Blogger David Farley

by David Farley on

1. Where was your photo taken: La Torre, a great restaurant in Viterbo, about an hour north of Rome . The guy to my left is Paul Steffen, an 87-year-old American dancer who, at one time, was quite famous in Italy for his choreography. Those who have read my book, An Irreverent Curiosity, should be familiar with him. The photo was taken by Pancho Garrison, another good friend and Calcata character who has a sizeable presence in my book.

2. Where do you live now: New York City

3. Scariest airline flown: A “retired” Aeroflot plane that was being chartered by a tour operator. I was flying from Prague to the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria.

4. Favorite city/country/place: People ask me this question all the time and the answer changes depending on where I’ve traveled recently and my mood. I lived in Prague for a few years and was quite attached to the city long after I left. Also I lived in a village near Rome called Calcata and still have a deep fondness for both the Italian capital and Calcata. I was recently in Vietnam and came back home hoping I’ll be able to spend a lot more time there in the future.

5. Most remote corner of the globe visited: I’m not terribly well traveled. I was recently in La Paz, 13,000 feet up in the Andes and with altitude sickness weighing me down as if a truck-sized boulder was on top of me, I felt like I had entered a completely different and very remote dimension.

6. Favorite guidebook series: It depends. Often I just opt to gather my own info via travel articles, news and magazine articles, and info from friends of friends who live in the destination. When I do use a guidebook I tend to gravitate to the Time Out series though.

7. The most unusual food I’ve ever eaten is... I’ve eaten rat in Vietnam, llama in Bolivia, fish sperm ducts in the Czech Republic, but the weirdest thing I’ve eaten is “Italian” food –or, rather, what someone decided to define as Italian food –at American chain restaurants like the Olive Garden.

8. Favorite Foreign Dish/Restaurant? Is there still such a thing as a “foreign dish” in this very globalized 21st century? Some of my favorite restaurants are La Grotta dei Germogli in Calcata, ; Da Enzo in Rome; La Torre in Viterbo, Italy; any taqueria in Los Angeles with a Department of Public Health food facility rating of “B” or worse; Momofuku Ssam Bar and Ipudo in New York City . I also love eating cau lau at the central food market in Hoi An, Vietnam. One of the best meals I had in a long time was a few months ago at David Burke Townhouse in New York.

9. When I’m not writing for Gadling, I’m…eating and drinking and then, usually, writing about it for various travel magazines and newspaper travel sections.

10. Next trip: Oakland, CA. and then Belarus and then …

Forgetting to earn miles when pre-ordering the iPad

by Amy Chen on

I was amused to read that on Day 1, about 120,000 iPads were sold on “a product that 99.9% of purchasers haven’t touched or for that matter, even seen in person,” CNN reports.

I’m embarrassed, but not for the reason you’d expect. On Day 2, I pre-ordered the 3G version of the iPad, due to start shipping in late April. In my eagerness to get my hands on the tablet, I committed a rookie mistake: I forgot to access the Apple Online Store through United Mileage Plus Mall.

For some reason, online shopping is the one mileage-earning opportunity that I often overlook. I’ve even gone as far as bookmarking the Mileage Plus Mall page in hopes it’ll remind me. But no, I forgot — again.

After buying the 64GB model ($829) and a case ($39), my total came to $945.05 with taxes. I’m kicking myself because had I remembered to log in first with my frequent-flier account, I would’ve earned 945 miles toward my United account. (The Apple Online Store lets you earn one mile per dollar).

If I end up buying a dock for the iPad or a wireless keyboard ($69), I’ll try to remember my own advice. Feel free to remind me.

White Collar Travel Extra: Charles Hotel, Skype and the Business Traveler

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Charles Hotel‘s recent small gesture may actually be a bold move. The hotel, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has decided to add Skype and video cameras to the free computer station that occupy rooms once dedicated to ice machines. It doesn’t look like much more than a small concession to weary travelers who want to stay in touch with their loved ones, but it’s actually a fairly hefty commitment.

Though the proliferation cell phones has made using the hotel phones unnecessary, the Skype-equipped stations still undermine a hotel revenue stream, which is tantamount to the hotel’s announcing: “We’ll take money out of our pocket to keep our guests happy.

The stations obviate the need for guests to lug around laptops and cameras and such, which would seem like a natural benefit to the business traveler. Of course, I toted mine around on most of my trips because of the business need, and I don’t see many of that ilk dropping their laptops.Nonetheless, there is an upside for the road warrior. In addition to not having to deal with a camera, the stations obviate the need to install Skype on their business computers. This can help business travelers remain compliant with company IT policies while still having the opportunity to see their friends and family every night when they’re on the road.

Of course, this is only one gesture from one hotel. If it works, however, it won’t take long for the competition to notice – that’s when we’ll see it start to pop up everywhere.

Read more White Collar Travel.

Hiker begins 4700 mile journey around Alaska

by Kraig Becker on

Long distance hiking legend Andrew Skurka is off on another adventure, this time taking on a trek through the Alaskan wilderness that will take seven months to complete, and will cover more than 4700 miles. Dubbed the Alaska-Yukon Expedition, the journey will take Skurka through eight national parks, six in the U.S. and two in Canada, while crossing four mountain ranges, and some of the most remote wilderness found anywhere in North America.

Skurka set out from Kotzebue, Alaska a few days back, and will now travel south to the Iditarod Trail, then east to the Alaskan Range and the Lost Coast. From there, it’s on to the Inside Passage, up the Yukon River to the Ogilive and Richardson Mountains, before eventually turning west, and running the length of the Brooks Range, one of the last great wildernesses on Earth. Finally, he’ll return to Kotzebue, completing the circuit and ending the adventure back where he began.

For now, Skurka will be traveling on skis, but much of the journey will be completed on foot and with the use of a packraft, a small, inflatable boat that he can carry with him. For most people, the thought of covering more than 4700 miles through remote backcountry, under your own power, would seem like an insurmountable challenge, but for Skurka, it is just another long hike to add to his resume. In the past, he has hiked both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, as well as a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific that covered more than 7700 miles. His 6875 mile Great Western Trails Route a few years back also earned him the title of National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.

You’ll be able to follow Skurka’s adventures with weekly updates on the National Geographic Adventure Blog and through his Twitter feed @andrewskurka. If all goes according to plan, he should be finishing up the journey in the early part of October.

Fairmont asks for a dollar, offers the ocean

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Next month, look for something new coming from kitchens across the Fairmont chain. Chefs at these upscale properties will be showing off their skills not only with seafood but the sustainable variety. So, when you cut into your fish of choice, you’ll be experiencing both culinary and environmental bliss. Throughout April, Fairmont will be inviting guests in its dining rooms do donate merely $1 to the National Geographic Society to support ocean conservation and other sea wildlife initiatives.

Seriously, only $1. Is that too much to ask?

I’ve been a big fan of Fairmont’s corporate social responsibility initiatives for a while, and since I enjoy seafood, I’m particularly fond of this latest measure. The move will help to preserve aquatic habitats without detracting from your dining experience – something we used to call a “win-win” back in my consulting days]. If you aren’t staying at a Fairmont, find one near your home and dash off for a great meal.

And please kick in the extra buck.