travel books display

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

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20 Travel Classroom Theme Ideas

Show them the world from your classroom.

There’s nothing like a travel classroom theme to help inspire curiosity, foster an explorer’s mindset, and give your kids a little global perspective—even if many of your students aren’t yet travelers themselves. (Emphasis on the  yet .)

1. Use your classroom door to let students know they’re taking an adventure. 

SOURCE: https://savedyouaspot.com

You can show students your travel theme first thing with artful door décor. The Now Boarding message will let students know they are taking an adventure when they enter your classroom. 

2. Make map art. 

SOURCE: https://designertrapped.com

An old map can get new life as travel-themed art. Add inspiring words or one of these cool quotes curated from EF Tours about travel, using die-cut letters or permanent markers. 

3. Call your homework assignment boards road maps. 

SOURCE: https://juliefaulknersblog.com

On your designated whiteboard, chalkboard, or bulletin board areas that show the week’s assignments, a Weekly Roadmap sign cleverly continues your travel theme.

4. Put up an interactive postcard display. 

SOURCE: Pinterest

Postcards from your own travels can do double duty as art and provide teaching moments about international destinations. Invite your students to bring in their own family postcards to add to the display.

5. Use vintage luggage for book displays. 

SOURCE: https://tumblr.libraryjournal.com

Old luggage from your parents, grandparents, or a thrift store makes for clever and cute storage for paperbacks. It’s a travel-themed take on the book bin and allows titles to be easily seen by students. 

6.  Frame geography-themed board games. 

History and social studies teachers are known for sharing their love of Risk! and other world affairs-themed board games with their students. If you have old games that are missing pieces, or pick them up cheaply at thrift stores, display the boards’ cool artwork of the  seven continents on your walls. By the way, our friends at EF Educational Tours lead groups of teachers and students to  destinations on six out of seven of these continents   (someday, Antarctica!) as well as many different types of tours for various areas of study .

7. Drive home travel with a road trip themed display table. 

SOURCE: https://tvahlsing.wordpress.com

Grab some black paper and all the books you can find about road trips, domestic travel and transportation. Add an iconic green and white road sign, and your students will be transported during their library or classroom visits.

8.  Give travel books an aspirational display. 

SOURCE: http://thebeak.edublogs.org

Another awesome book display idea. This one places books about travel or set in far off lands front and center for reading ideas, easy borrowing and decoration, too. Be sure to subscribe (for free!) to the EF Journal and feature in your travel section.  

9. Brand your lost and found area the baggage claim. 

SOURCE: http://www.joyinthejourneyteaching.com

All it takes is simple signage and suitcase clip art printed on labels to brand your coat closet or bag hook area baggage claim. 

10. Turn a bulletin board into a flight information display “screen.” 

SOURCE: http://www.bungalow327.com

This is a super idea for that random bulletin board you never know how to fill. Transform it into a flight- or train-information screen with black paper and white or green lettering. Feature cities you’re covering in your curriculum. Your creativity is sure to bump you to first class in the classroom-theme department.

11. Adopt a favorite country as your overall theme …  

Rather that focusing on general travel, or international or domestic locations, why not choose a particular country? We love this Spanish teacher’s homage to Mexico! 

12. … or a particular historic period. 

Art teacher Cassie Stephens adopts a different destination classroom theme each year. For her ancient Egypt theme, she sponge-stamped dollar store straw mats and painted her windows. During the year she incorporated ancient Egyptian techniques and history into her students’ art lessons.

13. Jazz up a neutral palette with colorful flags. 

SOURCE: https://schoolgirlstyle.com

If in years past you stuck to a neutral theme, such as black and white or beige and brown, just add colorful international or U.S. state flags for some pops of color. 

14. Study world flags and then invite students to design their own flags. 

SOURCE: http://www.mystoryismyflag.com/

You can also offer a lesson on the flags of different countries by inviting students to research flag designs. After they learn about what the colors and symbols represent, invite them to create their own flags that symbolize their own lives and origins. Then all you have to do is display the students’ work. Don’t you love it when assignments become classroom art?

15. Add an international skyline display to a frame for a “window” into another land. 

A large picture frame or unused window can reveal a skyline to another land. Crafty teacher Gennai Henning of Bungalow 327 asked her art teacher colleague to draw the Paris skyline so her students would feel like they were really there. Wow! You could also create a group project with your students to recreate or create a skyline, or you could hang a panoramic photograph poster. 

16. Use a map to showcase the settings of books your students will read in the coming year.

SOURCE: http://schoollibrarydisplays.blogspot.com

This school library decoration links the books on display to their international settings. A map, yarn, and color copies of book covers come together to provide beautiful reading inspiration. Another piece of inspiring reading material is the free EF Tours Journal . Every issue includes inspiration for your classroom, interviews, and unique perspectives on travel. The journal is a celebration of globally minded educators. 

17. Add a world map rug. 

SOURCE: Amazon.com

If it’s time for you to order a new classroom rug, search for a world map design. You can also pick up a world map welcome map, so that when students cross your classroom threshold they subtly enter a new world of learning.

18. Repurpose thrift store clocks for a time zone display.

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/bitelyb8

Make your classroom feel like a cosmopolitan hotel and teach your students about time zones with a display of multiple clocks. Set each clock to a different local time in the world or within your country and label the time zones. 

19. Add an oversized wall map to an empty wall. 

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/bitelyb8 

Oversized sticky murals make wall art and map displays a cinch and offer lots of possibilities for travel learning and dreams.

20. Inspire your students with examples of global good.

Add images of historical or current global activists to a bulletin board map display. You will inspire your own students to become good global citizens and make the world a better place. 

EF Tours is committed to helping teachers easily organize travel that helps them challenge their students’ assumptions, spark connections, and inspire curiosity. Interested in a leading a tour? Get started today.

Want to learn more about incorporating travel learning into your classroom? Check out the EF Tours Travel Channel here on WeAreTeachers.

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15 Awesome Book Display Ideas

Maximize space and create a captivating visual impact with these Book Display Ideas . Find the perfect setup for your home below!

If you consider books to be not just reading material but also decor, you’re in the right place. Discover a variety of aesthetically pleasing and functional Book Display Ideas to enhance any room’s ambiance.

Here are the Best DIY Projects with Old Books

Book Display Ideas

1. floating shelves book display.

Floating shelves are not just an aesthetic choice but also a smart space-saving option. They give an illusion of books hovering on the walls, adding a minimalist touch to your room. They work exceptionally well in small apartments or spaces where floor space is at a premium.

2. Ladder Bookshelf

A ladder bookshelf adds a rustic charm to any room and offers a unique way to showcase your books. It also doubles as storage for knick-knacks or plants, providing functionality and style. It’s a popular choice for modern and traditional interiors among these book display ideas.

3. Stacked Crates Books Display

Stack wooden crates vertically or horizontally to showcase your favorite books. Paint or stain the crates to match your décor. This DIY project offers flexibility in design and size, letting you personalize the book display while recycling old crates.

4. Pegboard Bookshelf

Install a pegboard on the wall and use adjustable pegs to hold up small wooden shelves. This versatile setup lets you change the book display arrangement easily. This setup is recommended for offices where adaptability is key. It’s also an excellent solution for craft rooms or kids’ spaces, where needs and interests often change.

5. Under-Stair Book Display Nook

The space under the stairs is often underutilized. Install shelves or simply stack books for a cozy reading nook. Adding a comfy chair or bean bag makes this spot perfect for peaceful reading sessions.

6. Install Industrial Pipe Shelving

Want to display books with an industrial look? Simply attach iron pipes and wooden planks to the wall using screws. This sturdy setup works well in loft-style homes and creative office spaces. Its robust construction makes it ideal for large book collections.

7. Fireplace Mantel Books Display

A fireplace mantel is an excellent book display station, especially during off-seasons. It’s a great way to keep your favorite reads within reach while adding a cozy vibe to the living room. Just be sure to keep fire safety in mind.

8. Basket Books Storage

Use wicker baskets to store and show your books neatly. Place them on shelves or tables for easy accessibility. Baskets are not just functional but also add texture and warmth to the home décor.

9. Books Side Table Display

Stack your night-time reads on a side table by your bed. This arrangement is both convenient and a space-saver. You can accessorize the table with a reading lamp and bookmarks to create a complete bedside reading nook.

10. DIY Slat Wall Bookshelves

The Slatwall bookshelves are a functional and stylish way to showcase your reading collection. The design’s key advantage is its adaptability; you can effortlessly move your brackets and shelves to fit books of any size. Whether you have a modern, industrial, or eclectic interior design, this setup seamlessly blends in.

11. Tree Bookshelf

Install a tree-shaped bookshelf on your wall for a nature-inspired aesthetic. Besides holding books, the varying branches offer unique nooks for displaying collectibles, photos, or small plants. It’s especially useful for apartments or rooms where square footage is limited.

12. Wall-Mounted Wire Baskets

Opt for wall-mounted wire baskets to create a rustic or industrial book display. These baskets can be hung at various heights to create a visually appealing arrangement. Among the book display ideas, this setup is useful for those with limited floor space.

13. Rolling Cart

Use a rolling cart with multiple tiers to store and display books. It’s ideal for shared office spaces and versatile home interiors. The wheels make it portable, letting you move your book collection around your home or office with ease.

14. Glass-Door Cabinet

Consider a glass-door cabinet to showcase your treasured books while protecting them from dust. Brands like IKEA offer a variety of styles, making it easier to find one that matches your interior décor.

15. Revolving Bookcase

Invest in a revolving bookcase for a dynamic and easily accessible book display. It adds a touch of luxury and is perfect for corporate and home settings. The revolving feature ensures easy book access, making it a functional yet stylish piece.

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15 Library Book Display Ideas for Your Next Read

Last updated on March 29, 2024

This article provides creative and effective display ideas to transform a library space and catch the reader’s attention immediately.

World Literature Tour

Showcase a diverse range of books from around the globe, grouped by their country of origin or cultural background. Incorporate maps and travel-themed decorations to enhance the visual appeal and educational value.

Rotate selections monthly to feature different regions, exposing readers to the vast array of world literature.

