Gadling

Svalbard: The World's Northernmost Inhabited Place*

Alex Robertson Textor — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 EST

For bragging rights, few places can match the Norwegian Arctic territory of Svalbard. It's far north. Really, really far north. How far, you ask? The northernmost piece of Alaska is at a latitude of 71 degrees north; Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, can be found at 78 degrees north.

After years, possibly decades of looking at Svalbard on maps, pricing flights, and perusing websites, I finally visited the territory in late April. I felt as if I was shooting into the unknown, despite my advance research and my knowledge of the territory's tourist infrastructure. I felt a bolt of uncertainty as the plane landed, in a snowstorm no less, and then a sense of wonder as I spied enormous mountains. It was more beautiful than I'd imagined, and far quieter. The silence was a constant presence. Even the abrasive sound of a snowmobile didn't really disturb it, not for more than a few seconds.

Administered by Norway since 1925, Svalbard has around 2,500 residents. Most live in Longyearbyen, a little valley town with a cultural and retail infrastructure typical of far larger towns: a mall, a well-stocked supermarket, an Arctic Museum, a cultural center, hotels, restaurants and bars. During my visit in late April, all were pretty lively, tourists more rare than residents.

Though a Norwegian territory, Svalbard does not belong to Norway proper. Before boarding flights from Oslo or Tromsø-and after disembarking on return to the mainland-passengers have to go through passport control. The territory is governed under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, which allows citizens of all signatory nations to commercially exploit the land and waters around and take employment in the territory. This explains the existence of Russian mining towns in Svalbard - Pyramiden (closed in 1998) and Barentsburg, which had 380 inhabitants at last count.

As befits a place commercially open to the world, Svalbard is a rather diverse place. While most residents are Norwegian, the territory is impressively international, with tourists adding to the linguistic melee. During a short midday stroll in the center of town, I heard Norwegian, Swedish, Tagalog, Swiss German, German, English, Thai, Portuguese, French, Flemish and Polish.

Gallery: Svalbard: The World's Northernmost Inhabited Place

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Svalbard: The World's Northernmost Inhabited Place* originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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8 Languages You've Never Heard Of (And Who Actually Speaks Them)

Kyle Ellison — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Russian Federation, Finland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Papua New Guinea, Peru

As anyone who follows my articles here on Gadling knows by now, I don't travel to relax poolside at a resort or sip a fancy drink with coconut oil. I travel because this world is a fascinating place.

While everyone has their own travel philosophy and reasons for wanting to get away, I know that for many travelers, one of the greatest joys of travel is experiencing other cultures and peeking into corners of the world, which are far removed from our own. This could range from immersing yourself in a culture with a different religion, cuisine, or something as simple as driving on the other side of the road.

More often than not, however, one of the largest indicators that we "aren't in Kansas anymore" is traveling to a place with a language that is different from our own. With linguists estimating there are over 7,000 languages spread across the globe, there is little to no chance of any traveler ever having the opportunity to properly experience them all. Furthermore, as Gadling blogger Kraig Becker points out, there are still uncontacted tribes in parts of the Amazon where we don't even know what language they speak yet.

Though situations like these are encouraging, the sad reality is that the majority of indigenous languages is critically endangered and will most likely not survive the next generation. According to the United Nations and UNESCO, not only does an indigenous language go extinct every two weeks, but up to 90% of the world's languages are likely to disappear in the next century if current trends continue.

While the Economist reports that recent advances in technology may actually be able to aid in the rescue and rebirth of languages, the fact of the matter remains that thousands of global languages are dying at a terrifying rate.

So, in a nod to the fascinating beauty of global tongues, here is a rundown of eight languages that you've probably never heard of, and are lucky if you ever hear.

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8 Languages You've Never Heard Of (And Who Actually Speaks Them) originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How To (Legally) Stay In Europe For More Than 90 Days

Chris Owen — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, North America, Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Budget Travel

Planning an extended stay in Europe, travelers are often focused on what it takes to be there longer than 90 days, what is commonly believed to be the limit for tourists. Armed with a desire to stay longer, travel blog Nomadic Matt found a way and shares it in a recent blog post.

