► Blogging About Travel
From Afghanistan and Albania to Zambia and Zimbabwe we’ve got the world covered on TravelNotes.org – The Online Guide to Travel.
This is the time of year when all great travel lists are born and we spend the rest of Advent planning which part of the world map to put our finger on.
Here’s what we’ll be looking at in 2019.
You are given the window seat, on one of the last Air Berlin flights over Switzerland.
Something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time now, to make adding business listings easier, is add some order to our business categories.
All we need to do now is add more listings to the database and help promote the travel providers we do list.
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We’ve been having a problem with the automated website thumbnails generated through the screenshot plugin used in our Sites module.
Until we can get the module to capture and store the automated screenshots effectively, we have decided to manually grab screenshots and then use the generated images for website thumbnails.
The Web Page Screenshots are saved to a Public Photos album.
I’ve added a comment on each image that links to the website listing on Meta-Travel.
We could also add Social Connections and relative RSS feeds to the photos; although these are available on the website’s listing page.
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Travel and Tourism Association members on Meta-Travel can upgrade membership levels to access premium features, add an accommodation listing or create a business page, and increase their affiliate commissions.
Standard Membership:
Can create a member profile for free; join a group; add comments and rate content.
Promotion Level:
Awarded to members with a descriptive profile, including a proper profile photo (not a company logo), a nice Cover image, and active in a regional group.
Tourist:
Tourists can earn more points for their general Meta-Travel contributions and helpful comments.
Verified Member:
Verified members can add a website and exchange community points for Meta-Travel credits.
Travel Blogger:
Travel bloggers and photographers showcase their work, for extra community points.
Travel Critic:
Travel critics savour life in hotels and restaurants; the proof is in the pudding.
Tour Guide:
The tour guide waxes lyrical about the places to visit and things to do there.
Travel PR:
Public relations is good for business and these folk know how to travel right.
Travel Scribe:
It’s all about crafting the written word; travel scribes live for the thrill of the quill.
Travel Editor:
Travel Editors are highly respected members of the Meta-Travel community.
More posts will be added to cover the actions allowed for each level and feature members who work their way up the achievement ladder.
If you can’t lie back and relax on a rickshaw, then perhaps you need a yoga mat.
Our premium yoga mats are 24″ wide by 72″ tall and 0.25″ thick.
Rest assured that these products are made from environmentally friendly eco-friendly PVC.
The top of the mat has the image printed on it, and the back is solid black with textured dimples for better floor grip.
Each yoga mat includes a black carrying bag with a black shoulder strap.
Choose your favourite travel pics to custom print on your personalised yoga mat.
Our yoga mats are printed on-demand and available to ship to any destination in the world within 2 – 3 business days.
The Bank of England admitted that the new five pound notes contain animal fat, sparking something of an outrage among vociferous vegans and vegetarians on social media.
According to a Bank of England reply to a tweet on 28th November, 2016 the new plastic fivers are made with a trace of tallow; a substance derived from boiled carcasses of animals and used in the making of many candles and soaps. The main components in rendered animal fats can also be found in thousands of other everyday products, including lipstick, plastic bags, cycle tyres, crayons, and latex condoms.
Hi @Jools_Orca there is a trace of tallow in the polymer pallets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes
— Bank of England (@bankofengland) November 28, 2016
The Royal Mint released the polymer note, featuring a portrait of Winston Churchill, on 13th September, 2016. While serial number AA01 000001 was given to The Queen, some of the other early serial numbers have already been offered online for hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. Other eBay auctions have closed with less than the face value being paid.
Designed to be cleaner, safer, stronger and flexible the new £5 polymer note is the first of the Bank of England’s currency notes not to be printed on paper. For all their flexibility, the new fivers do bend and it is advisable not to fold them, says Bank of England governor Mark Carney, as it could damage the plastic.
There was also an uproar when Sir Winston Churchill was chosen to be featured on the rear (replacing 19th-century welfare reformer Elizabeth Fry, one of only two women to appear on British currency not including the Queen of England) which just goes to show that you can’t please everyone.
I actually like the note and the printed Winston quote: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat’.
This might not be the image you want as a print or on a t-shirt, but it could look great as a cushion (throw pillow).
Polymer tenners are scheduled to be introduced in 2017, featuring Jane Austen (with the quote: ‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading’); and plastic twenties could be in circulation by 2020.
If you collect our travel photography calendars, the Travel Notes 2017 Travel Photography Calendar is available to buy online; just in time for Christmas.
Individual prints are also available for that special place on your wall.
Bangkok Floating Market graces the cover.
Over eighty travel photographers entered our Cities Around The World Travel Photography contest on Fine Art America.
St Petersburg, Russia – by Michel (Travel Pics)
As picture editor, I selected the following images as best of the bunch.