Books Into Movies

Capture the excitement of seeing favorite stories come to life with a display featuring novels that have been adapted into movies. Highlight current box office hits alongside their literary counterparts to encourage movie-goers to delve into the source material.

Use movie posters, DVDs, and book covers to create a visually appealing exhibit that draws a connection between literature and film.

Mystery Mayhem

Engage patrons with a curated selection of spine-tingling suspense novels , true crime tales , and whodunits .

Dramatically arrange titles with magnifying glasses , false mustaches , and other detective-themed props to intrigue and inspire .

Feature both classic sleuths and contemporary crime solvers to cater to a wide audience of mystery enthusiasts .

The Art of the Biography

Curate a display featuring the lives of historical figures, artists, and modern influencers through biographies and memoirs. Utilize timelines or thematic props to contextualize the eras and lives detailed within these narratives.

Highlight the diversity of experiences by including a range of subjects from various cultures and professions.

Dystopian Destinations

Explore a future where society has taken a stark turn with an array of classic and contemporary dystopian novels. This display unites tales of caution and adventure, drawing in readers with a penchant for speculative fiction .

Immerse patrons in imagined worlds where heroes face oppressive regimes and the human spirit is put to the test.

Cookbook Cornucopia

A Cookbook Cornucopia display showcases a diverse spread of culinary literature, inviting patrons to explore global cuisines and cooking techniques. This vibrant array incorporates both time-honored classics and modern, fusion kitchen trends, catering to food enthusiasts and home chefs alike.

Visual props like utensils and ingredients can accentuate the theme, stimulating the senses and encouraging culinary experimentation.

Green Reads (Eco and Sustainability)

Showcase a collection of books that explore environmental themes, ranging from personal sustainability practices to global eco-activism.

Highlight titles that offer practical tips for green living , detailed analyses of climate change , and narratives of environmental pioneers .

Use natural elements like plants or recycled materials to decorate the display, underscoring the section’s focus on conservation and ecological awareness .

Graphic Novel Galaxy

Showcase the expansive universe of graphic novels by grouping together heroes, villains, and epic narratives. Highlight a mix of classic tales and new-age graphics to appeal to both long-time aficionados and new readers.

Incorporate visually engaging props such as action figures or thematic backdrops to complement the vibrant artwork of the displayed titles.

Mindful Reading (Wellness and Meditation)

Curate a selection of titles focused on mental health , self-care , and meditation practices to foster a tranquil atmosphere.

Highlight bestsellers and hidden gems that provide readers with tools and techniques for mindfulness .

Arrange calming decor and soft lighting to enhance the peaceful experience of browsing this thoughtful collection.

Sea of Sequels

Dive into continuing sagas where tales stretch across multiple volumes, beckoning readers to follow their beloved characters on further adventures. Spotlight series that have captured the hearts of readers, fostering a sense of community and anticipation for each new release.

Encourage patrons to embark on lengthy literary voyages with displays that accentuate the depth and evolution present in serial storytelling.

Science and Tech Titans

Highlight groundbreaking works and cutting-edge advancements with a curated selection of science and technology-themed books. Feature biographies of renowned scientists alongside the latest publications discussing artificial intelligence , robotics , and space exploration .

Engage patron interest with interactive elements, such as QR codes linking to related TED Talks or science podcasts.

Spine-Chilling Thrillers

Evoke suspense and curiosity by arranging thrillers that shock and entertain, with covers showcasing shadowy figures or ominous landscapes .

Highlight critically acclaimed authors and bestsellers , enticing patrons to explore complex characters and twisted plots.

Accent the display with faux caution tape and magnifying glasses to underscore the intrigue these novels possess.

Books From the Last Decade

Highlight recently published gems by arranging titles released in the past ten years. This display showcases the evolution of literature and ongoing trends in various genres. Encourage readers to explore modern narratives and authors who are defining the current literary scene.

Poetic Places

Celebrate poetry from around the globe by grouping collections based on their geographical origins. Highlight celebrated poets and place related travelogues or cultural guides beside their works. Enrich the display with maps or photographs that bring the verses’ settings to life.

Genre Journeys

Travel through the landscapes of fiction with a display that takes readers from romance to science fiction , fantasy to historical novels .

Highlight a different genre each month, inviting patrons to discover new authors and classic tales.

Enhance the experience with themed decorations, reading lists, and matching bookmarks for a complete literary adventure.

Ideas Elsewhere

• https://whatareyoureadingblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/20-year-round-library-display-ideas/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/LibraryDisplays/
• https://www.stayingcoolinthelibrary.us/library-book-display-ideas-for-every-month-of-the-year/
• https://ontarianlibrarian.com/library-display-ideas/

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Showcasing Collections: The Art of Book Display

Ever found yourself completely lost in a book display ? Engulfed by the myriad of stories waiting to be unraveled, colors calling for your attention, and titles whispering secrets? That’s no accident. It’s an art form – showcasing collections.

Pulling you into its grasp isn’t just about the books themselves but how they’re presented. A neatly arranged shelf or an innovative book stand can transform any room from ordinary to extraordinary, making it not only a storage solution but also a design statement.

At Shelf, we’re about more than just book displays. We dive deep into the nitty-gritty of tailored solutions for libraries and classrooms. And guess what? We even walk you through return policies when shopping for these items. With us by your side, creating a magical space filled with beautifully displayed books is no longer a distant dream but an achievable reality!

Table of Contents:

Creative solutions with shelfspark™, finding your perfect book stand, innovative racks & displays, importance of return policies, evaluating storage needs, different options for book display, easel stand book displays, slatwall shelf display systems, gondola shelving units, book pillows and holders, tailored solutions for libraries, classroom-friendly book displays, norfolk book sofa: the perfect page holder, benchmark pillow support: for those heavy tomes, linen cotton ravioli weights: keep your pages opened just right, say goodbye to toppling books with book snakes, angeles® value line, millhouse collections, tot mate® series & copernicus educational products, the role of merchandising solutions, taking extra measures, what is a book display called, how do you display books nicely, how do you display rare books, how do you keep a book open on display.

No one display can accommodate all book types, so creative solutions are necessary. Different types of displays can highlight the charm and uniqueness of each book in their own way.

ShelfSpark™ is a game-changer in this space. Their creative shelf merchandising solutions help display books with an aesthetic appeal that catches eyes instantly. They offer stands and racks designed to make big books pop while keeping them secure.

The brand caters to different age groups, providing versatility through designs made from wood or other materials (Research 2). For example, their big book display rack , known for its sturdy construction and visually appealing design.

A stand-alone book stand offers more than just storage; it becomes a focal point of any room. With brands like Whitney Brothers offering wide-ranging options, you’re bound to find something that suits your taste and needs perfectly.

You could opt for easel stands which add a touch of classiness by letting the cover art shine as if on canvas. Alternatively, consider multi-tiered wooden stands capable of accommodating several books without compromising visibility or accessibility—perfect for those who have large collections.

Rack displays are another fantastic option that combine utility with style—a true testament to form meeting function. The right rack allows easy access while presenting your collection elegantly whether they are classics or contemporary bestsellers.

Some popular choices include tiered racks featuring sloped shelves ensuring every title gets its due spotlight; Or rotating ones offering ease-of-access alongside eye-catching presentation—an ideal pick when space is at a premium.

With these varied options available, it’s clear that book displays are more than just storage solutions. They’re an extension of your love for books and the perfect way to showcase them with pride.

Displaying your books is an art. From ShelfSpark’s eye-catching merchandising solutions to Whitney Brothers’ classy easel stands, there are countless ways to make your collection pop. Don’t just store—showcase with pride using multi-tiered wooden stands or innovative rack displays that marry style and function.

Factors to Consider for Book Display

Selecting the ideal book display may seem like a challenging job, considering all the choices available. But don’t worry. We’re here to help you understand key factors such as return policies and storage needs.

Before buying, it’s essential to be aware of the business’s return policy in order to avoid any surprises when attempting to send back a product that isn’t suitable. The last thing anyone wants is a surprise when trying to send back an unsuitable product.

Whitney Brothers, known for their high-quality book displays, offer clear guidelines on returns. If you need further clarification or have any questions about returning items, make sure not just shoot them an email.

Your specific storage requirements play a vital role in choosing your ideal book display solution. Are you looking for something that caters more towards childcare center needs? Or perhaps something versatile enough for home use?

If classroom storage solutions are what you seek, consider investing in Whitney Brothers’ wide range of products designed specifically with classrooms in mind.

When exploring different options remember this golden rule: No one-size-fits-all approach exists when it comes to displaying books.

Some may prefer tabletop displays; others might opt slatwall displays or small browser carts showcasing books with rainbow accents (we love color.). Each method offers its unique charm while keeping our beloved pages intact.

And guess what? There’s even value line and tot mate stock product grade K good stuff out there offering fully assembled lifetime warranty backed products – perfect if assembly isn’t quite your forte.

The best part? The wide variety of display books options ensures that there’s something for everyone – from the minimalist who appreciates an end version book stand, to those with a love affair for cubby units filled with beauty products. So go ahead and choose what sparks joy.

Ultimately, your decision should be based on your unique needs and circumstances. With various pricing options available (Research 2), you’re bound to find something suitable within your budget.

Don’t forget.

Choosing the perfect book display isn’t a one-size-fits-all task, but an adventure tailored to your unique needs and circumstances. Understand key factors like return policies and storage requirements, then explore options from tabletop displays to cubby units – there’s something for everyone. Remember: It’s not just about storing books; it’s about showcasing them in style.

Book Display Products and Reviews

If you’re a book lover, showcasing your favorite reads is more than just organization – it’s an art. With the right book displays, each title can be as eye-catching as sale items in a boutique.

The teacher favorites from companies like Whitney Brothers® and Really Good Stuff® offer top-notch solutions. But let’s focus on some standout products that are both functional and aesthetic.

An easel stand makes for an excellent display method. It gives prominence to featured books, making them easy to spot and access. The end version of this product also provides added stability, ensuring your precious volumes stay put without damaging their spines.

Your payment method should be secure when purchasing these stands online; hence dealing with sellers who use reliable credit card companies is crucial for peace of mind during transactions.

Slatwall systems allow flexibility in displaying books of different sizes while saving space – it’s like having multiple cubby units compacted into one.