Getting to the heart of the matter, Matthew Kepnes, founder of Nomadic Matt's Travel Site, blogs "when people talk about the '90 day limit,' they are talking about restrictions on the Schengen Visa, which is the visa rule that governs 26 countries in Europe."

The easy way to stay longer than 90 days in non-Schengen countries, says Kepnes, is to vary your location when traveling in Europe, moving to a different country near the end of 90 days. That starts the clock ticking all over again.

But those 26 European countries that are covered under the Schengen Visa are really more like states and staying longer than 90 days can be tricky.

"When most people ask me about staying in Europe, they mean staying longer in the Schengen zone. After all, it covers 26 countries and visiting so many destinations in 90 days can be a little rushed (it is an average of 3.4 days per country)," says Kepnes offering a solution that tells of loopholes and other ways to hang around Europe, legally.

See more at Nomadic Matt's.

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How To (Legally) Stay In Europe For More Than 90 Days originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Norwegian Couple Gets Married At The North Pole

Kraig Becker — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Festivals and Events, Europe, Norway, Ecotourism, News

I've heard of lavish destination weddings before but this story pretty much tops them all. Earlier this week a Norwegian couple was married at the North Pole. The handsome groom and his blushing bride, dressed in traditional clothing, were joined by a small group of their closest friends at the top of the world. The 30-minute ceremony was performed by a Lutheran minister under a makeshift cross constructed out of skis and a celebration followed the nuptials.

For most people getting married at the North Pole would sound absurd but in this case it makes perfect sense. The groom was none other than Borge Ousland, one of the most experienced arctic explorers in the world today. Ousland has visited both the North and South Pole on expeditions in the past and even conceived of the idea of getting married at 90°N while on just such a journey. Lucky for him, his new bride, Hege, was up for the adventure as well.

The couple and their guests made their way to the Pole via the Barneo Ice Station, a temporary base of operations that is built each spring to facilitate travel in the Arctic. They flew to the base aboard a Russian An-74 aircraft that is equipped to land on the ice and were shuttled the rest of the distance to the Pole by helicopter.

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Norwegian Couple Gets Married At The North Pole originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video Of The Day: Night Skies Over Norway

Elizabeth Seward — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Photos, Europe, Norway, Video, Ecotourism, Nightlife

I stumbled across this beautiful time-lapse video on Vimeo entitled, "Night Skies Over Norway." The work features the night skies and general nighttime happenings over Southern Norway. I found this video to be immediately captivating. The moving images of the dark sky and the subtle hints of life that make appearances throughout the night in this video are completed by simple and tasteful music by the filmmaker, Svenn Dvergastein. These shots were taken during January 2012. If you visit, keep this fun fact in mind: you're allowed to camp anywhere you want in Norway, public or private property, so long as you're not in view of a home. Challenge yourself to a camping/backpacking trip in Norway and see this gorgeous night sky for yourself.

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Video Of The Day: Night Skies Over Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Northern Lights over Norway

Kraig Becker — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway

It has been an unusual year for solar activity. Strong solar flares have had an impact on travel and communications around the globe, but they have also made for some spectacular light shows across the night sky as well.

Take for example the images captured in the time-lapse video below. It was shot in Norway where the northern lights are common but this year they have been exceptionally breathtaking. The images are simply amazing and will leave you longing to see aurora borealis for yourself.

"Aurora Timelapse. Fire in the sky." by Anna Possberg on Vimeo.

Video: Northern Lights over Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runestone erected by Christian Vikings added to UNESCO list

Sean McLachlan — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, Norway

A Viking runestone bearing a cross and the first written mention of Norway found in the country has been added to UNESCO's Memory of the World program. This program aims to protect important documents that contribute to our global heritage. The runestone, called the Kuli Stone, is the oldest document on Norway's list.

