great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Where would you go if you could go anywhere, do anything, this holiday season? That’s the question that fellow Kblogger Pat asked me last week. Sure, I have a list of places I want to check out in the next decade (Dubai, Petra, Santorini, the Seychelles, Buenos Aires…), but what would make for an awesome end-of-the-year getaway?

The days are getting shorter and the weather’s getting colder here in Palo Alto. This imaginary journey begins with a trip south, to a land where a quick 16-hour flight turns winter into summer. Yes…..I speak of Sydney, Australia.

Sydney, an eight time recipient of Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best City“, is home to friendly locals, a diverse social life, and distinctive structures (Opera House, Harbour Bridge). Sydney is a great city for travel, as 31% of the inhabitants are travelers themselves (born overseas) with the main streams of immigration coming from England, China, and New Zealand. After a bit of research and some friendly recommendations, I’ve compiled a list of the top five activities and “must sees” for the youthful (or young at heart) traveler.

1. After the transpacific flight and a bit of jet lag, I’d jump right back on a plane and go skydiving over Sydney Harbor. I’ve yet to jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet, but from what I’ve heard there’s no better place to do it than Sydney. Clean air, endless ocean views, a beautiful cityscape below, and the far reaching outback in the distance. This would surely start the trip out on the right step…..err jump.

2. Minus 5 “the coolest experience” is a bar made entirely out of ice, cooled to a teeth chattering -5° Celsius. All patrons must dawn fur overcoats, thick gloves, and boots before entering the bar. After you finish your cocktail, you can shatter your ice glass on the icy floor. There’s a 30-minute limit in the igloo bar to avoid onsetting hypothermia. Very cool!

3. Next I’d like to spend a half day on the water, sailing around beautiful Sydney Harbour. With the world famous Sydney Opera House to my left and the massive Harbour Bridge to my right, I’d be surrounded by architectural beauty.

4. Being an avid sports fan I would love to catch an Australia v New Zealand rugby match. Rugby is a fast paced, hard hitting, continuous demonstration of speed and strength combined with athletic creativity. The Wallabies (Australia) and All Blacks (New Zealand) are two of the best national teams in the world and share one of the fiercest rivalries in sports. I’ll just need to remember to wear a Wallabies jersey.

5. Finally, a trip to Australia wouldn’t be complete without a Kangaroo sighting (the fact I’m a Kango likely influences this impulse), so I’d make my way over to the Taronga Zoo to catch a glimpse of the marsupial in its native land (well not the zoo).

Wow,Next locale on this phantom vacation of mine…Bali, Indonesia.

Sydney –> Bali –> Hong Kong

An exotic city - island paradise - exotic city sandwich if you will.

Over the past few weeks, Kango headquarters has been bustling with productivity and anticipation as we eagerly prepare our site for company launch. These are exciting times! As a result of all the aforementioned excitement, my blogging efforts have taken a brief hiatus. Fortunately, it’s not for a shortage of ideas to explore (there are plenty of those floating around), but a lack of time and fully fledged blog focus.

Anyways…I’m back at it and ready to dive into an area of recent enthusiasm – alternative maps (see tourism and ‘made in china’).

Maps organize information. They pinpoint locations relative to one another. James Turner has created the very ambitious and ultra detailed Map of Humanity, where he takes on the task of organizing morals, emotions, and culturally significant figures and events.

click for larger view

In the words of the creator, “It is an attempt to map the last six thousand years of human history and thought upon a theoretical geography to discover a sense of what kind of civilization humanity has attained.”

My thoughts…

- Geographic maps are by definition objective. This map, on the other hand, is subjective and based upon Turner’s religious, political, and moral beliefs. An atheist would disagree with Faith being a sub-region of Wisdom. A British historian would have trouble with the location of Elizabeth I– who had recurring military failures against England’s three primary foreign adversaries of the time- France, Ireland, and Spain– near the sub-region Order.

- To the southwest is “Hedonism”, home to regions like Gluttony, Treason, Delusion, Nightmare and Lies; I suppose Lay, Skilling, and Fastow held Enron corporate retreats here.

- I’m not at all sure why Mexico City and the Forbidden City reside in Fool’s Paradise along with the likes of Babel and Chernobyl; or how Seattle and Philadelphia landed in the region of Wisdom…

- I’d love to go hiking in the Shakespearian Mountains, sail in the Gulf of Maitreya Buddha, or get lost in the Sea of Knowledge.

