Travel dispatches from a shrinking planet

Travel dispatches from a shrinking planet

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ASK ROLF
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As a Woman, Can I Really Travel Without Much Fear for my Safety?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

AUDIO SLIDESHOW
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Inside Slum Tourism

With mixed feelings, Rob Verger recently signed on for a tour of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. He looks back on the experience—and the photos he was allowed to take.


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Break Bread and Brie in France

Great cheese abounds in the land of Gaul, but dig in and you risk committing any number of faux pas. Terry Ward explains how to partake of the nation’s famed fromage with savoir faire.

THE LIST
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10 Wanderlust-Inducing Summer Concerts

Call it world music or global pop or the sound of the world hum. Ben Keene reveals 10 acts on tour that are sure to transport you. Plus videos.

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Bryan Mealer: ‘War and Deliverance in Congo’

The former AP correspondent traveled up the Congo River. Frank Bures asks the author of “All Things Must Fight to Live” about following in the wake of Joseph Conrad. 

SPEAKER'S CORNER
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A Journey Into ‘The Second World’

Some bureaucrats joke that they would never claim expertise about countries they had not at least flown over. In an excerpt from his new book, Parag Khanna argues that real global understanding can only come from serious travel.

BOOKS
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‘The Worst Guidebook Writer Ever’?

Lonely Planet author Robert Reid reviews Thomas Kohnstamm’s “Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?” and weighs in on the controversy surrounding it

TRAVEL BLOG
7.2.07

JetBlue’s New Blogger: C. Montgomery Burns

imageIt’s a publicity stunt, sure, but one that might help JetBlue get back some of its mojo after its February meltdown. As part of the massive hype for the upcoming The Simpsons Movie, C. Montgomery Burns—known best as Homer Simpson’s boss at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant—has taken over the blog of former JetBlue CEO David Neeleman. From his first entry: “Smithers entered my chambers this morning, toting wretched tales of congenial customer service and overly indulgent amenities on your JetBlue Airways. And for what… your precious passengers? Soon, the riff raff will demand ‘fair treatment’ from all corporate overlords, like myself. Well, not in my chemically prolonged life-time.”

Burns promises more entries this month.

Many other “Simpsons” characters are representing on the JetBlue site, recommending their favorite destinations. Among the inspired choices:

Las Vegas
“Free drinks and all-you-can-eat buffets!” Homer says. “What happens in Vegas doesn’t happen at home! Doh!”

San Francisco

“Come out and have fun!” says Smithers. “I’ve left my heart there so many times...”

Salt Lake City
“A dilly of a city!” says Ned Flanders. “It’s the whole shebang! You can hit the great outdoors or say ‘Hi-dily-ho neighborino!’ and actually get a response! Golly!”

The Simpsons are a well-traveled family. Wikipedia has a rundown of all the places the cartoon family has traveled, including its notorious trip to Rio de Janeiro. In Blame It on Lisa, Homer gets robbed and Rio is portrayed as a being full of monkeys. Rio’s tourism officials complained, and the producers of “The Simpsons” apologized, but that hasn’t stopped Brazil from becoming a running joke on the show.

Maybe C. Montgomery Burns will address the monkeys in Rio issue on the JetBlue blog, too.

Related on World Hum
* Rio de Janeiro vs. ‘The Simpsons’
* Update: ‘The Simpsons’ Extends Olive Branch to Brazil
* ‘The Simpsons’ in Arabic? Meet ‘Al Shamshoon.’

Posted by Michael Yessis • 7.2.07
Categories: WeblogAir TravelBrazilLas VegasMedia AddictSan FranciscoTres Loco

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COMMENTS

On the local TV news this morning…

Over the weekend, a couple of Southern California 7-Eleven stores were temporarily turned into Kwik-E-Marts.

By  on  7.2.07  at  11:04 AM


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