G4T #48: Environmental & Social Change in Nepal - Part 2

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

Today's podcast is part two of my discussion of a research project that I am undertaking in Nepal. This first podcast in this series discussed the "problem statement" -- the environmental and social change issues and how we framed them. In today's podcast I discuss our research methodology and the theoretical rational for the methodology. We will be using photographs to elicit responses from residents Kathmandu and the Khumbu region. Theoretically, the methodology is focused on Social Exchange Theory.

Travelography #60: Travelography: Record Christmas Travel and Travel Industry Mergers

(click on the title above to download the .mp3 file from the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

A new record number of US travelers will take to the air this Christmas holiday. A long anticipated wave of airline merger appear to be building, as both hostile take over moves and rumored merger discussion make headlines in the Us and abroad. The results good be bad news for travelers. And Travelocity (and Sabre) is sold for over US$4 billion, as other parts of the travel industry are also feeling the merger frenzy.

Travel to Increase 2.2 Percent for Christmas-New Year's Holiday, Says AAA
Talks may signal airlines' consolidation
AirTran offer for Midwest could spur more mergers
Airline industry poised for shake-up?
Travelocity's parent company sold for $4.4B

Travelography at Podcasternew.com
Travelography on Del.icio.us - an archive of travel news stories that have note made it into the Travelography Podcast

Travelography #56: NW Hawaii Makes 7 Wonders List, and a New Abba Museum

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

The relatively new Northwest Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was named to a New Seven Wonders of the World list created by USA Today and ABC News. (Not to be confused with the Other New Seven Wonders list that is currently being voted on.) And visitors may soon again be welcome at Monument's Midway Island. Meanwhile, a new museum devoted to the pop group, Abba, will be opening in Stockholm next year. And, first there were smoke free hotels rooms -- now we are getting smoke free states and countries!

Underwater Wonder: Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument

Hawaii's Outer Kingdom

The New Seven Wonders (ABC News)

New 7 Wonders (election)

Visits to Midway Atoll could resume

Plans for ABBA museum unveiled in Sweden

Smoking gets snuffed out

Travelography #55: Amtrak Boost, Plane Dreams, and Macau Grows Up

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

Amtrak saw its ridership grow this past fiscal year as it became more competitive with short flights in the eastern US. Boeing and Airbus are building more passenger comfort into their next generation of planes. And Macau, the only place in China where gaming is legal, is getting more tourists every month as new resort casinos are built.

Amtrak ridership increases

Aircraft Builders Try to Take Some of the Ordeal Out of Flying

Macau's visitor arrivals hit 2 million in October

G4T #47: Environmental & Social Change in Nepal - Part 1

This is a Geography for Travelers Podcast related post (click on the title above to download the .mp3 file)

In today's podcast I discuss a research project that I will be undertaking in Nepal. This is the first in a series of podcasts that will take you through my experience in initiating and doing this field research. This first podcast discusses the "problem statement" -- the issues and how we framed them. It is based on a proposal that I wrote with two colleagues this past summer to the US National Science Foundation. The proposed research was to examine the perceptions of Nepalis in the Khumbu region of Nepal (near Mt Everest) of environmental and social changes over the past 40 years. As a major trekking region, tourism is one of the key elements that we identify as affecting change in the Khumbu.

Links to items cited in this podcast:

1. InnerToob.com
2. Tourism, Recreation, And Climate Change, edited by C. Michael Hall and James E. S. Higham
3. PL376 - Planning for Sustainable Tourism - Northern Arizona University
4. The TPN Travel Show podcast - host: Doc Martin
   

Web 2.0 Travel Tools for Geographers

One of my other blogs is Web 2.0 Travel Tools, which I think most readers of this blog will find of interest. There are often times when I am not sure whether to post something on that blog or here. Well, over time, this blog has become almost exclusively for items related to my two podcasts. However, I do want to mention a few items from Web 2.0 Travel Tools that are especially geographical in nature...

Trippermap.com - is a webtool that I discuss that allows you to easily show your Flickr photos on a Google Map on your blog or web page. The paid version ($9.75/year) also allows you to create route lines on your map.

Everytrail.com - is a website where you can post the GPS route data for a hike, bike ride, or other short distance trip -- and then link photos to specific locations on that route.

WAYN.com (Where Are You Now?) - is a website where people post their locations around the world and in town so their friends can find them to meet up. You can update your WAYN information by an SMS text message.

Fresh Logic Atlas - a very cool Ajax-like atlas, mostly useful for city information.

If these sound interesting, click on the links to go to my full discussion of each. And go to Web20Travel.com to see the entire web blog.

Travelography #54: Passport Day is Jan. 23; and the Hassle of Visiting the US

(click on the title above to go to the PCN TRAVELOGRAPHY web page)

January 23rd is Passport Day for all travelers flying into the US. US is perceived as the most difficult destination for international tourists to enter. To counter this, Bush pushes to expand the sometimes controversial US Visa Waiver program to more countries.

U.S. to require passports for nearly all air travelers

Survey: Visiting the USA is a hassle

Bush wants more countries in visa-waiver program