Sunday, 7 March 2010
The Amazing Race 16, Episode 4
San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) - Frankfurt (Germany) - Hamburg (Germany) You wouldn't have known it from how it was edited for television, but more of this week's episode of The Amazing Race 16 took place in the air than on the ground in Germany, and even more of it... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 2 March 2010
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. But is the airfare lower?
USA Today has an interesting report today by Charisse Jones, Some Canadians cross border to fly in U.S. The article is correct, as far as it goes: If you are travelling from somewhere in Canada near the US border to somewhere else in the US, it is often cheaper to... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 1 March 2010
Bill introduced in U.S. Congress to end Cuba travel ban
New legislative proposals have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and, today, in the House of Representatives to end the restrictions on travel to Cuba by citizens and residents of the USA. Unlike some previous bills, these are not limited to Cuban-Americans visitng family members, but would all anyone from... (...Read Entire Entry)"Edward Hasbrouck's World's Travel Worsts"
My nominations for the Titanic Awards ("celebrating the dubious achievements of travel") are posted today at TitanicAwards.com: Worst Airline: Emirates. Consistently incompetent and unhelpful staff at ticket counters and sales offices on 4 continents. Worst Toilet: A hole in the ground behind our “hotel” in Tashkurgan, Chinese-occupied East Turkestan, only... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 28 February 2010
The Amazing Race 16, Episode 3 (Earthquake in Chile)
Puerto Varas (Chile) - San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) Watching The Amazing Race 16 make its way from Chile into Argentina in the episode broadcast this week, I couldn't help thinking about how what we've seen this season, which was filmed in November and December of 2009, might have changed... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 26 February 2010
USA raising fees for both inbound and outbound travellers
Under a series of new laws and regulatory proposals, almost everyone travelling internationally to or from the USA -- US passport holders, visa-free foreign visitors, and foreigners with visas -- would have to pay more in government fees for the required credentials and/or permissions. Today the U.S. Senate passed the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 23 February 2010
USA ends Syria travel "warning" but keeps financial sanctions
The USA has withdrawn its official "warning" regarding travel to Syria by US citizens, but has kept in place all of its economic sanctions against certain Syrian nationals, incluidng the Syrian government. Unfortunately, neither the official announcement that the warning has been withdrawn, nor the updated country-specific information for... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 21 February 2010
The Amazing Race 16, Episode 2
Valparaiso (Chile) - Puerto Varas (Chile) Valparaíso narrowly missed my short list of a dozen favorite new destination discoveries from my last trip around the world: if I had let the list grow to a baker's dozen, it would have included Valpo. For what it's worth, the picture of me... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 14 February 2010
The Amazing Race 16, Episode 1
Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Santiago (Chile) - Valparaiso (Chile) The Amazing Race 16 kicked off with the challenge of getting from a park on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by public transit. That's not nearly as difficult as the Angelenos in the... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 12 February 2010
Willie Weir in Oakland and Sacramento
When he isn't bicycling around the world, Willie Weir spends most of his time in and around Seattle. Next week Northern California travellers get a relatively rare chance to experience his unique and inspiring evangelism for independent travel at presentations at REI in Sacramento on Wednesday and Thursday nights and... (...Read Entire Entry)What to expect if you are going to the Olympics in Vancouver
A Canadian coalition led by the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group has released a timely Report of the Information Clearinghouse on Border Controls and Infringements to Travellers’ Rights on the human rights issues faced by travellers to and from Canada, based on two years of research and reports submitted to... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 13 December 2009
Appeals filed in credit/ATM card foreign currency fee lawsuit
As an objector to the unfair settlement (underpaying people who have lived abroad or travelled abroad for extended periods) of the class action lawsuit against banks and credit card companies for hiding their fees for foreign-currency transactions, I've received notice that several other objectors have appealed the District Court's approval... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 6 December 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 11 (hotel price forecast)
Prague (Czech Republic) - Las Vegas, NV (USA) The Amazing Race 15 ended tonight in Las Vegas, thanks to "promotional consideration" from casino complexes that paid CBS to showcase them on the show. Why are Las Vegas casinos (and the hotels they operate "to give gamblers a place to rest... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 29 November 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 10
Prague (Czech Republic) Lessons in travel bureaucracy This week in Franz Kafka's home town, the cast of The Amazing Race 15 faced some of their most difficult challenges yet. Harlem Globetrotter teammates Nathaniel and Herbert were defeated by a bizarre task involving an anagram of "Franz" composed of letters provided... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 22 November 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 9
Keava (Estonia) - Prague (Czech Republic) Why we travel: A tale of two conferences As The Amazing Race 15 approaches the finish line, the remaining teams of travellers are becoming more and more focused on the footrace, to the exclusion of anything else about the places they pass through. This... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 15 November 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 8 (Health care reform & travel)
Häggvik (Sweden) - Tallinn (Estonia) - Keava (Estonia): USA health care reform, travellers, and expatriates Last week's episode pushed the contestants on The Amazing Race to their physical limits, leading me to explore the physical prerequisites for extended independent travel. This week's episode was almost equally grueling, and brings us... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 14 November 2009
Prelude to PhoCusWright 2009
I leave tomorrow for Orlando, Florida (my idea of hell, although it scarcely matters since all my time will be spent at the conference resort, the cheaper hotel where I'm staying, and in a rental car going back and forth between them on Orlando's miserable failure of a so-called transportation... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 12 November 2009
Travel Forum in Boston on Friday, November 20th
I'm leading a workshop on travel writing in Boston next Friday as part of Hostelling International's Centennial celebration events. I know it's a weekday, but I think it will be worth the time if you can make it. Friday morning, there are workshops by experts in travel photography, travel technology,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 8 November 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 7
Zoutkamp (Netherlands) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Häggvik (Sweden) Do you need to be big, strong, and physically fit to travel around the world? The short answer is, "No". But it does raise some issues, as we saw this week on The Amazing Race when the contestants faced... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 6 November 2009
Travelling in Mexico despite drug violence, swine flu
There's some useful advice, reports from travellers to Mexico, and quotes from yours truly to give perspective in Traveling in Mexico despite drug violence, H1N1 flu (by Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Sunday Travel section, 8 November 2009): Charles Pope ... visits Tijuana and Mexicali up to four times a... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Travellers short-changed in currency conversion fee decision
In a ruling issued 22 October 2009, the judge hearing the Federal class-action lawsuit against credit card companies for fraudulently hidden and/or inflated fees for credit, debit, and ATM transactions in foreign currencies has overruled all of the objections to the settlement and to the plan for allocating what's left... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 1 November 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 6
Dubai (U.A.E.) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Afsluitdijk (Netherlands) - Groningen (Netherlands) - Vierhuizen de Marne (Netherlands) - Zoutkamp (Netherlands) The Amazing Race 15 spent the night at a resort on one of a complex of artificial islands in the Arabian Gulf in Dubai. The resort and the islands were prominently... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 25 October 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 5
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) This was one of the rare episodes of The Amazing Race spent entirely in a single city -- in this case Dubai -- without setting foot on a train or bus, much less an airplane. Did the racers like Dubai? That's hard to tell. The one... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 18 October 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 4
Phnom Penh (Cambodia) - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) This week's first clue directed the cast of The Amazing Race 15 to fly to the "Arabian Gulf" to the site of the world's tallest building. That should have been enough to send racers who'd been studying geographic trivia directly to the... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 11 October 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 3
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Phnom Penh (Cambodia) The Amazing Race was back in Cambodia this week. I've talked before about landmines and the continuing issue they pose throughout Cambodia. If you are thinking about going to Cambodia, you can make your own decision as to whether that's a... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 4 October 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 2
Cai Be (Vietnam) - My Tho (Vietnam) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Once again this week The Amazing Race managed to come up with tasks that were genuinely characteristic of the places the racers were visiting on their trip around the world, in this case Ho Chi Minh City,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 27 September 2009
The Amazing Race 15, Episode 1
Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Tokyo (Japan) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Cai Be (Vietnam) The Amazing Race got off to its best start in years tonight. Even the hokiest-seeming challenges, such as the one that eliminated a team at the starting line, actually tested skills that are... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 7 September 2009
"The Amazing Race 15" starts Sunday, 27 September 2009
The next season of The Amazing Race , the reality TV show about travel around the world, premieres in the USA with a 2-hour episode of The Amazing Race 15 on CBS-TV on Sunday evening, 27 September 2009 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT, 7-9 p.m. CT/MT). As I've been doing since the... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 6 September 2009
How "Afar" do travellers want to go?
