The Practical Nomad: Edward Hasbrouck's blog: The Amazing Race

The Amazing Race

Wednesday, 1 May 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 8

Montevideo (Uruguay) - Bridgetown (Barbados) The most direct routes from Montevideo to Bridgetown by scheduled airline are via Panama City, and the fastest routes (significantly longer but with more frequent service) are via Miami. The plane chartered by the TV producers for the cast and crew of The Amazing Race... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 May 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 24 April 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 7

Córdoba (Argentina) - Montevideo (Uruguay) It's been twenty years since The Amazing Race made its only previous visit to Uruguay in Season 5, despite multiple visits by to neighboring countries by the world travel "reality"-TV show. That's in line with patterns of real-world travel, especially backpacker travel. As the wealthiest... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 April 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 17 April 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 6

Santiago (Chile) - Córdoba (Argentina) [Looking west from central Córdoba over the Palacio de Tribunales (law courts) toward the Sierras] Córdoba shares several characteristics with other provincial "second cities" that are overshadowed by much larger national capitals. It's rarely a primary destination for visits by foreign tourists, who typically pass... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 April 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 10 April 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 5

Medellín (Colombia) - Santiago (Chile) The cast and crew of The Amazing Race were flown by chartered plane, off camera, from Medellín to Santiago (with a refueling stop in Lima, Peru, the largest aviation hub in northern South America). So everything we saw in this episode took place in and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 April 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 3 April 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 4

Guatapé (Colombia) - Medellín (Colombia) Colombia was an apt destination to include in this season of The Amazing Race. It's one of the destinations (along with Mexico, which the reality-TV show visited earlier in this season) that most increased its share of international visitors even during and after the COVID-19... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 April 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 3

Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) - Medellín (Colombia) - Guatapé (Colombia) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 36 was set in and around Guatapé, a tourism-dominated town that's a popular excursion or weekend getaway from the city of Medellín, two hours away by bus. The marquee attraction in Guatapé is "El... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 March 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 2

Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) Like the season premiere last week, this second episode of The Amazing Race 36 took place entirely in Puerto Vallarta -- but in an even smaller area, with the cast members travelling from each checkpoint or challenge to the next entirely on foot. Without maps, or with... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 March 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 13 March 2024

The Amazing Race 36, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico For season 36 of The Amazing Race, filmed in October 2022, the producers of the "reality" TV show once again chartered a plane to fly the cast and crew between stops. The starting line and this entire first leg of the race... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 March 2024, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 13 December 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 11

Dublin (Ireland) - SeaTac, WA (USA) - Seattle, WA (USA) - Kenmore, WA (USA) - Redmond, WA (USA) For their final challenge, the contestants on The Amazing Race 35 had to arrange catch phrases representing the things they had done in each country they visited, and photos of the local... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 December 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 6 December 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 10

Stockholm (Sweden) - Dublin (Ireland) [Map from FlightConnections.com of Ryanair routes to and from Dublin (DUB), including flights between Dublin and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN).] The unmentioned anti-hero of this episode of The Amazing Race 35 was the Dublin-based ultra-low-fare airline Ryanair. In a product placement for the online travel... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 December 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 29 November 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 9

Socerb (Slovenia) - Stockholm (Sweden) [Apartment buildings and boat docks along one of the canals near the center of Stockholm, a few weeks before The Amazing Race 35 visited Stockholm.] The Amazing Race 35 arrived in Sweden a few days after the summer solstice, and one of their tasks in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 November 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 22 November 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 8

Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Postojna (Slovenia) - Piran (Slovenia) - Socerb (Slovenia) [Congress Square in Ljubljana was the first "pit stop" in Slovenia for The Amazing Race.] Only time will tell, but the most recent two episodes of The Amazing Race 35 may turn out to have given international tourism to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 November 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 15 November 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 7

Cologne (Germany) - Frankfurt (Germany) - Vienna (Austria) - Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Lake Bled (Slovenia) - Planica (Slovenia) - Ljubljana (Slovenia) [Waiting for the morning train to Ljubljana on the platform at Meidling Station, Vienna.] "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" The producers of The Amazing Race are trying to make a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 November 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 8 November 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 6

Jaipur (India) - Frankfurt (Germany) - Burg Rheinstein (Germany) - Cologne (Germany) [Castles and wine terraces above the Rhine River.] The 49-Euro "Deutschland-Ticket" for travel in Germany [Click here to skip the discussion of "The Amazing Race" and jump to my FAQ about the Deutschland-Ticket.] Germany has long been known... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 November 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 5

Jaipur (India) This episode of The Amazing Race 35 reprised variations on tasks that have been assigned to contestants in previous seasons of the reality-TV travel show. Each pair of racers had to maneuver a motorized auto-rickshaw through heavy traffic, in a task similar to what the racers had to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 November 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 25 October 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 4

Can Tho (Vietnam) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Jaipur (India) Airline routes and connecting flights The first task for the cast of The Amazing Race in this episode was to fly from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Jaipur (Rajasthan), India. That's an interesting challenge, given that there... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 October 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 18 October 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 3

Nakhon Pathom (Thailand) - Bangkok (Thailand - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Can Tho (Vietnam) What happened to travel agencies? At the start of this two-part episode of The Amazing Race, the pairs of cast members are told to go to a travel agency to book flights from Bangkok... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 October 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 2

Bangkok (Thailand) - Nakhon Pathom (Thailand) I wasn't in Thailand this week. I was representing the National Writers Union and the International Federation of Journalists at a conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, where it wasn't easy to watch this episode of The Amazing Race -- at least not legally. [One of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 October 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 27 September 2023

The Amazing Race 35, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Bangkok (Thailand) Broadcasts of Season 35 of The Amazing Race began this week, with some changes and some reversions to pre-pandemic form for the around-the-world travel "reality" television show. Sheridan and Alexandra, the first pair of racers to be eliminated, were among those cast members... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 September 2023, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 7 December 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 11

Keflavik, Iceland - Lynchburg, TN (USA) - Nashville, TN (USA) Travelling around the world... without travelling around the world [Moules-frites and an Alfoncine Brune beer (an organic dark Belgian triple) at Le Zinneke, Brussels, 23 October 2022. My first meal in an indoor restaurant since 11 March 2020.] The Amazing... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 December 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 10

Malaga (Spain) - Keflavik (Iceland)- Sólheimajökull Glacier (Iceland) - Thingvellir National Park (Iceland) - Gullfoss (Iceland) The best decision made by any of cast members during this week's episode of The Amazing Race 34 in Iceland may have been the choice by David and Aubrey to take a two-hour penalty... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 November 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 9

Malaga (Spain) - Ronda (Spain) What to do where cash isn't king One of the trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has been the reduced acceptance of cash as a form of payment. Earlier in this season of The Amazing Race, for example, Molly and Emily made a wrong turn... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 November 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 8

Toulouse (France) - Malaga (Spain) The Amazing Race 34 left Toulouse without a visit to, or mention of, the major reason Toulouse attracts tourists. In some cities, that wouldn't be a bad thing. Tourists have diverse interests, and I've enjoyed visits to places where I never went near any of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 November 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 9 November 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 7

Domme (France) - Toulouse (France) A case study in COVID-19, travel, and insurance Master of ceremonies Phil Keoghan sends off the racers at the start of each season of The Amazing Race with the line, "Travel safe!" But what does that mean? And is it even possible? My previous couple... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 November 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 2 November 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 6

Amman (Jordan) - Toulouse (France) - Château de Beynac (France) - Château de Commargue (France) - Domme (France) Face masks ("elastomeric respirators") for safer travel [On the Thalys high-speed train between Schiphol Airport and Brussels.] As I noted last week, one team of contestants on The Amazing Race 34 was... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 November 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Wednesday, 26 October 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 5

Amman (Jordan) COVID-19 testing [Vending machine at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. The top row, left to right, has either a pack of five FFP2 face masks (FFP2 is the European standard equivalent to N95 in the USA) or a COVID-19 fast antigen self-test, either for EUR2.99 (approximately US$3).] Will and Abby... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 4

Florence (Italy) - Aqaba (Jordan) - Wadi Rum (Jordan) - Petra (Jordan) [Ad for Royal Jordanian Airlines and travel to Jordan in a station on the new Elizabeth Line of the London Underground.] Phil Keoghan welcomed the cast of The Amazing Race 34 onto their chartered jet flight from Florence... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 October 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 12 October 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 3

Innsbruck (Austria) - Bologna (Italy) - Florence (Italy) Travel, the autism spectrum, and the pandemic Have you ever been in the middle of a big trip and thought, "I just want to go home"? That's what happened to Sharik near the end of an especially long day of navigation, driving,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 October 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (6)

Wednesday, 28 September 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 2

Munich, Bavaria (Germany) - Innsbruck (Austria) Filming of The Amazing Race was interrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the middle of the previous season of the reality-TV show about travel around the world, just as broadcasts of the first season of the show were interrupted, just days after the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 September 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 21 September 2022

The Amazing Race 34, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Munich, Bavaria (Germany) The "new normal" of post-pandemic, COVID-endemic travel [Claire and Derek, who finished first in the opening leg of The Amazing Race 34, assemble the puzzle pieces of a clue to their next destination on the roof of their rental car in Munich.]... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 September 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 2 March 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 9

Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Greece) - Lisbon (Portugal) - Almada (Portugal) - Setúbal (Portugal) - Sesimbra (Portugal) - Lisbon (Portugal) - Portsmouth, NH (USA) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Carson, CA (USA) [Lisbon city center and port, as seen beyond the Ponte 25 de Abril from the Belem-Porto Brandão ferry. So... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 March 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 8

Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Greece) [Skateboarders at the base of the White Tower in Thessaloniki, which was the finish line of this leg of The Amazing Race 33.] I watched this episode of The Amazing Race 33 with my stepfather, whose Greek-speaking and Greek-identified parents came to the USA as refugees from... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 February 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 16 February 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 7

Bonifacio, Corsica (France) - Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Greece) [The original tree-sitter: St. David the Dendrite (tree-dweller), patron saint of Thessaloniki for Orthodox Christians. Note the spelling of "David of Thessaloniki" in Greek in the upper right corner of the fresco. This episode of The Amazing Race 33 included a lecture and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 February 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 9 February 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 6

Corte, Corsica (France) - Zonza, Corsica (France) - Bonifacio, Corsica (France) I talked last week about the complications of getting to and from Corsica during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, with The Amazing Race 33 still exploring this island in the Western Mediterranean, we got to see more of what... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 February 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 2 February 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 5

Lugano (Switzerland) - Milan (Italy) - Bastia, Corsica (France) - Altiani, Corsica (France) - Corte, Corsica (France) If you are travelling around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, what places will you choose to visit? What health measures and related red tape will travel require? What will travel across international... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 February 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 26 January 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 4

Altstätten (Switzerland) - Ticino (Switzerland) - Lugano (Switzerland) [Algérie Ferries trans-Mediterranean overnight ocean liner from Algiers steams past the Château d'If toward the entrance to the harbor at Marseille, France. There are surprisingly few direct flights between Marseilles and the Maghreb, and I think there's a viable market for more... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 January 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 3

St. Gallen (Switzerland) - Schwägalp (Switzerland) - Säntis (Switzerland) - Urnäsch (Switzerland)- Altstätten (Switzerland) [Cast of The Amazing Race 33 boarding specially-repainted chartered Boeing 757 for flight from Los Angeles (LAX) via Halifax (YHZ) to Zurich (ZRH).] [Newly-repainted Northern Pacific Airways Boeing 757 being refurbished at San Bernardino airport (SBD).]... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 January 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Wednesday, 12 January 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 2

London, England (U.K.) - Glasgow, Scotland (U.K.) [Cross-border Passenger Rail Services (from New Action Plan: boosting long-distance and cross-border passenger rail, European Commission, 14 December 2021)] This week's episode of The Amazing Race 33 was filmed at the end of February 2020, just before the production was suspended and the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 January 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Wednesday, 5 January 2022

The Amazing Race 33, Episode 1

USA - London, England (U.K.) Maybe you're not sure if you are ready for travel, much less for international travel, long-haul flights, or a trip around the world. But the new season of The Amazing Race is a chance to explore these ideas and clarify our own (revised) travel goals,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 January 2022, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 10

Manila (Philippines) - New Orleans, LA (USA) The Amazing Race 32 finished on the 50-yard line of the football field inside the New Orleans Superdome, with Will asking his partner James to marry him, and James saying, "Yes," immediately after they won the million-dollar prize for finishing first in this... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 December 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 9

Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Manila (Philippines) The most interesting aspect of this week's episode of The Amazing Race 32 was what was said at the finish line by DeAngelo Williams, one of the pair of racers who finished last and was eliminated. "Any regrets about coming on the race?" host... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 December 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 8

Hyderabad, Telangana (India) - Siem Reap (Cambodia) How do you get to, or from, Hyderabad? From the first season of The Amazing Race, choices of airlines, routes, and connections were often decisive in the order of finish, and scenes in travel agencies, at airline ticket counters, and debating choices of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 December 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 25 November 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 7

Almaty (Qazakstan) - Hyderabad, Telangana (India) Visiting Friends and Relatives: Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Travel Trends and Predictions More than a million people a day went through TSA checkpoints in the run-up to Thanksgiving. This is less than half the daily number last year, but more than ten times that in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 November 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 6

Paris (France) - Berlin (Germany) - Almaty (Qazaqstan) The first challenge for the contestants on this double episode of The Amazing Race, starting out from Paris after midnight, was to figure out the fastest way to get to Berlin, by train, in the middle of the night. Given the quality... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 November 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 11 November 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 5

