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Thomas’ book makes great toilet paper

Try as I might, I can no longer stay quiet about the cyclone in a teacup brewing over at Lonely Planet.

You know, the Thomas Kohnstamm firestorm. The travel writer who takes drugs, has sex, fabricates information, and writes a tell-all book about his experiences called Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?

FULL DISCLOSURE: I used to work at Lonely Planet, and before that I wrote more than a dozen guidebooks for Lonely Planet as a full-time travel writer. And no, I have no ax to grind. As I’ve said in a previous post about Lonely Planet and the BBC, I love the people I worked with and I retain a decent amount of respect for the founders, Tony & Maureen Wheeler.

Don’t believe everything you read in books

Here’s a link to the article in the New York Observer that started it all. The original slant on Thomas’ books was: “It’s about his experiences as a delinquent travel guide writer who cut every corner because he was so short on time and money.”

Next, the London Times gets a hold of this and ups the ante. Their headline: “Lonely Planet writer, Thomas Kohnstamm, claims he fabricated guidebook.” In fact the claim from Thomas is that, “They didn’t pay me enough to go to Colombia. I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating – an intern in the Colombian Consulate.”

The counter-claim from Lonely Planet: “When he was commissioned it was understood that he wouldn’t be going to the destination. He claimed he wasn’t paid enough to travel, but he was only employed as an office based researcher. He was never expected to go out there.

Lonely Planet followed up with an earnest report about what inaccuracies and problems it has found in books written by Thomas.

So far so good. A forgettable travel writer swings a book deal with Random House to write a tell-all about the world’s last significant, independent travel media brand. The book is duly written. Lonely Planet is duly shocked. And the media smells blood.

Where it all turned pear-shaped for Lonely Planet

I was reading an excellent interview with Thomas himself when it hit me like a piano in the head.

WHO REALLY CARES???

Who really cares about Thomas, about his ethics, about the integrity of Lonely Planet’s “freebie policy” or the accuracy of its books — who really cares about travel books in general???

You see, Lonely Planet depends on a small handful of people — three writers, apparently, in the case of a Brazil guide Thomas contributed to — to form the ‘Lonely Planet’ view of a destination. Three people. Some of whom research from a desk. Some of whom actually travel. And then it takes a small army of editors, cartographers, designers, printers, warehouse staff, shippers, and bookstore staff to get the books into your hands. Total turnaround time: 18 - 24 months.

If you read between the lines of what people like Lonely Planet’s publisher Piers Pickard are saying, one subtle point is made over again and again. The point is, “don’t worry, we’ll review Thomas’ books, we’ll commission new writers, and in 18 months we’ll publish an update. We at Lonely Planet are all about integrity, accuracy and authenticity, so give us 18 months or so and, we promise, we’ll fix this mess!”

Oh please.

What they should be saying is: Hey, we realize that the current guidebook model is fatally flawed. That we rely on too few people to create our travel guides; that it takes far too long to research them; that we don’t pay writers enough to cover every corner of the places we send them; that it takes our staff far too long to produce them; that it takes our printers far too long to manufacture and ship them by boat around the world; that it takes bookstores far too long to stock and finally sell them.

In the year 2008, should your travel guide require such herculean effort to produce? Should it be so vulnerable to the bad decisions of a few ‘travel experts’? In a collaborative world dominated by Wikipedia (even Thomas has his own page now) and Wikitravel, of Facebook and social websites, of TripAdvisor and WAYN and Viator and a million other user-generated websites dedicated to travel, the real question for me is: In the year 2008, what still makes Lonely Planet special?

The answer has never been its authors. They’ve always been hit or miss. Some are wonderful, some are not. That was true back in the 1970s. It’s still true today.

The answer for me is the people — the travelers — who actually use Lonely Planet’s guidebooks. It’s the only thing that makes Lonely Planet truly special, the thousands people who road-test the books each year and actually go somewhere. Without the travelers, Lonely Planet is nothing but a creaky old bookmaker.

And yet…

The episode gave Lonely Planet a golden opportunity to let its travelers ‘update’ Thomas’ errors. To adapt its book-and-ink model and jump head-first into a world where travel information is generated by the wisdom of people on the ground, now, being there, doing that.

What if… Lonely Planet asked the hundreds (even thousands?) of LP travelers actually in Colombia and Brazil RIGHT NOW to send updates and help collaboratively to create the world’s most up-to-date description of traveling in South America.

What if… Lonely Planet started printing books on-demand? Sure, you still buy Lonely Planet guides in bookshops. But now you also buy them online, click-print-overnight shipped, containing the latest content from official authors, Thorn Tree users, Blue List contributors, the unwashed masses, you name it.

