2008 February

Doomsday Tourism: Seeing It Before You Can’t

Amanda Kendle explores ‘doomsday tourism’ - traveling to see the natural wonders of the world before they’re gone.

Ireland to Switch to Right-Hand Drive Cars?

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed. © jack_g Left-hand driving in Ireland is proving difficult for foreign visitors to master, and should be phased out in favor of the universally popular right-hand driving system, a senior Irish politician says. The number of travelers visiting Ireland has increased dramatically in the past few years, […]

Photo of the Moment: Prime Real Estate, Ireland

Saudis Arabia Bans Valentine’s Day (and the Color Red)

© CarbonNYC It’s a little hard to be surprised at anything Saudi Arabia does. What would be a “Huh?” moment in the rest of the world is just another day at work in this deeply secretive country. Even so, this takes the cake. The BBC is reporting that religious police in Saudi Arabia are preparing […]

Jakarta Train Roof Riders to be Caught “Red Handed”

© ^riza^ Commuters riding on the roofs of trains are not an uncommon sight in Jakarta, and many desperate to get to their destination clamber up top when seats aren’t available. The roof also provides a free of charge route to those who aren’t willing to cough up the price of a ticket. Not for long, […]

Rainy Day Travel: 5 Ways to Beat the Crowds When the Sun Doesn’t Shine

Eva Holland discusses how to save money and soak up the local scene when the sun doesn’t shine.

Beatles Themed Hotel Opens in Liverpool

The first hotel in Liverpool dedicated to its four most famous hometown lads, opened recently with a grand flourish. The hotel, appropriately named the Hard Days Night Hotel, features Beatles themed suites, a yellow submarine jukebox, and Beatles memorabilia galore. Rates for its 110 rooms start at $340 a night. For $1,300 a […]

Swimming at the Edge of Victoria Falls

© fritz_da_kat Swimming at the edge of Africa’s Victoria Falls might seem like a daredevil fool hardy stunt. But, during the months of September and December, you’ll see swimmers, even families with kids enjoying a dip, just inches from the edge. They’re hardly suicidal as these pics show, and the shallow pool they’re flailing about […]

Photo of the Moment: Industrial Gas Spheres, Berlin

The Cleanest Rainwater in the World, Bottled

Move over Evian, there’s a new stylish bottled water in the market, and it’s sourced from a region even more pristine than the French Alps. Heaven, actually. Tasmanian Rain bottled water is captured from what its manufacturers say are the clearest skies on the planet. That isn’t just advertising hype. According to the […]

Istanbul’s Incredible Sinking Palace

© Curious Expeditions Below all the hustle and bustle of Istanbul’s streets, lies a treasure that for much of its existence, lay undiscovered. The Sinking Palace, also known as the Basilica Cistern, is an ancient underwater reservoir, whose grand pillars now emerge out of the little water that remains. The Sinking Palace is believed to have […]

Suicide Tourism: Landmark Deaths and Traveling to Die

Amanda Kendle explores the heartbreaking facts behind those who travel solely in search of some place to die.

Photo of the Moment: Gods Are Sleeping, India

Supernatural Travel: The Anti-Ghost Mansion of San Jose

A mansion in San Jose was built to confuse ghosts. It has one-hundred and sixty rooms, four-hundred and sixty-seven doors, and forty-seven fireplaces. But many of the cabinets open to blank walls. Stairways wind around in circles, or run straight into the ceiling. There is at least one door that opens up into a ten-foot drop […]

Practical Trip Planning (Part 1): How to Maximize Your Travel Budget

Chris Cook walks through his entire travel booking process to uncover a few tricks to best maximize your travel budget.