I've been reading the premiere issue of Afar Magazine magazine, whose launch I mentioned in a recent article, and thinking about the on-the-air argument about it that broke out between Arthur Frommer and his daughter and co-host Pauline Frommer on their radio show on WOR in New York. (Direct links:... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 1 September 2009
How "typical" is long-term travel?
When we think of international "travel", our instinct is to think of a short "vacation", or a business "trip". But when we travel abroad, outside of a few of the most-touristed places at the most-touristed times of the year, we often find that most of the other U.S. citizens we... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 20 August 2009
Hostelling International - USA open houses
As a member of the honorary committee for Hostelling International - USA's ongoing anniversary celebrations marking 75 years of hostelling in the USA and 100 years of Hostelling International worldwide, I'd like to extend my personal invitation and encouragement to each of you to attend one of the many open... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 18 August 2009
New "experiential travel" magazine launches today: "Afar"
There's a section for "Travel magazines and Web sites for independent travellers" in the 100-page resource guide in the The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World . But almost all of the listings in this section change with each edition of my book. As I note in the... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 25 July 2009
Pecha Kucha for travellers
Along with Las Vegas, Hawai'i currently has some of the deepest discounts in the country on hotels and rental accommodations, if you can find airline tickets to get here for a good price. Occupancy is lower and discounts even deeper on the outer islands than on O'ahu, but that can... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 17 July 2009
Google finally starts a travel guide service, sort of
Travel was one of the first, and is one of the largest, sectors of e-commerce. Almost all of Google's revenues come from the sale of online advertising. Not surprisingly, that has meant that sales of ads for online travel services are one of Google's largest revenue and profit centers, and... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Your chance to be heard on fees for foreign currency card usage
If you've ever used an ATM card with a Visa or Mastercard logo issued in the USA to get cash in foreign currency (i.e. local currency, not U.S. dollars) from an ATM in another country; if you've ever paid for accommodations abroad in foreign currency, either with cash obtained from... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 2 July 2009
Shills on travel Web sites
I'm quoted in the BBC's online magazine about the problems of shills (impostors associated with a business who pretend to be ordinary customers while talking up the company and/or talking down its competitors) on travel Web sites, a phenomenon I wrote about most recently here a few months ago. The... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 1 June 2009
"Today we're all prisoners in the USA"
I've posted an important alert today in the Identity Project blog about a change in U.S. government rules that could trap you inside (or outside) the borders of the USA, unable to leave the country or to return -- even if you're a U.S. citizen.... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Update on currency conversion fee lawsuit
Not much of substance has happened, but some additional documents (see below) have been filed in the class action lawsuit against credit card companies and banks for hiding their fees foreign-currency credit, debit, and ATM card transactions.... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 10 May 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 11
Beijing (China) - Maui, HI (USA) This season of The Amazing Race 14 ended in very much the same vein as the previous season, with a task in which the racers had to compete in recognizing images symbolizing places they had been in the month-long race around the world, and... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 3 May 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 10
Guilin (China) - Beijing (China) The latest two-part episode of The Amazing to Race 14 was spent entirely in China, punctuated by advertisements from online travel agency Travelocity.com for discounted hotel rates, and for part of the time with the teams of racers required to carry half-meter (18") high Travelocity... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 19 April 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 9
Bangkok (Thailand) - Guangzhou (China) - Guilin (China) The most conspicuous feature of the last few broadcasts of The Amazing Race 14 has been the seemingly endless repetition of the same Travelocity.com advertisement for "Hundreds of hotels under $100". Is this for real? Is it really such a great deal?... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 12 April 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 8
Phuket (Thailand) - Bangkok (Thailand) Since Thailand isn't one of my favorite countries, nor Bangkok one of my favorite cities, and I've been in both only briefly, I thought it would be better to give you a chance to hear from people who know and like these places better than... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 3 April 2009
Aviation and the environment
I've been in Geneva this week for a conference on aviation and the environment; more specifically, on what the air transport industry (aircraft and engine manufacturers, aviation fuel suppliers, air traffic control agencies, airport operators, and of course airlines) are doing about the impact of aircraft emissions on global warming... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 29 March 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 7
Jaipur (India) - Phuket (Thailand) I won't be able to watch this week's episode of The Amazing Race until I get home. I'm delighted, however, that one of my talented friends at Airtreks.com, "rate desk" expert David Derrick, was generous enough to accept my invitation to share his thoughts about... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 24 March 2009
More crazy credit-card terms and conditions: Capital One
After getting notices of outrageous new terms and conditions from American Express and Bank of America and hearing about similar new terms for Paypal credit cards (see the comments) issued by GE Money Bank, I requested copies of the current terms and conditions for all of my current cards. I... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 22 March 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 6
Novosibirsk (Russia) - Moscow (Russia) - Jaipur (India) Last week's episode of The Amazing Race 14 provided an example of some of the issues that arise with rail travel in Russia, India, and China. If some of you were prompted to ask, "If it's so difficult to figure out railroad... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 18 March 2009
NYTimes.com on changes to AmEx cardholder terms
The New York Times "Gadgetwise" blog kicks off its new security and privacy beat today with a feature on the changes in credit and charge card terms I've been reporting in recent weeks. As of now, the card issuers and card labels imposing similar terms include, for at least some... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 15 March 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 5
Krasnoyarsk (Russia) - Novosibirsk (Russia) A certain amount of our time while travelling is spent, inevitably, in "waiting rooms". Quite often there is only one train or plane a day on a given route, and a connection between two such daily schedules may leave you a 1-hour layover, or a... (...Read Entire Entry)Travel reading, travel writing, and the public library
I spent the weekend in Sacramento, where I was interviewed by Jeffrey Callison on Capital Public Radio's Insight show (click on listen to archive for the complete show; the segment with me is from 20-35 minutes into the hour) and gave one of the keynote speaches at the Sacramento Library... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 9 March 2009
Cruise shills outed by their proud puppet-masters
Anita Dunham-Potter of Tripso.com reports this week on a marketing program disclosed by the Customer Insight Group, Inc. in which people were rewarded with free cruises and other perks for posting sufficiently prolific praise for their client, the Royal Caribbean cruise line, on CruiseCritic.com and other "travel communities, usenet groups,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 8 March 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 4
Bran (Romania) - Moscow (Russia) - Krasnoyarsk (Russia) Sometimes you find yourself -- most often because it's on the way to somewhere else -- in a place where there are no tourists and there is nothing particularly "touristic" to do. Like, say, Krasnoyarsk. Unlike most travel agents, I've actually sold... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 7 March 2009
Say it ain't so, Chuck Schwab
Following my own advice after American Express cancelled my card, I applied to Charles Schwab Bank for a new credit card to use when travelling abroad. (I used to have a different Charles Schwab Bank credit card, but it had a 3% surcharge for foreign currency transactions, and the bank... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 1 March 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 3
Salzburg (Austria) - Munich (Germany) - Bucharest (Romania) - Brasov (Romania) - Bran (Romania) Why are we still in Europe, still making our way only slowly East, three weeks into the season of The Amazing Race 14 ? We'll tackle that question next week. But for now, let's look at... (...Read Entire Entry)AmEx cancelled my card. Now what should I do?
