Destination: Middle East
Powell: ‘I Was Like, ‘Free Trip to the Disputed Zone? No Way I’m Gonna Turn That Down!’’
by Michael Yessis | 05.06.04 | 10:22 PM ET
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and several other diplomats are looking forward to their upcoming travels to Israel’s West Bank “to just kick around and enjoy the area,” according to a report in this week’s Onion. “A lot of people in the EU are angry with Washington policy-makers, claiming that Bush’s endorsement of [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon’s proposed unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip rejects the right of Palestinian refugees to return to disputed land now in Israeli control—but I don’t care to take sides while on this trip,” High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy for the EU Javier Solana said. “I heard Colin’s going, and I figure, if Col’s there, it’ll be a good time. I’d like to sneak away with him some evening and find out how the remaining members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra sound.”
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Yahoo! BuzzMoments of Normal
by Jenni Kolsky | 03.28.04 | 9:42 PM ET
Photo by Jenni Kolsky. Jenni Kolsky struggles to make sense of the photographs she took at a peaceful beach in war-torn Israel
Lonely Planet at 30
by Jim Benning | 12.29.03 | 9:46 PM ET
Jim Benning celebrates three decades of groundbreaking independent travel guides
What Do Jordan’s Ain Ghazal Statues and the Islands of Tuvalu Have in Common?
by Jim Benning | 11.12.03 | 7:36 PM ET
Michael Shapiro answers the question in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, offering an interesting list of threatened attractions around the world—places that, if you’re so inclined, should be seen sooner rather than later. “From the historically and biologically irreplaceable to the poignantly frivolous, we’re living at a time when the planet’s heritage is under ever greater threat from war, neglect, climate change, overpopulation and unmanaged tourism,” he writes. Among the places making Shapiro’s list: the islands of Tuvalu, threatened by rising waters, and eroding Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico City. Shapiro also points readers to the World Monuments Fund’s new 2004 list of 100 threatened sites.
The Critic: “12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time”
by Jim Benning | 08.09.03 | 12:11 AM ET
Back to Iraq?
by Michael Yessis | 07.15.03 | 11:34 PM ET
Are people ready to travel to Iraq? Absolutely. Travel + Leisure reports that some adventure travel tour companies are already taking reservations for future trips. “A bunch of people have already signed up for a tour that doesn’t even exist yet,” Geographic Expeditions spokesman John Sugnet told T+L’s Bonnie Tsui. This September, the company will make an exploratory trip to gauge the situation. They hope to begin tours in spring 2004.
UPDATE: The U.S. State Department today lifted its 12-year-old restriction on visits to Iraq, according to USA Today. “[W]e still don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Iraq right now,” one official said. Duh.
Chador Etiquette
by Christine Michaud | 05.23.03 | 9:52 PM ET
In a Kuwaiti shopping mall, Christine Michaud learns that dressing like the locals is not as easy as it looks
Talking About ‘Baghdad Without a Map’
by Jim Benning | 04.09.03 | 3:49 PM ET
Tony Horowitz, the journalist and travel writer who wrote ‘Baghdad Without a Map’, fielded questions from a Los Angeles radio show host Tuesday about his experiences in the city now under seige. Host Kitty Felde had an old map of Baghdad and was hoping Horowitz could describe the city’s layout and landmarks. But as Horowitz explained by phone, he never had a map of Baghdad. They’d been outlawed during his visit. (Hence, of course, the title of his book.) So he could only recall what he had seen. To hear their conversation, click here and scroll down to “Iraq 101: An Audio Tour of Baghdad.”
Jeff Greenwald: Travel During War
by Jim Benning | 04.01.03 | 8:17 PM ET
As war rages in Iraq, Jim Benning speaks with the travel writer about his anti-war stand, his call for Americans to journey abroad, and his new organization, Ethical Traveler
Jewish Settlers Propose ‘Terror Tours’
by Michael Yessis | 03.14.03 | 2:50 PM ET
In yet another sign that the world has gone mad, the BBC online reports that Jewish settlers will soon be offering “special ‘terror tours’ of the West Bank and Gaza, in which tourists will be trained to fire weapons and participate in mock fights with Arab militants.” The tours were scheduled to start late this month, but the likely war in Iraq has put plans on hold.
Iraq Guidebooks are Selling Like There’s No Tomorrow
by Jim Benning | 02.26.03 | 3:36 PM ET
That’s according to UK publisher Hilary Bradt, who told This is Local London that Bradt Travel Guides’ Iraq book has sold all 4,000 copies that were printed last May. The article also contained this intriguing line: “Bradt Travel Guides was also contacted by an official from Washington who requested a copy of the book.” Does the U.S. have the best damn intelligence-gathering force on the planet or what?
Holiday in Iraq
by Jim Benning | 12.20.02 | 3:44 PM ET
Believe it or not, Johann Hari recently signed up for a package tour to Iraq (yes, they do exist). In a thoughtful story about his trip in The Guardian (UK), he describes the surprisingly warm reception he received. “Again and again, it was startling how little anger there was towards Brits and Americans,” Hari writes. “[Fellow package tourist] Sean walked about rather indelicately wearing a New York City T-shirt and Nike trainers, yet received nothing but friendly hellos and waves in Baghdad. In Basra, one person asked nicely where he was from, and when he said the U.S., the man recoiled and said, ‘Goodbye, sir.’ That was the full extent of the aggression we received from the Iraqi people.”
Blooming in Jerusalem
by Lynn Cohen | 07.01.02 | 11:01 PM ET
Photo courtesy Lynn Cohen. When Lynn Cohen left the shores of Lake Michigan and the perfect boy to spend a month in Jerusalem, she couldn't wait to return home. But that was before she arrived.
How Did the Hamburger Take Over the World?
by Jim Benning | 06.07.02 | 1:37 AM ET
The Critics: The Carpet Wars
by Jim Benning | 06.01.02 | 1:05 AM ET
In “The Carpet Wars,” Australian writer Christopher Kremmer travels a route through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, India and other countries to investigate the region’s carpet trade. Morag Fraser of The Age raves,”[It’s] a source of vivid, unexpected pleasure—sharp as the air in the Afghan mountains.” Washington Post reviewer Tracy Lee Simmons is a bit more subdued with her praise: “This book, in its sobriety, puts a human and—despite the random, ritualistic violence—oddly sympathetic face on a part of the world that history, ancient and modern, has brought home to all of us.” Simmons also reviews Tony Perrottet’s “Route 66 A.D.” She notes that it’s “a splendid trip with two gutsy companions, and, by the end, the reader needs a shower as much as they do.”