Inspired By Nature

Recently we were contacted to be interviewed about our involvement in the Mongol Rally by a writer for the Huffington Post. It was before we left for Antarctica and we were very busy, but we took an hour out of our time to talk with him on Skype.

We know the importance of publicity and to talk to a journalist who was writing an entire post about our experience on a popular website could drive some awesome traffic to our blog and raise our online profile. And since the Huffington Post is a page rank 8, it will be good link juice too. Regardless of if page rank is relavent or not anymore it?s still a great link back.

So imagine our surprise when we saw the article and there was no link to our website. There were two other links to the Mongol Rally and The Adventurists Website which I can understand, but why would they omit us, the people who the article is about?

Now for those of you that don?t blog for a living, linking is an important part of our community. It is not only the polite thing to do, but the right thing to do. When we quote someone, interview someone, review a product or even mention a fellow blogger in one of our posts, we give them links. So why are larger companies refusing to give the little guy links from their site?

This seems to be a growing trend. When I posted my frustration on facebook, other people shared some articles with me regarding moments where the same thing has happened.  We?ve had it happen many times, once a photo of ours was used on AOL travel with a tiny credit, but no link. FoxNews used an entire paragraph that we wrote and submitted regarding our experience training in Muay Thai in Thailand and never they never even acknowledged our website and the Toronto Star failed to mention our website in an entire two page spread interview with us.

Mathew Igram of Gigaom.com raises the issue, Is Linking Just Polite, or is it the Core Value of Journalism. His article was about giving credit where credit is due. The Wall Street Journal didn?t give credit to TechCrunch writer MG Siegler for breaking news about Apple. Two hours later the WSJ reported the same news but didn?t link to TechCrunch even though every other news source linked to his original article.  He rants about it with gusto here.  

Thanks to The Travelers Way for sharing these links.

While we didn?t break any news and our rant isn?t about the credibility of the article although he got many facts wrong, like we were never in Tajikistan and we never claimed that finding a gas station was difficult, among other mistakes regarding the Mongol Rally rules, we can?t understand why an online publication wouldn?t do the simple act of adding a link to our website when the article was about our adventure.

When we asked him about the link and if he knew what happened, this was the reply that we got.

?It?s the editor?s discretion with which links are included and I have no control over this. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I hope this article give?s you and your team publicity.

Deb:
Well, it won?t.

When I tweeted the Huffington Post to ask them if they could put a link in and sent them a request on facebook, they didn?t acknowledge me. It?s strange to feature a person on your website and then not even acknowledge them when they enquire about said piece.

What I was surprised about is that the Huffington Post is an online publication. I could possibly understand it coming from Mainstream media, as some are still a little behind the curve when it comes to the online world.

Now I am not sure if Colten just forgot to give them our link or if the Huffington Post decided to omit our website, but when he references our blog in the article by saying ?Fortunately for the adventure couple, they soon hit on blogging as means of supporting their penchant for the treacherous and absurd? you would think that they would let people know where they can find that blog.

A friend of mine messaged me to say that we should have a contract or written agreement whenever we do an interview with a publication like this from now on stating that we require a link back to our site. That is a great idea. We bloggers need to organize ourselves better. Dave and I never asked for the linkback when doing the interview, we assumed that they would automatically include it. So it is our fault. We should have been more specific.

We?ve had things like this happen on more than one occasion and have remained silent. For some reason, this Huffington Post incident really hit a nerve and I decided that I had to write about it. Someone on facebook said to me that you don?t want to upset the HuffingtonPost, they may not interview you again. To which I replied, ?their interview didn?t do anything for us in the first place, so I don?t think it will matter if they interview us in the future.? Besides, I don?t think the Huffington Post could care one iota about what we think. And so Huffington Post you can take your link and shove it.

Here?s there link, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/colten-mccormick/racing-for-ulaanbaatar_b_1300374.html

You?ll have to copy and paste the code because out of principal, I?m not giving them a link back either, but in case you want to read it, go ahead.

Have you ever had something like this happen. If so how did you deal with it?
Do you think I am over reacting and should just get over it?

Passengers from the stricken liner, Costa Allegra, left adrift in the Indian Ocean after a fire on board, are being shipped to the luxurious Desroches Island in the Seychelles, and to safety. Desroches Island has been chosen as a sanctuary for distressed passengers from the ship due to its ability to facilitate them comfortably.

Desroches Island is one of the few outer islands of the Seychelles that can accommodate some of the passengers and crew and will assist in evacuating the remaining to Mahe, as there were over 1000 people on board.

The Costa Allegra, which is owned by the same Italian company that owns the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Tuscany last month, was stranded without power after a fire in its engine room. Costa Cruises confirmed there are 636 passengers on the Costa Allegra, 31 Britons and one Irish person, along with 413 crew members. All passengers and crew on the liner are reported to be safe and the fire has been extinguished.

