Travel Blog
The Long and Short of Hotel Deals
by Alexander Basek | 03.23.09 | 2:40 PM ET
You don’t have to take advice from travel gurus to find the deals these days; you can go right to the source. Shell Vacations, which has properties all over North America, has started a blog to promote discounts and deals they offer. I like the vibe. It’s a bit earnest, but they break down what the deal is at the bottom of the copy, so you can skim for savings if you’re short on time.
Two, Twitter is blowing up as a source for hotel deals.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzDhani Tackles Poetry: ‘Dust From a Tree’
by Dhani Jones | 03.23.09 | 12:20 PM ET
Adam Fish/Travel Channel, L.L.C. NFL linebacker and Renaissance man Dhani Jones hosts the new Travel Channel show, Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Like any good Renaissance man, he’s writing poems inspired by the travel experiences featured on each show.
The topic of tonight’s journey: Switzerland.
Dust From a Tree
I step without sound…
Tip toe to be exact…
To silent it is…
Meandering about I encircle my challenger to ease my pain I speak quiet voices of speech…
I wrestle the unconscious thoughts of calamity reaching a Meringen paradise…
Quietly for the chance to understand and kneel before those who have done more I implore…
An aroma of clarity enters my mind, I hear the rushing water of the alps behind me as I grab a hold…
Adjusting my grasp gently tilting my head I catch a glimpse of cheese and wonder what I’m doing…
Shall I dip or will I fondue the moment…
From where my help comes from I reach to the rainy sky and let out a sigh of relief…
A second later my mouth full of dust from the trees is full and I am home…
Movie Tourists Haunting a Connecticut House
by Eva Holland | 03.23.09 | 12:00 PM ET
Publicity still for "The Haunting in Connecticut" via IGN Hollywood’s latest big-screen horror story isn’t even in theaters yet, but The Haunting in Connecticut is already drawing visitors to the real-life suburban home that spawned the urban-legend-turned-movie—and its living residents are not pleased. “Most people are respectful. They stay on the road. They might take a picture,” homeowner Susan Trotta-Smith told the AP. “But we have had a few problems with people kind of rudely coming up to the door and scaring our kids, telling them the house is haunted.” Added a local police sergeant: “There are creatures looming in the night but not inside the house. They happen to be people who are trespassing on the property, looking in windows and that kind of stuff. People are going to be disappointed. There are no ghosts.”
The movie is based on stories about the house—a former funeral home—that went around the paranormal research community in the 1980s. It lands in theaters on Friday, but don’t expect a glimpse of the real deal; filming took place in Manitoba.
Hawaii’s Endangered Birds: Wake Up, Already!
by Pam Mandel | 03.23.09 | 11:00 AM ET
I’m as surprised as anyone to find myself turning into a bird watcher—it’s a short walk from where I am to high-waisted cargo pants, a vest full of pockets and a pair of binoculars that will allow me to see well into the next county. (I kid, I kid. Bird watchers come in all shapes, sizes and victims of fashion.) My affection for all things avian is why I was saddened to read the report on Hawaii’s failing bird population.
From the AP
One-third of the nation’s endangered birds are in Hawaii, said the report issued Thursday by the Interior Department. Thirty-one Hawaiian bird species are listed as endangered, more than anywhere else in the country.
Birds are a critical part of any visit to Hawaii—the moment the sun pops over the horizon, the birds go off, alarm clock style, making all kinds of racket until they are sure you are good and awake, settling down to spend their days in a less disruptive way once you’ve given up the earplugs, found a cup of coffee and admitted defeat. Maybe they know you have to be on the pier, pronto, to catch that snorkel boat or whale-watching tour, and they are not going to let you miss it, not if they have anything to say about it.
