Travel Blog
The Critics: ‘Confessions of a Travel Writer’*
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 5:02 PM ET
So “Confessions of a Travel Writer” debuted last night, and the response—at least from the commenters on our interview with host Charles Runnette—has been ... colorful. But what did Runnette’s fellow travel writers think? I dipped into the blogs and my Twitter stream to find out.
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Yahoo! BuzzThe End of Cuba’s ‘Tourism Apartheid’?
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 4:25 PM ET
It’s been more than a year since Raul Castro rescinded the ban on Cubans in local hotels and resorts, but the shift is only now seeing tangible results. Writes Nick Miroff of Global Post: “Given that the average wage on the island is less than $20 a month, the change was largely considered a symbolic one at the time. But this summer, something unusual has been happening up and down the beach at Varadero. The hotels are filling with cash-wielding locals.” Apparently, the influx is largely a result of steep discounts in a recession-hit off season. I never thought I’d say it, but this might be one “staycation” I can get behind.
Slate Goes to the Res
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 2:32 PM ET
The latest Well-Traveled series, An American Indian’s Journey in the Land of Indian Casinos, is an intriguing one. It follows writer David Treuer as he explores the incongruities of luxury casino-resorts set amid the often-grim realities of Indian reservations, and offers a dose of the history behind the reservation system, too. Here’s a quick taste: “Historically, Indian reservations are a great place to be poor if you are Indian—and a fantastic place to get rich if you’re not. It is only recently that this pattern is being reversed.”
Finding British Food Around the World
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 10:54 AM ET
I’m on the record about my love of British food, so I was pleased to find the Independent’s picks for the best spots to find the stuff outside of Britain. I know, I know: When I’m traveling, I should be pushing my gastronomic limits rather than retreating into comfort food—but still, it’s nice to know that if I ever crave bangers and mash in Corfu, Yorkshire pudding in Bangkok or a pint of London Pride in Tokyo, I’ll be well taken care of.
The Critics: ‘A Perfect Getaway’
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 9:07 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN Remember that movie about beautiful people murdering each other on an isolated Hawaiian hiking trail? It’s landed in theaters, and the reviews are piling up.
The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Cole sets the scene: “Newlyweds Cliff and Cydney are excited to be in Hawaii. He’s a screenwriter without a credit. She’s a rich girl without a clue. And they’re looking for a honeymoon adventure to fuel an interesting marriage. To that end, they’re going to backpack around one of Hawaii’s most rugged islands, climbing slippery cliffs and scooting, doused in insect repellent, through heavy jungle.”
Of course, it isn’t long before things go pear-shaped, when another hiking couple turns up dead. Cue a murderous shell game with the remaining three couples—throughout which, according to Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News, director David Twohy “uses the beautifully shot waterfalls and vistas of Hawaii to distract from some glaring plot holes.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt offers Twohy a backhanded compliment, lauding a “genuinely unexpected twist” in an “otherwise gimmicky, formulaic suspense thriller”—and, disappointingly, notes that the movie was mostly shot in Puerto Rico, not Kauai.
The New Yorker Talks Travel and the Holy Foreskin With David Farley
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 4:57 PM ET
The interview is over at the Book Bench blog. Farley also spilled his tips on how to write a bad travel story recently for World Hum.
‘The Cove’ Takes Aim at Dolphin Encounters
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 2:00 PM ET
A new documentary hopes to dampen the demand for “dolphin encounters,” the ever-popular swim-with-dolphins attractions found worldwide. “The Cove,” which won the Audience Award at Sundance before opening in theaters this past weekend, examines the killing and capture of dolphins in coastal Japan—and its star, Ric O’Barry, says explicitly that one of the filmmakers’ goals is to make tourists “think twice before buying a ticket.”
Picturing a staid moralizing tale? Think again. The movie is being billed as part “Flipper” and part “Bourne Identity”—here’s the surprisingly dramatic trailer:
Nina and Tim Zagat: Movie Critics
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 1:14 PM ET
In the Atlantic, the restaurant-reviewing power couple weighs in on Julie and Julia, the culinary comedy that opened this weekend. (Via The Daily Dish)
Lights Out in Pyongyang
by Michael Yessis | 08.10.09 | 12:00 PM ET
Journalist Sarah Wang recently spent four days in North Korea, traveling incognito with a group of “potential investors.” Her story in Slate adds some vivid details to what we know about life in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Here’s one scene:
The men in the streets usually wore black or dark blue uniforms that looked like Mao suits, and the women wore cheap white or gray blouses with black or dark blue skirts. The most popular shoes were made of dark blue cloth, with white shoelaces and white plastic soles. The blue color ran and stained the laces when it rained.
Look for more North Korea coverage on World Hum in the coming days.
Travel Song of the Day: ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ by Otis Redding
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 11:02 AM ET
Dubai in the Downturn
by Michael Yessis | 08.10.09 | 10:10 AM ET
“It’s all a bit scary,” one expat tells the Washington Post’s Andrew Higgins. He’s not the only one cowering and fleeing. Many expats believe there’s a hunt on for “foreign culprits to blame for the sheikdom’s sliding economic fortunes.”
In Dubai’s defense, its Media Affairs Office told Higgins that it “prides itself on a well-established system of law and order and judicial fairness,” but it didn’t “respond to repeated and detailed questions.”
The Travel Bookshop Turns 30
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 9:05 AM ET
The Notting Hill landmark, which has the distinction of being the only travel bookstore—that I know of—to play a role in a Hugh Grant romantic comedy, celebrates its 30th birthday later this summer. Travel Bookshoppers Saara Marchadour and Julian Mash shared their top 10 travel books with the Guardian to mark the occasion. It’s an excellent list—a couple of the authors overlap with our own fifth anniversary list of the top 30 travel books.
What We Loved This Week: Amadou & Mariam, the Washington Nationals and Iced Coffee in Shanghai
by World Hum | 08.07.09 | 4:01 PM ET
Photo by Michael Yessis New Travel Magazine ‘Afar’ Launches
by Jim Benning | 08.07.09 | 3:27 PM ET
The first issue of a new print travel magazine called Afar landed in my mailbox yesterday. Travel writer friends have been talking about it for some time—largely marveling at the fact that anyone would launch a print travel magazine in these times.
I like the look and spirit of the magazine—it emphasizes “experiential travel.” It’s an approach that’s been tried before—I’m thinking of magazines like Blue and Escape. It was launched by Greg Sullivan and Joe Diaz, a couple of entrepreneurs with a passion for travel. Here’s hoping these guys and the editorial team they’ve assembled can come up with the magic formula to make it work over the long haul.
Sullivan has a background in the law, investment banking, car dealerships and arcade games, according to an interview in Daily Finance. He told the publication:
“There are some things that magazines are really good at and one of them is what we’re after with Afar. We’re really trying to inspire and model a certain kind of travel that’s really about experiencing a place and getting to know its people and its culture—getting the essence of the place. A magazine happens to be a really good medium for that because it can do it with narrative stories and essays and photos.”
Suerte, guys.
Adventures in Unfortunate Place Names
by Eva Holland | 08.07.09 | 2:39 PM ET
Fill in the blanks: Residents in F**king, Austria, are sick of tourists flocking for lewd photo-ops with the town’s signage, but across the border the folks in W**k, Germany, think F**king should learn to embrace the crude humor—and cash in. That’s what W**k’s tourism leaders have done: Said one W**k spokesperson, “There are W**k postcards on sale although many people prefer to take their own W**k holiday snaps standing beside Welcome to W**k signs.” And understandably so. I’ll leave the DIY jokes to less refined bloggers.
