Maps of the World

by Erik Olsen on

There’s one thing about a lot of guidebooks that sticks in my craw: lousy maps. Here these books are so often chock full of the most important, useful information on a location, and yet the maps are crap. Useless.

Well, before several trips I’ve taken, I’ve dropped by my local AAA and as a member have been able to get my hands on varied maps from destinations far off and exotic, especially more so than you’d expect from a AAA. I also venture occasionally to the local Haagstrom Map store near my work to pick up a foldable map for a place – for example Newfoundland – where I am traveling. I’ll likely do this for my upcoming trip to Baja.

But today I also stumbled across a nice resource online called Just Maps. I checked out several of these maps, organized by continent and then country, and they are not bad at all. Far better than you find in most places. There are usually several different maps to chose from and all are printable. A nice little resource you’ve probably never heard of before.

Park Problems in MJ

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve done our best here to keep tabs on what has been going on politically, environmentally, economically (all intertwined, of course) in the country’s National Parks. Some of it ain’t pretty and many of the problems the parks face have nothing to do with politics, but more with unavoidable trends of migration, human settlement and suburban sprawl. Last month one the the nation’s best magazines, National Geographic (yes, the yellow-bordered one, not one of the glossy off-shoots) ran a series on the problems the parks face. It was a nice piece of journalism, but left me feeling just a little hungry for more. Vanity Fair also ran a piece about a dissident superintendent n the park service that was also interesting, but again, didn’t fully articulate the issues the park’s face. Again, I was left a little hungry for facts.

Well, it looks like another adventure magazine is going to take a whack at it. I used to subscribe to Men’s Journal until every issue seemed to be about how to get rock hard abs. But the December 2006 is actually dong some real journalism and attempting to take on this very issue of what’s wrong with the parks (and/or those who administer them). The article is called “The Plot Against America’s Parks” and is unfortunately not online (another reason MJ bugs me) and I’m actually gong to plunk down some dollars for it and will try to review it here. But for those who want to get their hands on it there you go. Ad if you’ve read it, we’d be curious to hear what you think.

Skiing Three Countries in One Day

by Iva Skoch on

Should you ever feel the need to impress your friends with the number of places you have skied in your life (and not go bankrupt as a result of it) head over to Slovenia. If you settle in the town of Bovec, home of Kanin, the highest ski center in the Slovenian Alps, you can venture out to nearby ski resorts in the neighboring countries: Sella Nevea and Tarvisio in Italy, and at the Arnoldstein in Austria. If you get the 7-day pass, you get two free coupons for skiing in Italy and Austria. The altitude stretches above 2000 meters (6000 feet) and a day pass will set you back less than $20.

Of course, you can ski three countries in one day in Chamonix if you are lucky, too, but it is a lot more expensive (closer to $50/day) and a lot more pretentious.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of November 19

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that you’re settling in and letting all that turkey digest and I have your attention I think it is the perfect opportunity to serve you this week’s five favorites found on Gadling.

5. The Post on Hookup Travel:
Face it – the holidays can be a drag without someone there to cuddle with in the lodge on your ski vaca or to without a hand to hold as you stroll alone down a sandy beach on the islands. In short, if you’re single and desperately wishing not to go solo this season check out this piece on hookup travel.

4. Stink 0, Airlines 1:
Here’s an interesting story of a smelly German guy who got booted from his flight for being a little too offensive with his odor. The poor fellow never made it to court and his case was tossed anyway considering his odor wasn’t due to disability or illness. That stinks! (No pun intended.) Read the full deal for yourself.

3. How to Bargain Abroad: The Right Way:
Savvy shoppers know how to bargain, yet there are two ways of going about this sport: the right way and the wrong way. If you’re good and I mean really good at doing it the right way you’re bound to score some awesome goods, otherwise you’ll be like the rest of us suckers getting jacked by high prices. Learn to do it right.

2. Stashing your Goods in Your Sandals:
For all the gift-giving individuals out there, give your loved one the gift of peace-of-mind. These women’s sandals by Reef allow you to stash a credit card or two, a key and some cash in a secret compartment. Pretty cool gear piece if you’ve always been one to cling to your goods on the beach fearing someone would take them.

1. America the Unfriendly:
Say it ain’t so? Or is it? Is it really that hard making it into our borders? Visas that tough to obtain? You be the decision-maker.

Worldmapper

by Erik Olsen on

Here is a very interesting new way to look at the world. A site called Worldmapper allows you to view the various countries of the world in relative size according to factors other than actual geography. Consider, for example, the map I chose here which shows population. Now, everyone knows that India and China are the most populated nations in the world. But in this image you can see how much larger their populations are than other countries like the US by the size they represent on the map.

Wee countries like Panama and Chile and Norway and, well, Guinea-Bissau, just kind of disappear. But population is kind of the obvious one. You can also view countries by private health spending (where the US looks as bloated as a mid-western teen with a fast food addiction) and HIV prevalence. Pretty neat new view of the world, eh?