World Traveler

It might be tempting, but avoid drinking from even high mountain rivers or streams. Parasitical invections such as giardia are simply too common and potentially too serious to risk should you become infected on a hike. Photo by Yorian/courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

You’ve been there. You’ve rationalized. You’ve faced the consequences.

The fact is that travel and food don’t always mix. The fine dining experience abroad is all well and good, but the ordeal of just getting to that foreign country of choice is often where diets slip, where food-borne pathogens take advantage of fatigue and stress and where the trip often goes wrong in the first place.

So here are a few tips that may save from that queasy stomach—or worse—the next time you travel.

1)      Whether on the plane, train or in the automobile, drink plenty of water. The first rule of thumb is that water—good water—is a good thing. Plane passengers especially need to (more…)

American Airlines is likely to pay a huge fine for 2008 maintenance infractions on the airlines MD80 passenger planes (shown above). Despite attempts to fight the FAA ruling or to negotiate the fine, the bad publicity will likely haunt the carrier as it deals with potential strikes and unrest within its ranks. Photo by Felicity and Phillip/uploaded by Kai Brinker/courtesty of Wikimedia Commons.

American Airlines must be reeling.

By now most in the industry already know that U.S. officials have slapped a $24.2 million fine on American Airlines for 2008 maintenance lapses. The fine is record-setting, hammers American Airlines when it’s down, and if perhaps the collective reaction is “ouch, I bet that hurt,” the real problem with fines is the publicity.

The very, very bad publicity.

In short, the general public tends to have the collective memory of a goldfish. The year 2008 is ancient history. No blood, no foul, life goes on. Whatever maintenance problems were going on at the time, 99 out of 100 Joe Travelers have long since forgotten about them—if they ever knew to begin with.

Yet massive fines—which quickly become far-resonating business articles (and blogs, for that matter)—are a different story. The public will now take a closer look, and trust me, it gets ugly quick.

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The Mexican crocodile can be a scary beast, but Cancun visitors have little or nothing to worry about--unless they drink too much and go swimming in the lagoon. Photo by Tomas Castelazo/courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In an effort to both inform and entertain the wonderful readers of this esteemed World Traveler blog, we have decided (on a monthly basis) to explore the myths, mysteries and legends of some of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

No, we are not (necessarily) talking the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, but other, perhaps less known and more practical bits of info that could very well come in handy should you set foot in the vacation spot of your dreams.

And if we poke a bit of fun along the way, hey, most top destinations can fend for themselves.

Which leads us to the multiple, wonderful and titillating subject of crocodiles in Cancun.

1. The crocodile that ate the newlywed parasail enthusiast. When it comes to Mexican vacation horror stories, this has to be No. 1 in our book—and it is a story that must be at least 20 years old, as this blogger first heard at the tender age of 23 on his first trip to the Yucatan Peninsula. At any rate, legend has is that a couple honeymooning in Cancun saw a vacation and marriage come to a quick and tragic end, thanks to the lagoon’s infamous crocodiles. The new husband just had to try parasailing, but the cable broke (more…)

Traveling via a 'packaged holiday' may mean that you miss cool, off-the-beaten-track spots like Myrtos Beach near Greece's Kefalonia. Photo by Christos Vittoratos/courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Perhaps nothing is more tempting for European travelers than the cheap, flashy, ‘package holiday’ trip. Whether advertised in the storefront windows of small travel agencies or whether sold in tandem with the slick telephone-book like catalogues produced by big name travel companies, there is definitely something attractive about booking that last-minute, completely pre-packaged voyage to an idyllic Greek Isle or laid-back Spanish beach.

After all, there is no stress. Your hotel is chosen. Your transport is guaranteed. Mealtimes are set. In fact, you hardly have to use you brain at all.

All you have to do is relax. Right?

Wrong, actually.

Let’s just put it this way: Been there, done that. In fact, this blogger would even recommend “winging it”—i.e. heading for a foreign destination with nothing booked in advance—to the typical charter tour.

Here’s a few reasons why:

1)      You are joining the herd. While you obviously have no obligation to spend time with fellow travelers—or even talk to them—make no mistake that the travel company now in control of your life sees you much differently. You are a number. Import-export material. Of course, your travel company or booking agent would claim that there is no truth in this (more…)

JetBlue is getting much press over the Steven Slater affair, but oddly the mystery passenger who prompted Slater's meltdown remains anonymous. Photo by JKrugel/Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Yes, the Steven Slater-JetBlue soap opera continues, with the airline finally addressing the situation by saying only that “sometimes the weird news is about us” while acknowledging that Slater has become the darling of internet forums everywhere.

But oddly, there has still been no mention of the name of the passenger involved.

