A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean, by Gary Buslik

A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean by Gary Buslik, is an hysterically funny, make you choke on laughter, make tears run down your cheeks, novel about a lifetime of Caribbean travel.

I actually met Gary Buslik – briefly – at a gathering of travel bloggers. For some unknown reason, he decided that I would be a perfect candidate to review his travel narrative. I receive many such requests; sadly most of them turn out to be poorly written novels full of bad grammar and misspellings that leave me wondering what the point was. Not so with Buslik’s effort. From the moment I opened the front cover, I couldn’t put it down. I read most of it in a day, sitting in my favorite coffee shop while willfully ignoring the other patrons, who stared at me each time I laughed out loud – which was often.

Buslik’s singularly cynical life view – he is not kidding when he calls himself a rotten person – translates into some of the funniest stories I have ever read. While I don’t doubt for a moment that the stories are true (I believe he actually peed on Idi Amin and has discovered the secret of chicken rectums), but after reading chapters describing trips taken with his wife I need convincing that he’s been married to the same woman for more than 20 years. Whether his wife is mythical or just has a lot thicker skin than I do, their marital travels (and fights over potential trips) result in some gut-splitting situations.

If you want a good read that is guaranteed to make you laugh, buy A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean (see link to Amazon.com below), but do not – I repeat DO NOT – try to read it while drinking coffee or you’ll be snorting java through your nostrils.

Buy Buslik’s book at Amazon.com

In recent decades, major sports teams have been selling naming rights to their stadiums. San Francisco’s historic Candlestick Park was renamed 3-Com Stadium, the Arizona Diamondbacks play in Bank One Ballpark, and Heinz Stadium is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bowl games sell corporate sponsorships (i.e.: the 96th Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi or the Valero Energy Alamo Bowl) and although they often turn event names into lengthy, tongue-twisting titles, the sponsorships also provide much needed revenue. It is precisely this revenue source that prompted officials in New York City to consider selling naming rights to some very unconventional facilities.

Faced with a massive $2 billion deficit, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority began searching for corporate sponsors for – of all things – the city’s subway stops. For five years the MTA offered corporate naming rights to the underground but there were no takers – until now. If the $4 million deal is approved, Barclays Bank will be added to the already lengthy named Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue subway stop in downtown Brooklyn. Although in this case the sponsorship may make sense (the subway stop will serve Barclays Center, a new sports arena scheduled to open in 2012), it certainly begs the question of whether traveling around NYC will still have that authentic New York flavor when conductors find themselves announcing “McDonald’s Big Mac Lincoln Center,” or “Yahoo! Rockefeller Center.”

I admit it. I sometimes carry the definition of travel to extremes. Hole In The Donut’s theme is “the inner and outer journey.” The outer journey – basically everything that has to do with travel – is broad enough to allow me to write about destinations, attractions, events, accommodations, and travel industry news.

The inner journey is where I deviate from the traditional view of travel. We all have different stories, but our common denominator is that we are all trying to find a way to be happy. So – and I know this is a stretch – I ask that you travel back in time with me to the early days of television. These two YouTube clips from The Art Linkletter Show and The Carol Burnett Show will make you roar with laughter. After all, any excuse to laugh is a good one. Enjoy.

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There are dozens of ways to get free or budget accommodations when you travel. At CouchSurfing.com you can find someone almost anywhere in the world who will allow you to sleep on their couch for free. HouseCarers.com lists home owners who provide free accommodations to travelers who will act as caretakers for their property while they are out of town. Still other agencies arrange for free or reduced accommodations in return for volunteer work.

But I have never heard of a way to get free transportation. Until now. I recently learned about Hitchhikers.org, a website that provides travelers with a way to search for rides from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, from Dar es Salaam to Madrid, or just from Amsterdam to Paris. Drivers who are looking for some company (or sometimes a modest fee) submit their rides to the site and hitchhikers search for routes that match their travel plans. They connect through the website and then handle their own arrangements from that point. There is no fee for posting or searching for rides, nor for contacting posters, and the website is available in more than 10 languages. Read the rest of this entry »

On January 10, 2008, the Canadian Transportation Agency passed the “one-person-one-fare” policy that prohibits Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, and WestJet from charging more than one fare for “persons with disabilities who require additional seating for themselves, including those determined to be functionally disabled by obesity for purposes of air travel.”

The airlines were given one year to comply but the problem was how to implement the policy. Although the CTA stated that the decision “does not apply to persons who are obese but not disabled as a result of their obesity,” the potential for abuse was obvious. Earlier this month, Air Canada and WestJet announced they will require disabled or obese passengers seeking a second seat to fill out a five page form and send it in for review well before their flight date. The form requires doctors to – get this – measure the patient’s behind. They’ve even provided an illustration and instructions to facilitate the process: Read the rest of this entry »

The synchronicity of the world constantly amazes me. Yesterday I wrote about traveling to India, and today I receive an email from my friend, Dorothy, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland. Dorothy and I became fast friends when we both attended a very special Yoga retreat in a remote area of central India a few years ago.

Dorothy strikes a Yoga pose on a deserted beach

We ended up in adjacent bunks but we shared more than a bedroom – we both came down with a case of Delhi Belly and kept each other company from our sickbeds. Here’s what she sent me as a reminder: Read the rest of this entry »

Premium Aircraft Interiors Group's Freedom Economy Seat configuration offers more elbow, shoulder and legroom, the company says. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

There are a number of interesting travel news items floating around at the moment that are worth covering. This first one comes under the heading of “what took them so long.” I have always wondered who designed the seats in aircraft.  The seat back curves away below the headrest, just where my neck curves inward, leaving a large space at the exact point where I need support. There is rarely enough leg room and never enough room on the armrests, especially if I am in the center seat. However the days of uncomfortable airline seating may be numbered. Back in 2007, USA Today reported that Britain’s Premium Aircraft Interiors Group introduced the Freedom Economy Seat, a three-seat row that flips the middle one backward. Since then, the seats have begun appearing in the business class sections of selected carriers.

Gizmag.com recently reported on another new seat design that was unveiled this past September at the Create The Future Design Contest. The clever new design, which actually creates MORE seats on the Airbus A380, provides ALL passengers with more space than ever before and the ability to stretch out in an airline bed. This can help to alleviate pressure on the legs, a common area where blood clots can form within the deep veins.  All I can say is, it’s about time.

If you’ve finally made the decision to chuck it all and hit the road but you have limited resources to travel long term, this list of alternative accommodation options featured on Vagabondish.com will be of interest. The various programs offer Read the rest of this entry »

If only I could be more like this dog, I’d be a lot happier during my annual Christmas trip home to Illinois.

Snow on the Outer Banks of North Carolina? Not a regular occurrence, but it’s been known to happen.

Three inches of snow in one day in Las Vegas, where they normally don’t get more than a half inch during an entire winter? Now that’s a bit strange.

But when I heard it snowed in Malibu yesterday – well, that’s just downright weird.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the worst of it. This morning, my father poked his head into the living room to give me a heads up. “Don’t worry if you hear some noise. I’m just testing the generator.”

“Yeah, OK,” I replied distractedly. I was busy writing a travel article that was overdue and didn’t really pay too much attention. Even hearing the generator roar to life didn’t make much of an impression.

Several hours later I noticed a strong chemical odor in the house that reminded me of cleaning solvent or paint thinner. When the fumes had permeated the living room Read the rest of this entry »