Vacations Blog

A big howdy to everyone from down here in the Lone Star State (and yes, we really do talk like that). I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself before I jump right in to writing about traveling in Texas. I was born here in Texas but still in diapers when my father was transferred overseas (one of the best perks of being a military brat). I spent most of my formative years hopping around the world – Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain – before we came back to the U.S. and lived in New York, Maryland, Arkansas, and finally back to Texas where he retired. I’ve lived here since then with no real desire to live anywhere else.

Texas is a diverse place – you can drive for days and never leave the state and yet go from a lush, hilly country to a dry, cactus-filled desert that’s flat as far as the eye can see. From a place of sandy beaches to one dotted with snow and mountains. And with the way that the weather changes at the drop of the hat you might start out the day in a parka and end up in shorts by nightfall – no matter what area of the state you are in!

Now having said all of that you can understand why I’m so excited to be writing about travel in this “larger than life” state. There’s something for every taste and every age here. I can’t wait to uncover all of the hidden little travel treasures of Texas for you.

If you have any great Texas travel stories (or places) to share, please let me know!

Over the past few weeks, Kango headquarters has been bustling with productivity and anticipation as we eagerly prepare our site for company launch. These are exciting times! As a result of all the aforementioned excitement, my blogging efforts have taken a brief hiatus. Fortunately, it’s not for a shortage of ideas to explore (there are plenty of those floating around), but a lack of time and fully fledged blog focus.

Anyways…I’m back at it and ready to dive into an area of recent enthusiasm – alternative maps (see tourism and ‘made in china’).

Maps organize information. They pinpoint locations relative to one another. James Turner has created the very ambitious and ultra detailed Map of Humanity, where he takes on the task of organizing morals, emotions, and culturally significant figures and events.

click for larger view

In the words of the creator, “It is an attempt to map the last six thousand years of human history and thought upon a theoretical geography to discover a sense of what kind of civilization humanity has attained.”

My thoughts…

- Geographic maps are by definition objective. This map, on the other hand, is subjective and based upon Turner’s religious, political, and moral beliefs. An atheist would disagree with Faith being a sub-region of Wisdom. A British historian would have trouble with the location of Elizabeth I– who had recurring military failures against England’s three primary foreign adversaries of the time- France, Ireland, and Spain– near the sub-region Order.

- To the southwest is “Hedonism”, home to regions like Gluttony, Treason, Delusion, Nightmare and Lies; I suppose Lay, Skilling, and Fastow held Enron corporate retreats here.

- I’m not at all sure why Mexico City and the Forbidden City reside in Fool’s Paradise along with the likes of Babel and Chernobyl; or how Seattle and Philadelphia landed in the region of Wisdom…

- I’d love to go hiking in the Shakespearian Mountains, sail in the Gulf of Maitreya Buddha, or get lost in the Sea of Knowledge.

- Are property taxes higher in Dreams or in Delusion?

This ambitious feat combines human emotion, real and fictional figures and events, and cartography, all joined together with great detail. While my personal views don’t mirror Turner’s, I applaud him for his creativity, myriad of historical references, and fine map making skills. I need to get one of these and chart out a future trip!

Relating to the Map of Humanity…..Where would you like to grow up? Experience your twenties? Retire?

Here at Kango we love maps. Whether it be global or local, the map is where travel dreams begin their transition into becoming reality.

Here’s a standard political map of the world:

You likely remember seeing a similar version (who remembers the Soviet Union?) posted up on a wall in your junior high history class. Not all that exciting right?

Now imagine that instead of mapping the countries by area, they are measured by another variable (i.e. GDP, population, HIV prevalence), in turn distorting their geometries. I find these deformed maps are a great way to better visualize world statistics and grasp just how different (often alarmingly!) lifestyle, economy, and consumption are from country to country around the globe.

For the first of a weekly series focusing on these maps, I am going to stick close to travel and explore a Tourist Destinations cartogram using data from 2003.

Initial thoughts…

• Over 665 million international trips were made in 2003 for holiday and touring purposes. With a global population of roughly 6.3 billion in 2003, and assuming that some individuals took multiple trips, less than 10% of people around the world crossed borders for leisure.

• Western Europe was the region of choice for 46% of travelers. Traveling across European borders is friendly and contagious. The standard EU currency (Euro) and the ease of transportation (Eurail and modern freeways) promote intra-Europe travel. With luxury hotels and hostels, museums and nude beaches, Western Europe is an obvious destination for travelers of all ages. Many European cultures designate August as a month to travel.

• Conversely, Central Africa received less than .1% of the world’s total tourism. Transportation around Central Africa is dated, harsh, and potentially dangerous. Rough terrain, including the Sahara Desert and vast jungles, make up much of Central Africa.

• The Bahamas and Caribbean archipelago, obvious island destinations, receive tourism from the US, Western Europe and South America.

• Hong Kong, a country less than 1/3 the size of Rhode Island in land mass, is HUGE, living up to its tagline of “Asia’s World City”.

What are your reactions? Do your international travel plans reflect this map? How do you think it will look in 10, 50 years?