Travel Blog
Gawker’s Guide to Staying Out of Foreign Prisons
by Eva Holland | 12.07.09 | 12:39 PM ET
In the wake of American exchange student Amanda Knox’s murder conviction in Italy this weekend, Gawker offers a “Foxy Knoxy-inspired guide” to avoiding arrest while traveling overseas. Among the tips? Never underestimate the outside world’s prudishness, and the always-cogent “Don’t start shit.”
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Yahoo! BuzzWhat We Loved This Week: El Ataneo Grand Splendid, Iraqi Kurdistan, Moose and More
by World Hum | 12.04.09 | 10:25 PM ET
Photo by Eva Holland Michael Yessis
I loved this slideshow about Iraqi Kurdistan, which Jeff Pflueger linked to in his latest World Hum column on travel photography. It illustrates Pfueger’s point—that shooting a lot of pictures is key to great travel photography—and shows off some terrific images.
Should Billy Carter’s Service Station Become a National Historic Site?
by Eva Holland | 12.04.09 | 3:40 PM ET
The Plains, Georgia gas station once run by the former First Brother could become part of a proposed Jimmy Carter National Historic Site—and, predictably, not everyone thinks that’s an appropriate use of taxpayer funds.
Where in the World Are You, Jim Benning?
by World Hum | 12.04.09 | 1:30 PM ET
The subject of our latest up-to-the-minute interview with a traveler somewhere in the world: Jim Benning, coeditor of World Hum. His email landed in our inbox just moments ago.
Where in the world are you?
‘The Cuban Revolution Explained to Taxi Drivers’
by Michael Yessis | 12.04.09 | 11:55 AM ET
José Manuel Prieto is “eternally amazed by the tremendous popularity of the Cuban Revolution among the taxi drivers of the world.” He explores what that means in an essay in the Nation. (via Arts & Letters Daily)
Video You Must See: Scuba Diving in a Flooded Meadow
by Eva Holland | 12.04.09 | 10:12 AM ET
At El Bulli, the Customer Comes Second
by Eva Holland | 12.03.09 | 5:04 PM ET
A Harvard Business School professor takes a look at “the best restaurant in the world” and why its chef, Ferran Adria, refuses to function according to business and marketing norms. (Via Kottke)
R.I.P. National Geographic Adventure
by Eva Holland | 12.03.09 | 2:21 PM ET
The National Geographic Society announced today that its 10-year-old adventure title will cease publishing, apparently due to declining ad sales. This month’s issue will be its last. Here’s West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro on the loss of the magazine:
For those of you who are just passing readers of the magazine, its demise might be a mere curiosity or random note of economic discord. But for those of us who care about good writing, great photography, insight and curiosity and advocacy for an engaged relationship with the world at large, it is a truly remorseful day.
We interviewed National Geographic Adventure editor John Rasmus about a new travel anthology a couple months back.
Political Geography and the Jordanian Gerbil
by Eva Holland | 12.03.09 | 1:38 PM ET
Foreign Policy takes a look at a fascinating study that suggests political boundaries could have an impact on the development of animals living on opposite sides of the line. One of the test cases: Israeli and Jordanian gerbils. From the story:
A second study revealed that Israeli gerbils are more cautious than their Jordanian friends… The agricultural fields on the Israeli side of the border not only create a gulf between habitats and thereby cause an increase in the number of species in the region, but they also hail one of the most problematic of intruders in the world: the red fox. On the Jordanian side, the red fox is far less common, so that Jordanian gerbils can allow themselves to be more carefree.
(Via Kottke)
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Manhattan’ by Kings of Leon
by Eva Holland | 12.03.09 | 11:08 AM ET
Passports With Purpose is Back
by Eva Holland | 12.02.09 | 5:37 PM ET
And it’s bigger and bloggier than before. In its second year, the travel blogging/fundraising effort, co-founded by World Hum contributor Pam Mandel, is aimed at building a school in rural Cambodia. Here’s Pam on the inspiration behind the project:
For me, this is something of a selfish act. I have been—what is it? Haunted is too strong a word. Obsessed, perhaps, is closer to the truth. I have wanted so badly to do something, anything, to mend the heartbreak that Cambodia left me with. Passports with Purpose is going to help me answer that question of doing something, anything, to help.
A huge group of travel bloggers has signed on, and there are fabulous prizes—three nights in a Waikiki hotel, anyone?—up for grabs. Each $10 donation made towards the effort lands you a spot in the prize giveaway of your choice. You can find all the details here.
Cartography: A ‘Nether Region Between Science and Art’
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.09 | 4:13 PM ET
More to love from the world of strange maps: Slate has a slideshow and essay about “cartographic curiosities,” courtesy of author Frank Jacobs, whose book of strange maps we blogged awhile back.
R.I.P. Binion’s Hotel
by Eva Holland | 12.02.09 | 2:31 PM ET
Photo by Eva Holland The “gambling hall” portion of Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel will remain open, at least for now, but KVBC is reporting that the venerable downtown Vegas casino is closing down its nearly 400 hotel rooms. Roughly 100 staff are being laid off, too. Sad news for those who prefer Fremont St.‘s vintage charms to the super-sized fun of the Strip. (Via @jenleo)
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Pelada’
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.09 | 11:15 AM ET
When I interviewed Gwendolyn Oxenham and Ryan White in 2007 they were packing for Trinidad, the first stop in a journey to play pick-up soccer around the world. They, along with Rebekah Fergusson and Luke Boughen, planned to chronicle their experiences in a documentary.
More than two years later, a rough cut of their film is finished. Soon they’ll be pitching “Pelada” to film festivals. In the meantime, here’s the trailer:
The Puzzle of ‘Cool Cities’ and Migration
by Eva Holland | 12.01.09 | 3:16 PM ET
New Geography’s Aaron M. Renn explores a paradox of the 2000s: Why do America’s “cool cities”—“the ones that are supposedly doing the best, the ones with the hottest downtowns, the biggest buzz, leading-edge new companies, smart shops, swank restaurants and hip hotels - the ones that are supposed to be magnets for talent”—experience a higher rate of domestic outmigration than the cities with less cache? In other words, why are people moving to Dallas instead of San Francisco? It’s a slightly dense, interesting read. (Via The Morning News)
