Destination: Australia & Pacific

World Travel Watch: Protests in Thailand, Dingo Trouble in Australia and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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World Travel Watch: Typhoid in Fiji, Khmer Rouge Tourism in Cambodia and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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World Travel Watch: Strikes in Belgium and Greece, Bombing in India and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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Men at Work Loses ‘Down Under’ Plagiarism Case

An Australian court has ruled that the flute section in the catchy travel song was lifted from “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree,” another Aussie classic that dates to the 1930s. Frontman Colin Hay has issued an emotional dissenting statement in response. Here’s the song in question:


World Travel Watch: Major Earthquake in Haiti, Road Blocks in Greece and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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The World’s Language Density, Mapped

Over at Gadling, Aaron Hotfelder’s come across a fascinating Swedish map of the world that shows countries re-sized in proportion to the number of languages they’ve produced. The biggie? Papua New Guinea.


World Travel Watch: Fees and Visas in India and Argentina, Maoists in Nepal and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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Jan Morris Reveals her Favorite Cities

She fields this question in the Guardian: What is her favorite of them all?

Dear God, what a question! To my mind cities are distillations of human life itself, in all its nuances, with all its contradictions and anomalies, changing from one year to another, changing with the weather, changing with history, changing with the state of the world, changing above all in one’s own personal responses. How can I have a favourite? Sometimes I prefer one city, sometimes another. Inconstancy governs my responses to cities—fidelity in personal matters, promiscuity in civic affairs.

Morris does have a ready answer, though, when asked about her least favorite city: Indianapolis. (Via @ben_coop)


World Travel Watch: Monster Crocs in Australia, Bridge Collapses in Costa Rica and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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Travel Photography and ‘Writing With Light’

On the problem with "trophy travel photos" -- and what to aim for instead

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World Travel Watch: Monster Shark Off Australia, Deadly Driving Games in Bulgaria and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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‘Are Australian Horror Films Scaring Tourists Away From Australia?’

Boo!

One of the films in question is Wolf Creek, which made our list of 13 great holiday horror travel movies.


The Critics: ‘Couples Retreat’

Poster via IGN

A few months back I said that “Couples Retreat”—you know, the one where four couples unwittingly book into an all-inclusive marriage counseling resort?—had “some comic potential.” Well, the flick opened this weekend, and I have to report that while said potential was there, it never blossoms into vacation comedy gold. There are a few decent jokes scattered throughout—everyone likes a good jab at Sandals, right?—and the scenery is lovely (the movie was shot in Bora Bora) but the story drags aimlessly between the occasional laughs.

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Travel Warning Issued for Samoa, Tonga

The British Foreign Office is advising travelers to stay away from Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga as the islands struggle with the fall-out from Tuesday’s tsunami. Milder warnings have also been issued for Sumatra, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.


Photo You Must See: Big-Wave Surfing at Cow Bombie

Photo You Must See: Big-Wave Surfing at Cow Bombie REUTERS/Ho New
REUTERS/Ho New

Surfer Mark Visser drops into a 36-foot wave at Cow Bombie, near the Western Australian town of Gracetown. The surf spot is located roughly 175 miles south of Perth.