What if… Lonely Planet bought a company like blurb.com and created the world’s first on-demand travel bookshop, with titles from ’sanctioned’ LP authors as well as do-it-yourself titles from passionate Lonely Planet travelers.

There are so many ways Lonely Planet could have turned the Thomas affair to its advantage. Instead, its publisher promises to check for inaccuracies in the books and update them… in 18 to 24 months. In other words, it promises more of the same old creaky solutions.

Until Lonely Planet finds a way to move beyond the book — and indirectly, to move beyond its current model for researching and creating travel content — they will suffer from uneven content produced by authors who typically have not enough time or money to do a proper job. And inevitably, some of these authors will be as mediocre as Thomas. That’s just the nature of the beast.

So what amazes me about this whole episode?

Thomas sheds no new light on the dilemma faced by generations of travel writers. It’s always been that way. Ask any travel writer you know, including this one. We’re not angels. Yes we cut corners.

What’s amazing to me is that Lonely Planet and most other guidebook publishers keep trying to fix a model that is so clearly broken. Lonely Planet, hear me! It won’t be too long until the next Thomas Kohnstamm is unearthed, with his or her own stories of woe to tell. This is an inevitable fact, you must live with it.

Whether you thrive or collapse as a business depends solely on your response. Are you ready to compete in a world where fixing problems in 18 to 24 months isn’t good enough anymore?

–Scott McNeely

Last week, Canberra, Australia’s small capital city, played host to the controversial Olympic Torch as it makes its way around the world. Organisers described it as the most successful outing yet for the flame – which isn’t really saying much after the chaotic debacles of Paris, London and San Francisco and the security-deadened, almost invisible parades in cities such as New Delhi, Dar es Salaam, Islamabad and Jakarta.

To the outside world, it all looked fine. A crisp, clear Canberra morning, smiling faces, clean streets and a run uninterrupted by scuffles, attacks on the flame, disappearances into bayside warehouses or the heavy-handed actions of benign-looking men in matching blue tracksuits.

But all was not as it appeared.

Spurred into action by bad press on the relay to-date, the Australian Chinese community – and especially the large number of visiting Chinese students hosted by Australian universities – rallied to the defence of the torch relay and their (in their opinion much-maligned) country. Maybe 10,000 students bussed in from across Australia, and formed a formidable presence on the usually quiet streets of Canberra (population 330,000). Vastly outnumbering and – if media reports are to be believed – intimidating their pro-Tibet counterparts, the Chinese supporters ensured that, for the most part, all the cameras saw was a sea of red flags and support.

Perhaps this display of strength on the streets is part of the education of visiting students. Perhaps they’ll remember the feeling of getting out on the streets and defending what they believe to be right. And perhaps they’ll take that democratic spirit home. Perhaps.

The blue-tracksuited ‘Flame Attendants’ had dominated discussion in Australia in the lead-up to last week’s relay leg. All week Australian and Chinese security agencies contradicted each other about the role of this special force. Desperate to avoid the sorts of hands-on activities in London and other cities, Australian politicians and security agencies were clear that the Chinese tracksuit guys would have no security role to play. At all. Chinese officials said they would use their bodies to protect the flame. The Aussies said ‘No you won’t’. And so it went all week.

Australians were perhaps drawn to the tracksuit story out of nostalgia. Former Prime Minister John Howard was famous for his daily walks around Canberra and Sydney – escorted by security guards – and dressed in a patriotically coloured tracksuit. Since his loss at the polls in November, the tracksuit has all-but disappeared from Aussie cultural life. Enter the Chinese to restore order and give us something to talk about.

In the end, the Aussies prevailed. Footage even shows an Australian Federal Police officer giving one of the Flame Attendants’ a none-too-subtle shove out of the way during the run. Bet that doesn’t run on the nightly news in Xi’an or Beijing last week!

Another thing that won’t hit the airways in China is the sad fact that the once pure symbolism of the Olympic torch has been sullied. It once stood for pure sporting competition, showing a peaceful ideal that might exist in a world free of war and politics. But there’s no doubt that the Chinese government – modernising and improving at an astonishing rate but still guilty of reprehensible acts within its own borders – is using the Olympics to create goodwill. The torch, the relay and the Olympics themselves were sadly tarnished long ago by bad governments permitted to bask in the reflected glow of the greatest sporting event in the world. The Chinese aren’t the first – or possibly even the worst – but the hypocrisy of admonishing protesters and hiding behind the ‘Olympic Ideal’ while so blatantly committing human rights violations is every bit as noteworthy as Berlin in 1936 and Moscow in 1980.

