A 20-Something, First-Time Visitor's Top 10 "Must-Do" in Dublin List
Gravity Bar at Guinness Storehouse; Lauren Weaver
Just returned from a first-time visit to Ireland as part of a study abroad program, I've put together my personal Top 10 Dublin Must-Do list. Some you've likely seen before, and some may be new to you. All were part of making my time there a first-rate blast. Got any to add? Tell us about them in the comments section!
1. Every Saturday in Temple Bar, there's a food market and it's amazing. They have everything from crepes, cheeses, olives, and homemade salsa, to breads and kabobs.
2. Go to Temple Bar for the ton of funky shops, cafes, and pubs. It has a reputation for being touristy and expensive, but it's still a must-see.
3. Have a pint at the Bleeding Horse. It was our favorite pub in Dublin and we went all the time.
4. Pack a lunch and spend the day at the Iveagh Gardens.
5. Bike ride through Phoenix Park.
6. Go to O'Donohues and check out some traditional Irish music. If you don't make it to O'Donohues, make sure to find somewhere that plays live traditional music. It's so much fun.
7. Take a tour of the Guinness Storehouse, learn to pour a perfect pint, then have one at the Gravity Bar while taking in a panoramic view of the city.
8. Spend an afternoon shopping on Grafton Street. Check out the performers, walk through St. Stephen's Green, and have lunch at Bewley's – you won't be disappointed.
9. Go to a Leinster Rugby Game. Rugby is huge in Ireland and the matches are such great craic!
10. If it's sunny, take advantage... don't sit inside! Go to one of the parks to soak in the scene and sun, even if you're alone. Bring a picnic and a guitar if you've got it.
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Institute
Patrick O'Hara
Our own Patrick O'Hara, VP of Marketing & Business Development, snapped this photo Thursday night.
The Empire State Building was illuminated in green to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a "non-adversarial and trans-ideological [think-and-do-tank] emphasizing integrative design, advanced technologies, and mindful markets. [Their] strategic focus, executed through specific initiatives designed to take [their] work rapidly to scale, is to map and drive the transition from coal and oil to efficiency and renewables."
Where to go, Why you should go, and How to get there
GoNOMAD.com
What's got us all a-buzz this week? Our new partnership with GoNOMAD.com, a match-made-in-travel-heaven venture designed to pair the best deals in travel with the best articles, research, and planning tools available for the independent globe-trotter.
Don't even think about taking your next trip without checking this out!
Budget Travel's Top 10 New Year's Eve Celebrations
Posted By: Lauren Weaver
Wed December 28, 2011
From Rio to Sydney, get the list of the best places to party on December 31.
Courtesy Edinburgh's Winter Festivals
The countdown to 2012 is on and BudgetTravel.com has posted its list of the Top 10 spectacular ways the world will celebrate the New Year.
In Rio de Janeiro, over 2 million people will get together on the 2.5-mile stretch of Copacabana Beach for an all-night music and dance party. In Sydney, one of the first major cities to celebrate the New Year, the party will include one of the world's great fireworks displays, an aerial show, and fabulous lighting effects on the harbour bridge.
In South Africa, The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival expects a crowd of more than 80,000 dressed in bright colors with elaborate face paintings to parade the streets playing all kinds of instruments to ring in the New Year. Here at home, Las Vegas will toast the arrival of 2012 with thousands of partygoers gathered to see a massive light display and performances by popular musicians.
Or, how to make one small but important -- and fun -- contribution toward the grand end goal.
By Maria Rally November 7, 2011
If you like to make a difference whenever you can, and you understand that no step toward a better world is too small, and you realize that you don't have to deprive yourself at every turn to serve a higher cause, you're going to love this.
The Bahamas has been protecting sharks for decades with laws banning some of the worst fishing practices but, as of July 2011, the region's imperiled sharks are basking in the safe sanctuary that is the Bahamas' territorial waters. This is a smart move for the Bahamas, too, given the island nation's popularity in the shark diving tourism industry. It's a pretty great day when doing the right thing benefits the protector as much as the protected.
So, when you're ready to take your next beach or diving vacation, show your support and appreciation for the Bahamas' conscientious policy-making by choosing it as your destination. Let the tourism board know why you chose them -- and spread the word.
Intrepid Travel is giving away 30 adventures of a lifetime -- share your travel dreams to win!
