Tag: Travel Tips

The Art of Digital Travel Panorama Photography

The Art of Digital Travel Panorama Photography Jeff Pflueger

Like many places, Istanbul chuckles at efforts to capture it in a photo. Here's one way to get the last laugh.

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Ohio: The Bedbug State?

With bedbug infestations apparently on the rise across the country, the Daily Beast has put together a list of the top ten buggiest cities in America—and burgs in Ohio landed in the first, second and eighth spots. If you’re headed to Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, or any of the other cities on the list, you may want to put this retro travel technique to use.


Another Reason to Plan Your Next Trip in Advance

By doing so, you’ll derive more pleasure from it.

So says a New York Times story about the benefits of spending money on experiences rather than material goods.

It’s not exactly breaking news, I know, but it’s a good reminder:

In other words, waiting for something and working hard to get it made it feel more valuable and more stimulating.

In fact, scholars have found that anticipation increases happiness. Considering buying an iPad? You might want to think about it as long as possible before taking one home. Likewise about a Caribbean escape: you’ll get more pleasure if you book a flight in advance than if you book it at the last minute.


Tourists in Heat

Tourists in Heat iStockPhoto

Ten tips for how to stay cool while traveling in an increasingly hot planet. (#2: Choose countries with cold soup.)

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Tips for Solo Travel

With the right approach, traveling solo can lead to self-discovery and new friends -- even a likeable congressman

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How to Taxi Like a New Yorker in New York City

How to Taxi Like a New Yorker in New York City iStockPhoto

Hailing a cab in the Big Apple takes technique. Riding like a local requires panache. Cab driver Layne Mosler explains.

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Gawker’s Guide to New York City in the Summer

Brian Moylan offers some advice for peaceful co-existence between visitors and locals on the busy streets of New York this summer—though some of it, like the suggestion that tourists should stay strictly on the beaten path of big-time Manhattan attractions, seems more geared towards the comfort of city-dwellers than the enjoyment of newcomers.

Our own Mike Barish shared his tips for a successful holiday visit to New York this past winter.


How to Travel Like Kim Jong Il

First, no jets. Use a train. Or three. You need the decoys. It’s not paranoia. People really would like to see you dead. Maybe travel at night, too, to avoid surveillance. Oh, and you’ll need food and drink. Send for a few cases of Bordeaux from Paris. It’ll go well with the live lobster you’ve shipped in.

The Los Angeles Times has more on how the Dear Leader likes to get around.


Five Great iPhone Apps for Travel Photography

On how to get the most out of your iPhone's camera when you travel

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‘The Great Joy of Travel is to Let Different Cultures Seep Into Your Identity’

Seth Stevenson has a piece in Newsweek on blending in while traveling—how to do it, and why you should. We interviewed Stevenson about his new book, “Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World,” last week.


Post-Trip Funk (PTF)

On the malady's treatment and symptoms, which include a marked tendency to pick up one's home phone and ask for reception

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

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

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76-Second Travel Show: A Short History of Spring Break

Robert Reid looks back at the origins of the annual pilgrimage, and offers tips for meeting people on the road

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On Becoming a Tour Guide

new orleans tilt shift Photo by Wayne Curtis

Not just any tour guide. Wayne Curtis passed the drug test and is now officially licensed in New Orleans. You are now required to believe everything he says -- even that bit about Brad Pitt.

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The Fine Art of Place-Dropping

With a subtle, well-crafted remark about your last trip, you, too, can win friends and influence people!

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Travel Photography: The Key to Photographing People

Travel Photography: The Key to Photographing People iStockPhoto

Are you making photographs of people or taking them?

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Must I Get ‘Off the Beaten Path’ When I Travel?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel and the world

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‘If You’re Ever In Florence, You Have To Visit This Mediocre Trattoria I Know’

The Onion has a recommendation for you. (Via @mikebarish)


How I Stay Healthy When I Travel

How I Stay Healthy When I Travel Photo by jul89 via Flickr (Creative Commons)

On pacing yourself and being pro-active in Europe

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The Daily Dish Goes Below the Mason-Dixon Line

Over at the Dish, guest blogger Conor Friedersdorf asked readers for some advice on achieving “immersion” during a road trip in the South—and they responded with a slew of tips and recommendations. Selections are posted here and here, and my favorite email is below:

If you’re looking for somewhere to see how Southern the South is, you’re looking for a stereotype, which is exactly what we need to move past…

I’m not a born Southerner… but I did spend some time working there and got to rub shoulders with people every day. Did I see the southern stereotypes fulfilled pretty much every day? Yes, I did. I heard the accents, I ate the grits, I was called “darlin.” But it was much more than that. Was there some place to go there that would provide the kind of “local color” you’re looking for? Probably, there’s usually something to that effect in every small Southern town. But that’s exactly the kind of thing I’d tell you to avoid. If you want to immerse yourself, just immerse yourself. Go to a town at random, or go to several. Stop on the highway whenever you feel like it. What drives me so crazy is that people who haven’t been to the South continue to avoid it, which just keeps the status quo.

I’m sure you’ll receive loads of email telling you to try this barbecue joint or that small-town museum. I don’t really care where you go. Just go.