What We’re Reading

The best travel goodies and ephemera that we didn’t write.

A Proper Swedish Breakfast [Photo]

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Discovering the Secret Shipwrecks of the Baltic Sea

Under the Baltic Sea, it is dark, frigid, and a graveyard for the wrecks of ships that have sunk over the centuries. The oldest remains found are said to date back some 800 years – which, if proved, would make this the most ancient shipwreck found in the world thus far. Many others are the [...]

Travel Quote: “No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be”

From Chuck Thompson’s excellent To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism: If there’s one lesson I’ve prized from my years of travel it’s this: no place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be. Government bureaucrats are more concerned with covering their asses by issuing ludicrous [...]

Shipwreck Carcasses Strewn Around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa [Gallery]

They lie on the rocks like the carcasses of strange, beached sea creatures. Hulking wrecks of metal, tossed up by the ocean, slowly disintegrating in the wet, salty sea air. The water behind them may look calm in these photographs, but don’t be fooled: this is one of the world’s most dangerous coastal stretches for [...]

Ex-TSA Agent: We Steal from Travelers All the Time

From the “Things We Already Knew” Department … A TSA agent convicted of stealing more than $800,000 worth of goods from travelers said this type of theft is “commonplace” among airport security. Almost 400 TSA officers have been fired for stealing from passengers since 2003. Pythias Brown, a former Transportation Security Administration officer at Newark [...]

Man on 50-Day Drinking Binge Makes Unwise Decision to Open Plane Door During Landing

There are some doors that are not meant to be opened by the average person, and airplane doors are a prime example. But one man who’d reportedly been drinking for 50 days straight threw all those rules right out the window (or door?) when the Delta flight he was on from Boston landed in Salt [...]

The Tropic of Capricorn in Beautiful Time-Lapse [Video]

(Hat tip: Kraig Becker via Gadling)

Plumbing the Depths of the World’s Largest Underwater Gypsum Cave [Gallery]

“The reward is the possibility of seeing something beautiful, something that nobody has seen before you.” Even with lights, it is dark, and the sense of claustrophobia is overwhelming. Passages wind off in different directions to confuse the careless or unprepared. And should you find yourself in danger in these tunnels in the Earth’s crust, [...]

Braving the Perilous Terrain of Greenland’s Tasermiut Fjord [Gallery]

It is wild, beautiful, ancient and awe-inspiring – and we strongly suggest that you never go there. Unless, that is, you are fully prepared for somewhere as perilous as it is stunning. With its steep granite cliffs, crystal-clear rivers, icebergs and majestic glacial vistas, South Greenland’s Tasermiut Fjord looks like a landscape straight out of [...]

15 Enchanting Red Window Photos from Around the World [Gallery]

Red Window © Laura Garcia There’s a reason we use red to highlight objects we need people to notice – whether they’re fire hydrants, stop signs, or warning flags at the beach. No color screams for attention like red, and of all the primary colors, it’s certainly the most striking. Red is associated with a [...]

The Fragile Beauty of Glen Canyon [Gallery]

Glen Canyon is a true paradise for nature lovers from all walks of life; there really is something for everyone. Whether you’re a geologist, a biologist, an anthropologist or just a regular visitor, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll enjoy the splendor Glen Canyon has to offer. But at this majestic site, it really pays to [...]

Barcelona vs. Madrid: Where Would You Go?

There’s been a long standing rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid forever. Let’s stir it up a bit with this cool infographic from HostelBookers.com! Where would you go?

10 Creepiest Abandoned Cold War Missile Silos [Gallery]

Dimply-lit tunnels snake into the distance, metal steps echo with the sound of footsteps, and huge vertical drops plummet into the darkness – cavernous chambers where missiles intended to carry nuclear warheads would have once been housed. Replete with the signs of creeping decay and generally left to rack and ruin, abandoned missile bases are [...]

The Majesty of Dubai’s Racing Camels in Training [Gallery]

Although there is still a chill in the air, the early morning sun begins to heat up the sand dunes as the camels trot past, their padded feet scarcely making a sound on the desert floor. Stately seniors, with trainers perched on their backs, lead one or two youngsters by ropes tied around their necks. [...]

The Giant Salt City 1200 Feet Beneath Detroit

Detroit’s salt mines are like an underground city within the city. It is a massive expanse of 1,500 acres and over 100 miles of roads right under everyone’s feet. … The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company operated the mine until 1983 but then falling salt prices forced the mine to stop production. In its heyday [...]

Madagascar’s Macabre Dance of the Dead [Gallery]

Although the family may shed some tears over the remains of their loved ones, crying soon turns to smiles. It’s a little like a party, but one where the guests of honor are corpses. There is a definite festive atmosphere in the crowd as the tomb is opened. By the light of candles, close relatives [...]

20 Awesome Pics of Jets Blazing Firetrails Across the Sky

The people watching gasp with delight as the first aircraft ignites its excess fuel, emitting a swoosh and etching a blazing trail across the night sky. Soon, another F-111 approaches from the opposite direction, leaving a similarly beautiful streak of light in its wake. With baited breath, the crowd awaits the inevitable crossing of the [...]

7 Most Incredible Skyscrapers Being Struck by Lightning [Gallery]

With a deafening sound, the lightning bolt strikes the building’s antenna, while onlookers instinctively cover their ears and scramble for safety. Meanwhile, visitors inside the giant skyscraper are torn between grabbing their cameras and running for cover, shocked by the reality of being trapped within a building being struck by lightning … Check out the [...]

The Struggle for Survival in Nigeria’s Floating Slum [Gallery]

Shacks sit atop rickety stilts while flotillas of trash slowly drift past down below. Crowds of people paddle past through the stagnant waters in boats, and foul smells fill the air while the baking sun beats down. And yet, in this sprawling floating slum, where basic human needs are barely met, the people refuse to [...]

The Staggering Beauty of Iceland’s Glacier Lagoon

Even in a country well known for its astounding natural beauty, Jökulsárlón stands out. The combination of majestic floating icebergs, the giant icy blue lagoon, the contrasting black of the sandy shore and the soaring dome of the nearby Vatnajökull ice cap is so breathtaking, it hardly seems real. It’s no wonder this amazing lagoon [...]

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