Two tugboats from the Seychelles are towing the Costa Allegra, a ship that weighs 28,597-tonnes, to Descroches Island. Accommodation at Desroches? surpasses that offered at many of the most prestigious island hotels and resorts and it usually serves as a retreat for captains of industry, world leaders and renowned celebrities, so the Costa Allegra?s passengers and crew will be in tranquil and luxurious surrounds.

The coastguard said that following a period at Desroches Island, passengers would be transferred to the Seychelles? main island.

In a statement the ship?s owner, Costa Crociere, said no one was hurt in the fire and it was quickly extinguished.

?The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and procedures were promptly activated and the special firefighting units intervened to extinguish (the) fire,? the statement said.

?The fire did not spread to any other area of the ship. There were no injuries or casualties.?

Captain Giorgio Moretti said the air conditioning and lights had been knocked out when the power went, but emergency generators kept the command room lit and instruments such as its radio functioning.

Apparently, the rest of the ship was dark, although passengers were allocated large communal rooms rather than their cabins as night fell.

?We are very fortunate to have truly excellent, passionate members of staff that will ensure all passengers of the Costa Allegra are well looked after and cared for? commented Mark Leslie, General Manager of Desroches Island.

A Haida elder named Viola Burgess made history on this day. We were on the banks of a newly restored salmon stream in Alaska, where dozens of people had come from near and far to celebrate as wild salmon splashed their way upstream in crystalline water. Viola had renamed the stream, once so damaged it was thought to be beyond repair.

?Several years back, we were kind of unhappy about the name Fubar,? she told me, using the name it earned after the logging heydays in the Alaska panhandle. ?I didn?t know the meaning of it for a long time. And when I did hear it, I said ?change it?. We wanted something of beauty.?

Viola speaks from a powerful place. In the matrilineal society of the Haida, Viola holds the title of Clan Mother of the Raven Double-Fin Killer Whale Women. Her words carried an immeasurable weight, though as she ambled down the forest path that day, her light step barely scuffed the gravel beneath her feet.

Salmon and People

The day was about celebrating the return of the stream?s integrity: reversing its ugly name and making it right for wild salmon?the keystone species of the Tongass coastal rainforest. Bears, bald eagles, and orcas eat salmon, and the list goes on.

Salmon is also what sustains the people of the Tongass. Viola herself told me that when she asked her centenarian uncle to reveal the secret of his health, he replied with a simple answer: eating salmon every day.

The logging heydays were rough on salmon streams in the Tongass, and nowhere was this more true than on Prince of Wales Island. Trees grow big here, and the forests provided giant pulp mills with a steady stream of fiber ? but at a cost.

Though logging brought jobs and more people to this remote region of Alaska, early logging practices simply weren?t sound. Forests and streams took a hit. Now, restoration opportunities abound, which could lead to jobs for local people and better fish and wildlife habitat.

Today we know the stream was not beyond repair. Restoration is complete, thanks to the National Forest Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy. Crews of heavy equipment operators from S & S General Contractors did the heavy work of moving rocks and logs.

Restoring More than a Stream

Now, with the stream restored, the Haida name selected by Viola is a fitting one: Gaandlaay Haanaa. In her Haida language, it means Beautiful River. Village of Hydaburg Mayor Anthony Christianson, a carver in the traditional Haida style, made a sign of red cedar and yellow cedar. It now proclaims the name for all to see.

Because the salmon streams of the Tongass National Forest supply a third of the U.S. wild salmon catch, some say the real value of the forest lies in its streams. For this reason, some call it a salmon forest.

The Tongass is also a Native place, where traditions run deep. ?Our entire life cycle depends on the salmon life cycle,? Anthony says. ?Without the salmon in this region we?d probably not exist.?

For people to thrive here, the salmon must thrive. And for salmon to thrive, people must thrive. As Viola has taught us, it takes a village to do conservation right.

Note: Elder Viola Burgess passed away in December, 2011.

With her family?s permission, we share her words with you in a video, ?Making Fubar Beautiful: Restoring Salmon Streams in Alaska?s Tongass,? that records the incredible sentiments of that celebratory day last fall, when people came together with feasting and dancing to rightfully give a respectful name to a restored salmon stream.

(First image: Haida elder Viola Burgess at Gaandlaay Haanaa celebration on Alaska?s Prince of Wales Island in 2011. First image credit: ©Kathy Peavey/TNC. Second image: lack bear with wild salmon on Alaska?s Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest. Second image credit: ©Bridget Besaw/TNC)

Tags: Alaska, Anthony Christianson, Beautiful River, commercial fishing, forest, Gaandlaay Haanaa, haida, National Forest Foundation, Nature Conservancy, Prince of Wales Island, salmon, salmon stream, spawning salmon, Tongass, Tongass coastal rainforest, U.S. Forest Service, video, Viola Burgess, wild salmon

If you?re thinking about heading off to Florida for spring break (more on that tomorrow), then consider Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) as an alternative to Orlando International Airport.  About 18 miles north of Jacksonville itself, the airport is just a couple hours? drive from Orlando, home of popular theme parks and many more Florida attractions.

