Luanda, Angola: The world’s most expensive city for expats

by Aaron Hotfelder on

London. Tokyo. New York. Hong Kong. Luanda?

When you think of expensive places to live, Luanda, Angola, probably doesn’t come to mind. But according to a recent study by the consulting firm Mercer, the Angolan capital is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates. Why?

Well, it’s the same reason prices are usually high: too much demand, too little supply. Luanda, a city rife with crippling poverty, has seen several multinational oil companies move to town in recent years, but it lacks the infrastructure, secure housing, and affordable services that many of their employees expect.

“To entice talented staff to [African] cities, multinationals need to provide the same standard of living and benefits that these employees and their families would experience at home,” said a researcher at Mercer. “In some African cities, the cost of this can be extraordinarily high–particularly the cost of good, secure accommodation.”

Cheeseburgers in Luanda cost about $15, with haircuts running $150, and one-year gym memberships costing $2,500. Quality housing in a safe neighborhood can cost just under $10,000 per month.

The survey placed Tokyo second for cost of living, with N’Djamena, Chad, Moscow, and Geneva rounding out the top five. Karachi, Pakistan, was the world’s cheapest city for expats.

More here.

[Photo Credit: Embassy of Angola UK]

Save the Serengeti from a new highway

by Kraig Becker on

One of the world’s greatest natural wonders, the Serengeti is under threat from a new source after the Tanzanian government approved construction of a highway that would pass through the iconic African plains. The new highway would be built directly through the Serengeti National Park, and could have devastating consequences to the delicate ecosystem there, but fortunately there is already a movement afoot to try to save the Serengeti before it is too late.

The Serengeti was named a World Heritage Site back in 1981 thanks to the amazingly diverse wildlife that exists there, not to mention the annual migration of millions of zebras, wildebeests, and other wild animals, across hundreds of miles of open plains. That migration is one of the most spectacular sights in all of nature, and visitors come from the world over to witness the event. The construction of this new highway could potentially disrupt the migration and alter the ecosystem of the Serengeti forever.

In response to this threat, a coalition of organizations with a shared concern over the future of the African plains has created the Save the Serengeti initiative. The website allows other organizations to join the fight against the new highway, and gives individuals the chance to sign the petition as well, letting Tanzanian officials know about our concern for the health of the natural environment there.

I visited the Serengeti a few years back, and found it to be a magical place. Watching the wildlife in the their natural habitat, was simply enthralling, and it remains one of the most beautiful and memorable places I have ever visited. The thought of a highway running through that pristine wilderness is something I can’t even imagine, and I hope that there is some way that they can find an alternative route. Needless to say, I already signed the petition, and urge you to do the same.

Five hot weekend travel media stories

by Alex Robertson Textor on

In today’s round-up of the weekend’s newspaper media travel stories: delicious pork, among other edibles, in the French Basque Country; American summer road trips; the Italian border city of Ventimiglia; biking along the Danube; and a guide to the world’s waterfalls. These five stories inspire fantasies of several types, and hit on less popular spots (like the French Basque Country and Ventimiglia) as well as some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, including Niagara Falls.

1. In the Guardian, Andy Pietrasik goes on a fishing trip in Basque France and gets seriously sidetracked by small-scale local culinary specialties.

2. Also in the Guardian, Jamie Jensen and Max Grinnell offer seven road trip itineraries across the United States. These include a Lake Superior North Shore drive and Highway 61 from Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

3. In the Globe and Mail, Shawna Wagman explores the Italian city of Ventimiglia, which she hilariously refers to as “the Windsor-Detroit corridor of the Riviera.” Wagman is especially taken by Ventimiglia’s Friday open-air market.

4. In South Africa’s Sunday Times, Marilynn Berrington narrates her bike journey with Rad & Reisen from Passau to Vienna.

5. In the Independent, Harriet O’Brien provides a snappy guide to some of the world’s best known waterfalls.

(Image: Flickr/Alberto Mari)

Hotel staffers sentenced to prison for stealing World Cup souvenirs

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s the exciting side of sports and there’s the crazy side of sports, and sometimes, crazy just goes too far.

According to reports from South Africa, the cleaning staff of an unidentified luxury hotel were sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty for stealing World Cup 2010 souvenirs.

The “souvenirs” included World Cup soccer shirts, a medal and even players’ underwear from the England team, police said. In total, about $750 cash was stolen.

The thefts were reported and within one day, all the stolen goods were recovered and returned t their rightful owners, the AP reports. The five hotel workers were sentenced to three years in prison and fined about $800.

Readers, what do you think: Was justice served?

[via USAToday.com]


Connecticut family spends seven years sailing the world

by Jason Heflin on

For one Connecticut family of four, a sailing vacation turned into a seven year adventure. In 2003 the Hopkins family decided to take their 32-foot boat for a long holiday to visit exotic locations. Seven years later, they are settling back into life in the US.

During the voyage the family hit several continents including Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Their longest stint at sea lasted 36 days and the longest time they spent on land was a 15 month residency in South Africa. The family stayed in a place as long as it felt comfortable and then packed up the boat and moved on.

The two daughters were five and eight-years-old when they departed and were home-schooled during their travels. Learning to live in cramped quarters was one of the biggest lessons the girls came away with. As for the parents, they’ll be starting new careers as high school teachers now that they have this life-changing experience under their belts.