Is an ‘Angels and Demons’ Boycott in the Works?
by Eva Holland | 03.23.09 | 10:00 AM ET
Publicity still from "Angels and Demons" (via IGN) Get the Big Picture blogger Colin Boyd rounds up rumors from Reuters and Italy’s La Stampa newspaper about a possible Vatican-backed boycott of the upcoming Dan Brown adaptation. The movie—which has already spawned the inevitable bus tours—hits theaters in May, and Boyd is doubtful that a boycott would have much impact (or at least, not the sort of impact the Vatican is hoping for) on its potential success. He writes: “Perhaps there is no better, more effective form of advertising and buzz-building than a good ol’ fashioned protest. I can’t think of any product or service, actor or athlete who became less well known following a public ignoring session.”
Morning Links: Commuting to Baghdad, a Currywurst Museum and More
by Valerie Conners | 03.23.09 | 8:14 AM ET
- A brawl between rival biker gangs at Sydney’s airport left one man dead and travelers “terrified.”
- Fourteen people were killed following the crash of a private plane in Montana.
- Getting stuck in rush-hour traffic is the least of his problems—Kevin McEneaney’s business has him commuting to Baghdad.
- Surveys are in and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been ranked the best in North America.
- Salon.com features a provocative interview with Rick Steves, who discusses Iran and more.
- San Juan Capistrano’s Festival of the Swallows has come and gone, with nary a bird to be seen.
- Yapta expands its services, now tracking price drops for hotels as well as flights.
- Aspiring authors, take note: You too can write like David Foster Wallace in nine simple steps. (via The Book Bench)
- Chilaquiles and mole, git in my belly! Matador offers a round-up of must-taste Mexican staples.
- Hinterland Travel has taken the first officially sanctioned group of Western tourists into Baghdad.
- Wall? What wall? The latest attraction coming to Berlin is a museum dedicated to the currywurst. (via @Marilyn_Res)
- One of my favorite debates rages on: Which is Rome’s best trattoria?
Got a suggestion? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) your link.
What We Loved This Week: Muezzins, the Salt Lick Taco Bar and More
by World Hum | 03.21.09 | 6:09 PM ET
Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days:
Julia Ross
I loved this idea for a one-act play about Cairo’s muezzins. The description of all four muezzins chanting together at play’s end brought back memories of my six weeks in Israel and the West Bank last year, during which I found the dawn call to prayer particularly mesmerizing.
What Some Locals Have To Say About SXSW
by Sophia Dembling | 03.20.09 | 3:56 PM ET
Twitterers are all a-twitter about the fun they’re having at SXSW in Austin, and the party is only just getting started. But are long-time locals having as much fun being descended upon by the hipster masses? I polled a few of my Austin buddies about the fun they’re having ... or not.
Fox Seeks Optimism in Bhutan
by Julia Ross | 03.20.09 | 12:30 PM ET
We haven’t seen much of Michael J. Fox on television in recent years, but now the former Spin City actor has surfaced—surprisingly—in Bhutan. Following in the footsteps of World Hum contributor Eric Weiner, Fox visited the Himalayan nation this month to investigate the country’s vaunted Gross National Happiness policy, as part of a television special on the nature of optimism, due to air in May.
I’m wondering what Fox uncovered given that Bhutan marks its one-year anniversary as a democracy this week. As we’ve seen elsewhere in the world, that transition can trigger a less-than-optimistic mood in the general populace. I haven’t seen much coverage of how things are going in Bhutan; perhaps it’s time for a Geography of Bliss sequel.
Big Plane, Small Plane
by Rob Verger | 03.20.09 | 11:28 AM ET
As of June 1, Emirates will cease using its A380s—the biggest commercial plane in the skies—between Dubai and New York City. The airline will be replacing it with Boeing 777s, citing the poor economy as the reason to use the comparatively smaller plane, which has fewer seats to fill.
At the other end of the size spectrum, a company in Massachusetts called Terrafugia has celebrated the first flight of a flying car they have engineered called the Transition. As the Middle Seat Terminal points out, “While most people would look at the gizmo and call it a flying car, Terrafugia—founded by five pilots, all MIT graduates—prefers to call the beast a ‘Roadable Aircraft.’” According to the company’s website, each plane is anticipated to cost $194,000.
How many of these tiny flying cars do you think would fit inside an A380?
