Intelligent Travel

Our New Blog Update

By now, we hope that you've had a chance to check out our terrific new blog (which is just part of our newly redesigned website). Over the next week, we'll be transitioning over completely from this old site, and redirecting all links and content there. Our RSS feed will be moving over as well, so we encourage you to resubscribe if you stop getting updates from us.

Check out some of the great stuff we've got going on over at www.intelligenttravelblog.com

Ask IT: Finding Finland's Design

A reader asks: Where can I find ceramic vase featured in the September issue that looked like a piece of birch?

The Lunatic Express

Contributing Editor Carl Hoffman is attempting to find the slowest, most dangerous ways of traveling, and we think he just might be insane.

What's New at the National Gallery

Contributing Editor Jim Conaway reviews Pompeii's relics and the works of Dutch Master Jan Leivens.

Jenss Family Travels: Gross National Happiness

This Jensses find out what makes the Bhutanese, or Drukpa (people from the Land of the Thunder Dragon), so happy anyway?

Thanks for reading, and please let us know if you encounter and problems with the new site.

Photo of Bhutan, by Rainer Jenss

Dear Mr. President... (Part II)

Read, share and discuss this and other travel news at our new blog website: www.intelligenttravelblog.com

If you're not in a cave somewhere, you're probably already fully aware that today is election day in the U.S., and we encourage all of you registered voters to go out and perform your civic duty. As part of our election coverage, we're continuing the conversation we started yesterday with our readers, and presenting the rest of contributing editor Christoper Elliott's "Dear Mr. President..." essay from our November/December issue of Traveler. In the essay, Elliott outlined a series of travel-related items that are likely to be on the new president's agenda, and we're taking this opportunity to let our readers discuss how they'd like to see them sorted out.

STRUGGLING AIRLINES

The post-9/11 recovery made by the domestic airline industry was short-lived. High energy prices have pushed a poorly managed industry to the brink of yet another wave of bankruptcies. Passengers now feel the IRS offers better customer service; routes are being slashed; additional fees are now being tacked on for everything from bags to pillows. Some people are talking re-regulation. Should the airlines be held accountable for their customer service shortcomings with the passing of a passengers' bill of rights? Or should the next President focus on the health of the airline industry, ensuring that government policies allow air carriers an unobstructed path to profitability? And what about the nation's antiquated air-traffic control system? Should making the necessary upgrades be a top priority?

SECURITY HASSLES

Since the 2004 election, the government has imposed a series of new requirements for air travelers, including a ban on liquids and gels, plus new passport and ID rules - causing many passengers to opt to stay home. The travel industry is pushing the government to reduce the hassle factor at borders and checkpoints, and the Travel Industry Association of America has launched an ad campaign to persuade candidates to address these problems. Some changes are on the horizon, including more efficient airport screening and the loosening of visa requirements for some visitors. What is the appropriate balance between security and unimpeded travel? Should visitors to the United States be fingerprinted and eye-scanned? Do liquid-and-gel bans at airports work, or are they nothing more than "window-dressing," meant to make passengers feel safer? Do "no-fly" and watch lists protect travelers-or needlessly detain thousands of innocent people?

Dear Mr. President

Read, share and discuss this and other travel news at our new blog website: www.intelligenttravelblog.com

In our November/December issue of Traveler, contributing editor Christopher Elliott opens our Smart Traveler section with an essay outlining some travel-related considerations our next president should keep in mind once he enters the Oval Office. In the piece, we encouraged our readers to share their responses with us online, so now we're divvying up his major points, and posing the questions to you directly. How do you define the issues of the day and how would you address them? Check back for more excerpts from the essay.

GAS PRICES

A gallon of regular unleaded fuel averaged about $4 last summer, about $1 more than a year ago. Airline fuel prices have similarly skyrocketed. And while energy prices eased by autumn, it wasn't enough to stop a lot of vacations from turning into staycations. Clearly there is a need for a comprehensive energy policy that lessens the country's dependence on fossil fuels, but what does that mean? Offshore drilling? Tax incentives for companies investing in wind power and nuclear energy? What do you think?

A WEAK DOLLAR

The greenback has lost strength against currencies used in popular vacation destinations, such as Europe. And while the dollar has rebounded somewhat, its diminished value still makes overseas travel prohibitively pricey for many. The weak dollar is likely to be on the new President's agenda for reasons that have little to do with travel, but it's obvious that a stronger economy, or even the prospect of one, would boost the dollar. How best to accomplish that? Should the U.S. withdraw from the expensive war in Iraq? Is there another way to reduce both the budget and the trade deficit?

How would you address the concerns of travelers? Email us or share your opinions in comments below.

Photo: By Traveler assistant photo editor Krista Rossow

One Japanese Airport Has Very Chill Idea

See this post and others at our new website, www.intelligenttravelblog.com.

Snow and airports typically aren't friends. Delays, cranky customers, and even crankier ticket agents are in the forecast at the check-in line after Mother Nature dumps a load of the white stuff. But one airport in Japan is extending an eco-friendly hand to its usual nemesis. Beginning in 2010, the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, will start collecting some of its 20-30 feet of annual snowfall and use it to help cool the building during summer months.

By using heat-insulating materials, an estimated 45 percent of the snow could be preserved. The remaining melted snow will be put to use to chill the airport's liquid cooling system. The island has been experimenting with such cooling techniques since 1998.

The northernmost and least-developed of Japan's islands, Hokkaido is known for its brutal winters and splendid skiing conditions. Capital city Sapporo holds an annual Snow Festival in February, one of the largest winter events in Japan. By taking advantage of one of the island's most abundant natural resource, the New Chitose airport will reduce its CO2 emissions by 2,100 tons per year.