Asunción (Paraguay) - Roissy (France) - Chantilly (France) - Paris (France) This week the key challenges for the cast of The Amazing Race 32 involved driving and navigating in and around Paris. Some teams had difficulty driving stick-shift cars, while others lost hours (six and a half hours (!) in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 November 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 4 November 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 4

Manaus (Brazil) - Asunción (Paraguay) The first task for the contestants on The Amazing Race 32 once they arrived in Asunción was as characteristically Paraguayan as possible: preparing "tereré". Tereré is a cold-brewed herb tea made primarily with "yerba mate" in a manner similar to the way mate is made... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 November 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 3

Bogotá (Colombia) - Manaus (Brazil) Tourists who go to Manaus as the gateway to the "wilderness" of Amazonia, as the contestants on The Amazing Race 32 did this week, may expect to find a small provincial town. But with two and half million people in a metropolitan area growing even... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 October 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 2

Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago) - Bogotá (Colombia) - Nemocón (Colombia) - Bogotá (Colombia) Are you watching The Amazing Race 32 to look back at the way travel used to be in the time B.C. ("Before Coronavirus")? Or are you looking forward to the ways travel around the world will be... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 October 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 14 October 2020

The Amazing Race 32, Episode 1 (Travel during the pandemic)

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Port of Spain, Trinidad (Trinidad & Tobago) - Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago) Travel during the coronavirus pandemic Season 32 of The Amazing Race, which premiered today -- almost two years after it was filmed -- on CBS-TV in the USA, has both planned and unplanned... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 October 2020, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 26 June 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 10

Kampen (Netherlands) - London, England (U.K.) - Dover, England (U.K.) - London, England (U.K.) - Detroit, MI (USA) - Hamtramck, MI (USA) - Detroit, MI (USA)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 June 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 19 June 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 9

Split (Croatia) - Schiphol (Netherlands) - Kampen (Netherlands)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 June 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 8

Brienz (Switzerland) - Zurich (Switzerland) - Split (Croatia)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 June 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 7

Meiringen (Switzerland) - Ballenberg (Switzerland) - Brienz (Switzerland)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 June 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 6

Kampala (Uganda) - Entebbe (Uganda) - Zurich (Switzerland) - Grindelwald (Switzerland) - Meiringen (Switzerland)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 May 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 5

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Dubai (U.A.E.) - Entebbe (Uganda) - Kampala (Uganda)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 May 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 4

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 May 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 1 May 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 3

Luang Prabang (Laos) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 May 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 2

Tokyo (Japan) - Luang Prabang (Laos)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 April 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 17 April 2019

The Amazing Race 31, Episode 1

Hermosa Beach, CA (USA) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Narita (Japan) - Tokyo (Japan) There were fears that the The Amazing Race might have come to an end when broadcasts of the latest season, filmed last summer, were postponed repeatedly. But then the new season was moved forward abruptly... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 April 2019, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 21 March 2019

BBC "Race Across the World"

It's been more than a year since the final episode of Season 30 of The Amazing Race was broadcast. Season 31 was filmed months ago, but isn't scheduled to premiere until 22 May 2019. If you are looking for a fix of travel "reality" television in the meantime, I recommend... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 March 2019, 16:00 ( 4:00 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 8

Chiang Mai (Thailand) - Hong Kong SAR (China) - San Francisco, CA (USA) - Alameda, CA (USA) Comments to the U.S. DOT on airline deregulation I was on an overnight flight to Europe on an airline that doesn't have live TV available as part of its in-flight entertainment when this... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 February 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 14 February 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 7

Harare (Zimbabwe) - Manama (Bahrain) - Chiang Mai (Thailand) This week The Amazing Race passed through Bahrain. Bahrain is a small desert island city-state, but the teams of travellers faced unexpected difficulties finding their way around, both driving and on foot. I've had some of these same problems finding my... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 February 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 6

Prague (Czech Republic) - Harare (Zimbabwe) - Marondera (Zimbabwe) - Harare (Zimbabwe) There was a new twist on this week's episode of the The Amazing Race. For part of the episode, the teams had to swap partners, so that each of the racers had to complete one of their assigned... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 February 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 5

Les Baux (France) - Marseille (France) - Prague (Czech Republic) Product placements on The Amazing Race are usually just extra advertisements for whichever brand of car the racers have been provided to drive from Point A to Point B, or the prize for the pair of racers that finishes first... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 January 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 4

Tangiers (Morocco) - Nice (France) - St. Tropez (France) - Les Baux (France) - Arles (France) - Les Baux (France) [Looking back toward the Mediterranean coast from the Isles du Frioul, near Marseilles, Provence.] The Amazing Race 30 spent this double episode exploring Provence, in the south of France. The... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 January 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 17 January 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 3

Antwerp (Belgium) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Tangiers (Morocco) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 30 gave the contestants on the reality-TV show a test of their dead reckoning ability in a souk in Tangiers. After having a destination pointed out to them from one rooftop to another, how quickly... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 January 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 10 January 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 2

Reykjavik (Iceland) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Antwerp (Belgium) This episode of The Amazing Race, like the previous one, featured helicopter shots of spectacular Icelandic scenery. They helped show why Icelandic tourism marketers have been so successful in recent years in changing perceptions of the country as an aviation hub. Flying... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 January 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

The Amazing Race 30, Episode 1

New York, NY (USA) - Reykjavik (Iceland) Stopovers in Iceland and other stopover possibilities on flights to and from the USA Season 30 of The Amazing Race started with the cast members having to fly from New York City to Reykjavik, Iceland. The teams of cometitors in The Amazing Race... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 January 2018, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 1 June 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 10

Seoul (Korea) - Incheon (Korea) - Chicago, IL (USA) - Joliet, IL (USA)- Chicago, IL (USA) [Old and new in Seoul: Sungnyemun (Namdaemun) Gate is one of the original gates in the wall surrounding the fortress-city of Seoul. Most of the wall is long gone, and the gate is now... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 June 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 25 May 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 9

Ninh Binh (Vietnam) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Incheon (Korea) - Seoul (Korea) [Some of the airlines serving Incheon International Airport in January 2002. This way to the check-in counters for Miat Mongolian Airlines to Ulaanbataar, SAT Airlines to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Dalavia to Khabarovsk, Mahan Air to Tehran, Uzkekistan Airways to Tashkent,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 May 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 18 May 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 8

Athens (Greece) - Corinth (Greece) - Athens (Greece) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Ninh Binh (Vietnam) [Typical foot-rowboats near Ninh Binh, Vietnam] [Cast members on The Amazing Race 29 had to row boats like these using their feet, rather than their hands, on the oars. Rowing with your feet leaves your... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 May 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 11 May 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 7

Venice (Italy) - Bari (Italy) - Patras (Greece) - Arahova (Greece) - Athens (Greece) [A market street in Thessaloniki, Greece]... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 May 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 4 May 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 6

Lake Como (Italy) - Venice (Italy) The "streets" of the old city of Venice are mostly too narrow for cars or trucks. Transportation and deliveries are by water along the canals, or by foot and handcart. As one of their tasks in this episode of The Amazing Race 29, each... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 May 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 27 April 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 5

Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - Alesund (Norway) - Oslo (Norway) - Milan (Italy) - Lake Como (Italy) There's more than one way to travel -- or to accomplish almost any travel task. That's one of the lessons of this season of The Amazing Race, in which each of the travellers... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 April 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 20 April 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 4

Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) I've written before, when the The Amazing Race passed through Tanzania, about my own visit to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in 2008. If we judged places by events, we would have left with bad impressions of Dar, Zanzibar, and the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 April 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 13 April 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 3

São Paulo (Brazil) - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) [A travel writer on "vacation": working on my laptop in the shade of a palm tree at a beach resort on the east coast of Zanzibar. I'll have more on The Amazing Race 29 in Dar es... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 April 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 6 April 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 2

Panama City (Panama) - São Paulo (Brazil) My feelings about São Paulo are considerably more mixed, and in some respects more favorable, than you might infer from some of my past mentions of the megalopolis. On the good side, São Paulo is one of those urban agglomerations that is so... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 April 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Thursday, 30 March 2017

The Amazing Race 29, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Panama City (Panama) This season of The Amazing Race has a cast composed entirely of "blind date" travelling couples who met their partners for the first time at the starting line of the reality-TV race around the world. Whatever lessons the remainder of the season... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 March 2017, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Friday, 13 May 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 12

Shenzhen (China) - Guangzhou (China) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Santa Barbara, CA (USA) The final three teams on The Amazing Race 28 managed to make their way back to the USA this week, despite not being allowed to bring their smartphones or any any other Internet-connected devices with... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 May 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 6 May 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 11

Bali (Indonesia) - Shenzhen (China) [Highrises under construction in 2005 along the north (Shenzhen) side of the channel separating the Hong Kong "Special Administrative Region" from the Shenzhen "Special Economic Zone". The area of the New Territories on the Hong Kong side of the channel (behind me) is open farmland,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 May 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Saturday, 30 April 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 10

Bali (Indonesia) - Nusa Lembongan (Indonesia) - Nusa Ceningan (Indonesia) - Bali (Indonesia) In this episode, The Amazing Race 18 crossed from Bali to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, two of a cluster of smaller islands between Bali and the next "major" island (or at least, next island with scheduled... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 April 2016, 06:37 ( 6:37 AM) | Comments (2)

Friday, 22 April 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 9

Dubai (U.A.E.) - Bali (Indonesia) For those who don't have a sense of comparative scale, the island of Bali in Indonesia is about four times as large as O'ahu (Honolulu), with a similar overall population density and development similarly concentrated in a coastal fringe around the volcano that dominates the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 April 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 15 April 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 8

Tbilisi (Georgia) - Dubai (U.A.E.) Dubai is constantly under construction, as host Phil Keoghan noted at the start of this episode of The Amazing Race 28. As I pointed out when the reality-TV show first visited Dubai in 2009, that can make it hard to find an up-to-date map, recognize... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 April 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 8 April 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 7

Garni (Armenia) - Yerevan (Armenia) - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Mtskheta (Georgia) - Tbilisi (Georgia) When you hear, "Georgia", do you think, "wine"? If not, why not? Georgia is about to host the UN World Tourism Organization's First Global Conference on Wine Tourism later this year. Perhaps that's one of the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 April 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 1 April 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 6

Chamonix (France) - Yerevan (Armenia) - Hatsavan (Armenia) - Garni (Armenia) Armenia threw the teams of travellers on The Amazing Race 28 for a loop. None of the racers had been there before, and some of them seemed quite uncertain where "Armenia" is located. Armenia is a landlocked country in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 April 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 11 March 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 5

Chamonix (France) When I interviewed people trying out for The Amazing Race at a casting call in San Francisco last year, I was surprised by how many of them were more interested in the chance to take part in activities specially staged for the reality-TV show than the chance to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 March 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 4 March 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 4

Cartagena (Colombia) - Geneva (Switzerland) - Chamonix (France) [The giant "Broken Chair" on the plaza across the street from the flagpoles in front of the "Palais des Nations" in Geneva. The broken-off leg is at the left rear, mostly hidden from this angle.] The Amazing Race has been to Geneva... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 March 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 26 February 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 3

Cartagena (Colombia) In this episode of The Amazing Race, the travellers got to work a job that is common around the world, but almost nonexistent in the USA: bus conductor. "Outside the First World," as I note in The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World, "All buses have... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 February 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 19 February 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 2

Ciudad México, D.F. (Mexico) - Cartagena (Colombia) This episode of The Amazing Race 28 began with host Phil Keoghan teasing Youtuber Blair and her father Dr. Scott about his carrying a curling iron and blow dryer for her on their reality-TV race around the world. It's easy to laugh at... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 February 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 12 February 2016

The Amazing Race 28, Episode 1

USA - Ciudad México, D.F. (Mexico) - Teotihuacan, D.F. (Mexico) - Ciudad México, D.F. (Mexico) The Amazing Race 28 got off to an unpromising start in Mexico, no thanks to a casting decision by the producers of the reality-TV show. The teams of racers on The Amazing Race have included... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 February 2016, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (6)

Friday, 11 December 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 12

Macau SAR (China) - Hong Kong SAR (China) - New York, NY (USA) - Elmont, NY (USA - Southampton, NY (USA) Diana and Justin, the self-styled "Green Team", were edged out in the final leg of this season of The Amazing Race when they lost track of their priorities for... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 December 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 4 December 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 11

Agra (India) - Hong Kong SAR (China) - Macau SAR (China) There were no bicycles on The Amazing Race 27 this week in Hong Kong and Macau, for a change. But the reality-TV travel show did return to a topic I raised a couple of episodes ago and have discussed... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 December 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Friday, 27 November 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 10

Agra (India) I couldn't get away from talking about bicycling while covering The Amazing Race, even if I wanted to. As I've noted often, and as anyone trying out for a spot in the cast of the reality-TV travel show should keep in mind, host and co-producer Phil Keoghan is... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 November 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 20 November 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 9

Krakow (Poland) - New Delhi (India) - Agra (India) "We have to rely on them to find it because there's no Google here," Justin says to his partner while they wait for their rickshaw-wallah to confer with a bystander about the location of their next clue on The Amazing Race... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 November 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Friday, 13 November 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 8

The Hague (Netherlands) - Krakow (Poland) The first time The Amazing Race visited Poland, the reality-TV travel show visited the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. This season, the racers were sent to the Krakow municipal historical museum at Oscar Schindler's Enamel Factory, where more than a thousand and Jews... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 November 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Friday, 6 November 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 7

