Recently we hosted a food-centric tweet-up, inviting some of the biggest names in the culinary industry to share their expertise, answering questions about food and, of course, travel. On our panel?
Throughout the hour-long conversation, the panel shared a lot of great information. Here are some highlights:
Talk about a food experience you had while traveling that really inspired you. Adam Sachs: Foraging for wild wasabi in Japan was up there with top food nerd fantasies. Mario Batali: I’m a huge fan of the Borough Market in London. It’s like a movie set from the Dickens era, with spectacular food. Mitchell Davis: I recently made my way to Willows Inn for a dinner of fresh, foraged, and local food in a gorgeous setting. Marcus Samuellson: Tasting fugu (pufferfish) for the first time in Tokyo. Blew my mind.
In celebration of the world not ending today*, I decided to start a new blog series highlighting the top social media travel news of the week, for anyone that may have missed the headlines. In the news big this week? Privacy policies.
Were you one of the countless iPhone users that felt like hitting your head against a wall after updating your phone to iOS6 and subsequently coming face-to-face with the horror that was/is Apple Maps? While the upgrade was welcome in other aspects of the phone, the map feature was universally declared a mapocalypse by the entire tech community. A handful of major landmarks went missing; public transportation stops were nowhere to be found; and if you wanted navigation help on a city’s subway or bus system, forget about it. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the major blunder, so you know it was bad.
But now iOS users can rejoice. As of Wednesday evening, Google Maps made its way back onto iPhones via a new, free app. The minute I saw the story posted on my Facebook newsfeed, I reached for my phone and pulled up the App Store. It was as though the clouds parted and angels sang to me. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I was pretty darn excited.) What are the new features you can expect to see (and love)? Hint: these maps far supersede their former iOS iteration.
Traveling around the holidays isn't always the smoothest of experiences, but still, for many people, it's inevitable. There are ways to help make the whole process a lot more enjoyable for everyone involved. To help you plan out your travel strategy this holiday season, we enlisted a panel of experts to offer their advice during an hour-long live tweet-up hosted by T+L's Trip Doctor, Amy Farley. The chat will take place tomorrow, November 14, from 2–3 p.m. ET.
1. Log in to Twitter any time from 2–3 p.m. ET and be sure to follow the chat hosts: @TravlandLeisure and @afarles 2. Use the hashtag #TL_Chat to follow. 3. To keep up with the chat in real time, head over to http://tweetchat.com/room/tl_chat 4. We'll pulse out some questions for our expert panel to answer, but feel free to post your own answers to our questions! Or ask your own questions! Take advantage of this special access to this great panel and get some expert travel advice.
It’s no secret that last week’s hurricane took a major toll on the East Coast and its residents; with so many outages, how was anyone able to stay current with news of the situation?
Both Facebook and Twitter played a big part in helping to keep everyone informed. Whether you follow the actual sources of the information, or your friends do and repost, everything anyone needed to know about the storm was all there—flight cancellations, public transportation announcements, and even voting location changes—at the touch of their fingers. I kept myself up-to-date mostly via information streaming through my Facebook feed, with a few glances at my Twitter feed.
But you can’t always rely on your friends to provide this information, so just in case, here are a few important accounts to keep an eye on to stay in the know when it comes to inclement weather.
No matter how seasoned a traveler you are, there are always new destinations to visit and more refined tips to pick up along the way. So, to celebrate the announcement of the A-List 2012, the best of the best in the travel industry, we gathered some of the leading experts to join our panel and help deliver the most up-to-date travel advice, perfect for veteran jetsetters or aspiring globetrotters. The chat takes place tomorrow, October 23, from 2–3 p.m. ET. We hope to “see” you there!
