Traveler and Tourist: The Inspiration Issue

www.globalgirlproject.org

editor’s note

Welcome to the first issue of the year: The Inspiration Issue of Traveler and Tourist magazine!

We provide plenty of motivation in this first edition of 2021 for you to plan on travel for the year once you are able to do so, depending on the local regulations where you live and where you decide to visit.

We have some ideas for you to stay healthy when you travel, opt for travel-inspired style, whether it’s your jewelry or home organization, and a new wellness app that helps you glide into the year with a mindful approach.

Our culinary delights provide ample encouragement to try recipes from east coast to west and beyond. And you can get creative with Italian cocktail recipes while you revel in our Shelf Esteem and Special Focus recommendations.

To spur you into action, we’ve included fantastic options to consider for that next destination you may want to enjoy: Choose from Madison in Wisconsin, San Francisco in California, or head on over to Tequila in Jalisco, for some Guadalajara memories made in Mexico. And if leaving home isn’t in the works any time soon, then a virtual vacation via a scavenger hunt might provide all the stimulation you need.

As always, the monthly giveaway of a box of myriad travelrelated goodies is up for grabs. To enter, simply sign up to receive the magazine alert directly to your email inbox. If you’ve already subscribed, then you are already entered to win the monthly goody bag…that simple! Additional giveaways are hosted online so follow all the social media channels to stay abreast of our adventures, travel inspiration and other alerts.

Here’s wishing you and yours a fabulous 2021.

For now, please enjoy The Inspiration Issue of Traveler and Tourist. Stay well. Be safe.

(Image: provided)

editor’s pick

Editor and Publisher: Ruksana Hussain

Creative Director: Parker Shatkin

Editorial Assistant: Ruqaiyah Hussain

(Image: Ruksana Hussain)

Madison, Wisconsin, pg 10

(Image: Ruksana Hussain)

Tequila, Mexico, pg 30

IN THIS ISSUE

on our radar + style file + midwest destination + design district + west coast destination + health on the go + sustainable travel + international destination + virtual vacation + culinary delights + special focus + liquid inspiration + shelf esteem

ASEAN Emerging Researchers Conference: Designing for a Resilient Planet

(Image: provided)

Ken Yeang, an architect and ecologist, is an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College and has been named as one of the 50 people who can save the planet by the Guardian. (Image: Ken Yeang)

Ken Yeang, who has been named as one of the 50 people who can save the planet by The Guardian, gave the virtual keynote address at the ASEAN Emerging Researchers Conference which had “Challenges in Global Development: Sustainability & Conservation” as its central theme and featured prominent expert speakers from the Wolfson College family and ASEAN Community.

Entitled “Ecotopia,” Yeang’s presentation weaved a compelling narrative that brought home several key observations resulting from his work as an architect and researcher – occupations Yeang freely admits are “difficult and onerous” but pursues them with gusto.

“We are the most powerful species, and we make things,” Yeang pointed out. “We make more things than any other species in nature, and we cover the whole planet with what we make. It has consequences on the biosphere where most organic life exists, and therefore, our environment.”

Yeang focused his message on his central theme governing his work as an architect – how he strives to create a more integrated (actually, bio-integrated) approach to what we make as human beings, and what nature makes as nature for all species.

“Everything depends on biointegration,” he said. “If everything we made was from the natural environment, there wouldn’t be environmental issues. Effective bio-integration is what we need to achieve in our work, all our work.”

He used one of his favorite analogies to demonstrate that point: what a doctor does with a prosthetic device. The person is the host organism for the prosthetic device. For effective bio-integration to take place, the physical and systemic factors must be blended into a cohesive agreement – a “bio contract” so to speak. Similarly, built systems, technology, what humans make, must be bio-integrated into the biosphere (environment) cohesively – or trouble arises.

“Constructed ecosystems have to emulate and replicate natural ecosystems,” Yeang told the audience. “What underlies my work as an architect is this belief: If the built environment is remade to be naturelike, that is, by becoming part of Nature as constructed ecosystems that emulate and replicate natural ecosystem attributes, then this is the only way we will survive as a species.”

Yeang, who has written numerous books on this topic, brought in several key points from his narrative about a resilient planet to the group, the main one being: “Nature is giving us services (air, water, etc.) for free. Any businessperson knows there is no such thing as ‘free.’” Ultimately, Yeang states without bio-integration, humans will end up paying dearly for these “free” services.

