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Flight Attendant to Passengers: “We’re Going to Crash! We’re Going to Crash!”

by Michael Yessis | 03.02.06 | 12:13 AM ET

The Daily Mirror reports that the Virgin Atlantic flight attendant screamed when the jet hit turbulence at 30,000 feet on the way from London to Las Vegas this week. Writes Stephen Moyes: “The cabin crew member shouted out three times as travellers were tossed around and trays, drinks and bags flew through the air.” Yikes. I’ve heard a passenger scream about crashing, but never a flight attendant.

Post “Amazing Race” Analysis

by Michael Yessis | 03.01.06 | 1:43 PM ET

Niagara Falls: “When You Stand There, You Can Understand Why People Want To Jump In”

by Michael Yessis | 03.01.06 | 12:29 AM ET

Slate posted an excellent interactive essay about New York’s Niagara Falls today, a multimedia work that writer/photographer Alec Soth calls an “Orbison-like love song.” The photos, which are taken from an exhibit recently on display at New York’s Gagosian Gallery, focus on couples in love, roadside motels and, of course, Niagara Falls itself. It’s all set to Soth’s insightful narration about the nature of passion and transience of love and motels. Note: Scroll down to reach the interactive essay.

Deconstructing “The Amazing Race”

by Michael Yessis | 02.28.06 | 10:34 AM ET

The ever-popular travel/reality show The Amazing Race returns for its ninth season tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. It looks like none of the bloggers who applied made it on, which is too bad because, as you can see here, it could have been rather amusing. As usual, Edward Hasbrouck will extract travel tips and advice from each episode the morning after at The Practical Nomad.

Franz Wisner on Book Tour

by Jim Benning | 02.27.06 | 1:28 PM ET

Honeymoon with my Brother: A Memoir is one of those rare travel books that has cracked the New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller List. This week, it’s 25 on the paperback list. Author Franz Wisner is now on a book tour of the country with his brother in a VW van. He just sent out an e-mail with his latest book tour dates, noting that his Web site will have updates. But for now, here are his scheduled stops:

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Podcast Interview with Joshua Davis

by Jim Benning | 02.27.06 | 12:56 PM ET

Gadling has posted a podcast interview with Joshua Davis, author of The Underdog: How I Survived the World’s Most Outlandish Competitions.

New Zealander Captures Eerie Image of Sunken Soviet Cruise Ship

by Michael Yessis | 02.27.06 | 6:06 AM ET

Ghostly, isn’t it? Ken Grange of New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research used an ultrasound device to capture this image of the ill-fated Soviet Union cruise liner the Mikhail Lermontov, which sank more than 20 years ago in New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds. The ship was the largest cruise liner to sink since Titanic, and is now a popular dive spot as well as a magnet for conspiracy theorists who believe the ship may have been used as a spy vessel by the Soviets.

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Iowa Embraces Bookstore Tourism

by Michael Yessis | 02.27.06 | 5:05 AM ET

We’re believers in bookstore tourism, so our hats are off to Iowa for becoming the first state to officially promote it. The Travel Iowa Web site now lists more than two dozen local independent bookstores and encourages visitors to the Hawkeye State to drop in to get a taste of local communities. And, of course, to buy books. Bookstore tourism founder Larry Portzline, who I interviewed for World Hum last year, applauded Iowa’s efforts. “I hope other state and regional tourism offices follow suit and start promoting their indie bookstores as travel destinations,” he writes on his bookstore tourism blog. “It’s a great way to spread the word.”

Travel. It’s the Hot New Career Move.

by Michael Yessis | 02.26.06 | 7:53 PM ET

Hillary Chura’s story in the New York Times business pages this weekend about the career benefits of traveling and working abroad seems to have struck a nerve. During the past 24 hours, it’s been the most e-mailed article on the newspaper’s Web site, to which I say, “Hurrah!”

Büyük Menderes

by Ben Keene | 02.24.06 | 4:14 PM ET

Remembering Rudyard Kipling

by Jim Benning | 02.23.06 | 11:02 PM ET

Seventy years after Rudyard Kipling’s death, novelist and poet Jay Parini donned a dark suit and tie and journeyed to Burwash, England to attend a church service to remember and celebrate the author of “The Jungle Book” and other works. In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Parini recounts the experience and reflects on Kipling’s life and legacy.

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Queen Mary 2 Greets Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor

by Michael Yessis | 02.23.06 | 7:13 PM ET

I just got back from watching the Queen Mary 2 float into Long Beach harbor where, for the first time, it saluted its namesake, the Queen Mary. I’d planned to drive downtown for an up-close view of the sister ships, but that was wishful thinking. I live a couple of miles away from the harbor, and the traffic was backed up as far as I could see.

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Cruising: A “Kiss of Death” for Japanese Marriages?

by Michael Yessis | 02.23.06 | 12:51 PM ET

The divorce rate is on the rise in Japan, and some marriage counselors say long-term travel by recent retirees is part of the cause. According to a Reuters story, here’s the logic: Japanese men devote long hours to their jobs, essentially living apart from their families. When these “salarymen” retire they take celebratory cruises with their spouses, where, with a lot of time on their hands in a confined space, they find they barely know each other. Divorce ensues. Marriage counselors are calling the phenomenon “retired husband syndrome” and are prescribing day trips as a treatment.

You Just Won the Lottery! Want to Buy an Airplane or Private Island?

by Jim Benning | 02.23.06 | 6:45 AM ET