Intelligent Travel

Mmmm... Sustainable Sushi

A few weeks ago, we got all kinds of hungry when we posted about the new sustainable sushi restaurant, Tataki, in San Francisco. But for those of you who can't make it out to San Fran, there's now a set of guidebooks just released by the Blue Ocean Institute, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Environmental Defense Fund that will give you a lesson on which fish should, and shouldn't, make it into your maki roll. Each org has their own version of the guide (the Environmental Defense Fund's is slightly more focused on consumer health), but they decided to band together and present a united front to make the public more aware about the role that sushi plays in the sustainable seafood movement.

"There's a lot of awareness about seafood – but not about sushi," says Ken Peterson, the Communications Director at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "Even though people know they’re eating raw fish," they often don't relate to it the way they would to, say, dolphin-safe tuna, he says, and speculates that's perhaps because many dishes are identified in Japanese. So these bilingual guides will instruct users to consider how the fish are farmed and caught, and whether they're being threatened by overfishing. According to the guide, bluefish is on the no-go list, as the species population has dropped 90 percent in the past 30 years because of overfishing. Also on the no list: monkfish ("ankoh"), red snapper ("tai") and freshwater eel ("unagi"). Instead, try U.S.-farmed abalone ("awabi"), albacore tuna from the U.S. and Canada ("maguro") and farmed arctic char ("iwana"), which are all are more sustainable choices.

These guides will be available as wallet-sized cards and are free to download, but I think that the digital versions, available on PDAs, are great for travelers. The Monterey Bay Aquarium's can be accessed by going to mobile.seafoodwatch.org, while the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector can be accessed through m.edf.org/seafood. And the Blue Ocean Institute just launched the FishPhone program this month, allowing patrons to text the name of the fish and get a text back with its environmental assessment.

As part of the launch, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is also launching a "virtual sushi party" on Facebook today, which encourages participants to go out into their communities, eat sushi, and report back with status updates on the fish they found. We'll be happy to oblige them.

Read More: Time Magazine reports on the sustainable sushi movement. And read more about the global fish crisis in last April's issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Image by Meomi for the Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Traveling in the Muslim World during Ramadan

There’s barely a few hours left of Ramadan this year, but we thought we’d pause to consider what Ramadan is all about and what it’s like to be a non-Muslim traveling in the Muslim world during this most sacred month.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. It’s the time during which the Qu’ran was revealed to Muhammad. During Ramadan, all able-bodied adults abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and all physical and moral profanity during the day.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk to practice humility, patience, and sacrifice and to fulfill Sawm, the Fourth Pillar of Islam. Many claim it’s a cleansing experience, one that helps Muslims focus on the needs of others and increase their charitable contributions. Others feel Ramadan has an equalizing effect on the community; taxi driver and royalty alike must fast and may be more hungry, grouchy, and lethargic than normal. Ramadan unifies the community.

Non-Muslims need not fast during Ramadan but it’s important to respect the customs and faith of those around you. In some nations, such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Ramadan may barely be noticeable, while in more conservative nations such as Libya, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, much is changed during this time.

Keep these tips in mind while traveling in the Muslim world during Ramadan:

Costa Rica: Zip Tips

In the month since I visited steamy Costa Rica, I’ve been reflecting longingly on my honeymoon, where we stayed on the Guanacaste peninsula along the Pacific coast. One of the highlights of our trip was riding the zip line at the Congo Canopy Tour, between Flamingo and Ocotal beaches, as you can see in the video, below.

It’s a good thing I didn’t read Congo’s brochure until after swooping along all 11 lines, as it promoted the tour as one for “adrenaline junkies” and hard-core thrill seekers, neither of which is remotely me. (I’ve never been on a roller coaster for Pete’s sake.) That said, I had fun on the zip line tour and will never forget the experience (if only to ensure I don’t ever do it again). Here are some tips I learned while zipping around and hanging on for dear life.