He outlined what the key ecosystem attributes are in sufficient detail to give a working overview. These included: Biological structure, Biodiversity, Connectivity and nexus, Provision of ecosystem services, Bio-integration, Responsiveness to climate, Use and cycling of materials, Hydrology, Symbiosis, Homeostasis, Food production and Succession.

“In nature, there is no waste,” he said. “We invented waste. How can I interpret this in architecture?”

In his comprehensive thinking about bio-integration, a central question occurred to Yeang: How can we bring more biotic into the abiotic. In other words, how can you integrate the natural with the manufactured non-natural humans make?

“We fragment the earth; we chop things up. We must reconnect nature into our work, interweaving with the world,” he explained. Yeang’s strategies include his experiments and research into achieving this reconnection – strategies like ways for keeping the sun out, simulating lighting conditions, creating habitats in a high rise, and more.

“Bio-integration is easier said than done,” he emphasized. “Nature, humans, water, the built environment. Getting these to “communicate to each other” is the challenge. Different parts of the earth have different climates, making architecture difficult.” Guidelines for greening for any city are only a guide for him. “I want to double those requirements (i.e., what a LEED® may recommend).”

Watson Adventures’ Global Getaways: New Scavenger Hunts, Trivia Games

With 2021 upon us and many feeling the itch to travel again, Watson Adventures has launched new virtual scavenger hunts and trivia games at locations around the world to help people connect with family, friends and co-workers in a safe, fun and entertaining way. The games feature a live ‘hunt host’ connecting teams around the world via video conferencing and a computer, smartphone or tablet to navigate the 60 to 90-minute live game.

Launching soon, an all-new Around the World Scavenger Hunt: Sunshine Escapes will help teams escape cabin fever with a virtual vacation to sun-drenched beaches and tropical climates around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef, ancient ruins in Latin America, Miami and 17 more locals. Hunts available for public bookings (inviting teams or families – whether together or working together in remote locations! – to participate against teams from around the country) include options such as Escape to London Virtual Tour Game, which brings virtual tourists to the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Sherlock Holmes’ rooms at Baker Street and more, and Escape to Los Angeles Virtual Tour Game, which showcases quirky art at the Getty Center, landmarks such as the Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood Boulevard and much more.

The full calendar of public hunts for booking is available here. Public hunts begin at $19/pp (depending on the game) for teams of 2-6 people.

Hunts available for private groups (birthday parties, corporate outings, educational groups and more) include options such as Go Canada Virtual Scavenger Hunt, taking teams across Canada, including a virtual stroll through Old Quebec, a walk through the galleries of the Royal Ontario Museum, an online invasion of Craigdarroch Castle in British Columbia and more, and Escape to the Museum Virtual Scavenger Hunt, which uncovers art and artifacts at 18 museums around the United States.

Watson Adventures is the premier scavenger hunt company in the U.S., offering private and public games for eight to 500 participants in more than 30 cities. Relying on humorous but tricky questions and creative challenges for teammates to solve together, the games take place in recognizable locations, such as a famous museum, historic neighborhood or unique local venue. Virtual games are also available, connecting the host and participants via video conferencing and a custom app or website. The company, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, having hosted more than half a million participants, was created by Bret Watson, a veteran writer and editor, who created scavenger games in the early 1990s for friends to show his unique take on museums.

(Images: N. and Daniel Gonzalez|Unsplash)

Modernist Escapes: An Architectural Travel Guide By Stefi Orazi

This sleek and insightful guide showcases modernist buildings from all over the world that are open to visit or even stay at. Modernist architecture is a perennially popular subject in architecture and design. Dive right into the pages of this guide to remarkable buildings designed by famous architects, featuring over 130 unique structures that span the globe. Covering the full spectrum of modernist principles from Bauhaus to Brutalism, author and designer Stefi Orazi choses buildings that are open to the public, with some even available for overnight stays. Photography of the exteriors and interiors highlight incredible details, and each building is accompanied by informative text offering visitor information and insights into its history. Whether you’re looking for a unique holiday experience or a global overview of modernist architecture, the book stylishly documents these unforgettable spaces.

Orazi is a designer and the author of several books on architecture, including Modernist Estates: The Buildings and the People Who Live in Them and The Barbican Estate. She lives in London, England.

Architects will find some of the best-known modernist buildings included in this book such as those by Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer and Le Corbusier. Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the beautiful original photography of each building, making it not just a travel guide, but also an appealing photobook. And for the travel aficionados among us, you can visit all the buildings included in the book and even stay overnight in most of them. Travel information about each location is included, making it a useful travel guide to plot your future travel plans.

(Image: publisher)

(Image: Ruksana Hussain)

Subscribe on www.travelerandtourist.com