Destination: Caribbean
Cheap Tickets to Hawaii, Costa Rica and More
by Rob Verger | 05.26.09 | 4:27 PM ET
Every few weeks here, I round up some of the best air travel deals I can find.
Want to visit the Pacific? Alaska Airlines has an insanely good deal to Hawaii. They are advertising $169 one-way fares from Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon. You need to buy your tickets before June 3, and you must travel between July 3 and September 30. If you play your cards right, you can fly to Hawaii and back for a total of about $360 after taxes and fees, round trip.
Also, Air Tahiti Nui is advertising round-trip fares, after taxes and fees, of about $731 between Los Angeles and Tahiti, but it’s for a maximum stay of four days only.
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Yahoo! BuzzA First-Hand Look at Some Desperation Deals
by Eva Holland | 05.14.09 | 2:52 PM ET
There’s been a lot of talk about tourism numbers contracting during the economic crisis, and plenty of observers—our own Rolf Potts included—have pointed out that for the budget traveler, with the travel industry running scared and handing out deals left and right, there’s no better time to hit the road than right now.
Still, until I arrived in Barbados this week and started making some bookings for a visit to Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, I didn’t fully understand the extent of the bargains out there.
Hunter S. Thompson’s Puerto Rico
by Eva Holland | 05.12.09 | 4:31 PM ET
Johnny Depp’s been on the Puerto Rico set of “The Rum Diary” for about a month now, and interest is building in the film, an adaptation of an early Hunter S. Thompson novel. The story follows journalist Paul Kemp (played by Depp) as he flees New York City for a small newspaper on the island, where hard drinking and treacherous expat intrigues ensue.
Havana, Cuba
by World Hum | 05.11.09 | 6:11 PM ET
REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa Interview with Kelly Westhoff and Jen Paulus: CheSpotting.com
by Eva Holland | 05.08.09 | 11:43 AM ET
REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas Eva Holland talks Che and the meaning of his ubiquitous image with the founders of a new travel photography site
Sneeze Your Way to Savings?
by Alexander Basek | 05.01.09 | 1:33 PM ET
Remember when I told you guys how many deals there were to be had in Thailand? Well, the Practical Traveler now reports they’re even better thanks to the unrest there. If you don’t mind a little protesting, then run for the savings! The Anantara properties Michelle mentions, particularly at the Golden Triangle, are some of the nicest in the country.
Same goes for travel and the SCHWEINE-GRIPPE—I use the German term for swine flu because it sounds much scarier that way.
Eight Great Stories of Beaches, Islands, Travel and the Tropics
by World Hum | 04.30.09 | 10:31 AM ET
To mark our eighth anniversary, we've collected eight favorite stories from our archives that celebrate and explore travel at land's end
The Critics: ‘Fast & Furious’
by Eva Holland | 04.09.09 | 10:29 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN When I listed Fast & Furious as one of my travel movies to watch for in 2009, I have to admit that my tongue might have been straying towards my cheek. I certainly never expected that the movie—the fourth installment in a fading franchise—would smash box office records and enjoy the biggest April weekend opening ever. But with an unexpected $70 million (and counting) in the bank, I suppose the movie qualifies as a phenomenon of sorts. With that in mind, I decided to check it out and see if there were any vicarious travel thrills to be had in between all the lingering shots of hot (auto) bodies.
Havana, Cuba
by World Hum | 04.03.09 | 10:23 AM ET
REUTERS/Claudia Daut A vintage car drives past elephant sculptures made of metal displayed along Havana's seafront boulevard El Malecon.
Anthony Hopkins Takes Lead in Upcoming Hemingway Movie
by Eva Holland | 03.26.09 | 10:21 AM ET
The veteran, Oscar-winning actor has been cast as Ernest Hemingway in an upcoming indie titled “Hemingway and Fuentes,” Hollywood.com reports. Andy Garcia—who will also co-write and direct the movie—will play Gregorio Fuentes, a friend of Hemingway’s in the author’s final years who is said to be the real-life inspiration for Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea fame.
As always when a beloved literary figure or book is involved in a Hollywood production, my first reaction to this news is gut-clenching anxiety. Hemingway’s stories and novels—not to mention his Paris memoir, “A Moveable Feast”—have done as much as the “official” travel literature canon to make me curious about the world over the years, and unfortunately the movie industry has let book-lovers down too many times. But on the other hand, Anthony Hopkins is a fabulous actor who makes smart script choices more often than not, so I suppose there’s reason for hope.
