2008 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award Winners

by Abha Malpani on


The 2008 Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition recently announced its winners. In its 24th year running, the competition attracted 1,356 entries in 24 categories from which 81 winners were selected. The competition, named after American writer and traveler Lowell Thomas, is today considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the world of travel journalism. The entries were judged by members of the Missouri School of Journalism Faculty.

National Geographic and the Boston Globe took most of the awards, and freelance writer/photographer Christopher P. Baker won the Lowell Thomas travel journalist of the year. Other than him, and bronze winner of the same category — Sarah Wildman, all other winners are part of established travel titles such as the Miami Herald, the Chicago Tribune, the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, and a bunch of other American news titles.

You can find the list of gold winners with relevant links to their stories at the LA Times Daily Deal travel blog; the LA Times won a gold for the best travel section. A list of all the winners (gold, silver, and bronze, across all categories can be found on the Society of American Travel Writers website.

So, if you’re looking to read some good travel-writing, spend some time going through the links of the winners. The full list of winners has the titles of the winning stories so you can dig them up to read. I thought I would go through them all and give you my top three, but there are just too many good ones! Perhaps a good time-spend idea for a Sunday afternoon.

British Airways In-Flight Mag Goes Online

by Josh Lew on

High Life, the 35-year-old in-flight magazine of British Airways, is headed from airspace to cyberspace. The famous rag launched its online incarnation on October 9th. BA hopes that the success of the print version will translate to the online world and raise the airline’s profile amongst travelers. The publisher of High Life’s print version, Ceder, teamed with web development company Reactive on the project. They are aiming to attract advertisers eager to have their name and product associated with High Life. Perhaps they are also hoping that well-heeled cannabis aficionados will happen across the site after Googling “high life” and decide, on the spur of the moment, to book a flight to one of the site’s featured destinations.

The first online issue has a food theme and is guest edited by celeb chef Heston Blumenthal. It seems mainly aimed at gourmets and those with an taste for the upscale aspects of travel. There is a bit of hipness, with contributions by the likes of Hot Fuzz’s Simon Pegg. Still, the site maintains the glossy feel of its printed kin.

Emirates chucks magazines…to save fuel

by Iva Skoch on

Interesting idea, but it honestly doesn’t make much sense to me.

Emirates has made a decision to get rid of all paper from the seat pockets on its new Airbus A380. Why? The Economist reports that they’re trying to save weight and, hence, fuel.

Don’t get me wrong. I think throwing out those silly in-flight magazines is a grand idea. However, can you seriously save significant weight by removing, say, 1000 magazines? Let’s say it’s the same weight as one passenger (after dinner.)

Does that really make a big difference?

The Economist writes that removing 2kg of paper from each of the 500 seats shaves a tonne off the plane’s flying weight. What do they mean by “2 kilos” of magazines, exactly? That’s 4 pounds. Maybe I’m missing something here, but I have never been on a flight where you find 4 lbs of reading material in the seat pocket in front of you.

What does Emirates provide for the reading pleasure of their customers? Bridal magazines?

Reservations: The Ultimate African American Travel Guide

by Adrienne Wilson on

This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet with up with Kirstin N. Fuller, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Reservations, a new travel magazine geared towards igniting the imagination of African-Americans on every financial level to get up and go some place. By providing practical tips and dreamy pieces on destinations far and wide that are not only luxurious, but more importantly affordable, Reservations calls itself the “Ultimate African-American Travel Guide.”

The premiere issue features Vivica A. Fox and inside you can learn more about her favorite spots to rest and relax when she is not on the silver-screen in the Talking Vacation section. With every issue a you’ll get to learn about more about your favorite celebrities travel picks as well as the best gadgets to stay wired and in touch while you’re away (if you really want to be in touch), how to keep up your hair care, or how to start saving for the perfect escape to fly solo or with your loved ones. Getting married anytime soon? Be sure you peep the Destination Wedding article. Although I’m no where near tying a knot I found this piece very informative so I guess when the time comes I’ll be well prepared. Any takers? (Wink)

You can subscribe to Reservations by visiting the website here.

Global Gift Guide from T+L

by Adrienne Wilson on

Christmas may very well be a thing of 2006 past, but the spirit of giving is never ending! Perhaps you received something not so shimmery this holiday season. Maybe mom had it all wrong when you said you wanted a sari and picked up a kimono instead. Or let’s say you just happen to have so much money to burn your head is spinning and you are still ready to purchase for your entire circle of friends. Good for you! Whether you are making a return, exchange or a new transaction keep your eyes extra peeled for deals.

I stumbled on this Travel+Leisure global gift guide a few days before Christmas and meant to post sooner, but it makes no difference. There are some awesome finds here and reasonably priced. Okay, some are a little pricey, but it is a guide that truly caters to everyone I think. Gift ideas range from Colorado western wear to beach inspired gear to the far east like these jewels of India. I’ve got a few pals of my own with birthdays until the end of the year so I’ll be one of many still searching for the perfect trinket to package and ship.