Travel Blog
‘Space Plane’ Manufacturer Projects ‘Big Demand’
by Michael Yessis | 03.19.08 | 8:13 AM ET
Robert Laine, chief technical officer of EADS, says his company plans to build a production line for its space planes in order “to satisfy the space tourism market,” reports the BBC. From the story: “Its market assessment suggests there would be 15,000 people a year prepared to part with some 200,000 euros (£160,000) for the ride of a lifetime.”
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Yahoo! BuzzQ&A with Laurie Gough: Beyond ‘The Back of the Bus’
by Michael Yessis | 03.19.08 | 8:11 AM ET
In The Back of the Bus, our latest dispatch, Laurie Gough reflects on a classic travel experience: A bus ride through a developing country. That trip through Sumatra, as well as others to Greece, Thailand and beyond, form the core of Gough’s book “Kiss the Sunset Pig,” which recently came out in the U.S. I recently asked her a few questions via e-mail about the book, her favorite travel writers and how she knew she was destined to be a wanderer.
Air France Strands Passengers Nearly 10 Hours
by Jim Benning | 03.18.08 | 2:39 PM ET
The roughly 400 passengers were stuck on a plane at Charles de Gaulle Airport due to a fuel leak and engine problem. The Miami-bound plane finally departed—a few minutes prior to its original Miami arrival time. I hope they all had a good book to pass the time.
‘Do Right Woman’: ‘Worth the 160-Mile Detour From Nashville’
by Eva Holland | 03.18.08 | 2:03 PM ET
Photo by micampe via Flickr (Creative Commons)
I’ve often felt frustrated that most of my favorite music was recorded years before I was born, and that instead of going to live shows, I have to visit museums. Not much of a substitute, right? But this week, one music history museum came close to filling that void.
China’s ‘Boxer Shorts Rebellion’
by Michael Yessis | 03.18.08 | 12:37 PM ET
A man known online as Chinabounder went to Shanghai “to teach English and, apparently, have a little naughty fun on the side,” writes Mara Hvistendahl in a New Republic story. That allegedly included “gallivanting with local women” and blogging about it, which inspired an online posse to get Chinabounder kicked out of China.
The Las Vegas Mob Bus Tour: The Sights Aren’t Spectacular, But the Stories Are
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.08 | 1:53 PM ET
Who knows what mobsters like Tony “the Ant” Spilotro really would have thought of a bus tour of Las Vegas mob history, but Robert Allen, the founder of the tour, has a pretty good idea. “I can only do this tour,” he told the Los Angeles Times, “because Tony Spilotro’s dead.”
‘Sleeping Pilots’ Air Traffic Control Tapes Aired
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.08 | 11:58 AM ET
Hawaiian television station KGMP obtained the air traffic control tapes from the Feb. 13 flight where two go! airlines pilots allegedly fell asleep on the job, overshooting Hilo by 15 miles before backtracking and landing safely. On the tapes, neither pilot responds for 32 minutes.
Woman Sues American Airlines For Not Protecting Her From Masturbating Man
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.08 | 11:31 AM ET
While she was sleeping on a flight from Dallas to Los Angeles, a man allegedly moved into the empty seat next to the 21-year-old woman and began masturbating. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, she is suing for $200,000 because the airline allegedly didn’t “police the passengers to ensure that passengers do not hurt one another.” (via The Consumerist)
Ireland, Mermaids and a 500-Year-Old Grudge
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.08 | 10:49 AM ET
When Bryan Patrick Miller’s mother was dying of a terminal illness, she asked him to visit Ireland and piece together their family’s history. It didn’t take him long to find out his “family was hated all over southwest Ireland.” His terrific New York Times Magazine story chronicles the revelation.
Related on World Hum:
* Family Traveling
World Hum’s Most Read: March 8-14
by World Hum | 03.14.08 | 5:17 PM ET
Our five most popular features and blog posts this week:
1) How to: Cross the Street in Rome
2) My ‘Unsung’ British Attractions
3) Astrophysicist: I’ve Found the Optimal Way to Board a Plane
4) One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’
5) William Langewiesche in China: ‘No Pushing! No Swearing! No Irony!’ (pictured)
Photo by yienshawn92 via Flickr (Creative Commons).
What We Loved This Week: ‘Louisiana 1927,’ Mississippi Drift and Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
by World Hum | 03.14.08 | 4:33 PM ET
World Hum contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Eva Holland
“Loved” might be overstating the case a little, but I was pleasantly surprised by Graceland‘s famous “fried peanut butter and banana sandwich” (pictured)—reportedly the King’s favorite snack. I tried it out of a strange sense of obligation (plus, it was the cheapest thing on the menu) but it really wasn’t bad at all. Peanut butter and banana go great together—the same effect could be achieved, though, by using two slices of toasted bread.
Violent Protests Prompt Travel Warnings for Tibet*
by Jim Benning | 03.14.08 | 11:40 AM ET
Ethnic Tibetans burned cars and shops in Lhasa, Tibet today, capping a week of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. (Unless, of course, you’re domestic Chinese media, in which case nothing is happening.) The U.S. Embassy in Beijing advises Americans to defer trips to Tibet.
* Update, 12 p.m. ET: Chinese police have reportedly fired on protesters, killing at least two people. Said one witness: “As I approached Potala Square, I heard cannon fire, louder than rifles. Others told me police were firing tear gas along Beijing Zhonglu, west of the Potala.”
A Travel Editor Enters the Blogosphere
by Jim Benning | 03.14.08 | 10:53 AM ET
It seems like just yesterday we gave this upstart blogger his big blogging break. (Okay, it wasn’t exactly a break. We had to talk him into it. And with two books under his belt, he’s hardly an upstart travel writer.) Yesterday, South Florida Sun-Sentinel travel editor Tom Swick launched a blog on the Sun-Sentinel’s Web site. His first posts touch on “componetization,” the QE2 and Louis Vuitton’s “journeys” commercial—a fine start.
TripAdvisor to Athens: Dirty Isn’t Sexy or Cool, Unless You’re London
by Joanna Kakissis | 03.14.08 | 10:41 AM ET
Athens is tied with Rome as the third dirtiest city in Europe, according to a survey by TripAdvisor. If the survey had been done this week, however, Greece’s capital might have made first place. Garbage collectors have been on strike for days, as part of a nationwide union protest against government pension reforms.
Astrophysicist: I’ve Found the Optimal Way to Board a Plane
by Michael Yessis | 03.14.08 | 9:37 AM ET
Jason Steffen, a postdoctoral fellow at Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, says his method is four-times faster than the typical loading time for most airlines. Here’s what Steffen proposes in a paper for the Journal of Air Transport Management, as synthesized by NPR:
