Archives for January, 2008
The Fortune Cookie’s Fortune
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 31, 2008 What’s better than a great meal? Dessert. And better than dessert? Dessert with a side of destiny. That’s right. I’m talking about the infamous fortune cookie. These tasty treats have completed Chinese-food meals in America and around the world for decades. Except in China, oddly enough. And there’s a reason for this. The fortune cookie…
Gaga for the Grenadines
Posted by Emily Haile on January 30, 2008 It’s cold as anything here in the nation’s capital and we’re dreaming of unspoiled Caribbean beaches, so we’d like to give a shout out to the Grenadines. While some sustainable-tourism panelists argued that cruise culture is taking its toll on the island chain, the Grenadines scored a decent 77 on our Destinations Rated: Islands survey,…
Tasty Destinations
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 30, 2008 Food + Travel = IT’s best friend. That’s why we couldn’t wait to read Saveur magazine’s 10th annual “top 100″ list of tastiest destinations around the world. Greek wine from ancient fruit, 2004 White Burgundies, and the cevapcici – “smoky, skinless sausages”–of the Balkans made the list (as did Euell Gibbons, the Grape-Nuts guy, and…
How Is Your City Feeling?
Posted by Crowd Favorite on January 29, 2008 We can’t help but think that Eric Weiner’s research for his new book, The Geography of Bliss, would have gone a lot easier if he’d paired up with Erik Krikortz, the installation artist behind Stockholm’s Emotional Cities project. The Internet-based artwork asks people to answer a simple question: “How Are You Today?” and rate their…
Teen Trips that Make Us Long for High School
Posted by it on January 29, 2008 There’s not very much that can make us want to go back in time and re-do high school. But when we heard about a set of trips being offered by National Geographic Expeditions, we seriously considered retaking calculus for a chance to come along. Expeditions has partnered with Putney Student Travel to create a new…
Strange Planet: Boulders of Maori Legend
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 25, 2008 Between the cities of Dunedin and Oamaru on New Zealand’s South Island is Moeraki, a small coastal town home to famous rock formations. According to Maori legend, the Moeraki Boulders are gourds that washed ashore (on what is now Koekohe Beach) when the Araiteuru canoe was wrecked hundreds of years ago. But every myth…
Baby, You’re Electric!
Posted by mary beth larue on January 25, 2008 The next time you’re shoulder-to-shoulder on the subway, in a bus terminal, or on an airplane, don’t get too aggravated — that heat leaving your body (and your neighbors’) may be the next source of renewable energy. A Swedish state-owned company, Jernhuset, has found a way to harness the energy produced by the 250,000 bodies…
Travels with the Mouse
Posted by it on January 25, 2008 Would you travel with Disney? More and more people are doing just that. Disney’s tour-outfitter arm, Adventures by Disney, which began a mere three years ago with six tours, focused mostly in the American West, has expanded to 17 separate itineraries, including China and Australia. Senior editor Norie Quintos, the magazine’s resident tour expert, recently…
Cozumel’s Cruise Ships Go Eco
Posted by Crowd Favorite on January 25, 2008 We were heartened to hear last week that Cozumel had signed a groundbreaking partnership to help support eco-friendly practices in the popular cruise ship destination. Over the past year, Conservation International has worked with Mexico’s tourism board, the city’s local government, and 17 cruise ship industry leaders to hammer out the details of an initiative…
Alaska’s Guests Keep Warm with Recycled Oil
Posted by Emily Haile on January 24, 2008 The 1.5-mile wide Mendenhall Glacier may be just around the corner, but you’ll be plenty warm at Juneau’s Westmark Baranof Hotel. The 196-room hotel, owned by Holland America, combines vegetable oil with fuel oil to heat the hotel. The hotel is the only place in the city that collects used cooking oil. The ingenious process…
Rethinking Shanty Towns
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on January 24, 2008 Generally speaking, travelers tend to eschew slums in their urban itineraries. But Robert Neuwirth—a journalist who spent two years living in four squatter communities in Brazil, Kenya, India, and Turkey—considers these shanty towns vibrant neighborhoods worthy of exploration. After all, one in six people on the planet are considered squatters (that’s one billion people), an…
The Inn at Little Washington Celebrates 30 Years
Posted by it on January 23, 2008 From time to time Hotel Central editor Susan O’Keefe likes to check in with industry folks—from GMs to chefs and housekeeping staff—for a behind-the-scenes chat. She begins with a talk with Patrick O’Connell, proprietor and chef of the acclaimed Inn at Little Washington, an elegant English country hideaway in Rappahannock County, Virginia, tucked in the…
Nominate Your Favorite Geotourism Changemaker
