Travel Blog
No More Removing Your Laptop From Your Bag at Airport Security?
by Michael Yessis | 08.15.08 | 11:14 AM ET
Beginning tomorrow, you won’t have to pull your computer from your bag—if your bag meets new TSA standards.
Related on World Hum:
* Laptop With Personal Info of 33,000 Travelers ‘Probably Stolen’
* Disclosed: Travelers’ Laptops Can be Confiscated at U.S. Borders Without Reason
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Yahoo! BuzzPhiladelphia’s Newest Attraction: It’s ‘Comcastic’
by Valerie Conners | 08.15.08 | 11:13 AM ET
The Liberty Bell. Independence Hall. Cheesesteaks. The lobby of cable giant Comcast’s world headquarters? The list of Philadelphia’s attractions has grown by one this summer, surprising pretty much everyone in the City of Brotherly Love, not least of all, Comcast.
In Praise of Amtrak (Again)
by Eva Holland | 08.14.08 | 3:25 PM ET
The Telegraph’s Paul Mansfield is the latest British travel writer to enjoy traveling America by rail. His ride on the Sunset Limited is shared—as all good train rides should be—with a colorful cast of characters, and his story makes for an enjoyable read.
Americans Driving Billions of Miles Fewer Than Last Year
by Michael Yessis | 08.14.08 | 2:19 PM ET
According to an AP story, “Americans drove 53.2 billion fewer miles November through June than they did over the same eight-month period a year earlier.” I still think this guy is wrong.
Related on World Hum:
* The $4 Gallon Survival Guide
* ‘Gas Tourists’ Head for Mexico
Nuclear Tourism Hot Spot: Hanford, Washington
by Michael Yessis | 08.14.08 | 1:33 PM ET
We’ve written before about the popularity of the plutonium tour at the Hanford Site. What could be more fun than that? Nuclear tourism by kayak, perhaps? “Pat Welle, owner of Columbia Kayak Adventures, who leads two or three groups each month past the nuclear sites, said her business had more than doubled since she started it in 2004,” writes Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times. “A jet boat tour operator plans to add a second boat, and the river plays host to several bass fishing tournaments each year.”
A Travel-Heavy List of Things Every Man Should Do
by Michael Yessis | 08.14.08 | 1:01 PM ET
Esquire’s Tom Chiarella has a traveler’s spirit. Of his list of 75 things every man should do in his lifetime, at least 15 involve getting up and going somewhere. I endorse the following picks, whether you’re male or female:
Woody Allen’s ‘Love Letter to Barcelona’
by Eva Holland | 08.14.08 | 10:51 AM ET
Woody Allen’s latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, opens this weekend. The Globe and Mail’s Gayle MacDonald caught a sneak peek, then headed to the Spanish city to see whether Allen got his depiction of the Catalan capital right. Her verdict, after a few days spent wandering in Barcelona?
Travel Headline of the Day: ‘Alcohol Linked to Rise in British Arrests Abroad’
by Eva Holland | 08.14.08 | 10:40 AM ET
This just in from the Guardian: Alcohol appears to have played a role in the recent arrests of many Brits on holiday. Drunkenness leading to bad behavior? Who’d have guessed?
Related on World Hum:
* British Couple Arrested for Having Sex on Beach in Dubai
Photo by emifaulk via Flickr (Creative Commons)
In Beijing: The Elephant in the Olympic Village
by Eva Holland | 08.14.08 | 9:51 AM ET
Don’t let my previous posts fool you: there was more to my time in Beijing this past week than just some good-natured nationalism and the occasional bureaucratic annoyance. Sure, everybody at my hotel had a good time—but there was an unacknowledged tension, too, lurking just under the surface.
Walking the West Bank: ‘To Roam Freely, at Will, Without Restraint’
by Valerie Conners | 08.13.08 | 4:36 PM ET
The New York Times has a compelling story following Raja Shehadeh, author of Palestinian Walks: Forays Into a Vanishing Landscape, on a hike around the region. Shehadeh’s book covers six walks; the Times piece covers a trek that began near the village of Ein Sinya.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Go Global
by Valerie Conners | 08.13.08 | 3:58 PM ET
After forgoing my chance at pseudo-rock stardom when I realized I was a dud at Rock Band, I’m pleased to learn all hope of exploring my inner Dylan may not be lost: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is hitting the road—first stop, New York City.
Mapping ‘On the Road,’ the Pequod’s Route and More of ‘History’s Greatest Journeys’
by Valerie Conners | 08.13.08 | 2:01 PM ET
Many iconic journeys have influenced travelers: Jack Kerouac’s cross-country trip that inspired “On the Road,” Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe, Amelia Earhart’s groundbreaking flights.
Israel’s (Underground) Pitch to Gay Travelers
by Julia Ross | 08.13.08 | 1:33 PM ET
Gay tourism to Israel has spiked in recent years, spurred in part by the country’s reputation for open-mindedness: gays can serve openly in the military and even register as married couples. While Israel welcomes expansion of its tourism market, the trend also presents tourism officials with a tricky balancing act.
Six Ways U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan Could Spend Her $5,000 Travel Allowance
by Michael Yessis | 08.13.08 | 12:33 PM ET
Kay Ryan describes herself as a “modern hermit.” Yet her position includes a $5,000 travel allowance. What’s the new U.S. poet laureate to do? Don’t just use the money to fly to Washington, D.C., and seclude yourself in an office at the Library of Congress, Kay. I have other ideas:
How David Brooks Explains the World
by Michael Yessis | 08.13.08 | 11:51 AM ET
Among the ways he says the world can be divided: Societies with an individualist mentality versus societies with a collectivist mentality. Specifically, he writes in the New York Times, “Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts.” Intriguing, but also a ridiculous generalization, according to James Fallows.