Intrepid Travel
Whats the adventure of your dreams? From camping in the Aussie Outback, to cycling through Tuscany, seeking wisdom in Nepal, and a world of other possibilities, share your dream trip in 25 words or less and you just might win it from Intrepid Travel. Enter Daily thru December 1, 2011!
Frommer's interactive travel maps make it easier than ever to plan the perfect trip.
Frommers.com
One of the best-selling travel guide series in America for the past 50 years, Frommer's is a gold-star choice for tips and tricks that help you plan a perfect vacation in any of 3,500 destinations worldwide. We love Frommer's interactive map and just had to share. It highlights the best of cities all over the world, so it's never been easier -- or more fun -- to find great things to do on your trip.
First, choose the country you're heading to in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, or the South Pacific, then pick your city. Once you get to the map, click the checkbox for whatever interests you listed under the map, including hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and attractions. The map will populate with your choices and you can then check out Frommer's descriptions, reviews, and star ratings for each by hovering your mouse over the items.
By the way, Frommer's is an equal-opportunity reviewer -- the options covered range from the ultra-budget to the ultra-luxurious.
Tip: The map may work best for you with Internet Explorer.
From the not-so-scary to the seriously spine-chilling, we've picked something for everyone from little kids to college crowds. New York, Chicago, the Hudson Valley, Philadephia, Orlando, and Six Flags across America are all on the list. Check it out!
Headless Horseman Haunted Houses & Hayrides Ulster Park, NY
Can you handle a seriously terrifying Halloween scare? Rated as the "#1 Haunted Attraction" in the United States by Haunt World Magazine and listed as one of the "Top 20 Hometown Haunted Houses in America" by Fangoria, the Headless Horseman attraction has a mile-long ghoulish hayride, a labyrinth-style corn maze, and 6 haunted houses. It's located in the Historic Hudson Valley region's town of Ulster Park, NY.
Eastern State Penitentiary: Terror Behind the Walls Philadelphia, PA
Looking for a bone-chilling scare in an old, decrepit, real-life "house of horrors?" Americahaunts.com voted the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, as one of America's Best Haunts for 2011. The Penitentiary is hosting its 20th annual Terror Behind the Walls event with ghost tours and other ghoulish activities to keep you spooked enough to last through the rest of the Halloween season.
Tens of thousands of visitors so far have flocked to this annual Halloween attraction at Van Cortlandt Manor, a historic Dutch farmstead dating from New York's earliest European communities. An elaborate collection of over 4,000 jack o' lanterns -- and a huge collection of sculptures made entirely out of jack o' lanterns -- spreads across this walk-through spectacular in the New York town of Croton-on-Hudson. The pumpkins are all hand-carved and include snakes, a giant spider web, an undersea aquarium, dinosaurs, pirates, ghosts, the gods of mythology, and lots more.
Fright Fest "Thrills by Day Frights by Night" Six Flags Around the USA
Nationwide Six Flags, Great Adventure locations host Fright Fest, the ultimate Halloween rush where you can expect nonstop "Thrills by Day and Frights by Night." You'll spend the day pumping up your adrenaline on all the park's wild rides, then at night you'll rev up your scream-machine in its haunted houses, scare-zones, haunted graveyards, and spooktacular adventures.
Spend Halloween in trembling style at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, which is hosting the "After Dark" haunted evening experience amid its legendary -- and let's face it, creepy -- wax figures. Madame Tussauds Las Vegas has a genuine haunted background, by the way, which got it featured in a recent episode of the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures."
NYC's 39th Annual Village Halloween Parade New York, NY
Stretching more than a mile long, this wildly creative and infamously outlandish event in New York City's Greenwich Village attracts over 50,000 costumed participants, dancers, artists, and circus performers every year, along with dozens of floats, bands, and other musical and performing acts. Short of Mardi Gras, it's hard to find a better street party.
Chicago's annual Halloween celebration turns the famed Daley Plaza into "Franken Plaza," bombarding visitors with entertainment and frights that include special performances, a Monster Bash, hayrides, and trick-or-treating. Free attractions include a Farmers' Market and a Midnight Circus.
Halloween has taken over Disneyworld with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Major events this year include the Boo-to-You Halloween parade, featurings the Headless Horseman, Disney characters, and the stars of The Haunted Mansion in Halloween costumes, as well as the Happy HalloWishes fireworks spectacular.
The ASPCA will send a winner and guest to NYC and give $10k to your favorite animal shelter!
