2007 December

Photo of the Moment: Beer Bottle Sausage, Wisconsin

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed. © jkottke Only in America - and the mid west in particular - would some genius in corporate product development think this was a good idea.

Dubai Building 21st Century ‘Jurassic Park’ Park

What’s up with Dubai and mega-construction? Not satisfied with having the world’s tallest building (which is also the tallest hotel which has the highest tennis court and the tallest atrium and … you get the picture), and a cluster of islands shaped like a palm tree, the wealthy emirate is now looking to build […]

The Incredible Shrinking Beer Gut: Is Germany Losing Its Taste for Beer?

© Adam Baker Apparently, the land of busty beer house girls and Oktoberfest is fast losing its fascination for beer. Consumption of beer in Germany has declined rapidly over the past eight years, and 2007 was no different – 112.5 liters per person. That’s 29.7 gallons. Compare this to the eighties when Germans, […]

Moscow Out-Dubai’s Dubai with World’s Largest Structure

It’s getting hard to keep up with the growing number of “world’s biggest” buildings. After Dubai and Taipei’s short-lived fame, it’s now Moscow’s turn to boast one of these towering structures. The city is to build a 1500 ft high structure that will accommodate 30,000 residents with room for 900 apartments, 3000 hotel rooms and […]

Lord, Please Help Me Smuggle This Cocaine

After shoving capsules up their bottoms, and swallowing pouches of the stuff, drug couriers have devised an ingenious and more sanitary, if blasphemous, way of smuggling cocaine through customs. Officers at Canada’s Pearson Airport have confiscated a total of $850,000 worth of the drug concealed between the covers of – cross yourself – a bible. […]

Photo of the Moment: Rescue Boat @ Jones Beach, New York

Odd Travel Gift: Milan Street Map Fly Swatter

Christmas has officially come and gone, so it appears you’ll need another excuse to buy this odd little fly swatter for your Italy-obsessed friends. This obvious death threat to all things buzzing around us made us smile when we first saw it on the cover of famed Abitare magazine. We were even happier when we found […]

Entire Hungarian Beach - Complete with Sand - Stolen

Owners of a beach-themed leisure park in Hungary are hopping mad after they lost an entire beach complete with sand, lounges and shacks to thieves. Yes - you read that right: complete with sand. The beach had been set up on the riverbank at Mindszentas, in a country which has no natural oceanfront of its […]

Photo of the Moment: MC by the Love River, Taiwan

All Aboard London’s Booze Bus

Every year, around a few special times like New Years’ or the World Cup, London City presses into service an ambulance that’s designated solely to pick up revelers who are too drunk to think straight. As New Year’s Eve approaches, staff of the “Booze Bus” as it’s called are gearing up for another round […]

7 Reasons Why Americans Don’t Travel

While vacation time is certainly part of the equation, the real reasons that Americans don’t travel aren’t quite so simple.

South Africa Offers World’s Only Bar Inside a Tree

A South African family has found a novel place to set up bar – inside the hollow of a huge 72 ft high tree in their backyard. Before you think claustrophobia, read on. The circumference of the trunk is 155 ft, enough to seat up to 15 people comfortably. The ceilings are four meters […]

‘Liquor Lock’ Keeps Grabby Hostel Mates Out of Your Stash

Designed to guard against children and grabby neighbors from dipping into your $300-a-bottle oak barrel-aged single malt scotch, I’m sure the Liquor Lock could certainly hold its own against booze-happy hostel mates. Keep “unwanted customers” from running your bar dry. Just enter a three-pin combination, then turn the top clockwise until the lock expands and is […]

Finally: A Brutally Honest Restaurant Review

Here’s something you may have missed. It’s as rare as the white rhino: a truly honest travel or restaurant review. Last month, the Guardian U.K.’s Jay Rayner reviewed (or, more accurately, eviscerated) Divo - purportedly London’s first luxury Ukranian restaurant. Here are a few of the best bits: On the name, Divo: Apparently Divo is Ukrainian […]

Photo of the Moment: Lonely Icelandic Church

Can You Survive Reverse Culture Shock?