I felt all images filled the frame with interest and perfectly illustrated the general theme of Cities Around The World.
Parliament House, Canberra by Steven Ralser.
The Flatiron Building by Alexandre Martins.
Panorama of Tokyo by Jill Mitchell.
Boston Skyline by Elvira Pinkhas.
Rio de Janeiro by Carlos Amaro.
Room With a River View, Chicago by Donna Spadola.
Honolulu and Waikiki by Mary Deal.
Pay them a visit to see what else they have in their portfolios.
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2016 Travel Photographer of The Year Competition.
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► Travel Up Close is the theme for Round Fifteen.
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2016 Travel Photographer of The Year Contest Themes
Previous Travel Photography Contests:
The 2016 Travel Photographer of The Year Competition moves toward the summer with a look at Beaches Around The World.
Not any old beach shot. Please think creatively and only submit your best photography with a beach as its theme.
No sunsets, sunrises nor seascapes will be considered. We’ll have these contests later.
I better say it right from the start, a lighthouse is not a beach.
Most of the submission guidelines are standard for our Travel Photography contests but they still get ignored from time to time.
* 1. Colour Travel Photography Only.
No Digital Art nor Paintings. No black and white, sepia nor digitally manipulated images.
We’re looking for Travel Photographers not masters of photo-editing software; although the crop tool can be your your best friend.
* 2. Fine Art America watermarks should not overpower the image.
No other text nor copyright notices should appear on the photograph either. If you’re worried about theft of images, don’t put them online.
* 3. Photos need good descriptions because not all of them are really worth a thousand words; on their own.
✈ We can’t go far wrong if we ask these questions to ourselves: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
► Sponsored by the Top Travel Pics group, entries that do not follow our submission guidelines will be deleted.
Images that are considered weak will also be removed from competition.
✈ Previous Contests:
An image entered in one of our travel photography contests should not be entered in another.
We’re looking for travel photographers who know what makes a good travel photograph and can display a variety of high-quality, travel images.
Although voting is open to the general public (for fun only), only pictures earning an Editor’s Choice Award may be featured on TravelNotes.org and earn points in our Travel Photographer of The Year competition.
It’s the picture editor you have to impress with your talent, vision and interpretation of the travel photography themes, not your family and friends on Facebook
✈ 2016 Travel Photography Contest – Keeping Score:
These are the real winners in the year-long challenge to be considered the best Travel Photographer on Fine Art America.
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Beaches Around The World – Submissions Thread.
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We’ll also feature some of the best Beaches Around The World pics uploaded to the Top Travel Pics Group during the fourteen days of competition; if the quality is high and the photographer posts in the relevant discussion thread.
Switch to Custom Site – Fine Art America – Pixels.
► Community Discussions ► Contact Form ► Join the Top Travel Pics Group ► Travel Pics Mailing List.
The 2016 Travel Photographer of the Year scores have been updated to include the Hotels and Accommodation (Editor’s Choice awards).
Community voting is underway and any bonus points will be updated when the results are in.
Travel Photography Contest Themes
Autumn Travel Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to Priscilla Burgers and Stacey Brooks.
People Travel Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to Peteris Vaivars and Karen Wiles.
Travel and Transportation Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to RicardMN Photography and Iryna Burkova.
Christmas Abroad Photography Contest:
No Bonus Points awarded.
Bridges Travel Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to Jane Linders and Iryna Burkova.
Winter Travel Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to Irina Hays and Inge Riis McDonald.
Landmarks Travel Photography:
1 Bonus Point for Community Votes to Inge Johnsson and Ivan Slosar.
Hotels and Accommodation:
Voting in Progress.
Famous Lakes and Rivers:
Accepting Submissions.
► These Travel Photography Contests are sponsored by the Top Travel Pics Group on Fine Art America.
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Travel Photographer Leaderboard
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15 Points
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Nikolyn McDonald: Omaha, NE.
Autumn (3), People (3), Bridges (3), Landmarks (3), Hotels (3).
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14 Points
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Iryna Burkova: Alexandria, Virginia.
Transport (3+1), Christmas (3), Bridges (3+1), Winter (3).
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7 Points
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Inge Johnsson: Frisco, TX.
Bridges (3), Landmarks (3+1).
Inge Riis McDonald: Nanaimo, Canada.
Transport (3), Winter (3+1).
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6 Points
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Ian Gledhill: Khon Kaen, Thailand.
People (3), Landmarks (3).
Juli Scalzi: Denver, CO.
Christmas (3), Hotels (3).
Landon Spady: Portland, OR.
Christmas (3), Winter (3).
Loree Johnson: On The Road, USA.
Autumn (3), Bridges (3).
Steve Harrington: Bolton, Canada.
People (3), Transport (3).
Tony Murtagh: Bicester, United Kingdom.
People (3), Transport (3).
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