Okay: How many travel sites are there in cyberspace? Who do you love? Who do you trust? Now, a new website called Uptake will make it easier for you. According to their website, the Uptake staff searched the web and collected 400,000 places to go, things to do and places to stay in the U.S. Then, they analyzed and organized over 20 million travelers' opinions. The result: a search engine based on specific travel requirements and preferences.

Suggestions are organized according to

Themes: (such as girls getaways, pet friendly vacations, romantic getaways, etc.)
Destinations
Deals

This should be an interesting addition to the millions of other travel sites on the web.

Ah, to be between the ages of 18-30! I found this gem on Matador Travel!

*If you just happened to be a talented young writer, photographer or videographer
*If you will be living or studying abroad for at least 10 weeks between August 15 - December 31, 2008

You can earn $600 as a correspondent for National Geographic Glimpse Magazine

But hurry! You have until June 20th, 2008 to complete your application. For more details, visit the Glimpse Correspondence Program Website.

ChinaONEcall is providing free telephone interpretation services to anyone needing urgent information or wanting to contact relatives, friends, doctors or nurses in the aftermath of Monday's earthquake. The company's British directors, currently in China, want to join the many thousands giving support by providing a language link for those most affected.

For those seeking assistance, please call +86 871 805 8503 from outside China and 4006 88 66 99 from a Chinese mobile or landline. Callers should quote "Earthquake Crisis".

ChinaONEcall operates a 24/7 interpreter service for both business and leisure travelers through telephone operators fluent in English and Mandarin. It is making all of its operators available to provide interpreter support to quake victims and family members as well as to provide a link to disaster relief teams while the current crisis exists.

Please note that ChinaONEcall cannot locate victims or doctors, as this is being handled by the relevant governmental and aid agencies.

If you happen to be near Breckenridge, Colorado this week, you might want to drop by the Barney Ford Museum on Friday, May 16. From 5-8 PM, you can enjoy free refreshments and view some of the plans for exciting upcoming projects, which will be sponsored by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance and the Town of Breckenridge. As the town prepares for its 150 anniversary in 2009, you can expect to see renovations of our current museums, as well as some unique opportunities to explore Breckenridge's history as a mining town, as well as its evolution into a world-class ski town.

Barney Ford was an escaped slave who eventually came to Breckenridge and became a successful restaurant owner. You can learn more about Mr. Ford and other Breckenridge historic attractions at the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance Website.

Admission to Night at the Museum is free of charge, and, by the way, many of our tours are either free or at a nominal cost. Hope to see you there!

Photo Courtesy of Costa Rica Tourist Board

Hey Voyagers!

Do you want to win a free trip to Costa Rica? If you have a memorable, life-changing travel moment, and the creative writing skills to share it with the world, you might have the winning ticket. And what a ticket it is! Valued at $3,000. this trip takes place from September 13 to September 19, 2008. Details can be found here.

So what's the catch? None, except if you decide to go fishing. There are no entry fees. All you need is a passion for travel and an ability to communicate your most exciting memories by way of the written word. Follow the competition guidelines on the Costa Rico Pages. Then, check out the competition. Think you can do better? Go for it!

With today's rising fuel costs, is there really such a thing as a budget destination? If you follow the advice of travel writer Tim Leffel, you might discover that by taking a contrarian approach to travel, it can indeed be affordable. His book, The World's Cheapest Destinations
, lets you in on secrets about where to find beach bungalows for as low as $5 a night, museum admissions at 25 cents, and more exciting bargains. You can purchase the book in print for $13.95, or save some trees, as well as a few bucks by buying it as an ebook for $7.95.

For more about Tim Leffel, visit his blog, appropriately called Perceptive Travel.