The term ‘dark tourism’ is generally thought to have first been coined by UK academics John Lennon and Malcolm Foley in the mid-1990s. They were the first to publish a book on the subject, ‘Dark Tourism: The Attraction of Death and Disaster’ in 2000, which explores the rise of this phenomenon in the late 20th … Read more about Dark tourism, tours and DIY how-to guides
Now, you know I’m not a fan of guides (see this post) and my recent observation of a tour guide who stopped at each key sight at the Roman Forum to read passages from a guidebook to her bored tour group only reaffirmed many of my beliefs on guides and guided tours. Yet Context Travel … Read more about Putting context back into travel, OR why contextualizing travel is cool
I have a secret: despite writing and contributing to some 25 Lonely Planet guidebooks, I have to admit I’ve always preferred using Rough Guides – primarily for their fantastic Contexts chapters at the back of the books. While many guidebook publishers have been cutting back on word counts in the history, politics and culture chapters of … Read more about Enriching the experience of travel: it’s all about context
If you’ve visited the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel in Rome, then you probably did so with thousands of other people – or, to be more precise, tens of thousands. The attraction is a magnet for a mindbogglingly 25,000 people a day. The hours of waiting in the inconceivably long line that stretches around the huge … Read more about The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel after hours: the only way to go
I’m converted. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. I can now reveal I’m addicted to cool guided tours. My definition? Enriching, focused, well thought-out, specialized tours to compelling places with small groups (so miniscule you can remember everyone’s names), led by super qualified and highly specialized guides who are as fascinating as the places … Read more about When guided tours are close to spiritual experiences: I’ve been converted