Following the Equator

Our 10 Best of 2008

This is the 320th post of 2008 at Following the Equator, and we decided to commemorate our blog's first full calendar year with a top-10 list of favorite posts.

We had a lot of stories, videos, photos, interviews, tips and perspectives about educational travel. We launched some regular weekly features, including our Tip of the Week and Photo of the Week. We debuted Life on Tour, introduced EF on YouTube and EF on Facebook and promoted the EF Tours group on Flickr (above). And, along the way, we encountered a lot of inspiring travelers.

Following the Equator also was nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award and finished fifth out of 1,177 blogs for Best Travel Blog. Thank you to everyone who supported our blog in 2008 by voting, reading, sharing, commenting and subscribing. We're looking forward to an even more successful 2009.

Meet EF's Olympics ambassador

The Beijing Olympics begin Friday, but EF has had Olympic fever for some time already.

Not only is EF Education First the Official Language Training Services Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and not only did EF's founder, Bertil Hult, carry the Olympic torch, but EF also has its very own Olympian.

Cristina Teuscher—a New York native who now works in EF's London office—is a two-time Olympic medalist. Cristina won a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, and she won bronze in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

Lately, Cristina has been traveling the world, promoting EF's role in the Olympics. Cristina visited both our Boston and Denver offices in the past couple of months, and she recently took time to answer some questions for us before traveling to Beijing for the Games.

Around the World recap (and photos)

We finally got a chance to catch up with Matt Borrello, who returned to EF last week after his around-the-world tour.

Matt, a regional sales manager with EF Educational Tours, won an internal EF contest to travel to four of the world's wonders and chose to bring his mother, Lucille, on the whirlwind journey.

Matt told us all about the stunning sights, the wonderful people and the exhausting flights. By our calculation, Matt and his mom traveled nearly 30,000 miles on 12 flights.

"It was fun and exciting," Matt said, "but it was also a challenge because we had 12 different flights to meet."

Around the World: Back home

After circling the globe on a whirlwind tour of the world's wonders, Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, have returned safely home. Matt emailed this morning after completing their around-the-world trip with EF:

"I just wanted to let everyone know that I am now back in the United States and arrived home safely. 

"Overall, my mother and I had a fantastic experience on this trip, and we are looking forward to sharing those memories with everyone soon. 

"Also, it appears that Jetstar has located our luggage and will be sending it back to our home. When the luggage will actually appear, no one knows!"

Despite the aforementioned lost luggage, our lucky contest winners saw the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime trip!

We will try to catch up with Matt next week to get more details on the trip—and hopefully see some photos.

Around the World: Great Wall of China

Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, have nearly completed their around-the-world trip with EF. They are in Beijing on the final stop of their world tour. Matt emailed this morning after visiting the Great Wall of China:

"I just wanted to let you know that my mother and I have just finished seeing the Great Wall! It was a terrific experience, and I cannot believe how steep the wall is to walk up. Unfortunately, it was raining while seeing the wall, so it hurt our experience a little bit. 

"We also just ate at a very nice restaurant called the Peking Duck. I would have to say it was our best meal on the trip. A chef comes out in front of your table and cuts up an already cooked duck and serves it to you."

That means they've visited the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the now Great Wall of China in less than two weeks. Our weary world travelers are headed home soon, and we'll catch up with Matt next week.

Photo: jaaron via Flickr

Around the World: Live from Cairns

When you're traveling around the world in 18 days, you've probably got to expect a bump in the road (or two).

That's been the case with Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, who are circling the globe on an around-the-world trip with EF. Matt and his mom have arrived safely in Cairns, Australia, after a couple of hiccups in their itinerary.

Twain's World

Mark Twain never grows old. That's the premise of the new Time magazine that just hit newsstands.

A gorgeous portrait of Twain graces the July 14 cover of Time's Annual Making of America Issue, which illustrates how Twain not only was the man of his times ("America's Original Superstar," he's called) but also a man for all times. His wit and wisdom on politics and race, just to name two, make Twain as relevant today as in the late 1800s.

While Twain is lauded as the inventor of the American novel and the forerunner to today's political funnymen such as Jon Stewart, Time also points out what we well know about our hero: "Twain was best known as a travel writer."

Time created a remarkable map (above) that marks where Twain traveled in writing his five travel books: The Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing It (1872), A Tramp Abroad (1880), Life on the Mississippi (1883) and, of course, Following the Equator (1897).

Around the World: Update from Singapore

After a couple of days without updates from India, we heard from Matt Borrello this morning. Matt and his mother, Lucille, arrived in Singapore this morning on their around-the-world trip with EF.

Matt said that phone access wasn't great in India, so he wasn't able to call with reports after seeing the Taj Mahal in Agra and visiting Jaipur and Delhi. But Matt was able to email us from Singapore:

"India was good! It was raining the day we visited the Taj Mahal, but we got some nice pictures! I went on a camal ride, which was an amazing experience!"

They are making their way to Australia, and he will check in when they arrive today in Cairns. In the meantime, you can follow their route with our interactive map.

Around the World: Arrival in Agra

It was a long journey, but Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, arrived today in India on their around-the-world trip with EF.

Matt and his mom flew from Cairo to Istanbul to Delhi. After a few hours' rest, they rode several hours to Agra, where they will visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise tomorrow.

Hear Matt's initial impressions of India:

Check back soon to hear what Matt says about the Taj Mahal. For more about their trip, read our original post and follow along with our interactive map.

Around the World: Departing Cairo

Matt Borrello and his mother, Lucille, have completed the first leg of their around-the-world journey with EF.

Matt called this morning from the Cairo airport, reflecting on their stay in Egypt. Here's what he said about the pyramids, the Cairo Museum and the wonderful people:

They are now flying to New Delhi (via Istanbul, Turkey), and Matt will check in from India.

To follow along at Following the Equator, check back soon or subscribe via an RSS reader or email (in the sidebar on the right). You also can read our original post and see our interactive map.