What Got My Attention This Week in Travel...
Travel isn't always about finding beautiful places. Sometimes it's about understanding difficult ones. The value of visiting sites tied to tragedy isn't in seeing them, it's in leaving with a deeper understanding of the people and history behind them.
Country rankings are a useful starting point, not a travel decision. A place can rank well overall while still having regions to avoid, and countries with lower scores can still be perfectly safe for most travelers. Context always beats a number.
The tour isn't the product, the guide is. The same itinerary can feel completely different depending on who's leading it.
Some travelers pack three swimsuits. Others pack hiking shoes 'just in case.' You already know which one you are.
I know every flight and every visit has an impact. I'll never have zero impact, but I can choose to leave a place better than I found it. I try to remember that I'm a guest long before I'm a tourist.
Travel News + Trends
- Flights to the Middle East Are Coming Back—but Travel Disruptions Aren’t Over [Fodor's]
- Ebola Cases Are Increasing Faster Than Response Efforts, Health Experts Warn—What Travelers Should Know [Travel + Leisure]
- Need to Cancel an Airbnb at the Last Minute? Now You Can Get All Your Money Back. [Matador Network]
- Europe's summer heatwave: what travelers need to know [Lonely Planet]
- Travel Insurance Usually Excludes War. These Airlines Are Changing That [Fodor's]
...And Things Around the Edges of Travel
- I tested AI glasses in Paris. Here’s what they got wrong [BBC]
- Why we all fall for the ‘I could live here’ travel trap [The Good Times]
- The Most Niche, Wacky, and Special Interest Cruises You Can Take [Fodor's]
- The Best Overwater Bungalows in the World [World of Wanderlust]
- 21 books in our travel bags this summer [Lonely Planet]
- The Art of Unusual Transportation: 25 Weird & Fun Ways People Move Around [Tourism On The Edge]