Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Move Jah Body
by Alexander Basek | 01.30.09 | 10:31 AM ET
Times are tough and hotels are working all the angles to get guests interested these days. The air is thick with “Stimulus Package” deals (at least they don’t also include chocolate-covered strawberries, the previous gold standard in hotel-land add-ons) and other gimmicks reflecting the trends of today. Even so, when this came over the transom, we were both puzzled and intrigued: Jake’s, a great (and inexpensive) property on Treasure Beach on Jamaica’s southern coast, is offering a “reggaelates” program. What, pray tell, is reggaelates? Why, it’s Pilates mixed with reggae music, of course. Think of it as chocolate in your exercise peanut butter. The real pitfall: employing small motor skills in Jamaica isn’t always easy, especially when you’re grooving to those reggae beats.
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Yahoo! BuzzItaly on the Cheap
by Eva Holland | 01.30.09 | 10:13 AM ET
Photo by Eva Holland Jessica at Why Go Italy recently offered up her “must-see” destinations and activities in Venice. It’s a thoughtful, off-beat list—think “get lost” instead of “take a gondola ride”—and best of all? Most of her suggestions are free, or close to it. Meanwhile, Eurocheapo dishes on how to land a free, guided tour of Florence’s Duomo, courtesy of the city’s Center for Art and Culture.
Cheap and enlightening: what more can you ask for?
Morning Links: City Bans Apostrophes, Russians in Goa and More
by Michael Yessis | 01.30.09 | 8:06 AM ET
- Russians heart Goa.
- But how will the free-falling ruble affect Russian travelers—and travel to Russia?
- The Fortune Cookie Chronicles writer Jennifer 8. Lee collects toothpaste from her travels.
- Slideshow: Inspired by brothels in Pakistan.
- “Bread for the World ” and “The United States of Europe” highlight Rick Steves’ MVBs. I believe that means his most-valued books.
- Charles Darwin’s house: Future World Heritage site?
- In Slate’s latest Well-Traveled, June Thomas asks: “Am I too frivolous for Japan?”
- An Italian city in Tuscany says no to ethnic restaurants in its central district.
- Tikrit unveiled a shoe sculpture to honor the Iraqi journalist who threw his footwear at former U.S. President Bush.
- PEE. SUX. BOO. Just three of the funniest airport codes from around the world.
- In the U.K., the Birmingham City Council banished apostrophes from its road and street signs. The Apostrophe Protection Society says, “It seems retrograde, dumbing down really. It is setting a very bad example.” I agree, and I’m sure the typo vigilantes do, too.
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Is There a ‘Golden Rule’ for Budget Travel?
by Eva Holland | 01.29.09 | 4:45 PM ET
There are seemingly endless lists of budget-travel tips out there, covering everything from landing five-star hotel rooms at four-star prices, to hitchhiking and couchsurfing advice. Whatever definition of “budget travel” they cater to, most have something useful to say—but still, the sheer volume and variety left me wondering: is there a way to boil all of this down to a single piece of advice, one that’s useful for everyone aiming to save their pennies on the road? In other words, putting aside all the lists of commandments, is there a golden rule for budget travel?
Here’s the closest thing I can come up with: Be informed.
For the Love of Her State: A Kansas Day Tour
by Jenna Schnuer | 01.29.09 | 2:45 PM ET
Nobody loves Kansas the way my friend Jodi Rosenberg loves Kansas. At least, nobody I know. She grew up there. She moved away for some years. She moved back. And she’s been talking Kansas up to me from the moment we met at college, 20 years ago. (And, yes, Jodi—I’ll be there soon. I promise.) So, to celebrate Kansas Day and the state’s 148th birthday today, I give you Jodi and her recommendations for the ultimate Kansas experience:
Meteor Crater, Arizona: National Treasure or Big Hole?
by Sophia Dembling | 01.29.09 | 11:37 AM ET
Photo by Sophia Dembling Meteor Crater in Arizona seemed a very long way off the highway. By the time my husband and I reached it and paid our $15 each admission, we could only agree with the little boy who, standing crater-side with us, turned to his mother and said accusingly, “It’s just a big hole.” Truly, it looked cooler when we saw it from an airplane.
Now the The New York Times reveals us as the philistines we are, in this story about the crater’s wonders. Guess we better return with the proper attitude.
Flying Coach as ‘Punishment’?
by Rob Verger | 01.29.09 | 10:31 AM ET
Tennis phenomenon Serena Williams has promised she’ll fly back from Australia to Florida in economy class if she loses the Australian Open, the AFP reports. It’s a punishment to herself, she says, and a way to conserve money. The article quotes her as saying, “I wouldn’t allow myself to have the emergency row either. I would be so mad, I would have to sit like the last row, the tightest row. That way I wouldn’t do it again.”
Do you think she could also arrange to be put next to a crying baby?
Morning Links: America’s Dirtiest Hotels, London From Above and More
by Michael Yessis | 01.29.09 | 8:59 AM ET
- Paul Theroux remembers John Updike.
- American Airlines has been flying some planes without enough life rafts. Its short-term solution: Cap the number of passengers on the problem aircraft.
