The 18 strangest airports in the world

by Kraig Becker on

Airports are unusual places. Every city of decent size has one, but they are rarely all that interesting. Each day, thousands of people move through these places, on their way too and from all manner of destinations, spending time browsing crappy little bookstores and consuming lousy food that would cost half as much elsewhere.

But sometimes, airports can be unusual for different reasons. Perhaps they’re located in odd places, or maybe they have some unusual feature or monument that makes them stand out. Popular Mechanics has compiled a list of the 18 strangest airports in the world, each of which meet those criteria and more.

The list includes airports large and small from all over the world and in a wide variety of settings. Some of the very unique airports that make the cut include Kansai International in Osaka Japan, which is famous for having been built on a man-made island and Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which sits just five miles from the very heart of that large and busy city. Other unusual places to take off and land include a runway made of ice in Antarctica and several that have you actually landing on a beach, proving that if we are determined to reach a destination, we’ll find a way to get there.

With 18 airports on the list, Popular Mechanics has done a fine job of highlighting some of the most unusual airports in the world. But did they miss any? What is the most unusual airport that you’ve ever been? As for myself, I’m looking forward to experiencing the airport in Lukla, Nepal in April. That airport is famous for it’s location, high in the Himalaya, with the landing strip running up the side of a mountain. Arriving and departing there is said to be scary and exhilarating all at the same time.
Be sure to check out the gallery below for some of the coolest airports in the world…

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…or watch the videos that demonstrate why these airports are soooo strange.

Courchevel International Airport
Courchevel, France

Princess Juliana International Airport
Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Saba, Netherlands Antilles

Frommer’s lists Top Destinations for 2010

by Katie Hammel on

Frommer’s has just released their list of what they think will be the top destinations for 2010. Culled from the suggestions of industry insiders and readers, the list covers every continent, meandering from India to Hawaii, Argentina to Vietnam. Along with listing each place, Frommer’s has also given reasons why each one should be on your list of destinations for the coming year.

How accurate is the list? Last year, the top destinations predicted for 2009 included Washington, DC; Cartagena, Colombia; Istanbul; Cape Town; and Berlin, all of which were popular with tourists, as they have been for several years. Including Berlin may have been a no-brainer. As the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall took place this year, of course the city would be well-visited. Other locations predicted to be hotspots have remained in relative obscurity. How many people do you know who went to Waiheke Island (New Zealand) or followed the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama?

2010’s list will probably be equally hit and miss when it comes to predicting the hot spots for the year. Included on the list is the Big Island of Hawaii, which I recently visited. Frommer’s says the Big Island has everything you need but still retains an untouched feel, and I completely agree.

But other destinations might not rise to the top of many travelers’ lists. Frommer’s says Mexico City will be big in 2010, but unfortunately the city may still suffer from the after-effects of swine flu paranoia. Cuba, another location on the list, isn’t open to Americans yet, but may see an increase in tourists from other countries. And lesser-known destinations, like Kerala, India; Tunisia; and the Isles of Scilly in England may see a boost in tourism thanks to the publicity they receive from the list.

** Be sure to check out Gadling’s picks for the top adventure destinations for 2010. **

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World’s 25 dirtiest cities

by Abha Malpani on

When I read this headline, I was 100% sure that if Calcutta wasn’t number one on this list, it would definitely make the top 5. It doesn’t feature on the list at all!

The list has been compiled by Forbes basis Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s 2007 Health and Sanitation rankings that ranked 215 cities worldwide based on levels of air pollution, waste management, water potability, hospital services, medical supplies and the presence of infectious diseases.

Here’s the top 10 World’s Dirtiest Cities:


Black fumes of smoke, acid rain, and free flowing sewage are part of life in these countries. Pretty depressing huh.

On a positive note: according to Water Aid for every $1 spent on improved sanitation, the benefit equals $9 resulting from decreased cost of health care and increased productivity — yes, the 90/10 rule. It looks like a little bit of work and expenditure can make A LOT of difference.

Top 10 places in 2008 for backpackers

by Jerry Guo on

What I love about all these lists you find online and in print is that they’re great for finding that one nugget you haven’t really come across yet. The truth is, most of the time, almost all of the places on these lists turn out to be duds. But I came across one list of relatively off-the-beaten-path destinations for this year, courtesy of BootsnAll.com, and now many are on my to-do list.

  • Buenos Aires – I’ve recently met several guys who’ve raved about how insanely fun the nightlife here is, and how surprisingly affordable it happens to be (especially when you compare it to its wealthy neighbor to the north, Brazil).
  • Morocco – I was actually choosing between going to Peru or Morocco this winter. Peru won out just because it was closer and the flights were less expensive (a relative term, to be sure). This was a good year for Morocco, with several movies filmed there. Looks like a good place to go for a dose of Islamic culture, without the violence. (Like Turkey)
  • Ethiopia – This one really caught my eye. Any other old list in all likelihoods wouldn’t have included Ethiopia as a must-visit destination, especially with the tensions flaring up in some parts of the countryside earlier this year. But the scenery looks beautiful–could be because of the lack of all those pesky tourists.

The other places include Belize, Nepal, Jordan, Sicily, Queenstown (New Zealand), Chiang Mai (Thailand), and Budapest. Check it out!

Top 28 must-see sights (according to Smithsonian)

by Jerry Guo on

Around this time of year, travel publications love to collect and print lists. New York Times had their top 53 destinations for 2008 recently. Conde Nast Traveler came out last month with their list of the best islands around the world. And now in this month’s issue of Smithsonian Magazine comes a list of 28 sights you should see in your lifetime.

They’re broken down by categories: ancient ruins, engineering marvels, artsy locales, seasonal sights, natural wonders, religious monuments, and disappearing destinations. It’s a fun exercise to see how many of the sights you can check off. I’ve only been to a few on this list–I guess my justification is that it’s sometimes more fun to visit places not splashed on some top 10 list. Then again, I’m also running on a student budget.

How many of these 28 destinations have you been to?