Photo by ptomlins

Feature photo by abmiller99

Ever wanted to try floating 50 tons of steel down a narrow canal?

Summer is the time to hit the waterways of Europe and here is how to do it.

Listen to this short podcast to find out what qualifications you need to put a boat in the water.

ICC training centres in Britain can be found through the Royal Yachting Association.

Testing in a foreign language is difficult, but if you are multilingual you should be able to find a CEVNI/ICC testing centre in a canal near you!

If, like most of us, you can’t afford the rental costs associated with canal boating, gather some ideas for working along the canals of France and the rest of Europe. Why not try finding work on the water by working as a lock-keeper or working on a hotel barge?

This can be a great way to meet new people, hone your language skills and still enjoy the slow, relaxing life of a canal boat.

Enjoy more podcasts by checking out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

All Photos by Trey Ratcliff

Over the last two years Craig Martin has spent countless hours on European trains: he knows his way around. If you’re exploring a sizable chunk of Europe, then a Eurail pass can help ease your organisational hassles and save you a bit of cash.

In this podcast Craig outlines ten tips for Eurail journeys encompassing choosing and buying a pass (visit: railpass.com), plus utilizing it and being aware of discounts and extra charges.

Click below to play.

As you listen, read up on Craig’s companion guide to the 10 European Cities to Stretch Your Dollar this Summer.

Enjoy more travel photography episodes and other podcasts by checking out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

Photo by Ryan Libre.

Enjoy more travel photography episodes and other podcasts by checking out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

Brazilian boys dancing Capoeira in Norway. Photo: Children At Risk Foundation – CARF. Great podcasts opens windows to people’s lives through audio. What if you could hear these children’s voices, the music they are dancing to?

Successful podcasts are personal, entertaining, informative and engaging. Are yours? Here are some things to think about:

Overall Tone

A personal, and sometimes informal tone differentiates most podcasts from commercial radio. As with any publication, it’s important to know your audience, and some of the most commonly-heard pieces of feedback Linda and I receive on the Indie Travel Podcast is that people appreciate our laid-back, informal style.

Music

Many podcasters use music to good effect. It adds lift and energy to your show. However it can be a annoyance if it’s too loud in comparison with your speech: make sure you balance it well.

Too much or poorly mixed music (common mistake: the music is mixed too loudly) can be a serious deterrent to people listening to your show: people are more likely to skip the track rather than fast-forward through it. When using music during the show think about how it helps you communicate: linking, expanding, adding emotional value.

Theme

Creating a theme for your show gives a professional touch and a familiar point of entry for listeners. This can either be taken from an existing song or, like the Amateur Traveler, custom made.

A common added-value touch is introducing your audience to a new song or new band each episode. A popular marketplace for this is the Podshow Podsafe music network where, after registering your feed and details, you can listen to and download music with creative commons copyright licenses.

Stock sound effects are available for download and use from numerous websites. When choosing them you may have to pay a download fee, but ensure that the sound is “royalty free”. This means you don’t need to pay each time you use it.

When adding music to your show, think about the extra time it will take to produce the show and always respect copyright.

Matador Podcasts: A style guide

The following style guide is aimed as a help for producing podcasts for the Matador Travel network. These are just the basics, however. Many points are worth considering when creating podcasts for other markets.

1. Length

Matador podcasts should be between two to five minutes in length. If you feel you need more time to treat a subject, please check with your editor beforehand.

2. Intros and Outros

Thanks to syndication technologies, media portals and content theft you never know where your podcast is going to end up. Because of this we recommend beginning and ending each episode with your name, the episode title and a mention of the website you’re producing for.

An example introduction:

“Hello and welcome to my third travel photography podcast here on the traveler’s notebook. I’m Ryan Libre.”

An example outro:

“This has been Craig Martin with how to drink wine like a pro for the Traveler’s Notebook dot com.”

2. Informative

Whether you are creating an audio tour, a profile or a how-to, the Matador network aims to connect listeners to people, places, organizations, information, and opportunities that will affect positive change around the world. Make sure your podcast invites the listener to explore new places or communities and gives him or her the resources to do so.

3. Green

Matador is dedicated to promoting and protecting local communities and to drawing attention to issues threatening the health of their watersheds, ecosystems, and overall sustainability. Whenever appropriate, please give green and/or local options for transport, lodging, restaurants, activities, etc., and, if possible, celebrate positive changes taking place in the areas your are covering. Help us protect and preserve the places we visit.