This type of shelf display system usually includes support offerings that help hold up larger or heavier books securely. So whether you’ve got chunky hardcovers or slim paperbacks, they all find a comfortable home here.

A gondola shelving unit feels similar to exploring a bookstore aisle within your own living room. Its high-density storage allows for plenty of reading material without taking up much floor space — ideal if your love affair with books borders on bibliomania.

A book pillow, like the benchmark pillow support, is a unique addition to any reading section. It’s designed to hold your book at an optimal angle for hands-free reading — no more tired arms during long reading sessions.

In contrast, page holders are small but mighty tools that keep books open without damaging pages or binding – much like how linen cotton ravioli weights ensure perfect pasta every time.

These display products do more than just serving functional purposes. They bring in a unique blend of personality and charm.

Displaying your favorite books is an art form in itself. With the right set-up, each title can really stand out. Easel stands are perfect for highlighting special reads while slatwall systems offer flexibility for different book sizes. Gondola shelving units lend a bookstore vibe to your home, and unique accessories like book pillows enhance comfort during reading sessions. All these elements come together to create a space that’s not only functional but also full of charm.

Book Display for Libraries and Classrooms

Displaying books effectively in libraries and classrooms isn’t just about showcasing the cover. It’s also about creating an inviting reading section that encourages learning. Let’s take a look at some specific solutions tailored to these environments.

Your library needs more than just display space; it needs functionality, too. An ideal solution is using tabletop displays. They’re versatile enough to accommodate different book sizes while offering a clear view of titles.

Foam shapes can be used as quirky dividers on your shelves or carts, adding a dash of color and fun to your layout. Products like the small book browser cart from Wood Designs™, accented with rainbow colors, make browsing through collections easier for kids and adults alike.

Slatwall displays are another smart option—they utilize vertical space efficiently while keeping books accessible.

In classroom settings where storage needs often vary by activity, modular shelving units are game-changers. Brands like Environments® and Jonti-Craft™ offer adaptable cubby units perfect for storing everything from storybooks to art supplies.

A standout piece we love? The Classroom Storage Unit from Environments®—it not only showcases books but also helps streamline single items’ distribution during class activities.

Book Display Accessories and Supports

Your love affair with books shouldn’t stop at just reading them. Showcasing your collection requires the right accessories and supports to keep them in prime condition.

The Norfolk book sofa is an ideal accessory for avid readers, acting as a perfect page holder when you need both hands free. It’s crafted from soft linen cotton ravioli weights that cradle your book gently without causing any damage to its spine or pages.

If you’re catering to lower bound upper elementary-middle school students who are starting their own journeys into the world of literature, these sofas make display books more accessible while adding a touch of comfort to the reading section.

For larger volumes like storybooks or coffee table editions, consider using benchmark pillow support. These foam shapes provide sturdy support while keeping those hefty hardcovers safe during display time on shelf merchandising solutions. Factory Direct Partners offers such supportive pillows which can be used in conjunction with other types of book displays & supports.

Flickering pages can sometimes be annoying especially when displaying open books. Linen cotton ravioli weights help hold down pages making it easier for visitors browsing through your library special collections.

No one likes seeing their precious novels toppling over on stands due to slightest nudges or breezes coming through windows. That’s where book snakes come into play. Acting as nifty little anchors, they keep your books upright and in place on the book stand.

Whether you’re setting up a small reading corner at home or managing a large library, these accessories can go a long way in ensuring that your beloved collection is displayed safely and attractively. Remember, it’s not just about having nice things; taking proper care of them is essential too.

Spice up your book display with accessories like the Norfolk Book Sofa for a hands-free reading experience, Benchmark Pillow Support to handle heavier books, Linen Cotton Ravioli Weights to keep pages in place and Book Snakes to prevent toppling. These tools not only enhance visual appeal but also protect your collection. After all, it’s about showcasing what you love – and doing so in a way that protects and highlights your precious collection.

Book Display Brands and Suppliers

With a variety of brands and suppliers vying for attention, it’s important to find the book display solution that best suits your needs. Each offers its unique set of advantages, catering to different needs.

The Angeles® Value Line is well-known for their value-for-money products that don’t skimp on quality or functionality. Time is of the essence, and for those who are not adept with tools, Angeles® Value Line’s ready-to-go products provide an ideal solution.

This brand provides options suitable from grade K upwards, ensuring they have something for every age group’s reading needs. Additionally, all Angeles® Value Line items come with an impressive lifetime warranty – evidence of their confidence in product durability.

Millhouse collections, another reliable supplier, delivers stock products ready to cater to immediate library needs. They also offer drop ship products straight from the factory direct partners – making delivery swift and efficient.

If innovation tickles your fancy then Tot Mate®, renowned for designing cutting-edge display books units could be worth checking out. Furthermore, the line-up would remain incomplete without mentioning Copernicus educational products. Their specialty lies in creating visually appealing showcase books displays while keeping practicality at its core.

Remember when choosing any brand always consider whether they align with what you need most – Is it affordability? Durability? Innovation? Or maybe even a good stuff mixture?

There isn’t one “best” choice here; instead there’s likely going to be a perfect match based on your specific needs. So, don’t hesitate to do some exploration and find the book display solution that suits you best.

Protecting Your Books While on Display

If you’re like me, and have a love affair with books, then their well-being is of utmost importance to you. So how can we keep our treasured tales safe while they take the limelight on display?

A good shelf merchandising solution can be your knight in shining armor here. They don’t just make sure your sale items look appealing but also ensure that precious bindings aren’t strained.

Cubby units are perfect for this purpose. Their unique design lets each book stand tall without squeezing its neighbors. Plus, these are often available at beauty product stores or even places selling gift cards.

Support offerings from different brands provide more than one way to protect your literary treasures too. Some offer adjustable shelves which allow taller books ample space, preventing them from toppling over.

You may ask why I’m suggesting looking into products meant for other things? Well, sometimes solutions come from unexpected places. It’s about thinking outside the box (or should I say ‘bookshelf’?). And let’s not forget – being resourceful never goes out of style.

Besides shelving choices and supports, there are simple habits that go a long way in preserving our beloved hardcovers and paperbacks:

• Gently clean dust off regularly using soft cloths or brushes designed specifically for books – Dust particles can scratch covers if left unattended.
• Keep food & beverages away – Accidental spills could mean goodbye to favorite pages forever.

With proper care and thoughtful display methods such as these discussed above; whether it’s Shakespearean sonnets or riveting sci-fi thrillers—your collection will stay in pristine condition, ready to tell their stories whenever you wish.

Remember: books are not just objects—they’re vessels of wisdom and imagination that deserve our respect and care. Let’s show our appreciation for these vessels of knowledge and creativity.

Cherishing your books is more than just reading them; it’s about giving them the love they need. Look for clever storage solutions like cubby units or adjustable shelves to keep bindings secure and upright. Make a habit of regular dusting, and always avoid having food & drinks nearby. By doing this, you’ll make sure your collection stays in pristine condition, ready for the next time you want to dive into another world.

FAQs in Relation to Book Display

A book display, often referred to as a “book exhibit” or “showcase”, showcases books in an organized and visually appealing manner.

To make your books pop, try arranging them by color or size. Also consider unique stands, floating shelves or layered racks for extra flair.

Rare books should be displayed carefully. Use stands that support the spine and keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent damage.

You can use weighted page holders or special open-book displays to hold your book open without damaging its binding.

Mastering the art of book display is no longer a secret, it’s your reality. You’ve got ShelfSpark™’s innovative solutions in your arsenal.

You now know how to assess storage needs and navigate return policies like a pro.

Your eyes have been opened to tailored solutions for libraries and classrooms, not forgetting those handy accessories that enhance any setup.

Remember, showcasing books isn’t just about displaying them; it’s also about protecting them while on display. Keep this love affair with books alive!

Above all else, always remember – each book has its own story waiting to be told…but so does its display!

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The Best Books of 2022

This Year's Must-Reads

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2022

After two years of limited travel opportunities, we’re ready to explore the world once more

Jennifer Nalewicki

Travel Correspondent

Traveling is about much more than your destination—it’s about the people who live there, and for many travelers it’s the experiences they have alongside locals that are the most memorable. Take, for instance, the story of a journalist who lived with an Iñupiaq family of whale hunters in Alaska before setting off with her toddler to follow the gray whale migration, or a young woman who traveled solo 6,800 miles by bike from Europe to the Middle East, often turning to local farmers and villagers to help her navigate unfamiliar territory. Both women adapted their experiences into books where they relive the laughter (and the pain) they shared with members of the local communities that go far beyond anything found in a guidebook.

Here are ten travel book releases from 2022 that are inspiring us to dust off our passports and experience new locales alongside the people who make them unforgettable.

The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World by Jessica Nabongo

Visiting all 195 countries in the world is no small feat and a goal that most people can only dream of. Luckily, armchair travelers can live vicariously through author Jessica Nabongo’s epic worldwide adventure in her book The Catch Me If You Can . From retelling the blow-by-blow of a scooter accident in Nauru (an island nation in Micronesia that also happens to be the world’s least visited country) and dog-sledding in Norway to swimming with humpback whales in Tonga and learning the art of making traditional takoyaki (octopus balls) in Japan, the 38-year-old, who’s also the first Black woman to travel to every nation in the world, introduces readers not only to bucket-list-worthy places but also to the people who live there.

The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country in the World

In this inspiring travelogue, celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo―the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world―shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.

Soundings: Journeys in the Company of Whales by Doreen Cunningham

In an everchanging world threatened by climate change, whales have learned to adapt. Irish British author Doreen Cunningham takes that notion to heart in Soundings , which blends science and nature writing with memoir as she shares her own experiences as a struggling single mother and journalist. Together with her toddler, she follows the migration route of gray whales as they make the long journey between Mexico and Alaska (where years earlier she spent time with Iñupiaq whalers), experiencing from a distance the familial bonds, not unlike her own close relationship with her son, of the marine mammals. “What at first seems a reckless, near-mystical pursuit of an imagined being leads her to find a human pod of her own,” writes the Guardian ’s Edward Posnett.

Soundings: Journeys in the Company of Whales: A Memoir

A story of courage and resilience, Soundings is about the migrating whales and all we can learn from them as they mother, adapt, and endure, their lives interrupted and threatened by global warming.

