Tag: Travel 2.0
Paris: ‘A Delicate Pale Blue’ No Longer?
by Eva Holland | 02.12.08 | 11:11 AM ET
Photo by kla4067 via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
Plenty of cities have imposed smoking bans in bars and restaurants by now, but it’s rare that they chip away at a world-renowned image in the process. In Paris, on the other hand, where the city’s identity seems more intimately connected with smoking, the ban that came into force Jan. 1 has the potential to alter more than just the air quality.
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Yahoo! BuzzBritain, Brand That Nation!
by Eva Holland | 01.28.08 | 3:17 PM ET
For the first time in the history of Brand That Nation! we focus on a country that is actively seeking to re-brand itself. Reuters has reported that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is seeking a national motto, five or six words long, to appear on passports, public buildings, and birth certificates—and heck, why not tourism brochures, too? The New York Times chimed in this weekend, too. The venerable Times of London has been collecting suggestions, and as Kate Kelland writes, “cynicism and subversion are emerging as the most prominent national characteristics.”
Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Population: 60,776,238
Capital: London
Motto: To be determined
Observing Istanbul’s Evolving Skyline
by Joanna Kakissis | 11.13.07 | 11:30 AM ET
Centuries of rich architecture define this city straddling two continents. But to understand how the new constantly challenges the old in Istanbul, the Boston Globe’s Tom Haines considered its architecture piece by piece: its minarets and mosques, its skyscrapers and soccer stadiums, even its bathrooms. For example, the public restroom in Kadikoy Park, designed by architect Gokhan Avcioglu, has “historical identity, looks nice and does its job,” he writes.
Pod Hotels: Not Just For Japanese Salarymen Anymore
by Eva Holland | 11.09.07 | 7:57 AM ET
In Japan, pod hotels are old news. The first one, Capsule Inn Osaka, opened in 1977. Writes Karen Burshstein in a National Post story: “With more than a passing resemblance to the drawers in a morgue, it was a weird but nifty addition to Japan’s space-starved cityscapes.” Now, though, the concept has spread, and mini-hotel rooms are popping up in London, New York, Amsterdam, Vancouver and elsewhere. They range from the garish yet economical (the low-cost and bright orange easyHotels,) for instance, to trendy and high-tech (like Dutch company Qbic‘s LCD TV screens and changeable color schemes that match your mood, pictured) and many are available for only a few hours at a time, neatly filling the gap between a red-eye landing and the start of a long day of museum or gallery hopping.
Singapore, Brand That Nation!
by Jim Benning | 09.10.07 | 3:26 PM ET
Photo by Alex.ch via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
The latest focus of Brand That Nation!—our tip sheet for countries that may or may not be considering new branding campaigns and that just might want to improve their image in the U.S. travel market, where simple, easy-to-remember slogans are key: Singapore.
Location: Southern tip of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia
Capital: Singapore City
Noteworthy factoids: Durian fruit is not allowed on public transportation. Also, Singaporeans hold the world record for the most people exercising simultaneously while wearing green.
Suriname, Brand That Nation!
by Jim Benning | 08.01.07 | 3:25 PM ET
Photo by Suripepa via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Everyone knows how important nation branding can be in developing strong tourism economies. Witness the success of New Zealand (it’s pure! Froddo lives there!) and Spain (wacky parks! Miró! tapas!). Without a strong brand, a nation’s reputation is vulnerable to the whims of pop culture (holiday in Kazakhstan, anyone?). Sadly, not every country has the resources for nation branding. Other countries simply need fresh ideas. For them, we launch Brand That Nation!—an irregular feature that will act as a sort of tip sheet for countries that may or may not be considering new branding campaigns. Note: While our tips may work everywhere, they’re designed especially for the U.S. market, where simple, easy-to-remember slogans are key.