4. Personal

Above all, Matador is a community of travelers. Make sure you engage with us! Ryan Libre does a great job of this in his photography series by making us jealous of where he is whilst giving some background on the places he’s recording from.

5. ID3 Tags

As a minimum requirement, please fill in the following fields:

Name: The track title
Artist: Your name
Year: Year of production
Album: Name of the site you’re producing for. E.g. The Traveler’s Notebook
Comments: Notes on the show. At least:

Produced by [your name] for [site URL].

Genre: “Podcast”
Artwork: Save the icon below and use it as your art (400×400px please):

This is part three in a series on beginning travel podcasting. Part one deals with hardware and software options, whilst part two gives tips for improving the quality of your recording.

To hear some of Matador’s Podcasting talent, check out the Traveler’s Notebook podcast archive. Got something to add? Check out the submission guidelines then get in touch.

It seems as simple as plugging in your microphone, hitting record and letting fly with your insight. That can be the case and, if you’re lucky, will work first time.

But if you’re like most mortals the recording will sound flat or muddy, be filled with loud pops and snaps and have a soothing background hiss. Not the best.

These annoyances can be minimised by using some of the following tricks. Please remember that we’re not talking about setting up a full home studio here; this is travel podcasting right? (For software and hardware needs, reference part one of this series.)

When everything you own is in a backpack you can’t afford to carry several kilos of pro-am studio equipment. However, you can still make your podcasts’ sound quality almost as good.

Removing hiss

Words like gain, reverb and echo don’t mean a lot unless you’re an audiophile. Fortunately, basic knowledge and good software go a long way in helping us use them. Let’s look at creating a “podcast voice” profile using Apple’s Garageband which aims to minimise hiss and avoid vocal flatness.

After some fine-tuning this will ensure that all your recordings sound similar. Unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve true consistency when you’re changing location all the time.

Open Garageband and create a new project. Get rid of the piano floating in the middle of the screen and create a new track by clicking “Track > New Track…” or using the keyboard shortcut ⌥⌘N. Choose “real instrument” and “vocals > no effects”; this gives us a clean palette to work from.

Make sure you click the “Details” drop-down arrow and you can see several options for changing all sorts of technical things. Drag the sliders to approximate the screenshot below and “Save instrument.” I called mine “podcastvoice.”

Now it’s time to record something. Have a listen and play around with these settings until you have something you’re happy with. You can edit and save your new “instrument” at any time by double clicking the head-shaped icon.

Still got hiss? As far as this software goes the only thing you can do is nudge the “gate” higher and higher: beware of raising it too high and cutting out your voice!

Audacity provides an effective method for tackling intensive hiss which is well covered by Deepak Morris.

I’ve used both of the above methods to minimise hiss over the last year, but the best way to deal with hiss is in the “studio” itself, even if it is a hostel laundry at three in the morning. A room that sounds deathly quiet to us has background noise and (obviously) inbuilt microphones will pick up the sound and vibrations from a recorder.

Sound deadening must be done with some kind of sound insulation foam, but I’ve also used a couple of books to good effect in creating a “cave” for my microphone. Your mileage may vary.

Popping

Another shock in early recordings are the pops and splutters that appear in the recording. These are caused by “plosives” — sounds made by certain letters such as P and T.

In order to avoid plosive pops, professional broadcasters use a mesh-like filter between their lips and the microphone. I can’t imagine any traveller wanting to carry that!

Experiments with a t-shirt have proven unsuccessful so far. Moving the microphone a little further from your mouth, however, can produce the desired effect without you resorting to talking to your clothing. It certainly doesn’t hurt to practise saying the target sounds without that sharp breath which comes with them.

After recording

Now that the recording is done I have two more tricks to polish your recording to perfection. Export your sound file from the programme you’re working with as a .wav or a .aiff (.aiff and .aif are the same). Now drag and drop that file into the Levelator.

This baby can work magic on an audio file, especially where there are different people speaking. It attempts to make the entire audio file the same level and is remarkably successful.

After the programme’s finished you’ll have two files: podcast.aiff and podcast.aiff.output – listen to them both and choose your favourite, for me it’s normally the Levelated output file.