Wear Jeans: The harness and equipment that secure you to the stainless steel line need to be tight around your pelvis, hips, and legs. I wore a skort and my husband shorts; neither was a good idea. We were chafing and our shorts/skorts were riding up on us throughout the two hours (making for less than complimentary photos too). Long jeans are best, despite the heat.

Wear Shoes Fastened to Your Feet: Remember, you’ll be dangling between 30 to over 100 feet off the ground, moving at a pretty brisk pace. You should be focusing on where your hands are and that you’re following the guides’ instructions. I saw some people wearing flip-flops and I couldn’t make sense of that choice. Who needs to be distracted by clutching their flip-flops with their toes? Leave ‘em on the beach and opt for sneakers instead.

Pay Attention: When the guides tell you to pay attention to their instructional orientation, really listen to them; don’t let the guides’ jovial nature make you overconfident or complacent about technique and safety. Zip lining can be very dangerous. Think about what they tell you and ask questions. Mime their movements even before they put your gear on you. If you’re unsure, ask them to repeat or give you some one-on-one guidance.

Talking with The Hotel Whisperer

Our intrepid contributing editor Andrew Nelson recently caught the ear of Andrew Freeman, aka the Hotel Whisperer.

Andrew Freeman is a hotel whisperer. His San Francisco-based public relations and marketing company helps hostelries and restaurants identify current trends in the hospitality industry and capitalize on them.  Like lobbies, for instance. You may have noticed that your check-in experience is becoming more like "check it out" as reception areas are transformed into cocktail lounge-like spaces and hotels cart off stuffy furniture in favor of a low-slung, modern pieces. Why? It's all about real estate, says Freeman. If a city's price-per-square-foot is steep "having a lovely entry lobby is getting the owner more bang for your buck," he says. "For guests it produces an arrival 'experience' – you can get in the action if you want to, or navigate away from it." Though Freeman's company typically advises deep-pocketed clients, he agreed to murmur in Traveler's ear about what's hot in hotel trends.

A Mixologist for your Marriott: Travelers know that hotels in Vegas and New York now have great restaurants, but there's still a lot of opportunity for mid-markets to have great restaurants as larger hotel chains have cottoned on to the fact they can keep guests on the property. Hotel brunches are going to get more creative, Freeman predicts. One example: The JW Marriott in San Francisco is introducing a "recovery" Sunday brunch featuring flights of Bloody Marys.

Value Now: During a recession you'll see hotels making more attempts to lure locals. "It's a 'staycation' in your own town. Look for happy hour programs and specials," Freeman says. In San Francisco, for example, Kimpton Hotels are doing complimentary evening wine hours. Also look for room rate add-ons, not price cuts. "Hotels are reluctant to cut prices, but may include a free room for the kids, a free meal or cooking classes for the price of a regular room."

Behind the Lens: China Travel Tips from Fritz Hoffman

To usher in our coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we asked National Geographic photographer Fritz Hoffman, who shot the beautiful images collected in National Geographic Magazine's Inside China issue in May, to give us some of his travel tips. In this first installment he offers some safety advice for getting around the country.

Holiday travelers pack the Guangzhou Railway Station in Guangdong Province. By Fritz Hoffman 

Taxis: A few words of caution about travel in China. When you take a taxi make sure that the driver has a license and is familiar with the territory. Most taxi drivers will tell riders, especially foreigners, that they know where their destination is. This is not always true. You would rarely encounter a situation where your safety is in question by a dishonest taxi driver. Rather the driver just wants your business bad enough to lie and would plan to ask directions along the way.

Buses: Always check the bus out a little before buying your ticket. Old buses are being replaced with new ones here in China but in rural parts, rust-buckets are still plentiful. One important thing to ask is whether the bus has brakes or not. Also get a good look at the driver. Best to pick an older driver over one who is young and inexperienced. When traveling by bus, especially in rural areas, take a seat in the middle of the bus but do not sit over the wheels otherwise every bump in the road will be felt tenfold. Sit far enough away from the driver to take the edge off the bus horn noise which must be used every 10 seconds to avoid mowing down bicyclists and farmers.