Official name: Republic of Suriname
Population: 438,144
Capital: Paramaribo
New Seven Wonders of the World Named
by Michael Yessis | 07.09.07 | 7:51 AM ET
After 18 months of voting, the New7Wonders organization announced its seven new wonders of the world this weekend. They are: Chichén Itzá, Mexico; Christ Redeemer, Brazil; the Great Wall, China; Machu Picchu, Peru; Petra, Jordan; the Colosseum, Italy; and the Taj Mahal, India. Last week, we named the seven wonders of the shrinking planet.
Quito: No Longer Just Stopover Country
by Jim Benning | 05.21.07 | 3:42 PM ET
For years now, many travelers have stopped in Quito only briefly while on the way to the Amazon or Galapagos Islands, due in part to concerns over crime, writes Danny Palmerlee in the San Francisco Chronicle. But thanks to a $200 million restoration project in the city’s historic center, crime is down, beauty is up and, according to Palmerlee, Ecuador’s capital is now worth a visit in its own right: “Architects and restoration crews have completed more than 200 separate works, including the city’s cathedral; three historic theaters; the narrow, postcard-perfect street known as ‘La Ronda’; plazas; monasteries; churches; and entire blocks of colonial homes whose wooden balconies make Quito’s streets so picturesque.”
Heading…
A Wikitraveler Goes to Thailand
by Michael Yessis | 04.10.07 | 4:44 PM ET
What’s it like to leave Lonely Planet at home and travel to Thailand guided only by resources on the Internet? It’s an interesting question, but the resulting Slate story by Tim Wu, unfortunately, poses more questions than it answers. “The Internet has long been terrible for travelers—full of sham sites designed to lure visitors to selected hotels, or, in Thailand’s case, go-go bars,” he writes. The Internet has long been terrible for travelers? Huh?
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Moonwalkers, Stardust and the End of the Earth
by Michael Yessis | 03.16.07 | 8:02 AM ET
We’ve done the math: This week, travelers have professed their interest in the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, India, Venice, Antarctica and hotels with a certain “je ne sais quoi de geek.” Here’s the Zeitgeist.
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (recent)
Best Geek Hotels in the World
* Yes, that’s an equation-covered bed cover at Boston’s Hotel @ MIT.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
Hey, Sin City Top This: Grand Canyon West’s New Skywalk
* Moonwalker Buzz Aldren will take the ceremonial first walk Monday. We still ask: What Would Edward Abbey Think?
Most Viewed Travel Story
Telegraph (current)
Getting It Om In India
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Stardust Blown to Dust
* Of course there’s video.
Most Blogged Travel Story
New York Times (current)
Making a Pilgrimage to Cathedrals of Commerce
* It’s all about the 19th-century shopping arcades of Paris.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Miss Manners’ Venice: In a Word, Civilized
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (this week)
Antarctica: The Crystal Desert
* More on Antarctica: A Brief and Awkward Tour of the End of the Earth
Best Selling Travel Book
Amazon.com (current)
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
Most Read Story
World Hum (this week)
Stephanie Elizondo Griest: ‘100 Places Every Woman Should Go’
Wanderlust in the Age of GPS: ‘This Gives You a Purpose’
by Jim Benning | 06.13.03 | 11:52 PM ET
Why would a Vermont computer programmer wade into a leech-riddled swamp out in the middle of nowhere in Malaysia? To find the confluence of the 4th degree of latitude north and the 102nd meridian of longitude east, of course! If you’re confused, you’ve never heard of the Degree Confluence Project, the subject of a feature story in Thursday’s Los Angeles Times. (And you haven’t been dutifully clicking on our “Offbeat Sites” links; we posted a link to the project’s site ages ago.) Project devotees, many of whom are of a certain scientific persuasion, pack their hand-held global positioning satellite devices and wander off to find and photograph the intersection of whole number latitude and longitude points all over the planet, even in the middle of the ocean. Sure, David Lawrence, the programmer in question, could have simply opted for a tour of a Malaysian tea plantation. But what would be the point of that? “I have a wanderlust,” he says. “Yet traveling without a destination seems so random. This gives you a purpose.”
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