- 20 November 2009
- 1:05am
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Polar tourists escape Antarctic ice trap
Tom Hall Lonely Planet author
As excuses for being late go heavy pack ice in the Weddell Sea sure beats a Spanish air traffic controllers strike.
This week brought news that the Kapitan Khlebnikov , one of the hardy icebreakers which carries passengers to and from Antarctica had, in the grand manner of polar exploration, got stuck. Inclement weather – on…
- 19 November 2009
- 11:04am
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Nantes’ bizarre hamster hotel
VivekW Lonely Planet author
‘Your mother was a hamster!’ yelled the taunting Frenchman in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
A pair of hotel owners in Nantes appear to have taken this line a little too seriously. They’re offering a unique experience at the Hamster Villa: the opportunity to be a hamster for a day (and night).
For €99, you get a…
- 19 November 2009
- 12:37am
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Europe’s high-speed train revolution continues
Tom Hall Lonely Planet author
December is a red letter month for train travellers in Europe.
First up, December 13: the first date of operation for the speeded-up Paris and Brussels to Amsterdam Thalys service. This train was already pretty zippy, but with the completion of the 78 mile Hogesnelheidslijn Zuid (High-speed Line South) in the Netherlands, journey times have been…
- 18 November 2009
- 7:14am
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76-Second Travel Show: ‘Pirates vs Vikings’
Robert Reid Lonely Planet author
It’s the time of year when Caribbean dreams consume a wide girth of North Americans seeking a break from chilling temperatures. That’s cool. But it reminds me once again, frustratingly, how little most of us actually know of pirates del Caribe. Much less what would have happened if they had ventured far north — with…
Continue reading '76-Second Travel Show: ‘Pirates vs Vikings’' (0) comments- 13 November 2009
- 11:10am
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The best of Science Week
VivekW Lonely Planet author
Here at Lonely Planet, we declared it Science Week.
Why? Well, it was a great week for science in general – and science in travel, in particular.
The week kicked off with a story straight from science fiction, when it was postulated that a time-travelling bird might have sabotaged Switzerland’s Large Hadron Collider.
On theme, as always, was…
- 11 November 2009
- 11:59am
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Travel like a science geek
Andy Murdock Lonely Planet author
Do you visit natural history museums and botanical gardens when you travel? Does peering through a telescope at distant galaxies sound like a fun night out? Do your eyes light up when you hear the words ‘maglev train’? Would you rather be examining giant sloth fossils than relaxing by the pool? And when you do…
Continue reading 'Travel like a science geek' (0) comments- 11 November 2009
- 5:31am
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76-Second Travel Show: “Las Vegas: ScIeNce City”
Robert Reid Lonely Planet author
SCIENCE WEEK CONTINUES…
You not into casinos, cheesy night shows, smoky restaurants and $25 taxis to go anywhere on the strip? Me neither. But Vegas still works.
Flights there can be found for cheap, car rentals run about $20 to $25 per day, it’s a nice jumping off point for a loop to the Grand Canyon’s rarely…
- 10 November 2009
- 9:39pm
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The £1000 train ticket – and how to beat it
Tom Hall Lonely Planet author
I’ve been doing some radio interviews on the subject of rail fares in the UK, where travel fans have been getting suitably vexed at the first ever British train fare to exceed £1,000. Pick up that jaw, for it is true: were you to purchase a walk-up, First Class return from Newquay in Cornwall to…
Continue reading 'The £1000 train ticket – and how to beat it' (0) comments- 10 November 2009
- 5:47am
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Science Week: Top 3 “Augmented Travel” Achievements
Robert Reid Lonely Planet author
“Augmented reality”(where the physical and the virtual meet) is becoming the new reality, it seems. A couple months ago, Yelp’s Easter-egg app Monocle was “discovered” — allowing one to shake an iPhone 3GS thrice, and see digital overlays of business listings/ratings through the iPhone camera. And options expanded last week with the new Motorola Google…
Continue reading 'Science Week: Top 3 “Augmented Travel” Achievements' (0) comments- 9 November 2009
- 12:01pm
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What’s the greatest college town?
VivekW Lonely Planet author
There are the big hitters – the New Yorks, Bostons, Seattles, New Orleans…umm…es.
Then there are the secondary towns – Athens, Georgia; Gainesville, Florida; Berkeley, California.
And there are the tiny towns with names like College Station, Texas.
They all have one thing in common: great college culture.
We’re on a quest to find your favorite US college town…
