Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Morning Links: Volcano Boarding, Reasons to Love North Dakota and More
by Eva Holland | 05.08.09 | 8:10 AM ET
- In the New Yorker, Amy Ozols jumps into the young-children-and-flying debate. Seems she’s not a fan of the “whimpering” and the “dripping facial parts.”
- The latest in adrenaline-fueled travel? Introducing volcano boarding.
- Beth Greenfield tells the sad truth about Amtrak’s (and anyone else’s) designated quiet car: it’s not really that quiet.
- World Hum contributor Robert Reid keeps the fun lists coming. The latest: Top 41 Reasons Why I’m Asking North Dakota to the Prom.
- Check out this groundbreaking video of a monster wave in super slow motion.
- We all know Sir Richard Branson loves to play dress-up, but after his latest stunt Britain’s rail workers’ union isn’t laughing. (Via BootsnAll Today)
- Sasha Frere-Jones to Britain: Our rockers have better smack talk than yours.
- Today in weird airport news: A man was stopped at US customs in Los Angeles with 13 birds stuffed in his pant legs.
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Yahoo! BuzzJizo, Protector of Travelers and Children
by Pam Mandel | 05.07.09 | 4:24 PM ET
Photo by Pam Mandel On my latest trip to Hawaii, I left my lei draped on the Jizo statue at a little shrine on a bluff between Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach—to get there, you have to park at the Halona Blowhole viewpoint and walk back along the Kalanianaole Highway. Last time we were there, a ceremony was taking place and we didn’t want to interrupt—a group of 20 or so people stood in front of the statue chanting in Japanese, their prayers blown away on the brisk wind.
Hotel Wi-Fi: Information Wants to be Free (of Charge)
by Alexander Basek | 05.07.09 | 1:54 PM ET
Expensive internet alert! Hotel Chatter unveiled their annual Wi-Fi report this week. As we’ve discussed before, fancy hotels continue to charge ridiculous rates for the service, but what’s interesting is how some small brands within the bigger chains are breaking away from that trend, and starting to catch on. Both aloft and Hotel Indigo (aka aloft, Holiday Inn edition) dole out the sweet, sweet Internet juice for free.
Trip Planning Tips and Tools from the Frugal Traveler
by Eva Holland | 05.07.09 | 12:23 PM ET
In his latest blog post, the New York Times Frugal Traveler (and World Hum contributor) Matt Gross offers a detailed look at his pre-travel research and planning process—including an exhaustive list of the resources, both print and online, that he makes use of to put together his dollar-efficient trips.
It’s an excellent collection, and I don’t have much to add to it—I will mention one overlooked area, though.
Morning Links: Breakfast Around the World, Mind-Narrowing Travel and More
by Eva Holland | 05.07.09 | 9:16 AM ET
- A small fleet of bubblegum pink, women-only taxis is now cruising the streets of Lebanon.
- Over at Intelligent Travel, World Hum contributor Jerry Haines takes a fun look at breakfast preferences around the world.
- Rome’s famous “talking statues,” where citizens have been posting satirical complaints for more than five centuries, are getting a $93,000 makeover. The catch? The statues will be fenced off and note-free post-restoration.
- Meet the winner of Queensland Tourism’s “Best Job in the World” competition.
- Andrew Sullivan quotes Chesterton and Emerson on “how travel narrows the mind.”
- Slate’s latest Well-Traveled series follows an expat mother as she heads to Thailand to give birth.
- In Forbes Traveler, World Hum contributor Lola Akinmade takes a look at the world’s spiciest foods.
- A new book suggests that Jack the Ripper was an invention of tabloid journalists looking to sell papers. No word yet on whether London’s walking tour operators were in on the scheme, too. (Via the Book Bench)
- Oh, and that TripAdvisor survey we mentioned a few days back? Arthur Frommer is unimpressed: “You will forgive me if I refuse to follow the travel advice of people who regard the ultra-costly Prague “as the best bargain destination,” the fastidious British as the “worst-dressed,” and Paris as “overrated.” Aaaargh!”