Enter the ASPCA's "We Like You Too" Sweepstakes and you can win a grand trip to New York City for two, along with a $10,000 donation to the animal shelter of your choice. A travel contest for a good cause -- we love it!! Enter by October 31.
Founded in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Its mission, as stated by founder Henry Bergh, is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States." The ASPCA works to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws, and share resources with shelters nationwide.
The phrase "road trip!" probably conjures up images of cramming a few friends into a car for several hours of loud music, munchies, and lots of laughs. But for people who take to "The Telegraph's" list of the world's 15 most dangerous roads, it's a hair-raising adventure decidedly *not* for the faint of heart. Check out the slideshow -- maybe your next vacation spot is on the list and the daredevil in you won't be able to resist the thrill ride.
NatGeo & Grand Canyon Expeditions host this first-class, all-inclusive, 8-day experience
Grand Canyon Expeditions Company
National Geographic and Grand Canyon Expeditions will send the winner and a guest on the adventure of a lifetime -- an 8-day Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition, which they assert ranks up there with a Serengeti safari and a Himalayan trek - and we agree.
You'll cover about 277 river miles and nearly 200 rapids in safety and first-class comfort, witnessing awe-inspiring spectacles every moment along the way. All of your meals and equipment will be provided, along with roundtrip ground transfers from Las Vegas, but you'll need to get to Vegas on your own and pay for your own Sin City expenses. Click here to enter by September 27. Good luck!
Natural beauty, smaller crowds, and cheaper rates highlight fall travel.
Davide Erbetta, SIME
By Lauren Weaver
Put away the beach bag, store the flip-flops, and air out your favorite jacket -- it's time for some great autumn travel. National Geographic Traveler editors serve up their "10 Best Fall Trips" choices for your consideration.
Take in the scenery at the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces in Switzerland, which cover the lower mountain slopes along the northern shores of Lake Geneva. Explore historic downtown Dublin, which traces the River Liffey and hundreds of acres of public gardens and nature reserves.
Prefer to stay in the U.S.? Hike the White Mountains in New Hampshire or drive the Shoreline Highway in Marin County, California. The mountain peaks, waterfalls, and pristine coastline views are fabulous, either way.
Click through for the complete list, tantalizing details, and inspiring images.
8 Guys on Scooters With a Passion for Their Country
The Cross Egypt Challenge
This October, 8 Egyptians will embark on a "Cross Egypt Challenge" adventure, which they hope will help bolster the tourism interest that has suffered in the wake of the revolution. They'll go from the Mediterranean shores in the north, to the temple of Abu Simbel in the south, covering all of the major attractions along the way: Alexandria, the great pyramids at Giza, the Nile River and Suez Canal, and the magnificent temple of Karnak in Luxor.
Budget Travel's "10 Coolest Small Towns in America"
Posted By: Maria Rally
Fri September 2, 2011
Nominated and selected entirely by Budget Travel readers, the winners span the U.S.A.
Jean-Paul Bernard
Budget Travel's entirely reader-nominated/selected winners of the Coolest Small Towns in America contest are in! Our favorite is #7, Newtown Borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Historic, pastoral, and near the ever-charming Amish country, this town is also gently trendy, forward-thinking, and full of personality. The well-reserved 18th-century Brick Hotel has rooms starting from just $80 per night.
Check out the list -- with winners from Florida to Oregon, there might be one close enough for you to take a drive over for a last-minute Labor Day getaway!
From Spain to Mongolia, CNN GO rounds up some serious soul-centric trips
Robyn Woolston
If you've been feeling like you need more -- much more -- from your next vacation than a week sitting on a beach or landmark hopping in between 4-star dining, we've found some inspiring choices gathered for you by CNN GO. Some you may have heard of, most we think will be entirely new to you, and all feed your mind and soul with rich and meaningful experiences -- no commercial enterprise here masquerading as spiritual. These are the real deal of spiritual travel.
Among the options are: a retreat amid the caves and dunes of the Sinai desert, watched over by Bedouin caretakers; a challenging pilgrimage to the Hindu God Lord Shiva high in the mountains of Kashmir; and drinking and bathing in the healing waters of a 5th century holy site in Cornwall, England.
The "Grand Travel Experience" lives on, thanks to luxury train tours
Longing for the Golden Age of travel? Dreaming of a time when trips were more evocatively and romantically known -- and experienced as -- journeys? You can still experience that kind of travel, if you know where to look. Among the top contenders for your consideration are luxury train tours.
