Travel Blog
Travel to China Down in 2008
by Julia Ross | 06.17.08 | 10:31 AM ET
Protests in Tibet. A major earthquake. Tightened visa restrictions. The yuan’s rise against the dollar. Never mind the upcoming Olympics, China tourism is suffering.
Photo by d’n'c via Flickr (Creative Commons).
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Yahoo! BuzzMeet the New Moscow*
by Jim Benning | 06.16.08 | 5:22 PM ET
It’s changing fast, to be sure, but in some ways, it’s the same as the old Moscow. World Hum contributor Peter Delevett recently paid the city a visit and stopped by the Kremlin. As he writes in the San Jose Mercury News: “Customer service, to put it mildly, is an embryonic concept.”
* Update, June 17, 5 p.m. ET: Peter just finished an online chat with readers about his trip. Transcript here.
Related on World Hum:
* The Rise of the Russian Traveler
Photo by Argenberg via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
R.I.P. Tu Ciudad Magazine
by Jim Benning | 06.16.08 | 4:47 PM ET
The glossy magazine serving upscale Latinos in Los Angeles had offered an interesting perspective on the city. Unfortunately, it is no more.
The Economics of ‘Shrinking Vacation Syndrome’
by Eva Holland | 06.16.08 | 11:47 AM ET
Slate’s Steven Greenhouse outlines the various factors that contribute to the steady shrinking of Americans’ vacation time—and what Senators Obama or McCain could do about it as they campaign for President.
Photo by Brent and MariLynn via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Understanding America Through the Eyes of Weird Al Yankovic
by Michael Yessis | 06.16.08 | 11:37 AM ET
The man and his accordion wield some intriguing power abroad, at least for one expatriate family in Cairo.
The Rise of the Russian Traveler
by Michael Yessis | 06.16.08 | 10:53 AM ET
Fascinating front-page story in yesterday’s New York Times about how Russians, newly prosperous and free of Soviet-era travel restrictions, are hitting the road by the millions. Countries like Turkey are now scrambling to cater to the influx of Russians—one resort resembles the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral—and Russians are wondering how seeing more of the world may change the way they see themselves and their homeland.
‘High’ Risk of Terrorist Attack in UAE
by Jim Benning | 06.16.08 | 10:24 AM ET
The warning for the United Arab Emirates comes from the UK Foreign Office but included few details. BBC report here.
Ezra Pound, Foreign Correspondent
by Eva Holland | 06.16.08 | 10:21 AM ET
In the latest issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review, Jon Schneider writes about Ezra Pound’s unlikely (and brief) stint as a European correspondent for the Richmond News Leader, during his final years in Italy. Included with the essay are scanned images of Pound’s “feisty, allusive” submissions to the paper—all but one of which were deemed unpublishable by the editor.
World Hum’s Most Read: June 7-13
by World Hum | 06.13.08 | 1:47 PM ET
Our five most popular features and blog posts this week:
1) Attachment and Loss at 10,000 Feet
2) The Man at the Bus Stop
3) One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ (pictured)
4) Audio Slideshow: Promised Land Closed
5) ‘Girls of Riyadh’: Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sex and the City’?
What We Loved This Week: ‘Sequestered in Memphis,’ Russian Watches and Slow-Motion Camel Jumping
by World Hum | 06.13.08 | 1:41 PM ET
World Hum contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Frank Bures
I loved slow-motion, Yemeni camel jumping. A lot. Video below.
China, Taiwan Approve Regular Direct Flights
by Jim Benning | 06.13.08 | 12:34 PM ET
Just how historic is the agreement? Reports Reuters: “Apart from special holidays, there have been no regular direct flights since 1949, when China’s defeated Nationalists fled to the island amid civil war with the Communists.”
Cross-Cultural Theme Restaurants on the Rise in Los Angeles
by Jim Benning | 06.13.08 | 12:20 PM ET
The Los Angeles Times covers this very cool shrinking planet phenomenon. Just one example: “[I]n Culver City, you will find a New York art collector’s interpretation of a Japanese maid cafe (or “maid-kissa”)—Royal/T Cafe, which opened last month in the Royal/T art gallery. Works by the likes of Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama and Chris Ofili are featured.” I know where I’m going for dinner soon.
Photo by forklift via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
The Long Descent: US Airways to Charge $2 for Soft Drinks
by Jim Benning | 06.13.08 | 11:20 AM ET
Clearly, nothing is sacred. US Airways has become the first airline to announce it will charge for non-alcoholic drinks. What’s more, apparently inspired by American Airlines, both US Airways and United announced they’ll start charging $15 for the first checked bag.
Related on World Hum:
* Travel Headline of the Day: ‘Airlines May Start Treating Passengers as ‘Freight’‘
New Addition to the Travel Lexicon: ‘Holistay’?
by Michael Yessis | 06.13.08 | 10:47 AM ET
Or maybe not. John Hodgman threw it out there on a “Daily Show” segment this week, his personal preference over staycation. Didn’t get much traction with it, or “hometel,” either. His parody of “I’ve Been Everywhere,” though? Excellent. Video below.
What’s the Cost of Tourism in the Water-Starved Mediterranean?
by Joanna Kakissis | 06.13.08 | 9:47 AM ET
Last year, when I was driving through the Mesara Plain in southern Crete, I found not the green farmland I remembered as a kid but a cascading plain of desiccated land. Some swathes looked like desert, covered only by dehydrated foliage. The island has always been dry, with resourceful farmers literally working the land to life. But I’d never seen it look as dry as this.
