Travel Blog: News and Briefs
R.I.P. Richard Marks
by Michael Yessis | 12.17.08 | 9:38 AM ET
Marks suffered from leprosy, aka Hansen’s Disease. Like thousands of others with the disease, he was banished to the Kalaupapa leprosy colony on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. Marks helped overturn the quarantine, and he remained on the island, operating a tour company and educating travelers about the disease. He also “achieved his goal of establishing Kalaupapa National Historical Park in 1980 with the help of late Hawai’i congresswoman Patsy Mink,” according to the obituary in the Honolulu Advertiser. He was 79.
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Yahoo! BuzzMorning Links: ‘Ugly American’ Ad, World’s Best Hotels and More
by Michael Yessis | 12.17.08 | 8:57 AM ET
- A Burger King ad featuring “Whopper Virgins,” aka “remote Chang Mai villagers,” is being called “‘corporate colonialism,’ ‘cultural bullying’ and the worst kind of Ugly Americanism.” Stacy Peralta, a legend of my childhood, directed the ad.
- A tower collapsed at Whistler-Blackcomb yesterday, injuring more than a dozen and “and trapping other skiers for hours in dangling cars during a cold snap.”
- Travel + Leisure released its annual list of the 500 best hotels in the world.
- The casinos are behind the new weekend express trains between New York City and Atlantic City.
- Why do physicians write so well? Among those cited: Sometime travel writer, the late Michael Crichton.
- Health Magazine lists America’s Healthiest Airports.
- TSA in 2008: Gadling chronicles a year of being dumb.
- It’s sad that this story—37% of Americans Unable to Locate America on Map of America—had to include a disclaimer: “This post is a satire.” Though after skimming through the dumb things the TSA did this year, perhaps I’m being a little too optimistic in my belief in the competence of my fellow Americans.
The Golden Globes: Is it the Year of the Funny Travel Movie?
by Eva Holland | 12.16.08 | 1:24 PM ET
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has released the list of nominees for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards—and to my very pleased surprise, a few travel movies have made the cut.
Scroll right past all those dramas: the action is in the “Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy” category, where In Bruges, Mamma Mia and Vicky Cristina Barcelona have all gotten the nod. “In Bruges” also landed a pair of acting nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and Meryl Streep took her umpteenth nomination for “Mamma Mia,” while Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz represented “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” in three of the four acting categories.
So what does all this mean? Is it the year of the travel movie?
Morning Links: Taj to Reopen, ‘The Pervert’s Grand Tour’ and More
by Michael Yessis | 12.16.08 | 9:38 AM ET
- The Taj Hotel, one of the Mumbai sites stormed by terrorists last month, plans to reopen some of its rooms Sunday night.
- Joe Brancatelli writes: “Like it or not, acts of terror aimed at travelers and the places they frequent are very good business tactics indeed.”
- Rome and Milan are now connected by the high-speed Red Arrow train.
- Tony Perrottet continues his Pervert’s Grand Tour at Slate. “Sex,” he writes, “Sex has always been the unspoken inspiration for travel.”
- Delta adds WiFi to some East Coast shuttle flights. The airline says it will make its entire fleet wireless by the middle of next year.
- Robbie Knievel will jump the volcano at the Mirage in Las Vegas on his motorcycle on New Year’s Eve. I’ve been to Vegas on New Year’s Eve. This will not be the craziest thing that happens that night.
Emergency Rations: Lessons From a 16-Hour Amtrak Ride
by Eva Holland | 12.15.08 | 1:17 PM ET
I have this theory about successful budget transit: that the key to surviving a cross-country Greyhound ride, or a bargain-basement flight with three changes (all in small regional airports without so much as a Starbucks, naturally) is to never, ever be caught without a snack. After all, the only thing worse than being forced to buy, and eat, that simultaneously-stale-and-soggy packaged tuna sandwich at the truck stop is not having the option of eating anything at all. Right?
I first started packing what I think of as my “emergency rations” on a trip to India several years ago. The granola bars I’d stuffed into every corner of my backpack were handy on long train rides—and after I (inevitably) got sick, they became invaluable, my sole source of nutrition until I could stand to contemplate curry again. That success led to more advanced efforts: I can still remember the looks I got from other passengers when I boarded a Halifax-Montreal overnight train with an enormous Tupperware full of cold stir fry under my arm. But my habit of packing lunch didn’t evolve into a full-blown theory until one fateful Amtrak ride, from New York to Montreal, around this time last year.
Morning Links: Jellyfish Gone Wild, Sedaris and More
by Michael Yessis | 12.15.08 | 8:35 AM ET
Catch up on links from our redesign break:
- Brave New Traveler lists The 6 Characters You’ll Meet At Every Expat Bar.
- Recession travel: Trade depressed stock for Caribbean resort stays.
