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Travel dispatches from a shrinking planet

The Perils of Traveling by Private Jet

Los Angeles Native Jonny Olsen: Huge in Laos

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How Can I Save on Transportation During a Round-the-World Trip?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

The Hollywood horror archives are filled with tales of bad trips. To celebrate Halloween, Eva Holland and Eli Ellison sift through the carnage to pick their favorites—and lose a little sleep doing so.

Q&A

Matt Weiland: Through 50 States With 50 Writers

The coeditor of “State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America” talks to Frank Bures about the book, the WPA and how the United States hasn’t been “bulldozed for speed”

HOW TO

Love Herring in Sweden

From artery-clogging casseroles to a fermented concoction that smells alarmingly like vinegary flatulence, Lola Akinmade digs in to a smörgåsbord of herring and explains how to best appreciate Scandinavia’s favorite fish.

BOOKS

The Water Is Wide

Bronwen Dickey considers Tim Butcher’s “Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart,” which takes readers deep into the Congo

SPEAKER'S CORNER

Vagrant Ruminations of a Compulsive Traveler

Where does the urge to hunt for that “fleeting fix of elsewhere” come from? Peter Wortsman recalls a life of travel inspiration.

AUDIO SLIDESHOW

Notes From an Unofficial Tourist Greeter

Summer is over, and so is Julia Ross‘ season as an ambassador to travelers in Washington, D.C.’s Woodley Park neighborhood. She’s happy to be off duty.

TRAVEL BLOG

2.4.02

Travelers Who Come Down With Hypothermia or Whose Ship Crashes Into an Iceberg Will Pay a Surcharge

"Ever since Jon Krakauer’s book “Into Thin Air” thrust Everest into the pop culture lexicon,” Chris Koentges writes in the Globe and Mail, “the subculture of adventure has blasted like a Himalayan avalanche into public consciousness.” Koentges’ piece examines this phenomenon which, in some cases, has turned disaster and potential disaster in to selling points. “Two years ago this week, a luxury liner found itself similarly trapped in the frigid waters off Antarctica, between Belgrano and Liar Islands. Argentine authorities were alerted immediately and an icebreaker was dispatched from the nearest naval base. In 24 hours, the 186-passenger Clipper Adventurer was free, and the tour company’s spokeswoman was spinning the potential catastrophe as a value-added bonus in extreme travel. ‘The people on board are looking at this as sort of a great adventure of being in Antarctica,’ she said. A triumph in tourism.”

Posted by Michael Yessis • 2.4.02
Categories: Weblog • Antarctica • Page Turner