MTV Launches Travel Guidebook Series

by Neil Woodburn on

Here’s a slightly odd combination that just might work.

Youthful icon MTV is partnering with the guidebook king Frommer’s to bring the hip edgy world of music videos to the hip edgy world of international travel.

The two companies have teamed together to produce a series of guidebooks that will appeal to the MTV demographic. And no, the series will not be called Pimp my European Vacation.

The partnership kicked off in September with the publication of MTV Ireland. By next year the stables will also include Italy, England, Spain, France, Europe, Mexican beaches, and American road trips.

The guidebooks aim towards those traveling/backpacking internationally for the first time and promise to point neophytes towards the best sights, and of course, the best drinking holes, beaches, and clubs. I suggest they might also think about publishing Dude! Where’s my Passport?

I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of MTV Ireland yet, but it will be interesting to see if MTV dethrones Let’s Go as the guidebook of choice for traveling American college students.

On Barcelona

by Erik Olsen on

A few years ago or so, I spent some time living in the Spanish capital of Madrid, and came to deeply appreciate Spanish culture and, well, Spanish women. I love the country’s laid-back charm, the mid-day siestas, the late night partying, the blood sausage (ok, not the blood sausage). But I have to say that the city that most intrigued me in Spain was Barcelona. It is in my opinion much hipper, modern, happening than Madrid. The Star Tribune has got a feature on Barcelona that might tempt you to visit the city on your next European jaunt. It covers the basics: La Rambla, the cathedrals, Gaudi, Miro and Picasso, but it also features a nice reading list to prep your brain, something I think travel articles ought to do more often. There is also a decent (but not great) photo gallery of what you can expect to see in the city.

The Waves of Mundaka

by Erik Olsen on

A good buddy of mine, a guy I’ve known for like 25 years, is a big-time surfer. He’s filled with that intense passion that afflicts so many of his ilk. The passion is all about finding the perfect wave in the perfect place. Usually, that means a place that is NOT infested with other surfers, especially those who don’t surf well. I believe the term is gremmie.

And all over the world these little surf spots are both slowly being discovered and destroyed. more so the latter than the former. I suppose that is the nature of things. As a skier, I know what it’s like to lose a great hill to the trundling tards that have infested places like Mammoth.

Anyway, all this is to say that I stumbled upon this rather cool story in the Belfast Telegraph, not one of the online newspaper I check often. The piece is all about efforts by surfers to save a wee slice of beach in the Basque village of Mundaka in Spain. My friend knows this place. He’s been there before. The waves there are legendary, as they break with the perfect shape of, shall we say, a Greek goddess. But no longer. As you will read, the waves one day simply stopped rolling in as they had before. It is a tragic story, and one that just might bring tears to the eyes of surfers everywhere.

Endangered World Heritage Sites

by Neil Woodburn on

World Heritage Sites are, by definition, fantastic places to visit. But is this true of all of them?

Sure, the honored temples, pagodas, natural landscapes, and medieval towns all have something special to offer; otherwise they wouldn’t be on the list. But what about the negative aspects, the things never mentioned by UNESCO?

The fine folks at National Geographic Traveler have come up with their own rating system to honor the very best and very worst World Heritage Sites on this planet based upon “sustainable tourism.”

National Geographic actively hosts the Center for Sustainable Destinations which researches the impact of tourism upon popular tourist sites. For example, toward the bottom of the most recent scorecard of 94 World Heritage Sites researched by the group is the Potala Palace in Tibet. The Palace scored only 46 out of 100 possible points due to the impact of mass tourism, Chinese attempts to diffuse the Tibetan culture, and “souvenir shops replacing the religious articles market.” Dead last is Kathmandu Valley in Nepal where political strife, concrete buildings, and pollution is quickly destroying the ancient heritage of this fantastic area.

It is truly sad reading through the bottom of the list and the litany of problems facing so many of the world’s great destinations. The temples of Angkor, Cambodia, for example, are threatened by a rash of new tourist hotels which consume so much water that the water table has lowered and is weakening the foundations of the temple.

The good news is that a number of destinations are weathering the tourist onslaught with strength and vigor. Number one on the list with 87 points is the west fjords of Norway, followed up by Spain’s Alhambra. Both treasures are well protected and well managed by the local communities in which they lie. They currently face little threat and healthy longevity–at least for the time being.

Be sure to pop on over to National Geographic Traveler and check out the list. This is one of the better World Heritage Site summations I’ve seen in a long time, and one which will motivate, inspire, and sadly, even depress.

If you can get a hold of the print edition (November/December 2006) take a moment to mull over the depressing cover photo of tourists in loud clothing and sun hats scaling the ancient stairs of Angkor. One glance and you’ll understand why it has fared so poorly in the National Geographic Traveler report.

Lonely Planet’s Passport To… On PSP

by Adrienne Wilson on

Thanks to my LP Comet email subscription I just found one more reason to invest in a Playstation Portable (PSP). Yes, the same device used for gamers can now be used by travelers ready to discover weekend getaways in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Prague and London. The fully interactive, portable and up-to-the-minute ‘Passport To’ city guides will feature details on 250 of the hottest bars, clubs, hotels, shops, services, and attractions. In addition to the same material you’d find in the old paper LP guidebooks interested takers will visually receive three off-the-beaten track audio tours and essential language phrases with audio. Sounds like a good investment so far. Not to mention the PSP unit is easy to carry and multi-functional. I’ve handled one here and there on various occasions and was quite impressed. This however, ices the cake. Check out the website dedicated to the ‘Passport To’ series and learn more about PSP.