Bridges of the World by Giancarlo Ascari

Italian cartoonist and journalist Giancarlo Ascari has a degree in architecture, so it’s no wonder why he’s fascinated with bridges. Packed with illustrations by Pia Valentinis , Ascari’s book Bridges of the World highlights recognizable spans like the brightly painted Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Victorian Gothic-style Tower Bridge in London, while also highlighting less obvious examples, including the stretch of wire French high-wire artist Philippe Petit strung between the Twin Towers in New York City and dangerously crossed in 1974. In total, Bridges of the World features 50 human-made and natural wonders accented by interesting facts and anecdotes.

Bridges of the World

Fifty bridges from all over the world to be crossed on foot or with one's imagination.

Black Lion: Teachings from the Wilderness by Sicelo Mbatha

When Sicelo Mbatha was a child, he watched in horror as a crocodile viciously attacked his cousin. Rather than shy away from the cruel realities of nature, the Zulu author, who goes by the nickname Black Lion, confronted them head on to become a wilderness guide. Over the years, he’s volunteered at Imfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, a province located along the coast of South Africa. Because of his childhood encounter, he has learned to approach the savanna and the lions, elephants and other animals that inhabit it from a spiritual perspective. He has since fostered a deeper connection with the local fauna and hopes to pass that mindset on to visitors on his guided excursions as well as readers of Black Lion , his debut book.

Black Lion: Alive in the Wilderness

Wilderness guide Sicelo Mbatha shares lessons learnt from a lifetime’s intimate association with Africa’s wildest nature.

The Writer’s Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats by Travis Elborough

Ask any writer, and they’ll likely confirm that a story’s setting plays as critical a role as its plot. Case in point: Would Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel Dracula be as compelling if it wasn’t set in macabre Transylvania? Like Stoker, many literary greats were inspired by places they traveled to before sitting down to write. In The Writer’s Journey , British author and cultural commentator Travis Elborough explores 35 experiences around the globe that influenced authors and helped shape their writings, including Herman Melville’s perilous 1841 whaling voyage on the Atlantic and Jack Kerouac’s cross-country escapades in the late 1940s over “all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast.”

The Writer's Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats

Follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s most famous authors on the journeys which inspired their greatest works in this beautiful illustrated atlas.

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry

What comes to mind when you think of the American South? The Civil War? College football? Gone with the Wind ? Imani Perry , an award-winning author and African American studies professor at Princeton University, tackles all of these topics in her New York Times best seller South to America . Combining history with culture, Perry brings readers on an eye-opening journey south of the Mason-Dixon line, from her native Alabama to Appalachia, focusing not only on past civil atrocities that have scarred the region and the country as a whole, but also on the immigrant communities, artists and innovators leading the way to a brighter future.

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

An essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand America

The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East by Rebecca Lowe

While the Syrian War rattled the Middle East in 2015, journalist Rebecca Lowe embarked on a yearlong 6,800-mile grand tour via a bicycle she affectionately named “Maud” from her home base of London to Tehran. During her epic ride, she cycled through Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and the Gulf, often relying on the knowledge and assistance of farmers, villagers and other locals she met along the way. For her travel memoir The Slow Road to Tehran , she weaves her own experiences as a woman traveling alone through the mountains and deserts of the Middle East with tales about the people and cultures she encountered. Tom Chesshyre of the Critic calls it “modern travel writing at its very best, full of vim and vigor, painstakingly researched, laced with wry humor, political (without being too political), adventurous and rich with anecdote.”

The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East

One woman, one bike and one richly entertaining, perception-altering journey of discovery.

Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects by Jean de Pomereu and Daniella McCahey

On January 17, 1773, Captain James Cook made the first crossing into the Antarctic Circle aboard the Royal Navy sloop Resolution . Now, on the 250th anniversary of this monumental journey, historical geographer Jean de Pomereu and historian Daniella McCahey have come together to highlight 100 objects (culled from the National Maritime Museum in London, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and many other collections) that define the world’s least-visited continent. Items that made the cut and are featured in their co-written book Antarctica include the tiny, 22-foot lifeboat used by Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship struck ice and sunk in 1915; a sealing club fashioned out of the penis bone of an elephant seal; and skis that Norwegian explorer Olav Bjaaland used in the early 1900s.

Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects

This stunning and powerfully relevant book tells the history of Antarctica through 100 varied and fascinating objects drawn from collections around the world.

This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments by McKenzie Long

Despite their federal designation as protected land, national monuments in the United States come under threat. Just look at Bears Ears National Monument, a 2,125-square-mile expanse of red sandstone, cliff dwellings and petroglyphs in the Utah desert held sacred by many Native Americans. The Trump administration decreased the monument in size by 85 percent to allow for oil drilling (only for the Biden administration to later restore its protections). In her debut book, This Contested Land , author and graphic artist McKenzie Long sets out by ski, foot and fin to explore 13 sites across the country, including Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Hawaii’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in a series of compelling essays that convey the importance of protecting these natural resources from the threats of development and climate change.

This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments

One woman’s enlightening trek through the natural histories, cultural stories, and present perils of 13 national monuments, from Maine to Hawaii

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia by Shafik Meghji

The world’s highest metropolis is La Paz, Bolivia, home to two million inhabitants living at 13,600 feet above sea level (higher than Mount Fuji). However, not many people know this fact, nor much about the South American country, for that matter. In Crossed Off the Map , author, travel expert and Amnesty International editorial consultant Shafik Meghji introduces readers to the landmarks, history and current issues of Bolivia. Fellow travel author Tim Hannigan says in the book blurb, “Shafik Meghji is a natural travel writer with a ready mastery of history, anecdote and atmosphere, and [this] is the best sort of travel book—an informed and informative portrait of Bolivia that doubles as a vicarious journey for readers on an epic scale, through high mountains, across the altiplano [high plains] and into deep tropical forests.”

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia

Blending travel writing, history and reportage, Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia journeys from the Andes to the Amazon to explore Bolivia’s turbulent past and contemporary challenges.

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Jennifer Nalewicki | | READ MORE

Jennifer Nalewicki is a Brooklyn-based journalist. Her articles have been published in The New York Times , Scientific American , Popular Mechanics , United Hemispheres and more. You can find more of her work at her website .

How to Create Awesome Book Displays

Katie McLain

Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Lake Forest College and is working towards a master's degree in library science at U of I. She works full time at a public library reference desk in northern IL, specializing in readers’ advisory and general book enthusiasm, and she has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying. (She takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers.) When she's not spending every waking hour at the library, she's at home watching Cubs baseball with her cats and her cardigan collection, and when she's not at home, she's spending too much money on concert tickets. Her hobbies include debating the finer points of Harry Potter canon, hitting people upside the head who haven’t read The Martian, and convincing her boyfriend that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

View All posts by Katie McLain

I work full time at a public library , and even though I work in the Adult Reference department, I’m fortunate enough to spend most of my work hours on book-related responsibilities. But if I had to pick an area that takes up the majority of my book-related time, it would be creating library book displays. Now, for some libraries or book stores, creating displays requires nothing more than printing off a sign and slapping a few marginally-related books on a shelf and calling it a day, but that’s what separates the amateur book displays from the awesome ones.

Over the last 5+ years, my coworkers and I have devised a set of guidelines that have helped take our book displays from good to great, so strap yourselves in while I give you an inside look at how our displays are created.

1. Brainstorm book display ideas

We have 5 different rotating displays that are changed out every 4 weeks or so. Some libraries prefer to change their displays a little more frequently, but we’ve found that this is our department sweet-spot in terms of keeping displays fresh and keeping everyone’s workload manageable. Still, that’s a lot of display ideas to cover an entire year. How do we come up with ideas?

We try to have a couple display brainstorming sessions during our department meetings throughout the year, where we all come up with ideas beforehand and bring them up in the group to see what sticks. Time-sensitive displays, anytime displays, serious displays, crazy displays – nothing’s off limits here. We brainstorm based on current events, upcoming movies, buzzworthy books, historical events, even popular memes and hashtags.

And we make heavy use of our current edition of Chase’s Calendar of Events . If your library or institution doesn’t have a copy, you can still get a decent list of special yearly celebrations through the free version of the Chase’s Calendar website. (Who knew that October was designated as Squirrel Awareness and Appreciation Month?!)

When it comes to holidays and yearly events that are standard for library displays (Valentine’s Day, Banned Books Week, Black History Month, etc.), you can make your displays stand out by giving them an unusual perspective. Do you usually put out Ireland travel guides for St. Patrick’s Day? How about a color-themed display called “It Ain’t Easy Being Green?” Or instead of doing a typical “Women’s History Month” sign for your display, call it something like “Historical Hardcore Lady Types.” It’s unexpected, it’s interesting, and it gives you an opportunity to quote Lumberjanes for work purposes.

I would also like to note that our administration has always been very supportive of our potentially controversial display topics like Pride Month and #BlackLivesMatter, so we’ve made a point to include these types of displays wherever possible throughout the year. I encourage everyone to do the same, although I know that not every administrator is willing to tackle that controversy. Make do however you can.

2. Select items for book displays

For most of our displays, we create material lists in our library’s catalog, then export, organize, and save the lists as Word documents so that we can reuse them in the future. But how do we decide what items should go on the display? Here are a few tips we’ve come up with.

The phrase “hidden gems” should be at the forefront of every display list you put together. In bookstores, it’s common to see a ton of James Patterson and Nora Roberts novels on display because these are the big names that will drive in the big customers with the big bucks. But in libraries, we’re not so concerned with getting the big names out the door because we’re not dependent on sales and we know these big names will circulate anyway. Instead, try filling your displays with lesser-known titles, such as mid-list books, diverse authors, and #ownvoices, because these are the books your patrons are less likely to have heard about.

Think outside the box! When we create displays, we try to keep a lot of the topics as broad as possible to allow for maximum creativity when picking out the titles. I particularly enjoy mixing fiction and nonfiction titles in the same display. For example, if you’re doing an adult display about space exploration, you can include books like The Martian  or Saturn Run , but you can also showcase a lot of nonfiction titles as well: Hidden Figures , Welcome to the Universe , or Packing for Mars would all be excellent choices, and  they’d allow you to highlight a few female authors and authors of color. Win-win!

