Travel Read: The East Highland Way hiking guide

by Sean McLachlan on


Last year for my annual “Oh crap another birthday I need to prove my youth” long-distance hiking adventure, I chose Scotland’s East Highland Way. It runs 78 miles from Ft. William through some beautiful countryside to Aviemore. The route had just been created by hiker Kevin Langan, and was so new there wasn’t a guidebook. Kevin was kind enough to send me maps and a summary preprint of his book and I set off. Check out the link above to follow my adventures.

Now Kevin’s book has been published by independent Scottish publisher Luath Press, Ltd. The East Highland Way is a detailed guide to the route with lots of information on wildlife and history. It’s also richly illustrated with clear maps and photos of Scotland’s beautiful countryside. Full disclosure: I contributed several photos. I didn’t ask for payment, and I don’t receive any royalties. I gave Kevin free photos because I believe in promoting this trail.

I’ve never read a guidebook after going somewhere, yet this strange experience didn’t diminish my enjoyment. Kevin gives lots of detail about side trips I missed and information about Scotland’s nature I wished I’d known before I headed out. I highly recommend the book. Of course, if you’re planning on hiking this route there’s no other book about it, so my recommendation is unnecessary, but it’s nice to know the only game in town has been well played.

The East Highland Way starts at the junction of the West Highland Way and Great Glen Way, both very popular (some would say too popular) routes. It ends at the start of Speyside Way, another popular route. If you want an enjoyable hike that isn’t overrun by walkers, consider the East Highland Way. When I went last year I hardly bumped into anyone. The only other person I heard was doing the hike was a German guy walking a day ahead of me. I never caught up with him and that’s just fine. I loved having the Highlands to myself.

Book review: Quiet Corners of Rome

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Travel guidebooks conceive of the world as a series of obvious, important monuments. This is particularly true of a brash and magnificent city like Rome. Your typical traveler could be forgiven for simplifying this complex historic capital down to a giant marble stadium, a series of famous steps and giant chapel mural. But writer David Downie reminds us there’s a lot more to Rome than its monuments. In fact, Downie argues, Rome is a city best savored through its secret places: the sensual and contemplative spaces unknown to the average visitor.

In his new book, Quiet Corners of Rome, Downie (a Gadling contributor) treats us to an insider’s tour of over 60 of Rome’s hidden spaces based on years of exploration. What he reveals is a city that is not about grand monuments, but instead the spaces in between: quiet courtyards punctuated by burbling fountains and the fresh scent of pine, the distant vibration of church bells in a shady courtyard and ancient stone plazas bedecked with intricate architectural details. Each sight is accompanied by a serene photo taken by photographer Alison Harris. It’s less a tourist guide than a dictionary of intimate discoveries and pleasant surprises – a sprawling, overwhelming city made personable, particular and specific.

Looking for a guide to Rome’s greatest and grandest sights? This is not that book. What Quiet Corners of Rome accomplishes however, is something altogether more authentic. It’s a highly personal, approachable and enjoyable way experience one of our favorite places as it was meant to be experienced: by cherishing every hidden nook and secret city view.

SkyMall Monday: Towel Origami Book

by Mike Barish on

As we march deeper into the 21st century, technology will only become a greater force in our lives. From the internet to mobile devices to the near-imminent arrival of jet packs, innovation will continue to push us forward. The flip side, however, is that we will lose more and more of our old ways. As older generations pass on, many of our old ways will be forgotten. Here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we rely on the oral histories of our elders to guide us. While we progress into a brave new world, those traditions become nothing more than footnotes in history books. Thankfully, SkyMall knows that we must preserve our customs. Thanks to our favorite catalog, those practices that sustained us during our earliest times can be cherished and sustained. We owe a debt of gratitude to SkyMall for the book that will save The Lost Art of Towel Origami.Most of us take towels for granted. Sure, they dry us at our darkest, wettest moments, but towels are so much more than that. They are inspirational beings that bridge the gap between our world and the heavens. Only when they have been folded into their spirit animals can they guide us on life’s many quests. Their sage advice is held in their complex folds.

Think that towels are nothing but overpriced terrycloth? Believe that folding is just for paper? Well, while you fall victim to one of the many household accidents that occur in the bathroom, we’ll be reading the product description:

You’ll never fold a towel the same old way again. Make a guest bath special with towel origami—the art of folding fabrics into cool shapes and creatures.

Crease and crinkle ordinary towels to create an elephant, monkey, ladybug, palm tree, lotus flower, spinning windmill, skyscraper, and more.

