One for the Road: Globetrotter’s Logbook

by Kelly Amabile on

Last time I mentioned the Globetrotter’s Logbook series, I focused on their newest guide, a niche book devoted to six Flemish cities. But now that I’ve had a chance to personally use their flagship product, Counties of the World, I wanted to be sure to pay special tribute to this unique mini-book, which might just be the perfect holiday gift for that special traveler in your life. The best part about giving (or receiving) one of there tiny travel gems is the smart and crafty packaging. I opened an airmail envelope (from Belgium, where this book is published) to reveal crisp brown parcel packaging, tied in natural cord with vintage stamps, postmarks and my name personally scripted in heavy ink. Unwrapping the classy packaging reveals a stylish moleskine-type book enclosed in its own little box, perfect for protecting it from the harsh elements of constant world-travel.

This precious little travel journal is a must-have for explorers. The bulk of the book contains quarter-page listings for every country of the world, complete with important stats and mini-flag pictures for each. There are several ways to keep track of which countries have been visited, as well as registers for tracking vaccinations and 100 flights. Look closely and you’ll find other treasures hidden within the pages of this slim logbook – facts, figures and inspiring quotes decorate the pages, and there are blank spots too, for scribbles about the details of very special journeys.

Brussels: A City Without a Soul?

by Iva Skoch on

I just spent a few days in Brussels. It’s been a long time since I visited the capital of Belgium, well before it became the EU-conglomerate that it is now. Back then, the only thing I remembered about Brussels is that I didn’t really remember anything. Not because I was intoxicated, mind you. The city just didn’t make a huge impression on me.

Still, I wanted to keep an open mind about Brussels. Although I went there for a journalism conference hosted by the EU, not for pleasure, I liked it. The old town is picturesque and diverse, both architecturally and culturally. I had a couple of good Belgian beers, overdosed on pralines and even had a decent falafal.

On the plane back I was thinking about Brussels. I liked it but it didn’t really make an impression on me. I didn’t love it. I didn’t even hate it. I think I figured it out. Brussels is a city you visit for its particularly good elements (chocolate, beer, buildings…) not for the city’s soul.

(Thanks to Melanie & John for the picture of Brussels.)

Halloween Rituals Around the World

by Martha Edwards on

For most of us North Americans, Halloween conjured images of mountains of candy, jack-o-lanterns, cheesy decorations and music at the neighbours house, drunk pubcrawlers wearing completely ridiculous outfits that they would never dream of wearing normally. And for us Canadian prairie kids in particular, we remember with fondness how our moms tried valiantly to fit our costumes over top of our snowsuits and how we would inevitably reach a point where we were just too cold to keep going, despite the 20 more blocks of free candy that was up for grabs. Ahhh, good times.

But, have you ever wondered what they do for Halloween in other countries? I did a little research and here’s a small sampling of what I found:

  • In China, food and water is placed in front of photos of deceased family members to honour them
  • In Belgium, they really believe in the black cat superstition, and it’s bad news if one enters your house
  • In the Czech Republic, a fire is built and chairs for deceased people are placed beside it.
  • In Ireland, where Halloween originated, bonfires are lit across the country and many people hold parties, complete with festivities like apple-bobbing.
  • In Latin America and Spain, they celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) — and though it might seem like a sombre day, it’s actually quite the celebration — it lasts three days and commemorates the return of the dead to the earth.
  • In France, Halloween is a commercialized American holiday brought into the country by Coca-Cola.

So I’m curious — what happens on Halloween where you live?

One for the Road: The Globetrotter’s LogBook Series

by Kelly Amabile on

Here’s an interesting travel book series from Belgian publisher Morton, Diaz & Cook that I stumbled upon yesterday. There are currently five titles in The Globetrotter’s LogBook series, with a 6th promised to be on the way soon. These stylish souvenir books are meant to be used as journals for recording specific trip information — details on countries of the world, or notes about vaccination and flight records.

But what makes these books special is that they are all a mixture of content and creative space — facts and figures for the traveler are interspersed with blank space to allow for stamps, stickers or personal journey jottings.

The publisher’s most recent title marks a new direction for the series. It is the first one to focus on a particular region of the world — Produced in collaboration with the Flemish Tourist Office, Flander’s Six Divine Cities is a guidebook and traveler notebook dedicated to Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen. Peppered with maps and color photos, this latest book presents an “at a glance” perspective for 118 sites in the Flanders region. And one corner of each page is reserved for traveler scribbles – memories and moments can be captured and recorded with ease, creating an organically evolving guidebook experience.

How Come Tintin Didn’t Make The Cut?

by Brett Atkinson on

Our friends at World Hum have just named their 10 greatest fictional travellers ranging from cutesy Dora the Explorer at number 10 up to Jack Kerouac’s uber cool Sal Paradise at number 1.

To my Kiwi eyes, the list is a little United States-centric, and as much as I love On the Road, Sal Paradise didn’t really get far on a global basis did he? But I guess he deserves to be there purely for how much inspiration the book’s given to those of us afflicted with wanderlust.

A few notable exceptions I’d like to add are Phileas Fogg from Jules Verne’s Around the World In 80 Days, the globe-trotting Carmen San Diego, and Belgium’s biggest export after Trappist beer, Tintin.

If the T-shirts in the markets of Asia are to be believed, that boy’s been everywhere. Even a few places author Herge didn’t even write about.

Thanks to Mullenkedheim on Flickr for the pic “proving” Tintin went to Hanoi.