The best way to survive reverse culture shock is to be aware of how it might strike.

Bernard Meltzer on The Real Measure of a Person’s Wealth

The real measure of a person’s wealth is how much he would be worth if he lost all his money. - Bernard Meltzer

Merry Christmas to All and to All …

… well … have a good weekend and a safe, happy holiday! If you don’t happen to celebrate Christmas or believe in Mr. Claus, just know that I’ll personally be raising a glass of tasty eggnog in your honor. We’re on blogging hiatus until Wednesday, December 26. See you all back here then!

Road Trip Travel Inspires the World’s Most Boring Video Game

On November 23, 2007, a group of Canadians sat down to raise money for a children’s charity via a gaming marathon. Nothing novel about that you might think, except that the game they’ll play, “Desert Bus”, is so boring it’s never been officially released. The road trip travel game comprises an 8 hour drive in […]

Exploring the Other Side of the First Class Curtain

Nora Dunn develops an unhealthy obsession with finding a First Class upgrade. Here, how and how not to get an upgrade yourself.

Heathrow to Launch Personal Rapid Transport System

London’s Heathrow Airport is set to launch a Personal Rapid Transport System that will make it faster for business class passengers to shuttle between their cars and check in terminals. The fleet will consist of 18 pods that will glide on specially installed raised guide ways at 25 mph. The system is scheduled […]

Saudis Gone Wild: Male Youths Take to YouTube

YouTube is proving to be a popular medium of expression for young men in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Alongside videos of drunken women doing the unmentionable are now posted clips of Saudi youths behaving like, well … brats. Racing on the streets of Riyadh in Porsches and BMWs which happens to be […]

American Woman Cooks Pizza in Hotel Safe … Or At Least Tries To

You really can’t make this stuff up. Hotel staff are used to guests using their rooms to do strange things. But this one takes the cake … er … pizza. A guest at the New Zealand’s $300 a night Hermitage Hotel in Mount Cook called staff to her room claiming that she couldn’t get her microwave […]

Write About Your Travels, Win $200!

I’m excited to announce that Vagabondish has partnered with SpongeFish.com who has just launched their Where in the World? Travel Contest. It’s simple: write about any place you’ve visited and convince SpongeFish readers why they should want to go there (or not) too! The story with the most views wins a $200 Visa gift card. […]

Former “Iron Curtain” European Countries to Become Passport-Free

New winds of change are blowing across Europe. Starting December 21, the passport free Schengen Zone will be expanded to include nine more countries – eight of them former Iron Curtain members. Fewer land and sea travel border checks will be required for these countries. Not only that, but by March the expansion […]

Keeping a Travel Blog Your Friends Will Love to Read

Amanda discusses her golden rules for writing an online travel diary that your friends will be glad to follow.

Santa Draws Heavy Gunfire in Rio de Janeiro

In Rio de Janeiro, not even Santa Claus is safe from the violence on the street. Drug traffickers in one of the city’s slums reportedly fired at a helicopter that was carrying a (not to be confused with the) Santa to a kids’ Christmas Party in the Nova Mare slum. Thankfully, no one […]

Photo of the Moment: Sunset Over an Icelandic Farm

White Washing Amsterdam’s Red Light District

© wili hybrid Amsterdam is all set to clean up its red light district. No need to worry though. They don’t plan to shut the whole thing down. Worried about abuse, trafficking and money laundering, the city simply plans to put better checks in place. According to Mayor Job Cohen, the city will clamp […]

U.K. Travelodge Hotels Offering Free Stays to “Joseph’s” and “Mary’s”

A British hotel chain has devised a novel way to spread Christmas cheer and make up for their industry’s general callousness 2 millennia ago, when a young man and his wife found “No Vacancy” signs in every inn they stopped by. © midiman Travelodge will offer a one night’s stay to couples who are in a long […]

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