We here at Gadling love maps and infographics, so we’re enjoying this tongue-in-cheek US map of stereotypes, ranging from “rainy hipsters” in the Northwest, to “old peeps” down in Florida by blogger and artist Haley Nahman. We’re a bit puzzled over some of the stereotypes such as the “fashion bloggers” in the Carolinas, but can’t argue with the “mountains and meadows and maybe some animals” in Montana and the Dakotas. Hawaii and Alaska aren’t included on this map, but I’d guess something involving “hula and LOST” and “Eskimos and strip clubs.” The artist is a “life of the party” Californian and seems to be partial to food and animal descriptions. Which stereotype of the US do you hail from?
U.S. Government averts shutdown in time to save National Parks Week
As we all know by now, over the weekend U.S. lawmakers reached a budget deal that will keep the government in business through next Friday, April 15, as well as a tentative agreement on plan that will fund operations through the end of the fiscal year. Both houses are expected to debate the plan today and it is expected to be voted on, and approved, on Wednesday. That was all good news to the National Park Service, who were facing a complete closure of all of the national parks on the eve of a week dedicated to celebrating “America’s best idea.”
Next Saturday, April 16, marks the beginning of National Parks Week. The festivities will actually run through Sunday, April 24, and include free admission to more than a hundred parks and monuments across the country. (See a complete list here.) There are also more than 370 special activities planned across the park system for the week as well, all of which would have been canceled had a budget compromise not been reached.
The NPS isn’t the only one breathing a sigh of relief today. Many communities across the country rely on the national parks to help fuel their economies, and a shutdown could have spelled disaster for those places. The parks were actually shuttered as part of a government shutdown back in 1995 and 1996, and it is estimated that park-dependent communities lost an average of $14 million per day. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) estimated a shutdown this year would put that number closer to $30 million.
The fact that the parks remain open today is good news for travelers as well. Spring is a perfect time to visit many of the parks, which are coming alive after the long winter months. There is no doubt that many of us have trips planned to one or more of these fantastic places in the near future, and we don’t have to scramble to change or cancel those plans today. Barring any unforeseen problems with approving the budget this week, it seems that fans of the national parks can continue to enjoy their favorite destinations this year.
Sections of Mexico unsafe for travel, consulate issues warning
Just when we thought it might be safe to travel to Mexico again, more bodies found in mass graves prompt a new travel warning for U.S. citizens and law enforcement. Mexican authorities have charged 14 people in connection with bodies found in newly-discovered mass graves warning us that parts of Mexico are still unsafe for travel.
The story starts back to August of last year when bodies were found in mass graves at a ranch in San Fernando, Tamaulipas in Mexico, just 90 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. Buses heading north towards the U.S. were stopped and boarded by gunmen who demanded identification then took Mexican national passengers away. Authorities have not confirmed but believe the intent was to hold them for ransom or use them to smuggle drugs into the U.S. 72 bodies were found then.
Last week, 59 bodies were found on Wednesday then another 13 more bodies were found on Friday at the same ranch. Bus lines followed the lead from cruise lines to cancel routes into the troubled area sparking demonstrations around Mexico. Protesters condemned the drug gangs themselves and the Mexican government’s war on drug gangs.
“The investigation is in progress and we must be very careful, especially not to cause alarm among the population that is worried about the whereabouts of their loved ones, but we can deduce that, unfortunately, that they are fellow Mexicans,” said Morelos Canseco Gomez, a top security official in the northern state of Tamaulipas reports CNN.
If you have been keeping up with the news you know that Mazatlan, Mexico has been in the spotlight recently as cruise lines stopped calling there over safety concerns. Gadling readers both agree and disagree with the decision by major cruise lines to stop calling in Mazatlan and the general safety level in the country saying:
“There is no place in Mexico that is safe right now. Death is random as well as directed toward a target. Collateral damage happens anywhere there is some beef between these diablos”
“I’m glad to see some cruise lines are not putting their passengers and crew in harms way by avoiding certain vacation destinations. As tourists we should withhold our travel dollars until safety and security become a necessity and not a luxury.”
