All right soccer fans—listen up! The 2014 FIFA World Cup is upon us (well, almost). The most celebrated international football tournament in the world (hence the name) kicks off on June 12, 2014 in São Paulo, Brazil.
With 3 million+ ticketholders flooding 12 different host cities (each being the capital of its state) throughout Brazil, the 20th World Cup will surely be a celebratory affair.
Brazil, having hosted the World Cup once before, knows the name of the game—infrastructure! In order to prepare for the spotlight, Brazil launched massive projects to build or revamp stadiums (5 of the 12 host cities are slated to receive sparkly new venues, specifically for the World Cup), upgrade airports, and connect bus, light rail, and monorail lines with the city centers of host cities.
Despite Brazil’s efforts, many worry that Brazil lacks the resources to accommodate an event of this magnitude. Critics claim projects are not on track to be complete by the time summer rolls around. Others balk at Brazil’s calculated budget, exceeding $3.5 billion—three times more than South Africa’s expenditures for the 2010 World Cup!
Controversy set aside, I, for one, can appreciate the unique sense of unification the World Cup breeds. While team after team battle it out on the field, the entire world watches from the sidelines, unified under a common love for good old-fashioned competition.
Couchsurfing--an unofficial verb used by 6 million people--is the act of sleeping at a stranger's home for free when traveling in exchange for nothing. It's a way to experience the world in a way money can't buy.
Couchsurfing has a "pay it forward" quality that makes travelers around the world want to help out other travelers. Here is, if you will, the mantra of the organization:
"We envision a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection. Couchsurfers share their lives with the people they encounter, fostering cultural exchange and mutual respect."
The first time I couchsurfed I was studying in Spain and trying to meet up with two American friends who were studying in Wales and France. We wanted to meet in Amsterdam for our Easter/spring break. The cheapest youth hostels we could find were outside of the city limits and would cost us over 100 euros for three nights.
My friends were skeptical at first but easily convinced once they realized that we could choose a verified host and read reviews left by other surfers. Not to mention our host lived in the center of Amsterdam with a pad to crash for free!
(My two travel buddies couchsurfing for the first time in someone's attic.)
Our host was a quirky guy around our age and very into filming and directing. We could tell by all the film equipment in his apartment. When we arrived some other surfers were just leaving. After greeting our host and getting to know him a bit he holds up his apartment keys and says, "Cheers! I'm off to my mother's for the holidays."
Just like that me and my two friends were staying in a local's apartment by ourselves for free. I was baffled, no, blown away by his faith in strangers. It gave me a faith in people I never had.
(Cooking in our couchsurfer's kitchen.)
Now I always opt for couchsurfing over hotels, using hostels as a last resort. It's an amazing thing when traveling to experience a new culture by living with and getting to know one of the locals. After Amsterdam I surfed in Ibiza, France and Atlanta, but I've hosted several world explorers here in my home. I always tell them about my first couchsurfing experience.
1) Castles are living relics of an ancient way of life. Though no longer home to kings, queens, and knights, they offer us—futuristic mortals—a portal into the past.
2) Castles drove the production of artisan-made goods (i.e. paintings, rich tapestries) to outfit and insulate the otherwise drab walls of royalty.
3) Castles are magical (think Harry Potter).
4) Castles are featured in some of the greatest sagas of fantasy fiction (think Lord of the Rings).
5) Castles look like this:
Mont Saint Michel near Normandy, France
And this:
France's Chambord Castle
(For more spectacular photos, check out Travel Channel’s World’s Best Castles!)
Let’s start around 3500 BC when somebody dusted off some of those old caveman wheels and affixed them to a cart to essentially make a chariot. Bravo!
Around the same time, someone purposely crafted a floating vessel, sat upon it, and pushed it along in the water with a stick he fashioned for optimum efficiency, thus… boats! Boats of all kinds!
A thousand years later or so (around 2000 BC), we figured out if we were nice to horses, they would let us ride atop them, even let us direct them where to go, creating the first recorded instance of a “backseat driver.”
A few years later (1662), this crazy awesome mathematician named Blaise (Pascal) came up with the public bus. I mean, it was pulled by horses, but it did have a route, fares, and even a regular schedule it probably didn’t keep.
In 1790, we finally got serious about that clever little wheel thing and made some bikes. We ride basically the same things today.
In 1814, a guy you’ve probably never heard of (George Stephenson) invented the steam-powered locomotive, which we kind of built our country on. C’mon elementary school social studies!
1862, another Frenchman, wouldn’t you know it, makes a gasoline engine automobile, and it wasn’t long (1867) before we started killing ourselves on motorcycles.
It may have been the French guy’s idea, but of course, the Germans (Karl Benz, yeah, that Benz) made it all work right and practical-like (1885).
