Happy Fourth of July

World Hum’s Most Read: June 28-July 3

What We Loved This Week: Def Leppard in Greece, Austrian Competence and Freedom in Colombia

The LAX Theme Building, Then and Now

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

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

‘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

Young Americans to Canada: You’re Boring

I, too, am an American twentysomething and am here to say that Canada ROCKS! There’s so much to experience there—it’s highly underrated! A destination doesn’t have to be a far away place to be adventurous or exotic.

Montreal has some of the best food in the world! Quebec City’s locale along the St. Lawrence River is stunning—it’s like a little slice of Europe right here in North America. The ice hotel is an unforgettable experience. What so many people say about Vancouver is true—it’s the Canadian version of San Francisco! So cool! Churchill, Manitoba is the Polar Bear Capital of the World. I could go on and on…

Best of all, flights to Canada are really affordable for Americans. Twentysomethings, give it a chance!

I’m Canadian, and I think we’re just victims of bad press! For the adventurous outdoors type, we offer world class skiing, snowboarding, great camping, etc. We also have some great metropolitan cities such as Toronto and Montreal, where people can enjoy the more urban adventure. Please note though, there is no free healthcare for tourists; you will need travel insurance. If you need some help on this, feel free to post back!

this is not all story about boring Canada, this place is full of the shit trust me in 1995 I was awarded as professional artist to move in los angeles and I did , but I be enough stupid to left USA in Canada where is so expensive , not friendly people, stupid, selfish, and a system looks like came from 1000 years a go just pay and pay TAX ...the only thinks I know about Canada is best place for rich people and any one like to go after crime,we don’t have enough freedom like the american and in many ways we must obey the law and pay and pay to government, like slave working to are government spend are money on politics…

Dog sledding? camping? That’s as blend as it gets (even though i love camping).. those are typical Canadian stereotypes (including “ice fishing"). If Canadian officials think those are “exotic” and “adventurous” then that’s our problem! Comeon, who wants to go to another country only to freeze and do a boring dog sledding or ice fishing?! (no offence to those who like it) We have to compete with countries like US or beautiful western European countries. I am a Canadian and proud of it, but even i know we don’t have a very exciting country (pretty boring most of the time). I’m not talking about snowboarding and sea kayaking.. there are many places in the world that offer that, even much better than us. We don’t have anything unique international thing to offer except for CN tower (which is no longer the tallest structure anymore). Our “largest” and “best” city is supposed to be Toronto, and once you are passed few blocks from their downtown area, the rest is depressing. I mean comeon, are we supposed to compete with places like NYC, LA, etc? We are not even close to those places. I mean you go to Toronto, there is not one breathtaking tower/structure (except for CN tower), they are all simple blocks, so unoriginal. Montreal and Van have some nice buildings but that’s about it. We need to wake up and don’t let our freezing climate make us frozen and boring too. We have to make our big citied better than NYC, etc. But for that we need alot of business (capital) and big population to make that happen, which our country’s extremely conservative policies don’t let that happen. Until we change ourselves, we are going to be U.S.’s village and be seen as boring. Another thing is that we don’t like to spend money for entertainment/arts and extravagant events like they do in US. Those make big differences in international/domestic public perception too. I’m not trying to be unpatriotic, i’m just stating the facts; i love this country that’s why i want it to be the best in the world; where travelers come to our cities instead of NYC, LA, etc.

I live in Canada and here are so many things to do both summer and winter. I do enjoy staying Canada. Montreal is a great city to touch frenchcanadian culture, Tronto has many museums to see and Vancouver is relaxing city and has many place to ski, snowboard and camp. Canada is not a borning country!