Travel Blog: News and Briefs
World Hum’s New Seventh Wonder of the Shrinking Planet: The Irish Pub
by Michael Yessis | 07.23.07 | 5:15 PM ET
The Irish pub has long intrigued us, both as a subject to write about and as a fine place to drink the occasional pint of Guinness. Thanks to Eva Holland for reminding us that the Irish pub also embodies many ways the globe is shrinking and cultures are colliding. It’s a worthy addition to our Seven Wonders of the Shrinking Planet. As Eva wrote in response to our call for a replacement to the now-closed Starbucks in China’s Forbidden City—hers was among a number of terrific suggestions; thanks to everyone who posted an idea—Irish pubs can be found just about everywhere in the world.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzA Traveler’s Take on Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’
by Jim Benning | 07.23.07 | 3:12 PM ET
Forget the controversial fact-checking piece CNN’s Sanjay Gupta put together for Michael Moore’s documentary on health care, “Sicko.” Now, the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Flinn—ever the provocateur columnist—takes Moore to task for his coverage of foreign hospitals, based entirely on Flinn’s own unplanned visits to hospitals in France, Cuba and elsewhere during his travels. “Michael Moore got it all wrong about the French health care system in his new movie, ‘Sicko,’” Flinn writes. “The best part isn’t that the government sends workers out to the homes of new mothers to do their laundry. It’s that French hospital meals come with wine. I don’t know how Moore, who seems rather starry-eyed over la belle France in the film, forgot to include that nugget.”
China’s Air Pollution Goes Global
by Jim Benning | 07.23.07 | 2:50 PM ET
Talk about a shrinking planet. “On some days,” reports the Wall Street Journal, “almost a third of the air over Los Angeles and San Francisco can be traced directly to Asia.”
Next Stop for the New Seven Wonders: Space
by Michael Yessis | 07.23.07 | 1:19 PM ET
hotos of the seven wonders, that is. Bernard Weber, who launched the much hyped, recently completed campaign to name the new seven wonders of the world, says he plans to store 3-D images of the honored monuments on a “golden disk” and then shoot it into space to preserve the monuments “forever.” He told the AP: “I think it would be worthwhile to conserve this memory at the beginning of the third millennium in the best possible way and make sure that even if the world gets destroyed, it will be retained somewhere.”
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Trips, Tips and Trash Talk
by Michael Yessis | 07.20.07 | 4:57 PM ET
From Chile to cruising, this week the Zeitgeist is full of advice on what to do and what not to do on the road. Here’s what’s on the minds of travelers this week.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
51 Tips: An Irreverent Guide to International Travel Behavior
* How irreverent? Among the tips—we wrote about them in May—from Thomas Swick: “In Chile, don’t say you’ve always dreamed of driving cross-country.”
Most Read Feature
World Hum (posted this week)
Honeymooning with Jaws
* Among the lessons learned by writer Nancy Smay: Be careful what you agree to after a few tropical drinks.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Telegraph UK (current)
The Cost of Cruising
* Better headline: “The Hidden Costs of Cruising”
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
10 great places to go on safari—in the USA
* Among the places making the list: Alaska’s Denali National Park
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
The B & B Option is Put to a New York Test
Despite a Nose-Diving Dollar, Europe Still Beckons U.S. Travelers
by Terry Ward | 07.20.07 | 11:46 AM ET
During the three months I recently spent in France, sticker shock was so much a part of my daily life that, by the end of my stay, I barely balked at shelling out five bucks for a shot of espresso at my favorite Biarritz tapas bar. Recently, the dollar dove to a new record low—a paltry $1.38 against the euro. And according to a story in the New York Times, the currency pinch for those of us spending greenbacks in Europe is bound to get worse before it gets better.
Virgin America’s Bookings Hampered by Hackers
by Michael Yessis | 07.20.07 | 11:36 AM ET
Tickets for the first Virgin America flights went on the market yesterday, as we noted, but sales were slowed due to hackers’ attacks on the company’s Web site, reports the AP. A spokesperson for the company said the culprits have yet to be identified. Virgin America debuts later this year with hopes of bringing U.S. travelers, according to the AP, “a more luxurious experience at affordable prices.”
