Keeping it as light as possible this week
Hi friends,
Normally I have a theme or a general idea of what to write and I roll with it, even if there is not cohesion from one edition to another. But after last weekend, I threw any ideas about analyzing articles or finding interesting tourism links out the window. There are much heavier things going on in the world that I understand little about, as much as I read and am horrified and I think it is okay to grieve quietly or share.
In my last edition, I was on my way to England for a short trip and then stopped in the US for my cousin’s wedding before returning to Canada on Canadian Thanksgiving. I’d hoped to see my 99-year-old grandma before the wedding because she was not doing well. But sadly, she passed away a few days before I made it to the US. And it was also before I would have headed to the US for the wedding if that had been the only travel in my plans.
I came home to a doctor’s appointment where I was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on my forehead. It does not usually spread and it will be removed soon enough, but it has been a perfect storm of bad and sad news over here. I am not throwing a pity party for myself though and I do have a lot of fun ideas for upcoming newsletters because that trip did refresh and inspire me even if parts of it were exhausting and/or sad.
Links:
Let’s start with a destination that was once a major conflict zone to show there is hope that places can recover and thrive. Bosnia and Herzegovina is experiencing record tourism numbers and has the potential to be a sustainable adventure tourism destination.
Jordan shares a border with Israel but is currently still welcoming tourists and the Adventure Travel Trade Association just held a conference in Amman Oct 12-14. No matter what you know about the country and things to see, this article might inspire you to add the destination to your list.
Seeing Sri Lanka by train. Another destination I’d like to visit and I like trains!
Promoting a region of Myanmar for tourism has brought back residents from Thailand.
The Amhara region of Ethiopia has its conflict that has made it difficult for tourism to recover in the post-pandemic world. Lalibela is a tourist destination that has struggled to recover. See here, here, and here.
Reports estimate that combined, the COVID-19 pandemic and violence in Tigray cost Ethiopia’s tourism industry two billion dollars yearly over the last two years in lost revenue.
Hopefully, the Amhara region can find some harmony and tourism, the livelihood of so many.
Do you check travel advisories from your government before you go somewhere or before booking? Do you register yourself with your respective government before you leave? It might seem like overkill to do any of these but it is always a good idea. Registering means your government knows you are there in case of an emergency and where to locate you if evacuation is needed. It is never a bad idea to be prepared. Check travel.gc.ca for Canada and travel.state.gov for the US and gov.uk for the UK. I like to check all three. Also, don’t forget about travel insurance!
Consuming:
I finished watching Frasier and swore up and down I would not watch the reboot but I did watch the first two episodes and I was entertained. So, I will continue. I am a sucker.
Beckham. I knew very little about David Beckham other than he’s married to Victoria, the former girl of spice, he was a professional footballer, and he’s stupidly handsome. Those are all facts. I watched this 4 part series and enjoyed learning more about his career, his family, football/soccer in general, and the other players and coaches he worked with. I found the interviews with his parents really interesting and it is no wonder he was so successful in football. I also admire Beckham’s dedication to keeping things neat and tidy. If you watch it, you’ll see what I mean. I’m not a big sports person (except for the Olympics) but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this, especially the match highlights, football IS exciting. Anyway, this was a funny clip from it.
On my flight from London to Orlando, I watched Chaos Walking, I enjoyed it. It was sci-fi and dystopian and had a really interesting premise, a planet lacking women has one crash land on it, chaos ensues.
On the same flight, I also read two books. I liked the thriller/mystery Hummingbird Salamander because it had twists and turns and I was entertained. The main character was hard to like because she kept doing things that I didn’t agree with to try and solve the mystery but I didn’t dislike her. It kept me guessing throughout.
The other book I read was This is How You Lose the Time War. Woof, I hated this. I can’t tell you anything it was about. It was written as letters between two characters and the writing was so flowery it just read as nonsense to me. It was short, so I’ll give it that. Otherwise, I do not agree with all of the good reviews. I was bored and could not stay focused but I was on a plane with limited entertainment so I kept reading.
For the remainder of 2023 newsletters, I’ll be covering: London, a new suitcase, cleaning your luggage, and whatever else pops up.
Thank you for reading this edition. I hope that you’re all spending time with loved ones, getting outside, and making time for rest.
-Sonya