- Are property taxes higher in Dreams or in Delusion?

This ambitious feat combines human emotion, real and fictional figures and events, and cartography, all joined together with great detail. While my personal views don’t mirror Turner’s, I applaud him for his creativity, myriad of historical references, and fine map making skills. I need to get one of these and chart out a future trip!

Relating to the Map of Humanity…..Where would you like to grow up? Experience your twenties? Retire?

Why don’t people outsource pricey medical operations?

Over the past twenty years, outsourcing has grown from an eccentric decision to an efficient and economic business staple. Companies small and large outsource their accounting, manufacturing, and customer service to emerging economies such as China and India. When a trend (outsourcing) is successful in one industry, it’s natural for it to spread to other fields (medical procedures), or at least attempt to.

The answer to my initial question is they CAN and they ARE…often with very positive experiences.

Although medical tourism is a growing global industry, it is hardly a new practice. Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to Epidauria (100 miles SE of Athens), the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios, seeking health. In 2006, roughly 500,000 Americans traveled abroad for major surgeries to countries where the cost of living is comparably lower, but the medical methods and technology are modern. Some U.S companies and insurers have gone so far to advocate their employees and clients become medical tourists, in effort to cut back their own bills. As long as universal healthcare remains a national mystery and a global deficiency, the notion of medical tourism in emerging countries will continue to spread. This is yet another example of the flattening world we live in.

While the AARP article understandably focuses on life threatening procedures (hip replacement surgery, bypass surgery, etc.), medical tourism spans the vainer world of aesthetic treatments (a.k.a. cosmetic surgery).

If you trek to Brazil for discount breast augmentation, must you declare the implants in customs upon your return home?

Caveats
• Routine follow-ups are made difficult, although medical records can be transferred to one’s local physician.
• Support from friends and family plays a large role in aiding the fragile post surgery psyche. Traveling thousands of miles away will inevitably reduce the number of “Get Well Soon” balloons in the patient’s room.
• If medical procedures go poorly, especially tricky aesthetic operations, foreign doctors are not held to the same legal liabilities.

Whether you want to feel younger (hip replacement) or just appear younger (face-lift), trekking abroad to go under the knife gives your savings a rest and affords you another reason to check out a new country. “My trip to Goa was amazing! On Thursday I had eye surgery and on Friday I witnessed the most astonishing sunset I’ve seen in decades…”

Would you ever consider “killing two birds with one stone” by throwing a major surgery into your travel itinerary?

I recently came across the 2006 Forbes Traveler 50 Most Visited Attractions list. After glancing at the top twenty or so attractions and feeling underwhelmed, I began asking myself – What do I enjoy more: popular tourist attractions or non-mainstream travel?

While pondering that query, I was reminded of one my favorite travel lines, from the early 20th century British writer, G.K. Chesterton.

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”

• Many travel to get away from the crowds and stress of everyday life. Why go where the people are and lines are long?
• Often at tourist locations I feel like I’m a walking dollar sign, consistently being preyed upon by salivating locals (I will call them ‘tourist poachers’).
• Everyone has a story that goes something like this, “We were supposed to check out the Eiffel Tower but instead we………and it was awesome.”
• My avid traveler parents try to hit the touristy spots early (sunrise) in the morning to enjoy sites in their serenity (especially for ancient attractions) and to avoid the ‘tourist poachers’.

• I’m not calling for the abandonment of all tourist locations. I think they can be a great starting point, and the intrigue of a specific attraction often drives initial motivation. For instance, I really want to visit the Egyptian pyramids, the sole remaining wonder of the original seven. But I would make it a priority to visit Petra (pictured) in neighboring Jordan, a more difficult to get to lesser-known wonder (albeit Modern). And of course walking through local street markets, interacting and bartering with peddlers in the global language of smiles and expressions of amusement (often at the initial price ‘quote’), is always a must.

This is the first in a series of posts surrounding the notion of mainstream tourism versus cultural immersion travel. But let’s start the conversation with your opinions and insights. Which type of travel do you favor? Who has the best “Do the Unexpected” travel story (’When everyone else zigs, zag’)?

Made in China. You see it all the time – stamped onto the bottom of your son’s latest holiday toy, stitched into the tag of your gym shorts, even printed on the package of your dog’s pet chow. But did you ever stop to think about what Made in China really means? Where do we draw the line between convenience and dependence?

