The African Renaissance Statue in Senegal
I've never had a first impression of a country quite like when I arrived in Senegal. Towering over the capital city of Dakar is the African Renaissance Monument, a 160-foot statue depicting a man rising triumphantly from a volcano with his outstretched arms wrapped around his wife and child. The monument, designed by a Senegalese artist but constructed by North Korean workers, is a symbol of Africa's rise from centuries of intolerance and racism. It is set to be officially dedicated on December 12. Apparently, I got to Senegal a month too soon.
Like the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument, this bronze statue is sure to serve as a regular background in photos of smiling tourists for decades to come. The site has exhibition, multimedia, and conference rooms, and a top-floor viewing platform. And since Dakar is the westernmost point of Africa, it's only a 7.5-hour plane ride from Washington D.C. and New York now that South African Airways flies directly there.
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November 03, 2009
CouchSurfing in Cairo
Sunset at the pyramids in Cairo, Egypt (Photodisc/Getty)
Many people go to Cairo to see the pyramids, but getting almost as many visitors is the home of Tarek Taha, CouchSurfing's Cairo Ambassador. (CouchSurfing is a network of travelers creating cultural exchanges by staying with locals.) Tarek got into CouchSurfing in 2007 while road tripping across the U.S. Since returning home he has hosted more than 100 couch surfers (my husband and me now included). During our recent stay, I asked Tarek to tell me about his most memorable hosting experiences.
- 1. Proposal at the Pyramids: A couch surfer from California asked for my help to arrange a candlelit marriage proposal outside the pyramids after dark. We bought hundreds of candles to spell out "Marry Me Jane" in the sand, while my wife hired a horse to deliver the unsuspecting girlfriend. After it was over, it wasn't only Jane who had tears in her eyes, but also my wife, and the horse wrangler.
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October 28, 2009
Getting Out There With Afar Magazine
Traveling home from a conference in Québec last week, I picked up a copy of the premier edition of Afar, the newest travel magazine to grace an already crowded category on airport newsstands. An hour later after a thoroughly absorbing in-flight read, I can report that I was impressed. The magazine is "for readers who are curious about everything the planet and its people have to offer," according to founder and editorial director Greg Sullivan. In this day and age, when magazines seek to impress with the most luxurious travel experiences imaginable or cater to a budget-minded, close-to-home crowd, Afar bites off the essence of experiential travel with an honest, open, and upbeat appraisal of the world we explore. A bimonthly publication to start, each issue of Afar will be organized under the typical See, Connect, and Go sections; its first edition profiled everything from Japan's costume-play fetish to a local's guide to East London to the world's best treetop lodging. As someone who reads a pile of travel magazines each month for work, I'm happy to say that this is one travel magazine that will open your eyes, mind, and heart—not just your wallet!
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October 16, 2009
Photo of the Day: Lake Nakuru Flamingos, Kenya
Lake Nakuru, located within central Kenya's chain of Great Rift Valley lakes, nourishes an incredible diversity of wildlife, including hundreds of thousands of pink flamingos that feast on the lake's abundance of algae. Part of Lake Nakuru National Park, founded in 1961, the park was recently expanded to provide habitat for Kenya's endangered black rhinoceros. It also home to white rhinoceroses, Rothschild's giraffes, baboons, and warthogs.
Planning a safari to Kenya? Learn about one company that has been leading the charge toward sustainable tourism in Africa for over 40 years.
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October 06, 2009
World Monuments Fund Announces Its 2010 Watch List
Cordilleras rice terraces in the Philippines (Photodisc/Getty)
David Farley—author, New York Times blogger, and friend of the Away.com Travel Blog—writes today on the NYTimes.com "In Transit" blog about the World Monument Fund's biannual release of its list of the world’s most endangered cultural sites. Ninety-three sites in 47 countries are listed as being under threat from neglect, overdevelopment, or mass tourism, among them Peru's Machu Picchu, the rice terraces in the Cordilleras region of the Philippines, and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.
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August 20, 2009
Guide to the World's Best Resorts & Lodges
Cayo Espanto, a private luxury all-inclusive in Belize (courtesy, Cayo Espanto)
For the past 12 months, I have been neck-deep in one of the toughest assignments a travel editor can expect: Scouring the globe for the world's best destination resorts and lodges. I know, it's a hard job gazing at images of unspoiled, faraway places (like the one above), but I wasn't alone for my journey. We assigned a crack squad of travel writers with clips in publications including National Geographic Adventure, Travel+Leisure, and Lonely Planet to track down the cream of the crop, including their selections for the best family resorts, beach resorts, national park lodges, all-inclusive resorts, and six other distinct travel categories. One year later, with my list of must-visit places in a state of morbid obesity, we're excited to announce the launch of Away.com's new Resorts & Lodges Guide, featuring 200 of the world's ultimate destination-resort experiences. If you're looking for inspiration about where to stay next, this is the place to start.
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May 05, 2009
Consider Voluntourism
I'll confide that I've never been to Africa, but it's one of the top places in the world that I want to visit next. Everything about the continent fascinates me, and I imagine it to be a place bursting with culture, life, and landscapes that I have yet to encounter anywhere else in the world. Many safari outfitters take travelers up close and personal to the amazing wildlife of the African savanna, and while some of these travel companies do give back to local communities and help to develop sustainable tourism, what many travelers may overlook when planning travel to Africa is the incredible amount of need that exists in these countries for aid and volunteers and a kind, helping hand. Consider voluntourism, a way in which you can still travel and experience new places and cultures, all while contributing to the greater good. And with the handy help of the Internet, you can easily find volunteer vacation opportunities. A simple search of "voluntourism" on Google brings up 116,000 results. But of course, before you commit to going with a certain company, do some research and make sure your dollars and your time are being put towards a credible cause and organization. For some inspiration, here's a video featuring volunteers at World Camp in Malawi, an organization committed to empowering impoverished children through education.
For more voluntourism ideas and resources, check out our Volunteer Vacations Guide.
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