Paris (France) - Rotterdam (Netherlands) - The Hague (Netherlands) [River traffic under the bridges of central Rotterdam.] At the mouth of the Rhine River, Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and the busiest port in Europe. But like many "second cities", it's largely overlooked by tourists. One... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 November 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 30 October 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 6

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) - Livingstone (Zambia) - Paris (France) - La Ferté-Alais - Paris (France) In this episode of The Amazing Race 27 in France, the racers had two different tasks, each of which required them to repeat phrases that they had read and/or heard spoken in French. They didn't... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 October 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 23 October 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 5

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) This leg of The Amazing Race 27 in Zimbabwe was decided not by a sprint but by a slow and careful walk by the racers, each of whom had to carry a basket of fruit on their head along the path to the finish line. Alongside the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 October 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 16 October 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 4

San Antonio de Areco (Argentina) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Livingstone (Zambia) - Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) [The high-rises of Palermo overlook the Beaux-Arts Pista Central of La Rural in Buenos Aires] This week the teams on The Amazing Race 27 had to make their way by bus from San Antonio... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 October 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 9 October 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 3

Buenos Aires (Argentina) - San Antonio de Areco (Argentina) [La Soñada Posada, along RP14 in La Población, Córdoba Province] This week The Amazing Race 27 left Buenos Aires for San Antonio de Areco, which has branded itself as the leading destination in Argentina for "gaucho tourism". If you ask a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 October 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 2 October 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 2

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) Sites of memory of state terrorism in Argentina ["2 km ahead: Pilar Highway Patrol station, former clandestine center of detention and torture"] Both The Amazing Race and my partner and I returned to Argentina this June after an absence of several years.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 October 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 25 September 2015

The Amazing Race 27, Episode 1

Venice, CA (USA) - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) One of the reasons I love to fly is the view from the air. You can learn a lot from an airplane window that you can't readily discern from the ground. The first military uses of balloons and airplanes were for reconnaissance,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 September 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 15 May 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 11

Trujillo (Peru) - DFW Airport, TX (USA) - Arlington, TX (USA) - Dallas, TX (USA) One of the unrealities of The Amazing Race as a "reality" television show is that members of the cast have been forbidden to have cameras, phones, or most other electronic devices. I'm old enough to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 May 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 8 May 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 10

Otuzco (Peru) - Trujillo (Peru) - Huanchaco (Peru) The highlight of this episode of The Amazing Race 26 was a visit to the site of Chan Chan (near Trujillo on the coast of northern Peru), once the largest city in the Americas and largest adobe (mud-brick) city in the world.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 May 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 1 May 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 9

Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Trujillo (Peru) - Otuzco (Peru) One of the benefits of travelling to many different places is gaining enough perspective to tell which activities, ways of doing things, foods, etc. are really characteristic of the specific place where you first encounter them, and which are actually common around... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 May 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 24 April 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 8

[The line of people waiting to audition for The Amazing Race extended around the corner for two blocks.] Goanikontes (Namibia) - Windhoek (Namibia) - Johannesburg (South Africa) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) As soon as the contestants on The Amazing Race 26 got into taxis at Schiphol Airport (a waste of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 April 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 17 April 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 7

Cap Ferrat (France) - Nice (France) - Windhoek (Namibia) - Erindi (Namibia) - Spitzkoppe (Namibia) - Swakopmund (Namibia) - Dorob National Park (Namibia) - Goanikontes (Namibia) Namibia, as host Phil Keoghan pointed out near the start of this week's episode of The Amazing Race 26, is the least densely populated... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 April 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 10 April 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 6

Schliersee (Germany) - Munich (Germany) - Nice (France) - Monaco (Monaco) - Èze (France) - Cap Ferrat (France) Jackie and Jeff, the team eliminated from The Amazing Race 26 this week, were one of the "blind date" couples brought together at the starting line of the race around the world... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 April 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Friday, 3 April 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 5

Bangkok (Thailand) - Munich (Germany) - Schliersee (Germany) Some travellers might not interpret being sent to a Bavarian beer garden as a "challenge", even if I'm in the dissenting faction that would argue for Belgium as the best destination for beer tourism. There were other challenges for the cast of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 April 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 13 March 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 4

Phuket (Thailand) - Bangkok (Thailand) The teams of travellers on The Amazing Race 26 were given a weird array of tasks this week, most of which had little relevance to normal visitor activities. My friends with more experience and knowledge than I have about travel in Thailand found the episode... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 March 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 6 March 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 3 (Update on how to apply for "The Amazing Race")

Nagano (Japan) - Phuket (Thailand) This season's broadcasts of "The Amazing Race", at least on the San Francisco TV station I've been watching, have featured repeated advertisements for auditions next month for contestants on future seasons of the reality-TV travel show. If you want to take your own trip around... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 March 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 27 February 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 2

Tokyo (Japan) - Nagano (Japan) The obvious question posed by this season of The Amazing Race is how much the cast of dating couples and "blind date" couples matched up by the producers of the TV show, and meeting each other at the starting line, has to do with the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 February 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Thursday, 26 February 2015

The Amazing Race 26, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Tokyo (Japan) When the first season of "The Amazing Race" launched in 2001, the producers of the reality-TV show thought of it as a "relationship" show about pairs of travellers, not a travel show. On September 6th, the morning after the first episode was broadcast,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 February 2015, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 19 December 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 12

Manila (Philippines) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) As has become the norm, The Amazing Race 25 was decided in the final episode by a test of the racers' memory of the sequence of places they had visited. It's tempting to make fun of people who travel around the world while... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 December 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 12 December 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 11

Manila (Philippines) In this episode of The Amazing Race 25, the contestants faced a cycling challenge whose difficulty was a consequence -- in a not so obvious way -- of the economic conditions in the Philippines that I talked about last week. As I've noted previously, the on-screen host and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 December 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 5 December 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 10

Singapore (Singapore) - Manila (Philippines) [Overseas job postings in the window of a labor broker in Cebu, Philippines] Do you remember the first time you came face-to-face with Third World or Fourth World poverty? For people who grew up in the First World, such a moment is often one of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 December 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Friday, 28 November 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 9

Malta (Malta) - Singapore (Singapore) In this episode, The Amazing Race 25 made its way from one island city-state, Malta, to another, Singapore. As in Malta, the proximity of much poorer neighboring countries makes immigration and border controls a political, economic, and social issue in Singapore in ways that tourists... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 November 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 21 November 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 8

Palermo (Italy) - Malta (Malta) "Where's Malta?" asked several of the teams on The Amazing Race 25 when they got the clues directing them to the island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. One team speculated that Malta might be in Spain, Italy, or Greece before they got around to considering... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 November 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 7 November 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 7

Marrakesh (Morocco) - Palermo (Italy) "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." (Not.) There are some things that happen during the filming of The Amazing Race that television viewers never see. Each episode of the reality-TV race around the world is separated from the next by a 12-hour (or occasionally... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 November 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Friday, 31 October 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 6

Marrakesh (Morocco) This week, many of the contestants on The Amazing Race 25 continued to have trouble finding their way around Marrakesh, both on foot in the center of the city and driving product-placement cars into the outlying mountains. The team that lost the most time to missed turns and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 October 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 24 October 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 5

Copenhagen (Denmark) - Marrakesh (Morocco) Former bike messengers Alli and Kym finished first again in this leg of The Amazing Race 25 after yet another task that required making deliveries by bicycle. This week each racer had to secure several bundles of freshly-tanned goatskins with bungee cords on top of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 October 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 17 October 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 4

Shetland Islands, Scotland (U.K.) - Aberdeen, Scotland (U.K.) - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Malmö (Sweden) - Copenhagen (Denmark) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 25 focused on "sustainable" and "environmental" travel and transportation, with former bicycle messengers Alli and Kym each winning a (product placement) plug-in hybrid car after finishing... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 October 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 10 October 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 3

Oxford, England (U.K.) - Aberdeen, Scotland (U.K.) - Shetland Islands, Scotland (U.K.) [National Cycle Network Route 1, Northumberland coast, England, U.K.] The first clue given to the teams in this leg of The Amazing Race 25 sent them north on an all-day train ride from Oxford, England, to Aberdeen, Scotland,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 October 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Friday, 3 October 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 2

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (USA) - London, England (U.K.) - Oxford, England (U.K.) Once again, as has often been the case on The Amazing Race, the potentially decisive choice in this episode was the one that none of the teams of racers made: taking the Heathrow Express train from... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 October 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Friday, 26 September 2014

The Amazing Race 25, Episode 1

New York, NY (USA) - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (USA) ["Hey mister customs man, there's a flea in my passport!"] I got a new personal radio tracking beacon this month. I'll be carrying it with me, wherever I go, whenever I leave the USA for the next ten years.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 September 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (13)

Sunday, 18 May 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 12

Cheshire, England (UK) - Las Vegas, NV (USA) - Henderson, NV (USA) - Las Vegas, NV (USA) At the conclusion of The Amazing Race 24, one member of each pair of racers had to jump out of a helicopter and parachute (in tandem with an instructor/guide) onto the infield of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 May 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 11 May 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 11

Seville (Spain) - London, England (UK) - Liverpool, England (UK) - Wrexham, Wales (UK) - Cheshire, England (UK) The most difficult challenge for the racers in this episode of The Amazing Race 24 was to recite a passage of poetry -- in Welsh. I don't know how likely you are... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 May 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 4 May 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 10 (European Bicycle Touring Resources)

Mt. Titlis (Switzerland) - Seville (Spain) European Bicycle Touring Resources I was in Switzerland, Belgium, and the UK on business in March, and I'll be back in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK in June and July on a bicycling trip. We're flying with our bicycles to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 May 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 27 April 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 9

Orvieto (Italy) - Chiasso (Switzerland) - Altdorf (Switzerland) - Lucerne (Switzerland) - Oberrickenbach (Switzerland) - Engelberg (Switzerland) - Mt. Titlis (Switzerland) This week the cast of The Amazing Race 24 had to perform a task that lurks behind the scenes of every episode of the race, but that we never... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 April 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 20 April 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 8

Rome (Italy) - Bagnoregio (Italy) - Orvieto (Italy) Last week the contestants on The Amazing Race 24 had to do arithmetic in Roman numerals -- not a challenge that's likely to confront real world travellers.(There are two different ways of writing each of the decimal digits, "European" and "Arabic", as... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 April 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 13 April 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 7

Mount Lavinia (Sri Lanka) - Rome (Italy) Do you travel to learn about the past? About the present? Or about the future? That depends on who you are, of course, but also on where you go. Visitors to Rome, for example, are expected to be interested primarily in the past.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 April 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 30 March 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 6

Colombo (Sri Lanka) - Alawwa (Sri Lanka)- Rambukkana (Sri Lanka)- Ambepussa (Sri Lanka) - Mount Lavinia (Sri Lanka) In Europe, tourists are likely to think of Sri Lanka as a tropical beach destination that competes with places such as Thailand and Bali for their vacation business. There are nonstop scheduled... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 March 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 23 March 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 5

Batu Caves (Malaysia) - Colombo (Sri Lanka) - Galle (Sri Lanka) - Colombo (Sri Lanka) As with Malaysia, this is the second time, and the first in a decade, that The Amazing Race has visited Sri Lanka. It hasn't been easy for the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, or for... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 March 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 16 March 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 4

Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - Batu Caves (Malaysia) The Amazing Race went to Borneo this week, for the second time in the history of the race. As when the race first visited Borneo a decade ago, the racers' gateway to the island was the city of Kota... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 March 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 9 March 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 3

Guangzhou (China) - Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) This leg of The Amazing Race 24 began, as the previous leg had ended, on the tree-lined pedestrianized main street of Shamian Island in Guangzhou, flanked by what were once the banks, consulates, and similar edifices at the center of the European colonial and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 March 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 2 March 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 2

Guangzhou (China) This season of The Amazing Race has an All-Star cast of racers on their second or third reality-TV trip around the world. So we expected to see the lessons of travel experience on display. At the starting line, however, one member of the cast failed the final medical... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 March 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 23 February 2014

The Amazing Race 24, Episode 1

Santa Clarita, CA (USA) - Guangzhou (China) This is the third "All-Star" season of The Amazing Race. As in seasons 11 and 18, all of the cast members have been in previous seasons of the show. This gives us, the travel voyeurs in the reality-TV viewing audience, a chance to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 February 2014, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 8 December 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 10 (season finale)

Bandung (Indonesia) - Tokyo (Japan) - Juneau, AK (USA) Sometimes real life preempts "reality" television. All this week, I've been covering the trial in Federal court in San Francisco in the first lawsuit challenging a U.S. government "no-fly" order to make it to trial (over the U.S. government's objections, which... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 December 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 1 December 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 9

Bandung (Indonesia) [Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as seen from our hotel room.] The same destination can be very different things to different visitors. When I visited Bandung -- a story I told in The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace and in one of my columns about an earlier... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 December 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 24 November 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 8

Al Ain (UAE) - Bandung (Indonesia) This week the cast and crew of The Amazing Race 23 had to make about as long and awkward a journey as any within (depending on how you define it) a single continent: from Al Ain (UAE) on the Arabian Peninsula in far West... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 November 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 17 November 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 7 (FAQ: Riding Skills for Bicycle Travel)

Abu Dhabi (UAE) - Al Ain (UAE) FAQ: Riding Skills for Bicycle Travel This week the teams on The Amazing Race 23 "made their way" (in product-placement SUVs, fittingly for visitors to the oil sheikhdoms) from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain, and then to the mountaintop luxury resort hotel next... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 November 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 10 November 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 6 (FAQ: International Bicycle Travel)

