Posted by academictravel on May 31, 2013 · Leave a Comment
Dear Friends, Last time I was there, I ate lunch at a café table next to Michael Douglas and a beautiful model. I watched a very young and shy Isabelle Adjani being interviewed in the lobby of the Carlton Hotel. I gaped at a rather large Shelley Winters, a faded beauty who still radiated charm, … Continue reading →
Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, authentic travel, Cannes, Cannes Film Festival, Carlton Hotel, Cote d'Azur, educational travel, FAMU, festival, Film, France, Kate Simpson, La Croisette, La Jaula de Oro, Palais des Festivals, Riviera, screenings, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Journeys, vacations
Posted by academictravel on September 17, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Dear Friends, I find Cuba endlessly fascinating. When you travel to Cuba, you always end up leaving with more questions than answers. Yet, beyond the cultural richness of this island nation, there is another way in which Cuba gives this U.S. citizen pause. Cuba provides an intriguing lens through which to view our own nation. … Continue reading →
Filed under Cuba, Cuban government, Havana, isolationism, Tourism, Travel, Travel Industry, travel restrictions, U.S. Cuba embargo, U.S. Cuba policy, Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, Cuba, cuba travel, Cuban government, educational travel, Havana, isolationism, Kate Simpson, Travel, travel abroad, travel restrictions, US embargo on Cuba, US travel policy
Posted by academictravel on November 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Dear Friends, Laab (also written ‘larb’) is a dish originating in Laos that has become a staple of menus across Thailand. Its name means “luck” and this dish is a frequent star at the table during festivals and special occasions. It also makes the perfect gift for guests, conveying your good wishes along with some … Continue reading →
Filed under Asia Travel, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, authentic travel, classic lao recipe, educational travel, Indochina, Kate Simpson, laab, laab recipe, Lao cuisine, Laos, Laotian cuisine, larb, larb recipe, luang prabang, Mekong River, Mekong Sun, Travel, travel abroad, travel in Laos, vacations
Posted by academictravel on November 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The splashing of water lures me out to my stern balcony. They must be diving under the ship to fix the faulty propeller, I think. As I lean over the edge of the railing, I discover I am wrong: four Lao children are swimming gleefully around the boat on a competitive circuit, the weakest swimmer … Continue reading →
Filed under Asia Travel, Indochina, Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, authentic, authentic travel, education, educational travel, Indochina, Kate Simpson, Lao, Lao monks, Laos, Mekong cruise, Mekong dams, Mekong River, Mekong Sun, Sabaidee, Travel, travel abroad, vacations
Posted by academictravel on June 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Dear Friends, I confess, I love the stories behind a revolution. They are exciting, bold, romantic, epic. They also entail struggle, pain, blood and death. Unlike wars between nations, revolutions attempt to throw out an old system and replace it with something fresh, more just, more virtuous. Idealism runs rampant until reality sets in and … Continue reading →
Filed under Cuba, Havana, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, authentic, authentic travel, Colmenita, Cuba, Cuban soul, cultural identity, educational travel, Kate Simpson, Papa Tin, Travel, travel abroad
Posted by academictravel on August 10, 2009 · 15 Comments
Dear Friends, Having spent the first half of my life changing homes every two years, there was only one constant place in my world: Folly House, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. This was the house my parents bought in 1972 to allow their four daughters to escape the oppression of Algerian summers. This was the house … Continue reading →
Filed under Europe, Ireland, Kinsale, sailing, Scilly, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized · Tagged with Bandon River, Charles Fort, Ireland, James Fort, Kate Simpson, Kinsale, Kinsale Arts Week, pubs, Scilly, Travel, travel abroad, traveling with children, vacations
Posted by academictravel on July 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Below is the latest blog from Kate Simpson, President of Academic Travel Abroad as seen on the Smithsonian Journeys blog page: China: Understanding Etiquette July 1st, 2009 by Kate Simpson Kate Simpson is President of Academic Travel Abroad, where she began her career as a China Program Manager in 1998 after completing a degree in East … Continue reading →
Filed under Asia Travel, China, Tourism, Travel, Travel Industry · Tagged with Academic travel, Asia Travel, blog, China, etiquette, faux pas, Kate Simpson, Mandarin, Smithsonian Journeys, Travel
Posted by academictravel on May 5, 2009 · 4 Comments
Dear Friends, On a recent trip to the southwest of France exploring the culinary delights of foie gras, truffles, duck and walnuts, a question kept occurring to me: what can be described as “authentic”? Is a truffle farm authentic because its owners hunt for its precious fungi in a traditional way passed on for generations … Continue reading →
Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, authentic, authentic experiences, authentic travel, authenticity, cultural travel, Dordogne, education, educational travel, France, Kate Simpson, nostalgia, Perigord, romance, romance of travel, Travel, travel abroad, traveler expectations, truffle farm, vacations, walnut oil mill
Posted by academictravel on March 27, 2009 · 5 Comments
Dear Friends, It seems like an eternity ago when I was a young China program manager for ATA and spent my time running tours with titles like “Decorative Arts of China,” “To The Edges of the Empire,” and “History through the Dynasties.” That was back in the 1980s, before Tiananmen Square took place. … Continue reading →
Filed under Asia Travel, China, Tourism, Travel, Travel Industry, Uncategorized · Tagged with 1989, Academic Travel Abroad, ATA, ba hanging coffins, China, China National Tourism Office, Goddess Peak, Hong Kong, Huangshan, Jingdezhen, June 4, Kashgar, Kate Simpson, Ming Dynasty, Qufu, Three Gorges Dam, Tiananmen Square, Tourism, Travel, vacations, Water-Splashing Festival, Wu Gorge, Xishuangbanna, Yangtze River
Posted by academictravel on February 11, 2009 · 1 Comment
Dear Friends, Reading the daily news has become an increasingly depressing exercise of late. We, in the travel industry, have our fair share of woes, as discretionary spending slows, retirement funds are halved, and consumer confidence wavers. So it was a surprise and comfort to me when I attended a meeting in Savannah last week … Continue reading →
Filed under conference, Europe, Tourism, Travel, Travel Industry · Tagged with Academic Travel Abroad, economic indicators, economy, educational travel, Kate Simpson, National Tour Association, outlook, Travel Industry
