1 man, 1 year, 1 car, around the world

Associated Press Art Director Nicolas Rapp is quitting his job next month to travel around the world solo with only his newly-equipped Land Cruiser.

It's not exactly an eco-trip since he will be driving, and where he can't drive he'll ship his car and fly... but he will be camping most of the way and basically living in his car.

He estimated his total expenses to be around $45,000, but we think he should add in some more for border bribes and/or other bribes to get out of sticky situations along the way.

We wish him luck and will be following his travels.

Follow his trip at transworldexpedition.com

Map by transworldexpedition.com / AP

Books on the endangered environment

Traveling is bad for the environment no matter how "eco" the traveler is.

And to drill in that point The Washington Post reports on four books that will "make you think about where you're going."

The titles of the books say exactly what you will encounter:

1) Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them

2) Disappearing World: 101 of the Earth's Most Extraordinary and Endangered Places

3) The Quest for Kaitiakitanga: The Ancient Maori Secret From New Zealand That Could Save the Earth

4) Across the Tibetan Plateau: Ecosystems, Wildlife, and Conservation

It seems like all the books' authors have actually traveled to the places they have written about. But nothing about if they used environmentally-sound traveling policies. The one thing that always bothers me is when pro-environmentalists go all over the world to show how bad the environment is but travel in planes or other greenhouse gas producing transportation, hence worsening the problems with global warming.

It seems to me a little hypocritical.

Read the full story: Traveling to the edge of extinction

Slow travel for our 100th post

Ecotravel News is celebrating our 100th post with a story about "slow travel," the ultimate in eco-travel.

Slow travel is essentially traveling without the airplanes that everyone knows are bad for the environment and slowing down and enjoying the journey to the new country.

One man that slow traveled around the world is Ed Gillespie who spoke to NPR recently about his journey:

"'What is the purpose of travel?' [Gillespie] asks. 'Is it about a checklist of sights that we want to go and see? ... Or is it actually about the notion of just getting away? And can we experience that notion of getting away with methods that don't have the same kind of environmental impact that unfortunately flying does?'"

Listen to his interview: First slow food, now a movement for slow travel