Vienna (Austria) - Abu Dhabi (UAE) FAQ: International Bicycle Travel In this week's episode, for the first time in 23 seasons (several of which have included visits to places where mosques are major tourist attractions), The Amazing Race visited a mosque. There's a common misperception that non-Muslims aren't allowed in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 November 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 3 November 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 5 (FAQ: Buying a Touring Bicycle)

Gdansk (Poland) - Vienna (Austria) FAQ: Buying a Touring Bicycle Intro ("The Amazing Race", Poland, and travel by bicycle) FAQ about buying a touring bike Viewers of the most recent episode of The Amazing Race 23 may have been surprised that it took the racers 22 hours to cross Poland... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 November 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (13)

Sunday, 27 October 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 4

Sintra (Portugal) - Bodø (Norway) - Svolvær (Norway) - Henningsvær (Norway) - Bøstad (Norway) - Svolvær (Norway) - Trondheim (Norway) - Gdansk (Poland) In northern Norway at the middle of the latest two-part episode of The Amazing Race 23, host Phil Keoghan handed each team a clue directing them to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 October 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 13 October 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 3

San Alfonso (Chile) - Santiago (Chile) - Lisbon (Portugal) - Sintra (Portugal) Portugal made the short list of places I liked best among those I visited for the first time on my most recent trip around the world: If you are wondering where you can still afford to travel in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 October 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 29 September 2013

The Amazing Race 23, Episode 1

Los Angeles County, CA (USA) - Iquique (Chile) The Amazing Race 23 started on a Hollywood Western movie set outside Los Angeles. But the "reality" TV show got more real, and more interesting, once the racers got to the city of Iquique on the Pacific coast of northern Chile. Chile's... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 September 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Monday, 15 July 2013

The Amazing Race Canada

[A rare moment when some sun broke through the storm clouds as we approached Toronto on the Waterfront Trail. Torrential rain resumed as we reached the vicinity of the CN Tower, visible in the background. More rain fell in the next 48 hours than ever before in such a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 July 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 5 May 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 10 (season finale)

Edinburgh, Scotland (U.K.) - Stranraer, Scotland (U.K.) - Belfast, Northern Ireland (U.K.) - Liverpool, England (U.K.) - London, England (U.K.) - Washington, DC (USA) - Mt. Vernon, VA (USA) Ten years and twenty seasons of The Amazing Race separate my own visit to Northern Ireland in 2002, which I mentioned... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 May 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 28 April 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 9

Berlin (Germany) - Edinburgh, Scotland (U.K.) This week The Amazing Race 22 went to Scotland, where the racers spent their time visiting castles, interacting with actors playing characters from Scotland's past, and otherwise exploring Scotland's history and tourist image rather than its oil-exporting present. The most difficult challenge for one... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 April 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 21 April 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 8

Grindelwald (Switzerland) - Dresden (Germany) - Berlin (Germany) [The new U.S.-built Berlin Wall, with its sentry boxes, extending out from one wing of the Brandenburg Gate, near right, around the new U.S. Embassy, at rear] This week The Amazing Race 22 sent the racers to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 April 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 14 April 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 7

Maun (Botswana) - Zurich (Switzerland) - Grindelwald (Switzerland) [Mont Blanc (in the furthest range, near the right) as seen across Lake Geneva from inside the Palais Wilson.] This episode of The Amazing Race 22 was designed as an advertisement for Switzerland Tourism. The reality-TV show succeeds in making the mountains... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 April 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 31 March 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 6

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (Botswana) - Maun (Botswana) This week the teams on The Amazing Race 22 confronted the difficulties of driving themselves, in rented SUVs, in and around the town of Maun, Botswana. Maun is a large town, not a city. But as the gateway to the Okavango Delta,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 March 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 24 March 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 5

Hanoi (Vietnam) - Maun (Botswana) - Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (Botswana) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 22 was preceded by an apology by host Phil Keoghan to "veterans, particularly those who served in Vietnam, as well as to their families and any viewers who were offended by the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 March 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 17 March 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 4

Bukit Peninsula, Bali (Indonesia) - Hanoi (Vietnam) The producers of The Amazing Race seem to have concluded over the years that most viewers are uninterested in the details of how the contestants in the race, without advance reservations, find airline routes and schedules and get seats on flights between destinations... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 March 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 10 March 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 3

Bora Bora (French Polynesia) - Papeete (French Polynesia) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Christchurch (New Zealand) - Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia) - Ubud, Bali (Indonesia) - Bukit Peninsula, Bali (Indonesia) The Amazing Race 22 continues to provide case studies in travel under adverse conditions. At the end of a double leg... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 March 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 24 February 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 2

Bora Bora (French Polynesia) Jamil and Idries were eliminated from The Amazing Race 22 this week because they couldn't swim. They didn't drown. The TV production team had lifeguards standing by to help them when they started swallowing water. Eventually they completed the second of the two choices of diving... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 February 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 17 February 2013

The Amazing Race 22, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Papeete (French Polynesia) - Bora Bora (French Polynesia) The Amazing Race 22 got off to a rocky start, but one that confronted the cast of the reality-TV show with an issue that's common for real travellers: What do you do when travel isn't fun? A... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 February 2013, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 9 December 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 10 (season finale)

Palma de Mallorca (Spain) - Barcelona (Spain) - Tours (France) - Loire Valley (France) - Paris (France) - New York, NY (USA) [Part of the vast, grand, but unused Canfranc train station at the Spanish portal of the Somport rail tunnel through the Pyrenees. This should be the main passenger... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 December 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 2 December 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 9

Ransdorp (Netherlands) - Barcelona (Spain) - Palma de Mallorca (Spain) - Manacor (Spain) - Campanet (Spain) - Muro (Spain) - Palma de Mallorca (Spain) The penultimate episode of The Amazing Race 21 began with the racers having to "make their way" from the outskirts of Amsterdam to the Spanish island... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 December 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 25 November 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 8

Moscow (Russia) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Ransdorp (Netherlands) Before Ryan and Abbie were eliminated for coming in last in this week's episode of The Amazing Race 21, two other teams of racers who had come to see them as friends and travel companions were shown agonizing over whether to leave... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 November 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 18 November 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 7

Istanbul (Turkey) - Moscow (Russia) [The fastest scheduled connections from Istanbul to Moscow, visible on the CRS display in the TV show but not suggested by a competing airline or attempted by any of the racers: Ukrainian airline Aerosvit (VV) via Borispol Airport, Kiev (KBP) .] The most difficult task... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 November 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 4 November 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 6

Sonargaon (Bangladesh) - Istanbul (Turkey) Getting around censorware and Internet blocking Istanbul was introduced this week on The Amazing Race 21 as the place "where the Bosporus strait separates Europe from Asia". That's true enough, geographically speaking. It's also true, more significantly, in a cultural sense, and whether Istanbul seems... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 November 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 28 October 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 5

Dhaka (Bangladesh) - Sonargaon (Bangladesh) Travel in places where there are no tourists I was disappointed that the producers of The Amazing Race 21 seemed to have gone out of their way to make Bangladesh look unattractive. But I was pleased that they ventured to a country where there are... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 October 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 21 October 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 4

Bangil (Indonesia) - Dhaka (Bangladesh) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 21 began where last week's episode had finished: in the courtyard of a high school in the town of Bangil, outside Surabaya, Indonesia. In light of the current focus of attention on the upcoming US presidential election, the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 October 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 14 October 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 3

Surabaya (Indonesia) - Bangil (Indonesia) Smartphones for international travel: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 2022 update: Part 1 | Part 2 Digital maps for international travel Surabaya is one of those cities that is both large, diverse, and of significant national importance and centrality in a large... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 October 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 7 October 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 2

Shanghai (China) - Surabaya (Indonesia) Smartphones for international travel: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 2022 update: Part 1 | Part 2 Choosing and buying a smartphone for international travel [Left: Nokia C7 (T-Mobile USA "Astound"). Right: Nokia 5230 (T-Mobile USA "Nuron"). Putting your own photo on your... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 October 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (8)

Sunday, 30 September 2012

The Amazing Race 21, Episode 1

Pasadena, CA (USA) - Shanghai (China) Smartphones for international travel: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 2022 update: Part 1 | Part 2 "Will my smartphone work abroad?" [Some of my SIM cards from around the world. Each of these is associated with a different phone number and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 September 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 6 May 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 11 (Season Finale)

Cochin, Kerala (India) - Hiroshima (Japan) - Osaka (Japan) - Honolulu, HI (USA) The last visit of The Amazing Race to Japan was broadcast on 6 March 2011, just days before the 11 March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear reactor meltdown that disrupted infrastructure and scared away foreign visitors... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 May 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 29 April 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 10

Cochin, Kerala (India) The two most recent episodes of The Amazing Race 20 in India have highlighted some of fairly typical medical hazards of travel in tropical Third and Fourth World countries. Mark nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion after several hours of physical activity standing outdoors under full sun in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 April 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 22 April 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 9

Lake Manyara (Tanzania) - Kilimanjaro Airport (Tanzania) - Cochin, Kerala (India) I've often said that one of the benefits of taking a trip around the world is obtaining a less distorted mental map of the world. One of the things I've liked best about The Amazing Race is that the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 April 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 15 April 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 8

Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania) - Karatu (Tanzania) - Mto Wa Mbu (Tanzania) - Lake Manyara (Tanzania) [Queen of Sheba's Pool, Axum, Ethiopia] This week the teams on The Amazing Race 20 got a taste of something that's a daily necessity for at least a billion people around the world: waiting... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 April 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8 April 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 7

Baku (Azerbaijan) - Kilimanjaro Airport (Tanzania) - Arusha (Tanzania) - Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania) "We're going to Africa!", not, "We're going to Tanzania", was the reaction of most of the teams on The Amazing Race 20 when they were told to find flights to Kilimanjaro Airport. Perhaps that's understandable. "Africa"... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 April 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 25 March 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 6

Schwangau-Horn (Germany) - Munich (Germany) - Baku (Azerbaijan) Where in the world is Azerbaijan? That depends on your perspective. Some of the teams on "The Amazing Race 20" thought they were going to Africa when they read the clue sending them from Germany to Baku. But even if you know... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 March 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 18 March 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 5

Turin (Italy) - Ehrwald (Austria) - Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) - Hohenschwangau (Germany) - Füssen (Germany) - Schwangau-Horn (Germany) Slovenian train leaving for Ljubljana from Meidling station, Vienna (Austria) Despite a visit to Mad Ludwig's castle at Neuschwanstein -- the best place in Bavaria to find long lines and crowds of other... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 March 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 11 March 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 4

Asunción (Paraguay) - Turin (Italy) Ten years of Euros The most difficult challenge for the teams on The Amazing Race 20 this week in Turin was a clue in the form of an Italian 2-euro-cent coin, which they had to figure out meant they were supposed to find their next... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 March 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 4 March 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 3

Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Asunción (Paraguay) It took 20 seasons of the reality-TV show before The Amazing Race finally made it to Paraguay this week. That's par for the course: Paraguay is one of the South American countries (especially among those that are readily accessible from other more popular tourist... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 March 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 26 February 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 2

Cafayate (Argentina) - Salta (Argentina) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) [photo by Ruth Radetsky] This week on The Amazing Race 20 in northwest Argentina, the teams were sent off into the hills to gather firewood or construct a solar stove (in either case to boil water for mate, one presumes). That's... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 February 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 19 February 2012

The Amazing Race 20, Episode 1

Santa Ynez, CA (USA) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Salta (Argentina) - Cafayate (Argentine) The route of the first episode of season 20 of The Amazing Race this week was billed by CBS as being from "Santa Barbara, California, to Santa Barbara, Argentina". In reality, the race started in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 February 2012, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 11 December 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 11

Panama City (Panama) - Atlanta (Georgia) "Reisefreiheit" (Freedom to Travel) Ironically, the final episode in which The Amazing Race 19 returned home to the USA from Panama was broadcast on the same day that Manuel Noriega, the dictator deposed and kidnapped to imprisonment in Florida during the US invasion of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 December 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 4 December 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 10

Brussels (Belgium) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Panama City (Panama) The outcome of this week's episode of The Amazing Race 19 was determined by yet another challenge in identifying the signal amid the noise: The racers were told that their clue could be found somewhere on the patterned and printed costumes... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 December 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 27 November 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 9

Copenhagen (Denmark) - Billund (Denmark) - Hamburg (Germany) - Brussels (Belgium) - Ghent (Belgium) - Geraardsbergen (Belgium) - Beersel (Belgium) - Brussels (Belgium) After 19 seasons, The Amazing Race finally made it to Belgium. But at least they did it right, spending almost all of a two-part episode visiting both... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 November 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 13 November 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 8

Senga Bay (Malawi) - Copenhagen (Denmark) The Amazing Race 19 moved on from Africa to Europe this week without looking back. But if you tried to follow in the footsteps of the "reality" TV show, you'd probably have brought back more than just memories, souvenirs, and photos from your visit... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 November 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 6 November 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 7

Lilongwe (Malawi) - Salima (Malawi) - Senga Bay (Malawi) This week's episode of The Amazing Race 19 was a lesson in Africa, poverty, and bicycling. First the teams of racers made their way by bus from Lilongwe (the capital and one of the two major cities of Malawi) along the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 November 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 30 October 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 6

Bangkok (Thailand) - Lilongwe (Malawi) I was in Europe for the last two weeks while The Amazing Race 19 made its way from Borobudur (Indonesia) through Phuket and Bangkok (Thailand) to this week's destination of Lilongwe (Malawi). The biggest issue for the racers in these places, however, was one they... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 October 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 9 October 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 3

