By this Author: dr.pepper

Back in November, Travellerspoint celebrated another first: The first time two Travellerspoint members who didn't know each other before meeting on the site got married!

Lynn (TunaOK) and Paul (Moonmonkey) stumbled across each other on Travellerspoint in 2007. They hit it off, love blossomed, and two years later, they married. Besides wanting to wish them a big congratulations, we thought it would be great to feature them in this month's Talking Travel installation.

Newlyweds: Lynn and Paul. Photo by Baker and Hay Photography.

First of all, a big congratulations from all of us here at Travellerspoint! We're excited to have the first wedding between Travellerspoint members (that we know of). How was your wedding?

The wedding was great apart from the drizzle (typical!).

We had church wedding in the morning follow up by a reception in the evening.

We had guests of family members from all over and we are very happy to share our wonderful moments with them.

So tell us the story... How did you meet?

We met in TP (chatroom)! Lynn was doing her 'studies' for an up coming trip to Bali , Indonesia and Paul was researching a backpacking trip to South America. Funny thing is Lynn took Paul’s contact by accident thinking it was someone else that she had been chatting to for quite some time. Things do happen for a reason eh...

Lynn was granted a working holiday making visa in the UK later and Paul offered to helped out when Lynn first arrived. We met at Heathrow Airport for the first time and the love story grew from there...

Where will home be? In the United Kingdom, Malaysia, or somewhere else entirely?

Lynn: I don’t mind anywhere but I hope it is somewhere nice and cheap. Somewhere I can laze by the beach and have a backpacker hostel business running or a mini café. At the moment, it's England.

Paul: Home will be England for the time being unfortunately, but who knows once we’ve settled and we’re able to start saving some money.

Do you have any big travel plans for this year?

A hiking holiday of some description is on the cards. We’d like to visit the Pyrenees so that would be great. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a few mini breaks including a trip to Edinburgh as Lynn hasn’t been there yet.

***

Check out these past interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Tom
  
• Talking Travel with Grant Gibbs
  
• Talking Travel with Claire and Chuck
  
• Talking Travel with Brendan Harding
  
• Talking Travel with Jennifer Johnson
  
• Talking Travel with Sander
  
• Talking Travel with Rob and Pol
  
• Talking Travel with Michael Johnson
  
• Talking Travel with Izzy and Marisa
  
• Talking Travel with Marlis
  
• Talking Travel with Gretchen
  
• Talking Travel with Andrew and Courtney
  
• Talking Travel with Purdy
  
• Talking Travel with Maria
  
• Talking Travel with Niels
  
• Talking Travel with Amy and Wim
  
• Talking Travel with Hien
  
• Talking Travel and HIV/AIDS in India with Dave Reidy
  
• Talking Travel with Utrecht
  

1. Summer field in Spain. Photo by margaretm.

2. A farmer working the rice fields in a small village just outside Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by damienfoto.

3.Mombasa Railway Station. Photo by Ofelia.

4. Beautiful fall foliage at historic Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by dforster.

5. Winter morning on ranch in Bishop, California, Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. Photo by dforster.

6. One of the kids. Photo by marni-j.


7. New South Wales Bullock Driver. Photo by dinah1.

8. Water Drop. Photo by owler10.

9. Animal love. Arambol beach, Goa. Photo by arijitraja.

***

Every month, Travellerspoint holds a photo competition for our members. Normally, we give you a specific theme, but this time around we went for an all-in challenge to find the best photos of 2009.

So here we present to you the 10 best travel photos of 2009! Congratulations to all the members whose photos made it into the top 10 — there was some stiff competition.

But the biggest congratulations goes to margaretm, who won the competition with her photo of a summer field in Spain.

Margaretm wins a $50 Amazon voucher, a Globetrotter's Logbook, and an increase of her photo upload limit by 5GB.

damienfoto wins a Globetrotter's Logbook as well as a 5GB increase of his photo upload limit on Travellerspoint by coming second.

We have a new competition this month, so head on over to find out what the new theme is.

Check out the results of past competitions:

• 16 Diverse Photos of Architecture
  
• Weavers, Potters and Miracle Healers:14 Photos of Tradition
  
• Green: 12 Photos from Travellers around the World
  
• 13 Amazing Photos Depicting Decay
  
• 14 Photos that Reveal a Patterned World
  
• 17 Stunning Landscape Photos
  
• 16 Great Photos of Animals
  
• 14 Captivating Photos of Kids by Travellers
  
• Yellow: 13 Brilliant Photos from Canada to Ethiopia
  
• Music: The Universal Language
  
• 10 Photos of Beaches Around the World
  
• Winter:15 Photos by Travellers
  
• 13 Images of Rural Life
  
• 12 Urban Scenes Captured by Travellers
  
• 15 Beautiful Images of People Around the World
  
• 15 Exceptional Photos with a Blue Theme
  
• 10 Images of Sport Around the World
  
• Top 13 Transportation Photos: Your Picks
  
• 13 of the Best Watery Travel Photos
  
• 10 Photos to Whet Your Appetite for Food and Travel
  
• Red: 11 Evocative Photos by Travellers
  

This month's installation of the Talking Travel series is with Tom, who around here goes by the name of Rhombus. When I stumbled across Tom's Travellerspoint profile a few months ago, I instantly knew he'd be an interesting guy to interview. Here's what he says about himself:

I'm 28 years old, I don't really have a fixed location that I call home. I've lived successfully out of my van for over 2 years. I've spent the last 8 years traveling throughout the US, usually on 1 to 3 month long road trips. I love playing outside, I'm independent, free spirited and carefree. I like to avoid responsibility. I can proudly say that I've lived my life how I want to live it. I'm in the prime of my youth, and I've spent it doing things I want to do. I have a lot of free time. I'm happy.

