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

TRAVEL LIKE AN ADDICT
I’ve never met Heather Rudd, but after taking a peek at her blog, I already know she’s my kind of traveler.

By that, I mean she’s one of those travelers who like to savor the journey itself, as opposed to a tourist just hell-bent on rushing about to a strict, canned itinerary, trying to cram in as much as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Check out her “5 lessons of a travel addict” and you’ll understand what I mean. They definitely are words to live — and travel — by.

JUNETEENTH
On this day 146 years ago, a Union Army general publicly read out a proclamation in Galveston TX that put en end to the last vestige of slavery in the United States.

Ever since, black Americans across the country and beyond have marked june 19 — or “Juneteenth,” as it came to be called — as the day when their ancestors in American got their freedom once and for all. And ther are celebrations, large and small, taking place all over the country.

Want to learn more about Juneteenth? IBIT’s got you covered. Just click here.

AIRBORNE AGGRAVATION
There are certain kinds of air passenger behavior that make an already dreary experience much worse — and the longer the flight, the more irritating it can be.

Here now for your amusement — or your introspection — are two lists of people who make those around them apoplectic. One comes from Friendly Planet Travel, the other from my friend, Pauline Frommer (yes, that Frommer!) courtesy of the Toronto Star.

How times have you run into passengers like these? For that matter, how many times have you been a passenger like these?!

And now, here’s this week’s Digest:

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AIR
from the Independent Traveler
Ten ways to survive long-haul flights. It starts long before you board.

from Budget Travel
When it comes to travel annoyances, is there anything worse than dealing with the TSA? Apparently, the answer is yes — and that’s just scary.

LAND
from Frommer’s
The 4-1-1 on vacation rentals — where to do it, why to do it and how to do it right.

from Spy Travelogue
From Tijuana to Timbuktu, you run into touts, those annoying street hustlers trying to talk you into this shop, that stall. Instead of just shooing them off, why not put them to work for you?

from Frommer’s
How to pack light in ten easy steps. You back and your wallet will thank you.

from Airfare Watchdog via Yahoo! News
Games rental car companies play. They’re almost as bad now as the airlines.

from Discovery News
Can a laser beam save the lives of urban cyclists?

SEA
from USA Today
Three major cruise lines set to ban smoking in the cabins of their cruise ships at the end of this year and the start of 2012. That’s me in the corner, doing the IBIT Happy Dance.

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AFRICA
from DigiDrift.com
His name is Jason, and he poses a question I find myself asking a lot of people lately: Why haven’t you been to Africa yet?

from Got Saga
Good reasons to visit Zambia — and there are more than you’d think.

from allAfrica.com
World Bank: Africa is ready for the serious investor. Note that he said “investor,” not “exploiter.” And yes, there is a difference.

from The Mirror (London UK)
The Seychelles is a long way to go to get to paradise. See what makes it worth the trip. See what made it a honeymoon destination for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

AMERICAS/CARIBBEAN
from The Root
Ready to start learning the black history they didn’t teach you in school? Then you’re ready for the first of several road trips.

from CheapoAir
Street food — you know you love it. Where o find the best street eats in the United States. Let the tasting — and the arguments — begin!

from TakePart.com
And speaking of food, a city famous for its cuisine — New Orleans — is getting into urban farming and eating local post-Katrina.

ASIA/PACIFIC
from Lonely Planet via BBC Travel
Beijingis more than the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square and the jumping off point to see the Great Wall of China. It’s also got a rocking music scene.

EUROPE
from Visit Portugal
Wedged into Spain, stuck below Britain and France and overflown on the way to Italy, this may be the most under-appreciated travel destination in Western Europe. But why? All the history, culture, food and drink — and cheaper, too. Portugal deserves a look — and maybe a trip.

from The Guardian (London UK)
Would you believe: A railroad tunnel in Belgium that uses solar power to run high-speed passenger trains? Not fantasy, and not in the future. Now.

from the BBC
Dover Castle may be one of those innumberable stone monuments to ancient Europe, but i has more modern history hidden underneath. The evacuation that saved the British army at Dunkirk, a critical moment early in World War 2, was improvised and stage-managed from the tunnels below the castle walls. And now, you an see where and how it was done.