Some thoughts + travel news to know

And seeking guide writers--pitch me!

Oct 25, 2024

Hello and happy Friday -

It’s been rainy for what feels like weeks in Vicenza, but we’ve managed to get out and about. Nathan’s sisters visited and we went Prosecco tasting in Valdobbiadene, took a day trip to Ferrara (more on that later), and to Venice for 18 hours of sightseeing (basically following anything Gillian says to do). We were in Rome earlier this month, where it was very crowded but so nice to eat cacio e pepe and hug close friends for the first time in three years.

The world feels especially heavy right now. It is incredibly distressing to see innocent people bombed, neighborhoods demolished, babies starving, historic sites nearly destroyed…the list goes on.

Longtime readers know that Lebanon is one of my favorite places, but even if you’ve never been, you may know that it is the birthplace of the alphabet; home to one of the best preserved Roman temples in the world; the place where olive trees were first domesticated; has fantastic Mediterranean beaches, seafood, and wine; and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes many people who visit fall in love with it.

Watching what’s happening there after a year of watching misery in Gaza (where things are“beyond catastrophic”) is infuriating.

Add natural disasters, the world’s worst refugee crisis in Sudan, ongoing war in Ukraine, the looming U.S. election….things feel pretty bleak.

Since having a baby, it’s harder for me to watch videos or see photos of war, especially involving children. When my daughter cries, I try to comfort her. When she’s hungry, I feed her. When I can’t do either for some reason, even if only for a couple of minutes, I feel bad. Then I see videos of screaming, hungry babies, and I am livid. I cannot imagine how terrible their mothers must feel, malnourished themselves and unable to provide food. Or unable to provide comfort from the fears and incessant sounds of war. These photos make me so, so angry. Furious that there are people with the power to stop this, and instead they just keep bombing and supplying weapons and funding. As Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said, it is “the collective shame of the century.”

“Shocking images of summary executions, mass forced displacements, and other egregious abuses strike us, leaving us stunned and bewildered, unable to comprehend that what is happening in Gaza is truly real. What a disgraceful testament to our global failure to protect basic human rights. The United Nations, once a believed beacon of hope and a force for peace, are crumbling under the weight of this shame - and the pressure of the inaction or complicity of its most powerful member states.” - Francesca Albanese

It feels a little ridiculous to be writing about travel. That said, U.S. foreign policy dictates where we can travel and how we (American readers) are perceived and treated. In 2020, I wrote about how voting impacts travel. Much of it is still true today.

Be a Better Traveler In….You tell me

I’m looking for people to write Be a Better Traveler guides, like this one for Venice. Do you have a guide in mind? Pitch me at beabettertravelernews@gmail.com. I’m looking for writers who live in or have spent extensive time in these destinations. If you’ve visited a couple of times, please don’t pitch. Guides cover things like history, politics, social issues, cultural norms, and generally how to not be obnoxious. The rate is $250. I look forward to hearing from you!

Be a Better Traveler In Venice

Travel news to know

Travel trends are set to shift in 2025. Reports from Expedia and Booking.com show travelers are seeking trips to “lesser-known,” less-crowded places. Flight search patterns show cities like Reims, France; Brescia, Italy; Cozumel, Mexico; Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Girona, Spain are rising. Visitors are looking for “cheaper and more relaxing” destinations, said Expedia Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Greg Schulze.
Meanwhile, overtourism is still very much a problem. Thousands of people protested against tourism in the Canary Islands last weekend, holding signs that said “Canary Islands has a limit”. Venice expanded its tourism fee into 2025, doubling the number of days that tourists will need to pay a 5 euro entry fee from 2024. Thailand also plans to implement a tourism tax in mid-2025. Passengers who arrive by air will pay around $8.
Related: Lonely Planet released its ‘where to go in 2025’ list. There’s a larger conversation to be had about the point of these lists, and whether they help or hurt cities/countries. Notably, Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities are all “lesser-known” places, including Toulouse, France; Pondicherry, India; Bansko, Bulgaria; Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Genoa, Italy. And BBC says these four countries are “actively seeking” more tourists.

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention names the world’s dirtiest cruise ships. A score under 85 is considered “not satisfactory.” The dirtiest ship was Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration, with a score of 62. More popular cruise lines like Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess, Carnival’s Carnival Breeze and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima all scored 86.
American Airlines was fined $50 million for treatment of passengers using wheelchairs.
And American Airlines is testing new technology to catch people who attempt to board early.