On this week’s ‘Not My Job’ segment of the socially-distanced NPR quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the guest is Kellee Edwards – pilot, scuba diver, sailor and explorer – and host of the Travel Channel series, “Mysterious Islands.” She has a fun, enthusiastic conversation with host Peter Sagal about her adventuring, survival skills – and especially being a pilot and able to fly around to different places during the pandemic.
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Gallup released its latest poll, and Trump's approval was down to 38%. What's notable about this, beyond being so low, especially four months before an election, is that Gallup's results have been higher than most other pollsters over the past six months. They even had him at 49% as recently as May. So...we'll see.
It's not terribly surprising, of course, give how completely completely nuts the administration has gone. And yes, I know that's a subjective term, but consider the four issues Trump and the RNC were talking about yesterday -- four months before the election, in the middle of a pandemic, with massive unemployment, national social change and Russians bounties. There was Trump’s tweet that NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace should apologize for a noose being found in his driving team's garage, another tweet about how unfair it was for sports teams to change their nicknames from ones that are racist, the RNC slamming Joe Biden for his “assault” on the Declaration of Independence by him writing an op-ed that refers to “all people are created equal” rather than “all men.” (All that was missing was for spokesperson Liz Harrington -- say, a woman said that -- to have started her complaint with, "Hey, Ladies!") And the White House Press Secretary proudly proclaiming that the world looks at the United States as the leader in COVID-19. Yes, honest, she said that, without even a hint of irony. With their approval plummeting to 38%, these were the issues the administration thinks are winners that will expand their base. In a pandemic. With massive unemployment. Amid national social change. And a Russian bounty scandal. And as a bonus note: the upcoming book by Trump’s niece has gotten so much attention that the publisher announced they had moved up release two weeks to July 14. Happy Bastille Day! But rather than spin the Trump Wheel o' Wonder and pick a topic wherever the dial lands, I've decided to take a look, not at the news of the day, but a very interesting article about one area that is affected by it all. And an area that, on the surface, seems somewhat limited in its scope, but actually has much wider implications. On the heels of my vacation over the weekend to my guest room -- and yes, I've recovered from jet lag for anyone curious -- here is an excellent interview in the Washington Post with travel expert Rick Steves, who has spent most of his adult life traveling through Europe, writing about it and leading tours. His observations on the future of travel are insightful and honest, not being overly pessimistic or optimistic, but how things will adjust to changing realities. For Steves, travel isn't just about seeing the sites, but even more it's the human experience, interacting with other cultures, having a beer in an Irish pub and chatting with the locals next to you, getting a kiss on the cheek in France, making it all accessible to everyone, and that's what he sees most impacted. "The only way somebody can have a quality experience is to pack the house," he says. "You’ve got to pack the theater. You’ve got to pack the bus. You’ve got a pack the airplane. You got to pack the hotel because then you can generate enough revenue to provide a service that’s top notch. If you have to have every other seat filled, you’ve got half the revenue. So the little mom-and-pop restaurants that I love to feature, if they can only have 50 percent capacity, they can’t pay their rent. And that’s what scares me. "If the airlines can only put half as many people on the plane, it’s going to cost us all double. Then travel becomes an activity just for wealthy people. And I’ve always wanted travel to be affordable and accessible to people who just, you know, are reasonably employed but not necessarily wealthy." He also draws an interesting connection to travel and the necessity of people staying at home, and why in today's world that isn't and should be a luxury but important to all. "Travel is the best way to get to know your neighbor," he explains. "If a community is going to function, you need to know and respect your neighbors, need to trust your neighbors. You need to collaborate and work together. That’s not just a community thing. Community is global now. That’s a scary thought for a lot of people, especially people who don’t travel, who are afraid of people who are different. "When you travel, you celebrate diversity. When you travel, you’re not afraid." You can read the whole interview by Natalie B. Compton, my favorite travel writer for the paper, here. Or "Around the World in in 800 Minutes."
I had a brainstorm last night and after over four months here sheltering at home, I finally decided to travel and take a vacation. I'm back. My plans began when I realized that I have a guest room and a bed that has never been used. I only moved to my new place a year or so ago, from a one bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom condo. And though I'm largely settled in now, there are still features I'm getting used to. And having a guest room is one of them. Anyway, upon that realization, that I had someplace to travel to, I began my itinerary. Instead of the dining room, I had dinner al fresco on my porch. (I didn't have a porch before, so I still don't use it as much as I should -- though it was one of the features I required when looking for a place. Glad I did!) I then watched my favorite world travel-food series on Netflix. (Somebody Feed Phil. It’s great. The episode last night took me to Saigon and was a total joy.) Beforehand, I also put a little piece of chocolate on the pillow in the guest room to wait for me (really). I packed my world atlas and lounged in the guest room browsing around the globe. And spent the rest of the night watching the local television to see how people from that part of the world lived. And in the morning, I used the guest room bathroom that was fully stocked. I traveled home this morning and can give the report. I look forward to future trip. A couple weeks ago, I wrote here about my friend, novelist and ad litem children's advocate Gay Courter who was quarantined on the Diamond Princess with her husband Phil. The happy news is that they're well and finally back home. Huzzah. She said it all played out like a B-movie and even had a crazy ending. As Gay explained, "When the mayor of San Antonio said we radioactive zombies couldn’t enter his town, one of my travel insurance policies went into effect and they sent a private jet to take us home. That part was fun." There's sort of an an odd bonus ending to the tale, as well. During the quarantine, the cruise line put out a notice on behalf of the passengers, which I came across on their website when trying to track down news of the Courters' status. It said --
“Because of the extraordinary circumstances onboard Diamond Princess, the company is refunding the full cruise fare for all guests including air travel, hotel, ground transportation, pre-paid shore excursions, gratuities and other items. In addition, guests are not being charged for any onboard incidental charges during the additional time onboard. Princess Cruises will also provide guests with a future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare paid for the voyage." I thought, boy, was that ever clever of Gay and Phil. The lengths some people will go to get out of paying for a cruise. And get another for free! Mind you, I'm not sure if going on another cruise is high on their list, at least for now. But perhaps in the future. After all, they have it in writing, and as Gay wrote back, "Yes, now they are stuck with the deal!" We have one final (at least for the time being...) of those wonderful air safety videos that are shown on Air New Zealand flights. The classic gems are those that deal with Hobbits and Middle Earth, but the others are wonderful in their own right. This one, titled "Summer of Safety," would be a total treat compared to most any other airline's efforts, though compared to the others from Air New Zealand it will have few touchstones for most travelers (and viewers...) from other countries, since it features celebrities from New Zealand. But supermodel Rachel Hunter should be familiar to many Let's check in and head back down to New Zealand for another of those oddball and absolutely wonderful in-flight safety videos for Air New Zealand. This one is called "Safety Old School Style" and stars Betty White, along with some guests. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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