A week ago today I reported on the announcement by American Express of new terms effective 2 April 2009 for personal AmEx cards issued in the USA, under which, in order to obtain or retain an AmEx card, you will have to "agree" that AmEx has your "consent" to send... (...Read Entire Entry)Lawsuit over fees for card use abroad still not settled
Almost a year has passed since I wrote about the pending class action lawsuit against credit card companies and banks for hiding the currency conversion and processing fees they've been charging whenever customers with credit, debit, and ATM cards issued in the USA use those cards outside the USA. "Where's... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 22 February 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 2
Stechelberg (Switzerland) - Zürich (Switzerland) - Munich (Germany) - Ruhpolding (Germany) - Schaünau am Königssee (Germany) - Salzburg (Austria) Last week we had a lesson in European rail route planning. This week our focus will be on intra-European flights, starting with this lesson: If you're paying out of your own... (...Read Entire Entry)Urgent warning to American Express cardholders
If you have an American Express card, you need to take action now: Unless you cancel your card and close your account, or unless AmEx is persuaded to withdraw changes it has announced (effective 2 April 2009) to the terms of its agreement with cardholders, you will be deemed to... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 15 February 2009
The Amazing Race 14, Episode 1
Los Alamitos, CA (USA) - Locarno (Switzerland) - Verzasca Dam (Switzerland) - Interlaken (Switzerland) - Stechelberg (Switzerland) This season of The Amazing Race began with a pair of challenges in European rail route planning, involving connecting trains and combinations of flights and trains. I've faced very similar problems on recent... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 23 January 2009
My debut on Youtube
Cameras were prohibited, according to one of the Web pages advertising the event, at last Friday's Pecha Kucha night in Brussels, but some stranger in the crowd managed to record my presentation, "Around The World In 20 Questions", on their mobile phone, and has posted a grainy cell-phone video with... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 22 January 2009
Reminder: Talk tonight in San Francisco
I'll speaking on World Travel in Troubled Economic Times at 7 p.m. tonight at Get Lost Books in San Francisco. My talk got a nice writeup in the San Francisco Bay Guardian as their pick of this week's events, as well as a plug on "7 × 7", and the... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 10 January 2009
How to request your travel records
By popular demand, I'm posting updated forms to request your PNR's and other records of your international travel that are being kept by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Privacy Act request form in OpenOffice format Privacy Act request form in... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 8 January 2009
Quick trip to Brussels
I'll be in Brussels and Paris from January 14th through 20th to participate in the annual conference on Computers, Privacy and Data Protection This year's theme is "Data Protection in a Profiled World", and I'll be talking about some of the issues with surveillance and control of travelers, and the... (...Read Entire Entry)"World Travel In Troubled Economic Times"
I'll be speaking at Get Lost Travel Books in San Francisco on Thursday evening, January 22nd, on "World Travel In Troubled Economic Times": Jump-start your next international journey with this talk by Edward Hasbrouck author of "The Practical Nomad". Back in San Francisco after a 13 month, 6 continent, 80,000... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 7 January 2009
"The Amazing Race" resumes February 15th
I don't pick the schedule (or the contestants, despite hundreds of comments in my blog from people wanting to be in the cast), but The Amazing Race reality-TV show about travel around the world will be back for its next series much sooner than usual: the first episode of The... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 6 January 2009
New film about Kashmir: "Jashn-e-Azadi"
One of the best consequences of travel is a sense of connectedness with other places, or at least an awareness of their existence, that can linger or reassert itself long after you come home. I see a place name in in the news, and it conjures up sights, sounds, smells,... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 1 January 2009
OFAC, banks, and Syria travel sanctions
A year ago today, my travelling companion and I were en route from Rome to Damascus. It took us all day to get there: Travel agencies in the USA aren't able to sell tickets on the direct flight on Syrian Arab Airlines, so we went way out of our way... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 31 December 2008
China rolls back the worst of its visa rule changes
Earlier this year, I reported on a variety of changes made by the government of China, in the runup to the Olympics in Beijing, in its rules for foreign visitors. The most restrictive of those new rules, in its affect on independent tourists, has been rolled back: At least in... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 29 December 2008
More travel "reality" on primetime television
Throughout the seven years since the premiere of its first season on 5 September 2001, The Amazing Race has been the only travel program on primetime national broadcast television in the USA. Perhaps that's not surprisng: after 11 September 2001, the second episode of "The Amazing Race" was postponed for... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 7 December 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 11
Moscow (Russia) - Portland, OR (USA) - Newberg, OR (USA) - Cascade Locks, OR (USA) - Portland, OR (USA) As is often the case with a real-life trip around the world, the final episode of The Amazing Race 13 was a bit of a let-down. The scenery on a sunny... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 30 November 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 10
Moscow (Russia) The travellers on The Amazing Race 13 continued to struggle this week, making mistakes and showing a surprising lack of basic travel skills for teams that made it to the penultimate leg of the race around the world. Cyrillic is both one of the easiest (along with Greek)... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 23 November 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 9
Almaty (Kazakhstan) - Moscow (Russia) - Zhukovsky (Russia) - Moscow (Russia) Travel continues to have many common features throughout the countries that once constituted the "Soviet Union". Dual prices for foreigners and locals, and difficulties in communication and navigation, which plagued the contestants in The Amazing Race 13 in Kazakhstan... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 16 November 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 8
Delhi (India) - Almaty (Kazakhstan) Kazakhstan and the rest of the former USSR are hard (albeit rewarding) places for travel, as the racers find, but for very different reasons than India. This week in Almaty, (older pre-independence maps may show the Russified name "Alma Ata"), The Amazing Race 13 came... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 13 November 2008
"Secure Flight" and the Right to Travel
I've been getting too many questions to answer individually about the regulations issued last week for the so-called Secure Flight program to require ID and permision for air travel in the USA: What does it mean? How will it work (and will it work)? When will it go into effect?... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 9 November 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 7
Delhi (India) Why do so many foreign visitors have such extreme reactions to India? Some visitors stay in India for months at a time, and return again and again. At the same time, I suspect that more people experience major "culture shock" in India than anywhere else, and a significant... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 5 November 2008
"Nine perfect ways to prepare for the End of Bush"
Sodomy and gratitude Nine perfect ways to prepare for the End of Bush. Can you believe it? by Mark Morford, SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle) columnist, 17 October 2008 1) Make new travel plans. Yes, the dollar has been gutted. Yes, a small espresso and a day-old sourdough baguette on the... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 2 November 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 6
Angkor Wat (Cambodia) - Delhi (India) This week The Amazing Race 13 went to India once again. In Delhi, they encounter, the "dhobi", long an object of curiosity and sometimes amusement for tourists and other foreigners: OUR DHOBI Our dhobi is a funny man; He likes to take my socks,... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 28 October 2008
"The Practical Nomad" in National Geographic magazines
Exit Strategy: Why You Need a Real Vacation (by Holly Morris, "National Geographic Adventure", November 2008): Q. I’ve been at a desk job for eight years and need a change. I want to break away and explore the world but don’t know where to start. A. Life is meant to... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 26 October 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 5
Te Puke (New Zealand) - Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Angkor Wat (Cambodia) Should The Amazing Race 13 have gone to Cambodia? And should they have sent the racers to search the vast Angkor Wat complex for a particular temple, on foot, without giving them a landmine awareness briefing first, and... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 12 October 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 3
Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil) - La Paz (Bolivia) We've seen the effects of altitude in The Amazing Race before in Ethiopia and Chile . This week yet another team was eliminated from the race because they couldn't cope with the altitude -- roughly 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet above sea level... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 5 October 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 2
Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) - Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil) Last week, The Amazing Race 13 was all about physical ability: the episode came down to a 200 vertical foot climb down a cargo net, followed by a run (with loaded packs, of course) along the waterfront to the boats to the finish... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 28 September 2008
The Amazing Race 13, Episode 1
Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) The first leg of The Amazing Race 13 took the reality-TV racers from the Los Angeles Coliseum to the city of Salvador, in northeastern Brazil. As usual, the flight choices for the first leg (on American Airlines and United Airlines, we were... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Some places I recommend
One of my most frequently asked questions is, "Where should I go on my next trip?" Usually, I refuse to answer, except to say that you should make your own choices, according to your own self-awareness of your own tastes, and not rely on my advice or that of anyone... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 22 September 2008
"The Amazing Race" resumes this Sunday
The Amazing Race 13 premieres this Sunday, 28 September 2008, from 8-9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, 7-8 p.m. Central and Mountain Time on CBS-TV in the USA. I was travelling and skipped season 12. If you're tempted to say, "You could have downloaded it as a bit torrent and... (...Read Entire Entry)New look
Yes, that's a new picture of yours truly in the sidebar -- a few years older than the last one, and with a lot less hair, thanks to the passage of time and a series of encounters with barbers around the world with whom I had few words in common.... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 11 August 2008
New China visa rules
The opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics have been accompanied by a lot of hype (some of it justified) about the new China, as well as a lot of bad press about the Chinese government's efforts to keep political activists and other "troublemakers" out of the spotlight, away from the... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 8 August 2008
Foreigners now need USA permission to leave their home countries
Since I got home, I've spent much of my time (aside from unpacking and moving back into our house from storage) analyzing the Electronic Sysem for Travel Authroization (ESTA) and preparing formal comments on the ESTA filed this week by the Identity Project. You can read the summary or our... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 27 July 2008
There's no place like home
We slept in our own bed last night, for the first time in 13 months of travel around the world since we left our home in San Francisco in June 2007 . Since we got back to the USA in June 2008 we've driven almost 10,000 miles across North America... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 9 June 2008
6 continents; 27 countries; 70,000 miles
We've been back home (sort of) in the San Francisco Bay Area this week for the first time in a year, visiting friends and family and getting organized for the next leg of our trip. We even went to our house to get some things out of storage, although someone... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 24 March 2008
Nonstop flights between Asia and Latin America
Paul Lukacs has an interesting recent post updating some of my earlier comments on the (lack of) nonstop flights between Latin America and Asia. For the sake of completeness, there are a few flights and details he missed, although they in no way alter his, or my, conclusions about the... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 16 March 2008
AP and Chicago Tribune review new edition of "The Practical Nomad"
It's always fun to get good news from back home while travelling. In my case, the news that's reached me here in Sana'a, Yemen (a delightful place to visit, if you ever get the chance, with the first high-speed Internet connection we've had in weeks) is of a couple of... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 11 February 2008
Money for travellers from class action lawsuit
If you are from the USA, and reading this blog, you are probably eligible to get some money from a class action lawsuit you might not have heard about. You can get at least $25 for the asking (and maybe many times more) if at any time between 1996 and... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 20 December 2007
Back in Brussels
Six months into my current year-long trip around the world, I'm spending this week in Brussels (Belgium). Some of the high points of our trip so far include English House in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Potosi (Bolivia), driving across the Atacama Desert and down the desert coast of northern Chile, Brazilian... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Welcome to the students of English House, Buenos Aires
I've been too busy to write much since arriving in Buenos Aires almost a month ago. But today I must interrupt my own studies as a student of Spanish at ELEBAIRES (highly recommended for its excellent teachers), and my work for the Identity Project , to welcome the students of... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 12 August 2007
Air travel and global warming
Just before leaving the USA (on a jet plane) for my current trip around the world, I was interviewed at length for a story that has now been published in the Ottawa Citizen on the growing concern (more in the UK than, to date, in the USA) about the contribution... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 26 June 2007
We're off on a trip around the world!
I leave tomorrow with my partner Ruth Radetsky, who is taking a sabbatical from her job teaching high school, on a year-long trip around the world. We're headed for Silver Bay (New York, USA), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Recife (Brazil), Lisbon (Portugal), Aleppo (Syria), Istanbul (Turkey), Doha (Qatar), Zanzibar (Tanzania), Addis... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 24 June 2007
USA government refuses to learn from passport problems
From the day they went into effect in January of this year, the new USA government rules requiring passports for all travel by air between the USA and Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (even for citizens of the USA returning home from abroad) have been a disaster. I told them... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 25 May 2007
Report from Iran
I've wanted to go to Isfahan for decades, ever since I first saw pictures of its architectural masterpieces, long before I'd ever set foot outside North America. As I've gotten to other places, Isfahan has been left near the top of my personal lifetime travel "wish list". Today I got... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 6 May 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 12
Fort Soledad (U.S. Territory of Guam) - Honolulu, HI (USA) - Lanai, HI (USA) - Oakland, CA (USA) - San Francisco, CA (USA) The All-Star season of The Amazing Race finished this week once again in my adopted home town of San Francisco. The decisive final task required one member... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 29 April 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 11
Macau SAR (China) - Andersen Air Force Base (U.S. Territory of Guam) - U.S. Naval Base Guam (U.S. Territory of Guam) - Fort Soledad (U.S. Territory of Guam) The growing popularity of The Amazing Race and its continued status as the only travel show on primetime national commercial broadcast television... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 22 April 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 10
Hong Kong SAR (China) - Macau SAR (China) This week's episode of The Amazing Race didn't cover much ground: it all took place within a small part of the Pearl River Delta region along the coast of China. It's an interesting region, with a hundred million or more people and... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 21 April 2007
"Bottom Line Personal" on travel insurance
There's an interview with me on "Travel Insurance: What You Need -- and Don't Need" in the May 2007 issue of Bottom Line Personal magazine. If you are looking for more detailed advice and suggested providers of insurance for travellers, see my FAQ on Travel Insurance and the chapter and... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 25 March 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 6
Maputo (Mozambique) - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Kikungwi, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) I said last week that I'd talk about the markets of Maputo, Mozambique, before the teams on The Amazing Race moved on. I have fond memories of those markets... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 18 March 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 5
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) - Ushuaia (Argentina) - Maputo (Mozambique) I'm tempted to reminisce about my experiences in the markets of Maputo, Mozambique, the scene of The Amazing Race this week. But I'll leave that for next week. First, I have to talk about this week's airline routing... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 11 March 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 4
Petrohué (Chile) - Puerto Montt (Chile) - Punta Arenas (Chile) - Ushuaia (Argentina) - Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) Navigation is one of the few major challenges that real-world travel around the world and The Amazing Race consistently have in common. This week, the racers were given a compass,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 4 March 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 3
