While doing some research for some upcoming posts, I kept stumbling over the term “dark tourism.”  I had never heard of it before, but it is defined as: Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. At first, I found the thought gruesome, and couldn’t imagine why it would appeal to any traveler.  But, the more I thought about it, I realized that I had myself visited and written about sites that were considered dark tourism. Dark Tourism would include travel to battlefields (such as Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Normandy), Cemeteries and Grave sites (such as Ground Zero, Auschwitz, Arlington Cemetery, Jimi Hendrix grave), Prisons, Castles, and Monuments or Memorials to the Dead (WWII Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Astronaut Memorial). For […]

In keeping with this week’s theme of Geography Awareness, I continue with my exploration of travel destinations on all seven continents.  Yesterday was Antarctica, and today, I head off for Asia. . . and the Maldives. The Maldives (more officially the Republic of Maldives), is located in the Indian Ocean south of India and southwest of Sri Lanka.  It is an island nation, the smallest smallest of the Asian countries in terms of population, and is home to spectacular beaches. Tourism plays a key part of the Maldive economy, and the country now boasts luxurious tropical resorts.  A typical resort is situated on a private lagoon, and often a private island.  Many times lodging will consists of a building on stilts in the middle of the water, or a cottage on a sandy beach.  The water is that beautiful azure […]

I was reading the other day that more and more people are foregoing their annual vacation.  Some are choosing to work through vacation, opting to get paid out for their vacation days.  Other people are continuing to work, just letting vacation accrue in their leave accounts, some at the risk of “using or losing” days.  Some people don’t want to lose time away from the “fast track” by taking vacation, believing they are showing loyalty to their job and company by staying at their desks.  Still others take time away from work, but work on projects at home rather than taking any actual vacation. To take, or not take, your vacation time has become the subject of numerous studies, leading to a variety of articles and books written on the topic. And guess what?  It turns out that taking a […]

Growing up, I lived a couple hours north of Seattle.  While that doesn’t seem very far of a drive by today’s standards, back then, the trip involved a great deal of logistical planning, and was one my family took only a few times a year. A couple of favorite places that we would go included the Woodland Park Zoo, the Museum of History and Industry, and to the Waterfront, with dinner at Ivar’s Acres of Clams.  We usually managed, after pleas from us kids, to find time to visit Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. The shop was compelling in an odd, freak-show kind of way.  Perfect for kids in that pre-teen age bracket.  It had been there forever, we thought, and its wear and tear made it comfortable and appealing.  The store has actually been there for over 107 years, so as […]