http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/ en Copyright 2008 Thu, 15 May 2008 06:19:21 -0400 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.36 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss When the World Heritage committee designates a man-made structure like the Taj Mahal or a natural creation like the Grand Canyon as a World Heritage site, the place draws tourists and creates national pride, among other things. Currently, the list has 851 sites natural and cultural worldwide that have "universal value." If it's good enough for Gerard Depardieu... (Philipp Guelland/AFP/Getty Images) Now the French want their food listed as a World Heritage. Should gastronomy be added to a list of tangibles, like the Great Barrier Reef and Ankor Wat? I personally like well-prepared French food, but I also like a good bowl of spaghetti and don't think it's a bowl of universal value. What's next? It's not like the French don't already have a pretty good representation on the World Heritage site list -- 32 sites compared with, for example, 20 in the United States. The issue will be pushed http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/world_heritage.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/world_heritage.html Cindy Loose Thu, 15 May 2008 06:19:21 -0400 It's not very often that we recommend a television program in this forum, but I'm a big fan of a travelogue that's airing nationally starting tonight on PBS. It's called "The Adirondacks," a rather nondescript title for a landscape and vacation spot that is anything but. Gorgeously shot (I've never wanted a high-definition TV more), the documentary explores every nook and cranny of what is the largest park in the continental United States, a six-million-acre experiment in public lands and private development that deserves all the attention the filmmakers give it. Kick back with (or in) "The Adriondacks." (Courtesty: Amanda Bird / © 2008 WNED) The Adirondacks, in the far upper corner of New York state, also deserve more attention by tourists in search of a different vacation spot this summer. Of course, tourism in the Adirondacks, as elsewhere, is a mixed blessing, but the combination of whitewater rafting and http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_adirondacks_appointment_te.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_adirondacks_appointment_te.html Scott Vogel Wed, 14 May 2008 14:35:58 -0400 Thanks to ever-expanding entertainment options and skyrocketing prices in the city that never sleeps, there's never been a better time to come to grips with New York. Hence today's Insta-Q&A question. It comes from a reader who'd like to hear your opinions on the Big Apple's best guidebook. If you've got a favorite you'd like to recommend, by all means tell us for Tom of Washington's benefit. And if you have a question yourself, e-mail us at travelqa@washpost.com. Tom writes: I'd like a recommendation for a guidebook to New York City. I've never been there and would like to begin to take some two or three-day trips to see some of the sights. I realize it's a big city and I don't want to try to pack everything in to one or two trips. I would like a book(s) that could recommend some planned 2-3 day itineraries in addition to http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/instaqa_gothams_best_guide.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/instaqa_gothams_best_guide.html Scott Vogel Wed, 14 May 2008 06:11:14 -0400 You know what I love about our Monday chats? Every week, the participants share travel tips and information with each other. There are usually four or more Travel staffers answering questions, and we can usually answer questions authoritatively and at a rapid-fire pace. But sometimes what the chatters themselves advise can be more useful, timely and creative, and I'm always exhilarated after our chats, thrilled to have such a reliable cadre of travelers out there on Monday afternoons. Yesterday, Scott Vogel asked for more thoughts about how to save on summer travel, and here were some of the responses: Summer Vacation: My plan for a cheaper vacation is two-fold. First, I tend to take any trips during the spring, when there's less tourists anyway and so prices are lower. Second, I am planning for each of my (divorced) parents to visit me at different times. I'll take a few days http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/it_came_from_the_chat_summer_s_1.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/it_came_from_the_chat_summer_s_1.html Christina Talcott Tue, 13 May 2008 14:13:20 -0400 As CoGo reported in the Travel section's Coming and Going column Sunday, travelers can start signing up this week for a new, $100-a-year program that will allow them access to a special lane to get through U.S. customs quickly. It's similar to the already existing "registered traveler" program. For $128, travelers who undergo a background check and fingerprinting or iris scans can use special lanes to speed through security at airports which have the program. The new program involving customs will open first at three airports -- Dulles, New York's Kennedy and Houston. If all goes well, it will be rolled out at other airports across the nation. Critics of the older registered traveler program argue that it's not fair to allow people to pay to get better service from a government entity. Government officials have responded that the space in front of security counters really belongs to airlines, and http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/is_it_fair.