easily profile themselves, but also get the right recommendations instantly from what will become the largest and richest database of hotels and restaurants around the world.

Gekko combines this powerful underlying technology with the human-touch of peer-to-peer matching to ensure that everyone can find spots perfectly matched to their own individual tastes. Starting today in Beta, Gekko can already make recommendations from its quickly expanding database of more than 55,000 hotels, with 10,000 bookable restaurants being added in the next month.

“The combination of the ‘Gekko Profiler’ and smart personality matching with others in our community means that Gekko can offer members highly targeted and relevant results, rather than the typical list of 200 or more options that can take hours to evaluate,” said George Henderson, Gekko’s Chief Operating Officer. “Gekko puts the user firmly in control so they have all the information they need to make the best choices and help guarantee the best experiences.”

Gekko was founded in February 2008 by entrepreneur Dino Van Es and is backed by a group of individual investors. Visit www.gekko.com to make your own Gekko Profile and start discovering places and people around the world.

Night shot © Marcus Österberg

A landmark in the Swedish city Gothenburg. The building is called Läppstiftet, “The Lipstick”.

I have been a fan of Rolf Potts’ writings ever since I read his story Storming ‘The Beach’ on Salon.com in ’99. Since then he has reported from over fifty countries for publications such as Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler and The Guardian.

Potts’ book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Random House, 2003) endorses the ethic of independent travel, and his newest book Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer (Traveler’s Tales, 2008) is a collection of highly entertaining and insightful stories.

Photo by Fritz Liedtke

I recently got in touch with Rolf Potts for a short interview.

Erica Johansson: First, why did you decide to become a travel writer?

Rolf Potts: I don’t know if there was ever a clear line between desire and decision. I mean, lots of people want to be travel writers, and many people dabble in it, and I was no different. I guess my transition from desiring and dabbling to an actual decision to do it happened over ten years ago, when I was first writing for Salon.com. At that point I’d been making stabs at travel writing for nearly five years, but nothing had workedout. When I started publishing in Salon, I decided to concentrate my energies and make it happen. Over ten years later, I’m still concentrating those energies, still making it happen. And it’s been great!

How did you get your first writing assignment?

Most of my early stories were written on spec, so I had already published quite a bit before I got a formal assignment. In some ways, the “Vagabonding” column I wrote for Salon was my first assignment, though that emerged out of months of spec work. My Salon column attracted the attention of an editor at Conde Nast Traveler, and my first formal assignment came from that magazine in 2000. The Laos journey I took for that magazine eventually become a chapter, “Toura Incognita,” in my latest book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There.

What is the most rewarding aspect of travel writing?

There are many rewarding aspects of travel writing. The ability to obsess on both travel and writing, and to communicate certain travel experiences, is great. I’d say the biggest reward is when a story comes together just right, when I can take a very specific and unique travel experience and make it speak to something more broadly human and universal.

How was the response for your latest book Marco Polo Didn’t Go There?

The response has been great. I think people have been approaching the book expecting some entertaining armchair travel experiences — and the book provides plenty of far-flung stories — but I’m getting the most feedback on the “commentary track” endnotes, which look into the story behind each story. I think people aren’t used to thinking about travel stories in this way — they aren’t used to considering how stories were lived versus how they are constructed and communicated — and they love this aspect of the book.

The book has also sold surprisingly well, considering it was released amid a busy presidential election season and a global economic crash. It’s been doing about as well as my first book Vagabonding — which is great, since Vagabonding has such a broad and enthusiastic readership.

What is your best piece of advice for aspiring travel writers?

I always say to read a lot, write a lot, and travel a lot. And travel well. Make yourself an expert in some aspect of travel. That always gives you more to offer readers. I might also suggest that writers really know their markets — know which magazines and websites are open to what kind of writing. If you aren’t passionately familiar with the content and format of a given outlet, odds are you’ll never land a story there.
 

What has been your biggest challenge and how have you worked to
overcome it?

My ongoing challenge is focus and discipline. It’s a big world, with so many places to go and so many things to write about. It’s a constant challenge to discipline myself into not seeing too far into the future, to focus on being where I am, and writing about the experience at hand.

If time and money weren’t an object, where in the world would you travel?

If money weren’t an object, I’d go to Antarctica. I’ve always wanted to go there, and I plan to get there one day. I’d also like to return to Africa, once I’m able to create the time. I’ve only spent a few days in sub-Saharan Africa, and I’d love to return to the continent and travel slow.

For more information about Rolf Potts including published books, stories, essays, previous interviews, upcoming events and photos from his travels, visit www.rolfpotts.com

Lanzarote Guidebook highlights the volcanic attractions of the Canary Island Lanzarote.

Written by Lanzarote Guidebook

Thanks to a six year long eruption which submerged around one third of the island beneath a sea of lava in the 1730′s, the small Canary Island of Lanzarote is home to a whole host of incredible volcanic attractions.

Amongst the most breathtaking of these is the incredible underground house and studio created by the island born artist and architect Cesar Manrique.  The house is constructed out of five bubbles in the lava flow — a sight that never fails to blow visitors away.

Manrique was working in New York and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol as tourism first started to take off in Spain in the late 1960′s.  Under the aegis of General Franco huge swathes of the southern Spanish coastline were surrendered to property developers and hotel chains.  Manrique feared that his birthplace, blessed with beaches and year round sunshine, could soon face a similar fate.

Manrique

As a result he returned to Lanzarote and began to campaign for the controlled evolution of tourism on the island.  A brave, some would say visionary, stance given the times and the political climate.  Manrique however had friends in high places — in the shape of the island governor Pepin Ramirez. Together they began to campaign against untrammelled development, successfully securing an island wide ban on high rise construction. Along with the eradication of all advertising hoardings.

