0
POPSGhost Town Tourism For a modern-day travel mystery, try visiting a ghost town. I'm not referring to a town with paranormal activity, but one that has been abandoned or forgotten. The article I've clipped discusses this practice and points out that it can be exciting and a little dangerous.
1
POPSWhen Forced to Sleep at the Airport I've been writing about flying lately and this latest story about more travelers being forced to sleep in the airport doesn't surprise me. The article offers a few good tips, but I think the bottom line is that American airports are ill-equipped to assist passengers forced to stay overnight. And airport staff are often less than sympathetic. For more background on the situation, check out two of our latest stories: World's 10 Best Airports (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2008/07/14/airports-best-world-forbeslife-cx_rr_0714travel.html) and the Summer Flying Survival Guide (http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/03/summer-travel-survival-forbeslife-cx_rr_0703travel.html).
0
POPSAirlines Ask Customers to Help Lower Oil Prices There's ongoing debate over whether or not speculators are responsible for the price of oil, but the CEOs of several major airlines are not so uncertain. In a letter to their frequent fliers, they've asked customers to petition Congress to lower the price of oil by regulating speculation. Do you think this tactic will work? Is it a publicity stunt designed to make the airlines look sympathetic to nickel-and-dimed fliers? What do you think?
0
POPSLuxury Travel in the Down Economy? This article from USA Today argues that the down economy has yet to hurt luxury travel. I've heard the same thing in interviews with multiple sources, but it's still tough to quantify the luxury travel trend. When I spoke with Peter Yesawich, of the research firm Ypartnership, he said the only income bracket to remain unaffected is the top 1% of American households with adjusted gross incomes of $364,000. That's a very small group of people.
0
POPSHiking Across the Czech Republic If you need any inspired travel ideas, read this story about a man and his wife who hiked the well-marked trails of Bohemia. Along the way the couple passed World War II bunkers (also used during the Cold War,) saw stunning vistas and drank locally-brewed beer.
1
POPSEarthquake Creates New Tourist Spot in China Yesterday I clipped about visiting man-made disasters and today I came across this story about Chinese officials considering how to convert one of 34 'quake lakes' into a tourist destination. There are no specific details yet, but the idea is to draw visitors to a lake in Beichuan country, which was newly formed by earthquake-related flooding.
0
POPSA Travel Guide to Man-made Disasters I've clipped this because it's completely counter-intuitive. Good Magazine has compiled a short list of anti-tourist destinations where man-made disasters have scarred the landscape. If you're at all curious, the link will take you to further tips on what to do at the various locations. (Full disclosure: I've written for Good previously.)
0
POPSCan't Get Time off for a Vacation? In a recent survey one in five workers said they had trouble getting time off because a co-worker had already asked for it. According to these bloggers at the Journal, this might account for why more than half of U.S. workers fail to use all of their vacation days each year. Have you had this problem before? Is it something that can be solved amicably or is it first come, first served?
0
POPSDrug-Related Violence Hurts Tourism in Mexico This story focuses on what's happening in Tijuana as a result of increased drug and gang violence. I have not been to Mexico for nearly two years, but even then I noticed stories about the violence in the papers. Have you thought twice about traveling to Mexico as a result of increased violence or at least the perception of it?
0
POPSWould You Feed a Customer at a Hunger Cafe? This story is about cafes in India that serve the hungry for very low prices. The catch is that they have to sit outside and wait for someone to donate money for their meal. I've clipped it because I thought it was a very interesting window into Indian culture. And if travel is about anything, it's about exposure to culture. I also think that when we travel it's important to be aware of different cultural practices when it comes to things like charity. Do you think you'd be more prone to donate money to people sitting in front of a hunger cafe while traveling as opposed to someone who was walking the streets asking for money?
3
POPSWhat's Causing the Drop-Off in Travel to China? As this article points out, new visa restrictions, the tension over Tibet, the Sichaun province earthquake and rising inflation are discouraging travelers from visiting China. Given all of these conditions, would you travel to China?
4
POPSWorst Airline Ever This is at least according to airline industry guru Joe Brancatelli. He has a throrough breakdown of everything United Airlines has done wrong for the past 30 years. He has heated criticism for a lot of their failures, but one in particular seems to rankle him the most: executives getting rich off of the company's shares while employees and customers suffer. While we rarely think of the business aspect of flying, it's probably not a bad idea these days to consider which airline you'd rather have in business -- as consumers, that is.
