This is an online community of travelers who offer and request free accommodation to and from other members. Which essentially means if you plan to travel to Rome, there is probably a fellow CouchSurfing member with an extra bed or couch you can crash on.

Quite unconventional way of traveling, skeptics might say. Having browsed through several member profiles and reading through testimonials of people who have chosen to travel this way, I am convinced “unconventional” is not bad at all.

This international hospitality exchange is catching on so fast, there are members in practically every corner of the world.

Many hosts may take the time to show you around their hometown, or give you insider’s advice on the best things to do and see while there. And whether you’re hosting or surfing other people’s couches, you will be a part of a vibrant, multicultural, community of world travelers.

CouchSurfing operates as a non-profit organization, with a worldwide reach, and has several safety measures and advice in place for members. You can read more about the project, and how it works by visiting their website here.

I’m not saying this type of globe trotting is for everyone, and I really would not recommend it when it comes down to planning your honeymoon, but it now has my attention and I’ll be telling everyone about it when the conversation rotates around traveling.

Space Adventures, Ltd. was founded in 1998 and is the world’s first private company offering space travel to private individuals. One of the company’s goals is to develop technologies that will allow for safe, and more affordable private space travel in the future. Opening up a new frontier to those amongst us who’ve already been everywhere there is to go on Earth and are just looking for something different.

Granted, $100 million to fly to the moon and back sounds expensive, correction – is expensive. I guess these are the costs involved with today’s means and technological resources. However, there is other things space exploration enthusiasts can keep themselves busy with while waiting for prices to go down.

These include sub-orbital and orbital space flights with stop-overs at the International Space Station. Also, you may simply want to experience weightlessness on a zero gravity flight, watch a spacecraft’s launch, or visit and train at the Star City cosmonaut center in Moscow, Russia.

It does sound like fun. I wonder if I could blog from space. I don’t know if I would be able to put enough weight to what I write up there. Oh, well.

Write journal entries, post photo albums, invite and make friends. Among the wonderful features of My Life Of Travel is the ability to have an interactive Google Map pinning out the places you’ve been at, and the ability to earn revenue on the ads displayed on your journals. Something not all free blog / journal services allow.

Most important, it’s fun, and you can start by adding the places you’ve already traveled to.

One of the newest additions to Google’s already wonderful Google Maps is the “Street View” feature. Clicking on this button is made available on several locations across the United States already. Doing so makes certain streets appear with a blue outline. Clicking on any of the blue streets will transport you to “Street View” which pretty much simulates you actually being there. Making use of interactive, 360 degree view, high resolution photography.

You can walk up and down a street, turn around, zoom in. It is the next best thing to actually being there. Google, has once again made a nice video on YouTube to introduce this new feature on the Maps service, which you can watch below. Enjoy

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lonely Planet Travelcasts

Lonely Planet has long been my favorite travel guide to the world. Be it the awesome shows / documentaries, the printed books and guides, or even their very comprehensive website. Now, they’ve made it in my A list of Podcasts as well. With the Lonely Planet Travelcasts. The title is by no means misleading. Their frequently added episodes take you everywhere you want to go or not (clothing optional).

A brilliant look at some of the best sights and destinations on this lonely planet, and refreshing travelcasts on places you’ve long wanted to visit or on others you haven’t even heard of before. You must hear to believe.

Website: Lonely Planet Travelcasts
Podcast Feed: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/podcasts/travelcast.xml

Bloodthirsty Vegetarians

The title alone had me interested when I stumbled upon the Bloodthirsty Vegetarians Podcast show. And the listening experience was far worth the initial attention. The shows are pretty long (around 40 minutes or so), but so is traffic on Thursday morning so you might as well have a good show loaded on your car audio player to listen.

The BV deliver a well produced, interesting and informative show with a healthy sense of humor and a look at current events that is a nice turn from how traditional media do it. The hosts discuss everything from politics and sports to the movies, and there’s some good musical intermissions as well. In other words, I listened through the entire show, and really liked it, and I think most of you will like it as well.

Website: Bloodthirsty Vegetarians
Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/bloodyveg

The Food Guru Video Podcast

All the way from Burlington, Iowa, Chef Peter Harman, C.E.C., brings you a Video Podcast show that will make you beg for smellyvision. Better yet, it will make you want to try his recipes right after watching the show and get a real taste of what they are like. Which is in one word “Brilliant”. Quick and easy to prepare (if you put a little effort and love to it) gourmet food, recipes that will broaden your culinary horizons.