Yogyakarta (Indonesia) - Salakmalang (Indonesia) - Borobudur (Indonesia) As The Amazing Race has gone to more and more obscure small countries (Oman, Estonia) as well as large countries little visited by foreign tourists (Bangladesh), Indonesia has stood out more and more as by far the most populous as well as... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 October 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 2 October 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 2

Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China) - Jakarta (Indonesia) - Yogyakarta (Indonesia) Getting from Taipei, Taiwan, to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, presented a potentially more interesting challenge for the cast of The Amazing Race 19 than anything the teams of travellers had to do once they got to Jogja. Yogyakarta is a substantial... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 October 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 25 September 2011

The Amazing Race 19, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China) The producers of The Amazing Race seem to be choosing the cast more and more for celebrity or potential celebrity, with fewer and fewer ordinary travellers in the race. This is, of course, a for-profit production whose goal is to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 September 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

The Amazing Race Australia

The Amazing Race reality-TV show has been broadcast worldwide, but the cast has always been limited to US citizens. I don't make the rules, but I presume that this was done both because the producers think that US viewers would prefer to watch fellow Americans, and to minimize the complications... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 May 2011, 19:12 ( 7:12 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 8 May 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 10

Zermatt (Switzerland) - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) - Miami, FL (USA) - Key Largo, FL (USA) - Big Pine Key, FL (USA) - Marathon, FL (USA) - Pigeon Key, FL (USA) The Amazing Race 18 concluded on Mother's Day with winning sisters Jen and Kisha pledging to use part of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 May 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 1 May 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 9 (travel insurance)

Zermatt (Switzerland) Who can you call on for help when things go wrong in a foreign country? And what can they do? This week the remaining teams on The Amazing Race 18 got to act out some of the roles of Alpine emergency first responders. Carried by rescue helicopter to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 May 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 24 April 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 8

Salzburg (Austria) - Feldkirch (Austria) - Schaanwald (Liechtenstein) - Balzers (Liechtenstein) - Sargans (Switzerland) - Zermatt (Switzerland) This week the challenges for the cast of The Amazing Race 18 were all navigational: following road maps by moped 22 km from the Austria-Liechtenstein border to the other end of the of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 April 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 17 April 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 7

Varanasi (India) - Vienna (Austria) - Schallaburg (Austria) - Vienna (Austria) - Salzburg (Austria) [Hofburg Palace, Vienna] How many times do you have to go around the world before you start re-visiting the same destinations? That's really a matter of personal taste. You might need to pass through some of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 April 2011, 21:22 ( 9:22 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 10 April 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 6

Kolkata/Calcutta (India) - Varanasi (India) The key challenge for the teams in The Amazing Race 18 this week in Varanasi was mixing and shaping water buffalo manure and straw into patties to be used as cooking fuel, and slapping them up in rows on the wall of a house to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 April 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 27 March 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 5 (Tea in China and India)

Kunming (China) - Kolkata/Calcutta (India) This week The Amazing Race 18 turned its attention to tea: The racers had to visit tea shops in China and India, carry a brick of tea from China to India, and correctly identify a particular tea they had tasted in Kunming from among hundreds... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 March 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 20 March 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 4 (two-part episode)

Kurihama (Japan) - Narita (Japan) - Kunming (China) - Lijiang (China) - Kunming (China) For the last two weeks, The Amazing Race 18 made its way through a two-part episode from Japan to China. At the same time, the events of the reality-TV show have taken a back seat, even... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 March 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 6 March 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 3

Broken Hill, N.S.W. (Australia) - Sydney, N.S.W. (Australia) - Narita (Japan) - Kamakuro (Japan) - Minamiashigara (Japan) - Kurihama (Japan) Fare and route maps and ticket vending machines, Narita (City) Rail Station (Click photo for higher-resolution version) This week's leg of The Amazing Race 18 began with all of the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 March 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (6)

Monday, 28 February 2011

Phil Keoghan of "The Amazing Race" reports from Christchurch after the earthquake

This morning Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race, did some real reporting on the CBS Early Show from his hometown on the aftermath of the earthquake last week in Christchurch, New Zealand: It's a fine piece, and worth watching in its entirety. (Off note: CBS misspelled "Keoghan" as... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 February 2011, 14:52 ( 2:52 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 27 February 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 2

Manly, N.S.W. (Australia) - Sydney, N.S.W. (Australia) - Broken Hill, N.S.W. (Australia) Murray River north of Murray Bridge The Amazing Race 18 headed off into the Outback this week to the mining town of Broken Hill near the New South Wales-South Australia provincial border. We passed south and west of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 February 2011, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 20 February 2011

The Amazing Race 18, Episode 1

Palm Springs, CA (USA) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Sydney, N.S.W. (Australia) - Manly, N.S.W. (Australia) On the ferry to Parramatta The Amazing Race 18 kicked off via the Pacific, for only the 4th time, flying to Sydney and then taking the ferry across the harbor to the beach... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 February 2011, 21:03 ( 9:03 PM) | Comments (6)

Sunday, 12 December 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 12 (Season Finale)

Seoul (Republic of Korea) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Long Beach, CA (USA) - Pasadena, CA (USA) - Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Beverly Hills, CA (USA) After they arrived at the finish line (don't you wish your trip around the world could end by coming "home" to a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 December 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 5 December 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 11

Hong Kong SAR (China) - Incheon (Republic of Korea) - Cheolwon (Republic of Korea) - Tongduchon (Republic of Korea) - Seoul (Republic of Korea) For the second time in 17 seasons The Amazing Race goes to Korea -- and for the second time, it looks at Korea solely through the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 December 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 28 November 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 10

Dhaka (Bangladesh) - Hong Kong SAR (China) The attraction of Hong Kong is the excitement, the nonstop action, the density of people, traffic, and skyscrapers, the sensory overload. Teams on "The Amazing Race" couldn't even pick out neon signs from the visual commotion on a main street. But not all... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 November 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 21 November 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 9

Muscat (Oman) - Dhaka (Bangladesh) One of the most welcoming sights in a tropical country is a sugar-cane press. So it's fitting that the first task for the contestants on The Amazing Race 17 was to prepare and drink a fresh-squeezed glass of cane juice. (Make mine with salt and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 November 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 14 November 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 8

St. Petersburg (Russia) - Muscat (Oman) - Jebel Shams (Oman) - Nizwa (Oman) - Muscat (Oman) This week's travel travails for the cast of The Amazing Race 17 in Oman centered on the lack of accurate maps and the difficulty of asking directions -- the same issues that we experienced... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 November 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 7 November 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 7

St. Petersburg (Russia) This week The Amazing Race 17 went to the circus in St. Petersburg, with the teams of travellers having to learn to perform their choice of a circus ring or carnival midway act. Russia and China may be known for their circuses, but you don't have to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 November 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 31 October 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 6

Narvik (Norway) - St. Petersburg (Russia) Once again this week on The Amazing Race 17 the teams faced challenges that were contrived for reality television but that had more in common than might be apparent with some of the tasks undertaken by real-world travellers. In a district of "dachas" on... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 October 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 24 October 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 5

Riksgränsen (Sweden/Norway border) - Narvik (Norway) This week on The Amazing Race 17, twenty-year vegetarian Kat and her partner Nat had to eat the meat of a whole sheep's head to win the "Fast Forward" and get ahead of all the other teams in the reality-TV race around the world.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 October 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 17 October 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 4 (Volunteering Abroad)

Dodowa (Ghana) - Kiruna (Sweden) - Jukkasjärvi (Sweden) - Poikkijärvi (Sweden) - Vassijaure (Sweden) - Riksgränsen (Sweden/Norway border) Before the start of this episode, the cast of The Amazing Race 17 spends an extra day at the "pit stop" in Ghana, volunteering their time and labor to help with renovations... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 October 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 10 October 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 3

Accra (Ghana - Dodowa (Ghana) With The Amazing Race 17 still in greater Accra (Ghana) this week, I talked with my old friend Matt Meyer about what it's been like for him to travel in Ghana, both on business and on multi-generational family vacations with his parents and children: EH:... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 October 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 3 October 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 2

Lenbury, Herts., England (UK) - Accra (Ghana) Monuments and memory: George Washington and Kwame Nkrumah Last week's drive-by photo op on The Amazing Race 17 was the racers' first stop in England: Stonehenge. This week it was their first stop in Ghana: the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra. But... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 October 2010, 18:23 ( 6:23 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 26 September 2010

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1

Gloucester, MA (USA) - Boston, MA (USA) - London, England (UK) - Stonehenge, England (UK) - Lenbury, Herts., England (UK) Viewers may have been disappointed to see the "Amazing Race" teams drive to the Stonehenge parking lot, collect their clue, and drive on, making their visit nothing more than a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 September 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 9 May 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 12

Pudong (China) - San Francisco, CA (USA) This week, The Amazing Race 16 returned to the USA from Shanghai, in an episode broadcast the same week that a Shanghai-based startup company launched a very promising, although as yet unproven, new concept in accommodations for future visitors to Shanghai, elsewhere in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 May 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 2 May 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 11

Shanghai (China) - Pudong (China) "Better City, Better Life" The real clue to what was going on in the latest episode of The Amazing Race 16 in Shanghai was the life-sized Gumby-like figure visible in front of one of the buildings in the establishing aerial shot at the start... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 May 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 25 April 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 10

Singapore (Singapore) - Shanghai (China) - Zhujiajiao (China) - Shanghai (China) This wasn't the first time that The Amazing Race was in Shanghai, and it wasn't the first time that the racers who had the most difficulty made the same mistake: failing to adapt their techniques for getting around to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 April 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 28 March 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 7

épernay (France) - Mahé (Seychelles) - La Digue (Seychelles) - St. Pierre (Seychelles) - Praslin (Seychelles) Last week on The Amazing Race 16, Steve and Allison were saved from elimination after a fender-bender because they had taken Steve's wife's advice to bring some duct tape with them, just in case,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 March 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 21 March 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 6

Wargemoulin-Hurlus (France) - Rheims (France) - épernay (France) - Pierry (France) - épernay (France) Throughout their time in France in the most recent two episodes, the contestants on The Amazing Race 16 have struggled to communicate with local people, leading to a series of route-finding mistakes. Is it really true... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 March 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (10)

Sunday, 14 March 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 5

Hamburg (Germany) - Les Monthairons (France) - Sainte-Menehould (France) - Massiges (France) - Wargemoulin-Hurlus (France) Morse Code is probably among the least useful languages for world travellers. So the challenge that eliminated Heidi and Joe from The Amazing Race 16 -- transcribing a Morse code message while surrounded by the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 March 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 7 March 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 4

San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) - Frankfurt (Germany) - Hamburg (Germany) You wouldn't have known it from how it was edited for television, but more of this week's episode of The Amazing Race 16 took place in the air than on the ground in Germany, and even more of it... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 March 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 28 February 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 3 (Earthquake in Chile)

Puerto Varas (Chile) - San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) Tunel del Cristo Redentor, looking from Chile towards Argentina Watching The Amazing Race 16 make its way from Chile into Argentina in the episode broadcast this week, I couldn't help thinking about how what we've seen this season, which was filmed... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 February 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 21 February 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 2

Valparaiso (Chile) - Puerto Varas (Chile) Valparaíso narrowly missed my short list of a dozen favorite new destination discoveries from my last trip around the world: if I had let the list grow to a baker's dozen, it would have included Valpo. For what it's worth, the picture of me... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 February 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 14 February 2010

The Amazing Race 16, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Santiago (Chile) - Valparaiso (Chile) The Amazing Race 16 kicked off with the challenge of getting from a park on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by public transit. That's not nearly as difficult as the Angelenos in the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 February 2010, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 6 December 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 11 (hotel price forecast)

Prague (Czech Republic) - Las Vegas, NV (USA) The Amazing Race 15 ended tonight in Las Vegas, thanks to "promotional consideration" from casino complexes that paid CBS to showcase them on the show. Why are Las Vegas casinos (and the hotels they operate "to give gamblers a place to rest... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 December 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 29 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 10

Prague (Czech Republic) Lessons in travel bureaucracy This week in Franz Kafka's home town, the cast of The Amazing Race 15 faced some of their most difficult challenges yet. Harlem Globetrotter teammates Nathaniel and Herbert were defeated by a bizarre task involving an anagram of "Franz" composed of letters provided... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 22 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 9

Keava (Estonia) - Prague (Czech Republic) Why we travel: A tale of two conferences As The Amazing Race 15 approaches the finish line, the remaining teams of travellers are becoming more and more focused on the footrace, to the exclusion of anything else about the places they pass through. This... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 15 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 8 (Health care reform & travel)

Haggvik (Sweden) - Tallinn (Estonia) - Keava (Estonia): USA health care reform, travellers, and expatriates Last week's episode pushed the contestants on The Amazing Race to their physical limits, leading me to explore the physical prerequisites for extended independent travel. This week's episode was almost equally grueling, and brings us... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 8 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 7

Zoutkamp (Netherlands) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Häggvik (Sweden) Do you need to be young, strong, and physically fit to travel around the world? The short answer is, "No". But it does raise some issues, as we saw this week on The Amazing Race when the contestants faced... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 1 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 6

Dubai (U.A.E.) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Afsluitdijk (Netherlands) - Groningen (Netherlands) - Vierhuizen de Marne (Netherlands) - Zoutkamp (Netherlands) The Amazing Race 15 spent the night at a resort on one of a complex of artificial islands in the Arabian Gulf in Dubai. The resort and the islands were prominently... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 25 October 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 5