0
POPSEco-Tourism on the Great Plains Efforts to restore wilderness to the Great Plains has sparked a new industry: eco-tourism. This story has great details about wildlife safaris, hunting, jeep tours and birding trips.
1
POPSWhere to Live to Live the Longest Sardinia and Japan are two of the countries where certain groups of people live the longest. Author Dan Buettner tries to figure out their secrets for "happy old age" in a new book. He has some interesting findings. What I'd like to know is if you've traveled to a place where you thought life would be paradise. My vote goes to Dingle, Ireland.
3
POPSHotels without Casinos in Vegas? The San Francisco Chronicle has picked up on a growing trend in Las Vegas: more sophisticated hotels. In a reversal of development strategy, some hotels are foregoing the gaudy casino in exchange for more upscale environs. Which hotel would you rather stay with?
1
POPSSaudi Arabia "Sleeping Giant" Tourist Destination I clipped a story yesterday about efforts to turn Haiti into a tourist destination. This story is about what's happening in Saudi Arabia. The situations are completely different in both countries, but what's interesting about Saudi Arabia is how they will attract Western tourists while communicating clearly about expectations, particularly where cultural customs are concerned. Would you go to Saudi Arabia?
2
POPSKidnappings, Riots Mar Tourism Efforts in Haiti When I wrote about the world's most dangerous destination in January (see here: http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/16/travel-world-dangerous-forbeslife-cx_rr_0117travel.html) I received a lot of criticism from Haitians who felt the news about their country was always bad. This story looks at efforts to turn Haiti into a tourist destination, including expanded cruise service and improved access to historic sites. Political instability has since interrupted those efforts, but organizers are hopeful that the situation will get better. The key thing here is that Haiti is missing out on a billion dollar industry as a result. How can they turn things around?
1
POPSBudget Airlines Bad for the Environment? Low-cost airlines in Europe have encouraged more people to fly in recent years, but this also means an increase in total CO2 emissions from the European Union. Do you think this is a problem that needs addressing?
1
POPSAirlines Get Creative in Cutting Costs One analyst in this article even jokes that airlines may start charging passengers by their weight. For now, airlines are doing things like flying slower and washing planes more frequently to save on very expensive fuel.
0
POPSWorld's Most Impressive Subways Wired has a fun slideshow of the most impressive subways. The piece is inspired by the anniversary of the first test run of Chicago's L train in 1883. Each slide contains interesting historical facts about the various subways.
1
POPSBlogging to Save Africa's Wildlife When tourism in Kenya declined sharply earlier this year (see my 2/29 clip), it threatened not only the livelihood of locals, but also the country's wildlife. As this story points out, when tourism declined, the Mara Conservancy had to scrape together funds to pay rangers responsible for keeping animals safe from poachers. An entrepreneurial ranger did his best soliciting donations via his blog, Twitter and Flicker. Now he's helping other rangers adopt the same approach. See his website here: http://maratriangle.wildlifedirect.org/.
3
POPSAirport Screeners Swiping Your Stuff? According to this blogger, the Transportation Security Administration has a little stealing situation on their hands. What are they allegedly taking? Everything from an engagement ring to cash to designer eyewear to electronics. How can you safeguard your belongings? Elliot's recommendations include leaving valuables at home or taking them with you on the plane instead of putting them into a checked bag.
0
POPSThe Latest Flying Fee American Airlines ventured into uncharted territory today by announcing that it will charge most passengers a $15 fee for checking their first bag. As Rick Seaney points out, the trend is likely to catch on with other airlines as well. Between increased fuel surcharges, $8 sandwiches and $10 "prime" seating, is there a certain threshold where consumers will say enough with flying?
0
POPSDisappearing Airline Service A number of things have happened recently in the airline industry that will affect travel for the foreseeable future. One of them is the elimination of service to small airports. As this article points out, airlines are responding to steep jet fuel prices by pulling out of small airports and cutting the number of scheduled flights. Have you seen this trend at your nearby airport yet?
3
POPSMost Endangered Historic Sites in the U.S. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its annual list of the most endangered sites. Included are former tenements in New York's Lower East Side and the elementary school in Topeka, Kansas that led to the Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education. Are there endangered historic sites in your town, city or state?
0
POPSSummer Travel Tips Travel guru Arthur Frommer shares his top 10 tips for summer travel, which cover everything from Alitalia's fate to Alaska cruising. I've clipped three of them above.