Six Great Women Travelers in Asia
by Julia Ross | 03.20.09 | 10:57 AM ET
March is Women’s History Month, so this seems a good moment to call out a few of history’s great women travelers. Because so many 19th- and early 20th-century adventurers found themselves drawn to Asia, I’ve narrowed this list to women who made their mark on that continent, fording the Indus River or crossing the Tibetan Plateau, in defiance of social norms and often at great risk. These are the women I wish I’d been in another life. Herewith, my top-six list of the most intrepid Western female travelers to take Asia by foot, camel or donkey.
The Superferry’s Last Sail
by Pam Mandel | 03.20.09 | 10:37 AM ET
From day one, Hawaii’s Superferry was fraught with problems. It’s all over now. On March 19, the Superferry made its final run between Oahu and Maui.
From a logistics point of view, the ferry made travel between Oahu and Maui seem a lot easier. Drive on, drive off, with whale-watching thrown in for the price of the crossing, in season. Tourism boosters loved it, as did parents and schools—it made getting your baseball team to that game on Maui a snap, and you could bring your own bus or squeeze the whole swim team into the minivan.
But Hawaiian traditionalists objected to the Superferry because it made it too easy to plunder, like a pirate in a pickup truck, island resources. Environmentalists worried about the whales. And quality-of-life types bemoaned the traffic, suggesting that the cars lined up on either end would cause not only pollution, but delays and crowds.
The Superferry ran, and then it didn’t, and then it ran, and then it didn’t. If you held a ticket, you had to check the website the day of your sailing and, even then, there was no guarantee that you wouldn’t be turned back by protesters. The case to block the Superferry went all the way to the Hawaii Supreme Court. The issue? The Superferry had been allowed to operate before the environmental impact research was complete.
The Hawaii Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a law allowing the Superferry to operate while conducting an environmental impact statement was unconstitutional.—MSNBC
It’s back to interisland flights for travelers.You can’t take your car, but you’re less likely to get seasick. And yeah, you can get a refund for that Superferry ticket.
Morning Links: A Baghdad Reading List, Penguins and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.20.09 | 9:45 AM ET
- Arthur Frommer weighs in on the Royal Caribbean/Cruise Critic brouhaha over alleged free trips in exchange for positive reviews.
- Readers of Smith magazine are sharing their six-word travel stories. (via @KimMance)
- What they’re reading in The New York Times Baghdad bureau.
- Scott McCartney: “One travel benefit of the economic crisis: It’s easier than ever to upgrade.”
- The Greenbrier resort, which has hosted 26 U.S. presidents, filed for bankruptcy. Will Marriott buy it?
- Sean O’Neill offers five recession travel tips.
- Photos: Simon Winchester and penguins on South Georgia Island.
- Did you fill out your bracket in Theme Park Insider’s tournament to find the best theme-park ride in America? (via This Just in)
Got a suggestion? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) your link.
Volcano Erupts Off Tonga
by Julia Ross | 03.19.09 | 3:30 PM ET
This gets my vote for photos of the day. Check out this spectacular slideshow of an undersea volcano currently erupting off the Tongan coast. The volcano reportedly poses no threat to the human population in the area, though the rocks it’s throwing off are expected to wash up on the beaches of Fiji. For now, behold the power of nature.
An End for Kashmir’s ‘Mughal Palaces on Water’?
by Joanna Kakissis | 03.19.09 | 2:17 PM ET
The beautifully carved wooden houseboats, which are area icons, date to the 19th century, when they shielded British officials from the subcontinent’s penetrating summers. Today, tourists rent the houseboats on Dal Lake, which, though seemingly lovely, is actually a dumping ground for untreated sewage.
To combat the pollution, Kashmir’s provincial government has asked houseboat owners to install pricey sewage treatment on the vessels within 90 days or face a shutdown, The Guardian reports. But the houseboat owners, many of whom live below the poverty line, say they can’t afford the units. “The government should pay for the sewage treatment units, or it should put all the 850 houseboats together and blow them up with one big bomb,” lamented Mohammed Azam Tuman, president of the Houseboats and Shikara Owners Association.
