UNESCO’s 60th Anniversary

by Kelly Amabile on

Since we’ve mentioned UNESCO World Heritage sites here
at least a dozen times, I just wanted
to briefly mention that today is the organization’s 60th anniversary. On November 16, 1945,
representatives from 37 countries agreed to created this body to build peace through education, science and
culture.

UNESCO actually began its
60 Weeks of
Celebration in September 2005, and has weekly themes planned through November 2006. Sixteen of the 60 Weeks
celebrate world cultures in a variety of ways, including focused weeks on museums, crafts & design, art education
and cultural diversity and industries.

Russell Crows Helps Nab Tourists’ Mugger

by Erik Olsen on

Here he comes to save the day! Well, sort of. So there were
these two American
tourists in France…Paris to be exact. And they come out of a Parisian restaurant all giddy and full of Merlot…and
lo! they get mugged. But who is there to eye the bugger? Why, Russell Crowe, of course, whose image as a do-gooder has
long been in need of repair. Sadly, Crowe didn’t run down the schmuck and tell him that “the time for honoring yourself
is almost at an end”, but he did finger the guy later in a lineup.

Rasmus on Travel and Adventure Today

by Erik Olsen on

Legendary magazine editor John Rasmus (who currently helms one of my favorite magazines on the
globe…Nat Geo Adventure) has penned
a thoughtful piece on adventure travel…or
pretty much travel in general. He mentions several of my big-time heroes in the piece: Krakauer, Galen Rowell (who died
in a plane crash with his wife, but whose studio still exists in Bishop, CA), and Richard Bangs (who has a new Web show
on Yahoo).

The world has changed, Rasmus says, from the days when he was a young adventurer. From the days when you could go to a
distant place and see a world completely different than your own, where you could encounter people in their own
culture, a culture free of the effects of globalism, a culture where you would be certain you would NOT run into
Cameron Diaz filming a segment for MTV.

He’s not bashing globalism, he’s just saying that things change, and we need to accept them and move on, to find other
adventures that please us. “The world of adventure travel is still a positive, lively and surprisingly big place,”
he says. “That’s because adventure has never really been about specific destinations or activities. It’s about you —
discovering and exploring new destinations, people and cultures, about seeing the world fresh.” He’s right, you
know. You can spend your whole life bitching about how over-touristed, polluted, LCD things have become. Or you can be
creative and find the places that still inspire and surprise, where you can suck the guts out of life on your own
terms. Maybe that’s some small village in Siberia, or maybe its your back yard. Adventure is partly a state of mind, a
way of living that says I was given but one life, it is mine, the only thing that REALLY belongs to me, and I am going
to live this thing to the fullest.

What a pleasure to awake to find this article this morning. Now it’s time to head into the new week.

Volunteer Abroad Stories

by Erik Olsen on

If you’ve ever considered heading overseas with a purpose, take a look at this superb series at
Outpost Magazine on volunteering opportunities
abroad. You’ll find details on long-term and short term placements with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and
Amizade. The stories behind these volunteer
options are detailed and offer real insight into how you go about taking a volunteer vacation.

(via Worldhum)

Why in the World?

by Kelly Amabile on

Now that Matt Lauer’s latest jaunt around the world is complete,
here’s a quick recap of where he went, plus my gripes about the whole thing.

First, the five places he hit this time: Easter Island; Panama Canal;
Innsbruck, Austria; Shanghai, China; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. I’ll
admit that personally, it was cool to see Shanghai and Dubrovnik on his itinerary, since I’m planning to visit both
those cities next year.

But even though I did tune in each day to see where he was at, I feel like this segment is getting a little
silly. I can’t put my finger on why something about travel, which I love so dearly, still seems to bug me so much.
Maybe it’s just Katie’s cackle. But here’s some questions that bothered me as I watched:

1) Why in the world is he not tired of these marathon trips? He’s been doing this
since 1998, and although I think he skipped a year or two, that’s a
lot of miles. Is he hanging in for a 2008 anniversary tour?

2) Why in the world do Katie, Al and Anne need more gifts? The annoying gift-giving segment has to stop.

3) Why in the world is the Palm Beach Hospice getting the proceeds from those lousy tee shirts anyway? I’m sure the
hospice is a wonderful organization, but come on — Palm Beach!??! At least pick a global organization to support on a
global adventure.

4) Why in the world are they even selling lousy tee shirts at all? Or a custom DVD? The hype is killing me.

5) Why in the world don’t they make this fiasco a goodwill tour? Why not visit tourist areas hard hit (like Cancun
or the Gulf Coast) to support rebuilding efforts in regions that need the extra attention. An idea the NBC spindoctors
might have considered, but surely voted down — I know it would not be as fun or easy…but I’m just saying.

In a year that saw so much of this world devastated by death, damage and destruction, I found it ridiculous to see
Matt talk fashion and nightlife, while eating dumplings in the pouring rain on the Bund. Why in the world did I tune in
for all five days? Those TV ratings folks are skilled professionals — they got me good. Maybe I’ll watch Fox’s spoof,
Where in the World is Mike
Woods? next time.