“Americans are being targeted in Mexico — and murdered. These murders are occurring in taxis, at airports, and on the streets. Rich Americans are fleeing Mexico for their lives.”
“I agree stay the hell away from Mexico…i went there in November and all you do is get hassled to buy stuff…drug…whores…anything”
Here is the travel alert issued late Friday by U.S. consulate officials:
“The United States Consulates General in Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, and Monterrey advise American citizens that the U.S. government has received uncorroborated information that Mexican criminal gangs may intend to attack U.S. law enforcement officers or U.S. citizens in the near future in Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and San Luis Potosi. This information is being distributed to all U.S. government employees in the three states. No other information is available. If more detailed information is developed, we will advise American citizens immediately.”
As Mexico’s war against drugs continues, look for travel alerts and warnings to continue also. be prepared for transportation companies to cancel routes and itineraries too, also concerned over the safety of their personnel and passengers. How much of that will happen is uncertain, but many agree, Mexico needs to gain control of the situation for the protection of it’s citizens and visitors.
“The mass graves found yesterday once again show the Mexican government’s failure to deal with the country’s public security crisis and reduce criminal violence, which has left many populations vulnerable to attacks, abductions and killings,” said Rupert Knox, a researcher on Mexico at Amnesty International told CNN. “All too often, such human rights crimes have gone unpunished, leaving criminal gangs and officials acting in collusion with them free to target vulnerable communities, such as irregular migrants.”
The smallest big mountain you’ll ever see
Rule number 18.57b in the travel blogger’s handbook states that we have to fawn over tilt-shift videos, and this gem from Jackson Hole, Wyoming is no exception. In a way, it makes big-mountain snow riding a less daunting endeavor, making the precarious slopes look like tiny hills over which one might jump to get to the neighborhood creek or the community pool. In another way, it makes me miss the long hard days of double black diamonds and the trees in Blackcomb. Either way, it’s a great, unique method to capture this beautiful terrain.
Great work by Tristan Greszko in composing this slick video.
[via Wired and Jenna Schnuer]
The 11 Best Cruise Blogs
There are a lot of great travel blogs out there but not a lot that deal exclusively with cruise vacations. Here is a list of my favorites, in no particular order, along with the names of their writers and what they have to say about themselves. These are 10 great cruise blogs that anyone half-way interested in cruise vacations should take a look at, probably every day.Some of these writers I have met, others not but all share a passion for cruise vacations that is undeniable. For good cruise vacation information, these are the ones to read. They’re also some of the best ones to follow on Twitter so I included their Twitter handles too. In fact, if you made a list called “Cruise Experts” every one of these would make great additions.
- USA Today’s The Cruise Log-Gene Sloan- “I oversee USA TODAY’s Cruise Log (cruises.usatoday.com), an online site where cruise fans can blow hours at a time talking about cruising. It’s just my latest gig as a travel writer, an occupation that has kept me on the road more than 1,200 days over the past 15 years as I’ve written about everything from cruising to trekking in the Peruvian Andes” (@CruiseLog)
- CruiseCritic blog-Carolyn Spencer Brown and a host of others- “Sometimes the juiciest info we come across as we report on all things cruise related simply can’t make it into the “real” stories we produce on the Web site every day. But we’ve got space here to share with you outtakes, random observations, occasional glimmers of inspiration, and other stuff – so we hope you’ll not only visit often but also join in the conversation.Who’s on the Cruise Critic team? Our key bloggers will be London-based Sue Bryant (SJB), Cruise Critic’s contributing editor, and Carolyn Spencer Brown (CSB), the site’s editor in chief. Jamey Bergman (JAB), Cruise Critic’s U.K.-based web producer, Dan Askin (DA) and John Deiner (JD), our managing editor, will also be jumping onboard as will occasional guest bloggers.”
