Bridge in Isfahan in the evening. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews.
With a new nuclear deal in hand (or at least almost in hand, partly depending on U.S. Congressional action), tourism to Iran is expected to soar — much like U.S. tourism to Cuba has reached fever pitch since the recent thaw in relations.
While Iran has received a number of international tourists over the years — including some Americans — since the 1979 revolution brought the ayatollahs to power, economic sanctions have severely crippled Iran’s travel industry.
Still, tourism has been rising somewhat since the election of President Hassan Rouhani in 2013 presented a more moderate face to the world. And with the threat of potential war over Iran’s nuclear program now largely defused, Iran is anticipating a sudden swell of new visitors.
The Iranian government is reportedly considering easing or abolishing visa requirements for many foreign nationals and… Continue reading
Protect your mobile phones like your wallet.
How careful are you about protecting your vital information while traveling? If you’re like me, you’ve left yourself vulnerable from time to time — maybe tapping into someone’s else’s unsecured network to use their Wi-Fi, or using an ATM on a busy street that presents an easy target for thieves to steal your PIN number, if they’re lurking nearby.
So far I’ve managed to avoid those types of disasters, but I came across this list of tips for protecting your personal information on the road that convinces me I’ve been more lucky than smart about it. The list comes courtesy of Experian’s ProtectMyID (www.protectmyid.com), and I’m going to start paying closer attention to its warnings:
- Get Your Own Hotspot: Consider a portable router to create your own Wi-Fi hotspot for your electronic devices and that of any… Continue reading
Sipadan Island, Sabah, East Malaysia, might be a nice place to recover from surgery.
OK, so you need a hip replacement — lots of baby boomers do. Or you need a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), another increasingly common surgery for the baby boom generation.
If you’re an American, you could get them done in the U.S. and run up bills upwards of $80,000 for the bypass procedure or $30,000 for the hip replacement, and hope your insurance or Medicare foots the bulk of it (if you have insurance or Medicare).
Or you could travel abroad and get the same medical treatments for a fraction of the price — and maybe even have a vacation to boot.
According to the book Patients Without Borders — Everybody’s Guide to Affordable, World-Class Healthcare, a CABG will cost you about $20,000 in Malaysia, while a hip replacement will run about $12,500.… Continue reading
Sydney Greenstreet in “Casablanca.” Peter Lorre was in it, too.
I confess: I’ve dined on KFC in Nairobi, Big Macs in China, and A&W in Kuala Lumpur.
I’ve watched Bob Newhart reruns in Zimbabwe, ordered bacon and eggs in Mumbai, and visited the Holiday Inn in Swaziland.
There are times when seeing a familiar face — even Colonel Sanders — has proved reassuring while traveling in distant lands.
But usually not.
When I go abroad, in fact, I’m almost always drawn to the remote, the exotic, the unfamiliar, the unpredictable. Give me the jungles of the Amazon to the shores of Waikiki, the tea houses of Hong Kong to the salons of London, the ends of the earth to the easily accessible hubs.
When it comes to travel, I’m a hopeless Romantic, spurred by images on old postage stamps and scenes from Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre movies.… Continue reading
The Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, overlooks the Danube. Photo by Clark Norton
Travel + Leisure Magazine has just come out with its latest “World’s Best” lists — there are lots of those these days — one of which is the World’s Top Ten Best Cities.
Here’s the Top Ten as voted by T+L readers:
10. Jerusalem, Israel 9. Cape Town, South Africa 8.Barcelona, Spain 7.Krakow, Poland 6. Bangkok, Thailand 5. Rome, Italy 4. Florence, Italy 3. Siem Reap, Cambodia 2. Charleston, South Carolina 1. Kyoto, Japan
A loyal reader sent me the link yesterday and asked if I could name my own Top 10. I’m happy to oblige.