3
POPSTourism in Iraq It's hard to believe, but there is limited tourism in Iraq. As this story points out, most of the tourists come from Iran to see Iraq's holy sites. Even more interesting is the report that the Pentagon is backing a five-year plan to build luxury hotels and shopping malls in Baghdad for the price of $5 billion. What do you think about this? Is it premature or overly-optimistic planning? Should local shopkeepers and merchants get consideration as well?
8
POPSReplacing Highways with Parks Some cities are planning to tear down aging highways and replace them with parks. This strategy represents a continuing shift in the way public places are designed, particularly when it comes to park space and transportation. The idea is really to make cities more livable. On a similar note, we recently did a story on best cities for the outdoors which you can read here: http://www.forbes.com/home/2008/05/12/outdoors-health-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_0512realestate.html
0
POPSHigh-Tech Survival Gear You may not think to take these items on vacation, but I can see some of them coming in handy in far-flung places. Unfortunately, I cannot clip more than the first slide, but I highly recommend you check out the entire list, which includes an earthquake resistant bed, an urban skiff and an inflatable sled.
0
POPSExplore Space from Your Computer If you're in need of a quick break from the daily grind, check out this new, free software from Microsoft called WorldWide Telescope. It's a program that allows users to easily scan the universe and look at nebulas, star clusters and other very cool things. I downloaded it quickly and was able to use it immediately. The images are astonishing and it will leave you craving to know more about outer space. I hadn't given much thought to intergalactic travel before seeing this, but I'm now definitely intrigued.
2
POPSHow to Skip the Airport Security Line There's an easy solution to the problem of long security lines: pay to join a shorter queue. I've clipped about this before, but this author raises some interesting points about "registered traveler" programs. For a $100 fee and a $28 TSA background check, these programs give frequent travelers a fingerprint or iris image that allows you to join an expedited security line. The author argues that, "What looks to one person like flexibility looks to another like bribing your way through the system." What do you think?
2
POPSWorld's Best Chinese Food In preparation for the summer Olympics, or just to inspire a night out in Chinatown, check out this partial list of the best food in Beijing.
8
POPSAfghanistan's First National Park How do you build a national park in a war-torn country? This story doesn't have all the answers but it starts an interesting conversation about why park space is important and how to develop a plan that doesn't impede locals from making a living off the land.
0
POPSMore Fare Hikes Rick Seaney at FareCompare.com does a remarkable job of keeping track of fare hikes. Yesterday, Delta started a round of another fare increases -- the 15th of 2008 -- by adding $20 per roundtrip for fuel fees. If you're planning on traveling this summer, buy your tickets sooner than later. By the time you get around to it, they will most likely be more expensive.
0
POPSWhere to Go in Louisville As this writer points out, the Derby may be the huge draw for tourists in Louisville, but the small, sweet town has lots more to offer. I found this out during a weekend trip about a year-and-a-half ago. In addition to Bardstown Road, Cherokee Park and the Slugger Museum, I also recommend the Speed Art Museum and the Phoenix Hill Tavern for live music of all stripes.
1
POPSLong Term Air Travel Forecast Not Good If the forecasting in this article is correct, potential travelers should try to snatch up plane tickets for trips in the next six months sooner than later. Airlines are raising prices and cutting capacity to cover the cost of more expensive jet fuel. Some industry watchers have been critical of the fare hikes (see Joe Sharkey) but that won't change the reality: there will be fewer flights, particularly from regional airports, and they will be pricier.
0
POPSThe Indiana Jones Vacation Ever wanted to be Indiana Jones or at least travel like him? Well Expedia is offering customers the chance to do so with Indy-inspired itineraries in Peru and Jordan.
0
POPSMore Money for Bumped Fliers Fliers who are bumped because the airline overbooked the flight will receive more money starting May 1. This article also has good tips on what to do when the airline is threatening to bump you.
0
POPSAir Travel to Worsen for the Summer Considering flying this summer? Maybe it's time to start thinking about vacations closer to home that will save you the headache of traveling by air this summer. As this story reports, delays and crowded flights are likely -- as are fare hikes.
0
POPSHunger Leads to Anger in Many Countries Food shortages in conjunction with rising food and cooking oil prices have driven the hungry in many countries to anger. I'm thinking about this story from a travel perspective, particularly for people who are visiting less-developed nations. If you've been abroad lately, have you noticed these tensions?
1
Clips
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update