Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Embassy to Traveling Brits: This is Not a Tourist Information Center
by Eva Holland | 08.13.09 | 12:07 PM ET
The reputation of British tourists sure is taking a beating lately. This week, British consular officials, fed up with frivolous requests for help from their traveling citizens, have released the details on some of the more absurd questions they field. Said Juliet Maric, the British Consul in Alicante, Spain: “If you have a serious problem abroad—maybe you’ve been involved in an accident, have lost your passport or are a victim of crime, we can help you. But we can’t tell you who is allowed to use your swimming pool, pay your taxi fares for you—or do anything about the exchange rate.”
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzThe Traveler’s Shoe Conundrum
by Eva Holland | 08.13.09 | 11:01 AM ET
In his latest blog post, Frugal Traveler Matt Gross reflects on the impossibility of finding the perfect pair of travel shoes. I think most of us who’ve ever tried to pack light for a multi-purpose trip can relate.
William Shatner: America’s Favorite Negotiator?
by Eva Holland | 08.13.09 | 10:16 AM ET
Christopher Elliott has come across an unexpected statistic: According to a recent survey, 10 percent of Americans believe that William Shatner, the public face of travel clearinghouse Priceline.com, is “the best negotiator out there.”
Barack Obama clocked in just behind Shatner, with 9 percent of the vote—maybe the President should recruit “The Negotiator” for his ongoing battles with Congress?
A Reporter Explores New York’s Crowded Skies
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 4:40 PM ET
In the wake of the weekend collision between a small plane and a helicopter over the Hudson, some tough questions are being asked about the volume of sightseeing flights in New York City’s airspace. The New York Times’ Russ Buettner went for a ride with a veteran pilot to see just how crowded the skies—and how great the views—can be.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Paper Heart’
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 3:36 PM ET
Publicity still via IGN The genre-bending new romance/comedy/documentary stars comedian Charlyne Yi as she travels North America interviewing strangers in an effort to understand what love’s all about. An assortment of celebrity buddies pop up as she goes—Yi is a peripheral member of the Judd Apatow crew—and, eventually, she runs across Michael Cera, of “Juno” and “Superbad” fame. The “doc” takes a new direction as the two strike up a relationship and the crew struggles to capture it all on film—but, as CBC’s Lee Ferguson points out, it’s not clear how much of the footage is genuine, and how much staged.
Genius meta-movie or hipsters gone too far? I’ll look forward to finding out, hopefully in between some armchair travel goodness. Here’s the trailer:
Greenland in Pictures
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 1:10 PM ET
The Big Picture does it again, with a stunning photo essay of Denmark’s icy outpost.
Why Are There no Moving Sidewalks in New York City?
by Michael Yessis | 08.12.09 | 12:30 PM ET
It’s not as bizarre of a question as you may think. Paul Collins looks at plans for moving walkways—the “endless-travelling sidewalk,” in the words of one inventor—in New York and other world cities that never came to be. (Via Kottke)
Taking the ‘Flaubert Approach’ to Staying in a Hotel
by Michael Yessis | 08.12.09 | 11:43 AM ET
Rahul Jacob says travelers would be a lot happier if they didn’t “harbour illusions of a hotel stay bordering on perfection—just because we happen to be paying for it.”
Welcome to ‘Queuing Day’ in Beijing
by Eva Holland | 08.12.09 | 11:04 AM ET
The Olympics might be long over, but it seems Beijing isn’t done with its campaign for civic improvement.
In the lead-up to last summer’s Games, we covered the efforts on the part of local officials to tidy up everything from small talk to restaurant menus, and now, one year later, they’re tackling line-ups too—or rather, the lack thereof. The director of Beijing’s Capital Ethic Development Office is implementing monthly “Queuing Days” to encourage waiting in line at subway and bus stops, instead of the standard mad rush. The Globe and Mail’s Mark MacKinnon has the full story.
The End of Cuba’s ‘Tourism Apartheid’?
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 4:25 PM ET
It’s been more than a year since Raul Castro rescinded the ban on Cubans in local hotels and resorts, but the shift is only now seeing tangible results. Writes Nick Miroff of Global Post: “Given that the average wage on the island is less than $20 a month, the change was largely considered a symbolic one at the time. But this summer, something unusual has been happening up and down the beach at Varadero. The hotels are filling with cash-wielding locals.” Apparently, the influx is largely a result of steep discounts in a recession-hit off season. I never thought I’d say it, but this might be one “staycation” I can get behind.
Slate Goes to the Res
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 2:32 PM ET
The latest Well-Traveled series, An American Indian’s Journey in the Land of Indian Casinos, is an intriguing one. It follows writer David Treuer as he explores the incongruities of luxury casino-resorts set amid the often-grim realities of Indian reservations, and offers a dose of the history behind the reservation system, too. Here’s a quick taste: “Historically, Indian reservations are a great place to be poor if you are Indian—and a fantastic place to get rich if you’re not. It is only recently that this pattern is being reversed.”
The Critics: ‘A Perfect Getaway’
by Eva Holland | 08.11.09 | 9:07 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN Remember that movie about beautiful people murdering each other on an isolated Hawaiian hiking trail? It’s landed in theaters, and the reviews are piling up.
The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Cole sets the scene: “Newlyweds Cliff and Cydney are excited to be in Hawaii. He’s a screenwriter without a credit. She’s a rich girl without a clue. And they’re looking for a honeymoon adventure to fuel an interesting marriage. To that end, they’re going to backpack around one of Hawaii’s most rugged islands, climbing slippery cliffs and scooting, doused in insect repellent, through heavy jungle.”
Of course, it isn’t long before things go pear-shaped, when another hiking couple turns up dead. Cue a murderous shell game with the remaining three couples—throughout which, according to Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News, director David Twohy “uses the beautifully shot waterfalls and vistas of Hawaii to distract from some glaring plot holes.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt offers Twohy a backhanded compliment, lauding a “genuinely unexpected twist” in an “otherwise gimmicky, formulaic suspense thriller”—and, disappointingly, notes that the movie was mostly shot in Puerto Rico, not Kauai.
The New Yorker Talks Travel and the Holy Foreskin With David Farley
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 4:57 PM ET
The interview is over at the Book Bench blog. Farley also spilled his tips on how to write a bad travel story recently for World Hum.
‘The Cove’ Takes Aim at Dolphin Encounters
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 2:00 PM ET
A new documentary hopes to dampen the demand for “dolphin encounters,” the ever-popular swim-with-dolphins attractions found worldwide. “The Cove,” which won the Audience Award at Sundance before opening in theaters this past weekend, examines the killing and capture of dolphins in coastal Japan—and its star, Ric O’Barry, says explicitly that one of the filmmakers’ goals is to make tourists “think twice before buying a ticket.”
Picturing a staid moralizing tale? Think again. The movie is being billed as part “Flipper” and part “Bourne Identity”—here’s the surprisingly dramatic trailer:
Nina and Tim Zagat: Movie Critics
by Eva Holland | 08.10.09 | 1:14 PM ET
In the Atlantic, the restaurant-reviewing power couple weighs in on Julie and Julia, the culinary comedy that opened this weekend. (Via The Daily Dish)
