travel

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Cranky Travelers Diss 'Overrated' Hot Spots

Paris smelly? Athenians surly?

(Newser) - Italy? Ugly. Grand Canyon? A pain. No travel hot spot is safe after cranky readers filled Los Angeles Times inboxes with their picks for "overrated travel destinations."
  • Bali: "Mosquitoes ate us up," wrote two travelers, and "there was poverty everywhere."
  • Austin: "About the
...

Gap Year Gains Favor Among High School Graduates

Industry grows to help them put off college

(Newser) - As more high school graduates decide to take a so-called “gap-year” before college, a veritable industry has sprung up to offer these seekers advice on how to go about it, the Wall Street Journal reports. Given the increased popularity of a year off, which some educators advocate because “...

Amid Recession, Visitors Flock to National Parks

Every dollar spent on parks generates $4 in spending

(Newser) - Local economies enjoyed a federal bailout of sorts from National Parks visitors, who spent $11.8 billion in businesses surrounding parks and monuments last year. For every government dollar dispensed on upkeep and some 200,000 workers, $4 were generated in local spending, reports the Washington Times. Sales were up...

More Trouble Looms for Holiday Travelers

Snow, rain will continue through weekend

(Newser) - Holiday travelers may be in for more trouble this weekend, USA Today reports. Snow is expected from Montana to New Mexico, rain in the Midwest could cause flooding, and the South can expect heavy thunderstorms and possibly a few tornadoes. "It's going to be a wild ride," said...

How to Avoid World's Worst Travel Diseases

Knowing the drill will help prevent a ruined vacation ... or worse

(Newser) - Experiencing the local flavor sometimes comes at a cost—violent illness. Travel + Leisure lists ways to avoid the world's most unwelcome travel surprises:
  • Malaria: To avoid this dangerous parasite take prophylaxis before traveling—usually mefloquine or chloroquine; and wear long sleeves and a repellent containing DEET.
  • Giardiasis: A menace
...

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad
 Find Your Tipping Point Abroad 
TRAVEL

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

With gratuity varying by country, it's important not to offend

(Newser) - Knowing the appropriate level of gratuity can be tricky, and it gets even more difficult abroad, where tipping practices widely vary. Forbes offers some help, noting, for instance, that for a cab ride in South America, rounding up the fare to the next dollar is an acceptable tip, while in...

Twilight Fans Flock to Gloomy Town

Thousands flock to Forks, Wash., to seek out subjects of best-selling books, movie

(Newser) - A vampire and a werewolf are helping to revive the flagging economy of a Washington timber town, the LA Times reports. This year alone, more than 7,000 giggling, eager teens have visited Forks, Wash., to see locations from Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series. Most locals are playing along, and...

Hey, at Least Travel Costs Are Plunging

Airlines, cruises, hotels slash prices for those who can still afford it

(Newser) - There’s a spot of good news for travelers amid the barrage of dire economic reports: Those looking for a flight, cruise, or hotel stay may find surprisingly good deals. As financial woes keep many Americans grounded, the travel industry is forced to drop prices to fill space, the Los ...

Teen Hits Choppy Waters on Global Sailing Trip

Daring Californian faces pirates on quest to beat sailing record

(Newser) - Most 16-year-old boys pass their days pining for Miley Cyrus, but Zac Sunderland spends his fending off pirates and feeding on cold, canned meals. The California native is 5 months and nearly half-way into his quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, the Los Angeles ...

Restored Jailhouses Rock as Trendy Hotel Destinations

Old schools, factories get facelifts too as hoteliers aim to attract upscale crowd

(Newser) - Taking aim at travelers who want more than just Wi-Fi or a pool, hoteliers are converting former prisons, schools, factories, and other odd sites into luxury hotels, Portfolio reports. Younger guests who travel for leisure are demanding distinctive experiences, and the unusual locations help hotels market their rooms in a...

