The Times Travel Show will include performers from all over the world.

The big news around here this month is the New York Times Travel Show February 6 to 8, 2009, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Come and meet the GoNOMAD staff at Booth 1033. Our site will be among more than 400 exhibitors.

GoNOMAD Editor Max Hartshorne and Senior Editor Kent St. John will be presenting a seminar at the show about travel writing, inviting show visitors to learn about how to break into the business, with tips on markets, ideas and the whole internet travel publishing marketplace.

Hartshorne will also be presenting a program about search engine optimizing for travel professionals at the Boston Globe Travel Show on February 22. Max is a man in demand!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, we're offering the usual variety of travel stories from dune surfing in Peru to flamenco dance in Spain to yoga tours around the world.

Cassie Silva explains the sport of sandboarding on some of the highest dunes in the world in Huacachina and Cerro Blanco, Peru, Hunter Styles visits the Museum of Flamenco Dance in Seville, Spain, and GoNOMAD intern Isadora Dunne writes about inspirational yoga tours all over the world.

David Rich goes 'beyond Borat' to discover the real Kazakhstan, Emily Fagan recounts a fun family expedition to Goblin Valley, Utah, and Alexanda Reagan writes about all the kid-friendly surprises in Dijon, France.

GoNOMAD Editor Max Hartshorne offers a gallery of photos from Iran, illustrating the warm welcome he received from everyday people there, Sony Stark gets soaking wet at the Rainforest Music Festival on the Island of Borneo, and Esha Samajpati hikes the trail to Gertrude's Nose on the Shawangunk Ridge in Upstate New York.

All in all it's just another month of top-notch travel writing on GoNOMAD.com!

Beyond Borat: Discovering the Real Kazakhstan
Walking around Kazakhstan’s former capital of Almaty was like walking into a convention of female Russian tennis stars, streets strewn with willowy lasses cavorting in short skirts swirling icy blonde hair, a welcome change to the natural expectation that most everyone would resemble unglamorous buffoons, aka Borat. Almaty is very hot in late summer but the heat is alleviated by unending legions of trees...

Shiraz, Esfahan and Tehran: A GoNOMAD Photo Gallery
GoNOMAD Editor Max Hartshorne joined a historic delegation of journalists and tour operators in November 2008 when the Islamic Republic issued their first diplomatic visas in 30 years, allowing the group to come and meet many Iranian Tour operators and tourism officials. These photos were taken during the excursions to Shiraz and Esfahan, and later in Tehran...

A Destination Guide to the British Virgin Islands
Consisting of dozens of islands and cays spread over a generous swath of sea, the BVI are perfect for both adventure and total relaxation. Although the area has always been relatively pricey, it still lacks the touristy feel of other Caribbean locales. Perhaps the most well-known island in the BVI is Tortola, as it is also the largest and most populated. Then there is Virgin Gorda which has a flat and arid environment...

Seville's Flamenco Museum: Dancing Anger and Ache in the Heart of the City
The Museum of Flamenco Dance – El Museo del Baile Flamenco – opened in 2006, when world-renowned flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos founded the museum as a center of history-keeping, as well as a place of continued practice. Despite flamenco's enormous cultural significance in Spain, this is the first flamenco dance museum in the world. In fact, it is the largest museum anywhere dedicated to a particular form of dance...

Family Fun in Goblin Valley, Utah: A Rare Jewel of Nature
For a unique family travel experience, you can't beat Goblin Valley, Utah. Situated between Utah's more popular (and crowded) national parks, this unusual state park and the nearby Little Wild Horse slot canyon offer fun and adventure for young and old alike. We visited in October, a great time of year when the air is warm, and the sunny skies are bright blue. We were so enchanted by the area that we stayed for a week...

Fun in the Mud at Sarawak's Rainforest World Music Festival
A warm yellow light falls from tiki torches while a faint midst hits the rainforest canopy. I’ve just entered the grounds and navigate a narrow bamboo walkway past old tribal longhouses and food and drink stalls. The weather is warm; the night is young. Concertgoers spread out their rattan mats on the moist ground and order up local favorites like Laksa, Kolak Mee and King Prawn...

Upstate New York: Hiking the Trail to Gertrude’s Nose
Nature has been at its powerful best while creating the layered silica-cemented Shawangunk conglomerate with bold strokes of pure white quartz pebbles and sandstone. The vegetation is dense and the lakes around it are crystal clear. The Shawangunks contain the Mohonk Preserve, Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Sam's Point Preserve with more than 100 miles of hiking trails and several areas for rock climbing...

Dijon, France: Full of Kid-Friendly Surprises
I never would have thought I’d hear our two kids, ages six and nine, declare escargots their favorite food! But this city, less than two hours south of Paris by TGV train, is full of happy surprises like this for a family with children. When our family of four decided to spend my husband’s sabbatical year in Dijon, we didn’t know much about the city, other than it was located in Burgundy and shared a name with the famous mustard....

In the Land of Sand: Dune Surfing in Huacachina, Peru
To a backpacker hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, boarding is considered a winter sport. It doesn’t get any better than flying down a mountain covered in the fresh fluffy white stuff - does it? The opportunity to board in the desert – no scarf, gloves or snow required – intrigued me to no end. I was ready to see what the dunes had to offer. Welcome to Southern Peru – home to some of the tallest sand dunes in the world...

Meet GoNOMAD Staff at the New York Times Travel Show
GoNOMAD.com is proud to be a media partner for the sixth annual New York Times Travel Show to be held February 6 to 8, 2009, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. More than 400 exhibitors will be on hand representing more than 100 countries. You can meet the staff of GoNOMAD.com at booth 1033 and learn about exotic destinations around the world...