So where does that leave the Olympic Flame – past Nagano, Japan, and Seoul, now on a respite guaranteed by a shuffle through the North Korean capital. And where does it leave the noble Olympic Games themselves? Same place they’ve always been – at an uncomfortable intersection between politics and sport, but now with more people than ever aware of the complications and contradictions of putting an unattainable ideal smack in the middle of everyday human stupidity.

–John Ryan

At Viator.com we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about sustainable travel, and about how we can make a difference. There’s no denying that travel — air travel in particular — is a major source of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Any serious attempt to grapple with global warming must include a strategy to offset the negative impacts of domestic and international travel.

One thing we’ve done at Viator is create a carbon offset program for both our staff (who will collectively fly an estimated 1.2 million miles this year, so we have plenty of minimizing and offsetting to do) as well as for you, our customers and fellow travelers. To offset your own carbon emissions, visit our Go Carbon Neutral page and learn what you can do to help.

Beyond mitigating the impact of travel, we wanted to learn more about sustainability in general. Minimizing the impact of travel is a great start. But it’s only one piece of a much larger (and frankly complicated) puzzle. To give us some perspective we asked Paul Redman-Brown, the director of Australia’s Natural Strategies Group, to give us his top 10 tips for living a sustainable lifestyle. We hope Paul’s list of 10 sustainability actions strikes a chord with you. It did with us.

#1 Reduce & offset car emissions

A litre of petrol produces about 2.5kg (5 lbs) of greenhouse gases, while a US gallon produces nearly 15 lbs of greenhouse gases. So let’s use less and offset the emissions we “have” to have. Here are some suggestions:

• Drive less — walk, ride & use public transport instead
• If you must drive, plan to do a number of errands in one trip rather than several trips and save both time and fuel (for the first couple of minutes of a car trip the engine is cold and this results in an increase in fuel consumption)
• Inflate tires to the maximum recommended pressure
• Travel light - an extra 50kg (110 lbs) increases fuel consumption by 2%
• Remove roof racks to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag
• Drive a smaller, more efficient car
• If driving a manual select the correct gear - driving in a lower gear wastes fuel
• Drive more slowly - at 110km/h (68 mph) your car uses 25% more fuel than at 90km/h (55 mph)
• Use the air-conditioning sparingly - air-conditioning increases fuel consumption by up to 10%

#2 Embrace energy efficiency

Energy conservation through the adoption of efficient technology and behaviors saves resources and money. Here are some simple starters:

• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use about 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs, produce the same amount of light, and can last up to 10 times longer.
• Block the summer heat. Install blinds and sun shades or plant deciduous trees to prevent the summer heat from over-heating your house.
• Circulate air. Install ceiling fans for cooling in summer and circulating rising heat in winter, and decommission your air-conditioner.
• In winter, turn your heating thermostat down a few degrees (say to 20°C or 70°F) and bundle up
• Let nature work for you. Use your clothes line rather than the clothes dryer.

#3 Buy renewable electricity

Every time you use electricity in your home, greenhouse gases are belched out on your behalf. So buy the clean stuff! Simply seek out and purchase 100% renewable electricity from your local provider, or offset your normal electricity supply with carbon credits from trees or renewable electriciy.

#4 Invest ethically

Your investments may fund activities that are not sustainable and may be contrary to your ethics. Money talks, what is yours saying?

• Find an ‘ethical’ or socially responsible financial advisor. Check sites like Google, the Ethical Investment Association Australasia, or the UK’s Ethical Investment Co-Operative.
• When making an investment, ask yourself: does my investment support or detract from my stated position or ethics?; does my investment add to or detract from the quality of world my children will inherit; would I support what this company is doing if there were not dollars to be made by investing in it?

#5 Eat less meat

Land used for beans and vegetables produces 10 times as much protein as land used for raising beef. Sound scary or impossible? It’s not the difficult, here’s how you can start:

• Replace one “meat meal” per week with a vegetarian option.
• Start exploring vegetarian recipes and cooking sites, such as vegweb.com, vegcooking.com and the International Vegetarian Network.

#6 Promote sustainable living

Help spread the word about those actions we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment. Spread the word about sustainability: The more discussions, arguments and gentle cajoling we engage in, the better. So do the actions to move yourself toward sustainability and then encourage others.

#7 Carpool

Those regular trips to work, the market or school can be done with others — and you’ll have more fun, use less and spend less.

• Car pool to work. Send an email around work asking if anyone lives close to you and if they would be keen to alternate driving to work with you.
• Car pool to the store. Speak to you neighbour and explore if they’d be keen, and if it’s convenient, to share the regular trip to the supermarket of local food markets.
• Car pool the kids to school. Speak to the parents of your children’s local friends and see if you can alternate driving the kids to school (this one means less time on the road for you, too!).

