Tag: Political Travel

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Holiday in Ho Chi Minh City: Realities of Visiting a Communist Country

May 2, 2013 at 11:55 AM | by | Comments (3)

There's no question that traveling to a country that doesn't share your motherland's political persuasion can be a little daunting, but since when is travel about revisiting the everyday? Our recent trip to Vietnam proved quite the wake-up, even though rocking up to passport control with an American passport is no longer anything to be worried about. Once granted entry, we were officially on Communist soil.

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In Phnom Penh: What is the Genocide Museum and Should You Visit?

April 24, 2013 at 5:27 PM | by | Comments (0)

Usually we're pretty light-hearted when we travel because we simply love to explore new and exciting things. Eventually something does comes along, however, which shakes our soul and moves us in way that few other things have. Our recent exploration of Phnom Penh came with one of those moments while visiting the Genocide Museum. Vacations are supposed to full of good memories and a museum visit like this one doesn't sound too fun, but please stay with us; it's worth it.

Here's a little background before we get into our take on the grounds: back in April of 1975, Cambodia was in the thick of a government run by the political party of Democratic Kampuchea, led by the infamous Pol Pot. During this time, the security office S21 was created from a former primary school campus of four buildings, with the purpose of detaining Cambodian citizens considered a threat to the Communist movement, primarily those with education.

If you're thinking, "this can't end well," you're right.

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The Romney and Ryan Campaign Planes Need More Than a Little Febreze

November 7, 2012 at 12:09 PM | by | Comments (0)

Is it wrong that, last night during the rolling in of Election 2012 results, we kept wondering who'd be the one to get Air Force One? A private 747 with the interior perks and history of AF1 is just one bonus of the presidency of course, but there's no doubting that Romney was hoping to upgrade his MD-83 campaign plane to the big one last night. Luckily Obama stays in the captain's seat (in the figurative sense).

Win or lose, Romney's plane still had to go back to the hangar at the conclusion of his campaign, and BusinessWeek has a fantastic article up on how exactly the lessor, USA Jets, will go about "de-Romneying" the plane before it may fly for another private client. We're going to guess that means peeling off the sticky-tack used to mount these photos over the windows (which definitely do not open in flight for a reason, MR).

Do read the full article, but we're still going to share some favorite passages:

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Got Election Fatigue? Five Countries for Escaping Political Ads

November 6, 2012 at 1:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

Today's the day. Election Day. By tonight, the United States will (hopefully) have a decision on who will become the next President of the United States and the mud-slinging political commercials and phone calls and junk mail will come to an end...until the next election. Still, we cannot wait for the campaigns to shut up.

If you're living in a battleground state like Ohio or Florida, then you need a vacation from the rhetoric—a real vacation. Maybe head to one of these countries that do not hold elections for their top spot:

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One More Thing to Check for on Rental Cars: Political Bumper Stickers

November 1, 2012 at 2:01 PM | by | Comments (0)

When you pick up a rental car it’s always a challenge. Even if the process goes smoothly there's always some little but of stress to complicate matters. Whether it's what kind of car you’re going to get, checking for previous damages, figuring out driving routes...the list goes on. Now there’s apparently one more thing to look for when doing your rental car walk around, as you’re going to need to check the back for political bumper stickers.

We couldn’t care less if you throw a bumper sticker onto the back of your personal car, but when someone else is doing so on your rental car it’s a different story. Apparently that’s exactly what’s happening at one Thrifty outlet in Buffalo, New York, as renters haven’t been too thrilled with seeing “Vote for the American” bumper stickers on their cars.

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JetBlue Gives a Damn Fine Reason to Get Out and Vote

October 3, 2012 at 12:14 PM | by | Comments (0)


That is some seriously sexy graphic design right there

Are you ready for some presidential debating?! JetBlue sure is, as they've just launched a new promotion and contest called "Election Protection."

First off, go to the promo website and log in using Facebook. Declare yourself a Democrat or Republican (info which will not be shared) and choose your favorite destination from the dots on the map (pictured below). Then, after the Presidential Election on November 6, a whopping 1,006 contest entrants will win a roundtrip flight to that destination of their choice. The idea is that, should the candidate you voted for lose, you'll be heading straight out of the country. But trust that even if your candidate wins, you aren't disqualified from the contest.

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Traveling on Election Day? Register Now So You Can Still Vote

August 29, 2012 at 11:03 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you're a US citizen and you'll be traveling overseas during the US 2012 election, have you yet registered to vote by absentee ballot?