CNN Travel has done the research for you on this subject, rounding up ten of the best epic train journeys around the world. They combine luxury, elegance, and relaxation with experiences that are rich in history, culture, and vistas. Choose from exploring the uninhabited area of the Australian Outback to taking in the breathtaking scenic mountain views of Switzerland. And the wonders don't stop at wild scenery -- you'll also visit some of the most storied cities in the world as you travel across the continent of your choice.
Sounds like the glorious backdrop to a 19th century novel, right?
National Geographic Chooses America's Top 10 Boardwalks
Posted By: Lauren Weaver
Thu June 30, 2011
Fun is the name of the game at these quintessential summer attractions
Photograph by Kevin Kerr, Aurora Photos
Arcade games. Ferris wheels. Sea and sand. A carnival atmosphere. America's quintessential beach boardwalks are as popular today as they were in our grandparents' day. Combining the best of yesteryear with modern touches, boardwalks can have mass appeal or be better suited to either families, couples, or wild singles. The one thing they all have in common is a fabulous location.
Classic boardwalks like Atlantic City and Coney Island on the East Coast and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on the West Coast are awash in glitzy casinos, night concerts, street performers, bike-rental shops, and beachside shopping. These days, nothing seems to say "New Jersey" more than the boardwalk scene, but if you're looking for a more relaxing beachside getaway, there are some low-key, non-commercialized boardwalks on the Jersey Shore too, like Spring Lake, Ocean Grove, and Asbury Park, where beachside boutique shopping, highly rated restaurants, and uncrowded beaches are the main attractions.
Check out the NatGeo article for the complete list of America's best boardwalks, pictures, and websites full of information on attractions and events running all summer.
USA Today covers the brand new and the new enough you probably haven't experienced it yet.
Jason Collier, SeaWorld Parks
Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of theme-park season, and what better place to check out what's new than the center of the theme park universe? This season, Florida's theme parks are chock full of new attractions, rides, and entertainment worthy of a fresh look from families, romantic couples, and wild singles. USA Today Travel covers the best of what's new -- here are some highlights.
In Orlando, you can check out SeaWorld's new environmentally themed Shamu Show, One Ocean, which debuted in April. Discovery Cove takes you on an underwater tour through schools of tropical fish at the Grand Reef, a saltwater environment with underwater grottoes, surrounded by a palm tree-lined island with white-sand beaches. Disney's Hollywood Studios park reopened a newly renovated Star Tours ride with a 3-D element.
Just a short drive away in Tampa, there's now a cheetah habitat with a 0-to-60mph roller coaster at the Africa-themed Busch Gardens. Cheetah Hunt is the longest of the park's roller coasters.
Some other attractions aren't new this year, but are still new enough that you might not have had a chance to check them out, like the spectacular Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened last year at Universal Orlando and was an instant success with visitors of all ages.
And, of course, while the theme parks attract the most visitors and attention, Orlando is bursting at the seams with vacation activities that include golf, restaurants of every type, nightclubs, bars, shows, and shops of every kind, with plenty of new faces and features debuting in each group year after year.
You probably know by some of my blog posts that I'm a huge fan of National Geographic. I just recently downloaded the 50 Places of a Lifetime IPad app. I'd love to share all 50 photos, but this is one I came across of Rio that's just really striking. Check out the app - if you're travel photo obsessed like I am...
Travel-Inspiring Movies Not Already on Every Other Travel-Inspiring Movie List You Ever Saw
Posted By: Maria Rally
Sun April 3, 2011
The earliest memory I have of seeing a movie that made me want, indeed yearn, to travel has me lying on the living room floor as a kid, sometime in the mid-70s, riveted to the Sunday Night Movie showing of what was by then already an old movie, Born Free. Wide-eyed with wonder one moment and sobbing the next (despite my mother's attempts to assure me that all would be well in the end) as Elsa, the formerly captive lioness, tried to survive in the wild, I was irrevocably hooked for life on primal Africa.
The memory arbitrarily popped into my head a few days ago and led me to think of all the travel-inspiring movies I've seen over the years. It turns out there are hundreds, so I decided to share ten of my favorites that never seem to appear on travel-inspiring movie lists -- and some of which no one I know seems ever to have heard of, despite being thoroughly entertaining and, in several cases, award-winning efforts. So here they are, in no particular order (they're all on Netflix, by the way). I hope they provide you with a few hours of quality entertainment and, mostly, that they succeed in inspiring you to go somewhere you've never been, especially if you've been dreaming about it for a really long time.
