Travel Blog: News and Briefs

Ever mixed up Turkmenistan and Tajikistan? Or Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan? (Guilty, on both counts.) Gadling’s Aaron Hotfelder comes to the rescue with his handy series on Keeping the ‘Stans Straight. Not only are his posts helping to fill a gap in my geography knowledge, but it’s also refreshing, amidst a sea of “hot” 2008 destination lists, to read about a region that is still decidedly “not.” The latest installment: Afghanistan.

R.I.P. Sir Edmund Hillary

by Jim Benning | 01.10.08 | 5:26 PM ET

Sir Edmund Hillary has died at the age of 88. He was the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, and he went on to devote much of his life to exploration and humanitarian work in Nepal. In a 1998 profile of Hillary for Salon.com, Don George placed Hillary in the pantheon of great adventurers:

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Where in the World Are You, Valerie Ng?

by Jim Benning | 01.10.08 | 2:47 PM ET

The subject of our latest nearly up-to-the-minute interview with a traveler somewhere in the world: freelance writer and World Hum contributor Valerie Ng. Her response landed in our inbox last night.

Where in the world are you?

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Is Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Vulnerable to Hackers?

by Michael Yessis | 01.10.08 | 10:10 AM ET

A Wired story examines whether the “computer network in the Dreamliner’s passenger compartment, designed to give passengers in-flight Internet access, is connected to the plane’s control, navigation and communication systems.” The Federal Aviation Administration issued a report on an apparent vulnerability, and Boeing spokesperson Lori Gunter told Wired that the document is “misleading.” Nevertheless, Gunter says Boeing is addressing the issue and the plane will safe before it makes its public debut.

Related on World Hum:
* Former Boeing Engineer Questions Safety of 787 Dreamliner
* Boeing Unveils 787 Dreamliner

Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company.

R.I.P. Philip Agee

by Michael Yessis | 01.09.08 | 11:47 AM ET

The former CIA agent, who died this morning in Havana following ulcer surgery, famously outed purported agency operatives in a book, but he also played an eccentric role in the world of travel: He established a travel Web site to help U.S. travelers visit Cuba in defiance of the government ban. He was 72.

Related on World Hum:
* Americans Defy Cuba Travel Ban Before ‘Other Americans…Ruin it All’

Air Travelers For Barack Obama!

by Michael Yessis | 01.08.08 | 3:43 PM ET

The Air Travelers Association has endorsed Barack Obama for U.S. President. Association president David Stempler said in a press release that the endorsement is based on the belief that Obama can “quickly get in place a new, GPS-based, next generation, air traffic control system, called ‘NextGen.’” What? He wasn’t simply swayed by Obama’s four-and-a-half Air Force Ones rating in World Hum’s U.S. Presidential Candidate Travel Scorecard? (via Los Angeles Times Daily Deal)

Grounded 747? No, it’s a Hostel.

by Ben Keene | 01.08.08 | 3:31 PM ET

Man to Stay in Paramus, New Jersey Ikea for Six Nights

by Michael Yessis | 01.07.08 | 4:23 PM ET

Mark Malkoff, aka the guy who visited all 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in 24 hours, checked into the Ikea this morning and will remain there through Saturday, eating at the Ikea restaurant and perhaps sleeping in a four-poster Hemnes. I bet the Ikea fanatics who spent the night at the temporary Ikea hostel in Oslo last summer are jealous.

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Jet Lagged Blog Finishes Run

by Michael Yessis | 01.07.08 | 10:29 AM ET

The New York Times’s Jet Lagged blog ends its run today with a post from the man who started it all in early December, Pico Iyer. He concludes a wandering conversation among seven travel heavyweights with a bland but agreeable sentiment. “The unfriendliest skies in the world,” he writes, “are better than no skies at all.”

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The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Hello Goodbye

by Michael Yessis | 01.04.08 | 5:17 PM ET

Travelers welcomed in the new year this week with their eyes on Turkey, Maui, Indonesia and Jack Nicholson. We welcome 2008 with a farewell. Next week we’ll debut a new end-of-the-week post, so here’s your final Zeitgeist.

Most Viewed Travel Story
Telegraph UK (current)
Istanbul Travel Guide

Top Mediterranean Escape
TripAdvisor (current)
Nice, France

Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
Follow Nicholson and Freeman in ‘The Bucket List’

Most Read Feature Story
World Hum (posted this week)
The Trouble With ‘Smile When You’re Lying’

Top It List Destination
Concierge.com (2008)
Mozambique

Most Read Blog Post
World Hum (posted this week)
Crime Fiction Where You Least Expect It

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2007: The Year of Mapping Dangerously

by Ben Keene | 01.04.08 | 5:03 PM ET

As an editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World, I spend a good chunk of my time following geographic changes around the globe. And the last year saw more than a few worth noting, from borders shifting—or even disappearing—to names changing and islands suddenly appearing. Herewith, my favorites from ‘07, starting with some good news.

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‘Global Soul’ Daniel Radcliffe Set to Play Slain Photojournalist

by Eva Holland | 01.04.08 | 1:11 PM ET

The mother of slain world traveler and freelance photojournalist Dan Eldon, who was killed in Mogadishu in 1993, has hand-picked the Harry Potter actor to play her son in an upcoming biopic.

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Travel Headline of the Day: ‘End to Travel Woes Unlikely’

by Jim Benning | 01.04.08 | 12:07 PM ET

That’s right. It’s never going to get better. Thank you, Chicago Tribune.

Barricaded Hotel Workers Living on ‘Food Delivered in a Bucket Pulled up on a Piece of String’

by Michael Yessis | 01.04.08 | 10:22 AM ET