Though "mancation" seems to be a relatively new word, it is certainly not a new concept. The mancation manifests itself in annual footy trips, golf trips and fishing trips when a group of guys yearning for some time alone together plan activities that their partners have no interest in for the sole purpose of having an excuse to get away.
It seems a shame that it's taken a cyclone, which has wiped out more than 100,000 Burmese, for the world to focus on Burma and the suffering of its people at the hands of the military junta. This issue of human rights abuses can pose some tricky questions: should we continue travelling to Burma, or should we (like many other individuals and companies), take a moral stand and boycott the country?
When thinking of reproducing, many people fear that it spells an end to adventurous forays into the big wide world. Hello nappies, goodbye fun? Hello all-inclusive 'holiday parks', goodbye huts on the beach? Hello children, goodbye personality?
So mobile phones will soon be allowed on planes? Qantas and Emirates are just two of the airlines that have announced they will soon be allowing the use of mobile phones on flights. They say they’ll make sure “this won’t affect other passengers’ comfort”. Yeah right.
What is it about slums, shanty towns, favelas and townships that attracts the interest of tourists? Is it right to gain some sort of pleasure out of this type of tourism, or "poorism", as it is being labelled?
It was interesting to note the backlash against the Americans and the new security measures that they have introduced in the last blog. The Americans can be easy targets and as travellers themselves get a pretty hard time. We have touched on the bad Aussie tourist and have all come across a few but who are the worst?
There are changes afoot in immigration procedures – ones that will directly affect travellers to two popular destinations: the US and Japan. While I think most people would agree that there needs to be a screening process at immigration in every country, when does security cross the line and become more intrusive than it is secure?
How is it that a bloke who travels for a living still can't work out the byzantine inner workings of the airline seating systems? Any ideas on what exactly to do? Tips for getting an upgrade or getting the ground crew on your side?
It seems as though even the sinking of a cruise ship isn't enough to keep the masses away from Antarctica. The latest hot spot on the travel list, Antarctica is no longer the preserve of extreme explorers. With the advent of passenger flights to the Antarctic this week (albeit at this stage only for scientists), how long is it until commercial flights start up and hordes of tourists arrive in the last untouched wilderness with cameras at the ready? Such trips still require big bucks, but what else is it costing us?
A Christmas away from home can bring you closer to fellow travellers or locals, who often are willing to welcome a stranger into their midst. Have you had any amazing Christmas experiences or found some new Christmas customs while travelling? Or was Christmas ever the tipping point to book your flight home?
