Travel Blog: News and Briefs
The Plight of the ‘Long-Neck Women,’ Continued
by Michael Yessis | 08.24.09 | 10:21 AM ET
The Washington Post’s Amit R. Paley is the latest to visit the long-neck women of the Padaung tribe in Thialand and ask: “Were tourists really being taken to see virtual prisoners? And if so, would my visit encourage slavery by paying money to human traffickers? Or would I be able to sound the alarm if I saw real human rights violations?”
Last year we blogged about several other stories about the women.
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Yahoo! BuzzWhat We Loved This Week: The Moth Podcast, David Sedaris and More
by World Hum | 08.21.09 | 3:57 PM ET
Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days:
Eva Holland
I love a good summer thunderstorm, and I got caught in a doozy this week in New York City, while on my way to meet a friend on the Upper West Side. It was the best lightning show I’d seen in years.
Happy 50th Birthday, Hawaii
by Eva Holland | 08.21.09 | 2:18 PM ET
The islands are celebrating five decades of statehood today. In the New York Times, Paul Theroux offers a very, well, Theroux-like tribute to his adopted home: “I have lived in Hawaii longer than any other place in my life. I have murmured to myself in Africa, Asia and Britain, ‘I’d hate to die here.’ But I wouldn’t mind dying in Hawaii, which means I like living here.”
JetBlue’s Unlimited Flight Pass: Sold Out
by Eva Holland | 08.21.09 | 12:39 PM ET
Arthur Frommer may have had his doubts, but he was in the minority: After unexpected levels of demand, JetBlue cut off sales of the pass two days ahead of schedule.
Aboard Cuba’s Hershey Train
by Michael Yessis | 08.21.09 | 11:18 AM ET
It was built by chocolate baron Milton Hershey in 1916, and, according to Michael Scott Moore, the Hershey Train is a reminder of how much the U.S. and Cuba have in common.
There’s a slideshow, too. See below:
View the Hershey Train slideshow »
‘Central Perk’ Lands in London
by Eva Holland | 08.21.09 | 9:56 AM ET
OK, let’s see if I’ve got this right: A fake New York City coffee shop—you remember Central Perk, from “Friends,” right?—that never actually existed outside of a Los Angeles soundstage now has its very own functioning replica, in London? I’m guessing this is one tourist attraction they won’t even attempt to bill as “authentic.”
Shakira Says There’s no Such Thing as a Worst Trip
by Michael Yessis | 08.20.09 | 3:53 PM ET
So she tells Dorinda Elliott at Conde Nast Traveler. Right on, Shakira.
Ryanair Introduces the Good Samaritan Fee
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 3:01 PM ET
NPR on Cuba’s Tourism ‘Allure’
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 2:14 PM ET
With a possible end to the travel ban in the works, Jason Beaubien takes a look at Cuba from the potential American tourist’s perspective. One tour guide he spoke to acknowledged that, infrastructure-wise, Cuba may not be ready for an American influx. “But,” he added, “if you ask me about the will of the Cuban people, I would say, yes, we are ready. We would like to have more exchange with the American people coming from the U.S. to Cuba.”
Frank Bruni on Italy and Eating
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 1:02 PM ET
In a recent interview with the Book Bench, Bruni—who’s just wrapped up his five-year stint as the restaurant critic for the New York Times—offered some thoughts on food culture and social class in Italy. Here’s what he had to say about the Italian-American feasts of his childhood:
What I realized, after I went to Italy and lived in Rome, not in the rural south where my grandparents were from, that the ethos of food in my Italian-American family was a kind of peasant-immigrant ethos. I always thought of it as Italian, because it was my Italian. A bounty of food as a badge of accomplishment. What I learned later in life was that, that’s not so much Italian, as Italian-peasant immigrant. It has as much to do with socioeconomic status as it does with ethnicity.
South Africa: A Wildlife Conservation Grand Tour
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 12:05 PM ET
Slate’s Green Room leads the way.
The Battle for Cancun’s Sand
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 11:18 AM ET
And no, I don’t mean the resort-goers’ daily fight for the best tanning spot. In the New York Times, Mark Lacey takes a look at Cancun’s shrinking beaches—and the lengths to which some hotels are going in an effort to keep their share of what’s left.
The World on an Angle
by Eva Holland | 08.20.09 | 10:27 AM ET
The Daily Dish points the way to a new photo series by Romain Laurent, in which passersby move through cityscapes tilted on a 45-degree angle.
Have We Entered a New Age of American Travel?
by Michael Yessis | 08.20.09 | 9:34 AM ET
Yes, says Conde Nast Traveler editor in chief Klara Glowczewska. She writes:
Today, Americans appear increasingly ready to reject wariness toward the rest of the world. Something new is afoot—a rediscovery of the sheer pleasure of being abroad and a resurgence of pride in being curious, culturally aware, peripatetic Americans.
Glowczewska believes President Obama and his family have played a role in this transition. “Some of the exuberance we are sensing may derive from a new First Family that is as enthusiastic a globe-traveling bunch as any in American history,” she writes. “They are a reassertion of a particularly appealing aspect of the American character—social energy.”
Ohio: The Burger State?
by Eva Holland | 08.19.09 | 5:03 PM ET
The Cincinnati Enquirer points out that six of the top ten burgers listed in George Motz’s “Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints” hail from Ohio. Perhaps it’s time for an update to the state nickname? (Via The Book Bench)
