Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Travel Podcasters needed at PodcasterNews.com

This is a blog only postAs you may or may not know, in addition to my Geography for Travelers podcast, I also do a short, 5 minute travel and tourism news podcast on the Podcaster News Network called Travelography. The Podcaster News Network was founded by Todd Cochrane of the Geek News Central podcast. There are currently some 50 podcasts (each about 5 minutes or less) at PodcasterNews.com, and they are pushing to double that number in a very short time.

In my opinion, this is a great opportunity for anyone interested in developing a travel podcast. There are currently only two podcasts in the Travel section of PodcasterNews.com, mine and A Road Warriors Guide to the Planet. Note that it does not have to be a "news" podcast, as quite a few are more along the lines of advice columns.

If you are interested, read this Application Information -- and tell them that the Travel Geographer (Alan A. Lew) sent you!

NEW: Web 2.0 Travel Tools blog

This is a blog only postI started two new blogs a couple of days ago: Web 2.0 Travel Tools and Web 2.0 Teaching Tools. They are both hosted here on Blogspot.com. I have initially started with 6 entries (tools) on each site. I have more that I plan to add, as I find the time -- which is not easy!

Please feel free to suggest additional web tools that I can add to those two blogs. (Just post a comment on any of my blogs in an appropriate location and I will get it.) -

Cheers, Alan -- The Travel Geographer

Sunday, January 29, 2006

G4T #24: Tourism Issues in Developing Economies

This is a Geography for Travelers podcast related post(click on title to download podcast)

I discuss several travel news items, including winter-time topics of China's Ice Restaurant and Airboarding, the Visited Countries website (which I dicussed in a previouse blog entry) the US Senate declaration of 2006 being the Year of Study Abroad (and some of the reasons), and efforts to stop Sex Tourism in Southeast Asia and in the US. The sex tourism provides a transition to my main topic -- Issues of Tourism Development in developing economies, in which I focus on on modernization.

Here are links to topcs in today's podcast:

* China's All-Ice Restaurant Offers Hottest Meals
http://travel.discovery.com/news/afp/20051226/ice.html
* The ultimate in sledding (Airborading)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/01/24/trend.airboarding.ap/index.html?section=cnn_travel
* 2006 'Year of Study Abroad'
http://internationaloffice.nau.edu/Newsletter/newsletter_december_1_2005_page2.htm
* Visited Countries (and States)
Click here to go to my previous blog entry on this
*
ASEAN member states agree to stamp out child sex tourism
http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000066/006617.htm
*
Washington lawmakers want to ban overseas sex tours

Monday, January 23, 2006

G4T #23: Sustainable Tourism Planning

This is a Geography for Travelers podcast related post(click on title to download podcast)

I am back into a weekly schedule now.

The focus of my podcasts for the coming months will be on Sustainable Tourism Planning. Today's podcast is an introduction to the basic concepts of "Sustainability," "Tourism," and "Planning."

News items include the impacts of terrorism on UK residents' travel plans, tourism impacts of the drought in East Africa, and Bigfoot sightings in Malaysia. (The podcast is 16min 30secs long.)

Here are links to today's stories:

* Fear of Terrorism Drives Britons to Choose Holidays Closer to Home in 2006, Finds New Survey
http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20060116/bs_prweb/prweb332678_1
* Poll shows Londoners feel safer and support cultural diversity
http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=6884
* Severe drought threatens East African tourism
http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000073/007360.htm
* 'Bigfoot' Excitement Mounts in Malaysia
http://travel.discovery.com/news/afp/20060109/bigfoot.html
* Johor Tourism waits for windfall from international interest in 'bigfoot'
http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000072/007296.htm

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The Ideal Travel Atlas - Suggestions?

This is a blog only post
> -----Original Message-----
> Dear Travel Geographer,
>
> I am considering purchasing a new world atlas as the current one I
> have is several years old. I know you are a geographer and not a
> cartographer, but I wonder if you could recommend one among the better
> ones that are now on sale ($100 to $175). I've seen ads for such a
> world atlas put out by National Geographic and some of the other mass
> commercial map publishing firms. Some come with a disc or references
> to links to the internet. They all look great. Which one would you
> select for someone who wants to use it for reference, primarily in
> planning world travels, and secondarily for general reference.
>
> Thank-you in advance. A loyal listener.
>
> Robert

Hi Bob -

I know that there are some pretty expensive atlases out there. Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with the more pricey ones. I used to always recommend "Goodes World Atlas", which is what I require for students in the classes I teach at Northern Arizona University -- mostly because of the many thematic (population, climate, etc.) maps that it contains. However, I was trying to help my middle school kids with some homework once and I found that Goodes was terrible for the assignment that they were given. That opened my eyes to the degree to which different atlases are suited for different purposes (which I should have known!).

I think that any world atlas is going to be limited in trip planning, because the level of detail required is beyond what can be shown in most atlases. I have also found that Goodes is only so-so for planning trips abroad for this very reason. I used online mapping sites for my travels to Southeast Asia this summer (maps.msn.com was the best for that trip). I use a large scale highway-based atlas, published in Europe, to plan my travels there.

SO - perhaps the bigger, more expensive atlases include more detailed road and settlement/town networks on top of topography? That would probably be the best for trip planning. Web and/or CD access could provide this, though in my experience this can vary quite a bit from one provider to another.

Thanks for being a loyal listener. I will try replying to your email in the next podcast, as well. Perhaps another listener will have a good recommendation.


Cheers - Alan

** If you have any suggestions, please either post it in the comments below, or email it to me at Travelgeographer@gmail.com. **


Monday, January 09, 2006

G4T #22: The Year That Was - Travel & Tourism in 2005

This is a Geography for Travelers podcast related post(click on title to download podcast)

This week's podcast (19 min, 55 sec long) covers a variety of topics as I ramble my way through the close of the Winter Holidays and the start of the next semester. (Click on the title above to download the MP3 file). I mentioned in the podcast that I am still on Winter Break, though that is not exactly correct. Faculty (professors) are officially back at work today, while classes do not start until next Tuesday (Jan 17th). As I also mentioned in the podcast, I have been working many hours a day for over a week now to get my classes ready for the start of the semester, so I have already been easing my way back into the swing of things. Meetings starting tomorrow will further that transition along.

The more serious theme of this week's podcast is a rather quick overview of some of the top travel news and trends in 2005. I rely on Ed Hewitt's list (independenttraveler.com), though it is highly US-centric. He goes into it in a lot more depth on his website (link below). I am actually borrowing heavily from my new Travelography podcast at Podcasternews.com. In fact, I close this podcast with a preview of my forthcoming (on Jan 12th) Travelography podcast on tourism and terrorism last year.

I also mention an email question about the best atlas for travel planning. I will post a separate blog about that.

Cheers - Alan

LINKS to items mentioned on Today's Podcast:

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Travelography #1 - Year in Review

This is a PCN Travelography podcast related post(click on title above to download podcast)

Travelography #1 is now up on the Podcasternews.com website. For this first podcast I cover the top 10 Travel Stories and Trends for 2005, based on Ed Hewitt of the Independent Travelers website, and posted on MSNBC.com. I will follow up on some of these stories in the next few Travelography podcasts as I review the year that was.




MAUI, HAWAII - Forgot to post any show notes on my Maui podcast on Dec 26th. A casualty of vacationing! Anyway, you can download that podcast here