Posted by it on January 23, 2008 Here at Intelligent Travel, we’re always looking to promote innovations in sustainable travel. And now, National Geographic and Ashoka Changemakers‘ Geotourism Challenge offers you a way to join the global dialogue on protecting the places we visit. If you’re a geo-savvy traveler, alert to the quality and character of the destinations you visit, and you…
Bungalow Bounceback
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on January 22, 2008 Better known for its Prairie-style architecture in the heart of Frank Lloyd Wright country, Chicago has long dismissed its endless rows of brick bungalows as humdrum. The basic homes were built for the city’s working class–mostly immigrants–in the 1920s as an urban respite, located just four to eight miles from downtown. But the current issue…
White Winter Wonderland
Posted by it on January 22, 2008 Looking for a true winter getaway? Art aficionado Anna Heineman recently traveled north to Ironwood, Michigan, for a weekend of snow, skis, and soup. For a cozy and romantic adventure, take a trek north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In Ironwood, you’ll find 600 acres of cross-country ski trails, where you can wind among…
Culinary Trailblazing
Posted by Emily Haile on January 21, 2008 Natchitoches, Louisiana is famous for its meat pies. It’s also where the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed. We’ve been excited to see of a growing number of states promoting tourism through culinary trails. These tours offer a “taste” of each region’s recipes, and are quickly cropping up across the country. In Indiana, a state where…
Strange Planet: Knickers in New Zealand
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 18, 2008 Kiwis love their fences. And even more, they love decorating fences with unwanted articles of clothing. The most interesting fence is the Cardrona Bra Fence, which has been a controversial tourist attraction in the Central Otago district on New Zealand’s South Island since 1999. Until recently, hundreds of bras lined this fence near Wanaka, a…
Tour Guide: Saving Animals in Africa
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 18, 2008 When traveling to environmentally fragile places, one can’t help but feel a bit conflicted. But here are some Africa tours that will give you a lot to see, without leaving a big footprint (or giving you a headache). Terra Incognita Ecotours provides direct financial benefits for conservation and empowerment for local people. For every participant…
Being a Better Tourist
Posted by it on January 17, 2008 “Far and away the best thing the casual tourist can do is to spend money at a local level. Cut out the middleman travel-fixers, cut out the international franchise resort hotels and familiar chain restaurants. Patronize the mom-and-pop economy. Go slow. Respect people. Practice humility, and don’t condescend with your good intentions. Make friends. Ask…
Tour Guide: Bhutan
Posted by it on January 17, 2008 Senior editor Norie Quintos—currently hard at work on the annual Tours of a Lifetime issue (May/June 2008)—is looking for deals. You won’t find a lot of discounting in the boutique tour industry. (Mega cruise ships and large resorts have spoiled us into thinking you should never pay rack rate.) Outfitters are typically small and operate…
Bears + Bulbs = A Bright Idea
Posted by Crowd Favorite on January 16, 2008 We’ve already got plenty of reasons to like Natural Habitat Adventures, a tour outfitter whose work to offset all of their carbon emissions has made them, according to their claim, the “world’s first carbon neutral travel company.” But we were struck by the amount of effort they put into their mission, even during the off…
Ride on the Peace Train
Posted by Emily Haile on January 16, 2008 It’s no longer just Cat Stevens “dreaming about the world as one.” IT recently came across an organization with a mission “based on a vision of the world’s largest industry, travel and tourism – becoming the world’s first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveler is potentially an ‘Ambassador for Peace’.” Founded more…
Locals for Hire
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on January 15, 2008 Carousing through town with bona fide locals in a new city, you can’t help but feel intrinsically cool. Tourist? Hardly. You’re just kicking it with friends. And for those of us who don’t happen to have friends conveniently scattered throughout the globe, Like-A-Local.com promises that hiring a local to be your friend will elevate you…
Strange Planet: Dancing in Prague
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 14, 2008 It’s a modern Leaning Tower of Pisa — only, wait, it’s supposed to do that. The next time you’re in Prague, be sure to visit The Dancing House (the Tančící dům, completed in 1996), located on the corner of Rasinovo nabrezi and Resslova street, along the River Vltava near the city center. The contemporary building,…
Endangered Places: How You Can Help
Posted by Emily Haile on January 14, 2008 The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the Most Endangered Places of 2007, is a surprising amalgam of old and new, from historic motels along Route 66 to a racecourse in Florida. Here are just a few of the threatened sites and some ideas on what travelers and concerned citizens can do to offset…
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