Use multiple formats from multiple collections. Mix and match! If you have a title available in regular print, large print, and audio, put them all on there! Graphic novels? Go for it. Young adult? Related movies and documentaries? CDs? Heck, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can create book lists with relevant eBook titles and put those on display as well! Go nuts!

Keep an eye on condition and publication date. As much as I’d like to tell you that you can’t judge a book by its cover, the fact is that a display with newer items and eye-catching covers is going to be more enticing than a display full of banged-up books with torn covers. And as you undoubtedly know, old book covers do not always age well.

3. Put up the display

Once we’ve crafted our thoughtful display lists, we pull the items from the shelves, change their status in the catalog so that they’re listed as “display” if anyone goes looking for them, and set them up on their designated shelves. A couple of my coworkers are really good when it comes to merchandizing our displays, and I’ve picked up a couple easy techniques to maximize our shelf space and make our displays look as enticing as possible:

I don’t remember who set up these specific book displays, but I’ll just say it was probably one of my aforementioned coworkers.  They are REALLY good at what they do! I will also note that we have a graphic designer who works at the library and creates our display signage, but this is not required to create a quality display.

At the end of the day, the best book displays are thoughtful and intentional.  If you put consideration into what goes on display and how those items are arranged, your patrons will take notice too.

Got any other good display ideas?  Let us know!

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7 Creative (& Affordable) Ways To Display Travel Photos

Posted on Published: May 19, 2023  - Last updated: March 25, 2024

Categories Photography , Travel , Travel Tips

I don’t know about you, but when I come back from vacation I have thousands of new pictures. The only question is, what to do with them !

Now that photos live in a digital world, and aren’t automatically printed, they can be easily forgotten which is such a shame.

So, here are 7 creative ways to display travel photos . Whether in a physical travel photo album, a no-frame gallery wall , or a high tech changing photo frame, you can make sure those memories are never lost.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

1. Back To The Basics: Make A Travel Photo Album

Making a travel photo album from your digital photos can be done in one of two ways …

The Old School Method: Print & Add Photos Yourself!

Print up all your favourite travel photos the same as when they were taken on physical film. The only difference now is that you can choose to only print the good ones (and eve do some editing before!).

I use Shutterfly to print my photos on standard size prints ( 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10 ), but they also offer square and even large format prints.

You’ll also need to buy a physical photo album to place your photos in once they arrive. And yes, they still sell those!

You can pick up a simple one , like this one on Amazon , to add your photos!

Or, make it more of a scrapbooking project , and buy this album kit to make a truly one of a kind album!

The New School Method: Travel Photo Book

Instead of spending time printing individual photos and adding them to an album, you can do that all digitally. Again, I like to use Shutterfly to make my travel photo books.

It’s more like making a digital scrapbook that you print all at once on one page. You can add different sized images, borders, even stickers, and of course comments!

I make one for every each trip I like making mine 8×8 hardcover books. The lay flat option looks incredible too, but it will add cost of course!

Shutterfly gives you the option for full control over designing your travel photo album. I’ll admit, it’s a big time commitment, but it’s really interesting to see how my editing style has changed over the years!

But if you don’t have time to spend editing, they also give you the option to have them design it for you in 24 hours … free of charge.

Once your travel photo album arrives, leave it on display so you can pick up anytime you want to relive your trip. Or for guests to peruse at their leisure, just like an old school travel photo album!

P.S. Shutterfly often has discounts on their books as well, and now they’ve even partnered with Costco giving members 51%.

2. Display Travel Photos By Printing Them On Something Fun!

On Shutterfly, you can also make your photos into so many other fun creations !

So why not print your photos on a pillow, mug, a calendar for the following year, or even a customized luggage tag for your next trip .

I’ve printed my travel photos on a mousepad and fridge magnets, and it’s such a fun way to subtly display your favourite photos from your latest trip!

Check out all the creative options on Shutterfly !

Ideas To Display Photos On Wall

A very common way to display your favourite travel photos is to print them and hang them somewhere in your home.

But the question is, how do you display them on your wall once they’re printed!? Well there are a few options, with pictures frames and without !

3. Creative Ways To Display Photos Without A Picture Frame

There’s no denying, the most expensive part about hanging your photos on a wall is framing them!

So I came up with a creatives ways to display a lot of photos without the need for any frames at all: a growing travel photo wall!

I chose the biggest emptiest wall in my house and printed as many photos as I wanted in a square template. I simply tape as many photos that could fit on the wall.

Don’t worry, I have a full how to make a growing travel photo wall post here .

It’s an inexpensive way to display A LOT of travel photos all at once for everyone to see. I’m also able to easily add to it after every trip – the only real limit is the size of the wall! Plus, it’s a no brainer to mount the photos and even remove them, it doesn’t damage the wall at all!

I’ve added to, and even moved my photo wall now several times! It’s a real show stopper as well when ever anyone comes over. It’s a fun game to see what locations people can recognize.

Step It Up A Notch

If you aren’t sold on the no-frame idea, you can easily step up your photo wall by buying an extra large frame to add all your photos to.

This way, your photos are protected, and it looks a tad more professional! But, it will definitely cost you!

You might also be interested in reading…

• How To Make A Removable Photo Wall (Perfect For Travel Photos)

4. Make A Gallery Wall Or Photo Grid With Travel Photos

For a more traditional way to display your travel photos on your wall, you can also frame them.

For a fun look, create a travel gallery wall with different sized prints and frames. It’s easy to add new photos, and they don’t have to be measured perfectly, or even match!

For a more uniform look , print the same size photo and place them in the exact same frame. It’s a more serious way to display your photos but I find it works really well for themed photos.

For example I printed up all my lighthouse photos from Prince Edward Island and displayed them in my long – and otherwise empty -hallway.

You can also change the photos in the frames after every trip!

5. Make A Canvas Print (DIY Option)

One of the most creative ways to display photos without frames is to print them on a canvas.

Canvas prints are beautiful and really make a statement on your wall – without the need for any frame at all!

I love the look of photos printed on canvas, but I’ll admit they can definitely add up to a hefty bill (especially for the larger sizes). Several places offer photos prints on canvas, like Shutterfly , or you can attempt to make it yourself…

You can actually transfer a photo print to a canvas yourself. It will cut costs in half, and it makes a really neat rustic look too! Read the full DIY project here.

Non Print Ideas To Display Photos

You might not want to spend time, money, or even paper to print and display travel photos from your latest trip, so here are two no print ideas to display photos !

6. Invest In A Moving Picture Frame

A moving picture frame is a hassle free, no printing, way to display travel photos.

It’s a bit on the pricey side at the start, but you’ll save a lot of time, money, and paper in the long run .

It’s so easy to change the photos it displays, and add more after every trip! You have a constantly changing loop of photos.

I have a Google Nest Hub , and honestly I don’t use it for much else other than displaying my travel photos from my most recent trip.

7. Make A Personal Blog For A Non Print Option!

A blog is your own personal website where you can add your favourite travel photos.

It’s your own online space that’s easily accessible and you can even share the URL with friends and family to see (don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a public blog).

Sign up for WordPress.com , it’s completely free to start adding your photos! You can even add comments to share your favourite stories from your trip with each photo!

The ultimate digital travel bundle: travel planner & daily travel journal

My digital travel planner template  has everything you need to plan your vacation. And keep track of your travels every day with my digital and printable travel journal .

See the bundle on Esty .

P.S. Learn How To Take Better Group Travel Photos

Stop taking selfies or asking someone to take a photo of you while you’re away. I have a few handy travel photo gear I always bring with me to take the best photos of myself and my travel partners – every time!

Although, if you learn how to take better photos, you might just have a harder time deciding which ones to display when you get back…

Anyway, it’s all about a remote shutter, a mini tripod, and a phone adapter… read more about how to take the best travel photos .

Travel Photo Gear

Read More Related Posts

• How To Take Group Travel Photos By Yourself: My Secret Hack

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Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Liveshare Moment

Wednesday 30th of August 2023

These 7 tips you mentioned will be very helpful to travelers to create and display their travel albums. Nice information Thanks for sharing...

Friday 22nd of September 2023

Thanks! I hope so :D

Fordham Library News

The latest from the Fordham University Libraries

Travel the World (Through Books): A Virtual Book Display

World Travelers: Satisfy Your Wanderlust Here! Don’t let the pandemic and current travel restrictions prevent you from exploring new global destinations. Let the Quinn Library 2nd Floor Virtual Book Display sweep you away to your next adventure.

Explore the  virtual book display below to find e-books and streaming films in our collection that you can read from anywhere (note: display works best in Chrome). To interact with the display, start by clicking the “Enter” button in the top right corner. Then, click on the cover of a book to see a summary. When you find a book you want to check out, click on “Read Now” in the top left to be directed to the library catalog. A list of all titles provided, with links to the e-books and streaming films, is also included below.

Explore all of our virtual book displays .

Travel Books:

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

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The Most Beautiful Stations on the Moscow Metro

You might have heard that there are some beautiful metro stations in Moscow. Soviet decorations, chandeliers, mosaic painting and statues are common in many of the stations. The good news is that the Moscow Metro does not cost a lot of money and many of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro are on the same line, so you can almost get on and off at each station to visit these. Over the New Year holidays, I had a free afternoon and decided to visit some of these stations. Check out what I found below…..

The main stations that you will want to visit are on the Number 5 line, also known as the Circle Line. An advantage of this line is that you can get to it very easily and quickly no matter where you are in Moscow. The announcements on the metro are in Russian as well as English so you don’t need to worry if your Russian language skills are not good.

If, like me, you arrive in Moscow via train from Kyiv , then you will arrive at a metro station which many Muscovites believe to be the most beautiful of them all…..

Kievskaya metro station was opened in 1954 and features white marble walls which curve upwards and have with large mosaics surrounded by a gold trim in a very classical style. The mosaics depict life in Ukraine and was designed by a Ukrainian who wanted to display Ukraine’s influence and contribution to Soviet Russia.