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Dear ‘American Idol’: How About Some Road Tunes?
by Eva Holland | 05.06.09 | 12:45 PM ET
I’ll admit it: For the first time since Clay Aiken came in second and got all the glory anyway, I’ve been following “American Idol” this year. I’m a pretty halfhearted viewer—I tend to browse the recaps the next day, and then find the performances that interest me on YouTube—but I’ve still managed to take note of the various theme nights the “Idol” producers have come up with. Opry Night, Idol at the Movies, Rat Pack Standards, even Disco: the diversity of American musical eras and traditions represented is admirable.
Nonetheless, I’m left wondering about one great American tradition that “Idol” seems to have overlooked. Where’s the homage to road music?
A Flight From Kathmandu to Tumlingtar
by Rob Verger | 05.06.09 | 11:22 AM ET
It’s been gray and drizzly for a few days now in New York City, and this dreary weather gives me a kind of itchy wanderlust. The airport beckons. It makes me nostalgic for what was perhaps the most adventurous flight and trip I’ve ever taken, now almost a decade ago.
I suspect that many travelers out there have such a trip in mind—the kind that, while it may have been grand and seminal for you at the time, might live on even larger in your mind in the years afterwards.
I was studying abroad in Nepal at the time, and we had reached the point in the semester when we all were required to pursue independent study projects. I had decided to venture out and try to collect legends about something called the Khembalung Beyul in northeastern Nepal, which is a Shangri-la-type “hidden valley” that exists more in story than in actuality.
Morning Links: Mile-High Marriages, the Loneliest Pig in the World and More
by Eva Holland | 05.06.09 | 8:06 AM ET
- Here’s a possible bright spot in all-too-grim Airworld: British budget airline Easyjet is hoping to offer in-flight weddings, with pilots as officiants. It’s about time somebody brought the romance back to air travel.
- Slate’s Tim Wu contemplates the strange appeal of polar travel.
- Disneyland employees in charge of checking the mid-ride souvenir photos for flashers have been reassigned. Says Disney: “actual inappropriate behaviors by guests are rare.”
- World Hum contributor Pam Mandel pops up in the latest issue of Perceptive Travel, with a story about British Columbia’s First Nations.
- Afghanistan’s only known pig has been quarantined over swine flu fears; the story’s worth reading in full for the bizarre details about the Kabul Zoo alone.
- National Geographic is still seeking innovative nominees for its Geotourism Challenge—the deadline to enter is May 20.
- Scotland’s John O’Groats, the most northern point on the British mainland, may finally be getting a long-overdue makeover.
- Matador Abroad offers a lesson on How to Eat a New Language.
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Don’t Forget to Splurge!
by Eva Holland | 05.05.09 | 2:33 PM ET
For me, part of the fun of budget travel is the chance to loosen the purse strings once in a while and drop some cash on a worthwhile splurge.
Whether that means a night in a plush hotel room after weeks of hosteling, a spa day, or a way-out-of-my-price-range meal, I generally find some way to treat myself once during any budget-conscious trip—and, I figure, I appreciate my reward that much more than if I’d been pampering myself all along. It doesn’t have to be about spending a lot of money, either. My favorite travel splurge of all time cost just $15.
Morning Links: Happy Cinco de Mayo, Lockdown in Hong Kong and More
by Eva Holland | 05.05.09 | 7:45 AM ET
- Happy Cinco de Mayo—or as most Americans know it, margarita and guacamole day. Speaking of which, the new First Lady just proclaimed Mexican food her “favorite food in the whole wide world.”
- Jaunted has the details on a handful of Cinco de Mayo celebrations that are going ahead as planned, flu or no flu.
- World Hum contributor Robert Reid shares his Top 57 Things in Bulgaria. (Ketchup on pizza? I’m there!)
- Britain’s BMI hopes to re-launch its London-Baghdad route, on hiatus for nearly two decades, within the year.
- Free bike borrowing is coming to Lower Manhattan beginning next week.
- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel looks at Havana’s at-risk architecture.
- “CSI:NY” star Melina Kanakaredes sings the praises of St. Louis and the Peloponnese.
- A new study has found that the French spend more time sleeping and eating each day, on average, than any other nationality. Surprised?
