Travel Blog
Interview with Newley Purnell: On Bangkok’s Political Crisis and Travel to Thailand
by Julia Ross | 04.20.09 | 5:04 PM ET
Bangkok is still reeling from the violent “red shirt” protests that swept the city last week. Though protesters surrendered to the government on Tuesday, an assassination attempt against a prominent protest leader on Friday kept Thais on edge. Several countries, including Britain, Australia and China, issued warnings against travel to Thailand last week, and a state of emergency remains in effect.
I emailed Bangkok-based journalist and World Hum contributor Newley Purnell to get his take on the situation and its impact on local tourism.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzFive Hostels I Have Loved
by Eva Holland | 04.20.09 | 4:22 PM ET
Photo of Lizard Point by Eva Holland These days, there are more accommodation options than ever for the budget traveler: everything from house swaps to pod hotels to rock-bottom recession-era deals at more traditional travel digs.
But even with that abundance of choices—most of which I’ve sampled, and enjoyed—I think my shoestringer’s heart will always belong to the youth hostel. I love the hosteling community, I (sometimes) love the fiesta atmosphere, and—of course—I love the price. From grungy party pads to serene dorm-room retreats, here are five hostels I have loved:
Dhani Tackles Poetry: ‘Speak’
by Dhani Jones | 04.20.09 | 3:07 PM ET
Sarah Berl, Red Line Films 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: Hurling in Ireland.
A Vertical Tour of Hong Kong
by Julia Ross | 04.20.09 | 10:14 AM ET
I read the current New Yorker profile of urban climber Alain Robert—aka “Spiderman”—expecting to learn the whys and wherefores of the Frenchman’s quirky obsession with scaling the world’s skyscrapers. There was plenty of that, but what surprised me was the extensive description of Hong Kong’s built environment, a kind of vertical canvas for Robert’s peculiar talent.
Writer Lauren Collins does a wonderful job describing how Hong Kong’s residents interact with their surroundings:
Read more of A Vertical Tour of Hong Kong »
Morning Links: Road Trip Apps, the ‘Ulysses’ of Road Signs and More
by Michael Yessis | 04.20.09 | 9:22 AM ET
- A man hijacked a CanJet plane in Jamaica. After an eight-hour standoff, he was captured by police.
- Joshuah Bearman gets married by the Maasai.
- Wendy Perrin says “if you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing a huge part of the online travel conversation.”
- Pico Iyer raves about Geoff Dyer’s “Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi.”
- Mashable’s Ben Parr lists 11 essential iPhone apps for a road trip.
- Sofia Coppola’s next movie will be shot at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont hotel.
- NPR rounded up a few travel writers to talk about what Americans should look for once they get to go to Cuba.
- Laura Bly finds “pride and dread” as the Galapagos tries to balance tourism and protection.
- Finally, he’s Chip Tusken. He wrote the “Ulysses” of road signs.
Got a suggestion? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) your link.
What We Loved This Week: Green Chili Cheeseburgers, Bife de Lomo and More
by World Hum | 04.17.09 | 5:05 PM ET
Photo by Sophia Dembling Read more of What We Loved This Week »
‘Out of the Wild’: Adventures in Tastelessness?
by Eva Holland | 04.17.09 | 12:24 PM ET
A new travel reality show premiered on the Discovery Channel this week. Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment follows nine people who’ve been dropped into the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, with “just three days of survival training and limited supplies.” And, the promo claims dramatically, “Not everyone will make it Out of the Wild.” Sound familiar? Hey, yeah, that is kind of like what happened to that McCandless kid, now that I think about it.
Hilo Hattie, Don’t Leave Me!
by Pam Mandel | 04.17.09 | 10:59 AM ET
I confess: I love Hilo Hattie’s, the kitsch-tastic chain of retail stores where you can buy matching aloha wear for your entire family, hula girl lamps and beaded curtains, nightlights that have the word “Aloha” etched into their cowrie shell shades, coffee cups with your “Hawaiian” name on them, 73 different varieties of macadamia nut treat, straw hats, sun screen, flip-flops, tank tops ... oh, it goes on and on.
Most of the stuff they sell isn’t made in Hawaii; the shirts are from China, the mango candy from Thailand, even the shell leis they drop around your neck as you walk in the door are probably from some place other than Hawaii but never mind, never mind. I take the coupons from the airport brochures, I get on the shuttle bus and off I go to buy more ridiculous Aloha-themed junque. Don’t judge me. I openly admit I have a problem.
The Last Taco in Playa del Carmen
by David Farley | 04.17.09 | 10:19 AM ET
Photo by David Farley I was dying for a good taco. I’d been on the tourist-board-branded Mayan Riviera (the coastline south of Cancun) for a few days and had been planted in beachside, tourist-crammed towns where a legion of mediocre restaurants lined the sea like B-grade culinary sentries guarding tourists from the locals-only edible delights off the beaten path.