Manrique was much more than just a conservationist alone though.  He fully recognised the economic importance of tourism to this small island, located just eighty miles off the coast of West Africa.  He planned to create a series of tourist attractions that would fuse art with nature — iluminating an alternative path to the characterless golf courses and water parks springing up in other Spanish sun spots.

Most of his fellow islanders thought he was crazy.  Who was going to want to visit these old bits of rock and lava?  But Manrique forged ahead — and having found five underground volcanic chambers in the middle of a lava flow implemented a project to unite these bubbles and transform them into a house and studio.  So providing an example of what could be achieved with Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape.

Manrique’s project in fact won widespread international acclaim and many architectural plaudits when it was first completed in 1968.  This helped to attract a number of VIP visitors — such as Peter Sellers and Omar Sharif — to this novel new holiday destination.

Indeed actor Sharif was so impressed that he commissioned Manrique to build him a similar home, which resulted in the construction of Lag Omar (Omars Lake) at nearby Nazaret.  But the inveterate gambler wagered the property in a high stakes game of bridge soon after taking possession — and lost.  Then left the island in a fit of pique, never to return.  Today his former home houses some of Lanzarote’s most upmarket restaurants.

Manrique went on to build on the success of his first project (today preserved as the Cesar Manrique Foundation) creating a total of seven unique tourist sites across the island.  Including the breathtaking Jameos del Agua — where he transformed a massive, collapsed lava tube into an incredible underground audotiurm.

As a result of Manrique’s efforts and the island’s unique volcanic landscape Lanzarote was declared a UNESCO protected biosphere in 1994.  The first island in the world to enjoy such status.

When driving in unfamiliar places, be prepared for unforeseen road obstructions such as fallen trees, potholes, animals, puddles and downed power lines. Vroom Vroom Vroom, an eco-friendly car rental comparison and booking Web site, lists five ‘To Swerve or Not to Swerve’ driving tips.

Written by Vroom Vroom Vroom

Tip #1: When faced with potholes

• Pay attention to tire pressure. Keep tire pressure at level recommended by manufacturer, which will protect against tire damage on impact.
• Don’t swerve to avoid potholes. You may think it’s the best option, but swerving can cause your front wheel and tire on the car to hit the edge of the pothole causing more damage than hitting it straight on.
• Don’t brake just because you see a pothole. Heavy braking compresses the front suspension of the car and will have a tendency to force the tire and wheel down into the pothole, instead of gliding over.

Tip #2: Be aware of your surroundings

• If road signs indicate the presence of animals, rock slides or flooding, reduce speed accordingly.
  • Animals are more common in areas where creeks, rivers or streams run parallel to or intersect a road.
• Watch for activity on the shoulder or the reflection of your headlights in the animal’s eyes.
  • Note, however, that some larger animals, such as moose, may stand above the range of your headlights.
• Watch for the flickering headlights or tail lights of other cars, which may indicate unexpected breaking or warning signals.
• If road reflectors disappear and reappear, animals may be crossing.
• Make a mental note of what you would do if any sort of obstruction were to appear in front of your vehicle.

Tip #3: In the case of animals

• Reacting to animals on the road is very situational. If you encounter a small to medium sized animal, it is often best to apply the breaks but maintain your course. Although the animal may not survive the impact, you will fair significantly better. Swerving may put you in the direct path of oncoming cars or other more substantial inanimate objects.
  • This should not be considered an absolute rule. If a driver is able to determine that they can safely swerve around the animal without endangering themselves or other motorists, then they should follow their instincts.
• Moose and similarly sized animals are the exception to the aforementioned rule. Impact with a moose, which can weigh up to 1200 lbs, increases the chance for injury or death to driver/passengers dramatically. When presented with this situation, it is best to swerve around the animal.
  • The wildlife Collision Prevention Program notes: “If a crash with a moose is inevitable, crouch as low as possible in your seat, or under the dash, as a moose’s body usually ends up crushing the roof of a car completely flat.

Tip #4: When dealing with puddles & fallen trees

• The dangers of swerving apply in all driving situations, not just when confronted with an animal.
  • Always try to break short of the obstruction.
• Puddles may cause a car to hydroplane, but swerving may cause an immediate crash.
  • Maintain low speeds when the streets are wet and never swerve into oncoming traffic.

Tip #5: If you see live electrical wires

• Avoid downed power lines. A car’s tires should insulate the car from an electrical current, but any number of variables could compromise the safety of car and passengers.

British publisher and Austrian Internet start-up bring longest running travel guides to web and mobile platform.

Social travel guide tripwolf has announced a partnership with Footprint Books, the publishers of the longest running travel guides in the English market. The first act of the new partnership is integrating Footprint’s Peru Handbook into tripwolf’s web platform and mobile version.

“It is fantastic to see Peru content from our Footprint Handbooks on tripwolf.com and on the beta version of the tripwolf iPhone application”, says Footprint Marketing Manager, Liz Harper. “We looked at various potential partners to make Footprint content available through new channels and tripwolf has clearly convinced us with their innovative approach and unique offerings for users.”

With this partnership, tripwolf.com strengthens its strategy of combining professional editorial travel content with user-generated content from thousands of globetrotters worldwide. On tripwolf.com individual travelers can create their personalized travel guides, based on recommendations from expert “trip gurus,” friends and other travelers.

“Personally, Footprint Handbooks have been my favourite travel guides for years,” says tripwolf CEO Sebastian Heinzel. “On my trips to Peru, India and Vietnam I have been impressed by the breadth and depth of their coverage. I cannot imagine a better English language partner for tripwolf.”

For the German version of its platform, tripwolf entered into a partnership with the MairDumont Group, publishers of the German “Marco Polo” travel guides, last year. tripwolf versions in French, Italian and Spanish will be launched this spring.