Mp3 is the industry standard, so convert your .wav or .aiff using iTunes> or lame. Now it’s time to adjust the volume of your track. I prefer to use mp3Gain to do this (windows, mac).

The programme allows me to set a standard volume for all of my audio files ensuring I don’t blow people’s ears out or people’s speakers up (sorry Chris!). The settings I use are shown in the following screenshot.

ID3 tags

Now your voice is ready to be broadcast around the world, but before we go there, let’s tidy up the packaging.

I hate downloading audio files, chucking them into iTunes and losing them. To make sure your listeners don’t have the same problem it’s important to set the correct ID3 tag for each one. This can be done easily in iTunes, but other software options include Multi ID3 Tag Editor (Windows) and ID3 Editor (Mac).

To change ID3 information in iTunes, locate the file and open the information panel by clicking File > Get Info or ⌘I. Click on the “Info” tab and enter as much information as is helpful. Work your way through the different tabs: many podcasters add show notes into the “Lyrics” field.

It’s increasingly important to include an image as this is what shows when using iTunes’s Coverflow or list view, as well as on iPods and other mp3 players.

This is part two of a three part series in travel podcasting. Part one talks about recording software and hardware options, whilst part three will cover content hints and tips plus a style guide for Matador podcasts.

To hear some of Matador’s Podcasting talent, check out the Traveler’s Notebook podcast archive. Got something to add? Check out the submission guidelines, then get in touch.

Photo by Ryan Libre

Click on the Play button to listen along and learn more.

Along with Ryan Libre, the Matador community is filled with talented and passionate photographers. Delacouri has amazing shots from her time working with endangered monkeys in Vietnam. Veronica has incredible images of Patagonia. Rob has taken hundreds of priceless shots from all over the world.

Phishtopher has some amazing images from his life in Western China. And both Beija-flor and AsianInsights are experts at photographing people. Grady, MST and Reed Lindsay can give you tips on digital video production and goodman is without a doubt, one of the most gifted photographers on the Web.

Join them. Matador is blossoming…

Feature photo by desiitaly. Photo above by striatic

Podcasting is a quickly emerging medium. With the increasing bandwidth now widely available, people are spending more and more time online and demanding more multimedia content. This series is specifically aimed at travellers and field recorders (rather than home-studio podcasters) and will serve you well in submitting material to the Matador network or for starting your own production.

Hardware sounds simple: a microphone and a recording device are the basic ingredients. The key however, as you’ll hear below, is in the quality.

Microphones and computers

Most laptops have built-in microphones, but few are high quality. However with a little creative sound engineering, your built-in microphone can produce good enough quality sound.

The difficulty is that the computer makes all sorts of noise which is very close to the microphone: it’s impossible to eliminate this although it can be mitigated in post-production. Here’s an example using Apple’s 12″ G4 Powerbook:

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex1.mp3]

Getting your microphone some way from the laptop is a good idea: perhaps a USB headset like you would use for gaming or Skype calls would do the trick. This is what a Logitech USB mic sounds like:

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex2.mp3]

You can immediately hear the difference in background noise although there are a few pops caused by the microphone being too close to the speaker’s mouth.

Portable recorders

If you would like to get away from the laptop for more freedom and portability, then a “cheap” portable recorder might be what you’re after: unfortunately “cheap” starts at US$150.

Photo by aloshbennett

Three popular field recorders for podcasters are the M-Audio Microtrack II, Marantz PMD-620 and the Zoom h2 Handy Recorder.

After extensive research — focusing on these three choices — I bought a Zoom H2 last month and can definitely recommend it as a great microphone for travel podcasters.

It’s light, runs on ubiquitous AA batteries, records to SD and can simulate surround sound thanks to the four microphones within its head.

Here’s an example of how it sounds:

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex3.mp3]

Current matador podcaster Ryan Libre has been using a sony ICD-SX68DR9 Digital Voice Recorder with an external mic.

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex4.mp3]

Drew Leifeit, of Budacast fame, uses a Sony Hi MD Recorder (MZ-M10) for use in the field. In the ’studio’ he uses a Audiotechnica AT835A shotgun mic, and in the field a generic stereo mic which came with the recorder. You can immediately hear the difference — as well as appreciate his great use of music.

