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IBIT TRAVEL Digest 2.26.12

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A roundup of the good, the bad and the bizarre from the world’s best travel media ​

Juffureh, Gambia

Juffureh, Gambia | ©IBIT G. Gross

RETURN OF THE TRAVEL AGENT?
The Internet has given us all the ability to search out the lowest price on all things related to travel, so we really have no need for travel agents anymore, right?

Not necessarily.

An admittedly non-scientific side-by-side test by the New York Times matched the Web and a travel agent to see which produced the best deals — and the live-human travel agent came out on top.

Seasoned travelers know there’s nothing like having a knowledgeable travel agent in your corner when reservations fall through or unforeseen events blow up your travel plans. Now, it looks now as if the old-school travel agent might be able to hold their own when it comes to scoring travel bargains, as well.

FLYING LOW OVER ASIAN WATERS
The only thing I love more than traveling by sea is traveling cheaply by sea, which means I’m naturally drawn to ocean-going ferries, and Tripologist.com has come up with a trip that satisfies on both counts.

As close as Japan and South Korea are to one another, it would only make sense to visit both while you’re traveling in that part of the world. But a round-trip ticket for the two-hour flight between Tokyo and Seoul could cost you $500 and up, which is insane.

For almost $200 less, you could take a three-hour cruise on a high-speed hydrofoil between the two countries, and pass easily and cheaply from the ports to the anywhere in either country via their high-speed rail networks.

Two high-speed train rides, connected by a hydrofoil? That’s me, all right.

Tripologist breaks down the particulars here.

THE (AMAZING) RACE IS ON…AGAIN!
That’s right. CBS is coming back at you with its 20th segment of the world travel contest show, The Amazing Race. The format is the same, 11 teams of two competitors each. The prize is the same, $1 million.

Being the travel addict I am, I’d probably watch this, anyway, despite all the artificial drama and instigated conflict the show’s producers try so hard to generate. But this time around, I have extra incentives.

The first is that, once again, there are contestants from San Diego on the show. Or rather, there were. The two Asian golfing sisters were eliminated the first night. Poor girls, they barely got their passports open and they’re already gone.

The other is that I have reason to believe that the race is returning to Africa. I’d watch for that reason alone. Some may watch this show for the conniving and the cattiness, but for this traveler, it’s all about the destinations.

And now, here’s this week’s Digest:

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AIR
from Smarter Travel
The new rules requiring airlines to fully disclose the cost of a flight have prompted online travel agencies to limit their flexible options — in some cases, drastically. But there are still ways to use flexible search to your advantage.

from TIME
First, they were feeling up old ladies, frisking little girls and looting people’s luggage. Are TSA screeners now using their screening machines to ogle young women’s bodies? One woman says yes, and she’s suing.

from USA Today
The merger with United has caused Continental Airlines to disappear in all but name. Now, even that is going away. ​

from msnbc
Have one of those unbearably long flights coming up in Coach? Would rather not have a seatmate, maybe even prefer having a whole row all to yourself? That can be arranged.

LAND
from Framework Cycle & Fitness
Ready to really challenge your bike and yourself? Head north to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada and ride the Cabot Trail. This ride is no joke.

from The​ Times, London UK
Better driving by motorists would make things a lot safer for cyclists. What makes this statement remarkable is that, in London, at least, it’s the motorists who are saying it.

from the New York Times
The NYT’s Michelle Higgins tells us how to get elite status from the better hotel chains. The way the hotels are adding on surcharges these days, you almost owe it to yourself to do it.

​from Away.com
TV chef Anthony Bourdain shares his five top travel tips. This could cost him his Bad Boy membership card.

SEA
from the San Francisco Chronicle
The Costa Concordia disaster is giving folks in Venice second thoughts about how close they want these massive mega-ships passing by their fragile icon of Italian history.

from USA Today
Talks are underway that could bring a cruise to the capital city of Haiti for the first time in a quarter-century.

from Cruise Critic
Twenty-two passengers from the cruise ship Carnival Splendor robbed at gunpoint in Puerto Vallarta. This probably will trigger a massive response from the authorities to crime in the Mexican port, but it might be too late to save the Mexican Riviera.