Quick China Facts…
• In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), eliminating or reducing tariffs and trade-barriers on goods, services, and foreign investments.

• In 2006 China had a record trade surplus of $177 billion, backed by a 27% surge in exports.

• In July 2007, China overtook Germany for the world’s third largest GDP with $2.9 trillion (US – $13.2 trillion, Japan – $4.4 trillion), up from 7th in 1999.

• Earlier this month, Mattel recalled 18 million Chinese-made toys worldwide containing lead paint or tiny magnets.

While you let those numbers digest, check out these two cartograms exploring global toy exports and imports to get a better of understanding of China’s manufacturing influence/dominance. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good cartogram is worth a thousand facts, or so I like to think.

Toy Exports – Who Makes ‘Em

Toy Imports – Who Buys ‘Em

A Few Thoughts…

• The responsibility of safer toys falls on both parties – better designs from the toy-company and better (safe) materials from the manufacturer.

• I’m assuming the children in countries that are shrunk down (all of Africa and South America) still have toys, but they are handmade domestic goods rather than plastic from China.

• After staring at the oversized blobs that are the US and much of the EU, it’s going to be difficult for me to rationalize with a sulky child who needs another Barbie. That doesn’t mean of course that I wouldn’t give into those pouty eyes….

Could you go a day without Made In China? How about a year? Living in the Bay Area, I hear people talk with pride about how they’re doing this or that to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’; ever wonder about your ‘China footprint’?

Following Elliott’s self-unmasking last week, I would like to tell you all a bit about myself, and where my passion for travel originated.

I believe that one’s love for travel comes from both nature and nurture. When I was 10-12 years old, my parents took my older sister and I to Europe for a few weeks three consecutive summers. I was more fascinated with Europe’s openness towards sexuality, the countries’ colorful currencies (pre Euro), and the prevalent passionate soccer (my sport at the time) culture, than the museums and castles we visited. Looking back on these trips a decade later, it’s clear that my exposure to foreign cultures at a young age planted the seed of international curiosity, which has since bloomed.

I am a recent graduate of the USC undergraduate business school (Marshall). During the second semester of my junior year, I studied abroad at the eminent Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This was an eye-opening experience! It allowed me to both take a break from the Los Angeles bubble, and experience life in one of the world’s most bustling cities.

Hong Kong’s location, relative to the rest of Asia, makes it an ideal port for the ambitious traveler. I was wise/fortunate to schedule class four days a week, allowing for extended travel weekends. During my four plus months abroad, I traveled to China three times (Guilin pictured below), Kyoto, Macau, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Phuket, Siem Reap, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. Traveling with fellow students, we found cheap last minute flights, slept in $6 (USD) hostels, took daylong non air-conditioned bus rides, and sampled street food. Foreign travel is thrilling, enriching, and tiring, but above all things, addictive!

Kango will revolutionize and simplify family, romantic, and themed travel. I am excited to be involved in the development and publicizing of the site!

Here at Kango we love maps. Whether it be global or local, the map is where travel dreams begin their transition into becoming reality.

Here’s a standard political map of the world:

You likely remember seeing a similar version (who remembers the Soviet Union?) posted up on a wall in your junior high history class. Not all that exciting right?

Now imagine that instead of mapping the countries by area, they are measured by another variable (i.e. GDP, population, HIV prevalence), in turn distorting their geometries. I find these deformed maps are a great way to better visualize world statistics and grasp just how different (often alarmingly!) lifestyle, economy, and consumption are from country to country around the globe.

For the first of a weekly series focusing on these maps, I am going to stick close to travel and explore a Tourist Destinations cartogram using data from 2003.

Initial thoughts…

• Over 665 million international trips were made in 2003 for holiday and touring purposes. With a global population of roughly 6.3 billion in 2003, and assuming that some individuals took multiple trips, less than 10% of people around the world crossed borders for leisure.

• Western Europe was the region of choice for 46% of travelers. Traveling across European borders is friendly and contagious. The standard EU currency (Euro) and the ease of transportation (Eurail and modern freeways) promote intra-Europe travel. With luxury hotels and hostels, museums and nude beaches, Western Europe is an obvious destination for travelers of all ages. Many European cultures designate August as a month to travel.