Photo Tip of the Week: Harness the Web

This Flickr photo, by Motoji Kogouchi, captures geisha strolling the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan.

We don't need to tell you that the Web has become an infinite photo gallery. But browsers beware: "A lot of the advice and opinions you get on the Internet is just plain off," says photographer Bob Krist. "Anyone can put up a slick-looking website. I want to take my advice from someone who's making a living making pictures." With that in mind, Traveler asked some two dozen photographers—mostly professionals—to reveal their favorite online hangouts, some of which are revealed below. Read the full story, compiled by senior editor Scott Stuckey, on Traveler's website.

Tactic No. 1: Get Inspired

"To improve my own photography," says Will van Overbeek, photographer and photo instructor, "I look at other photographers' photos and treat them like a puzzle. I ask myself, how was that done? Then I figure it out."

The Web is full of pictures worth scrutinizing. For starters, go to Masters of Photography, a plain-looking site displaying prints by a good sample of photographic greats, such as Ansel Adams, remembered for his large-format black-and-white pictures of Yosemite Valley; Margaret Bourke-White, the first female photojournalist to shoot for Life magazine; and Gordon Parks, a barrier-breaking African-American photographer.

"Before going on a trip, I go to Corbis to see what a place looks like in general," says photographer Catherine Karnow. "That helps me narrow my shooting list." Corbis, founded in 1989 by Bill Gates, has some 70 million images. Other stock houses worth browsing are Getty Images, Magnum Photos, and VII. "For inspiration," says photographer David McLain, "I go to Aurora Photos more than any place else on the Web. It's the photo agency I belong to, and I always like to see the weekly features that are up as well as keep up with what my colleagues are shooting."

More great pockets of online photographic brilliancy, revealed after the jump:  

Call for Entries: Win a Free Trip to Antarctica

Don't forget to enter your photographic masterpieces in Traveler’s photo contest, World in Focus. Grand prize for amateurs is a 15-day trip for two to Antarctica aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. Learn how to enter (deadline: August 21) and browse the bevy of travel prizes here.

Grand prize winner of our most recent photo contest, Traveler's first-ever Great Outdoors Photo Contest, won a seven-day trip for two to Hawaii. Runner-up and winner of the Islands and Underwater Prize, Martin Tomèík, captured this priceless shot and snagged an Earth Explorer Shoulder Bag designed by Bogen for National Geographic.

Tomèík was testing out his new waterproof camera case one afternoon on a beach in Slovakia's Vel'ká Fatra National Park when he found this frog. He had already taken three rolls of film, when, on his final frame of his last roll, he snapped this image. "It was only a short moment, and of course, lucky," says Tomèík, who is from the district of Martin, Slovakia ("I am Martin from Martin," he jokes).

Click here for all six winning shots.

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There May Be Hope in Hypermiling

Four dollars can buy a lot. It can get you a fancy iced coffee, half a matinee movie ticket, or four items at the dollar store (behold the wonder of a journalist doing math!). What it can’t get you—at least in the D.C. area—is even a single gallon of gasoline.

Americans everywhere are feeling the numbers crunch when it comes to their cars, and those who can’t walk or bike are coming up with some pretty interesting solutions—everything from taking summer staycations to running vehicles on vegetable oil. But some of the less dramatic of us might want to consider one of the country’s fastest-growing trends, a phenomenon known as hypermiling.

