The Travelzine - an oldie and a goodie

[Chuckanut]

I posted information about The Travelzine in the discussion of the demise of International Travel News. Upon reflection, I think The Travelzine deserves a discussion topic of its own. It is a hidden jewel of travel information, IMHO.

I have enjoyed being a member of The Travelzine for years and have received a number of great ideas and tips from its members. It has a spirit that reminds me of ITN in that the members contribute most of the best information

The Travelzine is an email group made up some seasoned travelers who discuss where they have been, and help others seek out good travel experiences. Like this FIRE group it is overwhelmingly made up of thoughtful and polite people. As far as I can see it has no commercial interest whatsoever. They aren't trying sell you anything. There is no cost to join the email group though one can donate to help out.

Here is an example of the type of advice the members offer:

My daughter and I spent a wonderful week in an apartment in Nice at the beginning of February.
It was a hassle getting all the documentation about Covid, but worth it. The weather was perfect, sunny everyday and in high 50.
We walked everywhere, averaging 11,000 steps a day. Our apartment was only 3 blocks from the Old Town. We visited the flower market, made perfume, visited a museum which contained old musical instruments, and enjoyed sitting on the beach at a restaurant. We took the train to Menton and Antibes. Took the bus to Eze. Took an evening tour of Monte Carlo and gambled at the casino. Had brunch at Rothschild mansion.

I highly recommend it. It's not a busy group that will flood your mailbox with silly emails. Most of the people who contribute to it are quite thoughtful in my opinion.

 

[Chuckanut]

For those willing to share their travel experiences with others, there is this site and The Travelzine which I recommended earlier.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I used to subscribe to a lot of email groups like this. Before webforums like ER.org, they and Usenet were the main bulletin board formats.

I mention that because I tried to subscribe to TRAVELZINE and discovered that I already had an account, associated with another interest group I'm subscribed to that uses ioGroups.

It looks like an interesting group, although pretty eurocentric. I'll be happy to reminisce about visiting Tokyo in 2019, if I can remember back that far.

 

[Chuckanut]

It looks like an interesting group, although pretty eurocentric. I'll be happy to reminisce about visiting Tokyo in 2019, if I can remember back that far.

Then your thoughts are Tokyo are what is needed! Time to breakup the eurocentric emphasis.

 

[Luvtoride]

For those willing to share their travel experiences with others, there is this site and The Travelzine which I recommended earlier.

Thanks for the recommendation. I signed up and put in my first response…an interesting question about our last trip BEFORE the pandemic. It was accepted and posted today. A lot of archived content to explore there.

 

[Chuckanut]

Today, I found this interesting article from a message in the Travelzine:

How Italy Is Bringing Its Rustic Villages Back to Life

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/italy-bringing-rustic-villages-back-life-180979784/

In recent years, though, artists, agrarian dreamers and entrepreneurs have started driving a return to Italy’s neglected rural villages. New eco-tourism ventures draw visitors and new transplants to remote locales. Crowdfunded cooperatives help newcomers open grocery stores, arts centers, co-working spaces, a pizzeria.

I was in Santo Stefano di Sassanio years ago. It has one of the few historical round towers in Italy. Most towns have towers that are squarish. Alas, the earthquake knocked the tower down. I heard that they have saved the stones that made up the original tower to use when they eventually rebuild it. I hope this is a sign it will be rebuilt.

P.S. When they rebuild the tower, hopefully while similar to the old one, they will use some rebar also.

 

[braumeister]

I'm glad to hear that this sort of thing is happening. I know that there are many small towns in Spain that have been "hollowed out" from rapidly declining populations and they are trying to make an effort there too.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/02/the-hollowing-out-of-spain-minister-trying-reverse-it-teresa-ribera

 

[ScoopKona]

I'm glad to hear that this sort of thing is happening. I know that there are many small towns in Spain that have been "hollowed out" from rapidly declining populations and they are trying to make an effort there too.

This is also happening in Japan. The "here's a cheap/free house in the country" program there is even more attractive than what is happening in Sicily and Spain.

But Japan wants you to move to your cheap/free house and become a permanent resident. For the right person, that could be a bonus.