Pretty good story from last weekend’s Washington Post about tipping in the U.S. and abroad called Tipping and Travel: It’s No Easy Equation. Sadly, the chart the paper mentions in the story is not available online, but the point of the story is one that will hit home with frequent international travelers: tipping customs vary widely from place to place, and knowing them makes you a kinder traveler when in foreign lands.

The WaPo chart isn’t available online, but the BBC has a good rundown of international tipping customs called International Tipping Ettiquette.

Taken by TravelPoster fmcooper and posted in blog entry Full Moon Party, this shot sort of sums up the feeling of a Full Moon Party in Thailand. The parties have been taking place each month for years and years on Ko Phangan, a small island near Ko Samui.

Now if this pic doesn’t sum up what Bangkok feels like in person, I’m not sure what does. Festive and fully of life, but hectic and amazingly crowded. TravelPoster elisestla snapped this shot on a recent visit to Bangkok’s bustling Chinatown area and posted in the blog entry Chinatown and around.

The short answer to that question is YES. It’s understandably kind of frightening to hear that Bird Flu is spreading around the world and that the avian virus holds the potential to mutate into a strain harmful to humans. But official sources say that travelers shouldn’t be worried about visiting countries where Bird Flu has been confirmed. To get sick, a person would have to be in close contact with contaminated birds, and, unless your vacation is a particularly unusual one, it’s not likely for the average tourist to be handling sick or dead birds, participating in the extermination of sick birds or playing in bird feces.

That said, if the virus changes and mutates into a strain that can easily be passed from human to human, then we all have major problems. But thus far, that hasn’t happened.

For more information on Bird Flu, check out these resources:

World Health Organization Recommendations for Travelers

Bird Flu in Depth on NPR

Reuters AlertNet Crisis Profile: Bird Flu

Earlier this week, Luxury Link announced its World’s Best 2006 round-up of high-end hotels. The 50 winners were determined by Luxury Link’s editors. Pretty interesting selection. Check it out below.

The award winners are:

1. Amandari; Bali, Indonesia

2. Amankila; Bali, Indonesia

3. Ana Mandara Resort; Nha Trang, Vietnam

4. Arizona Inn; Tuscon, Arizona

5. Bellagio; Las Vegas, Nevada

6. Biras Creek; Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

7. Blackberry Farm; Walland Tennessee

8. Bora Bora Lagoon Resort; Bora Bora, French Polynesia

9. Burj Al Arab; Dubai, United Arab Emirates

10. Charleston Place; Charleston, South Carolina

11. Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul; Besiktas; Turkey

12. Cliveden, Berkshire; England

13. Fairmont Kea Lani; Maui, Hawaii

14. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai;, Kona, Hawaii

15. Four Seasons Resort Nevis; Nevis; West Indies

16. Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris; Paris, France

17. Grace Bay Club; Turks & Caicos, British West Indies

18. Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat; Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, France

19. Halekulani; Honolulu, Hawaii

20. Hayman Island; Queensland, Australia

21. Hostellerie de Crillon le Brave; Crillon le Brave, France

22. Hotel Bel-Air; Los Angeles, California

23. Hotel Danieli; Venice, Italy

24. Hotel Gritti Palace; Venice, Italy

25. Hotel Monasterio; Cusco, Peru

26. Huka Lodge; Taupo, New Zealand

27. InterContinental Le Moana Resort Bora Bora; Bora Bora, French Polynesia

28. Keswick Hall; Keswick, Virginia

29. La Samanna; St. Martin, French West Indies

30. Las Mananitas; Cuernavaca, Mexico

31. Las Ventanas al Paraiso; San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico

32. The Little Nell; Aspen, Colorado

33. Lizard Island; Queensland, Australia

34. The Lodge at Pebble Beach; Pebble Beach, California

35. Mala Mala Main Camp; South Africa

36. Mandarin Oriental, Miami; Miami, Florida

37. The Mansion on Turtle Creek; Dallas, Texas

38. Mount Nelson; Cape Town, South Africa

39. Oberoi Rajvilas; Jaipur, India

40. Peter Island; Peter Island, British Virgin Islands

41. Sabi Sabi; Saxonwold; South Africa

42. The Peninsula New York; New York, New York

43. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco; San Francisco, California

44. The Ritz London; London, England

45. The Dorchester; London, England

46. The Observatory; Sydney, Australia

47. The Oriental, Bangkok; Thailand, Bangkok

48. The Peninsula Hong Kong; Kowloon, Hong Kong

49. The Point; Saranac Lake; New York

50. Villa d’Este; Cernobbio, Italy

Luxury Link World’s Best 2006

At the end of the month, Thailand will ban smoking in hotel lobbies, health spas, massage parlors, salons and train compartments.

[Source: Bangkok Post]