1899, Ferdinand von Zeppelin (I’m not making that up) gave us the dirigible, and we’ve wondered why ever since. Thankfully, the good ol’ Wright boys flew in quickly to save the day at Kitty Hawk (1903).
In 1908, Alexander Graham Bell (you know, the telephone guy) made a hydrofoil boat. Whoa.
And that same year, Henry Ford revolutionized automobile manufacturing, and stuff just got crazy after that.
We made rockets and choppers and supersonic jets, hovercrafts, bullet trains, and space shuttles.
It’s like The Jetsons down here on Earth. Well done, mankind. Well done.
The travel industry is flying into unparalleled levels of growth. With the current craze of online researching, comparing, and booking, it’s hard to believe that electronic reservations did not exist outside airline terminals until the mid-1970s!
Since the inception of the first automated booking system in 1946, the travel industry has steadily climbed stratosphere after stratosphere of technological advancement and consumer ease.
“The Evolution of Online Travel” infographic, courtesy of Mashable.
Yes, there was a time (only a few decades ago!) when consumer-facing platforms like Expedia and TripAdvisor were not household names, and offline booking through a travel agent prevailed.
But I think we can all agree, the advent of user-generated content and booking through the click of a mouse are both welcomed changes.
First off, let me say that this is not from or for anything close to a workout guru or junkie. Those people will always find a way because they genuinely love exercise. This is coming from someone who is casually concerned about staying in good health and knows that sometimes it’s a challenge while traveling.
Instead of giving you the best vacation workout, what if I give you some common scenarios? We’re all different. We like different things. All trips are different as well and call for different measures. Here are some ideas of ways to stay fit without using up much of your precious vacation time.
“I want to combine sightseeing with exercise, so I’m not wasting a single minute of my holiday just to stay in shape.”
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t like running.”
Running isn’t for everyone. I’m not a big runner myself (it kind of bores me), but I like to get my heart pumping and keep my wind up for things like Sunday league football (soccer). Try the jumping jack pyramid. It takes all of 12 minutes.
Do as many jumping jacks as you can in 10 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, jumping jacks for 20 seconds, rest for 20, 30 seconds, rest for 30, and then work your way back down the pyramid (30, 20, 10), being sure to rest for the corresponding intervals.
If you repeat this three times (no breaks between sets), you’ll get the benefits of a decent run without a lot of the pounding around. AND, you can do your panting and sweating in the comfort of solitude if you wish.
“But I ran around all day yesterday seeing the sights, and I have even more to get to today! I’m just too tired for all this but still feel I’m missing something.”
Sometimes we try to pack too much into a day in a new place, and it’s a workout in itself. Maybe we’re afraid we’ll never return, so we end up walking for hours up hills, down stairs, in the heat, and out in the cold. Traveling is tiring to the body and mind. Do some yoga. Don’t worry if you think you’re not flexible, just do something like the first 10-minutes of this routine (breathing through downward dog). The breathing and light stretching will rejuvenate you from yesterday’s trek and get you ready for a new day. You can also repeat this before bed.
“Look, no offense, but I don’t do ‘yoga’. I feel I get a decent enough workout walking around during the day, but I’m just trying to make sure I don’t get fat. Is that too much to ask?”
I know how it is. You’re in this wonderful new place with all this amazing new food, and you just have to try a little of all of it. I get it. I love food. If you’re serious about not packing on some pounds in the dreaded midsection, here’s what you do:
extended plank for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, repeat; mountain climbers for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, repeat; side plank for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, swap sides and repeat, and then repeat side plank once more on each side.
That’s it. It takes 8 minutes. It may be a little challenging, but I find it easier, more comfortable, and actually more effective than doing those back-aching crunches and sit-ups.
Staying fit on holiday isn’t only about your return home to reality. It will increase your enjoyment and satisfaction while on vacation. As much as we like to think traveling is all about getting away from the stress of everyday life, we all know that it often brings its own stressors, budgeting, making flights and transportation on time, etc. It’s so cliché, but exercise, any type of exercise, helps keep your mind in tune as much as your body. It’s easy to forget that. Fortunately, it’s also easy to remember. Get some exercise. You’ll notice how you feel better almost immediately.
In 2005 the European Union created the European Union Emissions Trading System, which is an eight-year program enforcing European power plants and manufacturers to pay fees for excess carbon emissions. Its aviation sector anticipated taxing emissions generated by flights into or out of the European Union airports this year. However, the United States, India, and China won’t have it. Of the few things Republicans and Democrats could agree on last fall, passing the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 was one of them. This bill essentially states that the U.S. refuses to participate in the European Union Emissions Trading System.
