Tag: Travel

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Misc.

British Backpackers Take Call Center Jobs in India

Here’s an interesting twist on Western firms outsourcing jobs to India: British backpackers have started taking call center jobs there in order to save funds for traveling or extend their current trips.

Among the first to land in the subcontinent was Kenny Rooney, a 28-year-old from Livingston in Scotland. He had worked in a call centre at home, but after nine months in India says he does not want to return. “This is an incredible country,” he said, speaking from Bombay. “I have had a brilliant time and met people from all over the world…”

Young Britons of Indian origin are also finding the jobs offer them a chance to rediscover their roots. Among them is Hasmita Patel, who is also working in Pune. “This has been the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Ms Patel, from Leicester. “It has really allowed me to see the country and get to know people. I’ve learned so much about myself.”

(Via BoingBoing.)

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Misc.

Catching Some Rays

AFP:

HONG KONG (AFP) — Airline Cathay Pacific has limited air crews’ flights on the non-stop Hong Kong-New York route after it was found the journey could increase the likelihood of cancer, a report said Sunday.

Staff of the British-owned, Hong Kong-based airline say they have been limited to just two of the ultra long-haul flights per month since it was found the route exposed passengers and crew to high levels of cosmic radiation when they flew over the North Pole.

Union chiefs told the South China Morning Post radiation levels increase markedly at 26,250 feet above the pole and prolonged exposure could be harmful to cell DNA possibly causing cancers.

(Via Kottke, who, incidentally, is currently traveling through Southeast Asia.)

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Misc.

My New Article on Beating the “At-Home Blues”

Transitions Abroad has just published an article I wrote about how to readjust to life at home after living abroad.

In order to conquer what I’ve termed the “at-home blues” — feelings of restlessness encountered during extended time at home between trips — I suggest five tactics:

1. Start planning your next trip.
2. Surround yourself with international influences.
3. Seek out adventures close to home.
4. Draw on the skills that helped you adjust when you were abroad.
5. Be positive and don’t romanticize.

I was happy that long-term world travel guru Rolf Potts supplied a quote for the article.

The piece, which is posted in the Independent Travel section of the Transitions Abroad site, is my third contribution to the magazine. Earlier in the year I wrote about Teaching English in Ecuador and Taiwan. If you’re unfamiliar with Transitions Abroad, poke around their Web site or, better yet, consider subscribing to the print edition.

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Misc.

Revisiting Ecuador — in Salisbury, Maryland

This weekend I went to see my friends Mike and Angelica — two pals from my Ecuador days. Mike and I taught English together (and traveled all over the country) while I was there between 2003 and 2004. He and Angelica got married after I left; they’ve got a delightful six-month-old daughter named Sabine and are living in Salisbury, Maryland now.

I had a great time catching up with them — I hadn’t seen Angelica in over two years; I also got to meet her nephew Diego, who’s staying with them for a while. (Both Angelica and Diego are from Cuenca, where we lived.) Angelica treated us to some excellent Ecuadorian food (including an exceptional seco de pollo), and we even broke out the dreaded sugar cane-based Ecuadorian firewater, Zhumir. And I got a chance to play my first-ever game of Frisbee disc golf.

It was fantastic to see them and relive the aspects of what I loved most about Ecuador and Ecuadorians: food, friends, and laughter. (And Zhumir, of course.)

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Misc.

WaPo Story on Motorbiking in Vietnam

Today’s Washington Post travel section has a great article on motorbiking in Northern Vietnam — and doing so on fabled Minsk bikes, no less.

Dustin Roasa describes the two-week journey he took with his girlfriend; he does an excellent job of conveying both the cultural and historical details of the trip along with the unique sensations of this incredible part of the world.

Interestingly, Jill and I took nearly the same route last year; my buddy Chris and I also undertook a similar sojourn back in 2002.

(Chris has recently unearthed some pics from our trip, by the way, that are worth a look. I especially like this shot of a precarious “bridge” we navigated. I’m proud to say that I made it across the thing during what was the first full day I’d driven a motorcycle in my life; I was too young and dumb to know any better, I suppose…)

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Looking for a New Loveseat?

Then perhaps you’d be interested in these first class airplane seats. They’d look cool in your livingroom, perhaps, but at 1500 bones, the comfort-to-price ratio might be a bit skewed (which is not unlike actually flying in first class, if you ask me).

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Misc.

From HK to London — Via North America?

BBC:

Aerospace giant Boeing is attempting to break the world record for the longest non-stop passenger airline flight.

A Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner jet is due to take off from Hong Kong at 1030 local time (1430 GMT) and will arrive in London on Thursday at 1330 GMT.

The 23-hour flight will cover about 12,500 miles (20,300 km), taking the plane over North America rather than the shorter route to London via Russia.

Boeing hopes to challenge arch rival Airbus with its new long-haul jet.

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Breaking News: Taiwanese Airline Christens Hello Kitty Jet

I thought it necessary to break my my radio silence to bring you this breaking news: Taiwanese airline Eva, in a quest to achieve ultimate Asian cuteness, has just christened a Hello Kitty jet. You heard it here first.

All’s well in Boston. Regular posting to resume tomorrow or Monday.

Hello+Kitty

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Misc.

Russia: Not Quite Equipped for Tourism Yet

CSM:

SOCHI, RUSSIA – At first glance, the view from Sochi’s Black Sea shore looks almost perfect: sparkling blue sea, a broad band of beach backed by palm trees and green hills, a range of snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Then a freight train rumbles down the beachfront within a few feet of sunbathers – and the idyll shatters.

The legacy of hamhanded Soviet planners is only one of many obstacles facing tour operators as they try to entice Western travelers to post-Soviet Russia.

Though it is the world’s largest country, with natural wonders, unique architecture, and famous art museums, Russia places almost last among European lands as a tourist destination.

Russia

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Misc.

5-Year Sentence Reduction for Schapelle Corby

BBC:

A court in Indonesia has cut the sentence being served by Australian woman Shapelle Corby, her lawyers have said.

Corby, who was found guilty of smuggling marijuana into Bali in May, will now serve 15 years in jail instead of 20, attorney Hotman Paris said.

But Corby’s sister Mercedes said she was furious with the appeal verdict. “She should be free,” Mercedes said.

Corby’s case has gripped Australians, with many believing she is innocent.

Schapelle+Corby, Australia