1
PEACELAND
“In the past decade, overall peacefulness has slowly declined and the gap between the least and most peaceful countries has grown. Since 2008, there was an average drop in peacefulness of 12.7% among the 25 least peaceful countries, with an improvement of 0.9% among the 25 most peaceful ones.” Hm. Iceland anyone? Apparently it tops the list of the most peaceful countries according to the Institute of Economics and Peace. I will say, having just returned from there: people, vistas, northern lights – quite peaceful; the sheep – not so much.
2
MMMM FOOD
Just what we need! Basically a Google Maps type app that takes you straight to where the good food is around the world: “TasteAtlas chose its name well — it’s a map of good food, but you can also search it for specific dishes or explore a single geographic region, like Liguria, Italy, a city like New York or a country like the United Kingdom. A Croatia-based project which has been in the making for three years, TasteAtlas contains nearly 10,000 dishes, drinks and ingredients and nearly 9,000 restaurants, gathered from all over the world by a team of 30 authors and researchers.”
3
LONDON, PARIS, DUBAI, SINGAPORE, NEW YORK
Is it a trick question if I tell you it’s a trick question? Here it goes: what’s the most visited city in the world? Not sure I’ll even put the answer in this blurb – you may just need to click the link to find out! Hint: it’s not one of the cities in the title. The top 10 cities are:
1. [Can you guess which city tops this list?]
2. London
3. Paris
4. Dubai
5. Singapore
6. New York
7. Kuala Lumpur
8. Tokyo
9. Istanbul
10. Seoul
I couldn’t believe this number. In conducting research for this next blurb, I looked up number of global overnight travelers: we’re talking over 5.7 Billion (with a ‘B’) in 2018 and growing. Rapidly. That’s incredible. But, also something we genuinely need to solve for. It’s not sustainable. If you’ve been reading my newsletters, you would have noticed what some destinations are doing to curb visitors. Here’s a critical piece that looks into how trade events that promote travel and destinations are still pushing for quantity over quality: “For all the bluster about “thought leadership”, ITB Asia entered its second decade last week with an over-focus on growing the business rather than managing the equally rapidly growing list of consequences of that growth.” It’s taking a toll.
If they won’t spend more money, at least let them be nicer! Well, that’s what one beautiful destination is doing to make it a more pleasant destination to visit too: “Telling someone he or she “must think and emote good feelings to others” might sound like the kind of truism a SoulCycle instructor would say at the end of class. But it is, in fact, an actual law in Hawaii. It’s called the “Aloha Spirit” law, and it’s encoded in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 5-7.5.
4
LET’S GO BACK TO MY HOTEL ROOM
I wouldn’t have thought that a secluded military fort on Mallorca would be a romantic getaway, but, hey, whatever floats your boat (to use a mild expression). Apparently, The World’s Sexiest Bedrooms coffee table book has some interesting ideas: “The collection, curated on the recommendations of an international set of tastemakers and jet-setters, features a secluded safari lodge in South Africa’s Kruger National Park; a former military fort on Mallorca; and an historic building in Basilicata, Italy, that was restored to its former glory by Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.”
5
ROAD TRIP/SEA TRIP!
Have you ever wanted to do a road trip across America, and sail the seven seas, at the same time? Well, now’s your chance with this cool camper. I’m not yet sure I’m a camper kinda person, but, I definitely enjoyed going through the photos of this perfectly designed amphibious camper for two: “A company out of Germany has dreamt up a hybrid camper-houseboat that allows you to tour the coastline from two different vantage points. Meet the Sealander: an amphibious, towable vehicle that combines a trailer, caravan, and yacht in one.”
Well, the camper may come in handy should we continue to exploit our global resources, particularly Antarctica. Some of you know, I have a particular fascination with it and I fully support creating sanctuaries to protect it. Perhaps you do too? Here’s a thought-provoking NYT piece by José María Figueres, former President of Costa and Chief Executive of the World Economic Forum: “The waters and web of life around Antarctica, despite human incursion, are still relatively unspoiled at their foundation. Before this changes, we need to minimize risk to ocean ecosystems and build resilience to climate change by creating marine reserves that strongly protect at least 30 percent of the world’s ocean — starting with the Southern Ocean.” Please support anyway you can. Spreading the word is one way.
Thanks,
Joe Naaman
Managing Editor, Waywinds
Keep Exploring!