Dubai (United Arab Emirates) This was one of the rare episodes of The Amazing Race spent entirely in a single city -- in this case Dubai -- without setting foot on a train or bus, much less an airplane. Did the racers like Dubai? That's hard to tell. The one... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 October 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 18 October 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 4

Phnom Penh (Cambodia) - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) This week's first clue directed the cast of The Amazing Race 15 to fly to the "Persian Gulf" to the site of the world's tallest building. That should have been enough to send racers who'd been studying geographic trivia directly to the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 October 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 11 October 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 3

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Phnom Penh (Cambodia) The Amazing Race was back in Cambodia this week. I've talked before about landmines and the continuing issue they pose throughout Cambodia. If you are thinking about going to Cambodia, you can make your own decision as to whether that's a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 October 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 4 October 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 2

Cai Be (Vietnam) - My Tho (Vietnam) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Once again this week The Amazing Race managed to come up with tasks that were genuinely characteristic of the places the racers were visiting on their trip around the world, in this case Ho Chi Minh City,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 October 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 27 September 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Tokyo (Japan) - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Cai Be (Vietnam) The Amazing Race got off to its best start in years tonight. Even the hokiest-seeming challenges, such as the one that eliminated a team at the starting line, actually tested skills that are... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 September 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Monday, 7 September 2009

"The Amazing Race 15" starts Sunday, 27 September 2009

The next season of The Amazing Race , the reality TV show about travel around the world, premieres in the USA with a 2-hour episode of The Amazing Race 15 on CBS-TV on Sunday evening, 27 September 2009 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT, 7-9 p.m. CT/MT). As I've been doing since the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 September 2009, 11:48 (11:48 AM) | Comments (6)

Sunday, 10 May 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 11

Beijing (China) - Maui, HI (USA) This season of The Amazing Race 14 ended in very much the same vein as the previous season, with a task in which the racers had to compete in recognizing images symbolizing places they had been in the month-long race around the world, and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 May 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 3 May 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 10 (China travel and more on online hotel discounts)

Guilin (China) - Beijing (China) The latest two-part episode of The Amazing to Race 14 was spent entirely in China, punctuated by advertisements from online travel agency Travelocity.com for discounted hotel rates, and for part of the time with the teams of racers required to carry half-meter (18") high Travelocity... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 May 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (11)

Sunday, 19 April 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 9 (Online hotel discounts)

Bangkok (Thailand) - Guangzhou (China) - Guilin (China) The most conspicuous feature of the last few broadcasts of The Amazing Race 14 has been the seemingly endless repetition of the same Travelocity.com advertisement for "Hundreds of hotels under $100". Is this for real? Is it really such a great deal?... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 April 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (8)

Sunday, 12 April 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 8

Phuket (Thailand) - Bangkok (Thailand) Since Thailand isn't one of my favorite countries, nor Bangkok one of my favorite cities, and I've been in both only briefly, I thought it would be better to give you a chance to hear from people who know and like these places better than... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 April 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 29 March 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 7

Jaipur (India) - Phuket (Thailand) I won't be able to watch this week's episode of The Amazing Race until I get home. I'm delighted, however, that one of my talented friends at Airtreks.com, "rate desk" expert David Derrick, was generous enough to accept my invitation to share his thoughts about... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 March 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 22 March 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 6 (Flights in BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India, and China)

Novosibirsk (Russia) - Moscow (Russia) - Jaipur (India) Last week's episode of The Amazing Race 14 provided an example of some of the issues that arise with rail travel in Russia, India, and China. If some of you were prompted to ask, "If it's so difficult to figure out railroad... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 March 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 15 March 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 5 (Trains in Russia, India, and China)

Krasnoyarsk (Russia) - Novosibirsk (Russia) A certain amount of our time while travelling is spent, inevitably, in "waiting rooms". Quite often there is only one train or plane a day on a given route, and a connection between two such daily schedules may leave you a 1-hour layover, or a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 March 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 8 March 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 4

Bran (Romania) - Moscow (Russia) - Krasnoyarsk (Russia) Sometimes you find yourself -- most often because it's on the way to somewhere else -- in a place where there are no tourists and there is nothing particularly "touristic" to do. Like, say, Krasnoyarsk. Unlike most travel agents, I've actually sold... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 March 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 1 March 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 3

Salzburg (Austria) - Munich (Germany) - Bucharest (Romania) - Brasov (Romania) - Bran (Romania) Why are we still in Europe, still making our way only slowly East, three weeks into the season of The Amazing Race 14 ? We'll tackle that question next week. But for now, let's look at... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 March 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 22 February 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 2 (Flights within Europe)

Stechelberg (Switzerland) - Zürich (Switzerland) - Munich (Germany) - Ruhpolding (Germany) - Schaünau am Königssee (Germany) - Salzburg (Austria) Last week we had a lesson in European rail route planning. This week our focus will be on intra-European flights, starting with this lesson: If you're paying out of your own... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 February 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 15 February 2009

The Amazing Race 14, Episode 1 (Trains in Europe)

Los Alamitos, CA (USA) - Locarno (Switzerland) - Verzasca Dam (Switzerland) - Interlaken (Switzerland) - Stechelberg (Switzerland) This season of The Amazing Race began with a pair of challenges in European rail route planning, involving connecting trains and combinations of flights and trains. I've faced very similar problems on recent... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 February 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (8)

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

"The Amazing Race" resumes February 15th

I don't pick the schedule (or the contestants, despite hundreds of comments in my blog from people wanting to be in the cast), but The Amazing Race reality-TV show about travel around the world will be back for its next series much sooner than usual: the first episode of The... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 January 2009, 17:03 ( 5:03 PM) | Comments (0)

Monday, 29 December 2008

More travel "reality" on primetime television

Throughout the seven years since the premiere of its first season on 5 September 2001, The Amazing Race has been the only travel program on primetime national broadcast television in the USA. Perhaps that's not surprisng: after 11 September 2001, the second episode of "The Amazing Race" was postponed for... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 December 2008, 10:08 (10:08 AM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 7 December 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 11

Moscow (Russia) - Portland, OR (USA) - Newberg, OR (USA) - Cascade Locks, OR (USA) - Portland, OR (USA) As is often the case with a real-life trip around the world, the final episode of The Amazing Race 13 was a bit of a let-down. The scenery on a sunny... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 December 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 30 November 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 10

Moscow (Russia) The travellers on The Amazing Race 13 continued to struggle this week, making mistakes and showing a surprising lack of basic travel skills for teams that made it to the penultimate leg of the race around the world. Cyrillic is both one of the easiest (along with Greek)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 November 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (7)

Sunday, 23 November 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 9

Almaty (Kazakhstan) - Moscow (Russia) - Zhukovsky (Russia) - Moscow (Russia) Travel continues to have many common features throughout the countries that once constituted the "Soviet Union". Dual prices for foreigners and locals, and difficulties in communication and navigation, which plagued the contestants in The Amazing Race 13 in Kazakhstan... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 November 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 16 November 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 8

Delhi (India) - Almaty (Kazakhstan) Kazakhstan and the rest of the former USSR are hard (albeit rewarding) places for travel, as the racers find, but for very different reasons than India. This week in Almaty, (older pre-independence maps may show the Russified name "Alma Ata"), The Amazing Race 13 came... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 November 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 9 November 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 7

Delhi (India) Why do so many foreign visitors have such extreme reactions to India? Some visitors stay in India for months at a time, and return again and again. At the same time, I suspect that more people experience major "culture shock" in India than anywhere else, and a significant... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 November 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (6)

Sunday, 2 November 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 6

Angkor Wat (Cambodia) - Delhi (India) This week The Amazing Race 13 went to India once again. In Delhi, they encounter, the "dhobi", long an object of curiosity and sometimes amusement for tourists and other foreigners: Our Dhobi Our dhobi is a funny man; He likes to take my socks,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 2 November 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 26 October 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 5

Te Puke (New Zealand) - Siem Reap (Cambodia) - Angkor Wat (Cambodia) Should The Amazing Race 13 have gone to Cambodia? And should they have sent the racers to search the vast Angkor Wat complex for a particular temple, on foot, without giving them a landmine awareness briefing first, and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 October 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (9)

Sunday, 19 October 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 4

La Paz (Bolivia) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Te Puke (New Zealand) After giving us a refresher course last week in how not to travel from sea level to high altitude, this week The Amazing Race 13 reminded us yet again of how not to make your first attempt to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 October 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 12 October 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 3

Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil) - La Paz (Bolivia) We've seen the effects of altitude in The Amazing Race before in Ethiopia and Chile . This week yet another team was eliminated from the race because they couldn't cope with the altitude -- roughly 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet above sea level... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 October 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 5 October 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 2

Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) - Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil) Last week, The Amazing Race 13 was all about physical ability: the episode came down to a 200 vertical foot climb down a cargo net, followed by a run (with loaded packs, of course) along the waterfront to the boats to the finish... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 October 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 28 September 2008

The Amazing Race 13, Episode 1

Los Angeles, CA (USA) - Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) The first leg of The Amazing Race 13 took the reality-TV racers from the Los Angeles Coliseum to the city of Salvador, in northeastern Brazil. As usual, the flight choices for the first leg (on American Airlines and United Airlines, we were... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 September 2008, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (8)

Monday, 22 September 2008

"The Amazing Race" resumes this Sunday

The Amazing Race 13 premieres this Sunday, 28 September 2008, from 8-9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, 7-8 p.m. Central and Mountain Time on CBS-TV in the USA. I was travelling and skipped season 12. If you're tempted to say, "You could have downloaded it as a bit torrent and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 September 2008, 19:50 ( 7:50 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 6 May 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 12

Fort Soledad (U.S. Territory of Guam) - Honolulu, HI (USA) - Lanai, HI (USA) - Oakland, CA (USA) - San Francisco, CA (USA) The All-Star season of The Amazing Race finished this week once again in my adopted home town of San Francisco. The decisive final task required one member... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 May 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 29 April 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 11

Macau SAR (China) - Andersen Air Force Base (U.S. Territory of Guam) - U.S. Naval Base Guam (U.S. Territory of Guam) - Fort Soledad (U.S. Territory of Guam) The growing popularity of The Amazing Race and its continued status as the only travel show on primetime national commercial broadcast television... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 April 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 22 April 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 10

Hong Kong SAR (China) - Macau SAR (China) This week's episode of The Amazing Race didn't cover much ground: it all took place within a small part of the Pearl River Delta region along the coast of China. It's an interesting region, with a hundred million or more people and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 April 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 15 April 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 9

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - Hong Kong SAR (China) Once again in the latest episode of the "reality" television series about travel, the deciding factor in The Amazing Race 11 was which teams got on the fastest flights. With six nonstop flights a day on three airlines from Kuala Lumpur to... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 April 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8 April 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 8

Ojcow National Park (Poland) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - Batu Caves, Selangor (Malaysia) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) After the fact, it's easy to criticize Joyce and Uchenna on The Amazing Race for booking flights from Krakow to Kuala Lumpur with a only an hour to change planes in Frankfurt, and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 April 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 1 April 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 7

Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Warsaw (Poland) - Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) - Krakow (Poland) - Ojcow National Park (Poland) My first travel job was with an agency specializing in airline tickets to and from Africa (among other complex international tickets). And one of the first lessons I learned was that finding... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 April 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 25 March 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 6

Maputo (Mozambique) - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) - Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Kikungwi, Zanzibar (Tanzania) - Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) I said last week that I'd talk about the markets of Maputo, Mozambique, before the teams on The Amazing Race moved on. I have fond memories of those markets... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 March 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 18 March 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 5

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) - Ushuaia (Argentina) - Maputo (Mozambique) I'm tempted to reminisce about my experiences in the markets of Maputo, Mozambique, the scene of The Amazing Race this week. But I'll leave that for next week. First, I have to talk about this week's airline routing... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 March 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 11 March 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 4

Petrohué (Chile) - Puerto Montt (Chile) - Punta Arenas (Chile) - Ushuaia (Argentina) - Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) Navigation is one of the few major challenges that real-world travel around the world and The Amazing Race consistently have in common. This week, the racers were given a compass,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 March 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 4 March 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 3

San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) - Puerto Montt (Chile) - Petrohué (Chile) When they plan their first trip around the world, most people imagine it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the time they get home, most of them are already thinking about doing it again. I'm no exception, and neither... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 March 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Sunday, 25 February 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 2

Cotopaxi National Park (Ecuador) - Santiago (Chile) - Calama (Chile) - Chuquicamata (Chile) - San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) I had hoped that the All-Star Edition of The Amazing Race , with a cast selected from participants in previous seasons of the reality-television show, would provide useful lessons about how... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 February 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 18 February 2007

The Amazing Race 11 (All-Star Edition), Episode 1

Miami, FL (USA) - Quito (Ecuador) - Cotopaxi National Park (Ecuador) The cast of The Amazing Race , which started its new All-Star season tonight with relatively short flights from Miami to Quito, Ecuador, typically spend about two weeks of the month-long race around the world on airplanes or in... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 February 2007, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 10 December 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 12

Barcelona (Spain) - Paris (France) - Caen (France) - Bayeux (France) - Paris (France) - New York, NY (USA) - Garrison, NY (USA) (Warning to readers: If you didn't like last week's column because you didn't think it had enough to do with The Amazing Race television show, you probably... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 December 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 3 December 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 11 ("Automated Targeting System")

Ouarzazate (Morocco) - Casablanca (Morocco) - Barcelona (Spain) As The Amazing Race 10 around the world approaches its final leg, it's harmless fun to take part in the polls on the CBS Web site, where viewers score and rate which team of travellers is their favorite, which they think will... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 December 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 26 November 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 10