- The Big Picture shows off more of Jason Hawkes’ lovely aerial photos of London.
- Here’s a Q&A with Renia Ehrenfeucht on “the higher meaning of the humble sidewalk.”
- How are Spirit Airlines flight attendants like players for Manchester United? They both wear ads on their uniforms. (via Jaunted)
- Inside the “war on Roquefort cheese.”
- TripAdvisor’s list of America’s dirtiest hotels is out.
- Are these the top 50 adventure books of all time?
- Jason Barger pays tribute to “one of the daily unsung heroes of the air travel experience: the de-icers.”
- The “bizarre crime spree” that got this drunken Irish traveler deported from Australia included demanding money to feed his goldfish.
- World Hum gets a shout out in a Guardian piece about Twitter and travel—yes, World Hum has a Twitter feed. We’re happy to have you follow us.
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Standard Deviation
by Alexander Basek | 01.28.09 | 3:15 PM ET
A Half-Century Ago: Let the Jet Age Begin!
by Rob Verger | 01.28.09 | 2:21 PM ET
Travel Headline of the Day: ‘Virgin on the Ridiculous’
by Eva Holland | 01.28.09 | 1:27 PM ET
That’s the gem that sits atop this Telegraph slideshow of the, er, flamboyant publicity campaigns that Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic have treated us to over the years.
John Baxter Likes Him Some ‘Poor Food’
by David Farley | 01.28.09 | 11:07 AM ET
In the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine, prolific author John Baxter waxes in the travel column about his history with “poor food,” taking us first to a long stew-filled meal at a rural tavern on a Greek island, then to his childhood in Australia, and Paris. The most unlikely experience: Christmas dinner at the Georgetown house of a government official who had lost his job due to a change in administrations. Baxter doesn’t say it—though I suppose it’s implied—but we don’t need a downturn in the economy to see that “poor food” has managed to quietly work its way into eaters’ appetites of all incomes these days. Which—in all its irony—is a good thing. Pub grub, soul food, most of the Italian food we know and love, and the current hankering for all things street food (being served at upscale restaurants around the country) all sprang from the same place: necessity.
Stars Sign on for ‘Tintin’ Movies
by Eva Holland | 01.28.09 | 9:41 AM ET
Cover art from The Adventures of Tintin Vols. 6-10 Despite earlier concerns about funding (and even earlier confusion over who, exactly, was in charge), the “Tintin” movie project seems to be rolling ahead. The CBC notes that a slew of big names have jumped on board: Jamie Bell (of “Billy Elliott” fame) will play the boy detective, while Daniel Craig will play arch-nemesis Red Rackham. Andy Serkis, the voice of Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” flicks, will take on the role of drunken sidekick Captain Haddock, and “Shaun of the Dead” co-conspirators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are slated to play Thompson and Thomson, the bumbling look-alike detectives. Oh, and as for who’s in charge? The latest word is that Steven Spielberg will direct the first movie; Peter Jackson will co-produce, and then take over the director’s chair for the second installment.
I’ve been skeptical about this project from the beginning, but I have to admit I’m heartened by the talent I see signing on. Is it possible that Spielberg and Jackson could pull this one off?
Morning Links: Sex and Romance in Rio, Chaos in Bangkok and More
by Michael Yessis | 01.28.09 | 8:50 AM ET
- Love this graphic of anatomical terms that most sound like exotic vacation destinations. I’m booked for the Fissure of Rolando.
- Cole Hamels loves Sydney.
- Giant waves battered cruise ships in the Bay of Biscay. Photos at the Daily Mail.
- GOOD rightfully thinks trains need some more support—and more money—on Capitol Hill.
- Inside the quest for alternative jet fuels. Black vomit nut, anyone?
- Another great Time Zones piece: “The Beautiful Chaos of Bangkok”
- Sex and Romance in Rio: Seth Kugel looks at the relationships between male tourists and female locals. Some background on the story.
- A Fugu mishap in Japan injures seven.
- Have you read “the world’s best passenger complaint letter”?
- An Alaskan entrepreneur wants a license to sell booze on his Fairbanks shuttle bus. His goal: To make enough money so he can hire another shuttle bus driver and join the mobile party. (via Fark)
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Hoscar the Grouch
by Alexander Basek | 01.27.09 | 5:10 PM ET
It’s the Hoscars! No, it’s not an Oscar party with your friend from Rome, but rather Hostel World’s ranking of the top 10 hostels in the world, based on the opinions of some 800,000 hostel bookings in 20,000 different properties. We heard that backpackers the world over were scratching themselves with anticipation and/or scabies while waiting for the 2009 winners to be announced. The top dog: Travellers House in Lisbon, part of a clean sweep of the top three by Lisbon hostels.
Meanwhile, hostel fans on the other side of the Atlantic are out of luck, as no American—neither North nor South—properties made it on the list. It’s proof positive of something, probably the lure of Spectravision at a Motel 6. Even so, do take the list with a grain of salt, as even old travel writing greybeards like Leif Pettersen have yet to grace the sheets at any of the top 10.
Check out the top ten below.