San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) - Puerto Montt (Chile) - Petrohué (Chile) When they plan their first trip around the world, most people imagine it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the time they get home, most of them are already thinking about doing it again. I'm no exception, and neither... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 25 February 2007
The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 2
Cotopaxi National Park (Ecuador) - Santiago (Chile) - Calama (Chile) - Chuquicamata (Chile) - San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) I had hoped that the All-Star Edition of The Amazing Race , with a cast selected from participants in previous seasons of the reality-television show, would provide useful lessons about how... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 23 January 2007
New USA passport rules frustrate last-minute travellers
Effective today, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires passports for all air travel between the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Today the New York Times reports on the problems the new rules has caused for would-be last-minute travellers from the USA, especially business travellers, who find... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 15 December 2006
Congress, EU, and businesses question "targetting" of travellers
Questions are beginning to be asked by members of the U.S. Senate , the European Commission , the European Parliament , and business travellers about the illegal "Automated Targeting System" (ATS) that the USA Department of Homeland Security has already used to deny more than half a million people their... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 10 December 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 12
Barcelona (Spain) - Paris (France) - Caen (France) - Bayeux (France) - Paris (France) - New York, NY (USA) - Garrison, NY (USA) (Warning to readers: If you didn't like last week's column because you didn't think it had enough to do with The Amazing Race television show, you probably... (...Read Entire Entry)Half a million people denied their right to travel
As I noted in one of my previous articles about the USA Department of Homeland Security's "Automated Targeting System" (ATS): I find it somewhat strange that the assignment of scores or "risk assessments" seems to have gotten more attention than the earlier DHS announcement of its intention to require individualized... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 26 November 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 10
Kiev (Ukraine) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) - Idelssan (Morocco) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) This week the cast of travellers on The Amazing Race became the cast of a movie within the TV show, cheered on by a crowd of extras in a chariot race on a Moroccan movie studio's desert back lot.... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 19 November 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 9
Antananarivo (Madagascar) - Helsinki (Finland) - Tampere (Finland) - Turku (Finland) - Lohja (Finland) - Helsinki (Finland) - Kiev (Ukraine) - Oster (Ukraine) - Kiev (Ukraine) Over the course of the most recent two-part episode, The Amazing Race 10 made its way to Ukraine. This was the first ex-Soviet country... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 5 November 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 8
Bel Ombre (Mauritius) - Antananarivo (Madagascar) What do you do as a traveller when what you find doesn't match what you expect? That was the question faced by the contestants on The Amazing Race when they arrived in Antananarivo, the capital and sole international air gateway to the 1500 km... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 29 October 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 7
Kuwait City (Kuwait) - Plaine Magnien (Mauritius) - Grand Baie (Mauritius) - Case Noyale (Mauritius) - Bel Ombre (Mauritius) Viewers of the latest episode of The Amazing Race got a reprise of two travel lessons I talked about two weeks ago. The travellers set off from Kuwait City after midnight,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 22 October 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 6
Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) - Kuwait City (Kuwait) It's flattering to know that for several seasons, contestants on "The Amazing Race" have been reading my columns on previous seasons as part of their preparations for the race. But I hope I'm not to blame for some of what happened this... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 15 October 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 5
Halong Bay (Vietnam) - Haiphong (Vietnam) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) - Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu (India) - Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) After returning to the mainland from the island in Halong Bay where they stayed during their "pit stop" for food and sleep, The Amazing Race 10... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 1 October 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 3
Gachurt (Mongolia) - Ulan Bator (Mongolia) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Vac (Vietnam) The first destination for the teams on "The Amazing Race" this week was the "Hanoi Hilton", where prisoners of war including U.S. Senator John McCain were confined and tortured during the "American War". (That's what the war is... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 28 September 2006
Governments prepare to log travellers' movements on passport chips
Earlier this month -- before being sidetracked with other deadlines , the start of a new season of The Amazing Race , and major electrical work on my house that made it hard to get any work done for the last week -- I attended a Symposium on Machine-Readable Travel... (...Read Entire Entry)Passports for travel between the USA, Canada, Mexico, etc.
If the USA government has its way, all citizens of the USA -- regardless of age, dual citizenship, etc. -- will need U.S. passports for air travel between the USA and all other countries in the Western Hemisphere, effective 8 January 2007. No more trips by air or sea across... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 24 September 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 2
Juyongguan (China) - Erenhot (China) - Ulan Bator (Mongolia) - Terelj National Park (Mongolia) - Gachurt (Mongolia) When they start to imagine their fantasy trip around the world, many people include a trip from Beijing to Moscow, by way of Mongolia, on the Trans-Siberian Railway. But it's typical of real-world... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 20 September 2006
Resources for solo travellers
Work & Family (by columnist Sue Shellenbarger, Wall Street Journal, 31 August 2006): Question: Regarding your column on couples traveling separately: Can you provide information for people who want to make solo trips, including adventure travel? Answer: The most comprehensive information on traveling alone can be found in books. "The... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 17 September 2006
The Amazing Race 10, Episode 1
Seattle, WA (USA) - Beijing (China) - Juyongguan (China) As the teams in the new season of The Amazing Race prepared for the start of the race at Gasworks Park in Seattle, host Phil Keoghan told them -- and us, the viewers -- that there would be some surprises. And... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 18 August 2006
Freedom to travel as a human right
Several students at my introductory talk on "Travel Writing and the Travel Industry" at the 15th annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference this weekend asked about the sources I quoted on freedom to travel as a human right. The U.S. Constitution only hints at travel in the First... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 1 August 2006
Interview with Eons.com on "Travel around the world"
A new Web site for people over 50 years old, "Eons.com" ("everything over 50...") launched today. I'm only 46, but I'm inteviewed at length on how to travel around the world, as one of their first features on how to achieve your goals in life.... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 26 June 2006
New York Times on changing money
Practical Traveler: How to Get the Best Exchange Rate (by David A. Kelly, New York Times, Sunday Travel Section, 26 June 2006): Make sure you check ahead to learn what bank cards or traveler's checks will be accepted at your destination, and have a backup plan. "The main thing is... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 29 April 2006
Window of opportunity for travel to North Korea (DPRK) by USA citizens
Surprisingly many people from the USA would like to visit the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), as North Korea is officially called. Why? Because it's there, because it's unknown, because they have family ties there, or simply because nobody else they know has been there. For my own reasons... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 19 April 2006
The Amazing Race 9, Episode 7
Patras (Greece) - Athens (Greece) - Muscat (Oman) - Sur (Oman) - Al Hawiyah (Oman) - Nizwa (Oman) It's not clear that the Amazing Racers had thought about how they might look to local people in Oman -- whether the Arab majority or the 20% minority of Pakistani expatriate, mostly... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 12 April 2006
The Amazing Race 9, Episode 6
Siracusa (Italy) - Rome (Italy) - Athens (Greece) - Corinth (Greece) - Nemea (Greece) - Patras (Greece) Travelling couple Michelle and Lake, eliminated from The Amazing Race 9 this week, provide an object lesson in why it's useful whenever possible to learn how to recognize and pronounce (if it's more... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 5 April 2006
The Amazing Race 9, Episode 5
