Focused readers (and those feed reading rather than bellying up to the trough) may have overlooked two new elements in the sidebar. Let me draw your attention to them now.
Further down the page I’ve added a “Crossing my Radar” box in which I share links to some of the most interesting and useful posts I’ve spotted across the blogosphere. If you like what I’ve got to say, I think you’ll like these too. This is constantly updated as the articles, ahem, cross my radar, so keep checking back to find the latest and greatest in no-budget travel news. It is even possible to add these as a feed piped directly to your prefered feed reader, if you swing that way.
For the month of December, I’ve added a link to the Passports with Purpose project. If you haven’t read about it yet, here it is in a nutshell:
Passports with Purpose is a travelblogger-driven fundraiser for Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate hunger and poverty around the globe. I know many of you are kind-hearted souls 
who have probably given or received a duck or sheep or two with this organization and are familiar with their programs.
If you haven’t given Heifer money yet this year, or if you’re still unsure what to give some of those hard-to-shop-for ninnies on your list, let me suggest you donate by purchasing a raffle ticket from Passports with Purpose. All proceeds go directly to Heifer, but you (or your chosen ninny) are also eligible to win some amazing (and expensive) prizes, donated by travelbloggers across the globe. You can find the full list of prizes here – there’s plenty for travelers and non-travelers alike.
All tickets are sold through 29 December over the First Giving site. For each $10 donation you make, you’ll be entered into the raffle for the prize you’ve selected. Be sure to enter your email address and the prize you want to win in the comments field. The organizers will pull winners and notify them via email on December 30th.
For even better chances at a teensy-tiny prize, I’m still looking for reader suggestions for NYC and DC. I’m surprised that no one’s left a comment on New York yet (meaning your chances of winning currently stand at 100%). So click through and add your hard-won experience today!
