2008 April

World’s Oldest Tree (8,000 Years Young) Found in Sweden

Like what you see? Subscribe to the full RSS feed.Scientists have identified a cluster of spruce trees in the Dalarna Province of Sweden as being the oldest in the world. The Norway spruce trees were found in a mountainous region in Western Sweden. Carbon dating tests have revealed one of the trees to have […]

U.K. Graffiti Artist Strikes Again with Biggest Work to Date

The anonymous British graffiti artist known as Banksy has produced what is believed to be his biggest work to date. The three story art on a post office building near Oxford Circus reads “One Nation Under CCTV,” and features a little boy painting the words, while a security officer watches. Close to the painting is an […]

5 Movies That Inspired Me to Travel

Ben Hancock reviews 5 films that not only succeed in capturing the mood and essence of a destination, but stir you to experience it for yourself.

Photo of the Moment: Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

Let There (Not) Be Rain: Beijing to Control Weather During Olympics

This isn’t really shocking coming from a country that tries its utmost to control everything within its borders. Even the weather, apparently. In its ongoing attempts to make the Beijing games a spectacular showcase for its Olympic sized sprint from poor to powerhouse, China has set plans to control rainfall at the Games, especially during […]

New Guggenheim “UFO” Museum to Open in Lithuania

Following on the lead of the spectacular buildings at New York and Bilbao, the new Guggenheim Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania promises to be an equally impressive figure on the city’s landscape. The design by Zara Hadid shows a futuristic floating space ship typs of structure that looks like it will take off at […]

Amnesty International’s ‘Signature’ PSA Wins Socially Responsible Advertising Award

Amnesty International’s animated public service campaign “Signatures” has won the Grand Prix at the Socially Responsible Communication Awards hosted by the International Advertising Association. The much acclaimed campaign, which has already won the Golden Lion at Cannes, depicts the power of a mere signature to spark change through animated figures. A man uses one to escape […]

Could Thomas Kohnstamm Save Travel Writing?

Olivia Giovetti questions whether the Kohnstamm debacle is ultimately better for travelers and guidebook publishers alike.

Photo of the Moment: Tripping the Nighttime Skyline, Singapore

UK’s First Islamic Pub Opens (With No Booze!)

Halal Inn and Islamic Pub, Britain Here’s an idea that might not be catching on any time soon. Two British men have opened the UK’s first Islamic pub where … wait for it … no alcohol is served. The pub is named the Halal Inn. Its owners insist it is like a pub in every […]

Artist Creates “Where’s Waldo?” Easter Egg for Google Earth

A young artist and web designer has created a game that she hopes will take off. Melanie Coles has hidden an enormous 55 ft painting of Waldo – the nerdy, lanky spectacled character clad in a red and white striped top and cane, from the Waldo books - on a rooftop of an undisclosed location […]

5 Games for the Road: How to Pass the Time With Nothing But Your Fellow Travelers for Entertainment

Travel certainly has its dull moments. Amanda reveals five games for the road to help pass the downtime.

Photo of the Moment: Blue Fog Over Downtown Calgary

Lonely Planet’s Renegade Writer a Fraud

Lonely Planet fraudster … er … writer Thomas Kohnstamm is trying hard to pooh pooh the controversy surrounding his revelations that he made up large portions of his guidebooks. Kohnstamm earlier revealed to an Australian newspaper that his guidebook to Colombia was not even based on an actual visit to the country – he was […]

Museum of Broken Relationships Opens in Croatia

Broken Heart, Near Grant’s Tomb © CarbonNYC The Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia promises to offer comfort to those who’ve been dumped. Visitors can find solace in one of the museum’s many odd exhibits – old love letters, photographs and other lover’s gifts to one another. Each exhibit has been donated by a jilted lover, […]

Chatting with the Mona Lisa in South Korea

A South Korean art gallery has developed technology that allows masterpieces like the Mona Lisa to interact with students. The iconic and enigmatic figure at the Alive Gallery in Seoul talks to visitors about life during the Renaissance period, a feat brought about by the use of digital information technology. Visitors, especially kids enjoy the […]

How and Why Do You See the World?

So many ways to see the world. Nora Dunn asks, “How and why do you travel?”

Photo of the Moment: Morning Commute, Japan

Chastity Padlocks to Curb Hanky Panky in Indonesia

© HaPe_Gera An attempt by the local government of an Indonesian province to curb prostitution - by making it mandatory for masseuses to padlock their pants - has come under fire by a women’s empowerment minister who termed the move as “highly insulting” to women. Batu in Indonesia’s east Java province sees a steady influx of tourists […]

Bizarre Culture: Bulgarian Butchers Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ [Video]

It’s tragic enough when countries around the world feel the need to adopt some of the U.S.’s worst pop culture exports. But this fellow covering Michael Jackson’s Bad just takes Bulgaria’s version of American Idol to a whole new level. A very, very scary level. Ouch. Needless to say, he didn’t make the […]

New Google Earth Program Maps Refugee Movement

© mknobil Google has joined hands with the UN High Commission for Refugees to create a new mapping system that will allow users of its Goggle Earth tool to track the movement of refuges across the planet. The Commission that estimates around 35 million people all over the world have been displaced from their homelands, recently […]

10 Nastiest Travel Diseases: What They Are, What They Do and Why You Don’t Want Them

Amanda Kendle explores the 10 nastiest diseases that travelers should me most concerned with.

Photo of the Moment: Pastoral Road, Scotland

German Nudist Flight May be Grounded

A travel agency that had planned a charter flight for nudists from the town of Erfurt to the Baltic Sea destination of Usedom, has been forced to cancel its plans even before the clothes came off. Internet travel agency OssiUrlaub had scheduled the fabric-free flight in July 2007 and generated considerable public interest. According to […]

Japan’s Male Geisha Emerges

With Japanese women paying to enter clubs where beautiful young boys dress and act as bashful schoolboys to please them, it was just a matter of time before the male geisha emerged. A new trend in Japan has gender roles reversed as successful women pay suave young men to spend an evening with […]

Taking the World by Train

Backpackers and travelers alike have long known about traveling through Europe by train, purchasing a Eurail pass to glide easily from country to country, some even choosing to save money on accommodations by sleeping on the train at night. And of course, there are so many other ways to see the world by train that are […]

Off the Deep End: The First Steps in Leaving Home

Understanding the fears, the anxiety and the excitement of leaving home for a life abroad.

Photo of the Moment: Vampire Season, Slovenia

Man Cries Wolf … er … Wombat After “Rape”

To be clear, this is not the alleged wombat rapist © Stygiangloom A New Zealand man who called local police to report that he had been raped by a wombat has been ordered to do 75 hours of community work for wasting police time. Arthur Ross Craddock, a 48-year-old orchard worker from the South Island Town of […]

Absolut Apologizes for Mexican Ad

Absolut Vodka has apologized for running an ad depicting the southwestern states of the US as part of Mexico as part of its ”In an Absolute World” campaign which depicts ideal situations. In the ad, the US Mexican border is outlined as it was before the US Mexican war of Independence in which the regions that […]

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