Photo of the Day (10-29-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This time of year in Ohio, it’s hard not to trip over a pumpkin. They march up people’s porch steps. They perch on hay bales in front of grocery stores, and they fill tables at roadside fruit stands. Some folks sell pumpkins as fundraisers. Heading to a farm to pick a pumpkin from a field is a favorite fall activity in this blocky sliver of the world.

When I saw Brian Brook’s photo of this pumpkin field, the eye-popping colors reminded me of two Saturdays ago when my son had an impulse to go bowling with pumpkins when we meandered through a similar field. I did stop him.

And there was the pumpkin patch last Saturday at Young’s Jersey Dairy near Yellow Springs, Ohio where we picked up our fifth pumpkin. We are not planning on getting a sixth. If we do, I know where to find one.

If you have any photos with eye-popping colors, send them our way at Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool to be considered for the Photo of the Day.

How to choose an atlas

by Karen Walrond on

When my husband and I got married, we were also on the verge of moving from London to the United States. As a wedding present, a number of our friends chipped in and bought us a huge world atlas. It seemed like a somewhat strange gift at the time, but it’s surprising how much we’ve used our atlas, even in these times of Google Maps and other internet resources. There’s just something so nostalgic about pulling out the giant atlas, flipping over its huge papers and pouring over the maps, and inadvertently learning something new (the GDP of Singapore is $168.7 billion, who knew?). And nowadays, we often pull out the huge book to teach our daughter about the various countries of the world, as well.

If owning an atlas (or giving one as an unusual gift) sounds good to you, you’re in luck: Ben Keene, editor of Oxford University Press, has just posted his handy guide on how to pick an atlas. His tips include focusing on what you’ll be using your atlas for, determining whether an atlas is outdated or not (or a collector’s gem), and describes how an atlas’ index is much like a search engine. He even gives a compelling argument about why atlases are still relevant in a GPS world.

Business travel in the new economy

by Mike Barish on

I happen to love business travel. It’s allowed me to visit exotic locales such as Delhi, India and Schenectady, NY. It’s helped me accrue airline miles that I’ve used for personal trips. And it hasn’t cost me a cent since my corporate card handles all the dirty work. But recently companies have started to encourage their employees to find cheap alternatives to the normal perks of business travel.

In a recent piece in the New York Times, Joe Sharkey points out corporate travel managers are actually starting to recommend that traveling employees stay with friends or family rather than book hotel rooms. Or, if a hotel is absolutely necessary, they are suggesting that coworkers share rooms. Can you imagine waking up next to Fred from Accounting who loves telling you about his Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Well, you may have to get used to it.

I can completely understand companies attempting to rein in travel expenses. Maybe they’ll make adjustments to the list of preferred hotels and eliminate some of the pricier boutique accommodations. Perhaps they’ll ask employees to share rental cars. But asking people to crash at their friends’ houses or share hotel rooms? That’s tacky and inappropriate.

Look, these are tough economic times. People are losing their jobs. Companies are going out of business. By no means am I condoning a completely irresponsible abuse of business travel. But when you travel for business, you are inconveniencing yourself. You’re leaving the comforts of your home, as well as your family and friends, behind. For that you should be compensated and accommodated. So, while I’m willing to stay in the Holiday Inn Express instead of the Ritz Carlton, I’m not willing to share a bathroom with anyone with whom I will have to share a cubicle the next day. Because Fred’s IBS stories are bad enough experienced secondhand.

Nordic budget airline Sterling files for bankruptcy

by Anna Brones on

These are not great economic times, and they’re taking a toll on the travel industry. Icelandic-owned and Denmark-based Nordic budget airline Sterling announced today that it will file for bankruptcy, halting all of its aircraft. The slowdown of the travel market and rising oil prices put financial strains on the airline a year ago, but now with the fall of the Icelandic economy, and hence the funds of the airline’s owner, Sterling had no choice but to call it quits.

And although things are obviously bad for the airline, things aren’t any better for its passengers: the halting of flights has left thousands of them stranded at airports across Europe. Sterling announced that tickets purchased online at the Sterling website would not be refunded, nor would return flights be honored. Coming to the rescue, rival airline Scandinavian Airlines announced that it would offer Sterling passengers and crew members seats on its flights to Copenhagen, depending on availability. But that will only help a small handful; all in all, an estimated 40,000 customers are said to be affected by the bankruptcy.

November Iceland roadtrip: “You’re an idiot”

by Jerry Guo on

A lot of foreigners are taking advantage of the ridiculously depreciated Icelandic krona and flying there this winter. Which is a bit weird because it’s Iceland. And winter.

As one Icelandic native said to me, “The nation is surviving right now on foreign journalists and tourists.”

I’m in the middle of figuring out the logistics of my trip. My top priority is booking a rental car and hopefully making it around the 800 or so mile of the ring road, an epic journey that will take me all the way around the island. Alas, here’s what the local guru had to say about my foolhardy idea:

Unless you’re an extremely skilled winter driver, I highly, highly discourage you from driving the Ring Road in late Nov. Roads aren’t salted and though even the rental cars have studded tires, the conditions are freakishly scary and just not something an utlengur (foreigner) should be doing. Even the road between Keflavik (the airport) and Reykjavik can be treacherous. Take my word on this… not a good idea. Also, late November is really dark. You’ll have only a few hours of light a day, which makes conditions even worse and not good for a travel piece.