Activist calls for Utah boycott after California passes Prop 8

by Meg Massie on

We’ve noticed a sharp drop in the cost of traveling to Utah — could it be because the state is trying to hedge against a tourism boycott for its role in the recent elections? It wasn’t Utah’s doing, exactly, but the Mormon Church, which makes up over 60% of Utah’s population, poured millions of dollars and hours of grassroots campaigning into passing California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state.

Activist and blogger John Aravosis of americablog.com blames Utah Mormons for taking away rights, and suggests that a boycott of Utah tourism is a good way to show dissatisfaction for the LDS church’s role in passing Proposition 8. He’s calling for skiers to choose anywhere but Utah this winter, and he’s even urging Hollywood to back out of the annual Sundance Film Festival, which makes up a huge part of Utah’s $6 billion annual tourism income.

While gay rights groups have not yet weighed in on the idea of a boycott, other individuals and websites are latching onto the cause, and the backlash against the Mormon Church and the state of Utah by extension has been intense. Aravosis and his supporters can’t reasonably expect to change the church’s view on gay marriage, but he says he intends to go after the “Utah brand,” calling it a “hate state.” He does not call for a boycott of California, saying “the Californians are the victims and the Mormons are the persecutors.” A boycott may not get Utah Mormons to change their minds about gay rights, but Aravosis hopes it will at least get them to stop trying to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the world.

Watching Seven Years in Tibet

by Jerry Guo on

I’ve been on somewhat of a movie spree lately–I think it may have just a little to do with my new Netflix account.

I don’t know why I haven’t seen Seven Years in Tibet, seeing as Tibet is near the top of my top dream destinations. The movie really exceeded my expectations, I guess it helps the story takes place during the 1940s, an action-packed period with WWII and the birth of modern China. Oh, and the whole annexation of Tibet thing.

What’s particularly well-done about the movie is how they played off the political issue. I didn’t think it was overly preachy; in fact, it really touched me how director David Thewlis chose to illustrate the oppression of the Tibetans by Communist Chinese. Watch the movie if you want to know more about their history and on-going plight.

And lastly, the landscapes are pretty gorgeous, though most of what you see was technically filmed in Argentina (there’s 20 minutes of footage secretly shot from within Tibet). On a lighter note, Brad Pitt was given the dubious honor of third worst accent in a movie for his portrayal of Heinrich Harrer.

Guaranteed to make you smile: Improve Everywhere’s newest stunt

by Jerry Guo on

News of Improv Everywhere’s latest prank has been zipping all over the Internet tubes in the last 24 hours, and dare I say, it’s perhaps their most successful–and heartwarming–performance.

Basically they managed to turn a little league game in California into the season’s biggest event, complete with actual NBC sportscasters, a JumboTron, a Goodyear Blimp, oh, and a really professional-looking press conference. And the parents and players (even the team managers) had no idea what was going on, even after it was over.

Get thee to the White House!

by Annie Scott on

Planning a trip for Obama’s Inauguration? Expedia will help you.

Expedia has set up a whole host of tools to get you to D.C. and into a hotel, car, tours (don’t miss the FBI!), or whatever you need with as little hassle as possible.

The Expedia 56th Presidential Inauguration Site features travel tips like which airports are nearby, what suburbs to stay in if the city’s booked, and all kinds of activities to try, including a list of great free activities like the Inaugural Parade!

It’s going to be a momentous occasion in Washington D.C. and all over the country. Don’t you want to tell your grandchildren you were there?

The best advice I can give you? Book now. Like, today. Everything’s gonna fill up fast.

The traveler’s plea to the next U.S. president

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve followed Gadling for any length of time, you’ve probably caught on that topics range from the serious to the not so serious–from the straight-forward to the downright loopy. Throughout the bounty are our thoughts and interpretations of what it means to be a traveler in the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re heading just a few blocks from where you live to the farthest corners from where you were born. The point is movement outwards.

In this past year, there have been oodles of stories of travelers’ woes and concerns, many that have moved our readers to add comments. Problems with TSA, high gas prices that created a nose dive to vacation plans, shifting airline regulations, airline shutdowns, and reduced amenities on certain flights have lengthened the list of issues that might make a traveler say, “I have a bone to pick with somebody.”

Christopher Elliot who gave us tongue-in-cheek, but kind of serious, ideas for items a plane might ditch has been thinking again. In his essay, “Dear Mr. President” in this month’s issue of National Geographic Traveler he outlines the bones to pick issues–the ones that he would like to take up with the next U.S. president. As Elliot sees it travel related concerns can be divided into the following categories and have relevance to the bigger picture concerns of economics and freedom of movement.

Here they are:

  • Gas prices: High gas prices kept many people staying closer to home or not traveling at all. High fuel prices wrecked havoc on airlines.
  • A weak dollar: This made travel to Europe and other popular vacation hot spots incredibly expensive, thus many didn’t go there.
  • Struggling airlines: Airlines struggling to keep afloat have not been a picnic when it comes to flying.
  • Security hassles: Passport regulations, border issues, and TSA lines to name some have enticed people to just stay home.
  • Travel Restrictions: How about loosening those travel restrictions to Cuba for starters?

In conjunction with Elliot’s essay, and with the U.S. election today, Intelligent Travel is asking readers to present their own ideas on what the next president should consider when it comes to those issues that affect travelers. Here’s today’s section, and here’s yesterday’s where you can comment away. Or comment here, and we’ll pass on the message. [photo by d.c. John]