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AFRICA
from CP-Africa
Is this the footprint of God?

from The Daily Observer (Gambia) via allAfrica.com
New Fajara Craft Market opens in Kotu, part of an ongoing redevelopment of the Fajara waterfront.

from the Business Daily (Kenya) via allAfrica.com
Tourism figures are up in Kenya despite worries over tourist kidnappings and conflict with Somalia’s al Shabaab religious extremist militia.

from The Citizen (Tanzania) via allAfrica.com
Mafia Island. In more ways than one, it’s not what you think. On land, lush, green, and largely unspoiled tropical landscape. Offshore, world-class diving and snorkeling.

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AMERICAS/CARIBBEAN
from State.gov
The State Department breaks down its travel warnings on Mexico, going state by state.

from the New York Times
This piece is all about how to spend a weekend in New Orleans. But if you approach this city in the right spirit, a weekend in “the NOLA” can last all year.

from USA Today
A new exhibit at a Phoenix museum shows there’s more to the Apache legacy than the legend of Geronimo.

from the San Francisco Chronicle
Hawaii’s lava flows are equally fascinating to scientists and tourists, but if you plan on taking in this breathtaking sight, a little caution is in order. Actually, make that a lot of caution.
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ASIA/PACIFIC
from Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
From giant paper floats to a private train heated in winter by a pot-bellied stove, Aomori prefecture puts Japanese culture on display.

​from the Japan Times
Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market, which feeds this nation’s insatiable appetite for seafood, is a whirlwind of sights, sounds, aromas and characters. It’s also due to close in three years. So if you want to see a historic piece of daily Tokyo life, go soon.

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EUROPE
from the Guardian (London UK)
An interactive map showing the best bargain-priced restaurants around Britain, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You’ll want to keep this one in your “mobile.”

from the Guardian (London UK)
If you’re one of those people who think camping would be great if it weren’t out in the wilderness, Berlin has the hotel you’ve been waiting for. it’s called the Hüttenpalast. AUDIO SLIDESHOW

from the the Guardian (London UK)
Speaking of eateries, here’s one Parisian’s list of the ten best Paris bistros. I wouldn’t call any of these places a bargain, but they’re probably worth every euro.​

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MIDDLE EAST
from France 24
Iraqi town uses history and heritage to turn from terrorism to tourism.

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the WEDNESDAY TRAVEL DIGEST

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The good, the bad and the bizarre from the world’s best travel media

Chicago Midway Airport | © Greg Gross

Okay, my West African sojourn is over. Time to get back to business. And I’m not the only one who’s back.

The Amazing Race, easily one of the most successful of all reality TV series, is back for another round-the-world round on CBS.

This time around, some old friends — teams that fell short for a wild variety of reasons — return for a second bite at the million-dollar apple.

Some of them — like the Cowboys, the Goths and the Trotters, among others — were viewer favorites. Others were more anti-favorites back to raise our collective blood pressures, like the NFL cheerleaders.

While they all battle each other for the bucks, we get to follow them vicariously around the globe. Sounds cool to me.

They started from the desert outside Palm Springs. First leg, Sydney, Australia. First surprise of the series: Sunday night’s debut was a two-parter, so nobody’s been eliminated yet! So if you missed last weekend’s opener, you’ve got a chance to catch up next Sunday.

The Boeing 747 will never die, just modify.

You know how rapper Tupac Shakur, who’s been dead since 1996, somehow magically seems to release a new CD almost every year? So it is that Boeing keeps coming up with new incarnations of its now iconic 747, which first flew 42 years ago.

The newest version is the Boeing 747-8, rolled out earlier this month. Designed to fly farther, faster and quieter on less fuel, this latest version of the original looks like Boeing’s latest bid to throw down with rival Airbus and their massive double-decker A380.

As some of you will recall, that’s what the new state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner was supposed to do. But with Dreamliner deliveries top the world’s airlines still stalled by a seemingly never-ending set of problems, the Boeing folks appear to have settled on the 747-8, with its increased capacity and redesigned wings, as their Plan B.

You can read all about this latest version of the 747 in the CNET magazine story here.

This follows an old rule of aircraft makers: If it ain’t broke, upgrade it. When the original design is a winner to begin with, you can do that.

And now, here’s this week’s Digest:

AIR
from the New York Times
The FAA held its annual Aviation Forecast Conference last week to look at various indicators for the immediate future of air travel — costs, aircraft and airport room, availability of flights and the like. For the traveling public, none of it looks good.

