Tag: literary travel

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'War Horse' Conquers the Movies, Broadway, Libraries, and Now a Small UK Town

December 27, 2011 at 2:55 PM | by | Comments (0)

With a movie version currently in theaters, a Tony Award-winning play on Broadway, a novel on the best-sellers list and a past SNL parody, War Horse has completely invaded pop culture. But, it has also offered an opportunity to find travel inspiration in all of its various incarnations.

While War Horse (the movie) was filmed at several locations throughout the U.K., including Devon where it is set, none of the movie's locations is more picturesque than the village of Castle Combe in Chippenham. The small village was shut down last fall while Steven Spielberg filmed scenes for the movie outside the Cotswold homes that line its streets.

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Last-Minute Gift Idea: Wonderful, Out of Date Travel Advice

December 23, 2011 at 11:59 AM | by | Comments (0)

Still scrambling for a last-minute gift for your sister/baby-sitter/party hostess/globe-trotting cousin/self? If the person in question loves to travel, pop down to your local bookshop (you know, if you still have one) and ask for a copy of this little gem: Hints to Lady Travellers At Home and Abroad.

Never mind that this all-encompassing travel 'how to' was published in 1889; the advice dispensed by Ms. Lillias Campbell Davidson within proves to be surprisingly prescient. Not to mention entertaining.

The book—reissued this year—is perfectly sized to stuff a stocking or slide into a side pocket of your carry-on. Its bite-sized chapters are organized alphabetically, like so: "Accidents, Apartments, Baths, Boarding-houses, Booking-offices, cabs, cab fares, Cushions..."

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Miami Is All Booked Out This Weekend

November 17, 2011 at 4:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

Don't fret: we're sure there are still rooms available. We're talking books. As in those chunky bound boxes of paper you still occasionally see people reading at the airport. OK, we jest. (And love our Kindle as much as we love a spankin' new hardcover!).

No joke, though: Miami is swarming with authors this weekend--in fact, some of them are already here, as the Miami Book Fair International kicked off on Sunday. (Sorry, kids, you already missed Roseanne Cash and Harry Belafonte. Yes, they sing--but they write books, too!)

The fair's 'money days', however are tomorrow through Sunday, when the big names will be giving readings and sitting on panels to talk about all things lit.

The events are held at Miami Dade College downtown (directions and stuff here) and many of them are free. Some of the headliner events do require tickets (even if they are free), and while some are sold out, you still have a shot of getting in if you head to the door before the event.

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Bump Borges with Fellow Lit-Lovers at Paris' Shakespeare and Co.

Where: 37 Rue Bûcherie, Paris, France
September 23, 2011 at 4:07 PM | by | Comments (0)



This week, Jaunted correspondent Heidi Atwal takes us along to Paris, uncovering the hidden bits found in between sessions of copious macaron and butter consumption. And we do mean copious. Make sure to check in daily for dispatches from the City of Light.

The itinerary of any literary-minded traveler visiting Paris will likely include a shop at Shakespeare and Co., the famed independent, English-language bookshop located just a skip away from Notre Dame. If you've seen Richard Linklater's Before Sunset—a film highly recommended for travel aficionados—you'll remember it as the store where Jesse (Ethan Hawke) runs into his long-lost Vienna sweetheart, Celine (Julie Delpy).

Paris' inherently romantic air, coupled with the likelihood of bumping Borges with an attractive member of the literati, makes for quite the brainy pick-up joint.

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Tour the Real Life Neighborhood That Inspired 'The Help' in Jackson, Mississippi

August 12, 2011 at 11:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

Fans of The Help, the bestselling novel by Kathyrn Stockett, aren't just heading to theaters to see the big screen version; they're also using the book for travel inspiration. The novel is about a group of black housekeepers and the white women who employ them in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, and with the movie opening this weekend Jackson is catering to those who want to immerse themselves into the world of The Help.

The Fairview Inn, mentioned in the book, is offering a new package called "The Help Experience" including overnight accommodations, an authentic southern dinner for 2 at Sophia's Restaurant, Mint Juleps upon arrival, and a Help welcome basket. They will even throw in a deck of cards and instructions for playing Bridge, a favorite pastime of the women in The Help.

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Inside Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport: The World's First Airport Library

August 9, 2011 at 3:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to Amsterdam Week here on Jaunted! Each day, we're coming at ya with a Double Dutch of features: two stories on a city (and its airport) that stuns with its beauty and nearly overwhelms with everything there is to do. Got any Amsterdam tips of your own? Share with us in the comments!

Today at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, we're visiting the Airport Library.