Kievskaya, one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro

Soviet era artwork between the arches

Mosaic with golden trim

People carrying flags is a common theme

Going into battle

Belorusskaya

If you look at a map of the metro , you will want to go in a clockwise direction on the circle line. So you will want to get on the train going in the Barrikadnaya direction and not Park Kultury. Stay on this line until you reach the 2nd station, Belorusskaya. This station was built in 1952 and like Kievskaya also features white marble pylons and a plaster ceiling.

The ceiling features 12 mosaics in an octagonal shape depicting Belarusian life, while the tiling on the floor is said to resemble a Belarusian quilt. One of the passageway exits of the station has a statue called ‘Belarusian Partisans’ of three men wearing long coats, holding guns and carrying a flag.”

Belorusskaya metro platform

Soviet artwork on the roof

The hammer and sickle features prominently in the metro artwork

Three men carrying guns, holding the flag…

Mayakovskaya

To get to the next station, we need to change onto the green line (line 2) and go just one stop to the station of Mayakovskaya. This station has an art deco theme and, for some, resembles an elaborate ballroom. The columns are faced with stainless steel and pink rhodonite while the marble walls and ceiling have 34 mosaics with the theme “24-hour Soviet Sky. Apparently, Stalin resided here during the 2nd World War as the station was used as a command post for Moscow’s anti-aircraft regiment.

Mayakovskaya metro

24-Hour Soviet Sky mosaic

Bomber planes

It looks like planes flying over Red Square

Novoslobodskaya

It’s time to get back on the metro and return to Belorusskaya. At Belorusskaya, change to the circle line again and continue clockwise to the next station, Novoslobodskaya. With its 32 stained glass panels, this station reminds me of a church. The panels were designed by Latvian artists and are surrounded by a brass border.

Novoslobodskaya metro

The platform of Novoslobodskaya metro

Stained glass artwork

The golden trim around artwork is also very common

Prospekt Mira

Back on the metro and again just one stop until our next station, Prospekt Mira. This station was originally called Botanichesky Sad after the nearby Botanical Gardens of the Moscow State University. The pylons are covered in white marble and decorated with floral bas-relief friezes. The ceiling is decorated with casts and several cylindrical chandeliers.

Prospekt Mira metro station

Notice the floral decoration

Komsomolskaya

On the metro once more and once more we are going just one stop to the next station – Komsomolskaya. This station is famous for its its yellow ceiling. The chandeliers in this station are huge. The photos below do not do this station justice.  For me, this station resembles a presidential palace.  You hace to see it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

Because of it’s location, this is one of the busiest stations in the Moscow metro as it serves three of the main train stations in the city – Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky so be prepared for a lot of people.

Komsomolskaya metro

The yellow ceiling seems to go on forever

Yellow ceiling and artwork

One of the ceiling mosaics

Elektrozavodskaya

When you are ready to leave Komsomolskaya metro station behind, then get back on the circle line and go one stop to Kurskaya and change to the blue line (line 3) and go to two stops to the Elektrozavodskaya station. This station gets it’s name from a nearby electric light bulb factory and has a somewhat industrial but also futuristic style, with 6 rows of circular lamps (there are 318 lamps in total). I think this is one of the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro for how unique it is. The station was opened in 1944 after a delay because of the 2nd World War and features 12 marble bas-reliefs of the struggle on the home front during the war.

The Komsomolskaya metro station

The struggles of war at home

Fixing machinery

Hard at work

Making weapons

Building a tank

Even the station sign is elaborate

Ploschad Revolyutsii

Back on the metro line 3 (but in the other direction), getting off at the 3rd stop – Ploschad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). This is located underneath the square in Moscow of the same name and is a short walk from Red Square in the city centre. It is the perfect place to end a visit around Moscow’s metro. The station features red and yellow marble arches with a total of 76 sculptures in between each arch. The sculptures are supposed to represent the people of the Soviet Union and include soldiers, farmers, industrial workers, children etc… I noticed a lot of people touching the golden chicken in the photo below as well as the show of the woman. I am assuming that this is for good luck.

Industrial worker

Touch the chicken for good luck

Sculpture of the people of the Soviet Union

Woman reading a book – touch the shoe for good luck

In education

Parent and child

These are some of what I think are the most beautiful stations on the Moscow metro. Which ones are your favourite? Would you add any to this list?

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19 comments.

Kievskaya definitely caught me off guard. Didn’t know Moscow metro stations were THIS extravagant! Mayakovskaya is gorgeous too with the marble walls and mosaics. I might just need to book a flight over to admire all of these!

Do it! Kievskaya was my first introduction to the Moscow metro as I got an overnight train from Kyiv.

You know, in the States, all we ever hear is bad stuff about Russia. It’s nice to see other (and lovely!) dimensions of such a controversial place.

It’s the same in the UK which is why I prefer going to see somewhere and making up my own mind. It’s all ‘politics and bullshit’ as I say

I went to Moscow about 13years for Christmas and went to train stations, so I can see these amazing mosaics and chandeliers. I agree with you that are beautiful Stations for sure and I could of wandered around for days. I think Kievskaya is definitely my favourite out of them all and I even have some similar pictures as you.

I imagine Moscow would have been a little different 13 years ago but these stations have probably always looked beautiful

Food and Footprints

You chose some great stations for this write up! Beautiful details in these stations and would love to visit them sometime. Particularly like the Komsomolskaya station with that yellow ceiling!

Thank you very much. Komsomolskaya seems to be a lot of peoples favourite stations too

Sumit Surai

Wow! Without the text I would have thought them to be some museum or gallery.

I know exactly what you mean!

Rosie Fluskey

Wow, it is just stunning! How does anyone get to work with so much to look at. I’m surprised at the very bourgeois-looking Komsomolskaya station. I would have thought it was all too Tzarist looking, but then I haven’t been to Russia yet lol. This has just made me want to go more!

Wow, that’s a lot of artwork. I wonder how old some of these pieces are?

Generally most of the stations are from 1940-1960 approximately. The later stations are more functional than style.

My mother-in-law was in Moscow fifty years ago and still raves about the metro stations. So far, I could not imagine much. But now! The pictures are great and I think it’s almost a pity that this splendor is underground. But for every user of the Metro can enjoy a free trip to the world of art. Susanne

True. It is like having a free trip to an art museum/gallery. I hope that you can one day visit Moscow and see for yourself.

Oh wow, I would never have known that these were metro stations. The ceilings remind me of how you need to look up sometimes, even in the commuter rush!

It is true about life in general, we just go from A to B looking directly in front of us instead of around us

Wow, I would have never guessed that these were stations. The decor is so pretty and not one I’m used to seeing at metro stations. Love the ceiling at The Komsomolskaya metro station.

They certainly don’t look like metro stations. The ceiling there is one of my favourites too!

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Bologna 2024: Dead Bunnies and Naked Bottoms: What Makes Children's Books Travel Internationally?

In a Bologna Children's Book Fair session called “Dead Bunnies and Naked Bottoms: Meeting the Challenges of Children’s Publishing Across Cultures,” held on April 9, moderator Maria Russo, former children’s books editor at the New York Times , explained the panel’s title: “In the U.S. a dead bunny is a red flag in a picture book, as is a naked bottom. In the rest of the world, these are regular elements in a picture book.”

The four panelists were asked to show a few successful titles for them, either originated by them and/or originated in another country. Dolores Prades, founder, director, and editor of Instituto Emília in Brazil, talked about her longtime mission to publish books from Africa in Brazil, beginning with Niki Daly. She came across Daly’s books at Bologna one year, “one of my first discoveries. Now, 20 years later, it’s an editorial choice I’m most proud of.” Daly’s picture books center on the daily life of a girl living with her parents and grandparents. Sosu’s Call by Meshack Asare is another book that’s been successful for Prades; Asare, born in Ghana and currently living in Germany, is a popular African children’s author.

Bologna veteran Neal Porter, publisher of Neal Porter Books at Holiday House, said he has seen a lot of changes in the international market since he started attending the fair in the mid-1980s. “At that time, there was an explosion of the retail market for children’s books in the U.S., stemming from the large number of children’s bookshops that were opening. An easy way for American publishers to expand their lists was to acquire books from abroad at Bologna. This has ebbed and flowed over the years.”

Porter showed images from The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess , [a picture book by graphic novelist and Guardian cartoonist Tom Gauld] https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/87176-q-a-with-tom-gauld.html, which he published in 2020. “Of the books I’ve published, this book probably holds the record for foreign editions: 23 throughout Europe and Asia,” he said. Gauld has a “very inventive way of approaching fairy tales and making them his own. It’s been a tremendous pleasure to see how well this book has done in cultures other than our own.”

An example of a book he saw and bought at Bologna, back in 2007, was ABC3D by Marion Bataille, a pop-up alphabet book that took off after an enterprising marketing staffer created a short video for the book that went viral and now has 15 million views. “It may have been the beginning of digital marketing for children’s books,” he said. “It was thrilling to buy that book at the fair.” He remembers telling the originating publisher, “If you don’t sell me this book I may do serious damage.” He published it to “great success,” with 100,000 copies sold.

Another title he showed was I Talk Like a River , written by Jordan Scott, and illustrated by just-crowned Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Sydney Smith , a picture book about a boy with a stutter, and how his father likens the sounds of his speech to the flow of a river. “This is one of my favorite books I’ve ever published,” Porter said. The book won a number of international awards and had 19 co-editions.

Erik Titusson, publisher of Lilla Piratförlaget (Little Pirate) in Sweden, highlighted a book he bought from a Latvian publisher in 2020, called The Kiosk by Anete Melece, about a woman who is stuck working in a kiosk but dreaming of travel and adventure. “ The Billy Goats Gruff Go to the Bathhouse by Bjørn F. Rørvik, which I bought from Norway, was the very first book I published,” he said.

In Sweden, he said, “there’s a long tradition of translating books from other parts of the world. In recent years, the number of translated books has been decreasing.” Currently, 32% of the books he publishes are in translation, compared to 50% in 2010. Retail space for children’s books in Sweden is “getting a bit smaller,” and Swedish books are being prioritized.

He recalled showing Porter a book at a previous Bologna Fair that he said had a lot of nudity in it. “Neal asked me, ‘Please, can I have a copy? Not to publish it, but to show my colleagues how crazy the Swedes are.”

