Weekly travel reads: Protecting one of Europe’s last wild rivers

[The Travel Wire #73] Nagasaki, a mystery tour in the Faroe Islands, Maldives beyond the resorts, and more travel reads.

Travel reads

• Protecting one of Europe’s last wild rivers: a volunteering trip to the Vjosa in Albania [The Guardian]
“Now a ‘wild river national park’, the Vjosa needs more trees to be planted to preserve its fragile ecosystem. And visitors are being asked to help …”

• Yes, you should go to Nagasaki [Sam Holden]
“What makes the NYT travel pick such a special city.”

• A mystery tour in the Faroe Islands changed me [Get Lost with Lonely Planet]
“A search for independence leads to belonging.”

• Where shouldn’t you go? [Odyssey And Meaning]
“The traveler’s dilemma.”

• Is it time to retire ‘Venice of the East’? (archive) [BBC Travel]
“From “Venice of the East” to “lost civilisations”, colonial-era travel metaphors still shape how some see non-Western places. But that language deserves a rethink.”

• Chongqing: The Anthony Bourdain episode that never was [Randomwire]
“Though Anthony Bourdain visited neighbouring Chengdu twice—once for No Reservations (2006) and again for Parts Unknown (2016), he never visited Chongqing (重庆), which is a shame because I think it would have been right in his wheelhouse. This is what I imagine he might have written if he had.”

• Catch that Isla Mujeres ferry! [Mexico Soul]
“Time for an island break.”

• Nobody gives a sh*t if you travel [Postcards I Forgot to Send]

• Life beyond the resort [Escape Artist]
“Why the clearest insight into life abroad comes when nothing is arranged for you.”

• Selling paradise: Maldives beyond the resorts [Horizon Guides]
“Life and travel on the Maldives’ local islands.”

• Mars Travel Guide: How to ghost Earth without regret [Without Maps]
“Over Earth’s traffic, that endless news cycle? Well, Mars is calling. Red dust, giant volcanoes and zero-gravity antics await—plus no one cares if you decide to stay forever.”