It's important for its early mention of the country's name and also because of its Christian significance. Not all of the runes are clear and part of the inscription broke off in antiquity. The most accepted translation of the remaining text reads, "Þórir and Hallvarðr raised this stone in memory of Ulfljótr(?). . .Christianity had been twelve winters in Norway. . ."

Just what date that refers to is unclear. King Olaf Tryggvason tried to force the Norwegian Vikings to convert to Christianity in 995, leading many pagans to become martyrs for their faith. Nevertheless, a couple of generations later the Thing (Viking parliament) decided to convert the entire country in the year 1022 or 1024.

For many centuries the Kuli Stone was at the original site on the island of Kuløy off Norway's northwestern coast. It's now in the NTNU Museum of Natural History and Archaeology in Trondheim and a replica stands at the site. Viking runestones, both pagan and Christian, can be found in many places. Three of the best collections are at the British Museum (London), the National Museum of Denmark (Copenhagen), and Uppsala (Sweden).

Photo courtesy Kjell Jøran Hansen.

Runestone erected by Christian Vikings added to UNESCO list originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where they ate: chefs' and food/travel writers' best meals of 2011, part II

David Farley — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Asia, Europe, North America, Thailand, Vietnam, Czech Republic, Norway, Spain, Canada, United States

I ate well this year. Maybe better than any other year. I spent a week in Hoi An, Vietnam eating cau lau--an obscure noodle dish that technically can only be made in the small coastal town. I ate my way through Barcelona, dining at restaurants whose chefs had a connection to the recently closed elBulli. I ate all kinds of offal at Incanto in San Francisco. I finally got to eat Ethiopian cuisine in Ethiopia. I had a four-hour meal at Degustation in Prague, where chef Oldrich Sehajdak is re-inventing Czech cuisine. And, here in New York, I was fortunate enough to eat at places like Le Bernardin, the Breslin, Riverpark, GastroArte, and Gramercy Tavern, among many other meals.

But I'm not the only one who spent the year digesting delicious grub. Part II of the annual "where they ate" round-up picks up where the first installment left off.

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Where they ate: chefs' and food writers' best meals of 2011, part I

David Farley — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food and Drink, Asia, Europe, North America, Thailand, Czech Republic, Italy, Norway, Spain, United States

For an increasingly large sector of humanity, eating has become more than just stabbing at something with a fork, putting it in our mouths and masticating. Chefs are perceived as rockstars, the food blog-o-sphere is inhaling Miracle Grow, and eating has been given a kind of reverence usually reserved for sex and spirituality. If there's anything that sums up where we're at as an eating species right now, it's this: we're rhapsodizing about Danish cuisine.

Not that this is a bad development. After all, a couple decades ago, in the United States you had to go to a specialty shop to get olive oil. Not surprisingly, when I did the first annual "Where they ate" in 2010 (here and here), it went viral. We want to know where food writers and chefs are eating and then we want to eat there too. Or at least eat vicariously through them.

So, without further ado, after the jump and in alphabetical order: where the ate: chefs' and food writers' best meals of 2011, part I.

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Where they ate: chefs' and food writers' best meals of 2011, part I originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ghosts of Scott and Amundsen still haunt the South Pole

Kraig Becker — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Skiing, Festivals and Events, Antarctica, Norway, United Kingdom, News

Exactly 100 years ago today, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, effectively ending a race that he had been engaged in for years with his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. Both men had been eager to become the first to plant his country's flag at 90ºS, and in doing so, they created one of the most indelible and tragic stories in the history of exploration.

As the first decade of the 20th century came to an end, both Amundsen and Scott had become seasoned polar explorers. The two men had spent years in the remote, cold regions of our planet, and while Scott had remained largely focused on the Antarctic, and reaching the South Pole, his Norwegian counterpart had split his time between both the North and South Polar regions. Along the way, he had also managed to become the first person to traverse the Northwest Passage, where he learned the secrets of arctic survival from the indigenous Inuit tribes. Those lessons would come to serve him well in the Antarctic too and play a large role in his eventual triumph at the South Pole.

