The Travel Wire: best travel reads #28

The unlikely revival of a great Middle Eastern railroad , the end of the line in South Sumatra, the dark side of wanderlust, the car-free village reached by cable car, and more travel reads

Welcome to The Travel Wire, where I curate the best travel reads of the week.

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Travel reads

• The unlikely revival of a great Middle Eastern railroad [Noema Magazine]

"Could a railroad that once linked Damascus to Medina, its tracks and stations now crumbling into the desert or destroyed by treasure hunters, help stitch a fragmented region back together?"

• Notes on Lubuk Linggau – At the end of the line in South Sumatra [Nomadic Notes]

• The dark side of wanderlust [Escape Artist]

"What happens when your dream destination isn’t what you imagined?"

• Guatemala’s volcano tours offer local guides a different path—but at what risk? [Adventure.com]

• Who is best for specialist travel advice, AI or humans? [Jack Montgomery]

• Experiencing the Santorini Volcano Reenactment [Travel and Culture]

"Becoming an accidental tourist at a timely event — complete with fireworks."

• Mürren: The stunning car-free village reached by cable car (archive) [BBC Travel]

• Bay to Bay walk (B2B) in Kanagawa Prefecture Japan. Kuruwa Beach to Yokosuka. Jan. 2025. [Hungry for travel by Igor]

• Bad tourists are illegally, unethically, and stupidly riding this train for the photos [Fodor’s Travel]

• She went on her first international trip at age 56. Now this Chinese grandma is exploring the world by bike [CNN Travel]

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James Clark (Nomadic Notes)