The Underground World of Australian Cockroach Racing

© justinbaeder It started in a parking garage. Two men had been arguing all night about their roaches. Drunk and Australian, they decided that the only way to determine who truly possessed ‘the fastest roaches in Brisbane’ was to retreat to a local parking garage. To the cheering of inebriated fans, they held a race. No […]

Bugs on a Plane: Wasps Cause Aborted Qantas Take Off

I Sting © furryscaly According to the BBC, a series of aborted take-offs at Australia’s Brisbane airport has been linked to wasp infestation of the airplanes involved. Apparently, wasps got to work building nests inside five Qantas airplanes while they were waiting on the runway. On one of the flights aborted during take-off, the pilot reportedly […]

Photo of the Moment: Rushing Past German History

Bizarre Culture: Danse la Poutine, Quebec [Video]

© Wikipedia For those not in the know, poutine is: … a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with gravy and sometimes other additional ingredients. The freshness of the curds is important as it makes them soft in the warm fries, without completely melting. It is a quintessential Canadian comfort food, […]

Foreign Accent Syndrome: Blame That Bad Sean Connery Lilt on Your Genes

From the Mental Floss Random Fact Generator: Foreign Accent Syndrome is a rare side effect of brain trauma, whereby a patient’s enunciation is altered to the point where it begins to resemble a foreign accent. Perhaps the most famous example occurred in 1941, when a young Norwegian woman began uncontrollably speaking with a German accent after […]

Castaway Fishermen Found Alive After 3 Months at Sea

A trio of three Burmese fisherhmen has survived to recount their own real life castaway story. The three were reportedly part of a fishing vessel destroyed during Cyclone Sidr that hit Southern Bangladesh back in November. They got separated from other members in their group, and when found, were drifting aimlessly aboard a bamboo rift. Evidently, […]

Hypersonic Plane Promises Australia to Europe in 5 Hours

From the artist’s impression, it looks like a giant pen placed on its side. It’s the design for a revolutionary hypersonic passenger plane that will reportedly cut flying time from Australia to northern Europe to less than five hours. British designed and European Space Agency funded, the new plane called the A2 can carry 300 […]

Iris, Fingerprint Scans for Passengers at Heathrow

© spoon USA Today is reporting that passengers transferring to Heathrow domestic terminal from international flights, and domestic passengers who wish to visit the international lounge before departure will be required to undergo iris scans and be fingerprinted, under new security measures. The scanning will be done at Terminal 1 and will be used to identify passengers, […]

Colombia’s Underground School for Pickpockets

© GrooverFW It’s comforting to know that even pickpockets know the value of a good education. The School of the Seven Bells is a legendary, possibly apocryphal, and deliciously plausible school, said to be based in Columbia. Pickpocketing is largely a skilled combination of timing, and distraction, but South American pickpockets are particularly notorious. There is, of course, […]

Photo of the Moment: Daily Laundry, Mumbai

Poverty Tourism: Exploring the Slums of India, Brazil and South Africa

Amanda Kendle explores poverty tourism in the slums of India, Brazil and South Africa.

Gotta Pee? Finland Introduces New ‘Texting Toilets’

Authorities in Finland have cracked the secret to preventing vandalism in public toilets. Last month, the Finish Road Administration authorities put into place a system that allows travelers to access toilets by SMS text messaging the number given on the door of the public toilet. There are instructions on the doors to toilets and shower […]

Glastonbury Festival Campers to Use Potato Tent Pegs

Music lovers camping at this year’s Glastonbury Festival will leave the area cleaner and safer than in years past. BBC News is reporting that organizers are introducing new potato tent pegs that made of starch. The metal pegs that used in previous years were causing injuries to cows that roam the concert site’s fields, leading to […]

Italians Battle with Oranges in Centuries Old Food Fight

Locals in the northern Italian town of Ivrea recently took part in a tangy tradition that dates back centuries - they pelted each other with oranges in a mock reenactment of a battle that was fought in the Middle Ages. It’s not an inexpensive tradition. To be sure – every year 500 […]

Frugal Ways to Stay in Touch on the Road

Staying in Touch, Singapore © Delgoff. When I left “home” for a life of travel and adventure, I needed a way for family and friends to stay in touch (and despite the internet age we live in, I have some family members who refuse to venture into cyberspace). I had a smokin’ deal on my cellular […]

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