6 1/2 Magic Hours

What's weird about this film? The fact that once upon a time, air travel was sexy, easy and fun!

Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 18, 2010 - Comments (5)
Category: Travel, Documentaries, 1950s

Visit the Strange

Looking for an unusual vacation spot? Then you might consider one of eight strange destinations as listed in this article on the Matador Network. There's Mount Thor (pictured), in Nunavut, Canada which has the highest (4101ft) vertical drop, if you're into rock climbing... or falling, as the case may be. Or you can swing by the Principality of Sealand which is nothing more than several gun platforms in the English Channel that were abandoned by the British after World War II. It was declared an independent nation in 1967 and has its own currency and can issue passports and visas. Sealand is also for sale, if you ever dreamt of owning your own country, and let's face it, all of us here at WU have had that dream I'm sure. But no matter where you might want to go in the world, this list could be a great starting point.

Posted By: Nethie - Sat Dec 19, 2009 - Comments (2)
Category: Geography and Maps, Nature, Travel, World

Amazing and Unusual USA

This new guidebook certainly seems as if it would make a fine Xmas present for your favorite WU-vie!

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 04, 2009 - Comments (2)
Category: Pop Culture, Regionalism, Travel, Landmarks, Sightseeing, Books

Oasis of the Seas

A cruise ship that holds "6,360 passengers and 2,160 crew"...? Now, that's pretty weird.

Read about the launch of the ship here. Then watch the official promotional video.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 02, 2009 - Comments (13)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Recreation, Technology, Travel, Sightseeing, World Records

Globetrotters Costume Party

Here is a history of The Globetrotters Club, which is still in operation today.

Shortly after their founding, in 1947, they threw a costume party, pictured here.

I hope such events are still part of their activities.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 20, 2009 - Comments (10)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Eccentrics, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Pop Culture, Travel, Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, Dogs, 1940s

An Orchestra of Motion

When I was very little, growing up in a small suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most exciting things to do was to sit outside the barber shop and wait for the train to roll through town. Some people might say that would be as boring as watching grass grow, but they are not "railfans". So what's a railfan? The people who camp out for hours, and even days, to watch a train go by. According to Train Magazine, there are over 175,000 railfans in the United States and more than 24,000 railfan videos on YouTube. Bill Taylor, from Montana, sums it up the best by saying "It's an orchestra of motion." Learn more about railfans here.

Posted By: Nethie - Sun May 10, 2009 - Comments (6)
Category: Eccentrics, Obsessions, Travel, Trains

Sick Human Detector

A Belgian company has filed a patent for an invention designed to detect sick travelers in airports. They call it a device for the "RECOGNITION AND LOCALISATION OF PATHOLOGIC ANIMAL AND HUMAN SOUNDS."

The idea is to place microphones around airports that will zero in on the sound of people coughing. The people hacking their lungs out can then be prevented from boarding a plane. A less controversial use of the technology is to detect sick pigs in pig pens.

Can people be stopped from traveling because they have a cold? I've never seen that done, but I'd like it (despite the inconvenience to the sick people) 'cause otherwise they infect everyone else on the plane. Though of course, if I were the one kicked off a plane I'd be seeing red. (via New Scientist)

Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 17, 2009 - Comments (10)
Category: Health, Disease, Inventions, Patents, Travel

High-Speed Bus

How would you like to look in your rear-view mirror and see this thing coming up behind you fast? Since America can't seem to get its act together to build high-speed trains, maybe we could have high-speed buses instead. From Popular Science, October 1930:

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 22, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Travel, 1930s

How to Ride a Train for Free

Popular Mechanics, Jan 1911, offers some tips on how to be a "hobo tourist":

Riding between cars -- dangerous


On the springs -- risky


The Blind Baggage Method -- a favorite


Under the Vestibule Door -- greatly in favor


On the pilot -- warm on a cold day.


Across a plank between the rods -- gritty and perilous

Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 30, 2008 - Comments (11)
Category: Travel

The Balloon Chair

I'd like to use this the next time I travel by airplane. From Popular Science, Sep 1937:

There are more details about it in the Oct 1937 issue of Popular Science.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 13, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Travel