In the spring of 1910, with an air of optimism and determination, Scott set off from London for New Zealand aboard his ship the Terra Nova. He held no sense of urgency however, as he believed that he would have the Antarctic to himself, while Amundsen would be content to head north once again aboard his ship the Fram. When he arrived in Melbourne in October of that year, Scott was surprised to find a telegram from the Norwegian awaiting him that simply read: "BEG TO INFORM YOU FRAM PROCEEDING ANTARCTIC--AMUNDSEN."

The race was officially on, as Amundsen and his crew had set sail in June and were in hot pursuit of Scott and the Terra Nova. Scott didn't panic however, as he knew that he had a considerable lead on his rival and a good strategy for proceeding south. Those plans were disrupted by a series of mishaps however, which included his ship being trapped in the Antarctic pack ice for 20 days and the onset of particularly bad weather. Those mishaps caused Scott to miss his window of opportunity during the austral summer of 1910, although he was able to establish a series of supply depots which would give him a potentially large advantage the following year, when he and Amundsen would duel head-to-head for the Pole.

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Ghosts of Scott and Amundsen still haunt the South Pole originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Traditional holiday beverages from around the world

Laurel Miller — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Mexico, United States, Chile, Peru, Central America, Caribbean

Americans aren't very creative when it comes to traditional holiday beverages (do, however, look for my upcoming story on Boulder's banging mixology scene, which includes some killer contemporary winter cocktails). Historically, though, we're more of an eggnog/mulled cider/hot chocolate kind of society.

I'm not knocking our Christmas beverages of choice. Properly made, they're delicious, and certainly festive. But some countries really know how to roll when it comes to holiday imbibing (especially Latin America. One word: rum.).

Below, a compilation of some of the more interesting boozy holiday beverages from around the world that can be easily recreated in your own kitchen. Online recipes abound, and all of these are (almost) as tasty sans alcohol.

Coquito: Puerto Ricans are great because they're not afraid to embrace their love of saturated fats (lard, coconut milk, etc.) or rum. In case you've been living under a rock, coconut is the new fat du jour (read more about its health attributes here). Everything in moderation, including moderation, as I always say.

Coquito recipes vary, but in general, this rich, blended Christmas concoction is a froth of spiced rum, condensed milk, coconut milk or cream of coconut, vanilla, and spices such as cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Some versions may include ginger or ground nuts, but it's always served chilled, in a small glass. Heavy, yes, but both sexy and satisfying. Add some eggs, and you'll have ponche, the Venezuelan or Dominican version of eggnog.

Mulled wine: Variations on this warm, spiced, sugared, and otherwise enhanced wine (usually red) are served throughout Europe. There's Nordic gløgg redolent of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and bitter orange (and perhaps a helping of aquavit). It's very similar to German glühwein made with lemon, cinnamon sticks, cardamom or ginger, and cloves; in Alsace (the French region bordering Germany), they also add vanilla bean.

In Bulgaria, greyano vino contains honey, peppercorns, and often, apple or citrus. Polish grzane wino is more of a traditional mulled wine, but they also make grzane piwo, in which mulled beer (try a Hefeweizen or Belgian ale which are lighter and sweeter) is substituted for the wine. Na zdrowie ("To your health")!

[Photo credit: Flicker user Akane86]

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Video of the Day: From Nordhordland with Love

Mike Barish — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway, Photo of the Day, Video, Video of the Week

Quick, tell us everything that you know about Nordhordland. Of course, you know it's a region of western Norway. Don't know much else? Well, apparently it's the perfect place for a super villian to establish is base of operations. Why? Well, proximity to the sea, ample power sources and a vast supply of educated labor make are just a few of the reasons that Nordhordland would be a great place to build a doomsday device. Of course, its low crime rate might throw a wrench in that evil machine. Regardless, this is one of the most creative promotional videos we've ever seen. Well played, Nordhordland.