Read More: IT rounded up a host of green airports worldwide last month, including Boston's Logan International Airport's wind energy initiative, which helped it earn the distinction of the first LEED-certified airport terminal in the U.S.

Photo: Winter scene in Hokkaido, via Kaz&Masae's Flickr

Saving Africa's Lions

Imagine for a moment that you are a Maasai tribesman in Kenya and your entire livelihood is invested in your livestock. One day, a lion attacks one of your cows, killing it. Enraged, you set about to seek justice and protect your cattle from further harm. But justice today is not the same as it once was. The Maasai once used spears alone to take down lions, but now, with the rise of poisonous insecticides, it's simple for you to spread some poison on the carcass while the lion has wandered away. When the lion returns with its cubs, it ingests the poison. But so does the rest of the pride. In the span of a few hours, an entire family of lions is wiped out. Your cattle are safe...for now. But there are side effects: The region's economy, dependent on tourism, becomes unstable, and the fragile ecosystem of East Africa is shattered.

This was the reality facing Tom Hill, who began his work on lion conservation efforts in the Kenyan bush 16 years ago. As a trustee of the Maasailand Preservation Trust (known as the Ol Donyo Wuas Trust in Kenya), Hill has worked on the Mbirikani Group Ranch; and he has watched the population of lions deteriorate in the Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem (Located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro). The arrival of poison in the region has only hastened the problem. In 2003, he says, "We lost eight lions in one afternoon. It was the last great pride of the Chyulu Hills."

It was shortly after losing that pride that Hill and his co-founder, Richard Bonham, began speaking with the Maasai community about creating a better way to account for their losses. The MPT had long been established in the region and had relationships with tribal elders. But, Hill says, they needed to find a reason to make it worthwhile for the 10,000 people in the community to want to live alongside such beasts. "We realized that if we didn’t do something significant the lion population was going to go extinct," he says. "So we sat under trees with elders for months talking about life for the Maasai and the nature of conflict with wildlife. We tried to see how could we develop a solution that could stabilize the predator population, and save them from extinction, while saving the quality of life for the people." It was out of those meetings that they developed a novel system called the Mbirikani Predator Compensation Fund.

Our New Blog!

If you've noticed that we've been pretty quiet on this end, please forgive us, as we've been busy putting the finishing touches on our new blog site, which you can now find at, drumroll please....

blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel AND www.intelligenttravelblog.com

We're thrilled to be a part of the new National Geographic Traveler website, and are excited to show you around our new digs. So head on over and check it out!

Geotourism Innovators Honored at Summit

Last week, National Geographic was proud to be the host of the first-ever Geotourism Challenge Summit, which took place Oct. 14 and 15 at our headquarters in Washington, DC. The summit brought together winners and finalists of the Geotourism Challenge – a global competition of tourism-related projects that promote natural and cultural heritage while improving the well-being of local residents (you can learn more about the project from the video, above).

The three winners–the Yachana Foundation (Ecuador), 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (Nepal), and Rios Tropicales (Costa Rica)– were selected out of a total of 321 entries from 83 countries for their innovative approaches in promoting geotourism, which is defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place- its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.” Each of the three winning projects received a $5,000 award. The competition was carried out by Ashoka’s Changemakers and the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD).   

Summit participants discussed a series of new geotourism initiatives. Beginning in 2009, the Global Geotourism Network plans to provide an Internet-based platform for tourism professionals and travelers to share information and tools to develop projects and set new standards for destination stewardship. The network is a project of the Montreal-based Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED) in collaboration with the CSD.

A second Geotourism Challenge sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka will be launched in January 2009. 

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My Shot Minute: Urban Scenery

It's nearing the end of the day, but before we leave we wanted to share this one item. We love the YourShot and MyShot features over at National Geographic Magazine's website, but we were just smitten with the new Urban Scenery video slideshow up on their site. So take a minute and revel in some beautiful city pictures, taken by the readers of NGM. 

Travel Costs Dropping?

Perhaps there is a silver lining to the current crisis on Wall Street – the cost of travel is finally starting to go down. Our contributing editor Christopher Elliott just blogged about the recent drop in the price of jet fuel, which now hovers at about $75 a barrel. And Joe Sharkey of the New York Times recently reported that hotels and airlines are noticing a drop in bookings, and mentioned this interesting tidbit:

In September, the top seven airlines averaged a 9.47 drop in domestic passenger miles traveled compared with September 2007. Domestically and internationally, the major airlines carried 9.2 percent fewer passengers than in September 2007.

Fares are 15 to 25 percent higher on many routes than they were a year ago. But that portion of the strategy seems to have stalled.

“After 21 increases, almost one a week for the last year, we didn’t see any after July 4,” said Rick Seaney, whose booking site, Farecompare.com, closely tracks airfares. “There is a consensus in the industry that they pretty much have hit the end of the rope on fare increases.”

Sharkey notes that some luxury airlines are already beginning to drop prices - Singapore Airlines just chopped their ticket price from $8,500 to $5,999 for a roundtrip from L.A. to Singapore for example - and Gadling reports that British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are responding to the drop in gas prices by cutting back on fuel surcharges. Turns out, a few other airlines are following suit, as is Carnival Cruise line, which is cutting its fuel surcharges for 2010.  So if you can still afford to travel, and haven't yet scaled back your plans, keep your eyes peeled for some more deals on the horizon.

Image: via Tripso.com

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VIDEO: Algae to Power Jets?

A few weeks ago, we reported on several new research grants which will help fund the development of algae as a source of jet fuel. Well our friends over at National Geographic News have put together a video on the subject, so you can see how the process works in all of its green glory. Thanks to the news team for giving us the clip.