Kiev (Ukraine) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) - Idelssan (Morocco) - Ouarzazate (Morocco) This week the cast of travellers on The Amazing Race became the cast of a movie within the TV show, cheered on by a crowd of extras in a chariot race on a Moroccan movie studio's desert back lot.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 November 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Sunday, 19 November 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 9

Antananarivo (Madagascar) - Helsinki (Finland) - Tampere (Finland) - Turku (Finland) - Lohja (Finland) - Helsinki (Finland) - Kiev (Ukraine) - Oster (Ukraine) - Kiev (Ukraine) Over the course of the most recent two-part episode, The Amazing Race 10 made its way to Ukraine. This was the first ex-Soviet country... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 November 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 5 November 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 8

Bel Ombre (Mauritius) - Antananarivo (Madagascar) What do you do as a traveller when what you find doesn't match what you expect? That was the question faced by the contestants on The Amazing Race when they arrived in Antananarivo, the capital and sole international air gateway to the 1500 km... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 November 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 29 October 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 7

Kuwait City (Kuwait) - Plaine Magnien (Mauritius) - Grand Baie (Mauritius) - Case Noyale (Mauritius) - Bel Ombre (Mauritius) Viewers of the latest episode of The Amazing Race got a reprise of two travel lessons I talked about two weeks ago. The travellers set off from Kuwait City after midnight,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 October 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 22 October 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 6

Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) - Kuwait City (Kuwait) It's flattering to know that for several seasons, contestants on "The Amazing Race" have been reading my columns on previous seasons as part of their preparations for the race. But I hope I'm not to blame for some of what happened this... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 October 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 15 October 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 5

Halong Bay (Vietnam) - Haiphong (Vietnam) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) - Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu (India) - Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) After returning to the mainland from the island in Halong Bay where they stayed during their "pit stop" for food and sleep, The Amazing Race 10... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 October 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 8 October 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 4

Vac (Vietnam) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Cha La (Vietnam) - Bai Chay / Halong City (Vietnam) - Halong Bay (Vietnam) After returning to Hanoi from an outlying village, The Amazing Race 10 headed off to Halong Bay, a World Heritage Site and perhaps the best-known tourist attraction in northern Vietnam.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 October 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Sunday, 1 October 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 3

Gachurt (Mongolia) - Ulan Bator (Mongolia) - Hanoi (Vietnam) - Vac (Vietnam) The first destination for the teams on "The Amazing Race" this week was the "Hanoi Hilton", where prisoners of war including U.S. Senator John McCain were confined and tortured during the "American War". (That's what the war is... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 October 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Sunday, 24 September 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 2

Juyongguan (China) - Erenhot (China) - Ulan Bator (Mongolia) - Terelj National Park (Mongolia) - Gachurt (Mongolia) When they start to imagine their fantasy trip around the world, many people include a trip from Beijing to Moscow, by way of Mongolia, on the Trans-Siberian Railway. But it's typical of real-world... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 September 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 17 September 2006

The Amazing Race 10, Episode 1

Seattle, WA (USA) - Beijing (China) - Juyongguan (China) As the teams in the new season of The Amazing Race prepared for the start of the race at Gasworks Park in Seattle, host Phil Keoghan told them -- and us, the viewers -- that there would be some surprises. And... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 September 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 17 May 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 11

Bangkok (Thailand) - Ayuthaya (Thailand) - Tokyo (Japan) - Fujiyoshida (Japan) - Lake Yamanaka (Japan) - Anchorage, AK (USA) - Mirror Lake, AK (USA) - Kincaid Park, AK (USA) - Denver, CO (USA) - Golden, CO (USA) - Denver, CO (USA) The final episode of The Amazing Race 9 came... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 May 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 26 April 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 8 ("Registered Traveler")

Nizwa (Oman) - Perth (Australia) - Fremantle (Australia) - Rottnest Island (Australia) - Fremantle (Australia) Quick: What's the fastest way to get from Muscat to Perth? Sometimes there are many possible flight connections from point A to point B, and often the fastest or best route is less than obvious,... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 April 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 19 April 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 7

Patras (Greece) - Athens (Greece) - Muscat (Oman) - Sur (Oman) - Al Hawiyah (Oman) - Nizwa (Oman) It's not clear that the Amazing Racers had thought about how they might look to local people in Oman -- whether the Arab majority or the 20% minority of Pakistani expatriate, mostly... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 April 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 12 April 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 6

Siracusa (Italy) - Rome (Italy) - Athens (Greece) - Corinth (Greece) - Nemea (Greece) - Patras (Greece) Travelling couple Michelle and Lake, eliminated from The Amazing Race 9 this week, provide an object lesson in why it's useful whenever possible to learn how to recognize and pronounce (if it's more... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 12 April 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 5 April 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 5

Segesta (Italy) - Catania (Italy) - Siracusa (Italy) Leaving the "pit stop" in Sicily at the start of this week's episode of The Amazing Race , Jeremy and Eric are surprised that the driver of the first passing car they flag down stops and helps them with directions. In the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 April 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Monday, 3 April 2006

Amazing Race fans, reset your clocks.

No, this isn't about daylight savings time. We're talking about your VCR's, Tivo's, and other video recorders: The Amazing Race 9 has had a mid-season schedule change. Starting this week, broadcasts of The Amazing Race 9 on CBS-TV in the USA will move to a new day of the week... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 April 2006, 08:17 ( 8:17 AM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 4

Munich (Germany) - Palermo (Italy) - Castellammare del Golfo (Italy) - Segesta (Italy) Could you find the flights that would get you from Munich to Palermo arriving as soon as possible, and make reservations for yourself and a travelling companion, on a German-language Web site? That's what made the difference... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 March 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 21 March 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 3

Brotas (Brazil) - São Paulo (Brazil) - Moscow (Russia) - Frankfurt (Germany) - Stuttgart (Germany) - Bad Tolz (Germany) - Grünewald (Germany) - Munich (Germany) Transportation and navigation problems, culminating in Desiree and Wanda's elimination after a succession of wrong turns and difficulties reading a map and obtaining and following... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 March 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 7 March 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 2

São Paulo (Brazil) - Brotas (Brazil) The best thing about The Amazing Race 9 , so far, is that it's reminding me of the reasons I like to travel around the world. What makes for an interesting and enjoyable trip? Partly, of course, it's the places. This week, São Paulo.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 March 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 1

Denver, CO (USA) - São Paulo (Brazil) The Amazing Race is back! Back in São Paulo for the second time. (Don't be surprised if you've forgotten their first visit four years ago -- they didn't actually do much in São Paulo.) Back to teams of two adults, instead of teams... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 28 February 2006, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 26 February 2006

"The Amazing Race 9" starts Tuesday; "Amazing Race Asia" applications open

Broadcasts of a new season of the reality television travel show The Amazing Race start this Tuesday, 28 February 2006 on CBS-TV in the USA. The Amazing Race 9 is back to the original format of a race around the world by teams of two people. This week's two-hour premiere... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 February 2006, 20:25 ( 8:25 PM) | Comments (0)

Wednesday, 15 February 2006

Taylor Branch on tour for Black History Month

Last October when The Amazing Race passed through Anniston, Alabama, I talked in my column about what had happened when one of the first of the "Freedom Rides" passed through Anniston in 1961, and Anniston's significance in the movement for civil rights for African-Americans. I quoted at length from the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 February 2006, 07:19 ( 7:19 AM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 13 December 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 10

Absorokee, MT (USA) - Billings, MT (USA) - Montréal, Québec (Canada) - Toronto, Ontario (Canada) - Queenston, Ontario (Canada) - Lewiston, NY (USA) To the bitter end, tonight's final episode of the Family Edition of The Amazing Race was, like this whole season, a series of missed opportunities. Instead of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 December 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 6 December 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 9

Salt Lake City, UT (USA) - Park City, UT (USA) - Heber City, UT (USA) - Bonneville Salt Flats, UT (USA) - Garden City, UT (USA) - Big Pine, WY (USA) - Yellowstone National Park, WY (USA) - Dubois, WY (USA) - Cody, WY (USA) - Red Lodge, MT (USA)... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 December 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 22 November 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 8

Page, AZ (USA) - Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT (USA) - Moab, UT (USA - Green River State Park, UT (USA) - Heber City, UT (USA) - Park City, UT (USA) - Salt Lake City, UT (USA) I don't have much to say about this week's episode of The... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 November 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 8 November 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 7

Quepos (Costa Rica) - Grecia (Costa Rica) - Phoenix, AZ (USA) - Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, AZ (USA) - Mesa, AZ (USA) - Grand Canyon National Park, AZ (USA) - Page, AZ (USA) Perhaps it would be too much to expect the Family Edition of The Amazing Race reality television... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 November 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 1 November 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 6

Panama City (Panama) - San José (Costa Rica) - Parque Nacional Volcan Poás (Costa Rica) - Doka Coffee Estate (Costa Rica) - Jacó (Costa Rica) - Quepos (Costa Rica) "You Can't Get There From Here" (Special guest column by By Erin Van Rheenen, author of Living Abroad in Costa Rica... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 November 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 25 October 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 5 (RFID passports)

New Orleans, LA (USA) - Panama City (Panama) Just when the families on The Amazing Race 8 finally left the USA in tonight's episode, the USA Department of State today took the latest in its recent series of regulatory actions to make it more difficult for other families like them... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 October 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (7)

Tuesday, 18 October 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 4

Huntsville, AL (USA) - Anniston, AL (USA) - Talladeega, AL (USA) - Hattiesburg, MS (USA) - Richland, MS (USA) - Madisonville, LA (USA) - New Orleans, LA (USA) Whether you're a foreign visitor or a family of Americans, a road trip across the USA is a great way to learn... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 October 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 11 October 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 3

Middleburg, VA (USA)- Dulles Airport, VA (USA) - Charleston, SC (USA) - Huntsville, AL (USA) The decisive factor in The Amazing Race: Family Edition this week is the fact that only one team at a time can ride the pilot-training centrifuge , and that it takes some time to spin... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 October 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 4 October 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 2

Lancaster, PA (USA) - York, PA (USA) - Washington, DC (USA) - Middleburg, VA (USA) "Washington, City of Spies" The Family Edition of The Amazing Race has barely begun, and already it's broken with the impression it was starting to create of squeaky-clean American patriotism, portraying Washington, DC, as a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 October 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Tuesday, 27 September 2005

The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition), Episode 1

New York, NY (USA) - Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA (USA) - Philadelphia, PA (USA) - Mount Joy, PA (USA) - Lancaster, PA (USA) The first episode of the first season of The Amazing Race took the teams of travellers from New York City all the way across the Atlantic... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 September 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Sunday, 25 September 2005

"The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition" broadcasts start this Tuesday; "The Amazing Race 1" on DVD

Broadcasts of The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition will begin this Tuesday night, 27 September 2005 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT, 8-9 p.m. CT/MT) on CBS-TV in the USA. I've posted a tentative broadcast schedule based on this starting date. Profiles of the cast members are on the CBS-TV Web site for... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 September 2005, 09:37 ( 9:37 AM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 10 May 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 10

London, England (U.K.) - Kingston (Jamaica) - Montego Bay (Jamaica) - Lucea (Jamaica) - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) - Miami, FL (USA) - Fort Lauderdale, FL (USA) Most viewers were probably pleased that Joyce and Uchenna finished first in the final leg (largely because they did... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 May 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (8)

Tuesday, 3 May 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 9

Istanbul (Turkey) - London, England (U.K.) Now that all but the final three teams have been eliminated from this season of The Amazing Race , I won't be spoiling any of the plot by revealing who was among those final teams. So without further ado, I can now share this... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 May 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (3)

Tuesday, 26 April 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 8

Jodhpur (India) - Istanbul (Turkey) Yet again in this episode of The Amazing Race the key to finishing first was finding "interline" connections between flights on different airlines (in this case, on Indian Airlines and Turkish Airlines from Delhi to Istanbul via Dubai) that arrived earlier than the sole direct... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 April 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 19 April 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 7

Khwai (Botswana) - Francistown (Botswana) - Mumbai (India) - Lucknow (India) - Jodhpur (India) There were two major lessons in this two-part episode, which was broadcast on 12 April 2005 and 19 April 2005. The first lesson -- which, unfortunately, the television producers didn't choose to show us -- concerned... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 19 April 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 5 April 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 6

Makgadikgadi Pans (Botswana) - Maun (Botswana) - Sankuyo (Botswana) - Khwai (Botswana) This week's leg of The Amazing Race took place entirely in and around the Okavango Delta, an area of marshes without outlet, surrounded by desert. As the racers saw along the roads, that causes a rare density of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 April 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 29 March 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 5

Vicente Casares (Argentina) - Johannesburg (South Africa) - Soweto (South Africa) - Gaborone (Botswana) - Francistown (Botswana) - Gweta (Botswana) - Makgadikgadi Pans (Botswana) Road travel is the most dangerous part of most trips -- whether a trip to the next town, across the country, or around the world. Travellers... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 29 March 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 22 March 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 4

Mendoza (Argentina) - La Lunta (Argentina) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Tigre (Argentina) - Vicente Casares (Argentina) Train to Tigre at Retiro station (photo by Ruth Radetsky) Argentina is a huge country -- the eighth largest in the world in land area, larger than any country in Africa -- with... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 22 March 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 15 March 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 3

Santiago (Chile) - Mendoza (Argentina) [The master at work: an Argentine asador and his parrilla (photo by Ruth Radetsky)] You never know what food you'll be served when you travel in unfamiliar places, how it will be cooked or presented, or how much of it you'll be served. This week... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 March 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1)

