I don’t usually post about personal things here, but I attended the memorial service of a friend today, and it reminded me - in that way these sorts of events remind you of things you already know but often forget to remember - that the time to travel, to see the world, to walk down streets in a city you’d never thought you’d actually visit, the time for that is now. Sometimes life is short. At other times, it seems to last and last. The trouble is, you never know which one you’re going to get until it’s too late. My friend, who died of cancer at the young age of 39, lived life with an enthusiasm and zeal and curiosity that surpasses what most of us are able to muster up in our day to day lives. Reflecting on his life today, I kept thinking of all sorts of cliches. No time like the present. This ain’t a dress rehearsal. Carpe diem. The list goes on. But those sayings are cliches for a reason. Because they’re just so right and true when you get down to the bottom of it all.

So, in honor of my friend’s memory, my wish for you is this: Embark upon your next adventure sooner than you’d planned. Worry a little less about vacation days and plane ticket prices and the perfect itinerary. Just enjoy your trip.

Cool story Flashpackers: High-Tech Backpackers via the AP today. A flashpacker is a backpacker who travels with gadgetry. Hostels around the world are adding more features (like Internet access, web chat cameras and more outlets in rooms) to accommodate the growing number of young travelers (ages 18 to 35) who hit the road with laptops, iPods, digi cams, memory cards, cell phones, PDAs and on and on and on.

A new trend, perhaps. But haven’t backpackers always been a little nerdy about their gear?

To help celebrate 35 years since its first flight, Southwest Airlines is launching its Spread the Luv campaign. The airline has teamed up with America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network with the goal of donating 35,000 jars of peanut butter to Food Banks across the nation during the month of June. Southwest has created a Virtual Food Bank on its website where anyone can contribute jars of peanut butter, a staple needed by Food Banks because of its high protein content. Southwest will match contributions up to a total of $35,000.

Southwest Airlines Spread the Luv campaign

If the roundup isn’t enough for you and nothing beats checking your mailbox and finding a new issue of insert title of favorite travel mag here, Girlfriend Getaways is the new mag on the block. The new publication from Budget Travel hit the stands this month and highlights travel especially for the ladies. Sure, its articles on destination spas, where to meet men and the shoe lover’s guide to travel are overtly stereotypical but entertaining nonetheless. So if you’re looking for a shot of estrogen among your travel glossies, add this to your subscriber list.

I’m a sucker for travel magazines. Those glossy pictures of idyllic beaches, brand new hotels and fabulous local color keep me turning the pages. Sometimes I get so distracted by the photos I forget to read the articles. And with so many titles out there, it’s impossible to keep up. Which is why I’m glad the Washington Post is publishing a semi-regular roundup of the best articles from all the travel mags. This roundup includes a piece from Town & Country Travel about France’s Ile de Re and Budget Travel’s 25 Reasons to love Oaxaca, Mexico. Get the info you need and leave the reading to the Post!

Washington Post travel mag roundup

Podcasts are the new way to study up on travel destinations from city walks and dining hot spots to museum tours and historical background. With so many options, how do you know which one to download? This month’s Conde Nast Traveler has a great article that breaks down the different audio guides and what they’re best for. Here’s a condensed version:

- Lonely Planet: 7-20 minute interviews with Lonely Planet authors who reveal their favorite spots and experiences. Destinations include New Zealand, Souteast Asia and numerous others. Free.

- Audiosteps: One to two hour guided walks for major US cites like San Francisco and Washington DC as well as Bath, Bristol and London. $14.

- iToors: Themed tours, like Glasgow’s music scene or Hemingway’s Paris, that take you off the beaten path. Free.

- iJourneys: Relaxed one-hour tours that hit the big spots and provide a bit of history for cities like Florence, Rome and Paris. $15 includes a printable map.

- Art Mobs: Brief unofficial guides to specific works at New York’s MoMA by Marymount Manhattan College art professors and students. Free.

Set to open to the public this summer, the skywalk is a glass, u-shaped bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado river on the Grand Canyon’s westernmost side. It protrudes 70 feet from the edge, has six foot tall glass walls and has been designed to withstand more than 71 million pounds. It’s built on the grounds of the Hualapai tribe so it’ll cost you $29 just to tour the grounds and another $25 for the view of your life. If acrophobia checks in on your list of neuroses, don’t worry, there are plenty of other non-vertigo-inducing activities around. Take a tour through an authentic indian village or saddle up for a trail ride at the Hualapai Ranch.

Grand Canyon Skywalk

The NYT has a great story Books that Triggered Writers’ Wanderlust up today about great works of fiction that inspired other writers to travel. While I have to admit that I’m not a huge reader of travel books themselves, I love nothing more than a good, long book that takes weeks to read. Here are some of the titles, the corresponding authors they inspired and, where applicable, the places the books inspired the reader to visit:

Crime and Punishment - Jonathan Franzen - St. Petersburg, Russia

Complete Book of Marvels - David Rakoff - world travel

Twenty-One Balloons - Michael Chabon - hot-air ballooning

Les Mandarins - Eric Alterman - Djerba (off the coast of Tunisia)

Lord of the Rings - Stephen Colbert - Middle Earth

Ten Days That Shook the World - Briane Greene - Russia

The Man Who Watched Trains Go - Simon Doonan - Paris

Tender is the Night - Simon Schama

Naples ‘44 - Christopher Hitchens - Italy

A Distant Mirror - Al Franken - medieval castles

Treasure Island - Elizabeth Kostova

One book that inspired me to travel: Alex Garland’s The Beach, which is just a fabulous book that will make you want to strap on a backpack and head to Southeast Asia.

The World Citizen’s Guide comes from a San Francisco nonprofit called Business For Diplomatic Action and advises corporate travelers from the States about how to act in other countries. We’re not talking don’t flash the peace symbol or shake with you left hand sort of manners. The guide just covers basics like:

- Dress more formally than you would at home

- Talk quietly

- Show interest in the lives of the people inhabiting countries you visit

- Don’t always assume that everyone wants to live the American way of life

All good bits of advice. I would add:

- Don’t assume everyone speaks English.

- Leave the khaki shorts at home.

- Try at least one new food or drink item each day.

Do you have any tips to help Americans traveling abroad? Send ‘em in.

Behavior Guide Targets “Ugly American”

Ever wonder what getting a tattoo looks like up close? Now ya know. Taken from TravelPoster Travelling_Kat’s blog post Saints and Signs in San Cris.