The subject of this weeks Travel Tuesday is foXnoMad, the travel smarter website. It’s all the work of Anil, and managed by his more than capable and extremely well-travelled hands,

“I’ve spent my entire life traveling, studying cultures, and picking up tricks along the way. I created foXnoMad to connect with other travelers, discover their world, and share what I’ve learned about mine.”

In the beginning foXnoMad wasn’t what it is now. And the history is documented here, along with a few links to early posts, some of which had only tenuous ties to the world of travel, such as examples of lewd French words for example.

Today however foXnoMad is a different beast, with travel content bursting through its virtual seams. A quick dip into Anil’s Twitter activity reveals that this year he’s aiming to visit six continents - seriously, just go for the seven ;). His micro-blogging has also seen him mentioning that he’s off to Africa in two weeks; talk about practice what you preach.

In regard to the blog based stuff, you’re just in time to get involved with the second round of The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2010. Head to link and vote on who think should win each of the 16 match-ups… New York vs. Dubrovnik?! Tough.

As you can probably tell we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Anil gets up to at foXnoMad, so I strongly suggest you take a virtual trip to see it all for yourself…

Anil - a hearty handshake from us to you, good work!

Continuing our Travel Tuesday feature of highlighting travel blogs we are today featuring Nomadic Matt.

Nomadic Matt is, as his blog states, about life untethered. He refers to himself as twenty-something vagabond, who has been on the road regularly since 2005,

“My original trip was supposed to last a year. I didn’t come home until 18 months later. Once back, I knew I couldn’t go back to my old life or a typical job - I wanted to travel more. Three months later, I was traveling again. I haven’t stopped since.”

His about page passes on more info on how he came to where he is now an also features interesting facts. Did you no Nomadic Matt once got lost in a jungle?

Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site contains tips, his blog, photos, videos and more all on where he’s been and what he’s done. You can find him on YouTube, Twitter @nomadicmatt, Facebook and FriendFeed. If you want to know insider knowledge about a specific destination, from hostels in NZ to learning to scuba-dive its likely Matt will be able to help you out.

Matt, on this fine Travel Tuesday, you’re our man.

Our good pals over at the STA Travel Victoria store who are led by the impeccable Kate are hosting a Round the World travel talk.

The event is taking place on 25th Feb from 7PM in the Victoria branch. In Kate’s own words,

“It’s an informal evening of travel talks, a chance to have a beer, meet the team and win some prizes. There will be talks by STA Travel, GAP Adventures, one about Fiji Island hopping and one by Nomads Travel about what to pack and travel health.”

That basically covers just about everything you’d want if you were taking a round the world trip. And if it doesn’t, go along and chat to the STA Travel guys (especially Ed, he’s a hero) and ask them what you want to know. Their expertise is superb and with each member of the team having a speciality on a particular location you’ll be able to find someone to help.

If you’re planning a trip, or just fancy getting taster, all you need to do to signup for the Round the World travel talk is send an email to victoria [at] statravel.co.uk and they’ll add you to the guest list.

Myself, Fran & Siobhan spent Saturday immersed in all things travel related at the Adventure Travel Show Live. After presenting to a diverse audience our STA Explorer programme and the World Traveller Internship (WTI) we had a few chats and gave out our goody bags to excited, budding nomads hoping to apply for the WTI and become STA Explorers.

After, Fran went and saw some of the talks and spread the STA travelbuzz word, whilst Siobhan and I went to check out the different travel stalls. First off was drinking Kava, the traditional Fijian drink, with Ben Keene from Tribe Wanted and Dylan (@travellingeditor). The Kava was mixed together by a very authentic looking Fijian and we all had to clap before we received our drink and then clap again after. It was hard to do so when we were almost gagging from the taste (think trees mixed with mud). However, after 3 cups of that and a very numb mouth, we set off giggling like school girls to chat to the STA Travel team who were all working hard giving out information on various deals and offers currently on while answering any questions people had about specific destinations.