LAND
from Frommer’s
ATTENTION, BEER LOVERS! Where are the best places in the world to knock back some truly great beers? the Frommer’s crew offers up their 14 nominees. Between my own experience and that of friends, I can vouch for seven of them. WOW, I’m way behind! SLIDESHOW

from the New York Times
When in Rome, shop like the Romans do. From personal experience, I know that if you want to save money when you travel, go local. Nowadays, that includes scouring the Web for sites offering deals and discounts for locals only.

SEA
from Maritime Matters
The Carnival Splendor, crippled by an engine-room fire last November, is back in business.

from Smooth Jazz Cruise
First, all you jazz purists out there, just chill! Aiiight?! Second, for you smooth jazz fans out there — and you know who you are — the Smooth Jazz Cruise is taking bookings for their two Jan. 2012 sailings. So why am I giving notice 11 months early? Because these cruises sell out every year, that’s why.

AFRICA
from msnbc travel
With the political chaos in Cairo having subsided (at least for now), Egypt is desperately trying to get its tourism back up to speed. (NOTE: With Egypt trying to lure back visitors, that could mean some real bargains in the offing. Keep an eye on this!)

from We Blog the World
A look at Swaziland, the last African monarchy. It’s small, it’s peaceful — albeit with perhaps a sternly forced peace — abnd culturally fascinating. All of which may explain why it doesn’t show up on the cultural radar of mainstream media.

from allAfrica
In South Africa, talks are underway that could lead to the African Diaspora becoming more than just a concept, but a place — a formal recognition as a region of Africa itself. The implications, and their potential, are off the charts.

AMERICAS/CARIBBEAN
from the San Francisco Chronicle
As expected, the presence of The City’s new fan-friendly baseball park has drawn new restaurants, shops and residential building to an area once known only for run-down warehouses and little-used railroad tracks. King Street is becoming the new epicenter of San Francisco.

from the New York Times
Meanwhile, an hour’s flight to the south, downtown Los Angeles is turning into a place that’s actually worth spending some time in. Best of all, you can actually WALK there. Walk in LA…what a concept!

from The Grio
B&Bs in Massachusetts and Michigan offer a descent into history with their bed and their breakfast — tunnels, trapdoors, secret passages. That’s because a century and change ago, these inns were stops on the Underground Railroad that took escaped slaves to freedom.

ASIA/PACIFIC
from Asia Travel Tips
If you’re flying on China Airlines to Taiwan and plan to use their high-speed trains to get around (and why wouldn’t you?) you get a 25 percent discount on your train tickets.

EUROPE
from the New York Times
Could you get through a weekend in Paris on only $100? See what happens when the NYT’s Frugal Traveler, Seth Kugel, gives it a shot.

the SUNDAY TRAVEL DIGEST

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The good, the bad and the bizarre from the world’s best travel media

THE GIFT OF AFRICA
This Christmas season, give yourself a priceless memory — a trip to West Africa for the International Roots Festival in February.

These days, the news out of West Africa is dominated by ominous and tragic events — the tense political standoff in the Cote d’Ivoire and religious violence (also politically motivated) in Nigeria.

But West Africa has other stories to tell that you’re not as likely to read about in your RSS feed or see on cable TV news. Stories of tranquility, cooperation, celebration. Displays of history and culture being preserved. People living together in peace and working to move their nations forward.

The only way you’re going to hear about these stories is by going there and seeing them played out for yourself. And by coincidence, you’ve got a great opportunity coming up in February to do just that, when the International Roots Festival is held in the Gambia.

Actually, it’s a chance to visit two West African countries where the news is largely upbeat, the English-speaking Gambia and its much larger French-speaking neighbor, Senegal. From the United States, the easiest international air connections to Banjul, the Gambian capital, are made by way of Dakar, capital of Senegal.

You’ll see for yourself the fortresses that were headquarters for the slave trade and the ports from which millions of Africans were shipped in shackles to the New World. If you’re of African descent and living in the Americas or the Caribbean, there’s one chance in four that your ancestors passed this way.

But the festival is not just a first-had presentation of a bitter legacy. It’s also a celebration of shared heritage that spans both oceans and eras, an extended cultural family that, slowly but surely, is coming back together.