In its most basic sense, hypermiling means driving strategically to increase gas mileage (technically, it's defined as exceeding the EPA fuel economy rating for your vehicle). In a recent Washington Post article, Nancy Trejos tells us how this can be done: by traveling at or just below the speed limit, accelerating gently (some advocate a “feather light” touch), and coasting to a stop at lights and stop signs. Techniques such as these often get hypermilers 10 to 20 percent more miles to the gallon, although some hypermilers have taken it to the extreme: This group of men drove their Toyota Prius a total of 1,397 miles (2,248 kilometers) on just under 13 gallons of gas, for a grand average of 110 mpg (Okay, I’ll admit that this time, I pulled the statistic straight from the news story—no actual math involved).

It’s not all smooth sailing (or downhill coasting), however: Hypermiling has come under the attack of critics who say it promotes dangerous practices, such as turning off the engine at stop lights—even at busy intersections—and tailing tractor-trailers closely on interstates to take advantage of the lack of wind resistance. And when hypermilers travel too far below the speed limit, the result is not only dangerous, but also frustrating to other drivers on the road.

IT’s verdict: Conserving gas is important, but drivers should definitely put the brakes on any reckless driving. In the end, safe hypermiling comes down to driving smarter to save money and energy. And that’s something we can all grab the wheel and get behind.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt, via Flickr photo pool

Maps of New York

There are a million reasons to go to New York City (other than the fireworks this weekend). The sights, the sounds, the food, the shows. But what if you're looking for something very specific, and a regular street map won't do? Here are a few maps for New York visitors to check out when they have a more precise itinerary for the Big Apple.

The New York City Coffee Map has details on where to find the best cup o' joe in the city. Check out the Google map or click on specific neighborhoods for a listing of coffee shops in the area.

NewYorkPass.com has an interesting map of the city, which includes museums, theaters and other places of interest. The map is intended for holders of the New York Pass (which, for a certain amount per day, gives free admission and discounts to a plethora of places), and highlights places that give "behind the scenes tours" (like an NBC Studio Tour) for its holders. But even if you don't buy the pass, the map is still a good reference of the city's biggest attractions.

The New York subway map is a must for tourists who don't want to look like clueless tourists.

Central Park has a great interactive map that highlights the history of the park as well as certain attractions that a visitor might miss when simply strolling through.

Of course, no one could go a day in New York City without having to use the restroom. The NYC Public Toilet Map has a detailed map of 250 public restrooms in the city. The foldable, pocket-sized map cost $2 (plus .50 shipping fee) and is a must for parents traveling with children.

What maps do you use when getting around New York?

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt via Flickr

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The Line on Wimbledon

A report from Paul Heltzel, senior producer at National Geographic Digital Media and tennis fan:

Despite its lofty image, Wimbledon is one major sporting event where you don’t have to be well connected–or well organized–to get in. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club holds about 6,000 places for the general public to purchase tickets at the turnstiles. If you have time to kill, and twenty pounds (less as the tournament progresses), you can see world-class tennis on 18 different courts.

Here's a snapshot of what it's like: In a large field, thousands of people wait in six rows a few blocks from the grass courts of the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. A cheerful tournament steward welcomes the last person in line to the Wimbledon queue, presenting a card to hold the latecomer's place. These long lines are the saving grace of the average tennis fan: a little patience, and you can obtain the hottest ticket in tennis.

As the morning passes, some recline on blankets, converse, and enjoy baguette sandwiches, Pimm's and lemonade, and champagne. You can take your own soft cooler, food, and drinks into the tournament (a pleasant surprise, as inside the gates, a half-bottle of champagne can set you back 26 pounds).

On the first day of the tournament, I joined the queue at 8 in the morning and was in by 11:30 a.m. for a full day of tennis. On day three, I was able to show up at 10 a.m. and stepped onto the campus-sized grounds a little less than two hours later. The catch? After the grounds reach capacity, the queue comes to a standstill. At that point, you can get in only as fans exit. Come just a bit too late–there's really no judging when capacity is reached–and you could be in the queue until late afternoon, when large numbers begin to exit the tournament.

Get the scoop on how to snag hard-to-get tickets after the jump...