Travel Blog
Mapped: ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’
by Michael Yessis | 09.11.08 | 3:52 PM ET
Rachel Leow has put together an excellent Google Maps mashup based on the Yule-Cordier edition of The Travels of Marco Polo. (via Kottke)
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Yahoo! BuzzEast Germany ‘Ostalgia’ Going Strong
by Julia Ross | 09.11.08 | 2:35 PM ET
I loved the 2003 film Good Bye Lenin! for its darkly comic take on nostalgia for Cold War-era East Germany. Now it seems “ostalgia” has worked its way into Berlin’s tourism infrastructure: Time reports that the craze has spread to themed pubs, “Ostel” hostels and “Trabi safaris,” which ferry tourists around East Berlin in the much-maligned Trabant (pictured).
Dozens Evacuated in Channel Tunnel Fire
by Jim Benning | 09.11.08 | 12:36 PM ET
In what must have been a harrowing experience, more than 30 people were evacuated from a freight train today when a fire broke out in the Channel Tunnel between England and France. Officials suspect the fire started when a truck on the train overturned, CNN reports. The evacuees, some reportedly suffering from smoke inhalation, were taken into a service tunnel. Fortunately, no passenger trains were in the tunnel at the time. Tunnel train service has been temporarily suspended.
World Hum Contributor Named One of Esquire’s 75 Most Influential People
by Jim Benning | 09.11.08 | 10:58 AM ET
Congrats to Parag Khanna, who was just named one of Esquire magazine’s “75 Most Influential People for the 21st Century.” In May, we excerpted a passage from his book, The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order. Khanna directs the Global Governance Initiative in the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. The list isn’t available online.
Vacationing in Bryant Park
by Eva Holland | 09.11.08 | 10:15 AM ET
As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t get enough of Bryant Park. Every time I visit New York I lose at least a day (and sometimes more) there, eating, reading, or just sitting in the sun watching people pass by. Every now and then I feel guilty for sitting in the park instead of doing all the things a visitor to New York “should” be doing—this is the part where I admit I’ve never been to the Met—but mostly I just relax and soak it in. I’m thrilled to see that my particular brand of NYC tourism has been endorsed by no less an authority than the New York Times, in this guide to kicking back in the park and its surrounding area.
Photo by factoryseashell via Flickr (Creative Commons).
From Mecca to the Vatican to the Kumbh Mela: Religious Tourism on the Rise
by Elyse Franko | 09.10.08 | 5:03 PM ET
Photo of Vatican City by soylentgreen23, via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Religious destinations across the globe are profiting from pilgrimage tourism, according to The New York Times. Some choice statistics: the Vatican-based travel agency ORP is expecting to send 400,000 people on pilgrimages this year; more than 2 million Muslims travel to Mecca each year; and a mind-blowing 75 million people participate in Kumbh Mela, the Hindu pilgrimage festival.
Track Your Favorite Disappearing Bookstores
by Eva Holland | 09.10.08 | 3:03 PM ET
The good folks at the Book Bench have come up with a novel, if depressing, way to use the Publishers Marketplace Bookstore Maps: to track the closures of your favorite independents.
Video: ‘Airplane!’ Cast Reunited
by Michael Yessis | 09.10.08 | 2:53 PM ET
Well, five of the actors. Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hays, Peter Graves, Jill Whelan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke on the Today Show about being part of the travel-comedy classic. They’ve got some great stories. Turns out, pilots have actually invited Kareem into the cockpit for takeoff. They wanted to fly with Murdock. Who can blame them? Video below.
American Airlines Sued Over Lost Corpse
by Valerie Conners | 09.10.08 | 12:40 PM ET
A Brooklyn, New York man is suing American Airlines for an unspecified sum after the airline lost his deceased wife’s body, which was being flown to her native Ecuador for burial, the NY Daily News reports. The corpse went missing for four days after an airline employee tagged it with the wrong airport code, accidentally sending it to Guatemala.
Flight Delays? MIT May Have the Fix.
by Eva Holland | 09.10.08 | 12:11 PM ET
Good news for passengers who have started building near-inevitable flight delays into their travel plans: MIT’s finest are hard at work on a new tool to help air traffic controllers quickly reroute flights around bad patches of weather.
Bellisima, They’re Not: Italians Rank Ugliest English Words
by Valerie Conners | 09.10.08 | 12:00 PM ET
You won’t hear any talk of “lo stress” or “le leadership” on the streets of Italy, if the Dante Alighieri Society has its way. The proclaimed protectors of Italian culture have asked the public to vote on the most offensive English word to be adopted into the Italian language. And the winner? “Il weekend.”
Travel Book Wins Dubious Honor: Oddest Book Title of the Past 30 Years
by Eva Holland | 09.10.08 | 11:00 AM ET
For the past three decades, the Bookseller/Diagram Prize has celebrated the oddest book titles of the year. This year, to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Bookseller decided to pick the best of the best—or the weirdest of the weird—crowning one lucky entry the Oddest Book Title of the Past 30 Years. The winner? “Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers.”
Canada Announces Passenger ‘Flight Rights’ Program
by Eva Holland | 09.10.08 | 9:45 AM ET
While the federal passenger bill of rights awaits Senate approval, over the border the Canadian government has launched a similar passenger protection program: Flight Rights Canada.
Matt Gross: Looking Back on the Grand Tour
by Eva Holland | 09.10.08 | 9:29 AM ET
The New York Times Frugal Traveler columnist offers a thoughtful reflection on his just-completed European tour, and shares some lessons learned in frugality—“Redefine ‘Europe,’” for one.
New Season of ‘Bizarre Foods’ Begins Tonight
by World Hum | 09.09.08 | 1:12 PM ET
Andrew Zimmern, the man who eats insects for fun, is back. The new season begins tonight at 10 ET on the Travel Channel with a show from Phuket, Thailand. What’s on the menu? Tasty fish stomachs, among other things. The show will be followed by a live video chat with Zimmern at 11 ET.