Beyond that, you’ll see people working to build better lives for themselves and their respective countries, people of different ethnic backgrounds and religions living together in peace. No dictators. No incumbents who refuse to step down after their opponent wins an election. No terror in the name of God.

In other words, none of what the Western world treats as more or less the only things worth reporting extensively in Africa.

The International Roots Festival will be held Feb. 4-8 in and around Banjul. Think seriously about giving yourself the gift of West Africa, and a better understanding of a promising land, in 2011.

LIES YOUR AIRLINE TELLS YOU
One of the ways the airlines justify all their add-on fees is by saying it saves passengers money by letting them pay only for the services they want. They’ve even dressed it up in a fancy name: a la carte pricing.

Well, the folks at Smarter Travel did a little check, comparing old-school all-inclusive airfares of years past with the current a la carte fares on the same routes.

Their conclusion: Not only are you paying more for the same flight, but you’re actually getting less in return for your money.

You can see the Smarter Travel comparison chart for yourself here.

Meanwhile, as we’ve already reported here, the airlines are raking in record amounts of cash, in no small measure due to all those add-on fees. Not only that, but airlines such as American are raising their base fares, as well.

The airline industry said they were charging us all those fees to keep their base fares down…remember?

What can you say about an industry that not only lies to you straight up, but manages to insult your intelligence at the same time?

Actually, there’s probably a lot we could say, but in the spirit of Christmas, we won’t say it here.

And now, here’s this week’s Digest:

AIR
from JohnnyJet via Frommers
Eight tips for surviving the airport during the holiday crush. SLIDE SHOW

from USA Today
First, American Airlines pulled its fare information off Orbitz. Now, you can’t find American fares on Expedia, either. Only this time, it was Expedia that pulled American’s fares…in solidarity with Orbitz. Fasten your seatbelts, folks; things are about to get bumpy.

LAND
from Smarter Travel
Some folks handicap the NFL draft. ST’s Christine Sarkis handicaps the hote travel destinations for 2011. Take a look and see which ones give you the urge to start packing. SLIDE SHOW

from Associated Press via USA Today
Don’t look now, but people are buying RVs again. It could be a sign that the recession actually is winding down, or it could mean that folks are really fed up with flying. Either way, those big vacation buses and trailers are making a comeback.

from Smarter Travel
The Web has almost done away with the need for travel agents, but not quite, in the view of ST’s Ed Perkins. He has some ideas on when the help of a good travel agent might be the better way to go.

SEA
from Frommer’s
Some folks can’t imagine a better time than an Alaska cruise. How about an Alaska cruise that’s tax-deductible?

from USA Today
The U.S. Coast Guard says that fire knocked out the engines aboard the cruise ship Carnival Splendor because the ship’s firefighting systems failed.

AFRICA
from Agence France Press
For the sport fisherman, Angola means a difficult trip heavy on hassles and light on infrastructure in a country where a two-hour drive might take you eight. The reward, a catch to do battle with one of the world’s feistiest fish, the Atlantic tarpon.

from Rovos.com
South Africa claims to have the most luxurious train on the planet. See if you agree.

AMERICAS/CARIBBEAN
from the San Francisco Chronicle
If you’re looking for gorgeous scenery from the comfort of your seat, seriously consider a western Canadian rail trip between Vancouver and Banff.

ASIA
from the Wall Street Journal
If you suffer from digital withdrawal symptoms while traveling in Japan, a cure may be at hand: The Japanese have plans to install free wi-fi at tourist-heavy locations around the country.

from the New York Times
A city of 32 million souls, Chongqing — the Chinese megalopolis we used to know as Chunking — is big enough to swallow your consciousness whole — and ask for seconds. And believe it or not, that’s a good thing.

EUROPE
from the New York Times
Turkey. Is it Europe? Is it Asia? Is it the Middle East? All of the above, or none of them? It takes a lot more than a map to define this country. But when you see how much there is here in terms of history, culture, food, art, architecture and nightlife, you may not care where it is, as long as they let you come back.

from the Guardian (London UK)
Portugal is one of the cheapest cities in Europe for the budget-conscious traveler, and Porto is one of the cheapest cities in Portugal. And unlike the rest of Europe, you can actually get there now.