1
Summer Lovers
Greece (Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Delos)
A very young Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah set off after college graduation for a summer in Greece, where they encounter a free spirit who turns their relationship into a love triangle. It may sound cheesy, but the movie is actually pretty good, lots of fun, and has one of the best soundtracks ever. As for the scenery and ambiance -- which immerses us in every classic postcard image from Greece's iconic white-washed villages, to sultry beaches, wild nightclubs, an archaeological dig site, classic ruins, almost mystical sea caves, an ancient amphitheater (playing a Three Stooges movie!), and a quaint market -- it's possible no other movie has ever done Greece better.
2
Shirley Valentine
Greece, Part 2 (Mykonos)
If the mid-life crisis escape movie speaks more to you than the wild young things love triangle, then put Pauline Collins' turn in Shirley Valentine on your must-see list. Wondering how her life led to the endless routine of preparing her disinterested husband's meals and dealing with a daughter who treats her like a servant, working-class, middle-aged Shirley gets her shot at escape, takes it, and never looks back. Tom Conti takes on the task of an English actor badly faking being a Greek but you don't care cuz he's just so charming. And it all happens on Mykonos -- glistening, sun-drenched, impossibly gorgeous Mykonos.
3
American Dreamer
Paris
This might just be the best romantic comedy you've probably never heard of. Tom Conti is back -- this time in the role he was born to play -- paired with Jobeth Williams, another put-upon but still plucky housewife. Her character, Kathy, escapes her harmless but condescending husband's indifference to her dreams of romance and adventure through her favorite book series based on fabulous and sophisticated, Paris-based freelance detective Rebecca Ryan. She enters a contest to write a chapter, wins a trip for two, her husband refuses to go, she goes alone, gets knocked out in an accident in front of the Eiffel Tower, and wakes up thinking she is -- Rebecca Ryan. Hilarity ensues amid gorgeous Paris locations around every madcap plot twist.
4
A Room With A View
England (Kent) and Italy (Florence/Tuscan countryside)
Absolutely everything about this Oscar-winning adaptation of a literary classic merits rapturous reviews -- the story, the acting, the cinematography, the art direction and, of course, the Tuscan scenery. Lucy, a not-at-all-snobby provincial aristocrat, played by Helena Bonham-Carter, engaged to an unbearably snobby stuffed shirt, played by an almost unrecognizable Daniel Day-Lewis, travels to Florence with her hilariously prim-and-proper chaperone, played pitch-perfect (of course) by Maggie Smith. The unhappy discovery that their room does not have a view leads to an encounter with the ethereal George Emerson (Julian "Be-Still-My-Heart" Sands) that will -- thank God, thinks pretty much everyone -- change the course of Lucy's life. Their lyrical courtship unfolds along the trail of some of Tuscany's best natural and manmade glories, plus some lovely English countryside, as well. Prepare to swoon for nearly two solid hours.
5
The Four Seasons
US Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Georgia
What do you get when you mix (take a deep breath) Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, Bess Armstrong, Sandy Dennis, Len Cariou, some of the most beautiful classical music ever composed, a Golden Globe- and Writer's Guild-nominated screenplay about the funny, poignant trials of marriage, friendship, and aging, all told against the backdrop of four trips taken by a group of friends in each of the four seasons? Well, you get 107 of the best minutes you'll ever spend watching a movie. And you'll get reminded that every season brings a great reason to travel and that there's somewhere not so far away to make the best of it. This gang goes through their highs and lows amid the endless summer of the US Virgin Islands, ski season in Vermont, the splendor of autumn in Georgia, and the exuberant burst of spring in Virginia.
6
The Darjeeling Limited
India
Three depressed, alienated brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman) board a train in Jodhpur on a spiritual quest across India, a year after their father dies, to try to reconnect with each other and their mother (Anjelica Houston), who went on a spiritual quest of her own just before their father died and never bothered to come back. This quirky, aching, bittersweet, painfully humorous, character-driven film, which was nominated for the Golden Lion and won the Little Golden Lion for its Director at the Venice Film Festival, has multi-layered appeal -- its performances, originality, feeling, and sense of place chief among them. Its depiction of the transformational -- often healing if you need it -- experience of completely surrendering yourself and all the trappings of the world you know to an utterly alien place and culture would make this movie a serious contender for the top award from the Academy of Travel-Inspiring Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, if such a thing existed.