Author-illustrator Beatrice Alemagna said she has been publishing picture books for 24 years—42 books to date. “Over the years, I realized that each one has a different life, depending on which country it was published into,” she told the audience. “I believe a reason for the success of any book is that children have fun.”

Alemagna talked about her book Never, Not Ever! , published three years ago and already translated into 15 languages. The book’s success, she feels, was due to it being “a weird story, about a bat who doesn’t want to go to school.”

Results, she said, can vary widely by country. What Is a Child? , her most translated book, has been published in 20 countries. “In Italy it’s a classic; in France it has been a failure,” she said. She showed the book’s covers in an array of languages and editions, pointing out that the British cover (Tate) was different from the other editions because the British publisher felt the image was reminiscent of pictures of children during war.

Russo asked the panelists what appeals to them about a picture book, whether they are acquiring it, editing it, or creating it. Titusson said he looks for “psychological truth” in a book. “You can trust that other people will feel the way you do. It’s also important to find editors who have a similar feeling about books as you.

Porter answered, “I tend to publish books selfishly, for me, or the five-year-old in me. I don’t think about whether the book is too sophisticated. But it’s very gratifying when others feel the same way I do about it.”

“With experience,” Alemagna said, “I’ve learned that the less I think about the audience and the more I focus on my emotion, the more sincere the book will be. The more I emotionally engage with my book, the more successful it will be.”

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Kerby: Airline’s move grounds booking competition

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Iran fires air defense batteries at isfahan air base and nuclear site after drones spotted.

In less than a month, millions of American Airlines customers will no longer receive AAdvantage rewards unless they book directly through AA owned or preferred channels. This is the latest move by the airline to force travelers to use booking tools that lead to reduced consumer choice, fluctuating prices, and record airline profits.

In recent years, consumers have noticed that online plane ticket prices can fluctuate wildly based on the user’s location, time of booking, and online history. The technology to dynamically change prices based on the consumer’s online data has been a major profit driver for airlines. Savvy travelers have managed these fluctuations by booking through travel advisors who use comparative shopping channels with stable pricing.

However, airlines have a lot of weight to throw around to tilt the balance in favor of direct online booking, largely due to monopolies. American Airlines is leading the charge.

Last April, American removed 40% of its lower-cost fares from comparative shopping channels. Starting May 1, American will stop offering its AAdvantage rewards to people who buy their tickets through travel agencies that don’t adopt AA’s dynamic pricing tools.

These changes will saddle consumers with limited choices and unpredictable prices as well as strip away consumers’ rights to have a travel advisor serve as their trusted advocate when travel complications inevitably occur.

While American Airlines would like people to believe that “travel agencies are stuck in the old ways of doing business,” travel advisors, in fact, book 40% of all airline tickets today.  They serve millions of individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, and other organizations who trust and depend on travel advisors to secure the best value in today’s complex travel environment.

Travel advisors provide round-the-clock assistance in the event of a last-minute problem. Major air travel disruptions have become a perennial occurrence during busy travel seasons. A 2023 Forbes Advisor survey of 2,000 travelers revealed that 61% of respondents experienced flight delays or cancellations last summer, with 83% of them losing money as a result. Nearly one in four travelers (24%) lost more than $500; 14% reported losing more than $1,000.

The pain associated with flight service disruptions can often be mitigated or eliminated entirely by skilled travel advisors. Travel advisors often have a fiduciary duty to act in their clients’ best interests – not to mention the strong incentive to earn their repeat business.

Without the help of their trusted travel advisor, seniors concerned about making a connection, large families planning a multi-destination trip, or flyers given a 20-hour layover by some airline algorithm will be left with no recourse.

Large groups rely on travel advisors to streamline their travel plans while saving money through group or bulk purchasing.

Government agencies and corporations often delegate the management of their travel programs and policies to travel management companies. Travel advisors help ensure employees minimize planning time as well as time in transit so they can maximize productivity.

American Airlines’ policy change will negatively affect all of these individuals and organizations and devastate the travel advisor industry, which supports more than 700,000 U.S. jobs. Ninety-eight percent of travel agencies are small businesses, with more than 80% being women-owned.

Cities where American is the dominant carrier – like Washington, D.C., Dallas, Charlotte, and Philadelphia – will be the epicenters of this avoidable, man-made disaster.

Other airlines are keeping a close eye on how American’s move shakes out. If left unchecked, they’re sure to follow American’s example.

Unfortunately, this is a story U.S. consumers have become far too familiar with – greedy corporations luring customers by promising cheap prices and personalized experiences, only to exploit consumer data for their profit. E-commerce sites use shoppers’ browsing habits to determine how much they are willing to pay. Rideshare and fast-food companies analyze consumer demand to justify surge pricing. Ticket vendors use it to skyrocket concert prices.

If AA’s new booking platform is so good for consumers, the airline shouldn’t need to hold AAdvantage miles hostage to force people to use it. This is the same old anti-consumer, anti-competitive tactic that monopolies have always used, now disguised as technological innovation. We urge lawmakers and regulators to investigate American Airlines. Do not let AA get away with this egregious abuse of its market position.

Zane Kerby is president & CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors

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Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Wyndham Lures Businesses to Book Directly With New Loyalty Perks

Sean O'Neill , Skift

April 16th, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT

Wyndham aims to woo businesses to book hotels directly by simplifying the process and turbocharging rewards. The hotel franchisor is betting big on America's infrastructure spending boom.

Sean O'Neill

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said Tuesday it’s taking steps to improve how companies book and manage group bookings, meetings, events, and business travel at its North American hotels.

In a new move, Wyndham will offer reward points in its loyalty program to companies that book stays through its just-revamped WyndhamBusiness.com .

Before, the loyalty program only benefited guests. Now, enrolled companies also earn one point per dollar on each stay, which they can transfer to their travel planners, use for holiday promotions to reward employees, or to offset future company stays.

“No matter what size or type of business you have, we’ve made booking and managing stays with us easier,” said Angie Gadwood , senior vice president, global sales.

Fine-Tuning Its Direct Booking Tool

Wyndham has made it easier for companies to create an account with it for booking directly.

“We have a new financial partner that has made the process as easy as filling out an application and learning about the approval within minutes,” Gadwood said.

A revamped process lets a company’s employees bill rooms back to the corporate account.

Wyndham has also adopted an  instant meeting  booking platform from Groups360 , a company that helps match meeting planners with venues. The tool lets a travel planner book between 10 and 50 rooms at discounted rates at more than 5,600 Wyndham Group hotels in North America. As Skift Meetings has noted : “Historically, this type of booking capability was only available in more upscale hotels.”

Let’s say you’re an administrative assistant at a construction company who has been asked to help a project team book a dozen rooms for workers who will be traveling to five different projects.

In the past, you would have to pull every property and reach out to four different directors of sales at each property. Then you’d have to explain to each hotel what you need, apply for billing with every property, get a credit check at every hotel, send the rooming lists over to each place, and so on.

“Our new system lets you book those rooms quickly within a one-stop site and move on,” Gadwood said.

Wyndham Counts on Infrastructure Projects

Wyndham is betting that the sheer scale of its footprint as the world’s largest hotel franchisor will prove irresistible to road warriors, especially as the U.S. plans to spend about $1.5 trillion on infrastructure over the next decade.

Wyndham believes the infrastructure products could create a “$3.3 billion revenue opportunity” for its franchisees.

Wyndham isn’t alone in seeing an opportunity. Its overall effort at simplifying its direct booking process for businesses is similar to one begun by Hilton last fall .

Yet Wyndham believes it’s better placed to reap benefits.

“We have such a large footprint in the economy sector that we serve many blue-collar workers,” Gadwood said. “But there’s also what we call that white-to-gray-collar worker, a traveler who might be doing the surveys or the architectural plans as pre-work before bringing in the hard hats and shovels, and we see an opportunity there, too, thanks to how we’ve expanded our offerings in extended stay hotels in the past year.”

Hilton Extends Loyalty Program: Reward Small Businesses for Booking Direct

Hilton will simplify its process for booking small events and meetings, too. All told, it’s a promising sign that hoteliers are finally taking the pain points of small and medium-sized businesses seriously.

Accommodations Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date

What am I looking at?  The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the  ST200 . The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares.

The Skift Travel 200 (ST200)  combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance.

Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: business travel , corporate travel , direct bookings , direct channel , event management , event planners , event planning , future of business travel , future of lodging , group booking , loyalty , loyalty programs , meeting planners , meetings and events , mice , small businesses , wyndham , wyndham hotel group , Wyndham hotels , wyndham rewards

Photo credit: Exterior of Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel in Texas, a state with a large number of infrastructure projects requiring group bookings in 2024. Source: Wyndham.

Add, find, edit, or delete a contact in Outlook

You can create new contacts from scratch in the People page or add someone as a contact from their profile card. A contact can be as basic as a name and email address, or include more information like a street address, multiple phone numbers, and a profile picture.

Important:  Steps may be different between  new  and classic Outlook for Windows. To determine which version of Outlook you're using, look for  File  on the ribbon. If there's no  File  option, follow the steps under the New Outlook tab. If the  File  option appears, select the tab for Classic Outlook .

In Outlook, you have the option to:

Add a contact

Find a contact, edit a contact, delete a contact.

Note:  If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlook  and follow those steps instead.

You can add a contact from scratch or from someone's profile card.

Add a contact from scratch

On the Home tab, select New contact .

Enter a name and any other details you would like, then select  Save .

Tip:  You can enter additional contact information any time. Select the contact from the list, then select Edit contact , and begin adding more information. 

Add a contact from someone's profile card

In Mail, open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient you want to add to your contacts.

On the profile card that opens, at the bottom of the card, select Add to contacts .

Enter details for the contact.

Select Save .

Select the Search box at the top of the window.

Type the name, phone number, or company name for the contact you are searching for.

Choose the person you want from the search results.

You can add or update a contact's information or photo.

Add or update contact information

Double click the contact you would like to edit.

Add or update the information for your contact.

When you are finished, select Save .

Add or update a contact's photo

Select the contact that you want to add or update the photo for.

Select the camera button.

Select Upload a new photo , choose the file you want to use, and then select Open to upload.

