Travel Blog
What Would a Traveler’s Paradise Be Like?
by Jim Benning | 04.27.07 | 2:01 PM ET
Thomas Swick imagines just such a place, including how to get there, what to eat, lodging options and even visa and passport requirements: “No documents of any kind are necessary. Though of course travelers wishing to have a distinctive stamp are offered a wide choice of colors and typefaces. The immigration process concludes with the passing out of chocolate truffles.”
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Yahoo! BuzzDangers of the Road
by Jim Benning | 04.27.07 | 12:32 PM ET
One of the scariest taxi rides I’ve had was in Xian, China, with a chain-smoking driver who not only preferred looking at me instead of the road, but also enjoyed simultaneously accelerating into jam-packed intersections. But what really got me was that when I buckled my seat belt, it imprinted a wide diagonal line of dust and grime across my shirt. The belt hadn’t been used in years. I was reminded of that crazy driver and unused belt—and the many taxis I’ve ridden in abroad that didn’t even have belts—as I read a new AP report reiterating what many travelers already know: One of the biggest dangers travelers face abroad is a vehicle accident.
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: The Road to Adventure
by Michael Yessis | 04.27.07 | 9:10 AM ET
This week travelers were drawn to roads in California, Vietnam and danger zones throughout the world. Italy, France, Hong Kong and a discount startup airline were also top of mind. Here’s the Zeitgeist.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Puglia: Italy’s Heel Has It All, Except Tourists
Most E-mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
Practical Traveler: As Hotel Prices Rise, a Villa May Be a Bargain
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (this week)
Top 5 Most Dangerous Roads of the World
* The photos will make your stomach churn.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
U.S. Highway 395: California’s ‘Mother Road’
* Here’s the accompanying photo gallery.
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
‘American Shaolin’: Interview with Matthew Polly
Top Travel and Adventure Audiobook
iTunes (current)
Fodor’s French for Travelers
Best Selling Travel Book
Amazon.com (current)
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
Border Stories: Why Do Nations Build Walls?*
by Michael Yessis | 04.26.07 | 8:53 AM ET
Because of fear and the desire for control, writes Charles Bowden in a terrific story in the May issue of National Geographic. Bowden primarily focuses on the barriers between the United States and Mexico, but he ties them to a historical trend—a trend, generally, of failure. “Walls are curious statements of human needs,” he writes. “Sometimes they are built to keep restive populations from fleeing. The Berlin Wall was designed to keep citizens from escaping from communist East Germany. But most walls are for keeping people out. They all work for a while, until human appetites or sheer numbers overwhelm them.”
Las Vegas (Who Else?) Leads in U.S. Tourism Ad Spending
by Michael Yessis | 04.26.07 | 8:18 AM ET
Sin City spent $52,158,800 in advertising in 2006 to lure travelers to the desert, almost tripling the outlay for the runner-up on the list, Puerto Rico. Texas, Florida and Arkansas round out the top five. Brandweek has a list of the top 25. (Via Jaunted)
y’ Success”>Australia’s ‘Bloody’ Success
The Critics: ‘Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil’
by Michael Yessis | 04.24.07 | 10:57 AM ET
It’s not a new idea, visiting the countries U.S. President George W. Bush dubbed the “Axis of Evil.” Ben Anderson, for instance, did it several years ago, and the BBC broadcast several programs based on his travels. Now Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler has written “Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil,” in which he chronicles his travels through Bush’s original three “axis” countries—Iran, Iraq and North Korea—plus Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Libya and Saudi Arabia.
The End Of The Middle Seat?
by Michael Yessis | 04.24.07 | 7:54 AM ET
A British company has proposed a three-seat row that flips the middle one backward. I don’t think it’ll catch on. Take a look at this photo and see for yourself.
Zimbabwe: A Secret Trip to ‘Mugabeland’
by Michael Yessis | 04.24.07 | 7:52 AM ET
The Economist hasn’t identified its reporter in Zimbabwe who is posting updates from the rogue state this week. Good thing. Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship has made the country a dangerous place for many, including traveling reporters.