1. Log in to Twitter any time from 2–3 p.m. ET and be sure to follow the chat hosts: @TravlandLeisure and @csedlak1 2. Use the hashtag #TL_Chat to follow. 3. To keep up with the chat in real time, head over to http://tweetchat.com/room/TL_Chat 4. We'll pulse out some questions for our expert panel to answer, but feel free to post your own answers to our questions! Or ask your own questions! Take advantage of this special access to this fab panel and get some expert travel advice.
Joshua Pramis is the social media editor and resident tech aficionado at Travel + Leisure. Follow him on Twitter: @joshuapramis
Growing up I was always fascinated by science fiction movies and television, particularly because they showed off the possibility of technology to come. Though many ideas seemed like pipe dreams, there was always that What if? factor that I latched on to.
So you can imagine my excitement when I read about Google’s development of autonomous cars. (Robot cars!) To further that excitement, I just learned that California’s governor, Jerry Brown, has signed a bill that will allow these autonomous cars to drive along the state’s roads, right alongside vehicles driven by humans. (!!)
Full of southern charm, cutting edge art, and a fast-rising culinary scene, there are treasures abound to be discovered in Charleston, South Carolina’s second largest city. Whether you’re looking to peruse the myriad antique shops, tour the seemingly endless historic sites, or stroll through its many plantations and gardens, there’s something for everyone. But if you’re having a hard time figuring out where to begin, we’re here to help you. We’ve enlisted a team of experts to dish out some fab travel advice so you can start planning your next trip to Chuck Town. The tweet-up, presented by Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, will take place Thursday, October 4, from 2–3 p.m. ET.
1. Log in to Twitter any time from 2–3 p.m. ET and be sure to follow the chat hosts: @TravlandLeisure and @Charleston CVB 2. Use the hashtag #TLSponChat to follow. 3. To keep up with the chat in real time, head over to http://tweetchat.com/room/TLSponChat 4. We'll pulse out some questions for our expert panel to answer, but feel free to post your own answers to our questions! Or ask your own questions! Take advantage of this special access to this fab panel and get some expert travel advice.
We hope to "see" you there!
Joshua Pramis is the social media editor and resident tech aficionado at Travel + Leisure. Follow him on Twitter: @joshuapramis
All tweets are subject to our social media terms and conditions and may be used in any and all media including editorial, advertising and commercial purposes. See full social media T&Cs.
Music sets the mood to any atmosphere; this rings true whether you’re lounging around in your living room, commuting to work in the morning, or de-stressing while on vacation. It’s certainly true for me. And, while many hotels have been equipped with iPod/iPhone docks—which will all require replacements or the addition of an adaptor with the new line of iGadgets—not all of them do...not to mention, not everyone uses iOS devices. So sometimes the best solution is to bring your own. Here are four of my newest faves.
BRAVEN 600 The smallest of the BRAVEN SIX series, this sucker still packs a powerful punch. The battery lasts up to 12 hours; it comes with a drawstring pouch, perfect for carrying around; and can even be used to charge your smartphone up to 70%—at the cost of its own battery life, of course. It connects to your music device via Bluetooth, and is perfect for anything from listening to music at home or even to entertaining a small outdoor gathering. And best of all: it easily slips into any carry-on bag.
Finding a good camera bag that is both functional and stylish is a seemingly near-impossible feat, at least in my findings. They’re always bulky, vinyl, sacks, with nothing new or fashionable brought to the table. Yeah, I get it: its primary purpose is to organize and protect your camera and accessories, but why does it have to be so dull? I like a little flare, okay?
So I was pretty excited when I saw the newest line of Acme Made camera bags, which just hit the market this earlier this week. They’re functional, good-looking bags, and come in four different sizes, depending on how much equipment you’ll be carting around with you. You can buy them in olive green and grey, but I’m partial to the grey one, which has a brushed nickel look to it, and a delightfully surprising burst of lime green on the inside. The internal compartments are adjustable and/or collapsible, so you can customize it to suit your needs.
Joshua Pramis is the social media editor and resident tech aficionado at Travel + Leisure. Follow him on Twitter: 
