The Top 75 ‘Pictures of the Day' for 2012. *Update: The Top 100 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2012 have just been published. Click here to check out the most up-to-date post! After the positive reception from last year’s “Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2011“, the Sifter promised to highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘ at the end of every quarter, eventually culminating in an epic Top 100 for 2012. It’s hard to believe we’re already into the final quarter of 2012.
With that, here are the Sifter’s Top 75 ‘Pictures of the Day‘ for this year. *Please note the photographs themselves were not necessarily taken in 2012, they just happened to be featured as a ‘Picture of the Day’ this year. Enjoy! How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!) Wise Bread Picks For the last five years, I've been traveling the world full-time, and for less money than I've ever spent (and I'd wager less money than most people would spend) to live in one place. My worldly possessions fit into one bag (just larger than carry-on size) and a backpack containing my laptop and computer gear. This small entourage (weighing less than 45 pounds in total) comes with me as I wander around the world, sometimes quickly, but mostly slowly.
In 2011 alone, I traversed 13 countries and over 45,360 miles. What if I told you it wasn't? Believe it. How to Keep Your Travel Costs Low Of course, I could travel for way more than $17,000/year. Here are a few of my secrets. Don't Pay for Accommodations In the entire year of 2011, I paid $173 for accommodation.
Work-Trade/Volunteer There are lots of creative opportunities to work in trade for your accommodation (and sometimes food) and enjoy a more immersive travel experience. Hospitality Exchange House/Pet-Sitting Travel Slowly. New York City's Hidden Subway Station. Deep in the belly of New York’s subway system, a beautiful untouched station resides that has been forgotten for years with only a limited few knowing of its existence. Stunning decoration with tall tiled arches, brass fixtures and skylights run across the entire curve of the station, almost a miniature imitation of Grand Central Station… But it sounds like something straight out of Harry Potter, right?
It was opened in 1904, with the hope of making it the crowning glory of the New York subway system in elegant architecture and a place for commemorative plaques to honour the work that had resulted in such a successful underground mass transit system. It was to be the original southern terminus of the first ‘Manhattan Main Line’; however the station was closed and boarded up in 1945. The reason for its closure was that newer longer cars were required to match the demand of passengers that passed through the system. 15 Most Magical Places in the World. Want to share the magic? Tweet or Stumble this article! Wizards, sorcerers, hobbits and goblins. This maybe the stuff of fairy-tales but you can bring magic to life! Visit these breath-taking magical destinations and live out your own travel legend!
Travel and make-believe certainly go hand in hand. Whether it’s royal palaces, enchanted forests or magical lagoons, traveling the world can bring your favorite fairy-tales to life! So grab your wand, mount your white horse and take a virtual journey through the 15 most magical places in the world! 1. Pear Biter 2. Fugue 3. Pasotraspaso 4. Magical-World 5. Panoramas 6. Nutbird 7. Robwest jmhullot 9. Net_efekt 10. RebelXTious 11. Tambako the Jaguar 12. Macieklew 13. Germanium 14. Jurvetson 15. Magical-World Been to any of these places? Post up your comments! Liked this post? Don’t miss out on more magical places, sign up for free article updates below… *(I’d be the Snow Queen!)
Beachy head. How to Save Money While Traveling. This post is from staff writer Sierra Black. Sierra writes about frugality, sustainable living, and getting her kids to eat kale at Childwild.com. When I was packing for my trip to Argentina, a friend advised me, “Put everything you’re taking on the bed. Now put back half the clothes, and take twice the money.” Good advice. I tried to follow it and still ended up bringing more clothes than I could possibly need. Saving for travel is relatively simple: You set up a targeted savings account and put a little money aside each week or each month. Saving while traveling is a bit more complicated. That’s a lot of dough. Taxes and fees. There’s no doing away with all these expenses, but there are plenty of things you can do to keep your overall costs low.
Be prepared. Of course for some people part of the joy of travel is being able to let go the reins of frugality and spend freely. But if you enjoy frugality, there’s also no reason to leave your frugal habits at home. J.D.’s note Oof. [Wait! 10 Places to Move Abroad and Extend Your Life. Throughout history, people have been intrigued by legends of societies where residents thrived well past 100 years old. Today, there is skepticism whether any such place exists, but health scientists do scour the globe in search of medicinal remedies and other lifespan enhancements. In fact, many “pockets” around the world have been identified as “Blue Zones,” where locals enjoy high quality of life and health in old age. While failing to offer one “secret,” these regions share community factors such as diet, social integration, activity level, and outlook on life.
While genetics plays a role in how long we live, researchers believe lifestyle factors account for 75% of our longevity. 1. Japanese rank high in lifespan studies, but Okinawans boast exceptional health. Okinawan cuisine, Photo: pelican The Okinawa diet has been studied intensely. 2. Situated between Spain and France, this small principality of 84,000 people has one of the longest life expectancies in world. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
HDR Photography of Elia Locardi :: Blamethemonkey.com. 5 Drives Worth the Price of Gas | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice. Gas is no bargain, nobody can deny that. At a nationwide average of $3.64 a gallon, that’s nearly a dollar more than we were paying a year ago. However, in our vast and varied land, driving is often the best way to explore a destination, even on a budget. Here are five trips where the driving is not just part of the fun -it’s the main attraction – and the dollars you spend at the pump can be considered the price of admission to some stunning natural scenery. Highway 12 between Bryce Canyon National Park and Torrey, Utah With gas as low as $3.45 a gallon (hey, I am from California.
Anything under $4 is a deal), driving southern Utah is definitely the best way to see all those National and State Parks and monuments. Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi 444 miles of lush, green scenery and history, most of which cut through the heart of Mississippi, where gas is hovering around $3.43 a gallon. Skyline in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Highway 1 from Monterey to Morro Bay, California. Top 20 free attractions in Paris. City of love, fashion capital, literary paradise…Paris has many different guises. And while museum entry can be steep and fine dining comes at a premium, the French capital can also be a very cheap date. Whether you go weak at the knees for soaring church spires or want to rub elbows at an authentic French market, let yourself be seduced by our top 20 must-sees. They are all are completely gratuit, letting you save the euros for the really important stuff: wine, cheese and a flashing Eiffel Tower keyring you’ll regret the minute you return home. 1.
Festooned with gargoyles and gothic touches, this imposing Parisian icon is essential for every visitor. 2. Window-shopping (or lécher les vitrines to the locals) is a great way to take an indulgent peek at objets d’art and wild curiosities you’d never actually buy. 3. A lift to the peak of the Eiffel Tower can squeeze the budget at €13.40 per ticket, but luckily the views below are just as stunning. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Image by OliverN5 9. 10. 11. Nerdy Day Trips. The Town With No Roads.