If you want to reposition the photo, click inside the circle and drag the pointer. To zoom in or out, use the slider below the photo.

Select Apply , and then select Done .

Select the contact you want to delete, then you can either select Delete from the ribbon or right-click the contact and select Delete .

Select Delete again to confirm.

On the People page, select New contact from the ribbon.

Add any additional details you want.

Select Save & Close .

Enter details for the contact, then select Save & Close .

Type the name of the contact you are searching for.

When you are finished, select  Save & Close .

Double click the contact that you want to add or update the photo for.

Tip:  For a contact that you previously added a photo for, you can right click the existing photo, and select either Change Picture or Remove Picture .

Choose the file you want to use, and then select Open to upload.

Go to the contact you want to delete, and then you can either right-click the contact and select Delete , or double click the contact and select  Delete from the ribbon.

In Mail , open an email message in the reading pane, and then select the name of the sender or recipient you want to add to your contacts.

Enter any additional details for the contact, then select Save .

Select the contact you would like, then select Edit contact .

Select Edit contact , then select the camera button.

Manage your contacts in Outlook

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You Can Book a Holland America Cruise for $1 — but You'll Have to Act Fast

As in, book it today.

Courtesy of Holland America Line

Holland America Line is turning 151 and is celebrating by offering $1 deposits, up to 45% off cruise fares, and more.

Holland America shared with Travel + Leisure that its celebratory discounted deposits are valid for today only and available for cruises this summer through spring 2025. As part of the promotion, travelers can also save up to 45% off cruise fares, receive up to $300 in onboard credit per stateroom , and share a room for less since third and fourth guests sail free on select voyages when they book by April 30.

In addition, travelers can take advantage of the discounted deposits to book Holland America’s “Have it All” packages, which include shore excursions, a beverage package, specialty dining, and a Wi-Fi package.

“Whether seeking the thrill of exploration in a new destination next year, building memories with loved ones over the holidays, or simply relaxing this summer on a getaway from the day-to-day, Holland America Line has made it that much easier to book your next cruise today,” Kacy Cole, the chief marketing officer for Holland America Line, told T+L.

The promotion is available on cruises throughout Holland America’s extensive network of destinations, including cruises to Alaska, Europe, Canada and New England, Australia and New Zealand, and beyond.

Sail up and down Alaska’s Inside Passage starting at just $644 per person, or spend a week traversing the Strait of Messina with stops in Malta, Greece, Italy, and Turkey starting at just $779 per person. Travelers who want a relaxing Caribbean getaway can book a 10-day journey starting at just $999 per person, featuring stops in Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, and a day at Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island . Or splash out on an 11-day voyage through Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece, starting at just $939 per person.

Beyond the sale, Holland America offers the chance to save on a last-minute trip with its Standby Program , which allows guests to sign up to be on standby to cruise on eligible sailings for just $49 per person per day. Guests find out if they got on a trip a few days before the scheduled departure.

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A History of the Gay Right With Neil J. Young

Bryan and Neil dive into the history of his new book Coming Out Republican:  A History of the Gay Right

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Episode Notes

This week Bryan talks to writer Neil J. Young about his new book Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right. They dig into some of the inherent contradictions of the Gay Right and the pillars of their political strategy and reveal how central whiteness and maleness is to their politic.

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

About the Show

Outward, Slate's queer podcast, is a whip-smart monthly salon in which hosts and guests deepen the audience’s understanding of queer culture and politics, delight them with unexpected perspectives, and invite listeners into a colorful conversation about the issues animating LGBTQ communities.

Bryan Lowder  is a Slate associate editor and co-host of the  Outward LGBTQ podcast . He covers human interest, culture, and queer issues.

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

I tested Samsung's flagship laptop and it gave my MacBook Pro a run for its money

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra

Pros and cons.

• Large OLED touchscreen display
• High-performance laptop with discrete GPU
• Fantastic battery life and efficiency
• Useful Samsung features (if you can use them)
• Large, physical trackpad leads to false inputs
• Noticeable amount of bloatware/ads for the price

ZDNET's buying advice

On the tail end of spring-season laptop releases, Samsung's Galaxy Book 4 Ultra shines with one of the best displays on the market -- now available with touchscreen support, performance configuration options that should satisfy content creators, work users, and even gamers, and battery life that will impress everyone.

The Ultra laptop still suffers from similar setbacks as its predecessor, which I tested last year , including the large, physical trackpad that either doesn't register taps at times or becomes too sensitive to inputs (the duality of this trackpad is quite baffling, I know), the lack of a full-size SD card slot, and a few too many Samsung-owned apps (read: bloatware, if you're not a Samsung user) and ad pop-ups that shouldn't be a talking point at this price.

You can expect to pay between $2,400 to $3,000 for the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, which is a big ask, but the performance and hardware package you're getting in return justifies the price point. My buying advice is to wait for one of Samsung's sales events (usually during major holidays) and take advantage of its trade-in program, which can deduct up to $600 more. Case in point: you can pick up the highest configuration, which comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, and 32GB of RAM, for $500 off at the time of writing.

Specifications

How i tested the samsung galaxy book 4 ultra.

I've used the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra as my daily driver for the past two weeks. My normal usage includes browsing the web, answering emails, writing articles like this, watching videos on YouTube and Netflix, and editing photos and videos for work and leisure. 

The Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra comes in a new Moonstone Gray color that looks very similar to last year's Graphite.

Most of the time, the laptop is either hooked to an external monitor (meaning I try to run as many windows of apps and services at the same time as possible) or used in tandem with my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the help of Quick Share and Second Screen. Both cross-platform features worked very smoothly, though they're mainly compatible with Samsung devices and Samsung devices only.

For performance testing, I ran Cinebench 2024 to calculate the single, multi, and GPU scores of the laptop, while also taking notes on day-to-day aspects like fan speed and loudness, system temperature, frame rate drops, and more.

What are the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's best features?

Big, touchscreen, OLED display:  Need I say more? When I reviewed last year's Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, I mentioned that "a display that is both touchscreen-enabled and glossy is a recipe for a visual disaster." With the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, Samsung basically said "Hold my OLED," and gave its 16-inch display touchscreen support and a new anti-reflective cover glass. These two features make interacting with a laptop this powerful one of the most intuitive, visually satisfying experiences I've tested. 

Also:  I tested Dell's most underrated laptop and it has clever features at an accessible price

Stretching out an image in order to erase blemishes in Photoshop just hits different when you can pinch-zoom with your fingers. (Now if only Samsung can add S Pen support.) While the Galaxy Book's new display is not as anti-glare as say, Samsung's S95D TV or Galaxy S24 Ultra , I've had no problem using it beside the biggest window at ZDNET's New York office. Mind you we're situated on the highest floor of the building, so sunlight is the second most prevalent thing after awkward elevator rides.

Spacious keyboard with surprising tactility:  I'm not as passionate about keyboards as my ZDNET colleague Cesar Cadenas , but I type enough every day to have a feel for what's good and what's not. That's to say I rate the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra keyboard a 7/10; it's spacious, with a full-on number pad for the data crunchers, a dedicated Copilot key for quick access to the Windows AI assistant, and quiet yet tactile feedback on each key that invites you to keep typing and typing.

The keys are evenly spaced, with a number pad, a Copilot key, and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

The one quirk with the laptop is that it takes a worrying amount of time to boot up. I often found myself staring blankly at the screen after pressing and holding the power button, only for the Samsung logo to appear right as I was prepared to search for a charger. 

No, seriously; the charger, which only fields one USB-C port, is massive.

Battery life that lasts and lasts:  That is my flawless segue into charging and battery life, two other aspects I'm a big fan of with the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra. Save for the unwieldy, cheese-slice-sized charger that comes in the box, there's not much for me to complain about when it comes to powering the laptop and its endurance. 

Also: I tested LG's 17-inch Gram Pro and it's the big-screen, lightweight laptop to beat

On average, I got roughly ten hours of usage before needing to top up the device. That's impressive for a 16-inch, 3K OLED laptop that's powered by a discrete graphics card. When I did need to charge, the proprietary power brick gave the Galaxy Book a 55% charge after 30 minutes.

Intel Core Ultra and discrete GPU make all the difference : You're not wrong to chalk up the improved efficiency of the Galaxy Book to the new Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 chips powering the unit. I'd do the same. When you combine the backend capabilities of Intel's NPU with a discrete Nvidia GeForce 4050/4070 GPU that's no longer the newest on the market but still great, you get a system that runs most apps and services fluidly, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Lightroom, and gaming on Steam. 

Here are the Cinebench scores, compared to competing laptops, for reference. While the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra's scores won't set any records, they're in line with the industry standard and competitive with Apple's flagship MacBook, which is great to see.

What I'd like to see in the next model 

Less bloatware and ads, more features for everyone:  For a near-$3,000 laptop, the amount of pre-installed apps, pop-up ads to download McAfee's antivirus service, and Samsung-exclusive features lessens what would otherwise be a premium user experience. Such things are common on cheaper laptops because they allow manufacturers to offload much of the retail cost. In Samsung's case, it's charging more for a laptop that's not shy about selling you services you may or may not need. That's a no-no for me.

Also: The best laptops of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

A smaller haptic trackpad:  If I could fix anything hardware-related, it would be the trackpad. While the abnormally large trackpad on the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra is useful in theory, the off-centered placement of it meant I'd frequently move the mouse or, worse yet, register a click when my palm was simply resting down. 

The trackpad is also a physical one, meaning it presses down instead of mimicking the feel of it via haptic motors like on the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS . As a result, when I did want to click, drag, or tap on something, I had to find the "sweet spot" on the trackpad to register it properly. Otherwise, pressing too close to the corners and edges would oftentimes not register anything at all.

Final thought  

While it's easy to recommend the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra as the "MacBook Pro for Samsung users," several upgrades this year, including the Intel Core Ultra chip for AI applications, touchscreen display, and improved battery life, make the laptop a formidable pickup for just about every Windows user. Just note that if you're a content creator who relies on full-sized SD cards to transfer photos and videos, you'll want to pick up a dongle or docking station to work with the Galaxy Book. There's also no charging port on the laptop's right side, so you'll want to think twice when situating near an outlet.

Alternatives to consider 

Featured reviews.