#8 Immerse yourself in nature

Go hiking, bird watching, swimming in the sea and simply enjoy nature and your connection to it. It’s good for the body and great for the soul. We are blessed with a fantastic natural environment, and the adage “Use it or lose it!” applies abundantly to this shrinking and under-resourced part of our society. So organize a family picnic at the botanic gardens, a sea-kayaking adventure with your mates, or a short walk through some rainforest you come across in your travels. Take a deep breath and be thankful for nature’s wonder.

#9 Generate less, use less

The average Australian or American household wastes over $1,000 dollars per year purchasing items they never use. So use what you buy, buy less and save. Some simple ideas to get your creative processes rolling:

• Eat all the fresh and takeaway food you purchase. Don’t waste it.
• Buy a lunchbox for leftovers and take it to work
• Have a couple of “clear out the fridge” meals prior to the next visit to the grocery store
• Get better at only buying what you’ll use.
• Pause every time you go to buy clothes, shoes, etc… and ask yourself if you really and truly need the item.

#10 Buy local & seasonal food

Locally produced food that is grown in sync with the seasons is fresher, healthier and tastes better. And it doesn’t consume as much energy to produce and transport. Here’s what you can do to support locally grown foods:

• Shop at local farmers markets. Farmers markets are the best place to buy locally produced food. You can use these sites to find a Farmers Market near you: Australian Farmers’ Markets Association, the USDA’s list of Farmers Markets by U.S. State, or Farma.org.uk.

At Viator we’re doing what we can to take every step, even small ones, in the direction of sustainable travel and sustainable lifestyles. We hope you take this journey along with us.

–Scott McNeely

So what is Viator’s Traveler of the Month?

Before we answer that, let’s back up a little. Recently we started publishing photos over on the viator.com website. These are photos taken by actual Viator travelers, photos of themselves on elephant treks, helicopter tours, desert safaris, private tours of the Vatican — and on hundreds of the other 5,000+ tours and things to do available on Viator.

So we’ve started giving props each month to an individual Viator traveler who makes us laugh, makes us smile, or who inspires us to make that next trip. It might be the prettiest traveler photo, or the funniest, or most inspirational, or just most plain weird.

What do you win? A $100 gift certificate (or the equivalent in pounds or euros) to use on Viator.com! So get traveling, take photos and submit them to viator.com when you return. If you want to participate, simply submit your travel photos (see below for how this works) and you are eligible. Each month we will chose a new winner.

This month we’re pleased to honor James & Michelle for their Egypt trip photos.

April Travelers of the Month - James & Michelle, United Kingdom

Michelle and James went on a trip to Cairo, Egypt and had a wonderful time exploring the different pyramids on their private tour to the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara. James submitted some really fun photos of their trip to the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara in Cairo. This is a great tour to get the full pyramid experience in Egypt.

James said, “This was a great day out. We had a few laughs along the way. The guide was brilliant.”

March Traveler of the Month - Alexandra S, Australia

Alexandra S and her family recently went on a trip to Fiji and based on her photos and captions, they had a blast. The photo above is from the South Sea Island Day Cruise where they snorkeled and relaxed by the pool. Alexandra submitted some great photos of the South Sea Island Day Cruise in Fiji. If you’re looking to relax and have a fun trip with the kids in Fiji, Alexandra recommends this tour.

Alexandra says: “Kris has given his thumbs up for this experience. This is definitely a trip to take especially if you have kids.”

February Traveler of the Month - James A, UK

Here’s a shot taken by James A in Rome, on the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Rome Walking Tour. James submitted some great photos of Rome and the inside of the Vatican. And, according to James’ review he’s glad he booked ahead because the line to get into the Vatican was over 2.5 hours long!

James says: “We were enjoying our tour within 15 minutes, and the guide brought the Vatican alive. There is so much to see you simply would not enjoy any other way as it would not mean much without being explained. The headsets you are given for the tour are fab, and you can hear loud and clear what your guide is saying. We normally do our own thing on holiday; however, this is one of the rare places which the tour works very well.”

January Traveler of the Month - Sumit B, USA

Sumit B seems to be having a good time at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas, which he visited after purchasing the Las Vegas Power Pass. Sumit, his wife and his two embarrassed children met Beyonce, the Terminator, Johnny Depp, George Bush and Jenna Jameson, among others. Hopefully his wife forgives him for all of the photos with other women.

–The Viator Travel Team

Editor’s Note: We’ve posted the photos submitted by our Travelers of the Month over on the Viator Flickr site. Hop on over for some inspiration for your next trip.