I just had to ask Tom more about life in a van. Read on after the jump.

You've lived out of your van for over two years. Why did you  originally decide to start living out of your van?

There were a couple of reasons, one is that I was tired of renting. Paying money to a landlord every month was money I'd never see again. I could save that money for travelling if I started vanning. This all began as a big experiment, I didn't know IF I could pull this off, and knew that if I didn't like it, I could easily find more traditional housing. It turns out that I really liked it, and that it was suprisingly easy once you figured a few things out. The funny thing is, I have a brother who started vanning at the same time, so we could compare notes, and make improvements. We decided to start vanning independently of one another, and were suprised the other was doing it.

I also liked living on the edge, so to speak. It was the great unknown, to VOLUNTARILY choose to be homeless was kind of intriguing/appealing. It was good to shake things up, and try something completely different.

What's the hardest thing about living out of a van?

There are a couple of minor inconveniences. One is using the bathroom. When you gotta go, no matter if it's dark and storming out, you gotta head out and find a spot. In the fall and winter, it gets dark and cold early, so you've got to get used to dressing warm and reading with a headlamp. I'd go to sleep early, and get up early.

You've been travelling on and off for eight years. What keeps you going?

I love being out on the road, the journey I'm on is what I'm all about. I love exploring this world of ours, and I get a charge out it. It's addicting. I usually have 3 trips planned so it's pretty easy to get into research during my down time. This in turn gets me excited about the trip, and when I can finally hit the road, I'm at my best.

How can you afford to travel? What pays the bills?

My needs are very simple. I have only a couple of minor bills every month. I live fairly conservatively, I don't buy stuff; unnecessary clutter that needs storage. The few items I own are my toys that are going to get a lot of use. I don't need to upgrade these very often so most of my money can be used for what I want. I'm good at saving, and when I'm working, I know I'm working for my freedom.  

At present, my work cycle has me working from May to Mid-September. I work LONG hours, and I work hard for my money, saving almost everything. This let's me have the freedom I want in the winter, living off of savings.

I know I'm not living a typical traditional lifestyle. It's not for everyone. I'm happy to say, I'm in the prime of my youth and living my life the way I want. I don't think many people can say that.

What was the favourite place you visited in 2009?

Wow. That's a tough one. I can't pick an absolute favorite. I can find good things about almost every place I visit for different reasons. Here are my top 3.

• Sitka, Alaska. I spent five months working and exploring this area. Awesome.

• American Southwest. Joshua Tree N.P. California, Southern Arizona, and Southern New Mexico. I love the desert.

• Jasper, Banff, and Kooteney National Parks in Canada. It's a beautiful place.

What are your travel plans for 2010?

I'm currently ski-bumming in Kellogg, Idaho till the end of February. In March, I'm going back down to the American Southwest for some desert fun. I'm driving back up to Alaska in April to work from May to September. Driving back to Michigan from Alaska hitting some National Parks along the way. In October, I'm going to drive around Lake Superior for the first time.

***

Check out these past interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Grant Gibbs
  
• Talking Travel with Claire and Chuck
  
• Talking Travel with Brendan Harding
  
• Talking Travel with Jennifer Johnson
  
• Talking Travel with Sander
  
• Talking Travel with Rob and Pol
  
• Talking Travel with Michael Johnson
  
• Talking Travel with Izzy and Marisa
  
• Talking Travel with Marlis
  
• Talking Travel with Gretchen
  
• Talking Travel with Andrew and Courtney
  
• Talking Travel with Purdy
  
• Talking Travel with Maria
  
• Talking Travel with Niels
  
• Talking Travel with Amy and Wim
  
• Talking Travel with Hien
  
• Talking Travel and HIV/AIDS in India with Dave Reidy
  
• Talking Travel with Utrecht
  

1. Quiet prayers in the prayer hall of the Jami (Friday) Mosque, Old Delhi. Photo by dinah1

2.Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur. Photo by Hien

3. Hotel Nordica Spiral Staircase. Photo taken in Reykjavik by BryanG

4. Istanbul 2007 - in Fener. Photo taken in Turkey by Derdia

5. Turning Torso. Malmö, Sweden. Photo by Hien

6. NS Building, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by GregW

7. Parliament Building, Budapest. Photo by david.byne

8. Double Helix Staircase in Ljubljana Castle, Slovenia. Photo by dinah1

9. Stav church. Another angle of the stav church at folks museum in Bygdøy, Oslo. Photo taken in Norway by Sam I Am

10. Den Haag. Photo by jaxstar84

11. Power plant in Soweto, South Africa. Photo by hayden111

12. La Mezquita interior, Cordoba. Photo by david.byne

13.Aizu Budest temple, Japan. Photo by Ardy

14. Dalí Museum, Figueres, Spain. Photo by margaretm

15. Smooth. Photo taken in Peru by Mantrass

16. Arched Walkway in Santa Catlina Monastery, Arequipa, Peru. Photo by dinah1

***

Every month, Travellerspoint holds a photo competition for our members with a specific theme. The photos above are the top voted pics from our Architecture Competition.