- TSA critic Jeffrey Goldberg sat for an interview with Stephen Colbert.
Welcome to World Hum 3.0
by Jim Benning, Michael Yessis, Valerie Conners | 12.15.08 | 12:56 AM ET
It was time for a change. The site has a new look, and you’ll find plenty of new features, too. We’ve added videos and bigger photos. We’ve added new regular contributors, like Tom Swick. We’ve retooled our blog. We’ve made it easier to find articles about particular topics and places.
We know everyone doesn’t take kindly to change. If that includes you, give it some time to sink in. We think you’ll agree it’s a big improvement. And keep in mind it’s a work in progress.
Check out this short video about the new design and then let us know what you think.
World Hum’s Most Read: Nov. 29-Dec. 5
by World Hum | 12.05.08 | 3:43 PM ET
Our five most popular dispatches for the week:
1) Six Degrees of Vietnam
2) How Low Can You Go?
3) The Art of Writing a Story About Walking Across Andorra
4) Lesson at the Laverie
5) Another Tet Offensive
Virtual Travel: Is There More to it Than ‘Staring at Our Own Roofs’?
by Eva Holland | 12.05.08 | 3:39 PM ET
In the Independent, Clare Rudebeck takes a look at how far “virtual travel” options have come since we all first used Google Earth to check out our own homes a few years back—and ponders their limitations, too.
“In the last two months, technology titans from Google to IBM have put in a concerted effort to convince us that there is more to virtual travel than staring at our own roofs. And they’re spending a lot of money in the attempt,” she writes. “...but can exploring the virtual world really give us the same sense of wonder, fulfilment and utter exasperation that real tourism delivers? What is travel without lost baggage, stomach bugs and hours spent trying to work out how to use your camera?”
Michelin Goes to Hong Kong and Macau
by Eva Holland | 12.05.08 | 6:32 AM ET
The first-ever Michelin guide to Hong Kong and Macau was released yesterday, and a few restaurants—one in each city—landed the coveted three-star rating. Another 21 Hong Kong eateries received one or two stars, as did five in Macau. The renowned foodie guide publisher made waves earlier this year by granting Tokyo top honors among all Michelin-ranked cities. Given Hong Kong’s strong start this year, and the fact that locals swear the foreign reviewers missed many of the city’s best spots, there may soon be another Asian culinary powerhouse on the Michelin-star horizon. (Via Gadling)
Venice: Souvenir Vendors Could Go the Way of the Pigeons
by Eva Holland | 12.05.08 | 6:21 AM ET
Look out, Venetian vendors of cheap tourist tat. Your canal-side stalls (“fully-fledged examples of urban decay,” according to the city council) are the next target in the city’s ongoing crusade against all things ugly or rude. Local authorities in Venice have already showed the flocks of pigeons and shirtless, napping tourists who’s boss.
Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Antarctica
by Eva Holland | 12.04.08 | 5:45 PM ET
The 122-passenger ship is reported to be taking on “minimal” water and leaking fuel after running aground on the Antarctic Peninsula. No one is injured and help is on the way, but the incident is sure to bring back memories of last year’s cruise ship sinking and renew concerns about tourism in Antarctica.
New Zealand Hostel Owner Sentenced For Filming Female Guests in the Shower
by Eva Holland | 12.04.08 | 2:19 PM ET
A former hostel owner in New Zealand has been sentenced to community service and probation after admitting that he filmed his female guests in the shower for over a year. The man eventually removed his recording equipment and destroyed the hours of tape, but kept a two-hour “highlight reel” which he apparently watched regularly—with a friend who was a convicted sex offender.
In Chiapas, a ‘Commune With a Conservation Bent’
by Joanna Kakissis | 12.04.08 | 10:17 AM ET
Founded 28 years ago by the Chinantecho ethnic group, Reforma Agraria operates in one of Mexico’s threatened biospheres. The New York Times’ Matt Gross, who spent a rainy day at the Las Guacamayas eco-resort there in October, recounts his “pleasant if sweaty stroll” in the “small, protected rain forest” in his latest Frugal Traveler blog post.
Argentina: Home to ‘The World’s Most Annoying Economic Crisis’
by Michael Yessis | 12.03.08 | 4:15 PM ET
There’s a coin shortage in Argentina, and it’s driving people in the country bonkers. It’s particularly acute in Buenos Aires. Joe Keohane explains in a story for Slate:
Everywhere you look, there are signs reading, “NO HAY MONEDAS.” As a result, vendors here are more likely to decline to sell you something than to cough up any of their increasingly precious coins in change. I’ve tried to buy a 2-peso candy bar with a 5-peso note only to be refused, suggesting that the 2-peso sale is worth less to the vendor than the 1-peso coin he would be forced to give me in change.
A benefit for some travelers: “Subway employees are occasionally forced to wave commuters through because they are out of coins,” Keohane writes.