Segesta (Italy) - Catania (Italy) - Siracusa (Italy) Leaving the "pit stop" in Sicily at the start of this week's episode of The Amazing Race , Jeremy and Eric are surprised that the driver of the first passing car they flag down stops and helps them with directions. In the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 28 March 2006
The Amazing Race 9, Episode 4
Munich (Germany) - Palermo (Italy) - Castellammare del Golfo (Italy) - Segesta (Italy) Could you find the flights that would get you from Munich to Palermo arriving as soon as possible, and make reservations for yourself and a travelling companion, on a German-language Web site? That's what made the difference... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 23 March 2006
Jon Carroll on the educational value of a trip around the world
Endorsing a suggestion in an earlier article (available to paid subscribers only, unfortunately) by Nicholas Kristof, and endorsing what I've been saying for years, Jon Carroll devotes his column in the San Francisco Chronicle today to why every young person -- especially in the USA, where this happens less now... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 5 March 2006
Oregonian and Kansas City Star on "country collectors"
Country Collectors (by Dan Leeth, The [Portland] Oregonian, Sunday travel section, 5 March 2006; also in the Kansas City Star as The one with the most passport stamps wins ): Some people collect stamps. These people collect countries. Why? Because they're there. While some people collect postage stamps, travelers such... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 28 February 2006
The Amazing Race 9, Episode 1
Denver, CO (USA) - São Paulo (Brazil) The Amazing Race is back! Back in São Paulo for the second time. (Don't be surprised if you've forgotten their first visit four years ago -- they didn't actually do much in São Paulo.) Back to teams of two adults, instead of teams... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 1 February 2006
Downtown parking and land use priorities
Every day on my way from the BART train station to my office at Airtreks.com in a highrise building South of Market in downtown San Francisco (the most densely populated neighborhoood in the USA west of the Mississippi), I pass a 50-story residential condominium tower -- and included parking garage... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 30 January 2006
Encrypted RFID passport data intercepted and cracked
A Dutch television news program has commissioned experiments by security research firm Riscure in which radio communications between the RFID chip in a prototype Dutch passport (using the same technology and encryption scheme recently adopted as an international standard and being deployed in USA passports) were intercepted, stored for analysis... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 13 December 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 10
Absorokee, MT (USA) - Billings, MT (USA) - Montréal, Québec (Canada) - Toronto, Ontario (Canada) - Queenston, Ontario (Canada) - Lewiston, NY (USA) To the bitter end, tonight's final episode of the Family Edition of The Amazing Race was, like this whole season, a series of missed opportunities. Instead of... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 6 December 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 9
Salt Lake City, UT (USA) - Park City, UT (USA) - Heber City, UT (USA) - Bonneville Salt Flats, UT (USA) - Garden City, UT (USA) - Big Pine, WY (USA) - Yellowstone National Park, WY (USA) - Dubois, WY (USA) - Cody, WY (USA) - Red Lodge, MT (USA)... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 8 November 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 7
Quepos (Costa Rica) - Grecia (Costa Rica) - Phoenix, AZ (USA) - Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, AZ (USA) - Mesa, AZ (USA) - Grand Canyon National Park, AZ (USA) - Page, AZ (USA) Perhaps it would be too much to expect the Family Edition of The Amazing Race reality television... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 1 November 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 6
Panama City (Panama) - San José (Costa Rica) - Parque Nacional Volcan Poás (Costa Rica) - Doka Coffee Estate (Costa Rica) - Jacó (Costa Rica) - Quepos (Costa Rica) "You Can't Get There From Here" (Special guest column by By Erin Van Rheenen, author of Living Abroad in Costa Rica... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 25 October 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 5 (RFID passports)
New Orleans, LA (USA) - Panama City (Panama) Just when the families on The Amazing Race 8 finally left the USA in tonight's episode, the USA Department of State today took the latest in its recent series of regulatory actions to make it more difficult for other families like them... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 7 October 2005
"Spot the Terrorist"
USA-EU dual citizen and fellow CFP-er Wendy Grossman has more on the new demands for passenger information by the USA government and airlines, as well as the latest USA plans for a Ministry of Silly Walks , in her net.wars column here and here : Spot the Terrorist ... Some... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 27 September 2005
The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 1
New York, NY (USA) - Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA (USA) - Philadelphia, PA (USA) - Mount Joy, PA (USA) - Lancaster, PA (USA) The first episode of the first season of The Amazing Race took the teams of travellers from New York City all the way across the Atlantic... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 25 September 2005
"The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition" broadcasts start this Tuesday; "The Amazing Race 1" on DVD
Broadcasts of The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition will begin this Tuesday night, 27 September 2005 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT, 8-9 p.m. CT/MT) on CBS-TV in the USA. I've posted a tentative broadcast schedule based on this starting date. Profiles of the cast members are on the CBS-TV Web site for... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Back from Africa
Cape Point, Cape Peninsula National Park and World Heritage Site, South Africa I'm back from two weeks vacation at Silver Bay and six weeks travelling in Africa, mostly in South Africa but also briefly in Swaziland, Mozambique, and Qatar. The trip was, above all, thought provoking. The slogan of the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 26 April 2005
The Amazing Race 7, Episode 8
Jodhpur (India) - Istanbul (Turkey) Yet again in this episode of The Amazing Race the key to finishing first was finding "interline" connections between flights on different airlines (in this case, on Indian Airlines and Turkish Airlines from Delhi to Istanbul via Dubai) that arrived earlier than the sole direct... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 19 April 2005
The Amazing Race 7, Episode 7
Khwai (Botswana) - Francistown (Botswana) - Mumbai (India) - Lucknow (India) - Jodhpur (India) There were two major lessons in this two-part episode, which was broadcast on 12 April 2005 and 19 April 2005. The first lesson -- which, unfortunately, the television producers didn't choose to show us -- concerned... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 29 March 2005
Deadlines loom for RFID tracking chips in USA passports
There's still time for USA citizens to get a new passport without an embedded RFID remote tracking chip -- but if you want one, you should apply at once. The Department of State is moving as fast as it can (slowed down only by technical difficulties -- RFID chips are... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 18 March 2005
"Around the World in Eight Days"
No, the headline above is not a typo. Last month I arranged flights for a trip around the world in eight (8) days by USA Today travel reporter Laura Bly. She tells the story of her trip and how she planned it in today's Friday weekend travel section, concluding: While... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 8 February 2005
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 11
Shanghai (China) - Xi'an (China) - Mt. Hua (China) - Xi'an (China) - Honolulu, HI (USA) - Chicago, Il (USA) The final double episode of this season of The Amazing Race was dominated by the racers' continued difficulties with coping and communicating in China. Watching the racers in some of... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 1 February 2005
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 10
Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) - Shanghai (China) "We don't know how to communicate with them." That was the key problem for the contestants, none of whom appeared to speak or read any Chinese, throughout this episode of The Amazing Race in Shanghai. In cities, the racers have generally relied on taxis... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 25 January 2005
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 9 (travel advice and lessons from the tsunami in the Indian Ocean)
Lalibela (Ethiopia) - Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Colombo (Sri Lanka) - Galle (Sri Lanka) - Kandy (Sri Lanka) - Dambulla (Sri Lanka) - Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) This weeks's episode of The Amazing Race was dedicated to those affected by the tsunami, especially in Sri Lanka where the reality-TV show was... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 17 January 2005
Airport connections in Hong Kong
I might not otherwise have bothereed to mention it here, but after having previously complained about misleading advertising of the price of combined airport and city subway transit tickets in New York I feel obliged to report on my recent experience with very similarly misleading advertisements of the price of... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 30 November 2004
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 3
Voss (Norway) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Häggvik (Sweden) - Stockholm (Sweden) OK, call me a whiner: Last week I complained that the current "reality" television contestants on The Amazing Race aren't like the real people who take trips around the world. This week my complaint is that the tasks the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 23 November 2004
