Photo: aya

Matador Trips was created to take travelers straight to the honey holes, off the tourist trail and beyond the pages of the guidebook.

This is what you’ll find in our destination spotlights — short, focused, and totally honest guides penned by your editors, Matador’s destination experts, and an army of talented contributors, all of whom share a passion for travel and exploration as strong as your own.

Whether you’re looking for 10 Things to Do in Amsterdam BESIDES Smoking Pot, are curious about the Best Nude Beaches in the World, or want the lowdown on 10 Places to Catch Insane City Views, Matador Trips should be your first stop.

On top of that, we aim to nurse your travel bug, to get your feet itching and your bag packed. That’s why we bring you unforgettable photo essays that capture the spirit of place and deliver it to your computer screen.

Ever wondered what The Most Alien Landscapes on Earth look like, or what you’ll see while Trekking Langtang in Nepal? Now you don’t have to.

If this sounds good, hold on — we’re just getting started. Grab a subscription via RSS or email and find out for yourself where we’re headed.

Your Editors

Hal Amen cut his travel teeth like so many others, on a summer Eurail trek through Western Europe with a few good friends.

Since then, he’s homebased in Seoul, toured through six Southeast Asian nations and a handful of Canadian provinces on his bicycle, volunteered in South America, and summited a 20,000ft Bolivian volcano.

He’s managed to avoid the 9-to-5 for the past three years and bum around Andean land for the past one. Though currently set on returning home to Texas to put down some roots, he’s got a dozen trip ideas kicking around for next year.

In addition to Matador Trips, Hal’s work has appeared at TheExpeditioner.com, and he maintains a personal travel blog called WayWorded.

Carlo Alcos is writing this from his desk in a Melbourne office building, where he currently works a nine-to-fiver (a.k.a. “day job”). He has high hopes to one day be able to sustain his lifestyle in other ways — namely writing and photography.

Carlo’s travels have taken him around Europe in a campervan, through Russia and Mongolia via the Trans-Siberian railway, and around China and Vietnam. He has also been lucky enough to grow up in one of the most beautful parts of the world — Vancouver, Canada — snowboarding and hiking in the surrounding mountains, camping in the wilderness, and road-tripping around.

He is set to uproot from Australia in 2010 with his wife and continue the journey. Carlo is stoked to have had a photo published as a book cover recently and he can also be found at his personal blog The Long Layover.

Matador is a community of passionate travelers, and Trips is one site in a network of 12 that includes Matador Nights, Matador Life, Matador Abroad, The Traveler’s Notebook, Matador Goods, Matador Pulse, Matador Sports, and Brave New Traveler.

* If you’re interested in contributing an article, please check out our submission guidelines.
* For editorial inquiries, contact Julie, Matador’s managing editor, at julie[at]matadornetwork[dot]com.