Related on World Hum:
* Virgin America Offers First U.S. Bookings
‘Into the Wild’: Sean Penn Adapts Jon Krakauer’s Book for the Big Screen
by Michael Yessis | 07.20.07 | 10:26 AM ET
Sean Penn lined up some impressive talent for his adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s beloved book Into the Wild, the story of twentysomething Christopher McCandless’s self-imposed exile from mainstream society and tragic journey into the Alaskan wilds. Penn wrote and directed the film, which stars Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Zach Galifianakis, William Hurt and others. Eddie Vedder and Gustavo Santaolalla contribute to the soundtrack. The movie opens Sept. 21, and already I’m getting that dueling “I can’t wait to see it/I can’t believe what an awful idea this is” feeling of seeing a favorite book get turned into a movie.
Virgin America Offers First U.S. Bookings
by Terry Ward | 07.19.07 | 3:21 PM ET
My phone is Virgin Mobile. I still have the slippers I got flying to London from Orlando on Virgin Atlantic. And as of today, I can start booking domestic flights on Virgin America. All of us can. Forget Posh and Becks—Richard Branson has just arrived, America. Tickets went on sale at 6 a.m. this morning for the first flights next month on the British billionaire’s start-up airline venture.
New Addition to the Travel Lexicon: ‘Geotourism’
by Jim Benning | 07.19.07 | 11:29 AM ET
In our ongoing quest to chronicle the comings and goings in the travel lexicon we bring you “geotourism,” a term describing travel that, in the AP’s words, “focuses on a destination’s unique culture and history and aims to have visitors help enrich those qualities.” Coined several years ago by the National Geographic Society’s Jonathan B. Tourtellot, the term hasn’t yet caught on among most travelers. But according to the AP, “it’s on the lips of travel professionals who describe it as a step beyond the better-known environmentally friendly ecotourism. While geotourism encourages treading lightly on nature, it’s also about authenticity and making a place better by visiting and spending money.”
Counting Down to Our New Seventh Wonder
by Jim Benning | 07.18.07 | 5:38 PM ET
As we noted, Starbucks in Beijing’s Forbidden City closed recently, leaving us with only six wonders of the shrinking planet. We need your help. There’s still time to post a suggestion for a new wonder to take its place. We’ll consider any and all ideas. Look for an announcement of our new wonder Monday.
New Record Set By World’s Airports: 4.4 Billion Passengers Flew in 2006
by Michael Yessis | 07.18.07 | 3:48 PM ET
Who’s responsible for a good chunk of the 4.8 percent increase from 2005? China.
Tons of Goods Confiscated by TSA Equal Thousands for State Coffers
by Michael Yessis | 07.18.07 | 12:32 PM ET
We touched on this early last year, but who knew it would become a big bucks business? Turns out all those outlawed items TSA agents take from air passengers at security checkpoints have become a solid source of revenue for states. From a story by Paulo Prada in the Wall Street Journal: “Pennsylvania, which collects goods at 13 airports including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, says it collects a total of 2.5 tons of TSA goods a month and that the items, sold on eBay, since 2004 have raised $360,000 for state coffers, as of June.”
In India, an Antidote to Monsoon Hair Drama
by Terry Ward | 07.18.07 | 11:04 AM ET
There’s another great slice of life piece—this one from Delhi, India—in the Washington Post’s enlightening Time Zones series. It’s the start of the monsoon season in India, writes Emily Wax, and well-heeled Indians are making their ways to city salons in Delhi to battle a universal enemy—the bad hair day. For both sexes in India, healthy, long hair is a major beauty symbol, and Indians take tress management seriously.
Get Used to the Liquid and Gel Ban—For a While, Anyway
by Terry Ward | 07.17.07 | 12:05 PM ET
Continue to keep the Purell out of your purse. Or at least bag it accordingly. That’s the word from the TSA, according to an article in the Washington Post about continued restrictions on gels and liquids in carry-on luggage. The 3-ounce container rule (with liquids and gels presented in a plastic bag) will continue to apply to carry-on luggage until “sometime next year,” when new technology may become available to better screen for liquid explosives.
