Intelligent Travel

Your Take: Share Your Favorite Walks

"To know a place well, you have to walk the ground, talk to the locals, soak up the history and lore that give a destination its distinction."

In April of this year, we introduced a three-part series called "Walk into America" with these words, and in our upcoming October issue, writer James Conaway will complete his third and final installment. Conaway has completed nine walks in all (in Maine, Florida, Tennessee, Kansas, Wyoming, New Mexico, California, Montana, and Washington), and a local guide has accompanied him on each, explaining the natural resources and history of the region.

But we know there are far more than nine walks in America that offer unique insights into this country's cultural and natural riches. What are your favorite walks and why? When did you walk them, and how have they changed over time? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: Alexandra and Garrett Conover of North Woods Ways snowshoe across Sebec Lake in Willimantic, Maine. North Woods Ways is run by registered Maine guides Alexandra and Garrett Conover who are on their 27th season guiding clients on canoe and snowshoe and tobogan trips through the Maine North Woods. By David McLain.

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Cuba Libre?

In the Smart Traveler section of our September issue, writer Randy B. Hecht wrote that a new resident in the White House could lead to some changes in the U.S.'s nearly five-decade-long ban on travel into Cuba. Hecht writes:

At least 136 lawmakers from both parties have put their names to legislation (four bills in the House, one in the Senate) to end the embargo. That means 25 percent of Congress publicly supports an end to the travel ban.

Hecht notes that neither McCain nor Obama has co-sponsored the legislation, but she speculates that with Fidel no longer in power, the likelihood of a policy change could come about when a new president takes office. Right now Obama has come out to support loosening of travel restrictions for Cuban Americans, while McCain wants to maintain all sanctions until Cuba agrees to diplomatic reforms.

Political persuasions aside, what do you think about the Cuban travel ban?

Photo: Barrybar via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool

Molokai Ranch Closes

We were disappointed when we received a letter from reader Cynthia Burdge of Kailua, Hawaii, shortly after our Stay List came out, informing us that one of our picks, the Lodge and Beach Village at Molokai Ranch, had closed. But we were even more frustrated to learn about the circumstances surrounding it.

On March 25th, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that the hotel, which consists of a restored plantation and tent village, shuttered its doors after it was denied permission to build a 200-lot luxury development on 500 acres at La'au Point. The hotel generated more than $9 million in revenue for the island each year, and over the past few weeks, the fallout has begun its ripple effect: over 120 employees are out of work, nearby businesses that the hotel ran to serve tourists have closed, and residents are worried that the hotel will not continue to maintain roads and other public utilities that they rely on. As Burdge writes, “[T]hey ‘gave back’ to the community by putting 120 people out of work on an island where the unemployment rate was already twice that of the rest of the state...This time, Aloha means goodbye.”

Traveler wrote about the resort in our September 2004 issue, describing the hotel as family-friendly enclave and noting that "Molokai has managed to avoid the tourist crush of Oahu and Maui—and likes it that way." Molokai's uniquely authentic character was further demonstrated in our Places Rated: Islands issue (November/December 2007), where Molokai ranked highest of all of the Pacific islands. One of our panelists reported that:

"More than 60 percent of the population are native Hawaiians interested in preserving their heritage, homesteads, and family values. Many prefer to live on a subsistence level. Under these circumstances, they are resentful of and oppose tourist developments. Better to just leave the island alone."

TV or Not TV?

Hotel Central Editor Susan O'Keefe wants your take on televisions in hotel rooms. Is bigger really better?

Travel Agent Central recently reported that Sandy Lane, the luxury resort located in St. James, Barbados, where celebrity guests have included Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, and Jackie Kennedy, will close on August 31 and reopen on October 3, to undergo a $6-million makeover. Renovations to the hotel will include new outdoor patio furniture, new guest room bedding and drapes, and TVs—all 112 rooms and suites will upgrade from huge 55-inch TVs to 70-inch monsters.

Reader, I don't know about you, but if I'm going to the Caribbean, I'm not really planning on spending much time in my room, let alone flipping through channels with a remote. Have we gotten so caught up in bigger being better when it comes to flat-screens and plasmas, that 15 inches will really make a difference, especially in a bedroom?