As a result the European Commission agreed to delay the implementation until everyone can agree on an alternative global plan to reduce airline’s carbon footprint. The United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization is convening a multinational meeting in September on the airlines issue. Here is a warning from E.U. commissioner, Ms. Hedegaard:
“Ms. Hedegaard, the European Union commissioner, said that if the International Civil Aviation Organization fails to come up with a solid, market-based program in September, the European Union will begin collecting the emissions fees for all flights in and out of its airports. One way or another, prices seem bound to increase some, and perhaps that is fair.
At a global level, how the United States behaves in this year of airline negotiations ‘will be a good test’ of whether President Obama will follow through on his inaugural pledge, Ms. Hedegaard said, and of ‘whether the U.S. is now going to engage more strongly in climate in the international arena.’ (New York Times, 2013)”
Needless to day, travelers will likely be paying more for their carbon footprints in the near future. While driving across the country is greener than flying, it’s also more expensive especially when factoring in food and lodging costs of the journey. AAA has a nifty fuel cost calculator for estimating the cost of your trip depending on the destinations and model of your car; here's the link.
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over
and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off
from the journey.”
Stari Most, literally meaning “Old Bridge” is the namesake of the small town of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(photo by Colin Ash)
(photo by Colin Ash)
Ironically, the “Old Bridge” is now a fairly new bridge (completed in 2004) after the original Stari Most was, unfortunately, destroyed during the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The 16th-century Ottoman bridge, the old “Old Bridge”, stood for over 400 years.
(photo by Colin Ash)
Don’t let the authenticity of the “old” bridge or even the newfound touristy feel of Mostar keep you away. The old town there surrounding the bridge and the river Neretva is enchanting. Mostar is a day trip from Sarajevo, as I came to it, but it’s also a day trip from the increasingly touristic cities along the Croatian coast. It’s where the rich people go to feel as if they’re part of the adventure off the beaten path, but as happens with these things, they’ve beaten the path to Mostar. I don’t mean this in a snobby way, the opposite really. Amazingly interesting and breathtaking places don’t go undiscovered and untraveled for long for a reason. Mostar is one of these remarkable places.
(photo by Colin Ash)
You’ll no doubt hear of the famous dives that take place from the bridge. This too seems to have gained a bit of a Disney World feel, but it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the excitement of the excruciatingly slow buildup of an impending dive. It’s an amazing tradition dating back to the time the bridge was first built in the 1500s.
(photo by Colin Ash)
Old “Old Bridge” or new Stari Most, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is keeping history and traditions alive. Mostar has done this well because it understands these things are invaluable to our world culture.
I'm apparently not the only one who's dreamed of launching ripened red fruits at strangers. Today in the small Spanish town of Buñol, 45 minutes outside of Valencia, over 20,000 people are gathering for the world's largest tomato fight--La Tomatina. I remember going last year with my sister and two friends. Trucks loaded with 40 tons of soft tomatoes slowly make their way down the street, unloading the peoples' ammunition.
Arriving in Buñol early in the morning we followed the music and masses siphoning into the city center. Walls were covered in tall blue tarps to prevent staining from the tomatoes. Locals looked down on us locos from their balconies, sometimes dumping pails of water over the excited crowd.
Being packed in a crowd touching several strangers at once isn't an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation for me, but the pushing in this crowd was too much. For fear of losing each other or falling down and being trampled we clamped our hands in a line and pushed through to a side street. Before the festival had even started, my sister Chloe and I had lost our flip flops in the crowd from someone stepping on the backs and she cut her toe on broken glass. (Luckily the paramedics on site are free!)
RULE #1: DO NOT WEAR FLIP FLOPS. CRAPPY CLOSED TOED SHOES ONLY.
We weren't the only ones to lose our shoes. My friend Jelissa spotted a right-footed shoe, then a left-footed shoe, and perhaps several pairs of shoes for me and Chloe by the time we left the festival. Actually, it was pretty fun picking out new pairs of random shoes.
We kept a block away from the chaos waiting for someone to climb a greasy pole and knock down the ham from the top, as this is how La Tomatina traditionally starts. A shirtless young man dances on his balcony, beckoning and riling the masses as though he were the king of La Tomatina himself.
Before long we heard the cannons declaring the start of the tomato fight, and we broke through onto the main street wasting no time picking up fallen bits of tomatoes and throwing them in every direction. The streets were literally flooded with tomato juice up past our ankles. We wore goggles to protect our eyes while every other part of our bodies became drenched in tomato – our hair, our mouths, even inside our shorts.
RULE #2: BRING GOGGLES SO THAT THE ACID FROM THE TOMATOES DOESN’T BURN YOUR EYES. WEAR SOMETHING YOU CAN THROW AWAY AFTERWARDS BECAUSE YOUR CLOTHES WILL FOREVER BE RUINED.
