Destination: Europe
Tom Haines in Romania: Exploring the Outer Edges of the EU
by Michael Yessis | 01.15.07 | 9:15 AM ET
Romania officially joined the European Union this year, and the Boston Globe’s Tom Haines used the occasion to kick off a four-part series to see how the changes will affect the citizens of many of the nations that have recently been welcomed into the EU. Part one begins in the fog-shrouded foothills of the Carpathian range. “[W]ith a wash of midmorning sun, only faint wisps of white lingered above the village of Voronet and a stone church adorned with frescoes in rich red, gold, and blue,” Haines writes. “The Orthodox images of Adam plowing, of the Last Judgment, and more were not sheltered inside a sanctuary, but exposed, vulnerable, on outside walls.”
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Yahoo! BuzzPaulina Porizkova: A Model Traveler
by David Farley | 01.09.07 | 8:27 AM ET
Photo by Ric Ocasek. Supermodel Paulina Porizkova has written a novel and contributed a story to "Travelers' Tales Prague and the Czech Republic." David Farley sits down with the model-turned-author to talk travel and the writing life.
Tom Bissell in Estonia: ‘It Feels, In a Word, Sane’
by Michael Yessis | 01.08.07 | 9:16 AM ET
Technologically, Estonia seems “like a planet from a Flash Gordon serial.” Economically, it’s strong and growing. And in Tallinn, the nightlife is “fun and welcoming,” and boasts “what I can say were—without fear of hyperbole—the most jaw-droppingly beautiful women I have ever seen in my life.” Those are the observations of Chasing the Sea author and World Hum contributor Tom Bissell writing in The New Republic. But Bissell, who traveled to Estonia twice in 2006, was not completely blinded by what he saw. He writes: “I wondered: Was Estonia’s stylishness actually some geoeconomic version of keeping up with the Joneses of the Western world?” His excellent story examines Estonia’s history and rise to become one of the European Union’s most successful new members.
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Cheap Flights and Covered Bridges
by Michael Yessis | 01.05.07 | 9:08 AM ET
It’s a new year, and travelers are still showing love for some old standbys—Las Vegas, cheap travel and a good Irish beer. But they’re also looking for some underwater adventure. Here’s your first Zeitgeist of 2007:
Most Viewed Weblog Category
World Hum (this week)
Las Vegas
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
No Place for a Zamboni: A Hockey Rink Where Players Sink
* Yes, this story is about the glorious sport of underwater hockey. It is, apparently, big in Britain.
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (current)
How to Get the Cheapest Flight Every Single Time
Most Dugg Travel Podcast
Digg (current)
The Traveling Morans
Most Viewed Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Three Travel Books Crack Entertainment Weekly’s Nonfiction Books of the Year List
Best Selling Travel Book
Amazon.com (current)
The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
Top Travel and Adventure Audiobook
iTunes (current)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Busiest Airport in the U.S.
FAA (2006)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
* Total flights logged in Atlanta: 976,307. Chicago O’Hare International Airport finished a close second with 958,643 flights.
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (current)
Covered Bridges Take You From Present to Past
Rick Moody on Iceland’s ‘Garden of Eden’
by Michael Yessis | 01.03.07 | 9:25 AM ET
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Paris and ‘The Places in Between’
by Michael Yessis | 12.22.06 | 8:02 AM ET
It’s a week of classics—and perhaps emerging classics—here at the Zeitgeist. This week, we travelers are showing our love for Paris, Irish pubs, the Hawaiian islands, the wonders of the world and Rory Stewart’s walk across war-torn Afghanistan.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
Paris: 36 Hours
Most Viewed Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Belgium has a ‘War of the Worlds’ Moment
Most Popular Travel Podcast
PodcastAlley (December)
808Talk: Hawaii’s Premier Podcast
Best Selling Travel Book
Amazon.com (current)
The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
* The New York Times selected it as one of the top-10 books of 2006, and it’s back on top after Bill Bryson’s nine-week reign.