Video of the Day: From Nordhordland with Love originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photo of the day - Norwegian night sky

Alex Robertson Textor — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway, Photo of the Day

Winter is coming to the Northern Hemisphere. And quickly. The Eastern seaboard has already survived a major storm. And in Tromsø, Norway, where Flickr user Tao, Ding snapped this image a few days ago, it is currently 2 degrees Celsius (36 Fahrenheit).

Got some seasonal photos taking up file space in your archives? Upload them to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. If we like what we see we might just select one of your images to be a future Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day - Norwegian night sky originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frommer's reveals top destinations for 2012

Libby Zay — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Photos, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Ghana, China, Turkey, Albania, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, United States, Australia, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, News, Middle East, Central America, Caribbean

What destination are you dreaming of for 2012? The staff at Frommer's have just unveiled their list of top travel destinations for the coming year. Included in the list is a little something for everyone: large metropolises, secluded beach towns, colorful riverside villas, and more.

But Frommer's didn't just rely on their expert editors and author's for this years list--they also polled readers to find out where they wanted to visit in 2012. Click through the gallery below to see Frommer's (and their reader's) picks--including one surprising midwestern city that is the only spot in the United States to make the cut.

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Frommer's reveals top destinations for 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photo of the day - Norwegian wildflowers

Alex Robertson Textor — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway, Photo of the Day

Norwegian wildflowers are the subject of today's Photo of the Day. Flickr user Tao, Ding took this snapshot of flowers against a striking mountain backdrop in Tromsø, Norway back in July.

I have a nostalgic reaction to this photo. It reminds me of images in early 1980s earth science textbooks, of one of those visions designed to capture a sense of the earth in its full glory. Fun fact: Today's low temperature in Tromsø is 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or 7 degrees Celsius.

Submit your favorite images to Flickr's Gadling Group Pool. One of your snaps might just get chosen as a future Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day - Norwegian wildflowers originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Tromso, Norway

Elizabeth Seward — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway, Video

Tromsø from Dave Pinke on Vimeo.

Anyone can go to Tromso, Norway. Anyone can go anywhere, actually--that's what I like the most about travel. There aren't restrictions. Get up and go if you want to go. Take pictures and make videos documenting the things you see and experiences that will, undoubtedly, mold you. That's what Dave Pinke has done. Dave Pinke is a traveler, video-taker, all-around cool guy from New York. He's spent much of his time over the last few years gallivanting across the globe and putting together splendid little videos in honor of the places he visits. Complete with fun clips and appropriate music, his travel videos are some of my favorite. They dive deep into his personal experiences and by the end of each video, I feel like I've walked in his footsteps.

Check out his video above from his trip to Tromso, Norway. His video offers some general glimpses of Tromso. Endless snow, Northern Lights, Lego creations, and plenty of food shots make this video whole. When you're done enjoying this video, take a look at this other video we published earlier this year featuring the Northern Lights in Tromso specifically here.

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Video: Tromso, Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video of the Day - Slopeflying in Stryn, Norway

Stephen Greenwood — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Norway, Photo of the Day, Video

If you've watched a Youtube video of wingsuit flying in the past few years, there's a good chance it's courtesy of Joakim Sommer. The 25 year-old Norwegian has been making a name for himself by capturing a special wingsuit technique known as proximity flying.

If you're asking yourself "why is he getting closer to the cliffs?!" - that's the point. Proximity fliers like Sommer jump off the most scenic mountaintops in the world and aim to skim slopes while only meters above trees, waterfalls, and rock spires - all while capturing everything in 1080p.

This specific flight takes place in Styrn, Norway; a town of 7,000 residents that's usually written up for its fjords and year-round glacier skiing.

For more videos, check out 'Jokke's' website & Youtube channel, including a series of proximity flights dubbed Dream Lines I & II.

Video of the Day - Slopeflying in Stryn, Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polar bear kills tourist in Norway

Kraig Becker — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hiking, Europe, Norway, United Kingdom, Camping, Ecotourism, News

A British youth group traveling in a remote region of Norway was attacked by a polar bear yesterday, leaving one dead and four others severely injured. The animal entered their camp while the group slept, and attacked the travelers inside their tents, before it was shot to death by one of the group's leaders.