First, I will say that the above list is not bad, although I don’t quite understand how Siem Reap, Cambodia, makes the list, because it’s mostly known as the gateway to Angkor Wat — which, while being a world-class icon, doesn’t qualify… Continue reading
The Statue of Liberty — I remember it well. Or not. Photo from U.S. National Park Service.
False memories are an odd thing — they can seem as real, or more real, than things you’ve actually done.
I was reminded of this in doing research for my Fourth of July Independence Day Travel Trivia Quiz.
It seems that Thomas Jefferson was convinced later in his life that on July 4, 1776, an elaborate mass signing ceremony of his Declaration of Independence took place in Philadelphia. The Second Continental Congress did adopt the document that day, declaring U.S. independence from Britain.
Except the signing ceremony never happened as he remembered it. Most delegates didn’t sign the document until August 2, nearly a month later.
I’ve always prided myself on my memory, especially where travel is concerned. For instance, I can tell you that when I was ten years… Continue reading
Where in Asia would you find this location of Nathan’s Famous hot dogs? Answer: Malaysia. Photo from Nathan’s Famous.
Here are the answers to the Fourth of July Independence Day Travel Trivia Quiz from my previous post. (If you haven’t taken the quiz yet and want to, I’d suggest returning there first.)
Some of these questions were tricky, others merely difficult, and a few were relatively easy, especially with True or False questions offering just two choices. The multiple choice questions seemed to give people the most trouble, based on feedback I received. Thanks for joining in, whether Baby Boomers or younger!
1. True or false: As one of the 13 original colonies, Vermont was the only one that refused to ratify the Declaration of Independence.
Answer: False. Vermont was not one of the original 13 colonies.
2. Which U.S. president was born on the Fourth… Continue reading
Where in Asia would you find this location of Nathan’s Famous hot dogs? Photo from Nathan’s Famous.
Americans all know about fireworks, barbecues, hot dogs, parades and the other modern-day manifestations of the July 4 holiday, but how much do you really know about Independence Day, especially as it relates to travel or travel destinations?
Take this quiz and find out. (Baby boomers, how well do you remember your history?)
1. True or false: As one of the 13 original colonies, Vermont was the only one that refused to ratify the Declaration of Independence.
2. Which U.S. president was born on the Fourth of July in Plymouth Notch, Vermont?
3. Name two Asian countries where you can now buy a Nathan’s Famous New York hot dog, similar to those gobbled up in the annual hot dog eating contest at New York’s Coney Island:
a. Indonesia and Japan
b.… Continue reading
Aerial shot of Virginia Beach. Photo from the Virginia Beach CVB.
Prior to my recent visit to Virginia Beach, Virginia, I hadn’t been there in decades. The last time I was there, back in the early ’80s, I was participating in a brainstorming session for an NPR radio series and we were holed up for an entire weekend in a hotel room with tantalizing views of the beach outside, but with no way to even get a whiff of fresh air.
Why they bothered to fly us all the way to Virginia Beach and ensconce us in a waterfront hotel, I’ll never know. The series, which was about the “Future,” never even got made.
It was torture, because the beach at Virginia Beach is truly beautiful, the boardwalk and waterside seafood restaurants beckon, and there are any number of activities to enjoy — including historical sights, parks, and a… Continue reading
ATMs abroad — potential minefield?
If space allowed, I would add a subhead to the above headline:
“If you’re anything like me.”
Yes, as much as I’ve traveled, I often mess up on one particular day of each overseas trip — the day I arrive. I’m betting I’m not the only one.
There are excuses, of course.
Often having flown overnight to make my overseas destination, I’m tired and often a bit disoriented when I get there.
And sometimes, in the rush to get things done before a trip abroad, I forget to do the most elemental homework on my destination — such as checking the currency exchange rate.
When my wife and I arrived in St. Lucia last month for the start of a Caribbean cruise, we found the exchange window at the airport closed, so we ended up in the town of Rodney Bay with no East Caribbean… Continue reading
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