Travel Blog
Geoff Dyer on the Charm of American Travelers
by Eva Holland | 01.04.10 | 12:50 PM ET
The British travel writer tackles that persistent traveling stereotype, the Ugly American, in a funny and insightful New York Times story. Here’s a sample:
The archetypal American abroad is perceived as loud and crass even though actually existing American tourists are distinguished by the way they address bus drivers and bartenders as “sir” and are effusive in their thanks when any small service is rendered. We look on with some confusion at these encounters because, on the one hand, the Americans seem a bit country-bumpkinish, and, on the other, good manners are a form of sophistication.
(Via @douglasmack)
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Yahoo! BuzzSeven Great Tweets About the New TSA Regulations
by @worldhum | 12.28.09 | 1:59 PM ET
We’ve been tracking Twitter’s many great travel tweets for a few months now, and this weekend’s attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight, and the resulting imposition of new, more stringent security protocols for air travelers, has seen the creation of some fine TSA-related tweeting. Here are a few of our favorites:
What We Loved This Week: Zapatista Ornaments, ‘Arctic Dreams’ and More
by World Hum | 12.23.09 | 4:56 PM ET
Jim Benning
I’ve been enjoying my Zapatista rebel Christmas tree ornament—I think it was originally supposed to be a key chain—which I brought back from a trip to Chiapas years ago. When my 3-year-old daughter asked about it, I was more than happy to launch into a discussion about subcomandante Marcos and agrarian reform movements. She shrugged. Yes, another teachable moment brought to us by travel.
Britain: On the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Trail
by Eva Holland | 12.23.09 | 3:41 PM ET
Anglophiles and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans bound for the UK, take note: With Guy Ritchie’s new “Sherlock Holmes” movie due out on Christmas Day, VisitBritain has put together an extensive list of filming locations, with both the new flick and past “Holmes” film and TV incarnations represented.
The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson, and looks set to add a healthy dose of action sequences and sex appeal to the venerable detective’s crime-fighting style. It’s sure to be controversial with Conan Doyle purists, but I’m looking forward to it for the armchair British travel as much as anything. Here’s the trailer:
More Great Travel Books From 2009
by Eva Holland | 12.23.09 | 2:02 PM ET
Writer Rory MacLean—whose latest book made our list of the best of 2009—has his own fine selection in the Guardian.
Photo You Must See: Santa and his Gondola
by World Hum | 12.23.09 | 12:38 PM ET
REUTERS/STRINGER Italy In Venice, a man dressed as Santa Claus distributes candy from a special Christmas gondola.
AP: ‘The Decade in Travel’
by Eva Holland | 12.23.09 | 11:16 AM ET
Beth Harpaz pinpoints two major forces that have changed the way we travel over the last 10 years: technology and terrorism. Yep, that sounds about right.
‘Up in the Air’: Eight More Great Links
by Eva Holland | 12.22.09 | 5:33 PM ET
The Jason Reitman-directed travel movie continues to draw all kinds of press attention, much of it well worth reading.
Over at The Daily Beast, novelist Walter Kirn reveals how Reitman and star George Clooney saved his novel from obscurity.
In the New York Times, op-ed writer Frank Rich argues that “Up in the Air” is the perfect movie to close out a troubled year, using “the power of pop culture to salve national wounds that continue to fester in the real world.” Rich’s Times colleague Adam Andrew Newman looks at the movie as an advertising bonanza for Hilton and American Airlines.
World Hum contributor Alison Stein Wellner reviews the movie for the Perceptive Travel blog (warning: major spoilers) while blogger Joe Posnanski offers a thoughtful response to “Up in the Air” from a traveler’s perspective.
Finally, here’s an in-flight tweet from Jason Reitman, posted just after the Golden Globes nominees were announced: “Flight attendant congratulated me on the noms. Guy in 1C loved the movie. Yup, I’m on Air Canada amongst my people.”
The World’s Language Density, Mapped
by Eva Holland | 12.22.09 | 3:10 PM ET
Over at Gadling, Aaron Hotfelder’s come across a fascinating Swedish map of the world that shows countries re-sized in proportion to the number of languages they’ve produced. The biggie? Papua New Guinea.
‘The Hangover’ Goes to Thailand
by Eva Holland | 12.22.09 | 1:28 PM ET
Turns out the boozy travel sequel isn’t headed to outer space after all—instead, the boys will take their follow-up hi-jinx to Thailand. Bring on the R-rated Bangkok tourism cliches!
Photo You Must See: Glacier Sunrise in Patagonia
by World Hum | 12.22.09 | 11:32 AM ET
The sun rises over the Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, Argentina.
Passenger Rights Breakthrough: No More Tarmac Strandings
by Eva Holland | 12.21.09 | 2:30 PM ET
The federal government moved to beef up air passenger rights today, introducing substantial fines for airlines that leave travelers stuck on the tarmac for hours. The new rules mandate $27,500 fines for any instance where passengers are left stranded for more than two hours without food, or prevented from de-planing for more than three hours. It’s a big step, and hopefully it means the end of long-term strandings like this one.
Photo You Must See: Soaring Over Engelberg
by World Hum | 12.21.09 | 11:58 AM ET
REUTERS/Michael Buholzer A ski jumper flies through the air while training for the ski jumping World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland.
Video You Must See: Dawn at the Summit of Skiddaw
by Eva Holland | 12.21.09 | 10:35 AM ET
What We Loved This Week: Snowmobiling, Angry People in Local Newspapers and Flying Over the Rockies
by World Hum | 12.18.09 | 7:50 PM ET
Photo by Jim Benning Eva Holland
Snowmobiling. I had my first-ever excursion last weekend on a series of frozen lakes about an hour south of Whitehorse, and—carbon footprint be damned—I loved flying over the snow alongside wolf and caribou tracks.
