The world according to Facebook originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In honor of tomorrow's planned National Opt-Out Day, we offer you this year's hottest holiday gift: the TSA bumper sticker. Warning: It's probably best not to post these on your luggage. We all know how the TSA feels about bumper stickers.

[via the FlyerTalk forum]

TSA bumper stickers: The year's hottest holiday gift originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is Iraq really safe to visit?

Is Iraq really safe to visit? originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I would pick a country which I loved visiting, such as Mexico or Brazil, both of which have distinct shapes. It would be an excuse to narrate previous visits and I don't think it would repulse many people, other than the fact that it is a tattoo.

Travel tattoos you won't regret when you're old and wrinkly originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Venezuela's government-run supermarkets offering "just" prices originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Part of the fun of traveling is discovering how well (or not) national stereotypes hold up. I can't help but laugh when I meet a German traveler who insists on always being on time, or an Australian who loves to party, or a Brit with a dry sense of a humor. For some people, the farther they venture from home, the more their native country becomes apparent.

Some stereotypes, of course, are malicious and lead to lazy thinking and prejudice. But others, the relatively benign stereotypes, can be the source of laughs. In a recent project called Mapping Stereotypes, the Bulgarian graphic designer Yanko Tsvetkov demonstrates that people of all countries are guilty of stereotypical thinking about one another. But different countries have different stereotypes for each other. In the U.S., as shown by Tsvetkov's map Europe According to the United States of America (above), France is known for its "smelly people" and Italy is just like The Godfather. But Russians think of France as full of "fashion victims" and Italy as one large shopping center.

Continue reading Mapping Stereotypes, an internet sensation from graphic designer Yanko Tsvetkov

Mapping Stereotypes, an internet sensation from graphic designer Yanko Tsvetkov originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's safe, it's affordable, and it's attracting travelers like never before. Colombia, the closest South American getaway to the United States, has seemingly appeared on just about every "hip new travel destination" list over the last few years, including the New York Times list of 31 Places to Go in 2010. So why is everyone raving about it? Here are ten reasons:

10. Medellin Named the world's most dangerous city only two decades ago thanks largely to the exploits of Pablo Escobar, Medellin has cleaned up its act in a big way since the drug lord's death in 1993. Nicknamed the City of Eternal Spring, Medellin's near-perfect climate, cosmopolitan atmosphere, and vibrant nightlife make it a must-visit Colombia destination.

If you can, schedule your trip so that you can witness Medellin's one-of-a-kind Feria de las Flores (Flower Festival) in early August. My fellow travelers who attended could not shut up about it. Check out Anthony Bourdain's thoughts on the city here.

Continue reading 10 reasons to choose Colombia as your next vacation destination

10 reasons to choose Colombia as your next vacation destination originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A lesson to all the amateur hotel reviewers out there: wait until you get home to slam the place where you've just stayed.

A vacationing British couple learned this the hard way when the manager of their hotel called the police to ask the couple to leave after the couple allegedly wrote a negative review of the hotel on TripAdvisor. Adrian Healey and his girlfriend had been staying at the Golden Beach Hotel in the English town of Blackpool for two days when the hotel's manager allegedly barged into their room, accused them of slamming the hotel on TripAdvisor, and told them to leave. The police showed up shortly after.

"We asked for a refund but the hotel refused," said Healey. "I think it is shocking and people need to know about this."

"No offence had been committed by the couple, but the manager had requested them to leave the property," according to the police. "We advised the couple how to go about getting a refund. This is a civil matter."

Unsurprisingly, the hotel's reviews on TripAdvisor are, shall we say, "mixed." Don't expect them to get any better after this episode.

More here.

[Image Credit: MyBlackpoolHotels.com]

Hotel kicks out British couple after they allegedly write negative review on TripAdvisor originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As an inveterate quotation-hoarder, I am always on the lookout for concise yet powerful expressions of wit and wisdom related to travel. Here are ten of my favorites, followed by a couple comments on why I find them so memorable and meaningful...

10. "We are sad at home and blame the weather and the ugliness of the buildings, but on the tropical island we learn... that the state of the skies and the appearance of our dwellings can never on their own underwrite our joy nor condemn us to misery." - Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel. Travel is many things-- mind-altering, exciting, challenging-- but it is not a panacea. Those who travel abroad because they're unhappy at home will find that travel does not cure all of life's ills.

9. "When one is traveling, one must expect to spend a certain amount of money foolishly." - Robertson Davies, as quoted by Chuck Thompson in Smile When You're Lying. It happens. Whether it's indulging at the hotel mini-bar or being ripped off by an unscrupulous taxi driver, people often see their money evaporate at alarming rates when they're traveling. Expect it, and most importantly, budget for it.

Continue reading The top 10 travel quotations you've (probably) never heard

The top 10 travel quotations you've (probably) never heard originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Backpackers in Colombia are divided into two groups: those who have made the exhausting five-day trek to Ciudad Perdida, and those who haven't.

Dating from the 800s, Ciudad Perdida (literally "Lost City") was once home to as many as four thousand Tayrona Indians, but its ruins were hidden by dense forest until grave robbers re-discovered the city in 1973 (and stole everything that wasn't nailed down). Located on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range near Colombia's northern coast, Ciudad Perdida's ruins are as impressive as they are remote, containing about 170 stone terraces that were once the foundations for Tayrona houses, markets, and ritual sites.