Don't get me wrong, I like my TV when I'm traveling for business and sitting in my characterless room eating bland food from room service. And I like giant TV screens during events like the Super Bowl, when I can leave the family room to refill the chip bowl and still see the game from my kitchen. But the Caribbean is a getaway. It's where you go to dig your toes in the sand, plunge into the crystal-clear water, and lounge beachside for long periods of time with a fruity drink and a good book. At Sandy Lane, outdoor recreation includes kayaking, sailing, state-of-the-art golf courses, tennis, and swimming with Hawksbill turtles that play and feed along the inshore reef. So, tuck the TV remote in a drawer and get outside. But I wonder, what amenity must you have in a hotel room? Mini bar? Stationery with the hotel's logo? Slippers? Q-tips? We'd like to know what you can't live without, whether you're at a resort in the Caribbean or a motel on the side of the road.

Warning: People in New York Still Steal

Continuing our Authentic New York theme, we've asked several New York writers to riff a bit about their city. Amelia Mularz offers a reminder that while Times Square may now feel like Epcot Center, it still pays to be on guard when it comes to keeping your stuff safe...

Though I love Europe, ask any traveler who’s toured the continent and he or she is likely to have a pickpocket sob story of some kind. I myself have wandered wallet-less and teary-eyed through a Madrid metro station only to report my crime to a police officer who meets me with that eye-rolling, here-we-go-again kind of look. I’ve always taken comfort in the fact that New York, on the other hand, is relatively theft-free. Of course this is a big city and you have to have your wits about you, but it’s unlikely that a woman in Grand Central will make you hold her baby while she rifles through your pockets, looking to steal your wallet. I, perhaps naively, thought that petty theft in New York had gone out with subway crime and the seediness of Times Square. But after the week I’ve had, I can safely say that thievery is alive and well in New York City.

Last week somebody stole my desk. Yes, it was a full-size piece of furniture. I ordered it online and waited patiently with my new stapler and matching tape dispenser for its arrival. When it never came, I went online to track its progress and was confused when it said it had been delivered and signed for a few days beforehand. I called the company and the agent assured me the doorman had signed and it was safely in my building. The only problem is…my building doesn’t have a doorman.

Just as I was coming to terms with the fact that some doorman imposter had stolen my desk, my mom called to see if my roommates and I enjoyed the Easter basket she had sent…the Easter basket that, like my desk, I never received. Now the fact that I’m a grown woman and still receiving an Easter basket from my mom is completely beside the point. What’s important here is that somebody would actually steal an Easter basket sent from a 57-year-old woman in Illinois…so sad. I imagined at that moment some maniac in New York was sitting with the contents of my basket spread across my desk, separating the good Jelly Belly flavors from the bad.

DIY Voluntourism

When we asked for your voluntourism experiences reader and travel blogger Anna Etmanska sent us a note about her do-it-yourself voluntour trips. Intrigued, we asked her to tell us a bit more about breaking out of the organized tour.

I know voluntourism has recently become more trendy, but even I was surprised when a recent Travelocity poll claimed that 38% of Americans plan to get down and dirty doing good deeds on their vacations this year. The industry took notice as well, with tour operators and non-profits of all shapes and sizes jumping on the bandwagon, and now there are a variety of organizations eager to take your time and money (all for a good cause, of course).

How, doing what, and where you choose to volunteer is entirely up to you. Do you prefer a specific area of the world? Will you survive without running water and flush toilets? Can you, if not speak, then at least get by in a foreign language? And which one? What do you want to do? Teach English? Dig ditches? Restore narrow-gauge train tracks? For one week? Or one year?

Weeding through the myriad of volunteer options can be daunting. It was to me. With no money for a program fee (“And why should I pay to work for free?” I thought) and a morbid fear of a long-term Peace Corps-type commitment, my first voluntour happened accidentally. A friend of a friend’s aunt ran an orphanage in Guinea-Bissau. “Wow! Cool! Can I visit?” I asked. “Can you work?” she answered.

For six weeks that summer, I drove a beat-up Toyota truck on non-existent roads delivering food supplies in one of the poorest countries in the world. I returned home with a vicious case of malaria and a desire to do it again.

Though it takes time and effort, you can arrange to voluntour on your own. Start with doing your homework.

Been There: Navigating and Negotiating Baja

Welcome to "Been There" a new feature here at IT where we spotlight the lesson's you've learned on the road – the indispensable tidbits that you wish you had known before you left. IT friend Eric Wolff, who calls San Diego home and is a writer for City Beat, kicks us off with a handy how-to on negotiating your way down the Baja peninsula.

