Beyond the Party: The Booming Business of The Yacht Week
Forbes, December 3, 2013
I didn’t know such a thing as Yacht Week existed until recently. The idea is you gather your friends and plan a “yacht week,” where you’ll charter a sailboat and travel a set route at the same time as other boats on a yacht week. Touted as “the party of a lifetime,” a yacht week is actually one of 15 weeks and takes place in multiple locations including the British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Italy, and Greece. I fully expect a reality show to break out any minute.
Yacht weeks are clearly designed for the young, gregarious and wealthy. Even if you do fall in the demographic, with sponsorships including Sperry, it looks too commercial and lively for many people’s travel taste. But visiting The Yacht Week site and looking at the various routes on offer, may give you some ideas for planning your own, less drunken and kinetic dream week aboard a yacht.
Marfa, Texas, Tales of the Unexpected
The Telegraph, February 2, 2014
US road trips are all about discovering the infinite small surprises available to those who take the time to look. No it’s not a weird dream you had after drinking one glass too many of red wine: It’s Marfa, Texas, a small town south of El Paso that indeed has a Prada store. But it’s not what you think. And this article told me just enough to make me want to go.
From the author, Nigel Richardson:
When I saw the Prada store I found myself adapting the opening sentence of Hunter S Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: “We were somewhere south of Van Horn on Highway 90 when the drugs began to take hold.” What explanation could there be, other than psychotropic delirium, for the presence of a high-end European fashion boutique in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas?
The Gorgeous Subtle Changes on the South Carolina Coast
Slate, January 2, 2014
When you think of travel photography, the shots that come to mind are most often of the colorful, wide-shot variety sometimes known as “the postcard shot.” With the proliferation of “beautiful travel photography” available to us both as photographers and appreciators of the visual, frankly, I think many dismiss much traditional travel photography these days.
When I came across Yvonne Boyd’s black and white photo series of Harbor Island, South Carolina, on Slate, I was reminded that when it comes to travel photography, the answer isn’t necessarily to push the limits of super high def or saturation.
I loved what Boyd had to say when talking about how she started out shooting the series of photos in color:
Once I started thinking about it from a black-and-white perspective, it clicked. I was then able to concentrate on composition, tones, texture, and show the view that I saw. Also, I like the challenge of really having to search or work for the right image because you have no color to rely on to perhaps distract you from the intent. For this series I wasn’t interested in portraying reality, but strived to represent more of a mood and feeling.
You can find more of Boyd’s work on her website.
In Wilmington, North Carolina, Sites That Honor Black History
New York Times, January 31, 2014
As a history obsessive, I appreciate it when a destination’s previously unknown past is highlighted through present day tourism efforts. As the location of Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, the city is recognized as one of the most historically significant African American regions in the US. The tourism office has recently published a A Guide to Wilmington’s African American Heritage featuring 37 sites related to the contributions of African-Americans to the history of Wilmington.
Your Flight Just Got Canceled. Now What?
Daily Finance, February 1, 2014
The winter weather that has shut down airports and cancelled flights across the country in recent weeks, reminds us that that it’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst. This article touts the importance of travel insurance to keep what is already a big headache from turning into a full blown migraine.
Besides the fact that only 7% of flyers buy travel insurance, over half of the participants in the survey responded that they didn’t have a clear understanding of the policies available and what was and wasn’t included.
How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk
New York Times
This short survey started circulating on Facebook back around the holidays and takes just a couple of minutes. Americans will enjoy answering questions about how they pronounce certain words and express ideas to see if the results can tell where they’re from.
It nailed me. I can’t figure out where exactly. After each answer it tells you where it’s most likely you’re from according to that one answer. What surprised me is the total of the sum was different than what I expected.
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Such an inspiring collection, Margo! I really want to visit that Prada store! And I love those photos – saturation is not always the answer. Plus, I enjoyed confusing that dialect quiz 🙂
Thanks, Katy! Isn’t that Prada “store” intriguing? I love little oddities like that when traveling. I don’t think I could like it more if it were a real store.!
I love the black and white photographs very much. They’re so stunning in their starkness. 🙂 And that yacht idea? So fun!!!