7
Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
Italy (Ariccia, 15 miles southeast of Rome)
Forty years before Meryl Streep whooped it up in Mama Mia, Gina Lollobrigida did a Golden Globe-nominated turn in the Writer's Guild-nominated tale of an Italian single mother who isn't quite sure which of her WWII paramours (Peter Lawford, Phil Silvers, Telly Savalas) fathered her daughter, so she collects child support from all three. Life is grand until -- you guessed it -- all three show up at once and she's got some explaining to do. The sweet comedy takes place in the fictional town of San Forino, which is really the Roman suburb of Ariccia. Among the town's splendid scenery are the Bernini-designed Piazza di Corte and domed Church of the Assunta, as well as the extinct volcano in the Alban hills below. And, of course, the Eternal City is just minutes away.
8
City Slickers
The American West (New Mexico & Colorado)
Mitch, Ed, and Phil (Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Daniel Stern) take off on Ed's latest macho adventure-quest idea in this comedy that won a heap of awards, including at least one we bet you never heard of (Best Casting). While driving cattle across the gorgeous open range, rugged mountains, and rushing rivers of New Mexico and Colorado, the guys learn a few valuable lessons -- mostly about living with purpose and gusto because this "isn't a dress rehearsal" -- but this movie is strictly a comedy at heart with some of the funniest scenes, lines, and monologues on celluloid. If you love the idea of leaving all the concrete behind -- but you're not interested in actually throwing away your life to live off roots in the wilderness à la Alexander Supertramp, thank you very much -- this movie might just be the trigger to get you to finally book that dude ranch vacation or other Wild West adventure you've been talking about taking for 20 years and will still be talking about 20 years after you get back. Once you're there, be open to anything -- remember that a "this was NOT in the brochure" moment often turns out to be the best part of a trip, even if you don't realize it at the time.
9
The Edge
The Western Canadian Wilderness (British Columbia & Alberta) Posing as Alaska
This thriller that pits a kind and gentle, yet sharp and clever, billionaire (Anthony Hopkins) against his very much younger wife's (Elle Macpherson) scheming and possibly murderous lover (Alec Baldwin) in a life-and-death face-off in the wilderness pretends to be in Alaska but it's really filmed entirely in British Columbia and Alberta. Travel inspiration-wise, it's a two-fer because the great and glorious forests, mountains, lakes, meadows, and rivers of the Canadian Pacific aren't all that different from those in Alaska. By the way, Alec is a fantastic villain; it seems there's nothing this guy can't do. In fact, to see him at his chilling villainous best, watch him in Malice, which is brilliantly, surreptitiously referenced in an episode of 30 Rock -- but I digress. Back to The Edge... anyone who dreams of trekking through the great Alaskan wilderness will be even more hooked on the idea after watching this movie, in which the setting isn't just a backdrop, it becomes a character in the movie -- a shapeshifter that is a friend and ally to the man who respects it and knows how to work with it to survive, and an enemy to the man who doesn't.
10
The Motorcycle Diaries
South America (Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Peru)
Let's put aside the politics and social statement that are the end-game of this near-manically acclaimed movie based on Che Guevara's diaries recounting the fateful motorcycle trip he took with his best friend, Alberto Granado, across South America in the 1950s. Their original goal was simple -- to see everything about the continent they lived on, yet had only read about in books, before life required them to get a job, get married, and settle down. In short, it started out as the classic road trip adventure. Is there any more universal travel dream than just hitting the road and seeing what happens? You don't have to want to ride a motorcycle through Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, and Peru to get inspired to travel by this movie. Its travel-inspiring quality has a wide translation -- a motorhome trip across America, backpacking through Europe, sailing around the Caribbean...whatever will generate that thrill for you of striking out on a mostly unplanned journey and just going with the flow, for better or worse. However, if you are, in fact, interested in South America, this movie showcases a great deal of its vast and sweeping landscapes, traditional colonial villages, elegant modern cities, and surviving indigenous cultures. Despite being a geologically and culturally diverse continent so close to home, with so much to offer its visitors, South America is often forgotten when we're thinking of somewhere exotic to visit -- but it shouldn't, and The Motorcycle Diaries shows us why.
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