The last straw came when my wife, Jessie, and I picked the most salt-of-the-earth eatery in Playa del Carmen and sat down, thinking the place might yield something more authentic than what we’d been served so far.
Morning Links: High-Speed Rail, a Traveling ‘Joyologist’ and More
by Eva Holland | 04.17.09 | 9:21 AM ET
Interview With Jason Barger: Author of ‘Step Back From the Baggage Claim’
by Rob Verger | 04.16.09 | 4:07 PM ET
I love the transitory airport realm sometimes described as Airworld, a place selected by World Hum as one of the Seven Wonders of the Shrinking Planet.
I like the buzz of people coming and going, I like buying the occasional New Yorker magazine from Hudson News to pass the time, and I even like the sharp whiffs of jet exhaust you get going down the gate ramp.
But what would it be like to spend seven consecutive days in Airworld, flying around the country with no destination but the next city, sleeping in airports and killing time until your next flight leaves?
BusJunction: One More Reason to Take the Bus
by Eva Holland | 04.16.09 | 10:29 AM ET
It’s been almost a year since I grudgingly acknowledged that, train delays and airport security being what they are these days, taking the bus might sometimes be the most convenient and comfortable way to go.
Since then—one gruesome incident notwithstanding—I’ve gone from a still-reluctant bus user to a full-on regular. And I’m not the only one: new bus lines have been popping up everywhere (and particularly here in the U.S. Northeast), and now there’s even a dedicated bus carrier search engine, BusJunction.com.
Morning Links: Snakes on a Plane, Porn Stars in the Cockpit and More
by Eva Holland | 04.16.09 | 8:49 AM ET
- Yup, they’re going there: United Airlines will begin charging obese passengers for two adjacent seats, and will bump them on full flights. (Via @davedemerjian and @whereishawkins)
- World Hum contributor Jenna Schnuer talks travel with “The Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan.
- Travel horror comes to life: a Qantas flight was grounded after four baby pythons escaped from their container.
- A pilot has been stripped of his license after, um, fraternizing with a Swedish porn star while flying—this, despite the fact that “there is no specific rule against having sex in the cockpit.”
- The L.A. Times reports that Mexico’s tourist zones are up to 26 times safer than comparable U.S. destinations; meanwhile, World Hum contributor Eric Lucas has a few choice words for a group called Americans United to Halt Tourism in Mexico.
- Jaunted stumbles on a truly grim in-flight grilled cheese sandwich.
- World Hum contributor Frank Bures finds art and Americana on the upper stretches of the Great River Road.
- A group of French fishermen have ended their blockade of several ports on the English Channel, allowing the Dover-Calais ferry to resume service.
Got a suggestion? .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) your link.
A Room Service of One’s Own
by Alexander Basek | 04.15.09 | 5:18 PM ET
After a terrible-yet-exciting day in the Malaysian town of Johor Bahru last fall, returning to my room at the Hyatt was the highlight of my visit. Malaysia’s second largest city had not treated me well. Worse, I missed dinner. It was late, and I was hungry. So why, even under duress, did I waffle about ordering room service? Don’t worry, I did—and I didn’t hesitate to remove several Tiger beers from the mini-bar while I waited—but I felt guilty about it anyway.
For years, I saw room service as a luxury for people with too much money or not enough inclination to explore the city they were visiting. Why bother to stay in when so many other options were outside the front doors of the hotel? In Johor Bahru, though, I was glad to have it. As my writing career has progressed and I’ve found myself holed up in towns where bringing a laptop outside isn’t such a bright idea, room service has come in handy. It’s never very good, but that’s the price you pay. Literally—food on a silver platter doesn’t come cheap.
So what does room service mean to you? Is it utility food or a time to splurge when getting dressed is too much to ask?
Still No Word on What Caused Scabies Outbreak Among Boston TSA Staff
by Rob Verger | 04.15.09 | 10:53 AM ET
Photo of Pohnpei's airport by Rob Verger In late March, five TSA workers at Boston’s Logan Airport were infected with scabies, a nasty little bug that literally lives and breeds underneath the host’s skin.
The incident merited a posting on the TSA’s blog, reassuring passengers that there was basically no chance they could have contracted the bugs by going through security. (One of the many reasons why it would have been practically impossible for a passenger to become infected this way is that the TSA screeners wear gloves, and scabies is usually only spread through direct skin-to-skin contact.)
When I contacted the TSA this week to see if they had any leads in how the outbreak began, Ann Davis, the Public Affairs Officer for the TSA in Boston, said via email:
