1. The Places in Between

Reliving his tale of traversing Afghanistan on foot, author Rory Stewart invites readers to join his journey in this compelling and touching novel. Surviving solely on his knowledge of Muslim customs, his wit and the kindness of strangers, Stewart reflects on the characters, heroes and cultural challenges that faced his path to understanding the country and himself.

2. The Wayfinders

Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer, Wade Davis, leads readers through an exploration and celebration of the world’s indigenous cultures. From Nepal to Borneo and the Andes, Davis discusses the spirit and diversity of culture.

3. The Poisonwood Bible

Penned by Barbara Kingsolver, this fictional book takes a look at the complex life of an evangelical missionary family in Africa. Set against the Congo’s fight for independence, The Poisonwood Bible chronicles the heartbreaking and beautiful disintegration of family and a nation.

4. Sarah’s Key

This heart wrenching book by Tatiana de Rosnay follows the story of a Jewish ten year-old girl, Sarah, and her family as they are collected by French police in the Vel d’Hiv roundup and sent to internment camps in Germany. Told through intertwining narratives of Sarah in 1942 and an American journalist in 2002, the book unfolds Sarah’s tale and its connection to the journalist’s life as she travels through a contemporary investigation of the somber war-time events.

5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hit the road with this infamous and outrageous road trip journey that turns with strange twists and romping mad excursions by Hunter S. Thompson. Read along as an oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for this unbelievable adventure.

What is your favorite travel novel?

Photo credit: Road to Heaven, Javier Corbo; The Lost Key, jonasj; Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, http2007

Munich is conveniently located on the edge of the Austrian border, close to dozens of ski and snow resorts. It’s often difficult to sift through the many options to chose a resort that is best for you. We’re doing the work for you. Here are three of the best ski resorts near Munich.

Best Overall: Kitzbühel, Tyrol, Austria

This all-encompassing resort is set in an idyllic Bavarian village. Set in the midst of a small, medieval town,  Kitzbühel is the perfect winter vacation destination. The town, complete with shopping, night life, dining and wellness services provides the perfect backdrop for a vacation for two or a family outing.

Skiing, snowboarding, snow mountaineering, or snow hiking, this resort has got it all. A wide array of indoor and night activities range from ice skating, curling, climbing, swimming, ice hockey and tobogganing.

Best for Families: Ellmau, Austria

This resort has a longstanding reputation for being family-friendly. All around the resort, guests enjoy looming views of the beautiful Wilder Kaiser mountains. Staff at the Ellmau don’t leave the weather up to chance, and have more than 1,000 snow machines ready to intervene to make the slopes powder perfect all year round. Ellmau also offers an extensive family slope area that is perfect for all ages. Snow huts, sun terraces and ski bars pepper the slopes to offer refreshments around every corner.

Best Value: Söll, Austria

Located in the wide valley of the SkiWelt region, this resort offers the best bang for your buck. Transfers and shuttles make this resort one of easiest to get to from the Munich Airport. A quaint central village street runs through the center of the resort. Visitors can enjoy hot mulled wine called glühwein and warm up from the day on the slopes at the Christmas markets in the village.

Speaking of skiing, this week, I Fly Nonstop is giving away a special cross-country ski package in our EuropeanWinterness contest! Enter daily to win Rossignol Evo Glade cross-country skis, OneWay Telescopic cross-country ski poles, and Rossignol X1 Ultra cross-country ski boots. Now that’s worth celebrating! Head to http://www.europeanwinterness.com to enter daily.

Photo credit: Cross country skiing, Szymon Nitka; skiing…., nonanet; toboganning, Alex Barth.

What are you waiting for? Give us your best shot!

Clues:

1. There are over 250 islands that comprise this island nation.

2. 21, 000 people live in this destination, with only eight islands inhabited.

3. A major television show was filmed here in 2005.

4. Taro is a staple food.

5. Tourism is the country’s main industry, with dolphin encounters, scuba diving and snorkeling some of the country’s coolest activities.

Think you got the answer? Share it with us in a comment!

Photo credits: simonglucas on Flickr

Julee Maltsberger and Barbara Ramberg! Thank you to all who participated. We hope this contest has inspired you to plan your own vacation to Amsterdam or Tokyo. Learn more about our nonstop international air service here.

Which destination would you choose?

Update 2/16/2011: Contestants will have to save their puzzle submissions and return each week to complete the four new clues. On February 18, the last four clues will be released and contestants will be able to select the “Submit entry” button. All completed puzzles must be submitted by 12pm Monday, February 21 to be eligible for the grand prize.

Raquel has was the first to travel, and took her boyfriend, Nick to explore Japan for nearly two weeks. Here is a video recap of their trip, plus a descriptive follow up.

In July, Mike Donovan wed his sweetheart, Keri, and used their haiku trip to celebrate their marriage and learn more about Keri’s heritage. The couple took bike and canal rides to explore the city’s numerous museums, food culture and special events, such as Sail Amsterdam. The nonstop flight to Schiphol made for an easy trasnfer to Paris, where they finished out their European vacation. Hear about their honeymoon of a lifetime with this video and post-trip blog post.

Practicality aside, Delta also presented a wonderful strategic and creative challenge.  There is no better time for an advertising agency to work with a brand than when it is reinventing itself, and there is no more fertile opportunity for W+K specifically than when that brand is looking to uncover and communicate its core values and true voice. Delta was in such a place, and we were able to work with the team in Atlanta to find Delta’s truly differentiated offering and to create a campaign to communicate this promise.

The airline industry is not for the faint of heart. It is a difficult business. It always has been. From the industry’s birth on the bluffs of Kitty Hawk through today, challenges have been its fuel, and how an airline deals with those challenges is the true measure of its worth. This is the thought behind Delta’s new tagline, “Keep Climbing,” and the campaign that supports it. With “Keep Climbing,” Delta and its employees are committing themselves to making flying better in meaningful ways.

For the September 2010 launch of the new Delta campaign – which appeared primarily in NYC, but also in Portland thanks to the Port – we shot two TV spots and several videos and produced a multitude of print ads, billboards and destination images for the brand to communicate Delta’s mission to “Keep Climbing.” So far, popular response to the campaign has been terrific and Delta is so pleased by the positive impact the campaign is having on the brand that it will redouble its marketing efforts next year with a national push.

Photos courtesy of Wieden+Kennedy

Note: Additional taxes/fees/restrictions/baggage charges may apply. Fares shown are each-way, based on a round-trip purchase.

Neal Keny-Guyer
President
Mercy Corps