Right now, in Puerto Nuevo, Baja California, it’s langostino season, a time when a young gringo’s heart turns to delicious, delicious, clawless lobsters. Fresh caught, then fried and served with warm burritos and avocados, it's quite possibly the perfect meal, preferably if brought to a table with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Good stuff, and not the sort of thing one should miss because a few ne'er do wells are making off with some surfers’ gear, or because of rumors about corrupt cops. The rumors are true, of course, they’re just not a good reason to miss langostino season. Tourists just need to be careful and know the rules of the game.

Actually, there’s only one rule when it comes to the cops: pay the bribe. The going rate is $20, no more, no less. Here’s a textbook case of how to manage the corrupt officers of Tijuana and Baja, drawn from real-life experience – the very day, in fact, I first enjoyed tasty langostinos. My sister and I were driving through the labyrinth of downtown Tijuana after a day spent at CECUT and along Avenida Revolucion, trying to locate an entrance to the road to Baja. I glanced in my rear-view mirror and saw the flashing lights of a police car. I pulled over. The cop ambled to the window and asked for my license and registration, which I gave him. Then he pulled out a piece of paper with a computer-printed table of moving violations and fines. He said the fine for whatever I did wrong (one downside of corrupt law enforcement is they’re so darn vague) would be $60, and I should follow him to the station. Fortunately, I knew the rule. I looked at him and said – and this is key – “I heard it was $20 if I pay right here and now, instead of going to the station.” He took the money, and even led me through a construction zone that put me on the highway. It’s nice to know that once you buy a cop, you get full service.

Anyway, where were we? Ah yes, langostinos. In Puerto Nuevo. Go for it.

What lessons have you learned on your travels? We want to hear them. Email us your story with "Been There" in the subject line, and we'll feature your tales from the road on IT.

Photo: [ ••> jeriko1kenobi <•• ] via Flickr

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Introducing: Global Eye

Introducing Intelligent Travel's newest feature: Global Eye. It's a chance for us to showcase the incredible talent of our readers, selected from our new online Flickr pool. We love how a picture can tell a story, and we'll include a bit of info from each shutterbug about where, when, and how the shot was taken. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and encourage you to contribute your own shots to the mix.

The Hong Kong Skyline from Hopewell Centre Glass Elevator, via the Happy Sleepy page

Photographer: Magda Wojtyra, Toronto, Ontario

Getting the shot: "The photo was taken on May 20, 2007 from a moving elevator of the Hopewell Centre in Hong Kong. This was my last day in Hong Kong. I had been traveling with my partner for six months in Southeast Asia, and the next day we were flying back to Canada. We went up and down the elevator several times, savoring the other-worldly quality of the city and [how] our own minds' perspective [had been] bent into new patterns by the travel."

No Farang, No Job

This homemade sign on one of the ubiquitous tuk-tuks in Thailand says it all: Farang (foreigners) are a precious commodity in traffic-choked Bangkok and throughout the land of smiles. Tuk-tuk drivers depend on tourism for their livelihoods—sightseers willing to shell out a relative fortune for the ride of a lifetime. But with more than 11 million visitors each year, can the country afford to have people breeze in and out, leaving a thick trail of exhaust in their wake?

The government has been making an effort to curb pollution and increase awareness about global warming with events like Bangkok Car Free Day. But seeing this sign got me thinking about the trade-offs of travel. How can we live up to the responsibility that this sentiment places on our shoulders?

Please send us your reactions, similar travel dilemmas, or thought-provoking photos about the tenuous relationship visitors often have with their destinations.

Return of the Reader Roundup

IT loves our readers. But lately we've been so caught up sharing our own discoveries with you that we haven't published any of their (your) travel insights on the blog. But there's no time like the present, so, without further ado, a long overdue reader roundup:

Elizabeth Chabot of Canaan, New Hampshire, wrote to tell us about her trip to Italy, during which she stayed in a pair of hotels recommended in our April 2002 issue: "Fortunately we only booked one night at the Hotel Romae. The rooms were clean and spacious, but there were no other amenities. It was particularly hot when we stayed there, but the air conditioning had been turned off for the season. The windows (which we had to leave open because of the heat) faced a busy and loud street; needless to say, it was a sleepless night.