Tuesday, 8 March 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 2

Cusco (Peru) - Arequipa (Peru) - Santiago (Chile) Must you see the "must see" attractions? This week The Amazing Race said, "No", leaving Peru for Chile (via, inexplicably, Argentina, once again forbidding the racers from taking the nonstop flight on LAN Chile) after a "pit stop" in Cusco without a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 March 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 1 March 2005

The Amazing Race 7, Episode 1 (airline codesharing)

Long Beach, CA (USA) - Lima (Peru) - Ancon (Peru) - Lima (Peru) - Cusco (Peru) - Huambutio (Peru) - Pisac (Peru) - Cusco (Peru) The Amazing Race began its seventh season with the racers being required by the producers of the reality-TV show -- at the behest, presumably, of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 March 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (9)

Tuesday, 8 February 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 11

Shanghai (China) - Xi'an (China) - Mt. Hua (China) - Xi'an (China) - Honolulu, HI (USA) - Chicago, Il (USA) The final double episode of this season of The Amazing Race was dominated by the racers' continued difficulties with coping and communicating in China. Watching the racers in some of... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 8 February 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (5)

Tuesday, 1 February 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 10

Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) - Shanghai (China) "We don't know how to communicate with them." That was the key problem for the contestants, none of whom appeared to speak or read any Chinese, throughout this episode of The Amazing Race in Shanghai. In cities, the racers have generally relied on taxis... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 February 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 25 January 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 9 (travel advice and lessons from the tsunami in the Indian Ocean)

Lalibela (Ethiopia) - Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Colombo (Sri Lanka) - Galle (Sri Lanka) - Kandy (Sri Lanka) - Dambulla (Sri Lanka) - Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) This weeks's episode of The Amazing Race was dedicated to those affected by the tsunami, especially in Sri Lanka where the reality-TV show was... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 25 January 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 18 January 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 8

l'Ile Rousse, Corsica (France) - Nice (France) - Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Lalibela (Ethiopia) The invisible hand influencing "The Amazing Race" this week in Ethiopia may have been the altitude: over 2500 meters (8000 feet) above sea level in both Addis Ababa and Lalibela. Kendra had what she thought was... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 18 January 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (4)

Tuesday, 11 January 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 7

Budapest (Hungary) - Ajaccio, Corsica (France) - Calvi, Corsica (France) - l'Ile Rousse, Corsica (France) In this week's episode of The Amazing Race, Adam and Rebecca jump into first place (midway through the race around the world, although still in Europe despite a side trip to Africa) by completing a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 January 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 4 January 2005

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 6

Berlin (Germany) - Budapest (Hungary) - Eger (Hungary) - Budapest (Hungary) A lot happened in this leg of the race. At any rate, we saw a lot of it, since this one leg of the race -- with a single set of challenges, a single "pit stop", and a single... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 January 2005, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (7)

Tuesday, 14 December 2004

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 5

Gorée Island (Senegal) - Berlin (Germany) I mentioned last week that of 18 contestants on The Amazing Race in Senegal, none appeared to be making any attempt to speak French. That continued this week, which is a litle bit surprising, considering that French is the second most widely studied foreign... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 December 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (9)

Tuesday, 7 December 2004

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 4

Stockholm (Sweden) - Dakar (Senegal) - Kayar (Senegal) - Lac Rose (Senegal) - Gorée Island (Senegal) En route to Africa this week, the producers of The Amazing Race start off with an enormous editing gaffe: a product placement photograph of an American Airlines plane. Memo to CBS television (and American... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 December 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (9)

Tuesday, 30 November 2004

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 3

Voss (Norway) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Häggvik (Sweden) - Stockholm (Sweden) OK, call me a whiner: Last week I complained that the current "reality" television contestants on The Amazing Race aren't like the real people who take trips around the world. This week my complaint is that the tasks the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 November 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 23 November 2004

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 2

Grindavik (Iceland) - Oslo (Norway) - Holmenkollen (Norway) - Brandbu (Norway) - Honefoss (Norway) - Voss (Norway) Is this reality, or is this television?" That's the question everyone seems to be asking after the first couple of episodes of the new season of The Amazing Race , the reality-television amashow... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 23 November 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 16 November 2004

The Amazing Race 6, Episode 1

Chicago, IL (USA) - Reykjavik (Iceland) - Hvolsvollur (Iceland) - Vatnajokoll Glacier (Iceland) - Breidarmerkur Lagoon (Iceland) - Grindavik (Iceland) From the start, this first episode of The Amazing Race 6 was a bit more complicated a production than usual -- both for the television show and for my column.... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 16 November 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Wednesday, 20 October 2004

The Amazing Race 6 broadcasts to start Tuesday, 16 November 2004

I haven't been able to get confirmation yet from CBS-TV, and all television schedules are always subject to change... but TV Guide and several other publications are now reporting that The Amazing Race 6 will be broadcast on CBS in the USA on Tuesday nights beginnging 16 November 2004. I've... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 October 2004, 13:30 ( 1:30 PM) | Comments (6)

Sunday, 3 October 2004

How to apply for "The Amazing Race"

Applications have supposedly closed for The Amazing Race 7 to be filmed starting in late 2004. Keep your eyes peeled for race flags, and watch for pairs of people running through airports along with camera crews if you are travelling during October-December 2004. (If you get pictures of the racers... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 October 2004, 19:24 ( 7:24 PM) | Comments (305)

Tuesday, 21 September 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 12

Manila (Philippines) - El Nido - (Philippines) - Lagen Island (Philippines) - El Nido (Philippines) - Manila (Philippines) - Calgary, Alberta (Canada) - Lookout Mountain, Alberta (Canada) - [Banff, Alberta (Canada)] - Canada Olympic Park, Alberta (Canada) - Fort Worth, Texas (USA) - Dallas, Texas (USA) Those who saw the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 September 2004, 22:53 (10:53 PM) | Comments (4)

Wednesday, 15 September 2004

The Amazing Race comes to Canada

Click on the links below for more photos and accounts of the season finale of "The Amazing Race 5" in Banff, Alberta (Canada). (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 15 September 2004, 15:53 ( 3:53 PM) | Comments (25)

Tuesday, 14 September 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 11

Rotorua (New Zealand) - Manila (Philippines) - Cavite Province (Philippines) - Victoria (Philippines) - Manila (Philippines) [Spoiler warning: Usually I talk about what has just happened on The Amazing Race , but this week I'm going to talk mostly about what is about to happen in the race. If you... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 14 September 2004, 23:43 (11:43 PM) | Comments (26)

Tuesday, 7 September 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 10

Kolkata, West Bengal (India) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Rotorua (New Zealand) When the airline counter staff in Bangkok tell them no seats are available on the flight they want, twins Karli and Kami (who actually know they have reservations only on a later flight) don't hesitate: they lie, claim... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 7 September 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (2)

Tuesday, 31 August 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 9

Dubai (United Arab Emirates) - Kolkata, West Bengal (India) Starting during the first season, I've urged in my columns that the producers of The Amazing Race give the contestants less money, to cut down the extent to which the race hinges on the speed and recklessness of taxi drivers rather... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 31 August 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Monday, 30 August 2004

Special broadcast time for "The Amazing Race" this week

In at least some time zones in the USA, "The Amazing Race 5" will be broadcast earlier than usual this week to acocmmodate "news coverage" (free broadcast of a party propaganda rally, at which few if any newsworthy decisions will be made) of the Republican Party National Convention. The official... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 30 August 2004, 23:51 (11:51 PM) | Comments (3)

Tuesday, 24 August 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 8

Lake Manyara (Tanzania) - Kilimanjaro Airport (Tanzania) - Nairobi (Kenya) - Dubai (United Arab Emirates) I've tried to avoid criticizing the contestants on The Amazing Race, most of whom have limited international travel experience and all of whom are subject to being depicted in whatever manner the television show's producers... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 24 August 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 17 August 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 7

Luxor (Egypt) - Cairo (Egypt) - Nairobi (Kenya) - Kilimanjaro Airport (Tanzania) - Mtowambu (Tanzania) - Kibaoni (Tanzania) - Lake Manyara (Tanzania) A series of mistakes -- both by the television producers and the racers -- provides an object lesson for real-life travellers in, "How not to get to Kilimanjaro... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 17 August 2004, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 10 August 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 6

Giza (Egypt) - Cairo (Egypt) - Luxor (Egypt) The most interesting lesson for world travellers in this week's episode of The Amazing Race may have been in the decision the racers weren't allowed to make for themselves: whether to travel by air, land, or water from the Great Pyramid at... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 10 August 2004, 23:51 (11:51 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 3 August 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 5

Pushkin (Russia) - St. Petersburg (Russia) - Cairo (Egypt) - Giza (Egypt) I've criticized the travelling couples on The Amazing Race repeatedly for their lack of preparation, especially in not studying how to find the best flights. The importance of flight choices was on display again this week, with some... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 3 August 2004, 23:45 (11:45 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 27 July 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 4

Bahia López (Argentina) - San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - St. Petersburg (Russia) - Pushkin (Russia) Argentina is a land of epic road trips, with all roads leading to Buenos Aires, where The Amazing Race 5 passes through for the fourth successive episode this week. "Argentina... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 27 July 2004, 23:58 (11:58 PM) | Comments (1)

Monday, 26 July 2004

The Amazing Race 7 applications open through 11 August 2004

CBS-TV has quietly posted an application form and instructions for would-be contestants on The Amazing Race 7 on a new section of the CBS Web site for "The Amazing Race". The application form is dated 21 July 2004, and the instructions specify that applications, including audition videotapes, must be received... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 26 July 2004, 21:06 ( 9:06 PM) | Comments (107)

Tuesday, 20 July 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 3

San Antonio de Areco (Argentina) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) - Villa Catedral (Argentina) - Cerro Catedral (Argentina) - Bahia López (Argentina) The Amazing Race has rarely spent as long in one country or region as it has in Argentina this season, with one episode... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 20 July 2004, 23:28 (11:28 PM) | Comments (0)

Tuesday, 13 July 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 2

Punta Ballena (Uruguay) - Montevideo (Uruguay) - Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay) - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - San Antonio de Areco (Argentina) The Amazing Race has been plagued with bad timing, starting with the broadcast of the premiere episode (featuring scenes of racing through the streets of Manhattan) on 5 September... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 13 July 2004, 23:16 (11:16 PM) | Comments (0)

Sunday, 11 July 2004

The Amazing Race 6 filming underway now or soon

I got a flood of questions after the 6 July 2004 premiere episode of The Amazing Race 5 about how to apply to be a contestant/cast member in future seasons of The Amazing Race . Casting of The Amazing Race 6 is already complete, and filming is or will be... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 July 2004, 21:45 ( 9:45 PM) | Comments (10)

Tuesday, 6 July 2004

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 1

Santa Monica, CA (USA) - Montevideo (Uruguay) - Punta del Este (Uruguay) - Punta Ballena (Uruguay) Before the teams in The Amazing Race 5 even get off the Santa Monica Pier, Jim is knocked down by another racer at the starting line, tears open his leg on a nail, and... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 6 July 2004, 23:41 (11:41 PM) | Comments (2)

Monday, 5 July 2004

Eyewitness to the final episode of "The Amazing Race 5"

If you aren't off travelling yourself (and maybe if you are), it's time for a summer of armchair travel around the world: Broadcasts in the USA of the latest season of the CBS reality-TV show about around-the-world travel, The Amazing Race 5 , start Tuesday (tomorrow), 6 July 2004, at... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 5 July 2004, 17:26 ( 5:26 PM) | Comments (12)

Friday, 9 April 2004

The Amazing Race 6 auditions in San Francisco tomorrow

Last-minute news that The Amazing Race will be holding auditions in San Francisco tomorrow, Saturday, 10 April 2004: Hello Amazing Race fans! ... We thought we'd give you an advanced scoop that CBS 5 will be conducting a Bay Area Casting Call for Amazing Race 6, this Saturday! Here's the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 9 April 2004, 17:55 ( 5:55 PM) | Comments (60)

Sunday, 4 April 2004

The Amazing Race 5 broadcast dates scheduled

Tentative broadcast dates and times in the USA for the upcoming fifth season of the reality television show about travel around the world, The Amazing Race, have reported been set by CBS-TV for Tuesday nights from the 4th of July through Labor Day this summer. CBS hasn't officially confirmed the... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 4 April 2004, 21:30 ( 9:30 PM) | Comments (2)

Monday, 1 March 2004

The Amazing Race 5 filming completed

Filming of the 5th season of the CBS-TV around-the-world travel reality show, The Amazing Race, began at the end of January 2004, and finished at the end of last week. Thanks to everyone around the world who was keeping an eye out for the race, and keeping me posted about... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 1 March 2004, 22:27 (10:27 PM) | Comments (97)

Wednesday, 11 February 2004

Most useful languages for world travel

A reader writes: I enjoy your blog, especially your focus on privacy issues and your coverage of The Amazing Race. What do you consider to be the most useful languages for a world traveller to know? Certainly the most useful language to know, if you want to travel to a... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 11 February 2004, 20:53 ( 8:53 PM) | Comments (20)

Tuesday, 21 October 2003

The Amazing Race 5 applications closed

Applications closed earlier this month for The Amazing Race 5, the next season of the CBS reality-TV show about travel around the world. Apparently the producers were having difficulty finding the types of people they wanted for the cast: last-minute casting calls were held across the country, at which local... (...Read Entire Entry)

Link | Posted by Edward, 21 October 2003, 06:39 ( 6:39 AM) | Comments (13)