Continue reading Ciudad Perdida: The spectacular five-day trek to Colombia's Lost City

Ciudad Perdida: The spectacular five-day trek to Colombia's Lost City originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Airport security, as we've often pointed out here at Gadling, is in dire need of a makeover. After a number of close calls in the last few years, it seems that the TSA has finally made some positive changes to keep travelers moving swiftly and safely.

Well, at least according to The Onion. Here are a couple "improvements" our friends at the TSA have made recently, as reported by the crack squad of investigators at America's Finest News Source:

• Instead of broadcasting CNN on the televisions by the gates, passengers in waiting areas will be shown episodes of 24 to get their adrenaline going in case they need to knock down a terrorist.
• Newsstands are to begin selling copies of Modern Terrorist and report people who pick it up.
• Using an ultrasonic frequency imperceptible to the conscious mind, the FAA will broadcast the audiobook of Marley And Me in an effort to subliminally warm would-be terrorists' hearts.

The Onion on the newest in airport security originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Luanda, Angola: The world's most expensive city for expats originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to some psychologists, it might be the part when you're actually on vacation.

A slew of recent studies have found that people are less happy while vacationing than they are while planning and remembering their trips. A study from 1997 analyzed survey results from people who went on several different trips - including a vacation to Europe and a three-week bicycle trip in California - and found that "the respondents were least happy about the vacation while they were taking it." Drake Bennett of Boston.com has more:

Beforehand, they looked forward to it with eager anticipation, and within a few days of returning, they remembered it fondly. But while on it, they found themselves bogged down by the disappointments and logistical headaches of actually going somewhere and doing something, and the pressure they felt to be enjoying themselves.

A more recent study from the Netherlands found that people reported being in better moods just before their vacations than at any other point.

Continue reading What's the worst part of going on vacation?

What's the worst part of going on vacation? originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

More tough Travel Trivia here.

Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 80) originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

KFC is one of the most popular fast food chains in China, with more than 2,100 locations in 450 cities. Perhaps surprisingly, McDonald's is not nearly as successful, with only about half the number of restaurants. This is the reverse of the situation in the United States, where McDonald's is often considered to be number one while KFC trails behind.

So why do the Chinese prefer KFC to McDonald's? The blog The China Expat has a few possible answers. One of them is that KFC caters better to Chinese tastes than McDonald's does. For example, KFC's menu includes Traditional Peking Chicken Rolls, Preserved Sichuan Pickle and Shredded Pork Soup, Happy French Fry Shakes (with beef, orange and Uygur barbecue spices) and for breakfast a Chinese-style porridge called congee. McDonald's caters its menu to international tastes, but not to the same extent in China.

In addition, a slick marketing campaign from KFC has some Chinese convinced that KFC is actually healthy. "Their message is that KFC is the 'new fast food,'" says the China Expat. (Does this mean KFC's appalling new "Double Down" hasn't arrived in China yet?)

Finally, and perhaps most importantly in these lean economic times, KFC has better coupons than McDonald's. The coupons are apparently so good that Chinese KFC's are occasionally mobbed by coupon-holders.

Go here for the full China Expat post. Any other ideas why KFC beats McDonald's in China?

Why does China love KFC more than McDonald's? originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• A wanderlust-inspiring article from BootsnAll on hitchhiking in southern Africa.
• Richard Florida on the least bohemian cities in the United States. Tyler Cowen offers his opinion. (And be sure to check out Gadling's interviews with both Richard and Tyler.)
• World Hum chats with Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson about making a difference through travel.
• Slate interviews the always-interesting Anthony Bourdain. Elsewhere on Slate, riots and machine-gun fire appear to be keeping sex tourists away from Thailand.
• Icelandic Dance Party!

Gadlinks for Friday, 6.4.2010 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Our friends over at World Hum take an unscientific, Onion-esque and completely arbitrary statistical look" at travel writing.
• Two views on France's proposed burqa ban: Christopher Hitchens supports the ban; Wajahat Ali opposes it. Where do you stand, Gadling faithful?
• Matador's Dave Francois visits a Russian banya, or bath house, where he endures a "lashing of birch twigs from an obese Russian man." (Where do I sign up?)
• Still haven't seen the "World Map of Touristiness"? Check it out here.
• And if you still haven't checked out Kayak Explore (as our own Scott Carmichael recommended this morning) head on over there and take a look. It's pretty cool.

Gadlinks for Wednesday, 5.26.2010 originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 26 May 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 79) originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 25 May 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• If you haven't seen this yet, take a look: 16 Items They Only Sell At Chinese Walmarts, including Dried Reptiles, Pig Faces, and Antibacterial Bikini Underwear for Men. [HT: Radley Balko]
• World Hum's Spud Hilton laments the demise of the cruise ship promenade.
• Going camping any time soon? Boy, do I have a sleeping bag for you.
• BootsnAll lists 10 reasons to get off your butt and head to Spain. Check out the gorgeous photos too.
• Jaunted interviews Brian Kelly (aka "The Points Guy") on how to maximize your frequent flyer miles.

Gadlinks for Monday, 5.24.2010 originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 24 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Welcome to New York! Now stand over there. originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 22 May 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.