One guy and I got into it, firing tomatoes, but when I slipped and fell backwards into the bath of juice he caught me and gave me a chivalrous kiss in the middle of the madness. The atmosphere was ecstatic. We were all little kids again in grown-up bodies.
After one hour the tomato throwing ceased and people mercifully gathered below the balconies of the locals to be hosed down by little boys and girls. I can only imagine growing up and looking forward to the one day of the year I could hose down a tourist without getting into trouble. Manu, my friend from Valencia, had told me about a river at the bottom of the city, which is where we went to rinse off the putrid and acidic tomato residue. The riverside smelt strongly of mint and was overgrown with vibrant violet flowers and thorns.
Our returning train and metro tickets that had been in my back pocket had disintegrated from the tomato juice. RULE #3: DON'T BUY YOUR RETURN TICKET. DON'T BRING A PURSE, JUST MONEY FOR BEER.
At that point, we hadn't a care in the world. We danced to music in the street by the beer stand vendors, losing track of time. Eventually we met two Canadians and the six of us illegally crammed into their small European car and headed straight to the beach of Valencia, Playa Marvillosa, where we washed away in the Mediterranean and fell asleep side by side under the sun like life-long friends.
Sure, I’ve heard my sister praise the merits of gelato (after she studied abroad in Europe) but I, personally, didn’t discover its greatness until recently. After moving into a studio across the street from a gelato shop, I quickly became addicted. I sampled handcrafted flavors like honey lavender, Sicilian pistachio, and sour cherry. But I wanted to dig deeper.
Today, gelato has transformed into an artisan-made good, or rather treat. Handmade gelato shops eat up a significant portion of the market share in Italy. Gelaterie, or gelato shops, source their creamy concoctions all over the world, but one fact remains the same: the art of gelato making is a science steeped in Italian tradition. By Italian standards, gelato is infused with far less air (compared to ice cream), and must contain at least 3.5 percent butterfat.
(Equipment featured at the Gelato Museum Carpigiani)
Gelato lovers can even visit a museum, the Gelato Museum Carpigiani (it’s free!), outside Bologna, Italy that charts the evolution of gelato from inception to consumption. The tour concludes with an instruction in gelato making and of course taste testing!
So, the only question left to ask is—what’s your favorite gelato flavor?
We travelled from our home in Chamonix to our training ground in the Verdon gorge, testing the limits for our ultimate goal... We rigged highlines on the skyscrapers of Paris, and finally came to the spectacular cliffs and fjords of Norway.
Clear Your Carbon Footprint Conscience with These Questions
The environmental news website grist.org calculates that driving from Philadelphia to Boston (about 300 miles) generates approximately 104 kilograms of carbon dioxide—a leading greenhouse gas—in a medium-sized car. Whether there's one person or four people riding in that car 104 kilograms of carbon dioxide are emitted, whereas four seats on a plane from Philly to Boston would generate 736 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Today there are many carbon footprint calculators that exist online. This is a link to one of those carbon footprint calculators to give you a big picture.
From an environmentalist’s perspective, I know I should stay put, but from a traveling fiend’s standpoint, there’s no way I can stop traveling. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce one's carbon footprint in everyday life. Hopefully the questions below will give you an idea of how to start balancing your footprint as a traveler.
Do you believe in climate change? (If not, click this link to watch this 12-minute TED Talk and see for yourself photographic evidence of global warming)
Do you eat meat?
Do you wear fur?
Do you recycle?
Do you up-cycle?
How do you get around town (public transportation, bike, car, SUV)?
Is your car a hybrid?
Do you buy organic?
Do you drink bottled water?
Do you always shut off the lights when you leave a room?
Do you unplug appliances when they’re not in use?
Do you run your laundry with cold water?
Do you use LED light bulbs?
While many of these questions challenge the mundane details of our lifestyles, their sum makes all the difference.
(Huarache minimalist footwear versus Vibram FiveFinger.)
A major trend in the running world right now is minimalist running, or the practice of wearing little to no footwear. The movement is inspired by the age-old premise of “less is more,” and backed by scientific and cultural evidence.
Though not universally accepted by science, supporters of minimalist running argue that barefoot-inspired footwear, such as Vibram FiveFingers, reduce the risk of chronic injuries, as well as relieve the discomfort associated with a more structured shoe.
The Tarahumara people, who primarily reside in the Copper Canyon, boast a long tradition of long-distance running acumen. For thousands of years, the Tarahumara traveled hundreds of miles between their dispersed settlements to share goods and information.
In order to facilitate their journeys over the rough canyon land, the Tarahumara wore huaraches. Huaraches are thin-soled sandals made from leather or recycled tires. Spanning the length of the sandal is a single strap that wraps around the ankle—very minimalist indeed.