America's Strangest Trips
 America's Strangest Trips 

glossies

America's Strangest Trips

(Newser) - Americans can stop longing for trips to mysterious locales like the Bermuda Triangle and Stonehenge, Travel + Leisure reports. Even stranger vacation spots exist within the 50 states:
  • Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, Calif: So-called "sailing stones" move strangely over the sandy surface. Some blame strong winds, which
...

Madden Takes First Weekend Off in 28 Years

NFL commentator ends 476-game streak to see the grandkids

(Newser) - For the first time in 28 years, sportscaster John Madden will not call a regular-season NFL game this weekend, ending an impressive run of 476 without absence, the Washington Post reports. The hiatus is expected to be short for Madden—now 72 and working NBC’s Sunday-night broadcast—who crisscrosses...

Hotel Bristols Abound World Over, but Nobody's Sure Why

Scores of hotels worldwide have adopted name of British port city

(Newser) - From Panama to Paris to Poland, there are more than 200 hotels in the world called Bristol, and nobody's quite sure why, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some trace the name back to the traveling 17th-century Earl of Bristol, but a native of Bristol, England—itself bereft of a Hotel...

Dig Up Dinos, Rare Relics on DIY Tours

Travelers can unearth lost treasures from Colo. to Easter Island

(Newser) - Travelers seeking more than a beach and a Daiquiri on their next trip can try digging up ancient civilizations. Travel + Leisure lists the trips that let you uncover lost worlds:
  • Ica Desert of Peru: Hikers can discover preserved shark teeth, fossilized whales, and even extinct creatures on this ancient
...

Saigon Buries War Past
 Saigon Buries War Past 
TRAVEL

Saigon Buries War Past

Breakneck rush to development leaves high-rises in place of multi-tiered history

(Newser) - It looks like Saigon, “the Paris of the East,” can't wait to ditch its colorful culture and tumultuous history for a shining capitalist future, Peter Jon Lindberg writes in Travel + Leisure. Officially Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnamese “cosmopolis,” 8 million strong, boasts the world's...

Gnome Tours World, Returns
 Gnome Tours World, Returns

Gnome Tours World, Returns

Cliché comes to life for one British woman

(Newser) - Months after her lawn gnome went missing, a woman in England got a huge surprise when it returned, accompanied by a photo album and immigration stamps from all over the world, the Gloucestershire Echo reports. Accompanying the prodigal lawn ornament was a note describing his adventures "across three continents,...

Travel's a Drag for Pro-Tour Surfers

You've got to hang loose, advise veteran dudes

(Newser) - Traveling the world as a pro surfer may sound sweet, but surfers say there can be plenty of bummers too, the Los Angeles Times reports. The marathon flights are a drag, and on arrival the many hazards include malaria, stinging sea creatures, food poisoning—and, worst of all, lost surfboards....

Hotel Porn Gets Spanking From Religious Right

Conservatives push Marriott to drop pay-per-view sex flicks

(Newser) - Conservatives are pressuring Marriott to remove adult films from its pay-per-view programming, saying porn doesn't jibe with the hotel chain's commitment to families, the St. Petersburg Times reports. "It's corporate greed,'' said the head of a Christian group. Marriott contends nixing the flicks isn't so easy: It owns...

Tips for Frequent Fliers
 Tips for Frequent Fliers 

Tips for Frequent Fliers

Some ways to get more out of your miles

(Newser) - You sat in plenty of stuffy cabins to earn those frequent-flier miles: make sure you get a good trip out of them. Travel and Leisure runs down the best ways to earn miles and use them efficiently.
  1. Stick with one airline: The more you commit to a single airline, the
...

How to Take a Solar Eclipse Road Trip

Hit the right spot and see 93M miles into the distance

(Newser) - Thousands of people will trek to the hinterlands on August 1 just to stand in the dark for three minutes. The reason: a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over a path spanning from China to Canada. Wired clues would-be eclipse chasers in on ways to maximize each sunless...

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