The Video Podcast is from the Chef’s own TV show “Food Guru Moments”, so you don’t just get a talented instructor but quality production as well.

I cannot write any more, watching this made me really hungry, I am going to take my chances and storm in the kitchen for a gourmet breakfast. Get a taste for yourself over at:

Website: The Food Guru
Video Podcast Feed: http://www.foodguru.com/podcast/xml.xml

That’s right, I’ve been away on vacations, and I left without warning – so those of you thinking the aliens finally managed to track my location and carry me over to their planet and stuff… let that thought perish.

Where did I go? You are most certainly wondering. OK, not most certainly, but still the thought might have crossed your mind.

I went to the wonderful, amazing, sun shiny, majestic, glamorous, historical, fun, Greek island of Rhodes!

But this post is just about announcing my return from vacations and wishing everybody a happy new month of September. The next post, or the one after that – along with several photos, is going to be an account of my trip.

PS: Podcast Wednesday is going to return as well on the first Wednesday of September, and that is not a threat it is a… well supported likelyhood?

This week the podcasts which caught my ear are completely unrelated. Thus, my recommendations are not on any particular theme. I think you’re going to enjoy them anyhow.

War News Radio

War News Radio from Swarthmore College, is a wonderful project which is described on site as:

“We at War News Radio are trying to rediscover the voices of real people. Our show fills the gaps in the media’s coverage by airing new perspectives, both personal and historical, in a balanced and in-depth manner. We hope our broadcasts will engage our listeners and inspire them to engage critically with the rest of the world.”

Swarthmore students are those often involved in the production of the show, which is an insider’s look at our planet’s war zones, with a focus on Iraq. As the world’s attention has sifted to the middle east, this is a reminder of a country which is still affected by the remnants of war as it struggles to stand back on it’s feet. A very well produced approach to the socio-political and cultural realities of the region from an international, journalistic point of view.

Website: http://warnewsradio.org/
Podcast Feed: http://warnewsradio.org/show/index.xml

808 Talk

Subtitled “Hawaii’s Premier Podcast”, it can very well be that and then some! I voted for them at the Podcast Awards, where they’re nominated as best travel podcast, and I’m sure they’d appreciate your vote as well.

Call me prejudiced – I LOVE Hawaii, and 808 Talk is a podcast show all about it – so it’s natural it would take a place among my favorites.

Issues discussed on 808 include traveling to the island, as well as raising concerns over environmental protection. Other issues such as society, culture and current events are not left untouched as well. This is a must get podcast, whether you live in Hawaii, plan to visit or just want a taste of what it is! Very nice!

Website: http://www.808talk.com/
Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/808Talk

Enjoy! And remember it’s a lot more fun when you use Juice to subscribe to your favorite Podcasts!

The Amateur Traveler Podcast

Described on site as:

“The Amateur Traveler Podcast is a travel podcast for people who love to travel. It focues on travel stories with a dash of travel news, travel tips and travel resources. Season with humor and serve weekly.”

Chris Christensen, takes you on a round the world journey which includes destinations such as Argentina, Morocco, Europe and the US in a quite comprehensive list of 50 episodes, which keeps growing along with my appetite to listen to them.

Website: http://amateurtraveler.com/
Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AmateurTravelerPodcast

Josh in Japan

Josh is a foreigner in Japan and he tells you all about the country and life there. The Josh in Japan Podcast, is part of his blog with the same name which I’ve also enjoyed reading through. His podcast episodes are very interesting and informative on traveling in Japan, as well as providing tips on staying in sync with the age old traditions of the country.

Website: http://www.joshinjapan.com/
Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/JoshInJapan

Podcast Awards in voting!

Nominations for the 2006 Podcast Awards are in, and according to the official site “Voting will open at 0001 on July 28th with voting completing at 2359 on August 11th.”.

So, if you have a minute to spare, go ahead and vote for your favorite podcasts!! It doesn’t cost you a thing, and it can make someone’s day much brighter. The least we should be able to do for the people who produce the great podcasts we love listening to is show our appreciation with our voting power.

Tools

Subscribe to your favorite podcasts with the free Juice – Podcast Receiver

If easyCruise lives up to what it’s promising, spring brake will never be the same again Caribbean & Mediterranean itineraries, take passengers to places like Martinique and the Grenadines, or Cannes, Monaco and the Italian Riviera. Prices are supposedly very reasonable, in line with the “easy” philosophy. Riviera starts in May13th and the first week is all booked already!

Singing, “Sail away, sail away, sail away…”