Travel Blog
Passports, Sales Pitches and The Passion of Rick Steves: Notes From the L.A. Times Travel Show
by Michael Yessis | 01.31.06 | 10:23 AM ET
I spent a few hours Saturday afternoon in the company of Fijian guitarists, men in lederhosen, Rick Steves, mariachis and thousands of fellow travelers at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show. The annual gathering took place at the Long Beach Convention Center, where more than 500 exhibitors set up shop to pitch their resorts, spas, cruise lines, books, magazines, countries and other travel-related wares to the masses.
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Yahoo! BuzzTravel Writer Bill Bryson: Condescending Liberal Elitist?
by Jim Benning | 01.31.06 | 8:53 AM ET
It’s not often you see travel writers critiqued for their politics, or for a book published 17 years ago. Writing on OpinionEditorials.com, a site that reports it was founded by the “center-right” Frontiers of Freedom Institute, Ari J. Kaufman argues that Bryson’s 1989 book, The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, “encapsulates the essence of liberal elitism, from an author who combines his self-perceived intellectuality with condescension.” Kaufman believes that Bryson could be “a forerunner in the anti-middle American movement.” Why, you might ask? Among other things, Kaufman writes, “While traveling through the Deep South, he cleverly chides the ‘incomprehensible’ southern accents, their religiosity, lack of education, obesity, guns racks on pick up trucks and lastly, firework sales.”
Houston’s Enron Tour: Inside the Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous
by Michael Yessis | 01.30.06 | 11:40 PM ET
Former Enron bigwigs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling face fraud charges this week in a Houston, Texas federal courtroom, or, as Sandra Lord likes to think of the building, the final showstopper on a $30 tour of landmarks in one of the U.S.‘s most shameful business sagas.
Oprah, Meet Thomas Swick. (He’s No James Frey.)
by Michael Yessis | 01.30.06 | 5:33 AM ET
Getting on “Oprah” is one of South Florida Sun-Sentinel travel editor Thomas Swick’s goals for the year. Some of his other goals? Finish his book “A Million Little Places to See Before You Die,” take a trip somewhere with Angelina Jolie, and start his own travel talk show.
The World’s Most Seductive Road Trip Routes
by Michael Yessis | 01.30.06 | 4:31 AM ET
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul Edwards lists 10, including Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Spain’s Las Alpujarras, South Africa’s Cape Peninsula Scenic Route and New Zealand’s Pacific Coast Highway.
Happy Lunar New Year
by Jim Benning | 01.29.06 | 2:52 PM ET
The Asian Lunar New Year begins today. If you’re a dog like me, it’s time to celebrate.
Wandering “Lonely as a Cloud” in the Lakes District? Watch Your Step.
by Jim Benning | 01.29.06 | 12:51 PM ET
Warning: Using Credit Cards Overseas Could Cost More Than You Think
by Jim Benning | 01.28.06 | 1:51 PM ET
Sasabe, Arizona
by Ben Keene | 01.27.06 | 12:44 PM ET
Distance to Tucson: About 56 miles
Coordinates: 31 29 N 111 33 W
When it comes to neighborliness among North American nations, the United States is of the opinion that good fencing goes a long way. Speaking at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base late last year, President Bush announced a three-part plan for border reform that involved increasing the number of Border Patrol agents 30 percent with the majority “assigned right here in the state of Arizona.” Their employer, the Department of Homeland Security, was not particularly happy this week to learn that a group called Humane Borders was distributing detailed relief maps of the area around Sasabe.
Carl Parkes: “I’m Just Lighting a Candle Over the Corpse”
by Jim Benning | 01.27.06 | 12:35 PM ET
I always enjoy reading Carl Parkes’ Travel Writers Blog, even though I’m pretty sure he thinks we at World Hum and many of our travel-writer friends are deluded about the business of travel publishing. Parkes is a veteran travel writer who offers a perspective on the travel-writing world you’ll see few other places, summarized in his blog’s subtitle, “The Travails of Travel Writing.” In a recent entry, which was classic Parkes, he took issue with USA Today’s recent series of profiles of people with top travel jobs, including Lonely Planet Global Travel Editor Don George. (We blogged about the series.) “There is NOT a hint of truth in any of these profiles, but they continue to feed the public hunger for notion of travel employee as gifted bird,” Parkes writes.
Washington Lawmakers Propose Ban on Sex Tours
by Michael Yessis | 01.27.06 | 11:59 AM ET
Under the provisions of legislation proposed by Sen. Karen Fraser, travel agents in Washington State who book or sell “sex tours” would be committing a Class C felony. The penalty: up to five years in prison and fines up to $10,000. According to the AP, Hawaii already has a similar law on the books, and New York and New Jersey are considering legislation.
Happy 250th, Mozart
by Jim Benning | 01.27.06 | 3:08 AM ET
Wolfgang Amadeus was born 250 years ago today. The Independent has the low down on celebrations in Salzburg and beyond and offers a brief overview of the peripatetic composer’s European travels.
Expedition Everest: Disney Brings Nepal and Tibet to Orlando, Florida
by Michael Yessis | 01.27.06 | 1:06 AM ET
Whether you love Disney or curse it for devouring the world, you’ve got to admit that the mega-corporation sure understands the power of travel and the journey. Since Uncle Walt opened Disneyland in 1955, the company has drawn people to its theme parks by tapping into the mythology of many of the world’s iconic destinations and travel experiences. New Orleans. The Matterhorn. Pirates plundering the Caribbean. Huck and Tom on the Mississippi River. Then there’s California Adventure, an entire theme park that revolves around some of the state’s best known attractions. Even Disney’s $7.5 billion deal for Pixar supports the point. After all, aren’t “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo,” at heart, about epic journeys?
Cunard Offers Queen Mary 2 Passengers a Full Refund*
by Jim Benning | 01.26.06 | 5:24 PM ET
If you’ve been following the story, you know that guests aboard the fabled luxury liner this week have been threatening a sit-in when the ship arrives in Rio to protest Cunard’s offer of a 50 percent refund after three port stops were cancelled. But reports CruiseCritic.com this afternoon: “Cunard has increased the original compensation offered to guests disembarking in Rio, which was a 50 percent refund. These guests now have two options: Receive a refund of full cruise fare including air, or take 50 percent of their refund in cash, plus another 75 percent as a future cruise credit for another Queen Mary 2 departure between now and the end of December 2007.”
Exploring “The United States of Appalachia”
by Jim Benning | 01.26.06 | 1:34 PM ET
World Hum contributor Jeff Biggers (Family Traveling, Italy’s Dark Heart and Europe from the Passenger Side) has written a new book that challenges stereotypes about America’s Southern mountains. It’s called The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America. Biggers’ national book tour begins Friday at Tucson’s Rialto Theatre with a reading and live mountain music. Anticipating the event, the Tucson Weekly profiled Biggers. The story’s lead is terrific and gets right to the heart of the matter by invoking the “H” word.