What do you think of Hopkins as Hemingway? (Via Alltop)
Young Turks: Paradise in the Caribbean?
by Alexander Basek | 03.17.09 | 11:45 AM ET
Good news kids! The Gansevoort Turks and Caicos soft opened yesterday. The property’s official kick-off date is April 1, once all the kids get back from SXSW. Or, you know, St. Mortiz. Located on Grace Cay Beach, it’s the first Gansevoort property outside the lower 48. Goodies include a 7,000-square-foot infinity pool, a Bagatelle Beach Club for eats and an “Exhale” Spa right on the beach. Fun times. The Gansevoort weathered the economic downtown here in New York quite well, so their $400-a-night-plus starting rates in Grace Cay may not prove to be an impediment to bookings just yet.
Still, the vibe in T&C is a little off this season after the hostage situation last fall, when Chinese construction workers building the Ritz-Carlton Molasses Reef project took their Israeli bosses hostage. (Freelancers take note: they did it when they stopped getting paid). Perhaps a simulated kidnapping could be a theme for a team-building exercise on your next workplace retreat?
Morning Links: Bible Park, Pizza Vending Machines and More
by Eva Holland | 03.16.09 | 9:03 AM ET
- The Wall Street Journal goes way beyond Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
- Planning for Lebanon, Tennessee’s Bible-themed amusement park, has been suspended indefinitely due to “political differences”; the park’s developers are eyeing Kentucky instead. (Via The Book Bench)
- Coney Island’s famed Totonno’s pizzeria has been devastated by a fire.
- The San Francisco Chronicle has the little-known story of Iceland’s pizza pioneer.
- And in more pie-related news, the New York Times dishes on Northern Italy’s pizza vending machines.
- World Hum contributor Jenna Schnuer gets the local scoop on Houston’s finest cuisine, culture and more.
- New York City’s High Line may not be quite ready for visitors, but it is in bloom.
- Audrey and Daniel from Uncornered Market have just headed out on the road again; they reflect on five things they’ll miss about America.
- In the Huffington Post, Alison Stein Wellner goes looking for Jewish Barbados.
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Morning Links: The Cuba Travel Showdown, Pirates and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.11.09 | 9:46 AM ET
- The Senate passed a bill to ease travel and trade to Cuba—but the showdown over U.S. policy isn’t over yet.
- A man sued American Airlines for $7 million, saying the carrier “illegally revoked his lifetime pass.”
- Here’s an interesting combination: William Langewiesche, a French luxury cruise ship and pirates.
- Registration for this year’s tours of Washington’s Hanford nuclear site begins March 30.
- Police in China are feeding drivers raw chilli to help them stay awake on the roads in the Chongqing region.
- Goodbye, Travel + Leisure Golf.
- Amina Chaudary says she’s the only Muslim to whom Samuel Huntington gave a formal interview. She writes about “The Clash of Civilizations” author’s legacy at PostGlobal.
- For map geeks: Bloopers from a New York Times map and graphics editor. (via The Morning News)
- Timers on postcards? Isn’t the cancellation stamp enough? (via Coudal)
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A Traveler’s 10 Best Musical Discoveries
by Tom Swick | 03.02.09 | 10:35 AM ET
Contemplating and celebrating the world of travel
What We Loved This Week: Food Tours, Traveling Through the Harper’s Index and More
by World Hum | 02.27.09 | 5:03 PM ET
Bakhat Singh in the Moonlight Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Michael Yessis
The searchable Harper’s Index. The magazine has been delivering pithy factual tidbits since 1984, and now you can search through all of them online by topic. Here are the 90 matches in my search for items about travel. One of my favorites comes from 1990: “Amount the U.S. Air Force spent this year to study the effects of jet noise on pregnant horses: $100,000.”
Joanna Kakissis
I’ve always wanted to host my own YouTube cooking show, because doesn’t the whole world really want to see me make my secret baklava recipe to the beat of “Chains of Love” by Erasure? But I doubt my show would ever be as awesome as the sensational “Cooking With Clara,” which features Great Depression-era recipes by 93-year-old Sicilian-American Clara Cannucciari.