- John Heald’s Blog-John Heald- “I started this blog when a lady called Stephanie said “Oh John, please write a blog, it will only be for a week and won’t take up much of your time.” That was back in 1492 and here I am still writing in the same pair of underpants. I am Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador, and I am here to share my life with you in all its boring and sometimes toilet-based glory.” (@CarnivalCruise)
- Avid Cruiser– Ralph Grizzle- “I began my journalistic career at the age of 32, following the conclusion of my ‘sabbatical decade.’ From 1980 through 1990, I bicycled across America, pedaled through Europe and island-hopped the South Pacific. After backpacking through Bali, bussing through Java, hopping a boat to Singapore and crossing Malaysia to Thailand, I flew into Burma, tramped to Dhaka and endured a 32-hour train ride from calamitous Calcutta to bustling Bombay. From there, I hopped a plane for Greece and traveled to Switzerland before returning home, where I settled, quite naturally, into a career of travel writing.” (@avidcruiser)
- Captain Greybeard– (this is the plus one- Sheesh, how could I forget?) “John Honeywell is a cruiseaholic and addicted to traveling the oceans. Any day at sea is better than a day in the office” (@CaptainGreybeard)
- Expert Cruiser-“Anita Dunham-Potter is a cruise journalist and consumer advocate. Her articles offer advice and insight for travelers that want all the facts to be informed. Dunham-Potter is Tripso’s and MSNBC.com’s cruise ombudsman. In addition to the aforementioned columns on MSNBC.com and Tripso she has penned numerous columns for the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Princess Cruises, Fodor’s , Smarter Travel, along with numerous trade publications.” (@ExpertCruiser)
- About.com– Linda Garrison- “Cruises are a great vacation for almost everyone who loves to explore new places, meet new people, eat good food, and seek new horizons. My goal is to provide the About.com Cruises Web site visitor with all the information necessary to plan and enjoy the cruise experience as much as I do. In addition to general information on cruise planning, the site is rich in cruise news, cruise specials, and cruise photos and information on cruise ships and cruise destinations around the world.” (@AboutCruises)
- Royal Caribbean Blog-“We’re big fans of taking cruises and over the years, we’ve grown fond of cruising with Royal Caribbean and our favorite thing to do when we’re not actually on a Royal Caribbean cruise is to share our passion for cruising on Royal Caribbean with other fans.Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.”
- Ship Critic blog– Anne Campbell- “ShipCritic Blog is a labor of love by Anne Campbell, a journalist who has been covering the cruise industry since 1993. Why a blog? This newfangled technology is the best way of interacting with cruisers, both first timers and veterans, who also share a passion for seeing the world by ship.” (@ShipCritic)
- 50 Essential Experiences, The Travel Bucket List– Princess Cruises- “Few people have seen more of the world than Princess Cruises’ own destination experts. In the past 45 years that Princess ships have been sailing to all seven continents, many of our longest-serving shipboard and shoreside employees have logged thousands of sea and air miles visiting hundreds of countries, cities and sites. We’re often asked, “You’ve seen it all. What places do I really need to have on my travel bucket list?” Below, on a weekly basis for the next year, many of our 15+ year employees will share their inspirational stories that make up our 50 essential travel experiences. Enjoy the journey!” (@PrincessCruises)
- Frommers Cruise Blog– Matt Hannafin- “Matt Hannafin is a freelance writer, editor, and musician based in Portland, Oregon. Author of Frommer’s Day by Day Vancouver & Whistler and coauthor of Frommer’s Cruises and Frommer’s European Cruises, he also freelances for numerous newspapers, magazines, and websites and was a major contributor to the recent bestseller 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die. He still pines for his hometown of New York, NY, but is getting used to the Pacific Northwest now that he’s bought a good raincoat.