Travel Blog
Indians in Bali: The ‘New Americans’?
by Liz Sinclair | 10.30.07 | 7:04 AM ET
In the wake of the Bali bombings, the country’s traditional tourists—Americans, Australians and Europeans—started to vacation elsewhere. Asians from countries such as India, experiencing rapid economic growth, filled the gap. But as Karim Raslan notes in a recent article for the Financial Times, there’s something familiar about these tourists. They often behave with the same cultural elitism that characterized the stereotypical American, becoming, as Raslan calls them, the “New Americans.”
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Yahoo! BuzzCan ‘The Moses Project’ Stop the Tides in Venice?
by Eva Holland | 10.29.07 | 9:58 AM ET
The people backing the $7 billion project certainly hope so. And so do a number of observers from low-lying port cities around the world, where flood concerns are on the increase as the polar ice caps melt. As Doug Saunders writes in an interesting essay in The Globe and Mail, “when we visit Venice today, we are visiting our homes tomorrow.”
Readers to Chronicle: What About Tatooine and Shangri-La?
by Jim Benning | 10.29.07 | 7:31 AM ET
We recently noted the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of its editors’ favorite fictional places, which included Cicily, Alaska from “Northern Exposure” and Brokeback Mountain. Editor John Flinn wrote this week that plenty of Chronicle readers were disappointed with the choices, and particularly the decision to exclude places from science fiction and fantasy such as Tatooine, Vulcan and Hogwarts.
U.S. Airline Fleets: Dingy, Dusty and Growing Old Fast
by Michael Yessis | 10.29.07 | 7:27 AM ET
Unfortunately for U.S. travelers, the fleets aren’t going to get any less dingy or more inviting anytime soon. None of the new Airbus A380s on order, and only 43 of the 710 Boeing 787s on the way, are destined for U.S. carriers, according to a New York Times report. Instead, major U.S. airlines are sticking with their graying fleets, with planes an average of more than 12 years old.
Traveling Behind the Headlines in Lebanon and Beyond
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.29.07 | 6:52 AM ET
When I visited Beirut last November, most of my friends and family thought I was reckless, even crazy. Because of decades of war and assassinations, Lebanon is thought to be one of those places visited only by war journalists, soldiers and aid workers. That’s wrong, of course. Beirut still retains its “Paris of the Middle East” mystique and manages to attract tourists, even as the country remains on edge.
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Making Record Time
by Michael Yessis | 10.26.07 | 1:29 PM ET
Travelers were intrigued by new standards set for airplane size and coast-to-coast speed—and even border delays. And they were seriously wondering what to do with their dreadlocks. Here’s this week’s Zeitgeist.
Most Read Blog Post
World Hum (posted this week)
Man Drives From New York City to Los Angeles in 31 Hours
* Commenters say he’s either a fool or an American hero. I vote for the former.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
Not Quite Business as Usual For Hotels in Fire Zones
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Del.icio.us (recent)
10 Useful Secrets the Major Airlines Don’t Want You to Know
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Should I Cut My Dreadlocks Before Traveling to Asia?
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USA Today (current)
Singapore Airlines’ Superjumbo A380 Makes History
Most Viewed Travel Story
Telegraph UK (current)
A380 Makes Aviation History
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Propeller (this week)
Tighter Border Delays Re-entry by U.S. Citizens
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New York Times (current)
Home, Sweet ... Yikes!
Art or Vandalism? Trevi Fountain Waters Turned Red in Rome
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.26.07 | 12:53 PM ET
Rome had an Andy Warhol moment last week when a baseball-capped art anarchist dumped a bottle of dye into the city’s famed Trevi Fountain and turned its waters blood red for a day, writes Elisabetta Povoledo in The New York Times. Traditionalists who revere Rome’s monuments called it vandalism. Artists who believe Italian culture is stilted and staid called it genius.
British Hotel Chain Reports ‘Surge in Naked Sleepwalking’
by Michael Yessis | 10.26.07 | 12:13 PM ET
Travelodge’s annual “sleepwalker audit” revealed a “seven fold increase in sleepwalking customers” in the last year, and 95 percent of those sleepwalkers were naked men. A Travelodge spokesperson told Reuters that the hotel chain has more male visitors than female “so that could be a factor” in the gender imbalance.
It’s Still SUX: Sioux City Embraces its Airport Code
by Michael Yessis | 10.26.07 | 11:22 AM ET
It’s obvious why Sioux City might want to get rid of its airport code. The city actually petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration twice to change the favorite three-letter designation of 12-year-olds everywhere, but it was offered alternative three-letter designations that didn’t excite anyone. So, Sioux City has decided to embrace SUX, making it the “centerpiece of the airport’s new marketing campaign,” according to the AP. Look for it on T-shirts and hats and online at flySUX.com.
Happy Birthday, Baby! Bring on the ‘Dirty Dancing’ Vacation Packages.
by Eva Holland | 10.26.07 | 3:32 AM ET
Talk about a niche market. This summer, the ‘80s chick-flick classic “Dirty Dancing” celebrated its 20th anniversary with a brief return to theaters, a revival of the musical in London’s West End and an anniversary-edition DVD with plenty of bonus footage. (Dare we ask: Where are they now?)
U.S. Ambassador’s Dog ‘Frisked’ At Canadian Customs
by Eva Holland | 10.25.07 | 3:33 PM ET
We’ve noted before that American customs agents are gaining a reputation among travelers for mechanical coldness, or even angry, intimidating behavior. But it seems American officials aren’t the only guilty parties.
Bill Maher on the Airbus A380: ‘I Don’t Want to Fly on a Bus’
by Jim Benning | 10.25.07 | 10:43 AM ET
We just noted the debut flight of the world’s largest commercial passenger jet, the Airbus A380. Comic Bill Maher, for one, isn’t impressed. “New Rule, I don’t want to fly on a bus,” he cracked on the latest episode of his HBO series, “Real Time.” “That’s why people pay more money to fly! So they don’t have to take a bus. And I don’t care that it’s huge, because I’ve never once gotten on a flight and thought, boy, I wish there were more people on this plane.”
Related on World Hum:
* Behemoth A380s Touch Down in U.S.
* Enough With the Superjumbo Jets. How About a Superjumbo Bus?
‘This American Life’ on Mapping Your World
by Joanna Kakissis | 10.25.07 | 9:50 AM ET
Mapping doesn’t mean just plotting places on a piece of paper. In a particularly brilliant This American Life episode, host Ira Glass says you can explore your world by mapping each of your five senses. “Every map is the world seen through a different lens,” he said.
A380 Debuts With a ‘Rocking Party at 40,000 Feet’
by Michael Yessis | 10.25.07 | 9:37 AM ET
And why shouldn’t it have been a party? The debut of the superjumbo Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial aircraft, has been anticipated by travelers and aviation geeks for years. The party for today’s successful inaugural flight from Singapore to Sydney began at the Singapore Airlines check-in, where according to the BBC’s Laurence Watts, “passengers were given red-carpet treatment, with photographers on hand to provide them with souvenir photos.”
French Museums to Offer Free Admission
by Michael Yessis | 10.24.07 | 2:05 PM ET
France’s culture minister Christine Albanel announced that 14 museums in the country will offer free admission during the first six months of 2008. The most famous museums in Paris—the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou—will also take part on a limited basis, according to the AFP. It’s all welcome news for budget travelers, particularly those who have grown accustomed to free museums in Washington D.C., Britain and elsewere in Europe. Albanel said it’s part of an effort to “inspire desire—desire for artistic experiences and culture—in people who are not familiar with these places.”
