The Titanic Awards

Name Teresa Rodriguez Williamson
Who? Creator of TangoDiva.com, the online social network and travel magazine for women, and author of  Fly Solo: The 50 Best Places on Earth for a Girl to Travel Alone. She serves as the travel expert on KTRB 860 AM and ABC News 10 in California, and her advice has appeared  in such outlets as The Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, ELLE, Marie Claire, Allure, SELF, Real Simple and just about every major TV network in the US.  A self-described jet-setter, her master plan, so to speak, is to connect and empower woman around the world with the wisdom gleaned from solo sojourns.
Age 40
Countries Visited Around 100

Titanic Nominations
1. Worst Ferry Ride Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania. There is not enough Dramamine in the world to stop one from getting sick on this topsy-turvy boat ride through the crazy Bass Straits.  They say it is “super-fast,” but nothing is super-fast enough when you are vomiting non-stop from 8 pm to 7 am.
2. Worst Café Café con Piernas, Santiago Chile. This is essentially a strip club for men that is packed – much like Starbucks – at 9 am. It is sexist, exploits women and is incredibly degrading. And I hear the coffee sucks too.
3. Worst Hotel for Solo Women Hotel Hana Maui. One of the best ways to make yourself disappear, or go crazy, is to spend a week at this remote hotel alone. The only life force you might encounter is the rude staff or a pair of honeymooners scrambling to get back to their hut. There is no socializing around the unheated pool, and remember: Hana is famous for its cold afternoon thunderstorms.
4. Worst Airline Meal United Emirates’ lamb curry dish. Imagine being stuck in a window seat in economy while the already-oppressive airplane air is thick with the putrid smell of boiled lamb and curry.  And only 11 more hours until you arrive in Dubai!
5. Worst Destination for Solo Women Monte Carlo. Unless you are recognized royalty, this place is ridiculously expensive, rude and unaccommodating for women travelers who come alone. You’ll find young Russian blondes hanging off the arms of rich old men driving rented Ferraris. It is quite frightening.

Famous Travelers Chile, emirates, fly solo, hobart, maui, melbourne, monte carlo, Santiago, tangodiva.com, tasmania

Name Tim Cahill
Who? Winner of a National Magazine Award and two Lowell Thomas Gold Award from the Society of American Travel Writers, Tim is one of America’s best known adventure travel writers and humorists. He’s a founding editor of Outside Magazine, where he penned the Out There column for years.  He is the author of nine books including Hold the Enlightenment, Pass the Butterworms, A Wolverine is Eating My Leg, Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, Pecked to Death By Ducks, Road Fever and Lost in My Own Backyard. His work also appears in National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times Book Review and other national publications. He lives in Montana.
Age 65
Countries visited About 100.

Titanic Nominations
1. Worst Name for a Night Club The Disco of the Giant Ground Sloth, Puerto Natales, Chile
2. Worst Wire Ever Tapped International call at a “Tourist” Hotel in Beijing.   Heard during a fifteen minute conversation with my wife: *Click, buzz, click*  *a heavy sigh*  *sounds of someone eating* followed by *a long satisfied belch.*
3. Worst Menu Item in an Actual Restaurant Boiled Fermented Cow’s Nose, Denpasar, Bali (there is a note on this item, in English “the flavor may not agree with some Westerners.”  True, that.)
4. Worst Outhouse The Throne of Terror, built at an archeological dig near Lake Paytexbatun, Guatemala.  Archeologists are not biologists and constructed the two holer over an existing vertical cave populated by bats. Visitors are obliged to deal the common travelers’ ailment while angry bats swoop and dive about in a maelstrom of rage.
5. Worst Traveling Companion A guy named Lazslo. No one in particular, just any guy named Lazslo.

Agree or Disagree with Tim? Take the 2010 survey >>

Famous Travelers, Favorites Bali, Beijing, Chile, Denpasar, Guatemala, National Geographic, New York Times, outhouse, Outside magazine, toilet