Since Twitter has exploded, there seems to be an exponential increase in Twitter Travel Contests around the place.

There doesn’t seem to be day where someone is offering a giveaway if you tweet this or that.  Hey, I’ve even had a few giveaways here on The Travel Tart, such as the odd Travel Book here and there. 

This hasn’t been too taxing because I haven’t been that imaginative.  I don’t let merit get in the way of someone scoring a prize – I just let a random number generator pick a commenter for me!  (Try this one, it’s good! http://www.random.org/).

It’s all about making life easier, not harder!

But Nomadic Matt has a great Twitter Travel contest going – and I’ve even been shortlisted in the Top 15 for a trip to Costa Rica, including an airfare (my shonky poem entry for this is here). 

I’ve been shortlisted for some fantastic travel junkets, for example a 3 month all expenses paid around New Zealand -  with not much luck.

Today, I’m not going to bore you with crap like ‘I’m definitely the best candidate..’ blah blah blah or I’m experienced with this blah blah blah so vote for me blah blah blah.  I’ve already done that in my entry!

But I’ve come up with a list of Twitter Travel Contestant Types that I’ve pulled out of my backside!

Here they are:

The Facebook Friender

This person has thousands of Facebook Friends that aren’t really their true friends.  Votes are canvassed by sending out daily Facebook status updates to make sure someone votes for them.  Facebook Status updates are sent out to Twitter, with Twitter updates being sent back to Facebook in a perpetual cycle of updates.

The Twitter Tragic

Sends out the maximum allowable tweets per hour pleading for people to vote for them.  Sometimes for days or weeks.

The Pleader

You know, the one who types, usually in uppercase ‘PLEASE PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, I’M DEFINITELY THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THIS PRIZE. I KNOW I’M THE BEST!’

The Enormous Emailer

Will send out an email to EVERY person from every single email account they possess.  Many times.

The Beautiful Person

This contestant uploads a profile picture that is a professional glamour shot in a skimpy outfit to appeal to the opposite (or maybe sometimes both) sex(es). 

The Briber

‘If you vote for me, I’ll [insert any task you nominate here, such as selling your soul].

As for me?

I’m The Easygoer

I might send out a few things here and there, but I’ll go with the flow.  I sent an email out to a few friends which said.

Hey, I’ve been shortlisted to score a trip to Costa Rica.  1 of 15!  The highest vote getter doesn’t necessarily win, but it helps!

It’s really simple – I’m #13.  Just press on that to vote!

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/vote-and-send-someone-to-costa-rica/

Hey, if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t life goes on and there will always be another fantastic travel opportunity around the corner.

However, since I’m a Travel Addict, I won’t knock back a free trip either!

So if’ you haven’t fallen asleep, go to this link here and click on #13 and we’ll see what happens!

I’ll try and stuff you in my backpack and declare you as ‘Miscellaneous’ to the Costa Rican immigration officials if I win (oops, that’s the Briber!).

Chop Chop!

You’ve only got until March 1 2010!  Thanks!

Woo hoo!

Nomadic Matt has been colluding with Bruce Poon Tip from Gap Adventures to give away a trip to Costa Rica.

The link to the original announcement is here.

Since I’m an insatiable Travel Addict, I’m putting my hand up for this awesome sounding trip, with this blog post being my entry.

So here is my 550 word blurb about ‘Why do you want this trip, and what do you hope to get out of it?

The Short Answer: I’m a travel addict who loves travelling, and finds loads of joy and happiness whenever I do so.

The Longer Answer:

Well, I think I have a lot in common with Nomadic Matt and Bruce – we all love travel, and all the experiences that come from wandering around the world.

I’ve done crazy travel stuff like riding on a farting camels in the Sahara, risking my life in suicidal mini bus taxis in southern Africa, and drinking freshly brewed beer out of a rubbish bin in Namibia.

But I haven’t been to Costa Rica… yet!  And I guess this giveaway is a good excuse to have a crack at a trip there!

I’ve even developed a corny poem to try and score this great trip!

Here it is!

I was watching my Twitter Feed one day

When Nomadic Matt said ‘I’m giving a free trip away’

With Brucey Poontip from Gap Adventures

It’s to Costa Rica, a new travel thirst quencher

I wondered how I could win this trip

Via a witty blog post, or even a funny video clip

Then I thought about writing this silly poem

In the hope that Matt and Bruce would help me leave home.

The thing is that I’m a nomadic soul

If I stay too long in one place, I start to lose control

But the main reason I want to score this trip,

Is to escape the cubicle prison which is fluorescent lit.

I know that I will experience so much if selected,

As every single travel day is one where I feel connected.

And because I’m a self proclaimed Travel Tart

I’ll do whatever it takes to make the journey’s start!

I’ll blog every day (technology permitting!), which is more than you want,

I’ll Tweet the whole journey to my 9000+ followers, telling them about the jaunt!

I’ll record the whole journey on video, with special effects,

And even add Costa Rica to my ever growing Beer Index

I’m also well qualified, when it comes to blogging trip opportunities,

I spent a month in Indonesia, staying with local blogging communities

I even have a background in environmental science,

So I can blurb about Gap Adventures, and their sustainability compliance!

Whatever happens guys, thanks for this opportunity

But I really hope to check out some Costa Rican cities

So the 7th of March is circled on my chart,

Because that’s the date when you shout a trip for The Travel Tart!

