GEARING UP
KangaRoom offers storage products, including items for the traveler – some of which work great, others just OK. The favorite so far is the Travel Shoe Organizer, with three slots for shoes to keep their dirty bottoms from smudging your clothes in the suitcase, and two hooks for hanging once you get to the hotel. Two of the slots are big enough for a men’s size 13, while the third can hold women’s hiking boots. Also good: small and large Activity Bags made of heavy-duty nylon, with removable dividers for dirty gym clothes and shoes, with little see- through slots that hold labels for each and Velcro seals to keep everything separate and tidy. What would elevate these bags to greatness would be short straps in addition to the shoulder one and padding on the strap. Not quite working as intended is the Travel Snack Sac, a lunchbox of sorts with zippered pockets for ice packs (can’t take the gel ones on the plane, remember) that opens up to reveal a tray that can hold your drink, with mesh holders for food and utensils. The problem we had is that if the person in front of you on the plane has his seat back, the thing tips over, spilling your drink; we tried detaching the strap and shoving the top down behind the tray table, but that was unwieldy, and we had to take everything out to do it. But once home, a pre-teen snagged it for school and loves it. | Travel Shoe Organizer, $19.95; Activity Bag $50 (small), $60 (large); Travel Snack Sac, $30, kangaroomstorage.com
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS|
| Top Adventure Destinations
The top 10 destinations in 2006 (with 2005 rank in parentheses) of adventure and experiential travelers, based on purchases from iExplore.com.
1. Egypt (1)
2. Antarctica (19)
3. South Africa (6)
4. Peru (2)
5. China (4)
6. Tanzania (17)
7. India (5)
8. Thailand (11)
9. Italy (8)
10. Argentina (14)
GEO QUIZ | Where are these places?
1. In November 2005, a luxury cruise liner was attacked by pirates. The attack occurred off the coast of which country on the Horn of Africa?
2. In October 2005, thousands of people were left homeless by flooding in the northern Rangpur district of which Asian country that includes a large river delta?
3. In October and November 2005, the deaths of two youths and underlying social unrest over socioeconomic conditions sparked widespread riots initially in which European country?
4. In November 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa’s first elected female leader. Which country, located west of Côte d’Ivoire, does she lead?
5. In October 2005, a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed about 80,000 people. This earthquake’s epicenter was near Muzaffarabad in which Asian country?
6. In August 2005, archaeologists unearthed about 15,000 tiny gold pieces from an ancient tomb east of the capital city of Sofia in which European country?
7. In November 2005, protesters defending their right to fair elections marched in the capital city of Baku in which country west of the Caspian Sea?
8. In October 2005, which Asian country announced the completion of a railway line from Lhasa to the province of Qinghai?
9. In November 2005, ancient ruins believed possibly to be the site of the earliest Christian church in the Middle East were uncovered in which country bordering the Mediterranean Sea?
10. In November 2005, government officials in Khartoum announced an epidemic of dengue fever in which African country?
ANSWERS: 1. Somalia 2. Bangladesh 3. France 4. Liberia 5. Pakistan 6. Bulgaria 7. Azerbaijan 8. China 9. Israel 10. Sudan
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
BOOK YOUR VACATION
Travel guides are looking more like websites, with smaller bites of information and many tiny photos. The content is geared toward a younger traveler too, with lots of nightclubs and bars, plenty of consumer- oriented activities and a hipper look. The “Real City” guides ($15, DK Publishing) fall into this category, with Barcelona being the latest offering in an eight-city series that includes Berlin, Chicago, New York and Paris. The guides are slender but a little too wide for comfortable backpack use; however, they are slick, with great restaurant recommendations and informative lodging entries. They assume you will want to read every piece rather than seek out places arranged by category, which can be a little frustrating, but they are indexed by area and cross-referenced on the maps, which are busy and use terrible colors, but are comprehensive.
WEBSITE
tagapproved.com
There are plenty of advertising- driven guides that list places eager to show off their gay- and lesbian-friendly status, but TAG Approved claims to post accommodations only if the lodging agrees to adhere to certain policies, including non-discrimination, employee sensitivity training, staff diversity and actively supporting the gay and lesbian community. Type in a U.S., Canadian or European city and find out which hotels, B&Bs and resortspass.
EDITOR Kyle Wagner, 303-954-1599, travel@denverpost.com | EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Pete Names, 303-954-1281, living@denverpost.com | ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Mike Zuniga, 303-954-1027
THE DENVER POST 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202 | FAX 303-954-1679 | WEBSITE denverpost.com/travel
