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DESTINATIONS RATED
| | 1. From Oahu to Crete—111 Islands Rated | |  Each year we take our red pens to the map and grade worldwide destinations based on sustainable and authentic tourism practices. This year we focused on islands from Oahu to Crete, as our experts determined how islands are holding up under the strain of tourism. Traveler and the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations conducted this fourth annual Destination Scorecard survey with a panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism to review 111 selected islands and archipelagos. Click here to get the ratings and to read comments about the locations from panelists. (Also see our past scorecards on national parks, World Heritage sites, and global destinations.)
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WALKING TOUR
| | 2. Stroll Through Paris-on-the-Nile | |  Determined to modernize Egypt in the late 1800s, Khedive Ismail planned a new Paris-on-the-Nile on the swampy floodplain between the old medieval city of Cairo and the river. His dream was realized in the creation of a quarter with wide tree-lined boulevards, grand squares, and public gardens, capped by an Italianate opera house. This walk revisits the past of Ismail's belle epoque Cairo with stops at Café Riche, a haunt of artists and intellectuals since it opened in 1908; Opera Square, a large, open plaza originally the centerpiece of Ismail's Cairo; and Al-Abd, a popular bakery serving Cairo's best baklava and other syrupy, nut pastries, costing just a couple of dollars for a half pound to take out. To download the free walking tour itinerary and map, click here.
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THE REAL DEAL
| | 3. Fall Rates at Six Mexico Hotels starting at $50 per Person per Night | | Through December 20, Oasis Hotels & Resorts is offering 45 percent off rack rates at six of its all-inclusive properties in Mexico. Participating hotels include the Grand Oasis Cancun, Grand Oasis Playa, Grand Oasis Riviera Maya, Oasis Cancun, Oasis Palm Beach, and Oasis America. Rates range from $50 to $99 per person per night and include all meals, drinks, many sports and activities, and live entertainment. For reservations and additional information go online or call 800 446 2747. |
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INTELLIGENT TRAVEL
| | 4. Sustain and Entertain | | A trip to San Francisco calls for two things: eating and drinking. Throw some hot sounds and a dance floor in the mix, and you've got the Zen Compound, where for the last two months, hungry ravers have been gathering for late-night eats and beats. It's a tough title to claim in a town that outlawed plastic bags, but the SoMa compound, comprised of Prana Restaurant and Temple nightclub, might be the most progressive testing ground for renewable energy in the city. For starters, the facility holds no-waste events: They don't use plastic (except water bottles), the cups are made of corn, every food scrap (and napkin) is composted, and every bottle is recycled. The Pan-Asian cuisine at Prana is almost exclusively local and organic. And the light displays, powered by energy-efficient LED and CFL bulbs, are projected to save the club thousands of dollars in resources each year. And that's just the beginning. The Zen Compound has some grand ideas in store for next year, like urban windmills, solar panels, and rooftop gardens. "There's no question the solar panels will be up in '08," says Mike Zuckerman, Zen's director of sustainability. And if employing a sustainability guru at a nightclub seems in itself a bit odd, Zen Compound founder Paul Hemming said it's in keeping with his vision for the club. "I've felt the responsibility, with all the good fortune I've had in my life, to take care of the planet," says Hemming. "Mike's making my green vision a reality." For more from Intelligent Travel, our blog covering authentic and sustainable travel, click here. |
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AUTHENTIC SHOPPING GUIDE
| | 5. Shopping for Indian Textiles | | "For travelers, hand-embroidered textiles in Rajasthan are a fantastic value, considering their venerable tradition, not to mention the hours of labor involved in crafting them," says Traveler's new online columnist and shopping guru, Laura Morelli. "Prices begin at 100 to 200 rupees (just a few U.S. dollars) for small items like placemats or purses. You may pay tens of thousands of rupees (several hundred U.S. dollars) for a complete ankle-length skirt and top ensemble called a lehnga or a chaniya choli, bedspreads, bridal wear, or custom designs. Several factors can influence the value of a piece. How closely woven are the threads? How intricate is the embroidery pattern? Is the design traditional or contemporary? Antique or new? Are precious metals like gold or silver used? Is the artisan known?" Read more about shopping for Indian textiles in Laura's column, "The Genuine Article." | | |  |  |
| 1. Brooklyn Bridge, New York City | | | 2. Puente de la Mujer, Buenos Aires, Argentina | | | 3. Q'eswachaka Bridge, Apurimac River, Peru | | | 4. Dagu Bridge, Tianjin, China | | | 5. Spean Praptos, Kâmpóng Kdei, Cambodia | | | 6. Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia | | | 7. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic | | | 8. Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy | | | 9. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, England | | | 10. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Northern Ireland Buy Journeys of a Lifetime from National Geographic Books.
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| "Yet to follow the Silk Road is to follow a ghost. It flows through the heart of Asia, but it has officially vanished, leaving behind it the pattern of its restlessness: counterfeit borders, unmapped peoples. The road forks and wanders wherever you are. It is not a single way, but many: a web of choices. Mine stretches more than seven thousand miles, and is occasionally dangerous."
—Shadow of the Silk Road, by Colin Thubron | |
Find more reads from around the world in our Ultimate Travel Library.
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