How can you submit photos to Viator’s Traveler of the Month contest? It’s simple: book a tour with Viator and, when you return, you will receive a “Welcome Back” email. This email will invite you to submit reviews and photos of the tours and things to do on your trip. Tell other travelers what you loved, what you hated and show them in a photo. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Editor’s Note: Let’s all of us hope the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing aren’t canceled due to the recent unrest in Hikinboot. We’re keeping a close eye on the developing story.

At Viator, our mission is to help you make the most of your travels. We believe passionately in discovering new cultures, trying new experiences, and getting beneath the surface of a destination.

In that spirit Viator is pleased to announce the launch of a new country on our website: the Republic of Bakpakhistan. Our team of travel experts has tried for three years to crack open the Bakpakhi tours and activities market. It’s not been easy. The Republic of Bakpakhistan has had a rough go of it; first there was the collapse of its patron, the Soviet Union. Then after a brief flurry of activity in 2001, the country literally — quite literally — disappeared from the map.

Haggling over US$0.0001 at the rug market © Lonely Planet

Now, after seven years of isolation and closed borders, the country is re-opening to tourism. The capital, Hikinboot, has started the slow process of rebuilding and repopulating.

“Dubbed by detractors and admirers alike as the ‘Paris of the Central Urgs’, Hikinboot is an oasis of unbreathable air and inedible food. Bakpakhistan may be the ‘forgotten Stan’, but Hikinboot is a vital stopping-off point on any journey around the country - in fact it’s the only stopping-off point, as the sprinkling of land mines, ageing nuclear reactors, viciously hungry guerrillas, and marauding groups of gun-wielding Soviet soldiers who’ve refused to come in from the cold conspire to make travel outside the capital an impossibility. Travel to and from Hikinboot’s airport will be the sum total of road travel you’re likely to undertake.

–Lonely Planet World Guide: Destination Bakpakhistan

Bakpakhistan: Planning Your Trip

So exactly where is Bakpakhistan? What can you expect from a visit there? When to go? What to see & do? These are all great questions. And we have answers.

“Bakpakhistan is bordered by Tajikistan to the north, Uzbekistan to the northwest, Turkmenistan to the west, Afghanistan to the south, Pakistan to the southeast and India to the east. Bakpakhistan is ringed by mountains, creating a mostly dry, arid, windswept microclimate. There is little fresh water, as most major streams from the mountains flow down the other side into neighbouring countries. The one exception, the Guz River, kept the cooling towers cool back in Soviet times. Now, it’s best not spoken about.”

“Bakpakhistan’s only real event is the annual grain festival, the Bakbakbakstöp Harvest Festival. The event, celebrating the nation’s only successful harvest (1867), takes place in the first three weeks of June. A country already pretty much stationary grinds to a total stop, as every town hosts a parade featuring residents wearing traditional three-cornered hats. It’s also the only time of the year when children are allowed to play the traditional game of stïc bol, played with a stïc (a type of stick) and a bol (a round ball).”

–Lonely Planet World Guide: Destination Bakpakhistan

Viator.com is a proud sponsor of the 2008 Bakbakbakstöp Harvest Festival. As part of the festivities, we’ve partnered with Education Minister Snagult Ufqunt to create a crash-course of local tours to help visitors make the most of a holiday in Bakpakhistan.

Semi-traditional non-nomadic Bakpakhistani dwelling © Lonely Planet

Bakpakhistan: Full Day Foraging Tour

From BK3.7 million / US$1.50 per person
Spend a full day discovering Bakpakhistan’s hottest forgaging spots. You’ll learn about the secret spot near the abandoned overpass, the one by the smelly part of the river and more of Bakpakhistan’s best kept foraging secrets form locals who know. Also, you’ll stop off at the market of Gagin Mawnkoont for shopping and gawking at its famous mutations. You’re probably going to need to forage for food, or makeshift transport to leave the country at some point anyway, so this tour is a MUST.

Hikinboot Day Tour*

From BK2.1 million / US$0.99 per person
Visit the ‘Paris of the Central Urgs’! Dodge land mines, guerrillas, nuclear meltdowns and more as you spend a day getting to know this exciting city. This exclusive Viator tour includes:

• Statue of Stalin
• The remains of Proletariat House
• Admission to the carpet museum
• Lunch at Crazy Abdull’s (no vegetarian option)
• A souvenir land mine

Bakpakhi Cultural Half Day Tour, with Clicking Fingers Demonstration

From BK123 million / US$5 per person
Bakpakhistan is renowned for its crafts and carpets, not to mention its folk music. And the rumors are true: Paul Simon has agreed to make a album (produced by Peter Gabriel, featuring Sting and Bono) based on the Bakpakhici art of clicking fingers and tongues while simultaneously slapping a raw cod on the side of a leather boot. This exclusive tour includes a walk through the Hikinboot carpet museum and concludes with a live performance by the Bakpakhi Five Mega-Minstrels at the Bollixinski soccer stadium. Prime Minister Slotcar Nascar will perform a stïc bol demonstration between cod slaps.

