The Radar: LP's Top Countries for 2011, TSA Secure Flight Policy, Places You'll Never Visit

• Hope you wrote that bucket list in pencil. Lonely Planet has culled the knowledge of its in-house travel experts to put together an "it-list" of top ten countries to visit in 2011. Coming in at number one is Albania, the off-the-radar Balkans' country stepping-out with a new tourist motto, "Albania: A New Mediterranean Love." Rounding off the list: Brazil, Cape Verde, Panama, Bulgaria, Vanuatu, Italy, Tanzania, Syria, and Japan. [Lonely Planet]

• On Monday, TSA's Secure Flight program took full effect meaning all travelers making airline reservations-- whether booking online, over-the-phone, or with a travel agent--must provide complete passenger data before a boarding pass will be issued. TSA will use this data (name, date of birth, and gender) to conduct an identity check and cross-reference with the no-fly list. Read more on TSA's website, but the most important thing to remember is the name on your reservation must match the name on your government-issued ID. [IndependentTraveler.com]

• Inspired by Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, Flavorwire put together a list of "10 Books About Places You'll Never Visit." Sounds like a challenge. [Flavorwire]
  

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Photo: Elenita Roshi/MyShot

Post originale: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2010/11/the-radar-lps-top-countries-fo.html