- World Hum contributor Daisann McLane has this dispatch from Hong Kong’s Metropark Hotel, where a swine flu lockdown is in effect.
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Morning Links: R.I.P. Escapes Section, the ‘Dirtiest City in Europe’ and More
by World Hum | 05.04.09 | 8:10 AM ET
- In Washington D.C. tonight, World Hum columnist Eric Weiner will speak with World Hum contributor Pico Iyer about Iyer’s book, “The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.” Tickets are $25 and an RSVP is required.
- A pilot walked away unhurt after his Cessna crash-landed onto “a cushioning group of portable lavatories.”
- For the second year in a row, London has been voted the dirtiest city in Europe in a TripAdvisor poll. The British capital also took the prizes for worst cuisine and worst-dressed locals. Ouch.
- This weekend saw the New York Times go Escapes section-free. (Via @LunaticAtLarge)
- Outside contributing editor Ian Frazier has some advice for all the young adventurers out there: old guys rule.
- Breaking news from the Onion: the unheralded sherpa who led Neil Armstrong to the moon has died at age 71.
- CNN rounds up five roadside “world’s largest” attractions; “Travelers enjoy the noncorporate, somewhat ragged nature of these eclectic attractions,” says an interviewee.
- Today in swine flu news: roughly 70 Mexican passport-holders have been detained and quarantined in China, regardless of their possible exposure to the virus; the Mexican government is sending a plane to retrieve its citizens.
- The Big Picture tackles human landscapes from above.
- Feeling overlooked on the world stage, South Korea is launching a national branding campaign. The Los Angeles Times has an idea for a slogan: “South Korea: Way better than you think it is.”
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What We Loved This Week: Waikiki Food Courts, Pho, Springsteen and More
by World Hum | 05.01.09 | 8:39 PM ET
Photo by Terry Ward Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days:
Frank Bures
I loved looking at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Not sure why, but I did.
Terry Ward
Touring Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus highlights, I got a kick out of this modern-day Romeo and Juliet vignette, which I spied from the rooftop of the Cinema Hotel. It’s called the White City, but Tel Aviv’s colors run deep, and I found the diversity of its residents even more interesting than the UNESCO-recognized architecture.
Goodbye, Valerie Conners. Welcome, Eva Holland.
by World Hum | 05.01.09 | 5:32 PM ET
Our anniversary-celebration week ends with some mixed emotions. Senior editor and producer Valerie Conners leaves us today for a spell back at the TravelChannel.com mother ship. It’s tough to see her go. She brought a keen editorial eye, production wizardry and a love of pirates and 80s music to World Hum. It would be hard to overstate her work on the site redesign. We couldn’t have done it, and so much more, without her. Thank you, Valerie! We’ll miss you.
On the upside, Valerie—until now, World Hum’s lead tweeter—will still be tweeting for us every now and then at @worldhum. So will our interim senior editor, Eva Holland. You likely already know Eva. She’s been a sharp, prolific contributor to the World Hum blog since September 2007. She’ll still be writing about everything from pop culture to travel literature for the blog. But she’ll also be editing the blog and feature stories for the site. Her passion for travel and travel writing is infectious, and her talents are immense. We’re looking forward to more of her contributions to the site. Welcome, Eva!
—Jim and Mike
Noel Gallagher on ‘This Swine Flu Malarky’
by Eva Holland | 05.01.09 | 2:51 PM ET
Some days, I honestly don’t know how we ever got along without celebrity bloggers weighing in on the news of the day. The latest celeb-turned-citizen-journalist? Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, who reports from the Caracas airport about swine flu paranoia.
Sneeze Your Way to Savings?
by Alexander Basek | 05.01.09 | 1:33 PM ET
Remember when I told you guys how many deals there were to be had in Thailand? Well, the Practical Traveler now reports they’re even better thanks to the unrest there. If you don’t mind a little protesting, then run for the savings! The Anantara properties Michelle mentions, particularly at the Golden Triangle, are some of the nicest in the country.
Same goes for travel and the SCHWEINE-GRIPPE—I use the German term for swine flu because it sounds much scarier that way.