Strange, strange, strange. Under most circumstances we would hear that 1) the passenger had been arrested for unruly behavior on a flight and 2) that assault charges had been either dropped or were now pending–simply due to the obvious bruise on Slater’s head, which was apparently caused when the passenger disobeyed Slater’s request to remain seated and opened the luggage rack on the flight attendant’s head.

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JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater chose the emergency chute over the typical method of disembarking from a plane upon landing. Despite his arrest, he has become something of an American folk hero for those fed up with dead-end jobs. Photo by PlusMinus/courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

By now many of you have heard of the Jet Blue steward who “lost it” following a confrontation with a passenger—and who now is being vilified by much of the public and the press.

Yet a glance at the details of what actually happened are more than revealing—in fact, they quite likely give us perhaps too close a look at not only the behavior of frustrated airline personnel, but of the behavior of passengers, which is not always exemplary to say the least.

Although reports vary, Steven Slater, a flight attendant who had worked for a number of airlines before JetBlue, apparently became involved in a verbal altercation with a female traveler who first refused to sit down while the plane was taxiing to the gate at JFK airport in New York. The passenger not only refused to sit down, but cursed Slater as she pulled luggage out of the overhead bin and reportedly hit Slater in the head.

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The ancient city of Petra in Jordan tops our list of desert destinations, especially as Wadi Rum is close by. Photo by David Bjorgen/courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

There are those who need the sun and those who really need the sun.

For the latter—whose idea of a holiday involves dunes, pyramids, arroyo hikes, etc.—and no beach—well, we’re not saying we completely understand you, but there are definitely some destinations that separate themselves from the rest.

Below is a list for top hotspots (literally) if you want that perfect “Lawrence of Arabia” vacation—or if perhaps you don’t, but you still want sand dunes, desert nights and… well… erm… desert nights, this is the list for you.

1)      The ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Designated by the BBC as one of the 40 destinations you “must see before you die), the city of rose-colored rock is now familiar to millions simply for its appearance in the Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In short, yes, the famous entrance shown in the film not only exists, but it is even more impressive in real life, as is the “siq” or shaft—the dark, sandstone crevasse that leads to the entrance of what in antiquity was basically a man-made oasis and trading center. The history of Petra, in part mystery, in part an impossible tangle within the myriad empires of the times, would basically take pages to even properly sum up. Suffice to say that it was a Nabataen trade center/fortress that later fell into neglect under Roman rule. At any rate, this is a must-see destination, which should be high on the list, if not top, on a visit to Jordan.

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Bali's uninhabited Isle de Menjangan, like every else in Bali is well-worth the visit, but Bali has a growing problem with feral dogs, rabies--and worse--with a chronic shortage of vaccinations. With more than 30,000 dog bites in the first half of 2010, the risk is real, and tourists should know to get to a pharmacy in order to buy the vaccination before heading to the hospital, which may not have the vaccination readily available. Photo by Eric Bajart/courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

When it comes to vacations spots even high-end or marquis-name vacation destinations can come with hidden risks. While some, such as stomach illness from unclean water, are a given, other destinations carry with them not only the possibility of a chronic infection but the disheartening possibility of accident, crime or impotent health systems that can make a bad situation get worse quick.

Below is World Travelers current “go prepared for trouble” list of typical and popular tourists destinations (high-risk/third-world destinations are already ruled out on this list). This is not created to criticize the destination as such, but to inform otherwise unwary travelers of risks well known to locals—and the facts on how to protect yourself, which are not always publicized.

1)      Bali. Highlighted in a recent article by the Associated Press, the Indonesian paradise has a serious problem with rabies and packs of mangy, basically feral dogs. Seventy-eight people have died in two years, officially, thanks to rabies, but the number is likely far higher. More troubling, there have been about 30,000 people bitten by feral dogs in the first six months of 2010. Packs of mangy dogs are often seen on beaches, and, according to the Associated Press, a “handful” of tourists have been bitten, none of them fatally. If bitten, head first to a local pharmacy, where you can purchase a rabies vaccination—and then go to the hospital. Keep it cool (packed in ice, but not frozen) and get to a doctor as soon as possible. Do not go to the hospital first (unless, of course, the bite is so severe that you have no choice) as rabies vaccination shortages in public hospitals are chronic, and you may simply be wasting time. Pharmacies have the vaccination for sale at prices beyond many Bali natives, so there you go. Moreover, depending on the location of the bite, it symptoms can arrive almost immediately or lie dormant for up to a year. Once symptoms appear—these include flu-like symptoms, agitation, fear of water, paralysis, shock or coma—it is too late. Also, know that you may need to extend your stay to complete the vaccination process. This correspondent, after being once bitten by a rat, suffered through seven such shots (in one typical vaccination series) over a period of weeks. It was no fun to be sure, but absolutely necessary.

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