Just imagine this – the awesome travel threesome of Nomadic Matt, Bruce Poontip and The Travel Tart! Maybe…

Anyway, there it is – my blog post entry for Nomadic Matt and Bruce and the trip to Costa Rica.

Hope it gives me a shot!

With the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 coming up fast - here is a sort of relevant post about the venue.

The Winter Olympics is not exactly a Gold Medal feast for Australia.  A hot sun and not much snow means we’re only just ahead of the Jamaicans in terms of Winter Olympics reputation.

We scored our first ever medal, a bronze, in 1994.

Our very first Gold Medal came from the short track speed skating in 2002.  And that’s only because everyone else in the race fell over on the last corner, and the winner, Steve Bradbury, was the last man standing and claimed the finish line first.

Check out the footage of this classic moment, and the disbelief on Steve’s face when he’s realised he’s won:

Anyway, my parents visited Vancouver last year, right in the middle of the Winter Olympics 2010 construction zone.  Basically, the entire Winter Olympics 2010 site was full of bulldozers and other construction equipment to make sure the venues were upgraded/constructed in time.

As part of their trip, my parents ventured to the Bobsleigh/Luge track.

You know, this is where people/teams hurtle themselves down an ice track at hundreds of miles per hour.

See below:

But my parents spotted this warning sign at the Bobsleigh/Luge track.

I thought it was fairly obvious not to ride a bike down the ice track, but I have a feeling this sign was put up because of someone’s (bad) previous experience.

Anyway, when you do watch the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010, think of the sign and the silly sod who thought it might have been a good idea to ride down the Bobsleigh/Luge track on a bike!

You can also check out The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: Vancouver 2010 Edition (Complete Book of the Olympics) if you like snow and sport.

Today’s post isn’t funny – in fact it’s quite serious.

It’s about The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the sad reality of how it’s used as means for Suicide.

There has even been a book written about this titled The beautiful bridge of death: Accounts of those who died, or nearly died, in falls from the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you’ve had a chance to walk across The Golden Gate Bridge, you would appreciate the fantastic views of the San Francisco skyline and the island of Alcatraz – assuming that there is no fog smothering the entire region that day.

However, you would definitely see one of these Suicide prevention signs placed next to a phonebox at regular intervals along The Golden Gate Bridge:

Well I guess jumping 100 metres off a bridge may cause some minor bruising.

However, I wasn’t prepared to actually see someone try and do this while I was walking over the bridge.  I walked past a couple of policeman who were talking towards Alcatraz, when I realised that they were talking someone who had scaled the fence, threatening to jump off The Golden Gate Bridge.

I could hear the officers saying ‘Don’t do it, it’s not worth it – come back over and we can talk about it.  We can help you out.’

The presence of this man created a scene where a number of patrol boats were alerted, and hence were circling below the potential drop zone under The Golden Gate Bridge – ready to perform a rescue (or most likely, body retrieval) if required.

I felt quite ill because I thought the guy might jump – and hence, I would witness a terrible Suicide.  However, after I had walked tens of metres further on, he was still talking.

After half an hour, he climbed back over the fence to safety.  I have a photo of him on the edge of the bridge just before he finished the almost hour long threat of jumping (check the centre of the photo).

It made me think – what drove this man to almost take his life?

I felt sad that society had let this man down to the point where he thought he was worthless and wanted to end it all on The Golden Gate Bridge.

Here’s a tip.

If you are feeling really crap, don’t hesitate to call your local crisis line.

People are there to try and help you.  You just need to ask for it.

The International Spy Museum is located in Washington D.C.

It’s the most bizarre museum I have ever visited!

Ever thought that all of the gadgets in Get Smart and all the James Bond Movies were too good to be true?

Well they’re not..

I confirmed this when I went to visit the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C.

This bizarre but fascinating museum contained an amazing collection of ’superseded’ gadgets that were used in espionage in years gone by, especially during the height of the Cold War.

The International Spy Museum had gadgets like a lipstick gun, the necktie camera, a shoe radio transmitter and a pigeon camera.

I found the pigeon camera the most interesting –  since there were no such things as spy satellites during the 1920’s, homing pigeons had a camera strapped to them so they could fly over a target area to capture images that were timed to be taken every few seconds.

In some of the images shown at The International Spy Museum, you can see the pigeons wings on either side of the shot.

It’s no wonder the CIA were monitoring the Get Smart show during the 1960’s to work out new ideas!

Also, the lengths of espionage during the Cold War were almost ridiculous – the U.S. and Soviet Union embassies took ages to build because each side were accusing the other of placing bugs in the wall – so metal detectors were an essential form of construction equipment.

However, there was a solution to this – mix metal shrapnel into the concrete mixture so that it was impossible for a bug to be detected.

So if you do see a ridiculous gadget in any spy movie – it’s probably already been developed by your country’s spy agency and it’s already superseded, finding a home in The International Spy Museum.

You can read more at Secret Agent’s Handbook: The WWII Spy Manual of Devices, Disguises, Gadgets, and Concealed Weapons.

Other things to do in the U.S. after visiting The International Spy Museum – confirm many times that Americans can in fact brew Great Beer, and check out some gun wielding locals on Google Maps.