Oh wow. There's actual books without pricetags at Schiphol, and you're free to grab one off the shelf, curl up on a designer chair and enjoy a layover read next to a (fake) fireplace. Welcome to the Airport Library, which Amsterdam Airport claims is the world's first.* Located on Holland Boulevard (the main way between Piers E and F after security in the international departures area (non-Schengen)), the Airport Library is a super popular hideout for the bookish and the tired.

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Climb Aboard East London's Book Barge for Lit-Nerd Delights and 'Bibliotherapy'

Where: Regents Canal, London, United Kingdom
July 26, 2011 at 3:52 PM | by | Comments (0)

Bibliophiles who land in London may find themselves beset with disappointment at the sight of many a so-so bookseller, W.H. Smith and Waterstones among the city's prominent chains. But, as we recently reported, the literary-minded city is also rich with independent shops with a penchant for carefully selecting their stock and giving their customers the kind of knowledgeable, personal attention every proper lit-monger demands.

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Attention Canadians with Cameras: Win a Contest and Live in Vancouver Airport for 80 Days

June 24, 2011 at 2:51 PM | by | Comments (0)

Around the world airport in 80 days—are you up for it? In a crazy move that kinda makes us wish we were Canadian, Vancouver Airport is looking for someone to live in the airport for 80 days from August 17-November 4, telling the airport's "story" through videos.

Have you ever read that small book on airport life—A Week at the Airport—by Alain de Botton? The author spent only a week at London-Heathrow's gleaming Terminal 5, interviewing behind-the-scenes staff, eavesdropping on farewell conversations, contemplating hotel service and physically sitting at a desk in the terminal, writing about it all. The Live@YVR 80-day project seems to be just like Alain's project, just way longer, done in video, and all by Canadians.

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London for Bibliophiles: Three Havens for Bookish Travelers

June 7, 2011 at 4:50 PM | by | Comments (0)


Daunt Books, Marylebone

London is a city of lit-mongers. Its rich literary history earns it cool points among traveling bibliophiles, who flock to the city to seek out Shelley's house in Soho, walk the learned streets of Bloomsbury and generally immerse themselves in its bookish environs.

The city is teeming with bookshops that celebrate all things erudite, stores that avid readers could easily get lost in for hours on end. If you count yourself among this group, then take note of the following three locales: nerd-tested (and we mean that in a good way), Jaunted-approved.

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Much Ado About a Partially Blocked View: Are the Cheap Seats at London's Globe Theatre Worth It?

Where: 21 New Globe Walk, London, Bankside, United Kingdom, SE1 9DT
May 31, 2011 at 12:40 PM | by | Comments (0)

The quintessential London theatre experience, at least for Bard fanatics, is an afternoon or evening at Shakespeare's Globe. In the open-air structure on the Thames' South Bank, visitors take in stripped-down stagings of the classics. There are no elaborate sets, no breathtakingly beautiful costumes, and the most hard-core—or spendthrift—theatregoers will find themselves standing for three hours or more just as their entertainment-hungry counterparts of yesteryear used to in the Yard.

Those who prefer comfort over historical fidelity can sit of course, on tufted cushions if they so choose. Based on our experience sitting in a slightly cheaper section with partially-blocked views, pinpointing a "bad seat in the house" proves challenging. So, good news for those looking to save a bit of cash on tickets. Just remember this Globe isn't actually the original Globe, but that's a factual matter for Wiki-ing.

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Where to Find the World's First (and Only) Store Devoted to Moleskine Notebooks

April 26, 2011 at 4:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

We bet New York, San Francisco and Paris are quite jealous of Shanghai right now. Why? Because earlier this month, the world's first standalone Moleskine notebook store opened in the city's Xintiandi Style Mall. Shanghaiist kindly reminds us that Moleskines are "supposedly the notebook of choice for Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse," but we know them to be equally beloved by contemporary travel writers and creatives as a stylish physical alternative to tapping away on a laptop all the time.

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Don't Check the Seatback; These Airline In-Flight Magazines are on Your iPad

March 24, 2011 at 10:01 AM | by | Comments (0)

Pay attention, because you may never hear us admit this again: in-flight magazines aren't all that bad. Actually, some are quite good! We've been known to actually take them home and read the articles or—gasp—rip out pages and magnet them to our fridge for future reference. If you're a closet fan of in-flight magazines like we are, then this is your time, friend; more and more airlines are moving their print rags to be in more than just your seat-back pocket, but in your iPad too (and iPad 2).

Here's the airlines and their iTunes-downloadable iPad magazines:

United/Continental Hemispheres: This is the newest player on the scene, as the merger airline only launched their iPad version earlier this month. March is the first issue, featuring the Mexican Riviera and Peru's culinary scene. Happily it makes great use of iPad's interactive features, allowing for 360-degree image views, videos and direct links to buy advertised products (of course advertised creatively). Hemisphere is free to download direct from iTunes HERE.

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