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/is_it_fair.html Cindy Loose Tue, 13 May 2008 06:08:11 -0400 Does anyone still remember the 1969 comedy "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium"? It's a mildly entertaining film whose best joke is its title and whose protagonists are cartoonish tourists who try to visit nine European countries in 18 days. This was not an unexpected plotline, especially when you consider that the movie's winning title was inspired by the caption of a New Yorker cartoon. But even as you laugh -- or rather chuckle weakly -- at the exploits of a passel of misbegotten travelers, it's a laughter of recognition. After all, one of the paradoxes of the modern American vacation is that what's intended as a relaxing respite from the daily grind can quite easily morph into something so hectic that you end up longing for a return to the grind. It was out of this self-defeating vacation mentality, one imagines, that the Slow Traveler movement was born. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_monday_rave.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_monday_rave.html Scott Vogel Mon, 12 May 2008 06:37:59 -0400 It's a dreary day in Your Nation's Capital, so we were in a daydreamy mood when we chose this week's Friday Photo. Thanks to Lauren Kotkin of Washington for sharing this scene. As she puts it: "I was visiting a friend earlier this month in Hermosa Beach, California. Her daughter Sophie made friends with a family digging alarge hole and burying their kids in the sand. Sophie couldn't waitfor her turn and when finally in the hole, she had a blast. I took about a dozen shots, but this one in particular shows the pure simple fun of being covered in sand. We had a hard time convincing her to come out." You can almost hear the waves now, can't you? Now it's your turn. Some guidelines: 1. Email ONE photo per week to us travel@washpost.com. Put "Friday Photo" in the subject field, and include your name, address and phone http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_friday_photo_its_almost_su.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_friday_photo_its_almost_su.html Friday Photos Fri, 09 May 2008 16:25:16 -0400 Spirit Airlines is an upstart discount carrier that often offers crazy fares. "Can you believe it?" says its current fare sale. "Spirit has (fares) from only $19 each way." So can we believe it? Is it possible to get a $19 fare? And where do these fares get you? From Washington Reagan, there is no $19 fare, just a $74 one-way fare to Fort Lauderdale. The two $19 fares are from Fort Lauderdale to both Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. I put the sale through a test to see whether I could get the cheapest fares to Fort Lauderdale, combine them with the cheap seats to the Bahamas, and come out way ahead. Let's just say, you need to be very flexible to have a chance of getting everything to line up. Quick disclaimer: I tried this out on May 8 and the sale had started May 6, so http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/spirit_in_the_sky.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/spirit_in_the_sky.html Carol Sottili Fri, 09 May 2008 12:24:14 -0400 Monday's chat with the Travel section Flight Crew (most Mondays at 2 p.m.) was a busy one, with readers weighing in on such varied topics as Hawaiian B&Bs, Charlottesville dining, honeymoon planning and pickpockets in Italy. We asked for ideas about how to save $$ on summer travel, and we got some great suggestions. Here's a sampling: Well, we're saving money on our summer vacation this year by not taking one. Perhaps an extreme approach, but it works. But seriously, sometimes it's fun to play tourist in your own back yard. Make a list of things in your area that you've never seen, set a week aside, and go do them. Bonus points for using public transportation to get to them. Extra bonus points for stopping the mail that week as if you really were on vacation. One creative daughter has another plan: My parents have found a way to http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/it_came_from_the_chat_summer_s.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/it_came_from_the_chat_summer_s.html Christina Talcott Fri, 09 May 2008 06:01:40 -0400 Don't hold your breath for improvements in the air traffic control system -- or for a time when business jets will pay their fair share of the cost of the air traffic control system. Legislation including those provisions -- to say nothing of reauthorizing the FAA for another five years -- has gotten bogged down in partisan bickering over unrelated matters. Congress might simply temporarily reauthorize the FAA as it is now and put the important bill in hiberation until next year. Among the things in the bill that won't likely get done in timely fashion: * A provision requiring airlines to provide food, drinking water, cabin ventilation, toilet facilities and access to medical treatment when planes are stuck on the ground for hours. * Funds for a satellite-based air traffic control system that could help clear the congestion that makes so many planes so late. * A provision to http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/air_traffic_improvements_stall.