Like the elders once did in the rock gardens of rural Japan, you, too, can practice the art of folding fabrics into cool shapes and creatures. And, by elders I mean housekeeping staffs and by rural Japan I mean modern cruise ships.

Preserving the old ways keeps us connected to our past. It shows respect to those who led us here and inspired us to be better. If we lose those traditions, we lose our way. We must fold our towels into sunglasses-wearing elephants. If we don’t, it’s the children who suffer.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Last WWI combat veteran dies: where can you see his legacy?

by Sean McLachlan on

Claude Choules, the last known combat veteran of WWI, has died aged 110. Born in England in 1901, he was too young to enlist in the army when the war broke out in 1914, so he waited until he was 15 and enlisted in the Royal Navy, where he saw service throughout the war.

Unlike most veterans, he liked the service and stayed on. While working as a visiting instructor for the Australian Navy, he fell in love with the country and moved there. When war broke out again he fought for his new country in its navy. He retired after 40 years in service but never stopped being active. At the tender age of 80 he took up writing and penned his memoirs. Over time he became a pacifist and controversially refused to participate in ANZAC Day parades. There’s much more to his story, so check out the link and his memoirs, assuming the book isn’t sold out by now.

Choules fought on the sea, so with no battlefields to visit, where can you see the legacy of WWI’s last combat veteran? A good start would be the museums of the two navies in which he served. The Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, UK, currently has an exhibition called Sea Your History: 20th Century Royal Navy that shows what life was like aboard naval vessels during the two world wars and beyond. This gives a good insight into what a teenaged Claude Choules had to endure. The Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre at Garden Island Naval Base near Sydney also has displays about life in the navy. I wouldn’t be surprised if both museums make special exhibitions to mark the passing of this remarkable man.

But you don’t have to go to the UK or Australia to see Choules’ legacy. He lived through the most momentous event of the early 20th century. The war changed Europe and the world. The millions of deaths seriously weakened Europe’s hold on their colonies and emboldened independence movements in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The old aristocracy found itself hit hard financially and began to lose their grip on society. Large numbers of women got to work in factories and other “man’s jobs” for the first time, and began to question why they couldn’t vote.

While the First World War wasn’t the sole factor in the end of colonialism or the rise of women’s rights, it was a major one. If you want to see Claude Choules’ legacy, just look around you.

[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Ten offbeat travel tips to “beautify” your experience

by McLean Robbins on

Debbi Kickham, former editor at Robb Report and a 25 year industry veteran, boasts hundreds of thousands of airline miles to her name. While we’re not big on books simply because they have big name behind them, we have to admit – we’re intrigued by some of her offbeat travel tips.

Kickham offers ten of her favorite travel tips – including some that we never would have thought of (where do you even buy Rollerblade wheels?). Check them out:

  • Bring a hot-water bottle. One of Debbi’s interviewees confessed to bringing a hot-water bottle, which she filled on the plane, in order to stay warm and cozy while sailing through the skies.
  • Replace your luggage wheels with Rollerblade wheels. A flight attendant gave Debbi this extraordinary tip. She says this technique, which takes about five minutes, will have your luggage practically rolling itself.
  • Stash a rolling pin in your checked luggage. That’s right – the same rolling pin used to make pastry. One road warrior takes a rolling pin so she can roll out the kinks in her legs.

  • Pack a pool thermometer. Want to swim at your destination’s pool? What if it’s too cold? One travel writer “checks in and checks out the pool” the minute she arrives. If the temperature is too cold, they ask management to raise it to about 80 degrees, so they can swim comfortably.
  • Jumprope in your room – without the jumprope. This is Debbi’s age-old technique, which she has used everywhere from Walla Walla to Bora Bora. When she wants to exercise, a gym isn’t available, and she wants to do aerobics, she simply goes through the motions.
  • Carry on your own air purifier. A cruise-ship professional confessed that she wears a personal air filter on the plane, to make the atmosphere more healthy.
  • Ice your face. If you really want moisturizer and serums to sink into your skin, take the advice of one travel editor: ice your face for a few minutes first. Her dermatologist gave her this great advice!
  • Bring a blow-up ball. One fitness enthusiast who travels frequently always packs a blow-up ball so she can do more effective stomach crunches.
  • Add Vitamin C powder to your water. Want a more effective beauty product? Add Vitamin C powder to water, to make a terrific tonic. Or add it to your moisturizer, to get better results and an antioxidant blast.
  • Bring your own salad dressing to restaurants. Why bother with fattening dressings around the world, when you want to watch your weight?

What do you think? Do you think these tips are great or should some be left at home?