We also spoke to the guy on the Mali counter, who taught us about classic Mali music before we made our way to the Healthy Travel talk with Jane Wilson. She taught us how to successfully remove a tick (grab it by the teeth and yank it out). The appropriate clothing to wear (tie trousers at the bottom over your boots to avoid bites and leeches). And how to get over a bout of diarrhea (LOTS of water and eat if you feel hungry).

From there we met Toni, our newest explorer, and we chatted all about her up coming travels. The previous evening had seen her meet a bunch of people to discuss her trip and she has already arranged to meet people while travelling and partake in a little couch-surfing!

All in all a great day!

Just wanted to send out a reminder to all those with a love of travel and a desire to get away. The launch of STA Travel’s World Traveller Internship is happening on Tuesday 26th January in the STA Travel Victoria store from 7:30PM.

Two individuals will take up positions with the brand as a World Traveller Intern and go around the globe, adding their own insider knowledge to STA Travel’s expertise. If you reckon this could be you then pop down to the store on Tuesday night and hear straight from the horse’s mouth what you’re going to need to do to get the run on everyone else.

You can look at all the details on this wiki, as well as add you’re name to the list of attendees. We’ve also created a Spotify playlist for the night so we’ve all got something to dance the night away to, while making our way through the free food and drink. If you’re coming along then simply follow the link and add your own travelling tracks to the list.

Cam and I look forward to seeing you there!

All good things should have a launch party, and STA Travel’s World Traveller Internship is no different!

We’ve already given you a glimpse of what STA Travel’s World Traveller Internship is, but a quick recap can’t hurt. STA Travel is looking to fill two intern positions. They’ll be an application process that will be structured to allow you to stand out from the crowd. You’ll have to show off your love of travel and demonstrate that you have the inclination to bring something new and exciting to STA Travel’s expertise in the travel space to get ahead of the rest.

Interested? Then what better way to start your journey than attend the launch party…

It’s all happening at the STA Travel Store in Victoria London, TUESDAY 7:30PM 26th JANUARY, 2010.

Additionally to this there is a wiki for the event, where you can find out a little more, see who else is going along and add your own name to the list of attendees.

Besides the usual drinks and nibbles they’ll be a look at what the USA STA Travel interns got up to last year and a presentation about what the UK version is going to entail. We’ve also fired up Spotify to create a collaborative playlist for the evening’s musical accompaniment. The STA travelbuzz team has started things off with a selection based around jobs and travel. We’d love you to add your own tracks, whether following our thematic lead or including songs that are relevant to your own travelling adventures.

That’s about it for now, the event is an inclusive shindig so bring along pals and pass on the information to anyone who you feel would be interested. If you want to know more details, or are unsure about anything, then send us a message on Twitter @statravelbuzz #STAWTILaunch or drop us an email.

Hopefully we’ll see you there!

Hitchhiking may immediately set of alarm bells for some, especially those familiar with the work of Rutger Hauer. However, we’ve met a few individuals, including former Lonely Planet writer Robert Strauss, who reckon it’s great. Also among these is Dylan, or the Travelling Editor to give him is Twitter name. Sad at the belief that it is becoming ‘a lost art’, he’s put together his top tips on hitchhiking,

“Tested and road-proof, here’s my version of ten nudge-nudge-wink-wink’s on how to not only have a successful hitchhike, but also a emotionally and spiritually satisfying one.”

The tips are great fare for anyone tempted by getting from ‘here’ to ‘there’ by standing roadside and sticking up a thumb. I think my favourite tip among Dylan’s pearls of wisdom is ‘Minimal Planning’. He makes hitchhiking sound so simple, and maybe it is,

“You begin from origin A and you end up in destination B. Sweet as. Now drop the fretting, stop scrawling red lines all over your map and take yourself to spot A.”

Apparently the unpredictability is what it is all about. So what you waiting for, read Dyl’s tips and see where you can get to for free. Paul Smith, the Twitchhiker, got from Newcastle to New Zealand no less! It’s all quite exciting - maybe we should do a STA travelbuzz hitchhike? If you fancy giving it a go be sensible, stay safe and make the world your playground.