With Google using sister company YouTube to launch and tutor users through many of its latest products and upgrades, it's no surprise that a clip to showcase the latest incarnation of Google Earth secured the top travel spot for the omnipresent video service in 2009.
Google Earth 5.0 added history functionality and trip tools, so became even more interesting for travellers. The clip was launched in January 2009 and has so far been watched a mammoth 3.8 million times.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSuJq4UzkIA
On rival video site, Vimeo, Christophe Rehage's fantastic time-lapse effort is the clear favourite for 2009.
Rehage grew a beard and and his hair during the trip, took a picture every day, edited the content into a speedy run-through accompanied by loud music, finishing with a moody montage - it couldn't fail to be an enormously viral hit.
[NB: We also covered it in our How To series: Using Online Video to Market Travel]
The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.