Guz River Experience

From BK99 / US$0.00000002 per person
Spend a few hours on what used to be the Guz River. The river was actually concreted over in 1992 and is now the Hivk Highway. Your guide will take you along the highway in a boat converted into a landmobile. You will have the opportunity to view all the sites that were enjoyed from the river before 1992. If you are lucky some of the concrete will be cracked enough in sections along the highway allowing a glimpse of the sludge. You will want your cameras ready when you pass Bakpakhistan woman carrying 30 litres (8 gallons) of water on their heads just to give their children something to drink. The highlight of the tour is when you stop at former fisherman’s shack and get to view all his mutated and preserved marine animals from the good old days when the river was a cesspool of toxic chemicals.

Pricing on request
Your journey begins with a stop in historic Baghpakh, continuing on to the Bakdur Brothel and Cybercafe for a brief photo opportunity. Then it’s off along the Hvik Highway in a yak cart to experience the incredible beauty of the King Tuj mountains, framed against the towering Timtamistan Cliffs. The Timtamistan Arnottonomous Zone is the most ethnically diverse - and dangerous - region in Bakpakhistan. Local tribes have inhabited these badlands for generations and will not hesitate to dunk your biscuit. Notable tribes include the Timtamoriginal clan, the Order of the Timtamchewykarmelites, Timtamdoublecoats, Timtamdarkks, Timtamlövepötiöns, Timtam-chocölatemudders, Timtamstickyvanillatöffees and the vicious tribe of the Timtam Lattes. On the crest of the Timtamistan Cliffs, you will board a thinly disguised UN aid helicopter for a once-in-a-lifetime, 7 minute, 4,000-foot descent to the mighty Guz River below. At the river’s edge, you’ll board a pontoon boat for a relaxing boat ride down toxic Guz tributaries. Float across the water grasping the inner majesty and mystery of this fabulous chasm. Don’t forget your camera!Happy travels. Or as they say in Bakpashti, Vlassplosspissinskaya!

–The Viator Travel Team

* Viator and the local tour operator are not responsible for death, injury, or other harm sustained on this tour. Undertake at your own risk. In fact, maybe just pick something else, we hear the foraging tour is nice, and practical too.

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• UN to shut down the Internet

Where have your itchy feet led you?

Where have your itchy feet led you?

That’s the question Viator, Lonely Planet, and STA Travel want to hear all about, right down to the last blister.

Lonely Planet is launching its annual Travellers’ Pulse survey of travel trends — what’s hot, what’s not, how you’re researching your next trip — and Viator is pleased once again to be a partner.

Click here to take the 2008 Travellers’ Pulse survey >>

And just to sweeten the offer, and to reward you for the 5 minutes or so it takes to complete the survey, you could score a free trip from STA Travel (worth USD $2,000, £1,000 or AUD $2,200) or a free Lonely Planet guidebook pack to help you live your next travel dream. Thanks in advance for taking the time to complete the survey. As always your opinions mean the world to us here at Viator.

–The Viator Team

Are you planning a trip to Australia from the United States, or vice versa?

Here’s some good news. On February 15 the two nations signed an open skies agreement that deregulates air traffic between all airports in both countries. In a nutshell, it means that any certified air carrier can now fly between Australia and the United States. They simply must pay a fee to do so. Historically these routes have been locked up (some would say unfairly monopolized, but monopoly is such an ugly word) by United Airlines and Qantas.

These two airlines will not be pleased with the new open-skies agreement. For the first time Qantas and United will be forced to compete — gasp, it’s true — on price! No more overpriced tickets, no more lackluster service, no more being locked into a single carrier. At least that’s the hope.

An open skies agreement between the United Stated and the United Kingdom has revolutionized air travel between these two countries. Prices have fallen, new carriers have been created, and the “old” carriers have upgraded their planes, services and attitudes!

An advertisement for the new V Australia airline. United & Qantas will not be impressed.

Already we’re seeing something similar happening in Australia. A new airline called V Australia (part of the Virgin Blue group of airlines) has announced it will start flying brand-new planes at the end of 2008. No doubt other airlines will get into the action (please please please, Singapore Air, with your wonderful reclining seats and excellent in-flight service, please start flying between SFO and SYD, please please please).