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 2
Grindavik (Iceland) - Oslo (Norway) - Holmenkollen (Norway) - Brandbu (Norway) - Honefoss (Norway) - Voss (Norway) Is this reality, or is this television?" That's the question everyone seems to be asking after the first couple of episodes of the new season of The Amazing Race , the reality-television show... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 16 November 2004
The Amazing Race 6, Episode 1
Chicago, IL (USA) - Reykjavik (Iceland) - Hvolsvollur (Iceland) - Vatnajokoll Glacier (Iceland) - Breidarmerkur Lagoon (Iceland) - Grindavik (Iceland) From the start, this first episode of The Amazing Race 6 was a bit more complicated a production than usual -- both for the television show and for my column.... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 4 November 2004
Iran to join reciprocal fingerprinting of USA visitors
On the 25th anniversary of the takeover of the Embassy of the USA in Teheran, Iran , a bill to require fingerprinting of all USA citizens visiting Iran has been approved by a committee of Iran's parliament, and appears headed for enactment. Iran thus moves toward joining Brazil as the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 26 October 2004
Travel advice from Neal Stephenson
In the course of a long interview on Slashdot (particularly worth reading for Stephenson's perceptive typology of writers), Neal Stephenson was asked by a fan of his "travel novels" whether he has any "Travel tips for modern primitives?" and "Do you carry any sort of self-defense means in some places?"... (...Read Entire Entry)Robert Young Pelton on "The Practical Nomad"
Robert Young Pelton (author of The World's Most Dangerous Places ), devotes his column this month in National Geographic Adventure magazine to, "the top five secrets ... that guidebook publishers don't want you to know about their products." In no particular order, but starting with, "(1) They're outdated." His advice?... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 25 October 2004
Rick Steves on the value of travel
Travel can help mend a fractured world (USA Today, 17 October 2004) For many Americans, the critical question in this election season is, "How can we make America safer in the world?" Call me a girly man, but I think -- given the fact that Americans are outnumbered 20 to... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 19 October 2004
"Expats make better citizens of the world"
You might have noticed a recent addition to the sidebar of my blog: a link to the LivingAbroadInCostaRica.com Web site of my friend and fellow travel writer Erin Van Rheenen. Erin was the series editor for Moon Travel Handbooks and my editor for the second edition of "The Practical Nomad:... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 5 October 2004
Take your own "21st Century Grand Tour"
This month's issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine is a 20th anniversary special issue on "The New Grand Tour -- A Travel Adventure for the 21st Century": A recent poll done with Yahoo! Travel found that American's top travel dream is an "around-the-world trip." Most people feel that this experience... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 30 September 2004
India and Pakistan may allow each other's tourists
Going against the trend being set by the USA toward increasing governmental obstacles to international travel, Pakistan and India agreed earlier this month that they would begin issuing tourist visas to each other's citizens -- for the first time since the British colonies and feudal fiefdoms in South Asia were... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 9 September 2004
Interview in Motionsickness magazine
The latest issue of Motionsickness magazine focuses on The San Francisco Connection , with features on several S.F. Bay Area travel writers and activists including an interview with yours truly . You can read excerpts (it's a fairly raw transcript) on the Web, but there's lots more good stuff in... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 6 September 2004
Willie Weir: "What Is Adventure?"
Willie Weir may be the most effective and inspiring advocate in the USA for international bicycle travel, but his message is about much more than bicycling. Check out his latest column from Adventure Cycling magazine: What Is Adventure? . I think Willie overlooks an important distinction between perceived risk and... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 1 September 2004
National Geographic Society panel 22 September
I'll be speaking at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 September 2004, as part of a "National Geographic Live! Fantastic Journeys" panel discussion on A 21st Century Grand Tour : During the 18th and 19th centuries, the so-called Grand Tour allowed members... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 31 August 2004
The Amazing Race 5, Episode 9
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) - Kolkata, West Bengal (India) Starting during the first season, I've urged in my columns that the producers of The Amazing Race give the contestants less money, to cut down the extent to which the race hinges on the speed and recklessness of taxi drivers rather... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 24 August 2004
The Amazing Race 5, Episode 8
Lake Manyara (Tanzania) - Kilimanjaro Airport (Tanzania) - Nairobi (Kenya) - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) I've tried to avoid criticizing the contestants on The Amazing Race, most of whom have limited international travel experience and all of whom are subject to being depicted in whatever manner the television show's producers... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 10 August 2004
The Amazing Race 5, Episode 6
Giza (Egypt) - Cairo (Egypt) - Luxor (Egypt) The most interesting lesson for world travellers in this week's episode of The Amazing Race may have been in the decision the racers weren't allowed to make for themselves: whether to travel by air, land, or water from the Great Pyramid at... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 25 July 2004
"How to Travel Around the World" reviewed in the Chicago Tribune
The 3rd edition of The Practical Nomad: How To Travel Around the World (February 2004) is reviewed today in the travel section of the Chicago Tribune (registration and cookie acceptance required): THE RESOURCEFUL TRAVELER By Toni Stroud Tribune staff reporter Travel reference The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 11 July 2004
Road Trip Russia
The epigraph to my first book, The Practical Nomad: How To Travel Around the World , is San Francisco poet laureate Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Recipe for happiness in Khabarovsk or anyplace" ("One grand boulevard with trees / with one grand café in sun ..."). Khabarovsk isn't the equal of Vladivostok in... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 9 July 2004
The world as viewed from Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada
Europe: It's Closer Than We Think (from Reinvented.net )... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 3 July 2004
"It's still a wonderful world."
The World Beckons, and American Travelers Can't Resist Jane Engle and Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, Sunday, 4 July 2004 free registration and cookie acceptance required In a turnaround from the travel slump after 9/11, overseas bookings and passport applications have surged this year.... Facing war, scorn, terrorism, a tentative... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 7 June 2004
"Welcome to America"
The ever-vigilant Michael Froomkin spotted a reprint of the latest outrage in USA government treatment of foreign visitors, from the Guardian (UK) newspaper: When writer Elena Lappin flew to LA, she dreamed of a sunkissed, laid-back city. But that was before airport officials decided to detain her as a threat... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 26 April 2004
Fare fraud on the Airtrain to JFK Airport
In New York last week for the Travelcom travel marketing, distribution, and technology conference and trade show, I had my first chance to ride the new Airtrain shuttle between the terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Howard Beach station on the New York City subway's A-train, and the... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 24 March 2004
USA to world musicians and artists: "Keep out!"
Artists from all over the world are being refused entry to the US on security grounds. (The Guardian, UK) The insanely cumbersome process of entering America [as a performing artist] now goes something like this: first, the manager or producer or venue who wants to book a foreign artist must... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 12 March 2004
USA government commission seeks public comment on travel to Cuba
I received the following alert from my friend Christopher Baker, fellow member of the Bay Area Travel Writers and author of the definitive Moon Handbooks Cuba and Moon Handbooks Havana as well as other guidebooks, photography, and travel stories of Cuba and the Caribbean -- and perhaps the leading expert... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Most useful languages for world travel
A reader writes: I enjoy your blog, especially your focus on privacy issues, and your coverage of "The Amazing Race". What do you consider to be the most useful languages for a world traveller to know? Certainly the most useful language to know, if you want to travel to a... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 27 January 2004
A few of our favorite places
Airtreks.com staff recommendations (from the January 2004 Airtreks.com monthly newsletter -- you can subscribe here at the lower left of the home page) Travelers often ask our consultants, "Where do you think we should go?" Usually, our answer is, "Wherever you like!" Each of you, like each of us, has... (...Read Entire Entry)Hearings on US-VISIT, but ...
The Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security of the USA House Select Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on the US-VISIT program tomorrow, 28 January 2004. As I've discussed in previous articles , the US-VISIT prgram has come under intense worldwide criticism for subjecting foreign visitors, including tourists... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 19 January 2004
How the USA honors the memory of M.L.K., Jr.
It's a national holiday today in the USA in honor of the birth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. So what stirring story of the progress of American freedom and racial tolerance do I wake up to? French fury over US treatment of air staff (free registration and cookie... (...Read Entire Entry)Saturday, 17 January 2004
Come to the USA from Europe to buy a car?
Americans taking a long trip through Europe, and in the market for a new car anyway, often used to arrange to purchase a European car direct from the manufacturer or a dealer in Europe, pick it up in Europe (perhaps directly at the factory), use it for their European travels,... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 16 January 2004
How to encourage visitors to come to the USA
I was (not?) amused to receive a press release today from the "Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce", informing me of the progress of the government's U.S. Promotion Campaign . The USA has been one of the few countries without a government department... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 15 January 2004
"Brazil vs. US: The Finger Affair"
My favorite source of news and views from Brazil, by Brazilians, in English, Brazzil.com , weighs in with this perspective by José Gurgel on the fingerprinting, photographing, and other entry requirments for Brazilian citizens visiting the USA, and USA citizens visiting Brazil. Here are some excerpts, but it's well worth... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 12 January 2004
"US loses its tourism allure"
Fewer and fewer Norwegians are opting to spend their holidays in the United States. A new survey indicates that half of all questioned view the US as an unattractive travel destination. (Aftenposten) Travel bureau Berg-Hansen commissioned the survey and was amazed by its results, reports newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv . "We... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 9 January 2004
"Scenes From A Sad Airport"
Welcome to America. Please give us the finger. Smile for the camera. Now get the hell out (by Mark Morford, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site, SF Gate ) This is long, but worth reading all the way through -- it gets better as it goes on. It's... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 6 January 2004
Beware of travellers bearing almanacs
FBI Intelligence Bulletin No. 102 (from Cryptome.org) FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY TO: Law Enforcement Agencies FROM: FBI Counterterrorism Division December 24, 2003 Threat Level: Orange (High). THE FBI INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN, DISSEMINATED ON A WEEKLY BASIS, PROVIDES LAW ENFORCEMENT WITH CURRENT, RELEVANT TERRORISM INFORMATION DEVELOPED FROM COUNTERTERRORISM INVESTIGATIONS AND ANALYSIS.... (...Read Entire Entry)Monday, 5 January 2004
USA starts fingerprinting visitors. Brazil reciprocates.
Effective today, the USA is fingerprinting and photographing all visitors arriving or departing from the USA except short-term tourist visitors from a few mostly Western European countries, and will retain the digital images in a new US-VISIT database . Most countries have waived the usual international reciprocity of entry requirements... (...Read Entire Entry)USA uses airline reservation data as basis for flight cancellations and interrogations
As I was driving to Los Angeles (it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Air France (AF) flights to LAX were being cancelled on the instigation of the USA Department of Homeland Security. By the time I got... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 19 December 2003
Where's Hot, and Where's Not?
"The World's Top 20 Destinations for Air Trekkers" (Airtreks.com news release, 18 December 2003) Wanderlust is alive and well, according to complex international airfare specialists Airtreks.com , with continued strong interest in travel to every major region of the world. Following are the top 20 overseas destinations (outside the USA... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 17 December 2003
More on EU passenger data transfers to the USA
I've been studying the full Communication from the Commission to the Council and the Parliament (thanks to EDRI for the link; the final document is essentially identical to the draft I received yesterday, and that was actually distributed at the meeting) concerning yesterday's meeting between the European Commission and the... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 11 December 2003
DHS calls for proposals for US-VISIT visitor tracking system
As reported here , here , and here , the USA Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its request for proposals for the US-VISIT system database and tracking system for foreign visitors. The US-VISIT prime contract will cover the database itself, integration with other government and private information technology,... (...Read Entire Entry)Sunday, 7 December 2003
Focus on competition at PhoCusWright conference
As in years past, the 10th PhoCusWright Executive Conference in Orlando, Florida, 17-18 November 2003, brought together the CEO's of the most influential companies at the intersection of travel, technology, and the Internet, providing those of us who observe those industries with one of our most important annual opportunities for... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 3 December 2003
UK follows USA into surveillance and control of airline passengers
Mimicking the CAPPS-II scheme in the USA, the UK government has mooted (in the UK sense of "to moot", meaning, "to propose", not the opposite USA sense of "to moot", meaning, "to render no longer relevant"; the difference is similar to the opposite UK and USA meanings of "to table")... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 2 December 2003
Beware of confusing Philippine Pesos with USA quarters
People in more cosmopolitan countries than the USA are used to watching out for all sorts of different coins and currencies showing up in their change. (At least with paper money -- what the rest of the world calls "notes" and the USA calls "bills" -- most countries make it... (...Read Entire Entry)Friday, 28 November 2003
EU to require passports for pets
Travelling with pets: Pet passports to be introduced in July 2004 The European Commission today adopted a Decision establishing a model passport which will allow pets and their owners to travel more easily within the European Union. New EU legislation comes into force in July 2004 which will mean all... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 11 November 2003
"Key escrow" with TSA for airline luggage locks?
In a story apparently slated for general release tomorrow, Joe Sharkey gives advance notice in his column in today's New York Times that the USA Transportation Security Administration will cooperate in a program to sell special luggage locks to which the TSA will have either master keys or a master... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 29 October 2003
USA welcome mat (not) for visitors
Testimony of John Marks, CEO of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chair of the Travel Industry Association of America, U.S. House of Representatives, 10 July 2003 "Intentional or otherwise, a collection of rules and policies that discourages international visitors from coming to the U.S. also create a... (...Read Entire Entry)Thursday, 23 October 2003
Talk tonight on Cuba travel
Curious about what today's vote by Congress to lift the ban on travel between the USA and Cuba might mean? There's a perfect opportunity to find out if you can get yourself to Walnut Creek, CA, tonight. I'm honored to consider myself a colleague, and to have the same publisher,... (...Read Entire Entry)Wednesday, 22 October 2003
International tourism to the USA still falling
Yesterday the USA Department of Commerce released its latest revised Forecast of International Travel to the United States, with actual, estimated, and predicted numbers of visitors from each regioin of the world for 2001 through 2007. Despite the upbeat tone of the DOC press release announcing the latest revisons, the... (...Read Entire Entry)Tuesday, 21 October 2003
Overseas? Dial home on the cheap
"Your own mobile phone is probably useless abroad. You have plenty of other options, some outrageously expensive and others almost free...." Read the full story from Bankrate.com or MSN Money. This is a surprisingly thorough survey of a complex topic: pricing options for mobile (cellular) phone use outside your home... (...Read Entire Entry)Link |
Posted by Edward, 21 October 2003, 16:26 ( 4:26 PM)
| Comments (0)
