Last year, as we prepared to leave Bangkok for Rangoon, my girlfriend Bo contemplated bringing her rollable luggage. My foster daughter – who is from Burma but was then living in Thailand—laughed. “You can’t roll your luggage in Burma—the sidewalks are too broken!” That’s not the only thing broken in Burma, I thought to myself. […]
Although increasing numbers of hotels, resorts and tour companies support sustainable practices, these “green” options often come at a premium. As a result, travelers sometimes feel as though they must choose between their environmental consciousness and their budgets. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Making simple choices to go green while traveling may […]
Born into the Samburu tribe of northern Kenya, Tom Lalampaa could have ended up following the traditional pastoral lifestyle of his people – had his brother made a different choice. When Tom was a child, his father called his sons to him and said, “I’d like one of you to go to school and the […]
Air travel accounts for three percent of global carbon emissions, which may seem like a minor offense in the spectrum of environmental transgressions. However, according to the Christian Science Monitor, air travel is steadily increasing at five percent every year, and the number of aircraft alone will likely double in the next 10 years. With […]
When travel bloggers and their readers join forces, they have the power to change the world. That’s the idea behind Passports with Purpose (PwP), an annual fundraiser started by four Seattle travel bloggers: Debbie Dubrow (Delicious Baby), Michelle Duffy (WanderMom), Pam Mandel (Nerd’s Eye View), and Beth Whitman (Wanderlust and Lipstick). Founded in 2008, PwP […]
As the relative cost of airfare declines and the number of daily flights soars, once exotic destinations are increasingly within reach of the average traveler. The world has become more accessible, with trips that once took days or weeks now made in the time it takes to have a cocktail and a nap. But what […]
Some of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations have been hard hit in the recent economic crisis. At the same time, the recent political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has opened doors for less tumultuous Mediterranean countries to attract thousands of new visitors. As a result of the economic downturn, there are many […]
July marked the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, an appropriate time to reflect on the impact of tourism on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the Associated Press, the ancient Incan city welcomes an average of 1,800 visitors per day. With so much tourist activity at the ruins and the surrounding […]
As Brazil gears up to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, authorities are investing billions of dollars in overhauling infrastructure, building facilities and improving security in cities soon to see the spotlight. The race to “clean up” cities before the events threatens to push thousands of poor residents from their […]