Drew’s “shotgun” mic

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex5.mp3]

Drew’s stereo mic

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex6.mp3]

Matador writer and podcaster Julie Schwietert recommends using an Olympus digital recorder for making audio notes. In a pinch it can scrape by as a podcast-quality recorder.

[audio:http://thetravelersnotebook.com/wp-content/podcasts/TTN%20-%20Howto%20ex7.mp3]

Audio Editing Software

Photo by H.E.D.I.

There are a growing number of good applications for podcasting on both the Windows and Mac platforms.

In the Apple world Garageband is undoubtably the easiest way to get started: it’s already installed on your computer, it’s user-friendly and it’s the only recording software which also allows you to create iTunes-enhanced podcasts.

Audacity is a free and open source cross-platform editor which is growing in stability and features. In the mid-price range, Adobe’s Soundbooth provides near professional-level control. This is probably overkill for beginner podcasters but could be an upgrade if you’d like to take things futher.

Skype

Skype is a very popular computer-to-computer and computer-to-telephone telephony system. Using it, one can cheaply record interviews with fellow travellers who are miles away. You can also use it to call your mum, but I don’t think you should put that on air.

Photo by timwilson

1. Install and set up Skype

Skype is able to be installed on Windows, Mac, Linux and many portable platforms.

To download and install it, visit the site and follow the instructions there.

But you probably want to know how to record the conversations. Read on.

2. Skype recorders for Mac

There are several workarounds to record Skype calls on a Mac, but by far the easiest tool is Audio Hijack Pro from Rogue Amoeba. With one click this programme will “hijack” the audio and with one more click it will start recording.

The programme is currently priced at US$32, but there is a free trial version which allows 10 minutes of recording at a time. Budget-conscious podcasters can keep hitting start/stop to create several audio files.

3. Skype recorders for Windows

Once again there are a plentitude of options for recording Skype calls on Windows. The most popular seems to be Pamela, which also offers many more features. The free version gives 15 minutes of recording time.

Now you have some hardware and software choices to make. Come back next week for part two in this series on how to start travel podcasting, and learn how to use it.

Audio clips in this article have been supplied by Budacast, the Indie Travel Podcast and, of course, The Traveler’s Notebook. To hear some of Matador’s Podcasting talent, check out the Traveler’s Notebook podcast archive. Got something to add? Check out the submission guidelines, then get in touch.

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela has been a popular pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. During the last 20 years it has experienced a huge re-awakening with tens of thousands travelling it each year. In this podcast Craig Martin offers a brief, practical guide to the Camino, covering route choice, guidebooks, packing tips, credencials, accommodation and some extra suggestions for the end of your pilgrimage. As you listen, check out the fantastic photos of the Camino by Irene Schmidt. For more background and an audio tour of the trail, listen to the author’s companion podcast, An Audio Tour of the Camino de Santiago. We’d also recommend reading up on the various Camino organisation websites: the Confraternity of St James, American Pilgrims on the Camino, and the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. While you’re visiting the Confraternity site, you should pick up a copy of their guidebook, published each January with updates on the site. Check out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela has been a popular pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. During the last 20 years it has experienced a huge re-awakening with tens of thousands travelling it each year.

Click the play button below:

For more historical background plus tips on walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela check out the Check out Adrea Kirkby’s Walking the Camino de Santiago, and Laurie Pickard’s 4 Lessons Learned from the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage.

Stay tuned for Craig’s follow-up podcast: A Practical Guide to Walking the Camino de Santiago, coming soon.

Check out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

Arrive in Turkey by island-hopping through Greece or into Istanbul by train or flight. No visas are required for New Zealand citizens and are available, at varying rates, on the border for most other countres.

If you are interested in attending Gallipoli services, I would highly recommend booking a tour — at least for the 24th and 25th of April. The infrastructure surrounding ANZAC cove is limited: hostels and hotels are packed and public transport does not run in the service areas. Furthermore the security services only allow registered vehicles into the zone, leaving the few taxi-takers with a long, late-night walk.

While in the area you may wish to visit the ruins of Troy or catch an overnight bus to Selcuk to explore Ephesus or the coast.

Cover image by Janomie Leah.

Make sure you hit the comments and tell us some of your best wine stories.

Check out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

Photo by Ryan Libre

Click on the Play button to listen along and learn more including patience, positioning, and how to approach your photography thematically.

