This Week in Offbeat Travel – May 19, 2007

The Bathroom Diaries is keen on keeping your naughty bits safe and clean while en route. Their mission: “The Bathroom Diaries scours the globe to rate the worlds’ toilets. Few would visit a country without some advanced information, yet our tender bits are exposed to uncharted territories with no help or assistance. At our most vulnerable, we are blind. Well, no more.” The sheer randomness of the internet never ceases to amaze me. (Hat tip: JustWandering.org)

Sick of the tired monotony of having to wash your hair day-in and day-out? All that rinsing and repeating? The No-Shampoo Challenge may be the answer. Brit Tony Perry “believes the whole shampoo industry is an expensive hoax. If you stop using shampoo, your hair will become increasingly lank, lifeless and greasy for about six weeks, after which it will fight back and achieve its own natural balance. Or so he claims.” (Hat tip: The Lost Globe)

Conrad Anker – the American climber who found George Mallory’s body in 1999 – is attempting to painstakingly recreate Mallory’s fated Mt. Everest expedition, right down to their less-than-adequate clothing, for a documentary. According to Gadling: “Back in 1924, Mallory wore a Burberry suit over a woolen vest as well as a fur-lined motorcycle helmet and hobnail boots. Anker and his team are dressed the same way.” Yes, you read that correctly: they’re going to summit Mt. Everest in Burberry and bike helmets. How bad ass is that? Tell me, Mr. Anker, is it tough to have to cart your testicles around in a wheelbarrow?

“Definitive Guides to …” and “Ultimate Lists of …” usually only live up to half their billing. When KillingBatteries.com’s Leif Pettersen writes either though, you can be sure they’ll live up to their name. Check out The Definitive Guide to Hostel Etiquette.

USA Today has announced that RyanAir will now be quoting their pricing inclusive of taxes and mandatory fees. Truth in advertising? It can’t be! (Hat tip: Upgrade: Travel Better)

As someone who’s never read a map I didn’t like, FlightMemory is the cat’s meow. Plug in your destinations and the site will provide the distance traveled, hours in the air, and aircraft types. (Hat tip: Gadling)

Sebastian Junger talks about the relevance and conquering of fear in a traveler’s life.

That’s all for this week. Happy travels!