The big election date is Tuesday, November 6th, and you'd better get cracking if you don't want to lose the chance to tick the box you like best.

Even if your home isn't in a battleground state, House and Senate seats are up for grabs, so every vote counts. Fortunately, it only takes five minutes to fill out the forms online and mail them off!

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Trying to Get Your Chinese Visa for Upcoming Travel? Try Harder.

Where: China
August 21, 2012 at 10:16 AM | by | Comments (2)

Isn't it just the worst when you've taken a chunk out of your day and money out of the ATM to head on over to the Chinese consulate to get your Chinese Visa paperwork submitted, and then find out you've filled out the wrong form? #worldtravelerproblems

Even if this hasn't happened to you, it most likely will at some point because scoring that necessary visa for travel to China is only getting more convoluted with the addition of extra documentation.

Up until recently, Americans with China travel on the horizon needed only to complete a form, turn in their passport (valid for at least another 6 months), turn in a 2x2" passport photo and $140, then make it over to China within 90 days of the issuing of the Tourist Visa to keep it valid for the year. On August 1, new requirements came into effect and now you'll not only have to be ready with all of the above, but also provide the following:

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Let's Talk Tallinn: 'There is Nothing Here' in the KGB Museum

July 11, 2012 at 4:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Who goes to Estonia?! Well, our roaming correspondent John Walton does and, all this week, he'll be filling us in on what's up way up there in this world capital on the Baltic Sea.

We love hotels, we love museums...but the KGB Museum inside Tallinn's landmark Hotel Viru takes the hideous Soviet-era cake, and it's the best €7 we spent in Tallinn. (The museum, not the cake.)

Back in the days of the USSR, the top floor of the hotel was used as a KGB listening post. While much of the equipment was spirited away when Estonia became an independent state, there's still a fascinating amount of stuff up there.

It seems odd to be talking about a smell being part of history, but wait until you sniff the "Soviet Smell" as you walk into the old "photocopying room," which now holds all kinds of fascinating memorabilia from the days of the USSR. Don't miss the Complaints Book and the identical death notices for Andropov and Brezhnev.

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President Herbert Hoover Honeymooned on a Cruise

July 9, 2012 at 10:25 AM | by | Comments (0)


The Hoover wedding

The month of June may be over, but the slew of summer weddings is far from following. While tuxedo rental places charge peak prices and caterers artfully fold cloth napkins, we're wondering where all these newlyweds are heading on their honeymoons. Odds are that tropical islands are at the top of the list, but what about places like Ohio or Georgia?

These were the hotspots for Presidential honeymoons, according to an exhaustive list by The Awl that names the known honeymoon destinations of all 44 US presidents and their wives.

It's absolutely worth a full look, but here's our favorite:

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Chen Guangcheng Flew to the United States in Style, Sort Of

Where: China
May 21, 2012 at 3:46 PM | by | Comment (1)

United Airlines Flight 88 is a direct, 12.5 hour Beijing-PEK to Newark-EWR flight flown by a Boeing 777-200. Seatguru says that United's particular 777-200 configuration has 8 First Class Suites, 40 new Business class flatbed seats, and a 3-3-3 configuration in economy. So far it just sounds like your average trans-Pacific flight, right? There's comfy accommodations in first and business class, and an economy cabin where people wake up 8 hours into the trip, realize they've still got 1/3 of the flight to go, and want to kill themselves.

But last Saturday this very route became a focus of international attention. It was boarded just before takeoff by blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng (in a wheelchair), plus his wife and their two children. The family had been driven across the tarmac by Chinese officials and deposited into an elevator, which took them up to the skywalk and onto the plane.

The mini-drama marked the beginning of the end of a standoff between American and Chinese diplomats, stretching back to last month when Chen escaped the Chinese guards who were keeping him under house arrest—as China likes to do with "dissidents"—and fled to the U.S. embassy.

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Don't Be Late for NATO! Aussie Prime Minister's Plane Breaks Down

May 21, 2012 at 8:15 AM | by | Comments (0)

We have all been there. Traveling on our way to a very important meeting or even a well deserved holiday, and we can't even get off the ground due to a mechanical issue. It is so frustrating, yet just something we have to deal with. And, hey! It even happen to dignitaries! Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard found herself in the very same situation this last weekend.

The PM was planning to leave from Townsville, in the northern part of the continent, on her way to the NATO summit in Chicago, but her plane had engine trouble and their departure time was pushed back as a replacement Boeing 737 business jet was sent from the capital, Canberra. In the end it only delayed her four hours, but made international headlines.

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