Talking Books, Writing and Travel in New York and Los Angeles
by Jim Benning | 04.23.07 | 4:55 PM ET
It’s a good week for literature lovers on the East and West coasts. In New York, the PEN World Voices Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday. It’s packed with compelling events featuring authors from around the globe. Among the highlights: Tomorrow, Pico Iyer and Billy Collins, both the subject of World Hum interviews, will discuss the environment. On Wednesday, novelist Don Delillo makes a rare appearance on a panel entitled Writing Home. (It was in DeLillo’s novel “The Names” that we first came across the phrase “world hum.”) Thursday’s schedule features Multiple Passports: Writers on Homeland and Identity, which includes Ian Buruma, author of the excellent Asia travel book “God’s Dust.” And Sunday brings two panels for travel literature fans: Voyage and Voyeur: Travel and Travel Writing, featuring Alain de Botton, among others, and A Tribute to Ryszard Kapuscinski.
Celebrating California’s Highway 395
by Jim Benning | 04.23.07 | 12:24 PM ET
When it comes to scenic California roads, coastal Highway 1 gets most of the attention, but there’s another route equally worthy of adoration: Highway 395. It winds along the Eastern Sierra, delivering anglers to lakes and rivers, skiers to the slopes of Mammoth, and hikers and climbers to the lower 48 states’ tallest mountain, Mt. Whitney. I’ve always loved driving the highway, especially in winter, when the Sierra is blanketed in snow. So I was jazzed to see it featured prominently in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times. Staff writer Hugo Martin highlights points of interest along the highway, from the Alabama Hills, where countless Westerns have been filmed, to Bodie Ghost Town.
The Hawaiian Fire Goddess Pele Prefers a Cockroach-Free Zone
by Jim Benning | 04.23.07 | 11:12 AM ET
Cruising with Kierkegaard
by Jim Benning | 04.23.07 | 9:56 AM ET
Photo by KellyK via Flickr , (Creative Commons).
Or at least a few smart people. Arthur Frommer notes a couple of cruise ships launching soon that will cater to intellectual travelers by providing expert lectures on a range of topics. The concept isn’t new, but Frommer suggests that moderately priced “intellectual” cruises had become an endangered species. Martin Randall of Martin Randall Travel told Frommer that the Mediterranean cruises he’ll offer next year will be “unashamedly highbrow, aimed at educated, cultivated and intellectually curious travelers.” Another ship also geared toward thinking travelers will be operated by Lord Sterling, who has acquired the trademark and passenger lists for Swan Hellenic. No word yet on whether passengers will be required to recite lines from The Decameron or don tweed before boarding.
Spontaneous Trip to Somalia Leads to Three-Nation Ordeal for Swedish Couple
by Michael Yessis | 04.23.07 | 9:30 AM ET
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Bestsellers, Bargains and Tiny Bubbles
by Michael Yessis | 04.20.07 | 8:07 AM ET
This week travelers prowled for bargains, studied French culture, got left behind for hours and mourned the passing of Hawaii’s cultural ambassador, Don Ho. Here’s the Zeitgeist.
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
R.I.P. (and Aloha) Don Ho
Most E-mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
Online Fares: If It’s Good, Is It Too Good to Be True?
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (recent)
airfarewatchdog
Most Popular Travel Story
Netscape (this week)
Business Owner’s Guide to Cutting Travel Costs
Most Popular Travel Podcast
iTunes (current)
Travel With Rick Steves
* This Week: “French culture 201 for the American traveler”
Top Rated “Your Pick” Video
LonelyPlanet.tv (current)
Istanbul Guerilla Guide
* Lonely Planet TV is still getting up to speed. This video gets the top spot with, as of Friday morning, two votes.
Has Your Favorite Celebrity Tried to Smuggle a Gun Onto a Plane?
by Jim Benning | 04.19.07 | 7:56 PM ET
Inquiring minds want to know. Slate has the shocking truth about celebrtity gun smugglers. We’ll refrain from making any gun-related jokes. This is definitely not the time.