All in all this agreement is a good thing for travelers flying between Australia and the United States. Qantas and United may be annoyed, but a little competition is always a healthy thing. Bring it on!

–Scott McNeely

Editor’s Note: Jenny is the person at Viator who finds all of the cool, fun and unique things to do in Orlando (and Florida). She’s just back from Orlando and wanted to share a few experiences from her trip.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love my job (for the most part), and this past week reminded me of another reason why.

I have been down in Orlando discovering all the things to do aside from the ‘Big 3’ (Disney, Universal Studios and Seaworld). Whilst I love these parks (and yes, I know they are some of the best theme parks on the planet) that doesn’t mean I think you should spend 100% of your Orlando vacation visiting them. Orlando has a whole lot more to offer.

Top Things to Do in Orlando: Alligator Wrestling at Gatorland

Florida is know for their alligators, so where better to start than at Gatorland? I had the unique pleasure of going ‘behind the scenes’ where regular guests can’t go, but even the guest areas are full of interesting (porcupines), cute (a black bear), scaly (snakes, gators, lizards etc) and somewhat scary animals (no, I am not a fan of spiders and scorpions!).

There is one behind the scenes tour you can do which is really cool – be a Gator Trainer for a Day. Every day the tasks you do are different – one day it could be collecting gator eggs, the next it could be helping with the shows. And don’t worry you’ll still have plenty of time to visit the Big 3; a half day at Gatorland is all you need to explore this gem in the heart of Orlando. (Update: There was a fire here at the front entrance in 2006, and I’m happy to advise this is almost completely rebuilt. The current construction has no effect on the rest of the park.)

Next I was off to the coast (about 45 minutes by car) for the Daytona 500 Experience, part of our broader collection of NASCAR racing tours and ride-alongs in Orlando. If you’re a fan of racing you will love the Daytona 500 Experience: two IMAX movies (one in 3-D), a simulator ride that is too real for words, and the actual winning car from the Daytona 500 every year, scratches, dents and all! To be honest, I’m not a big NASCAR fan, but it was extremely impressive to see the racetrack on the “Speedway Tour”. It’s hard to comprehend how huge this track is and you can only imagine what it must be like to have every seat filled and engines roaring around the track. This is definitely worth a day trip to the coast to check it all out.

Top Things to Do in Orlando: Swimming with Manatees

So then it was back to nature – swimming with manatees. I was picked up from my hotel and taken out to Crystal River, where I went diving with these gentle creatures. It wasn’t actually ‘manatee’ season, but there were still plenty to see. I’ve swum with dolphins before and had a blast – this was equally impressive.

All the food served on the tour was excellent and it is obvious that the manatees and the preservation of the native Florida wildlife is paramount in the mind of the operators of this tour. After the swim, we headed to our airboat ride – such fun!

Finally, it was over to the Homossassa State Wildlife Park. This is where they bring the manatees to rehabilitate them, but honestly just seeing the manatees here would have been enough for me - swimming with them was an added bonus.

Kennedy Space Center is another great day trip from Orlando and can be purchased either with or without transport and a variety of upgrades to choose from. Kennedy Space Center is one place that has a lot to see and do. You don’t have to be a space junkie to enjoy it all and be amazed by the sheer magnitude of the shuttles. There are hands-on exhibits, IMAX movies, you can have lunch with an astronaut, and much more. This really is a must-do in Orlando.

Then there was Cypress Gardens, a 1-hour drive from Orlando. This park was in its heyday a number of years ago and they have recently done a lot of work to attract visitors again. Thrill rides and a water park have been added, there’s good food, and the gardens are simply amazing. They also have free outdoor concerts featuring acts like the Beach Boys. The park is renowned for its waterski show (which runs year round) and the southern belles that wander the park adding a touch of southern hospitality and charm. The park is constantly undergoing improvements, but nothing that will detract from the experience

Finally, there are all the shows in Orlando. Orlando is a haven for families and these shows make for a perfect end to the day. From pirates and knights to Arabian horses, Blue Man Group and Disney characters, you can combine good food and first class entertainment in one place!

Keep an eye on our Orlando offerings however – we have some new and unique experiences coming up. It’s all part of my job, to find amazing adventures for travelers like you to experience.

–Jenny Crossling

Planning a trip? Check out Viator’s complete list of Orlando tours and things to do. Or consider extending your stay in the Sunshine State and check out the colorful Art Deco District and Little Havana neighborhoods in Miami, or partake in a smorgasbord of water activities in the gorgeous environs of Key West.

