Travel Picks of the Week - 12/21/07

December 21, 2007

Photo: Flickr/Marlowski

Language, like art and architecture, is representative of a culture usually dating back a few centuries. A journey to Maloula, a town near Damascus in Syria, however, might seem like a page out of Christian history. The language used there is Aramaic, a 3000-year old one, spoken by Jesus Christ. National Geographic takes its readers
on a tour of this town, its church and people, where this tongue has been preserved through the centuries in Jesus’ Language Still Spoken.

If you want to be transported to France, Mexico and Nepal all from the comfort of your armchair, here is World Hum’s list of favorite travel books of 2007.
And to get the little ones interested in diverse societies and inculcate a love of travel in them, here is a list of Books That Give Kids a Taste of Other Cultures.

Shopping for a cause raises the act of buying to empowerment of needy communities in the countries you visit. Carol Pucci of Seattle Times has suggestions for making spending count in How to Make the World a Better Place.

Arthur Frommer, the noted author of travel guidebooks, maintains a travel philosophy of spending less on travel to gain a more authentic experience. He writes about the response of a reader who believes penny pinching can hurt the joy of travel in Reader Takes Exception…
Do you prefer taking the middle ground when it comes to spending? Share your budget travel tips with our readers!

On trips abroad, signs in unknown languages can be overwhelming, until you find an amusing one in your own. Those that state the obvious, or ones that unwittingly end up being funny make the weariest traveler smile. Here is an interesting audio slide show of unusual signs in Sign Spotting.