Welcome to TheGlobalTrip.com version 3.0!
In March 2006, exactly one year after my big trip around the world, I announced I was to skip the country again and race off to Timbuktu. This year, in March 2007, roughly two years after my return to New York, I announce what you see before you: TheGlobalTrip.com version 3.0!
At first you may be impressed with its slick new look, its improved navigation bar, and its new navigator map (which still might have some kinks in it—please comment below and tell me any issues you have with it). Then you’ll marvel at the new sections and the new sidebar content, and then continue to browse and browse—until you come to the realization, “Hey, wait a minute… this is all the same stuff I’ve read before! That Erik’s a real douchebag.”
Okay, you got me; it IS all the same old stuff you read before, just re-packaged, much like an old movie re-packaged on a DVD as an “ULTRA SUPER SPECIAL EDITION” and resold to the masses again. So, is this just all nothing but The Global Trip Special Edition? Well, not exactly. Behind the scenes, the website has gone a major overhaul from the ground up, from its creative visuals to its technical structure—all an ordeal that has taken up all my free time for the past five months. On the back end, every page is now generated on the fly via an SQL database and CSS templates using the amazing Expression Engine web publishing software package. I have actually gone through each and every entry I’ve written in the past and revamped it—a task I wasn’t looking forward to before, but eventually overcame. My apologies to all the non-tech-savvy readers out there for boring you with that bit of information.
I MUST take this opportunity to thank and praise the ultra, super, and special Mia Eaton, my friend, muse, and co-worker who is pretty much the reason why this 3.0 website exists today. She is without a doubt, the coolest, most endearing web developer/creative non-fiction writer on New York’s Lower East Side. At the New York interactive ad agency we work at, her desk is full of toys (picture above), more toys, and other random decorations—all of which complement my own playful cubicle nearby of toys, a self-contained ecosphere of brine shrimp, and random pin-ups on the wall (yes, that’s me with Mr. T). Perhaps the only time my cubicle gets extra points is when I bring in a game like Milton Bradley’s Perfection, or the time I brought in my PS2 and set up a Guitar Hero station at my desk for a week.
But I digress. Anyway, it was Mia who coached me on setting up a new and improved host provider, and tutored me in htaccess files and the inner workings of the Expression Engine software, following the examples of her website. With her guidance, and some help in CSS structure from Sarah the Webfairy—another super cool web developer and fellow traveler/cyclist from Montreal—TheGlobalTrip.com v3.0 website was born, after five months in the works. As always, TGBTGBTB markyt was around to help QA things for me when he wasn’t too occupied with his new son and my nephew, Logan.
Anyway, enjoy the new site, and let me know if there are any bugs you find. In the meantime, I’ll get cracking on tweaks, populating the new wiki with information, and other such issues you find in a beta release of something.
Oh, and for the tons of people asking me, “So when’s your next trip?” Let’s just say I’ve booked it already and that it’ll be “different” from any other trip I’ve done before. Details to come…
Next entry: The Calm Before The Storm
Previous entry: Buzzkill
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Comments for "Welcome to TheGlobalTrip.com version 3.0!"
FIRST! This is a test of the emergency broadcast system.
Posted by on 03/27 at 02:52 PM
Hey Erik - I caught wind of your site from the praise on BootsnAll for your inspiring video “Would you.” The revamped version looks great, and I look forward to spending a little more time here going forward. Please let me know if you have any feedback on the blog I started in January as I prepare for my own RTW trip to begin Dec 07!
Posted by Dave on 03/27 at 10:47 PM
Rad. It looks nice. Hurry up and go on your “different” trip, b/c I need something to occupy my work time.
Posted by on 03/28 at 11:52 AM
That Erik’s a real douchebag.
Posted by on 03/29 at 01:42 PM
Looking forward to hearing about your new upcoming trip!
Posted by on 04/07 at 10:26 PM
fancy, fancy new website:)
i’m on here to check out BOLIVIA! road of death might be the summer destination.
so what’s your ‘different’ trip? something MARATHON training related? hehe..
(i’m jealous)
Posted by on 04/28 at 09:12 PM
VERSION UPDATE: 3.01. I’ve tweaked the map navigator on the home page; people were telling me it wasn’t intuitive and confusing. Now the photographic overlays don’t completely cover up the map, and loading animations appear when you are waiting for pages to load.
Posted by Erik TGT on 05/16 at 10:22 AM
Next entry:
The Calm Before The Storm
Previous entry:
Buzzkill
This blog entry was originally posted on March 27, 2007.
FUN FACT:
This here is a new feature of TGTv3: Fun Facts, for those little behind-the-scenes or “deleted scenes” stories that get edited out of an entry.
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