Photo by Ryan Libre

“What makes a place special?” Ryan Libre questions in this podcast. “I think if you can find a good answer that question, a good photograph is sure to follow.”

Click on the Play button to listen along and learn more, including cropping, slow shutter speeds, and patience.

“What makes a good photograph?” Ryan Libre questions. “Simplicity. Showing everything you need , and nothing else.”

Click on the Play button to listen along and learn more.

Feature photo by Alessandro Vannucci
Photo above by Six in the World

Wanting to secure a job that allows nearly unlimited travel options? Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) can afford you the financial freedom to stay on the move. In this podcast episode, Craig Martin briefs you on the qualifications needed for and job opportunities available in the ESOL world.

Craig has been funding travel through teaching English as a Second Language since 2003 and has been using it to fund a two-years-and-counting world trip. It is a viable way of staying solvent whilst seeing all the places you’ve ever dreamed of.

Some companies will give you in-house training when you get a position, others will expect a University degree along with a highly recognised qualification. The two most sought-after by ESOL schools are the Trinity TESOL and the CELTA certificates. Are you just looking for work? Check out the job listings onTefl.com and at Dave’s ESL cafe. We regularly receive hundreds of volunteer and paid job opportunities a week through their RSS feeds.

Check out the traveler’s notebook on iTunes.

One of Matador’s newest contributors, Craig Martin has been living on the road since leaving Auckland, New Zealand in February 2006. In fact, he hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than two weeks all year! He podcasts at the indie travel podcast.

The country above Auckland is a place that isn’t highlighted by most guidebooks: Northland. This area is replete with beaches and forests as well as historic towns and modern resorts. In this podcast episode, buy a campervan or a car in Auckland then head north and get happily lost with Craig Martin. The fishing, kayaking, surfing and hiking and — being New Zealand — natural splendour will blow you away.

If you’re looking at buying a car try trade me for e-bay style auctions, the (reputable) Auckland Car Fair or the (irreputable) backpacker’s car fair (no website). The Backpacker Board has plenty of links for hiring vehicles, even spaceships! along with lots of great advice for independent travel in New Zealand.

One of Matador’s newest contributors, Craig Martin has been living on the road since leaving Auckland, New Zealand in February 2006. In fact, he hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than two weeks all year! He podcasts at the indie travel podcast.

In Western Europe it is often cheaper to fly mid- to long-distance trips but that doesn’t hold true everywhere in the world.

2. Convenience
Train stations are normally more accessible than airports, which can make a big different. There is also less time wasted with security, check-in procedure and — most wonderfully — passport control.

3. Ticketing
Both train companies and airlines allow electronic ticketing which is often the most convenient way to buy in advance. However when buying on the day of departure it’s normally easier to get a train ticket from the station.

4. Comfort
Unless you’re flying first or business class, trains are normally more comfortable. Although liable to overcrowding the various seating options, the ability to walk around throughout the whole journey and extras like internet access make train journeys more comfortable.

5. Environment
Forget about carbon footprints for a minute; when flying do you have any idea of the environment you’re passing through? Trains help travelers keep perspective and afford more opportunities to interact with the land and its people.

If you’re interested in train travel, Seat61.com (http://www.seat61.com) is the most informative site around. You can hear an interview with the man in seat 61 on Craig’s regular podcast.

One of Matador’s newest contributors, Craig Martin has been living on the road since leaving Auckland, New Zealand in February 2006. In fact, he hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than two weeks all year! He podcasts at the indie travel podcast.

Paceville, Malta. Photo by Heini Samuelsen

Visit the oldest buildings in the world, eat and drink in Transylvanian towns or hike through Latvia’s national parks. Not your thing?

Then party in Paceville or Riga before chilling out on a Bohemian river bank with hot mead. No? Then get lost in Europe’s strangest city after passing by a Frank Zappa statue. You can’t tell me that doesn’t appeal!

But does it all sound too expensive, especially with the way the US dollar is going? Fear not, Malta, Romania, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Latvia will still treat you right. Listen to this podcast and we’ll prove it to you.

_________________________

Exchange Rates:

Malta
1 US$ = 29 cents. Switch to euro 2008, 1US$ = 68 cents

Czech Republic
I US$ = about 18 koruny (crowns)

Lithuania
1 US$ = 2.35 litas

Latvia
1 US$ = 0.48 lats

Romania
1 US$ = 2.37 RON (Romanian new lei)