• Conversely, Central Africa received less than .1% of the world’s total tourism. Transportation around Central Africa is dated, harsh, and potentially dangerous. Rough terrain, including the Sahara Desert and vast jungles, make up much of Central Africa.

• The Bahamas and Caribbean archipelago, obvious island destinations, receive tourism from the US, Western Europe and South America.

• Hong Kong, a country less than 1/3 the size of Rhode Island in land mass, is HUGE, living up to its tagline of “Asia’s World City”.

What are your reactions? Do your international travel plans reflect this map? How do you think it will look in 10, 50 years?

Hey all you travel enthusiasts out in the blogosphere! Alex here, the fourth of the Kango resident bloggers, and today I’m going to give you an overview of the top five most popular Facebook Applications relating to travel.

If you’re unfamiliar with Facebook, here’s a quick FBFYI:
• Originally launched in early 2004 at Harvard with the vision of bringing popular college facebook, a book made up of incoming students’ photos intended to let student body get to know each other better, to the Internet.
• 34 million registered users worldwide as of July 2007.
• Largest photo sharing site in the US with 1.7 billion pics
• On May 14th 2007, the Facebook Platform was launched, allowing external programmers to create their own applications to be used, at the each “Facebooker’s” will.

Drum roll please……..here are the top five Facebook Travel Apps…….as I see them…..

#1

Name: “Where I’ve Been”
By: Craig Ulliott
Users: 2,177,407
Description: “A detailed, interactive world map, show everyone where you’ve been, where you have lived and where you want to go.”
Overall: “Googlesque” in its simplicity and interface. Provides “fast facts” for most countries and states which include: population, GDP, life expectancy, unemployment rate, and a brief national history. As of now, this is the Facebook Travel App. I would like to see a photo album (possible user generated) for each country providing a taste of the landscapes.

K-Rating: *****

#2

Name: “Cities I’ve Visited”
By: TripAdvisor
Users: 786,897
Description: “Where have you traveled? Create an interactive travel map to share with your friends and help them plan their trips.”
Overall: Very simple concept and delivery. Type in city and a thumbtack is stuck on the map. Adding locations is very quick as a list of possible cities is displayed by popularity and then narrowed as more letters are entered. Unfortunately, once you’ve entered in your cities, there’s not much more to do with this app.

K-Rating: *** 1/2

#3

Name: “Countries Visited Map”
By: TravBuddy
Users: 488,309
Description: “Create your own travel map and see what percent of the world you have visited. Lightweight, straight-forward, simple; loads 3x faster than other maps, no bloat on your profile page.”
Overall: Quick and clear-cut check box style of choosing countries and states visited, organized alphabetically within each continent. Unlike most applications, you must become a travbuddy.com member before accessing map, which is a mild initial annoyance.
K-Rating: ***

#4

Name: “Traveler IQ Challenge”
By: TravelPod.com
Users: 233,104
Description: “In this fun (and addictive) challenge, you’ll be asked to pin point where famous places, cities, and travel destinations are located. We’ll then calculate your Traveler IQ based on how close you were and how quickly you found the spot.”
Overall: A fun and quick-hitting quiz for the traveller looking to test their geography intellect. At the end of Facebook’s “geography bee”, you are given a Traveler IQ and shown where you rank amongst your friends (bragging rights!). You may play the original world challenge or focus on a specific continent or theme (i.e. World Capitals). I found it difficult to exactly pinpoint the location in question due to a slow and jittery cursor on the map.

K-Rating: ****

#5

Name: “Trips”
By: SideStep, Inc.
Users: 199,104
Description: “Plan upcoming trips with your friends. Share your past travel adventures on your profile. What trips have you been on, who’d you go with, and when. Then attach a photo album. See your trips on a map. Where have you been? Where are you going next?”
Overall: This ambitious app aims to cover all things surrounding the “Trip”. You can create a future trip and invite your pals to join you on the venture, post travel pics from a past spring break south of the border, or contact strangers with similar trip styles to yourself. “Trips” is function over form at this point and I expect/hope to see more efficient applications, similar in objective, as the Facebook Platform grows out of infancy.
Rating: ***1/2

So there you have it, my first ever blogging effort! I look forward to sharing my passion for exotic and international travel with you in the upcoming months. And of course learning from all of you and hearing your comments, critiques, and recommendations.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” ~Seneca

UPDATE: Check out TechCrunch’s Interns’ 10 Favorite Facebook Apps for more FB App reviews.