Cool or Lame? Don’t Go.org

by Erik Olsen on

A woman I knew in college and I were talking years ago about favorite movies, and I told her one of my favorites, by
far, was Spinal Tap. She bristled, wondering how I could enjoy such a boring documentary. It just wasn’t funny, she
said. It was sad…sad how our culture celebrates this kind of music, these heavy metal musicians. I didn’t heave the
heart to tell her…well, I’d hate to spoil it for her now either.

But here’s the point: of all the types of humor we have in our cultural arsenal, one of the most vicious, and
wonderful, is satire. Remember how right after 9/11, when we were all shocked, saddened, maddened, and confused about
what had happened? Remember that first issue of the Onion that came out with the
headline: Holy Fuc&%ing Sh*t! (or words to that effect). For me, that issue did more for my psyche that a million
hours of therapy.

All this as a long way to go to mention this new site called Don’t Go. The site
lampoons a travel advisory format and provides lots of reasons why we should NOT travel, including really bad toilets
(and, for what it’s worth, they might amp it up a bit as the photo they use of a bad toilet is nowhere NEAR as bad as
many I’ve seen).

Now, I am NOT saying this is the equivalent of either Spinal tap or the Onion. Not even close. But it is a creative
stab at satire and global travel, and I thought it was worth a post so that others could weigh in. Clearly I think it’s
cool. But maybe it’s simple and kind of…well, lame. What do you think?

Travel epinions

by Erik Olsen on

Have you ever spent some time checking out travel opinions
on epinions? This is honestly not a bad way to go when you’re in
search of honest info about a place or trip. The regions are broken out geographically so you can search, say, Mexico
and Oaxaca and learn all about the place from
people who, presumably, have been there. Nopt all of the places have a ton of reviews, but some do, and chances are if
you’re going someplace soon, there will be at least SOME useful information. Maybe you can pick up a tip on a place to
stay or a good restaurant.

Austin’s Habitat Suites

by Adrienne Wilson on

If you look beyond the cheerful green plant pictured here, you’ll notice a simple accommodation
not quite cutting-edge or trendy in decor, but simple goes on to say a
lot.  The Habitat Suites located in Austin, Texas take pride
in providing lodging that is environmentally sustainable.  Much thought was taken into account when constructing
the suites. For example, Habitat is completely smoke-free and has a live plant in every room for better air
quality.  Trees were planted to shade suites from summer sun and thus eliminating the need for artificial
air.  For some these things could all be considered paradise and others might want to pack a small fan.  In
any case vegan’s and vegetarian’s will also take delight in the menu selection which feature several traditional dishes
for their fancy.

Bookstore Tourism Road Trips

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here’s an interesting career alternative or sideline to help bring in the bucks for some of us travel
writers, “Bookstore
Tourism.”  Hmm, never heard of it?  Well, “Bookstore Tourism” is great for travel writers to hit the
road as it combines a travel with frequenting bookstores in other parts of your state and if you’re daring,
further out.  When you think about it what writer doesn’t like to read?  

In the beginning it was simply used as a grassroots effort to promote independent book sellers, but is now being
seen as a hot new way to become your own tour guide, market book stores as tourist destinations and create a
little extra cash flow for your piggy bank.  If you’re thinking this might be kind of cool, but confused at
how to go about it, you can find some step-by-step
how-to, here.  You can also purchase the book by
clicking here or at Amazon.

Tortugas: Tip of the US

by Erik Olsen on


The New York Times has

a solid piece on the Tortugas, one of the most distant spots in the continental US.
Dry Tortugas National Park is an outpost of Florida 70 miles from Key West in
the Gulf of Mexico, and it is known for being a great spot to hanng out and have a tropical holiday, but also a fine
dive spot (an aspect of the islands mentioned, albeit poorly, in the peice…although snorkeling is mentioned). The
Tortugas have a storied history,. There are some great historical sites there, and is is also the place that “Papa”
Ernest Hemingway first met Gregorio Fuentes, the inspiration for the fisherman in “The Old Man and the Sea,” when both
had been out fishing and were marooned there in a storm.