GADLING TAKE 5: Week of May 10-16

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’re interested in finding out about good or bad health habit travel, turning into Gadling this week would have been a good place to start.

Greek Island of Lesbos sues over term ‘Lesbian’

by Iva Skoch on

Is this a PR strategy to get more tourists to visit Lesbos Island or do they really care?

Three islanders from Lesbos – Greek island and home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women – have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name, Newsweek reports. One of the plaintiffs said that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using “lesbian” in its name.

Lesbos should just use the term lesbian to advertise the island: “Lesbos: where Lesbians love men.” Tell me that wouldn’t work.

Man fakes his own death while surfing in Greece

by Iva Skoch on

At first, it sounded like a great, simple idea. The husband pretends he is dead while the wife collects his life insurance. She will send him money periodically as he assumes new identity abroad. It almost happened that way, Czech press reports.

A Hungarian man, Zoltan Rex, and his wife were vacationing in Greece in 2001, when Zoltan “disappeared” while surfing. Of course, the wife and a few friends were in on the scam and played along. The authorities proclaimed him dead after about a year, but they never found his body. The insurance company, however, refused to pay the roughly $1.3M, because they found it strange that a man would take out several life insurance policies and then disappear. (Note to self: When faking death, remember that insurance companies are not stupid.)

Poor Zoltan escaped to Crete, then Italy, and finally ended up in the Czech Republic, where he lived under the name László Boros until his true identity was discovered last year. The plan never really worked the way they intended. His wife lost hope of ever getting the money and got remarried in 2005.

Now, Zoltan’s only hope is either a) reality show, b) book deal, or c) flourishing career in Eastern European politics.

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Famous tourist destinations made more famous by literature

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve always felt that movies have a much larger impact on a location than a book ever does, attracting tourists by the tour busload to see for themselves the wonderful images portrayed in a particular film.

But books have their draw as well. Earlier today, for example, we shared with you the Tolkien Trail in Birmingham, England where fans of Lord of the Rings can explore the landscape which inspired Middle Earth.

Condé Nast Traveler seems to have books on their mind as well. The recent September issue highlights a list of places where literature has had a dramatic impact on tourism–the most famous example being the annual increase of 800,000 visitors to the Louvre since The Da Vinci Code was published.

Condé Nast Traveler dives into eight other examples–such as Kefalonia, Greece where Corelli’s Mandolin takes place–that makes me want to read and travel much, much more. I hope their list inspires you to do the same–although you can easily cheat since most of these books have also been made into movies.

The first big trip

by Martha Edwards on

I was 21, fresh out of a destructive relationship and going to school full-time when fate stepped in. I was one of those people who told everyone that I loved travel, but until that point, I’d only really gone away with my parents and of those trips had only left North America once. It wasn’t my fault — all my friends were either not into travel or too into their boyfriends to make it priority. And I didn’t want to go alone.

I don’t know what made me stop to read the generic poster on the wall that snowy day when I was embedded in studying procrastination, but I did. Good Times! Student Tour Around the Greek Islands, or something to that effect, it read. The info session was set to start in 20 minutes. I grabbed my books and headed in there. Within a week, I signed up an paid for a 4-week trip with a bunch of strangers.

What followed was a month of wicked fun that was mostly memorable, except when too many shots of ouzo blurred the lines of recognition. Our group was made up of 26 twenty-somethings and two surfer-dude guides who were rarely guiding except when it came time to catch the ferry. We had a wicked time together — full of drinking and dancing and endless side-splitting laughter — and though I keep in touch with few of my travel mates, our time together won’t soon be forgotten.

My point is this: For me, this trip was the perfect foray into the world of solo travelling. I gained confidence, and I gained a love of travelling, all without having to worry about eating alone or being chained to people’s expectations of me at home. You see, travelling with a group of strangers is ideal — you’re independent, but still not entirely on your own. I learned a lot about travelling in those four weeks, and I learned a lot about myself. I learned that when necessary, I can navigate the curvy streets of a foreign land and make the bus on time. I learned that I can get along with anyone. I learned that I can budget. I learned to break out of my comfort zone, and I learned how rewarding that can be. In short? I realized that I am a traveller, not just one of those people who claims to be one.

Thanks, Greece.