17-year old Horatio Chapple was one of 13 members of a BSES Expedition traveling along a glacier on the island of Spitsbergen, located in the Svalbard archipelago. He was sharing a tent with two other boys when the bear attacked, fatally wounding him. The animal then turned on other campers, before it was killed as well. Chapple was already dead by the time a rescue team could reach them, but the other four victims were air lifted to a hospital.

The BSES is an organization that works with young people in the U.K. in an effort to introduce them to the outdoors and encourage an active lifestyle. The group helps the youth to build confidence, while also educating them about the impact of climate change on our planet. This particular BSES expedition was part of a larger group of 80 that were spending five weeks on the island.

As the ice in the Arctic Ocean retreats, polar bears have been forced into smaller habitats, which has brought them increasingly in contact with humans. This team came to Spitsbergen not only armed with guns, but also a safety system designed to give them an early warning if a bear should approach. At this time, it's not known if that system went off, but no one noticed, or if it failed altogether.

Two of the survivors of the attack are said to be in serious condition in a university hospital in Tromso, Norway.

Polar bear kills tourist in Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brits behaving badly abroad

Alex Robertson Textor — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, Jamaica, United States

Today the Foreign Office released British Behaviour Abroad 2011, with detailed figures on British nationals in trouble overseas (read: Brits behaving badly abroad). The period surveyed: April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

There are lots of interesting tidbits in the survey. British nationals request consular assistance in greatest numbers in Spain and the United States, though since both of these countries are very popular destinations for people from the UK, this is perhaps not all that surprising.

The more interesting chart in the report is of which countries see the highest numbers of requests for consular assistance per visitor and resident abroad. The top five, in descending order: The Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Cyprus, and India. British nationals abroad are most likely to be arrested in Thailand, followed by the United States.

Another interesting detail: The Foreign Office claims that 43 percent of the 18-24 set know someone who has taken illegal drugs while abroad. Aggregate drug arrests are highest for British nationals abroad in Spain (171), the United States (100), Jamaica (63), Norway (55), and Thailand (51).

The good news is that the number of British nationals arrested is down, 10 percent overall and 20 percent for drug-related offenses.

The report also tabulates deaths, hospitalizations, rapes, and sexual assaults abroad. Each of these categories saw slight movement up or down in 2010-2011, with deaths, hospitalizations, and sexual assaults slightly up and rapes down.

[Image: Flickr | La Citta Vita]

Brits behaving badly abroad originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Israel, Chile, Slovak Republic among countries with highest adventure travel potential

Kraig Becker — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Israel, Jordan, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Chile, News

A new study conducted by George Washington University, Vital Wave Consulting, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) shows that Israel, Chile, and the Slovak Republic led the way in adventure tourism in 2010. The study, which resulted in the third annual Adventure Tourism Development Index, uses a mix of quantitative data and expert surveys to rank nations from around the globe on their approach and commitment to sustainable adventure travel.

The study examines what researchers call the "ten pillars" of adventure tourism. Those pillars include such things as infrastructure, cultural resources, adventure activities, entrepreneurship, and more. When those factors were all examined and ranked accordingly, for each country, a score was calculated that resulted in rankings for both developed and developing nations.

So exactly which countries earned high marks in the latest Adventure Tourism Development Index? The top ten developing countries included the following: Israel, Slovak Republic, Chile, Estonia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Jordan, Romania and Latvia.Conversely, the top ten developed nations included: Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Austria.

The ATTA is quick to point out that these lists are not an indication of how well visited these countries currently are as adventure travel destinations, although some are already popular amongst travelers. Instead, it is a general rating on the climate that exists in these places that make it possible to support sustainable tourism now and into the future.

Judging from the list, it appears that Europe is well ahead of the game in terms of promoting sustainable travel. Both lists are dominated by countries from that continent, which could come as a surprise to many travelers.

To read the entire report click here.

Israel, Chile, Slovak Republic among countries with highest adventure travel potential originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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