Congratulations to dinah1,

Dinah wins a $50 Amazon voucher, a Globetrotter's Logbook, and an increase of her photo upload limit by 5GB.

Hien wins a Globetrotter's Logbook as well as a 5GB increase of his photo upload limit on Travellerspoint by coming second.

This year, we're planning to run competitions over a two-month period, with one month for nominations and one month for voting. Unlike last year, we won't have competitions overlap.

Head over to vote for your favourite photos in the Best Photos of 2009 Competition.

Check out the results of past competitions:

• Weavers, Potters and Miracle Healers:14 Photos of Tradition
  
• Green: 12 Photos from Travellers around the World
  
• 13 Amazing Photos Depicting Decay
  
• 14 Photos that Reveal a Patterned World
  
• 17 Stunning Landscape Photos
  
• 16 Great Photos of Animals
  
• 14 Captivating Photos of Kids by Travellers
  
• Yellow: 13 Brilliant Photos from Canada to Ethiopia
  
• Music: The Universal Language
  
• 10 Photos of Beaches Around the World
  
• Winter:15 Photos by Travellers
  
• 13 Images of Rural Life
  
• 12 Urban Scenes Captured by Travellers
  
• 15 Beautiful Images of People Around the World
  
• 15 Exceptional Photos with a Blue Theme
  
• 10 Images of Sport Around the World
  
• Top 13 Transportation Photos: Your Picks
  
• 13 of the Best Watery Travel Photos
  
• 10 Photos to Whet Your Appetite for Food and Travel
  
• Red: 11 Evocative Photos by Travellers
  

It has been a few months since the last Talking Travel installment, but we're back in action in 2010. First up, I'm really excited to have a short interview with Grant Gibbs, who is one of the guys behind the Hippo Water Roller Project.

In case you've never heard of it, the hippo roller is a large drum that can hold 90 litres (24 gallons) of water and can be pushed along the ground, making it much easier to transport clean drinking water. It's a simple technology that has the capacity to make a huge difference in places where water is scarce.

On Travellerspoint, we're running The Hippo Roller Challenge until the end of February (it started in November). We're hoping to donate a stack of hippo rollers at the end of February, but we need your help! Please click here to find out how you can help us donate as many hippo rollers as possible.

In the meantime, enjoy this interview with Grant, where he shares more about the Hippo Water Roller Project and how it got started.

When was the idea for the Hippo Water Roller Project born?

Two South African engineers working in the arms industry used their talents to develop a better way of transporting water over long distances. Growing up in a farming community, they saw the need for this. While developing a wheel barrow with a low centre of gravity, it was found that the most expensive component was the wheel. With some lateral thinking the idea was born to put the water "in" the wheel. The Hippo Water Roller, formally known as the "Aqua Roller", was designed in 1991 and received its first design award in 1992 from the SABS Design Institute of South Africa.

What are the key benefits a hipporoller brings to a community?

More water means a better quality of life. The more obvious benefits of having a Hippo Water Roller are the savings in time and energy while collecting water. These translate into more time for other important household tasks. Mostly women and children are required to collect water every day of their lives, often from long distances away. Women are empowered to start vegetable gardens and generate an income. Children are able to attend more school improving their chances for employment. The media attention at handover ceremonies attract a lot of attention to the community, putting them "on the map" which results in other needs being met like roads, transport and medical services.

What does the future hold for the Hippo Water Roller Project?

Significant interest has been generated in this appropriate technology and we expect to set up a number of mobile manufacturing plants in undeveloped countries this year, which will save substantial shipping costs from South Africa. We also plan to include a water filtering mechanism to provide clean healthy water some time later this year. Our network is growing all the time and there are a number of fundraising campaigns in the pipeline. Our goal is to partner with many NGOs and corporate businesses to enable us to distribute significantly more Hippo rollers where they are needed.

What do you think are the three things any visitor to South Africa should be sure to check out?

Visiting Cape Town is a must - there are so many attractions there. Apart from the usual tourist attractions like the cable way to the top of Table Mountain, and Robben Island; travelling to some wine farms like Fairview and Vergelegen is a wonderful experience as well as the Boulders in Simonstown where you can swim with penguins. A visit to a game farm is always a great experience, with so many to choose from in the Kruger Park area and Natal; try the CCA group. The Drakensberg Mountains are also spectacular and my favourite place to stay over is Cleopatra’s Mountain Farmhouse – come very hungry!

Remember, you can help us donate hippo rollers by taking part in The Hippo Roller Challenge.