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (current)
SeatGuru
Most Viewed Story
World Hum (this week)
How to Down a Pint in a Real Irish Pub
Top Travel and Adventure Audiobook
iTunes (current)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Most Dugg “Travel” Story
Digg (current)
The World’s Top 100 Wonders: How Many Have You Seen?
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (current)
How to Complain Effectively
* Solid advice for holiday travelers.
Most Read Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Storm Snarls Holiday Travel
The Google “I’m Feeling Lucky” Button Travel Zeitgeist Search
And for those who, like me, will be driving for the holidays this weekend, here’s how to survive a blizzard. Safe travels and happy holidays.
Got something for next week’s World Hum Travel Zeitgeist? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
‘La Bella Figura’: Into the Italian Psyche
by Lauren Grodstein | 12.21.06 | 1:39 PM ET
In his latest book, Beppe Severgnini riffs on stadiums, cappuccinos and the Italian relationship to the stoplight. Lauren Grodstein finds the book a fun ride, but also like traveling in the company of a slaphappy tour-bus driver.
Nation Branding: What the World Can Learn From Spain, India and New Zealand
by Michael Yessis | 12.21.06 | 7:30 AM ET
They’re “universally acknowledged to be the crown jewels in the recent annals of nation branding,” writes John Cook in the January 2007 issue of Travel + Leisure, the latest publication to address one of our favorite topics: how countries present themselves in an effort to lure travelers. Cook recounts success stories—Spain’s transformation from a “sleepy low-rent vacation spot for the British and German working classes to a hip, cutting-edge cultural destination” and New Zealand’s capitalization on its starring role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy—but, more interestingly, also examines countries with branding problems. Among them: Serbia, Ecuador and Kazakhstan.
‘Airworld’: As Seen Via Cellphone Video
by Michael Yessis | 12.21.06 | 6:25 AM ET
YouTube's medford has put together a video composed entirely of cellphone footage taken at European airports and on airplanes. It really captures the spirit of Airworld. The Postal Service soundtrack sure helps, too.
Belgium has a ‘War of the Worlds’ Moment
by Michael Yessis | 12.15.06 | 8:52 AM ET
Belgium has been had. On Wednesday, a French-language television station hoodwinked the country, reporting that Flanders had declared its independence. It was a hoax, just like the one Orson Welles perpetrated on the United States in 1938 with the radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds.” And as in the U.S., this one caused a bit of a panic.
Kissing, Germany
by Ben Keene | 12.15.06 | 7:08 AM ET
Study: Almost One in 10 British Citizens Is Living Overseas
by Jim Benning | 12.14.06 | 2:12 PM ET
Britons love the expat life. A whopping 5.5 million of them are living abroad, according to a new study, and many of them are young workers without families. The BBC has a compelling package of stories about the phenomenon. Among the highlights from the main story:
Bill Bryson Becomes Made Man in Britain
by Michael Yessis | 12.14.06 | 8:33 AM ET
The author of much-loved travel books A Walk in the Woods, In a Sunburned Country and others has been made an honorary Order of the British Empire. Congrats, Bill. No word on whether Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell will also be honoring Katz.
Fifty Works of Art Worth Traveling the World to See
by Michael Yessis | 12.07.06 | 8:29 AM ET
Guardian art and architecture blogger Jonathan Jones asked his readers what 50 works of art are worth traveling a world to see? Or, to put it another way, “What works of art would you want to show a visitor from the Crab Nebula to prove humanity should be spared the interstellar death ray?” He’s posted the list 50 in no particular order. It includes Stonehenge, Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Picasso’s “Guernica” and the Terracotta Army of the First Qin Emperor in China.
How to Down a Pint in a Real Irish Pub
by Cheryl Donahue | 12.06.06 | 2:01 AM ET
Photo by Cheryl Donahue. There's more to it than simply bellying up to a bar and ordering a beer. Cheryl Donahue explains how to become a first-class punter (and if you think we're talking football you really need this).