Travel Blog
Re-Branding Colombia: ‘The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay’
by Jim Benning | 10.02.08 | 1:37 PM ET
Photo of Cartagena by ho visto nina volare via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
What? That’s the only risk? What about the drugs? The rebels? The risk of catching Shakira fever? I was watching “Larry King Live” the other night when I was suddenly faced with something far more interesting than the babbling pundits: a commercial promoting tourism to Colombia. It began with footage of feet walking along a beach and a gentle voice intoning, “You are at risk when you go to Colombia…at risk of amazement, of marveling, of falling in love…” Then came images of a snorkeler in turquoise water and smiling tourists. The kicker? “Colombia. The only risk is wanting to stay.”
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Yahoo! BuzzPress Trips: ‘Too Much Noisy Fun, Too Little Job Satisfaction’
by Eva Holland | 10.02.08 | 12:49 PM ET
Usually, when travel writers criticize the press junket phenomenon, they focus on the ethical issues involved. Not so for the Telegraph’s Paul Mansfield, who takes aim at the actual substance of the typical press trip in this fun essay. “The atmosphere is like a school trip,” he writes, “competitive, cliquey, with a tendency towards booze-fuelled indiscretions and adolescent mischief.”
Rental Companies Join the Car-Sharing Game
by Eva Holland | 10.02.08 | 11:05 AM ET
Interesting development in the car rental biz: Several major car rental companies are experimenting with hourly rental rates and Zipcar-inspired car-sharing programs, USA Today reports.
Photo by Larsz via Flickr (Creative Commons)
When Air Traffic Controllers Oversleep
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.02.08 | 10:45 AM ET
Two planes had to circle the Greek island of Lesvos for more than 30 minutes earlier this week because no one was at the airport control tower. The controller supposed to be on duty reportedly overslept, according to Reuters. The report prompted one Reuters reader to crack that “given how controllers are overworked these days, though, that might be the only time in the past year she’s had eight hours of sleep.” Scared? I am.
Photo by jefield via Flickr (Creative Commons).
‘What Will Happen When America Can’t Afford to Fly?’
by Michael Yessis | 10.01.08 | 5:41 PM ET
Here’s a sobering look at a possible future for air travel in the U.S. The money quote:
‘Only One Man Can Save Venice: Mickey Mouse’
by Michael Yessis | 10.01.08 | 5:23 PM ET
John Kay proposed turning Venice, Italy into a Disney theme park. The idea didn’t fly, but the British economist did win 5,000 euros from the Istituto Veneto and praise for a “thought-provoking critique.” Kay wrote: “The city is already a theme park and should be handed over to Disney—they would do a better job of running it.”
Related on World Hum:
* ‘Too Many Memories’ in Venice
* Videos: Venice Gondoliers, Mariachis and Bollywood for Barack Obama
Steve Fossett’s Belongings and Plane Found*
by Michael Yessis | 10.01.08 | 2:01 PM ET
A couple says it came upon Fossett’s FAA ID cards during a hike in Mammoth Lakes, California, according to the Post Chronicle. Fox reports they also found cash and a jacket. The adventurer was declared dead in February, five months after his single-engine Bellanca disappeared.
Updated, Thursday, Oct. 2, 7:13 a.m. PT: Perhaps more discoveries are on the way. Reports the New York Times: “California authorities said they have spotted wreckage of a plane in an area where a hiker discovered identification cards belonging to Steve Fossett.”
Headline and Story Updated, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2:37 p.m. PT: The plane has been found, but not Fossett’s body. The AP reports “his remains were probably devoured by wild animals.” The AP also has video of a news conference with the acting NTSB chairman:
Beijing Catches ‘Salsa Fever’
by Valerie Conners | 10.01.08 | 12:00 PM ET
This week marks the start of China’s third annual Salsa Congress, a competition that will showcase the many ways the dance thrives in a land where, during the Cultural Revolution, social dancing was banned.
‘Devil-May-Care’ Hooligans Steal Jersey’s ‘666’ Road Signs
by Valerie Conners | 10.01.08 | 11:40 AM ET
As if combating Jersey Turnpike jokes weren’t enough for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to deal with, it can now add one more concern to its list: Someone keeps ripping off mile marker 66.6 signs from the state’s toll roads.
British Opposition Calls For High-Speed Rail Corridor
by Eva Holland | 10.01.08 | 11:30 AM ET
Britain’s opposition Conservative Party has announced a proposal for a £20 billion, TGV-style high-speed rail system, the Guardian reports. According to the announcement, a planned third runway at Heathrow would be abandoned in favor of a high-speed line connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
Celebrating 50 Years of Trans-Atlantic Commercial Flight
by Eva Holland | 10.01.08 | 11:00 AM ET
So, what’s changed in 50 years of trans-Atlantic commercial flight? With inflation factored in, today’s prices are 16 times lower, for a start. The Times of London marks the anniversary with a roundup of changes the route has seen since the first London-to-New York flight took off on October 4, 1958.
Related on World Hum:
* A Grim Anniversary: 100 Years Since First Airplane Fatality
Photo by jenlight via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Launching (and Hyping) the Danube Express
by Eva Holland | 10.01.08 | 10:00 AM ET
Photo by ** Maurice ** via Flickr (Creative Commons)
It seems all eyes were on the Danube Express last week as the new luxury rail route got rolling in Berlin—in fact, nearly every major British travel section devoted feature space to the story.
Somali Pirate Gives ‘Tell All’ Interview
by Valerie Conners | 10.01.08 | 9:47 AM ET
And the most amazing thing I learned? These pirates actually have a spokesman.
Related on World Hum:
* Violent Robberies up by Real Pirates of the Caribbean
Freed Tourist: ‘At a Certain Point We Thought it Was All Over’
by Jim Benning | 09.30.08 | 3:22 PM ET
So says one of the 11 European tourists kidnapped at gunpoint in the Gilf al-Kebir region of Egypt and finally freed Monday. Remarked one of the Egyptian guides who was also kidnapped: “They told all the Egyptians to stand in one line and they cocked their weapons, and at that moment we thought we were dead.” As we noted yesterday, the Christian Science Monitor reports that the kidnapping “highlights new risks for adventure tourists in the western Egyptian desert due to the instability in neighboring Chad and Sudan.”
The Best (Almost) Fictional British Pubs
by Michael Yessis | 09.30.08 | 2:41 PM ET
Among David Barnett’s picks for great fictional pubs: George Orwell’s The Moon Under Water and Anthony Burgess’ Korova Milk Bar, from A Clockwork Orange. Though they’re products of the authors’ imaginations, it looks like they’re so good they’ve both spawned real-world pubs. In his Guardian piece, Barnett mentions a series of British pubs named The Moon Under Water. I found another in St. Petersburg, Florida.