History of JAX

Originally, the airport was built to help the city cope with an influx of passengers because of large regional naval bases. Construction began in 1965. The airport replaced Imeson Field and also became home to a small air force base, the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base. At the start, the airport was slow to expand, carrying about 2 million passengers a year, but when passenger numbers increased, an expansion plan was put into place, starting in 2000 and ongoing, with plans to extend the concourses by 2020. The airport has two runways and two concourses, A and C. Concourse B is scheduled for rebuilding in the near future. JAX airport handles almost 6 million passengers a year with main airlines served being American, AirTran, Delta, Continental, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways.

JAX Airport Parking and Services

JAX airport parking is never going to be a problem. Our Jacksonville airport parking locations Travel Time Parking, VIP Park & Ride and Parking Club Airport Parking supplement the on-site facilities.(Don?t forget to check our airport parking reservations site for coupons and web only rates.) Other passenger amenities include free wi-fi, rocking chairs, live music and a range of shops and restaurants. Find out more on the terminal maps. While moving through the airport check out the art made local school children and the airport?s Haskell Art Gallery.

Things to Do Near JAX

There is no shortage of things to do in and around Jacksonville, Florida. Here are a couple of activities to consider.

• Visit the Jacksonville Zoo to see thousands of animals and view beautiful plant species in the gardens. The Zoo is famous for having northeast Florida?s only walking safari.
• Chill out at the beach. Jacksonville?s beach communities have the ocean, restaurants, nightlife and a great cosmopolitan atmosphere.
• Walk, bike or ride the Jacksonville-Baldwin trail and don?t forget to take a picnic. This is a great place to spot birds and other wildlife.
• There are thousands of works of art at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens ? and the historic gardens are beautiful too.
• Want to find out more about how beer is brewed? Check out the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour. Free tour, free beer (and free soft drinks if you?re a non-drinker.)

What Jacksonville activities do you recommend?

Image: Billy Christian

Tags: florida attractions, Jacksonville airport parking, JAX airport parking, things to do in Florida, things to do in Jacksonville

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at 6:57 am and is filed under Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Everyone who knows Paris associates it with luxury. In fact, the French do luxury better than almost any other culture. While its possible to enjoy Paris as a starving teenager camping out in youth hostels, if you are able to splurge, there is no finer place to do it than in the City of Light. Everything from small to eye-popping luxury awaits you. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Take the $5000 a night duplex suite at the new Shangri-la Palace hotel. The 500 square foot patio that stares directly at the Eiffel tower is perfect for a small soiree or for sitting with your lover and sipping martinis as la tour sparkles.

2. Small luxury: bring home an armful of Diptyque candles after a stop at their shop on Boulevard St. Germain. Nothing can make you feel more pampered and opulent than lighting one of these enticing smelling candles before guests arrive. Hint: try the figuier (fig tree).

3. Have a limo service whisk you around while you are hitting the shops. A driver can take you from Merci to Colette and beyond and your packages will be safely stored in the back. Imagine how much time you will not be wasting in the metro.

4. Stay at the Fouquet?s Barrièrre Palace hotel and enjoy a $100 credit towards your visit to their U spa or at any of their restaurants. I love the gigantic outdoor terrace for a café and a macaron in the afternoon.

5. Watch a ballet performance at the Opéra Garnier, sit up close and stare at the Marc Chagall painted ceiling. Enjoy champagne at intermission.

6. Take home your own bespoke couture perfume, styled just for you. Eva Erikkson Events can help you book this very special experience.

7. Take a load off as you sit down in the private rooms of the Christian Dior showroom, not open to the public. Have a personalized fashion show designed exclusively for you. Rachel at French Links Tours can pull this miracle off.

8. Close down the Flûte bar for your own private party and order one of each of their 22 different Champagnes by the glass for yourself and your guests.

9. Take a stroll and visit every store in the Place Vendôme from Mauboussin to Chanel to Boucheron and pick up a little bauble.

10. Luxury we can all afford: take a step back in time and enjoy a hammam (a Turkish steam bath) and a gommage (a good scrubbing) and then a massage at the Mosquée de Paris. Sip mint tea afterwards and relish your glowing skin.

11. Small scrumptious luxury: stop by Patrick Roger and fill up on his
exquisitely wrapped chocolates. Try out the 20th parallel sampling chocolate from Indonesia, the Caribbean, Africa and South America.

12. Score a seat at Verjus near the Palais Royale and indulge in their spectacular six-course tasting menu with the perfect wine pairings. Laura and Braden who hail from California have recently opened this hot spot after their huge Hidden Kitchen success.

Doni Belau is Founder of Girls? Guide to Paris.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.