Someone said the great thing about travel is the journey, not the destination. At Viator we take issue with that for about 5,000 different reasons — as in the 5,000 tours and things to do you can book in hundreds of destinations worldwide at viator.com. For us travel is all about the destination, and certainly not about the journey.

But that’s not to say we don’t think getting there can be a lot of fun. With that in mind I accepted an invitation to fly with our new partner, Silverjet, who operate one of the new all-business-class services between London and New York. OK, it wasn’t a difficult decision, given I had to fly from London back to San Francisco anyway. Why not see what all the fuss is about, and pick up a commuter flight from NYC to SF the next day?

Silverjet: Big comfy seats, less stress all round…

The Silverjet difference starts at the check-in terminal. Based at one of London’s smaller airports, Luton, Silverjet have their own separate building and a process that looks nothing like a regular check-in. Walk in and you’re met by one of their staff who relieves you of your burden; you take a seat, grab a drink, a snack, have a shower or generally just chill out in luxury. A staff member will appear at some stage to check your passport and hand you a boarding pass, but you never have to wait in line or anything déclassé like that.

The Silverjet departure lounge at Luton

Boarding is similarly low-key: the security is tight but friendly, everything flows smoothly, and things happen on time. The planes are nice big Boeing 767s, lots of room, all one class and all comfortable sleeper seats. Personal video and all that stuff goes without saying. Service on board is attentive without being overpowering and the food is exactly as it should be for an up-market carrier.

But the thing I liked best about Silverjet is not something you can see or even describe very easily: it’s the lack of pressure, the total absence of having to worry about the mundane elements of travel like checking in, lining up, getting a good seat, whether the meal will be edible, who you’ll be sitting next to, and so on. Put simply, flying with Silverjet is a relaxing experience, and sort of fun. This is probably what air travel was like on those early trans-Atlantic flights, when everyone dressed up and it was a social event.

Anyway, I’m happy to add my voice to the many reviews I’ve read in praise of this new class of airline. If you’re planning to fly across the pond anytime soon, do yourself a favour* and try Silverjet.

–Rod Cuthbert

* Apologies to my countryman Ian “Molly” Meldrum for use of his trademark line. And click here to read a previous Viator Blog post about Silverjet.

What is the travel world buzzing about this week?

The New York Times travel section focuses in on ‘Hawaii on a Dime’. (Which is a good example of synchronicity in action: over on the Viator site we’ve just completed a review of our entire collection of Hawaii tours and things to do, including dozens of Oahu and Honolulu tours and sightseeing options that will not break your travel budget.) The NY Times also shines its spotlight on Vienna (no Strauss, please) and Cape Town, South Africa.

Somebody at the Sydney Morning Herald obviously won the lottery last week; features on Brunei (home to the world’s richest person, Bill Gates eat your heart out) and around-the-world private jet tours leave me feeling economically challenged in the travel department. Luckily the Herald keeps it real with tips on visiting NYC museums for less moolah. They also do a nice job profiling the Tokyo fish market (also check out Rod Cuthbert’s tips for visiting the Tokyo fish market).

Over at the LA Times travel section, they were having a wee technical problem when I visited, but a quick check of the print edition and the story that caught my eye was about Dubai. Dubai has been everywhere in the travel press recently, and it’s been on my own personal travel wishlist for a few years now. Why? Not least because you can snow ski in 120-degree heat or sandboard at sunset on the sweeping desert dunes. Very cool whichever you choose. The LA Times Travel Blog has eye-catching stories about sleeping in a Phoenix monastery during the Superbowl; and what to do if you have reservations at the Monte Carlo hotel in Las Vegas, which caught some bad publicity on Friday when it was damaged in a fire.

The San Francisco Chronicle travel section does a deep-dive into Oaxaca, Mexico; announces a new ‘Family Travel’ column; and opens the Pandora’s box that is ‘things to see before you die‘ (uh oh, here we go again…).

The Guardian keeps the focus on winter with a spotlight on Alaska adventures and Europe’s first “eco park” for snowboarders and skiers.

Finally, Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper has tips for bargain-hunting on the streets of Hong Kong plus a feature on sea, sand and souks in Dubai. There it is again. Dubai. I really must book a ticket.

–Scott McNeely

Viator links referenced in this post: Hawaii tours, things to do in Oahu & Honolulu; Vienna tours, concerts in Vienna; things to do & see in Cape Town; New York City tours & things to do; Tokyo tours & things to do, Tokyo walking tour including Tsukiji Fish Market; Dubai tours & things to do; Las Vegas tours; Phoenix tours & things to do; Mexico tours & things to do; Family Travel Tips on the Viator Blog; 1,000 Places to See Before You Die; Hong Kong tours & things to do.