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/air_traffic_improvements_stall.html Cindy Loose Thu, 08 May 2008 15:05:46 -0400 The beetles have arrived, but it's nothing to yeah-yeah-yeah about. An invasion of the destructive bark beetle has caused a number of parks and forests in Colorado and Wyoming to close or delay openings of several camp and picnic sites. It's hard to imagine that a bug the size of a raisin can cause so much damage. But then you don't know the bark beetle. The culprit: A Mountain Pine beetle or bark beetle. (AP File Photo/Ed Andrieski) The black, hard-shelled villains burrow deep into pines, feeding and laying their eggs inside the trunk. Eventually, the trees can no longer receive water or nutrients, causing them to starve to death. To make matters worse, the beetles act like generous hosts who invite their whole extended family, plus friends, to come visit. One tree is not enough for these buggers, when they can inhabit the whole grove or mountainside. (Indeed, in http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_beetles_have_arrived_but.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/the_beetles_have_arrived_but.html Andrea Sachs Thu, 08 May 2008 11:52:38 -0400 Shopping for summer airfares, shocked at the prices, and wondering if you should wait for a sale? You could do that, and maybe you'd get lucky, but the experts aren't betting on it. Big reason: jet fuel prices. You may be thinking, "But they've already added some hefty fuel surcharges, so won't that take care of that cost, and maybe even discourage some people from flying, so the the airlines will have empty seats they have to dump?" Actually, even with fuel surcharges of $10 to $50 even for a short-haul flight, airlines aren't coming close to passing along the increases in jet fuel prices. "The surcharges so far don't come close to covering the increased [jet fuel] costs," says Wake Forest economics professor Rick Harris, who specializes in airline pricing and capacity issues. "Airlines are eating at least half of the increased costs, easily," he adds. His prediction: "I http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/higher_airfares_predicted.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/higher_airfares_predicted.html Cindy Loose Thu, 08 May 2008 06:18:54 -0400 In pigeon advocacy circles, these are perilous times indeed. For one thing, the birds have been targeted by local governments around the world, many of them tourist hot spots like New York, London, Los Angeles and now ... Venice. Buying a bag of bread crumbs and feeding the winged residents of the Piazza San Marco was, for generations, a tourist's rite of passage. Even after a ban was imposed on pigeon-feeding in other parts of Venice, the area around St. Mark's was given special dispensation for a time. But starting today, May 7, it is illegal legal for tourists or locals to feed pigeons in St. Mark's or anywhere else in the floating city, and violators risk incurring a 50 euro fine ($78). The anti-pigeon movement is now nothing short of an international phenomenon, it seems, and one that appears to be picking up speed. Feeding the birds in London's http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/feed_the_birds_tuppence_and_10.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/feed_the_birds_tuppence_and_10.html Scott Vogel Wed, 07 May 2008 09:28:28 -0400 I recently wrote about the state of Atlantic City in this space (it ain't pretty), but now comes word that an entire chain of casinos is in trouble: Tropicana Entertainment LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company says it will keep its properties open and staffing will remain level. Troubles began for Tropicana when the New Jersey Casino Control Commission stripped the AC property of its license. According to the Associated Press report, "That touched off a funding crisis that the company desperately struggled to fend off until filing for protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, listing assets of $2.8 billion and liabilities of $3.3 billion." The filing covers nine properties, including its Las Vegas casino; the AC property is in the process of being sold and is not part of the filing. This comes on the heels of layoffs at MGM Mirage and lower earnings http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/big_gambles_whats_in_the_card.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/big_gambles_whats_in_the_card.html John Deiner Tue, 06 May 2008 13:49:52 -0400 The income of skycaps who check bags at curbside is said to have dropped drastically when many airlines began charging $2 a bag for checking at curbside. The workers depend on tips, with salaries generally at minimum wage or less. According to testimony in a recent lawsuit, many passengers stopped tipping, or tipped less, when the airlines started charging the fee. Imagine what will happen now that passengers at curbside will be charged $25 to check a second bag. (The charge applies to most domestic economy fares even if you check your bags at the counter, but the point is that if you check at curbside, that's where you'll have to come up with the $25 for a second bag. If paying $2 made people unwilling to tip, paying $27 is probably going to make their wallets freeze.) A Bostonian is on the case. The lawyer, whom the skycaps call http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/curbside_tips.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/travellog/2008/05/curbside_tips.html Cindy Loose Tue, 06 May 2008 06:36:13 -0400