One for the Road: Down in New Orleans

by Kelly Amabile on

Last year during the holidays, I was down in New Orleans with some members of my family, participating in a week-long service trip. We gutted homes, discussed human rights issues, and listened to residents who were willing to share their stories — of hope, anger and frustration. We ended our week by spending New Years Eve downtown, celebrating what is good about the city, and what is surviving, despite all the problems.

A variety of books on post-Katrina New Orleans continue to surface, and I chose this one to mention today, since NOLA has been on my mind. Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City is Bill Southern’s story of his own evacuation to Mississippi, and subsequent return to his damaged home. Southern is a lawyer-activist who moved to New Orleans four years before the storm. He “offers a powerful vision of what Katrina has meant to New Orleans and what it still means to the nation at large.”

One thing I learned during my week in “The City that Care Forgot” is that the significance of Katrina should matter to all of us. I find it too hard to summarize my own thoughts on this topic in a short post. So I’ll leave it at this: Just remember. Remember what happened. And keep remembering. Read a book about someone’s perspective on post-Katrina New Orleans. Or go visit for yourself. It’s a city with problems, that’s for sure. But it is still a city, with plenty to do and see, and lots of opportunities for those who want to help.

And now for the bad news…

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Soaring gas prices, a weak dollar, passport delays, hurricanes– these were just some of the hassles that travelers had to deal with in 2007. In the Chicago Tribune, James Gilden says all these problems– and more– will be back in 2008.

On gas prices: “With increased global demand, instability in the Middle East and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, we might look back fondly on $3.03.”

On the weak dollar: “2008 may be the year to stick around the U.S. or visit a country with a more favorable exchange rate unless $5 for a cup of coffee in London doesn’t faze you.” My take: As long as you avoid the Euro and the pound, travel shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive. And perhaps U.S. travelers can take the poor exchange rate as an excuse to visit a part of the world they wouldn’t ordinarily– Asia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, South America– all of which remain relatively affordable.

On frequent flier programs: “Most major airlines this year adopted rules allowing frequent-flier miles to expire if there is no account activity, usually within a three-year (or shorter) period… Redeeming miles for seats is tougher than ever.”

Whole thing here.

Enough pessimism, Chicago Tribune! Now for the good news…

Flights are, generally speaking, getting cheaper every year. The world is more accessible to us than at any time in history. Traveling in most parts of Asia and South America is still ridiculously cheap, and I’ve got a year-long trip planned starting in July. Now that’s good news!

Notes from Portugal: West Coast of Europe, Dude!

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from Portugal. I am spending this week with friends in Faro, in the Algarve region of Portugal, and will undoubtedly post a few notes from here. If I can handle this internet cafe or find a new one, that is. To give you an idea, I am surrounded by about 10 men, age 20-25, talking to friends on Skype really loud in some angry-sounding foreign language. One of them is watching old people engaging in kinky sexual acts at the same time. Why, oh why, didn’t I bring my laptop instead?

Yes, I agree that going to southern Portugal just barely counts as adventure travel but it is a good place to warm up one’s bones. It is if you live in Prague or New York, at least.

I don’t have much to report just yet. I have noticed that the climate and landscape here is remarkably similar to that of Southern California. I can see why Portugal is trying to brand itself to Americans as the “West Coast of Europe.” They claim they are very environmentally-savvy, although the house where we are staying recycles just glass. It is not too hot in the summer and pretty warm in the winter. Not nearly as many blonds though. And a lot more sardines!

Even with the weak dollar, Portugal is pretty affordable. A cup of coffee will cost you about one euro [$1.40]. You might have noticed that I typically go by the “coffee price index” when traveling abroad. Gotta keep my priorities straight!

Stay tuned for more on Portugal.

In Trinidad and Tobago soldiers help keep the streets safe

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever traveled in places where soldiers help man the streets, it can be a bit disconcerting, particularly in a place that should evoke an image of paradise.

I read in the World Watch section of today’s The Plain Dealer, (besides news Justin already posted on about lithium batteries and luggage) that for the next month or so in Tobago and Trinidad, seeing soldiers on patrol will be a common sight. Police can’t control crime by themselves so the military has been called in for reinforcement.

Because crime rates sky rocket this time of year, having soldiers frequent where people go for fun will hopefully put a damper on criminals’ good times. After Carnival in February, crime goes down, but I’m not sure how much since there are also reports of more police posts being established in rural areas.

If you go, besides being on criminal watch, don’t wear any camouflage. It’s illegal. I found that out from reading the Tobago and Trinidad Web site.

Palau: the ultimate dive-spot?

by Jerry Guo on

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Palau for a possible magazine story somewhere. It seems in a single decade this tiny island (the last colonial territory to gain its independence, in 1994) has almost switched its entire economy from fishing to tourism, in the form of diving.

Now it’s arguably the hottest dive site in the world, mostly because of the sheer numbers and variety of fish (1,500 species) and coral (700 species). This year, Palau began linking up all of its scattered marine protected areas (MPA) in the world’s largest campaign to thwart coral bleaching. Though they’ve had a long history of sustainable fishing (codified in ancient fishing laws known as tabu), the country’s recent emphasis on ocean conservation and eco-tourism is refreshing, to say the least, especially after all that we’ve read on the demise of coral reefs by global warming.

I’ve posted before about sustainable dive-trips. I feel like this may be one of the few places you could go to for scuba diving, and not feel that bad about really screwing up the environment. They’re just so far ahead of the crowd when it comes to balancing tourism with conservation.