T A B L E_T A L K Have e-mail, will travel. Share your favorite Internet bars from around the world in the Wanderlust area of Table Talk ___________________ Making travel plans? Visit barnesandnoble.com for all kinds of great travel book bargains! ___________________   R E C E N T L Y Not finding God in Rome By Zachary Karabell At Christmas in the Eternal City, a seeker of truth discovers that sometimes the answer you don't get is the one you need (12/23/98) An innocent abroad, Part Two By Bill Barich A young writer in Florence encounters enduring lessons in art and love (12/22/98) An innocent abroad: Part One By Bill Barich A semester in Florence shapes a young writer's life (12/20/98) If you film it, they will come By Steve Rushin A passionate sports fan begins his cross-country pilgrimage with a visit to Iowa's Field of Dreams (12/18/98) Christmas in Germany By Deanna Hodgin A family visit to Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt turns into a lesson for adults and children alike (12/17/98)   Browse the Wanderlust Feature archives     Wanderlust's Official Travel Book Partner		HOT SPOTS OF THE MILLENNIUM | PAGE 1, 2 - - - - - - - - - - A few other intriguing predictions and comments from our panel: Joan Tapper of Islands magazine: I think there are two trends that will shape our travel in the next few years: First, adventure travel will become even bigger -- that means dive trips, climbing and trekking, rafting, biking, walking, anything active -- and in increasingly exotic destinations, from Vietnam and other parts of Asia to Alaska and western Canada, and Africa. At the same time I think travelers will want to be pampered, so you'll see spa facilities and luxury accommodations in what used to be really remote corners of the world. Jim Sano of Geographic Expeditions: Antarctica is going more mainstream, and small boat cruising is going to pick up in popularity, particularly in places such as Turkey, Alaska, Costa Rica and Thailand. Two more hot spots will be Argentina and Chile (Latin America with a European twist, great food and wine too). Mark Campbell of Mountain Travel-Sobek: With the relentless "homogenization" of cultures and globalization of corporate brands, we see strong interest in experiencing exotic, relatively "pure" cultures. There is an undeniable urge to feel like you really can/will "connect" with people (and/or wildlife) in an authentic and meaningful way on a small group adventure trip. We also see a demand for both shorter trips (seven to nine days door to door), and multi-activity trips (itineraries that offer, for example, hiking, biking and kayaking plus, of course, gourmet food and wine). The aging baby boomers definitely want it their way, and as they age, comfort is beginning to become more of a necessity. Tony Wheeler of Lonely Planet: Two more predictions: 1) Euros [the new European currency] make travel in Europe so much simpler, people who could never equate francs to marks and peseta to lira head there in droves. 2) Frightened of what an economic meltdown might do to their baggage, nobody has been going to Asia for two years. Suddenly, in 2000, they all start flocking back to Indonesia. Lyn Hikida of the Pacific Asia Travel Association: I think one of the hot spots will be Macao, because it's one of the last colonial territories to be handed back to its motherland. Also, the introduction of the Euro will have a big impact on competitive hotel and tour pricing between and among the participating countries. And the Internet will continue to radically affect the travel world, as consumers grow more and more comfortable with obtaining information and making reservations online. Destinations, airlines and other travel-related companies will have to come up with creative ways to convert browsings into bookings. Cari Gray of Butterfield & Robinson: Another new hot spot is going to be Japan. People haven't gone there in the past because the yen has made it so prohibitive, but now that it is more affordable and it's presenting itself as a tourist destination, and the whole culture is more open generally, tourism will increase dramatically. South America is also going to be hot -- especially Argentina and Chile. David Downie, Salon Paris correspondent: If Turkey can get its political act together -- calm the rhetoric, come to some sort of agreement with the Kurds -- then it will become one of the hottest destinations anywhere. Why? Istanbul is a once-upon-a-time city. Go there and you step back 20, 30 years compared to Europe. It's a crossroads: part European, part Asian. So it's approachable but exotic. The countryside, too, has that once-upon-a-time appeal: donkey carts, farmer families toiling in the fields, winding one-laners that meander through the great open spaces. Good food and quaffable wine, spectacular scenery (Cappadocia!) and possibly the most beautiful coastal areas anywhere (geographical beauty, clean, warm water plus crusader castles, ancient ruins and the like). The big "if" is the politics. Also, California's wine country will be hot -- the region seems to be able to maintain its appeal by constantly upgrading wine quality standards, beautifying formerly blighted areas and/or towns (Petaluma, for instance), building interesting wineries from the architectural point of view and bringing in talented chefs. Also, wine has been un-demonized: You're no longer a dangerous character if you enjoy it. And finally, in general, the biggest travel destinations in coming years will be "your own backyard." It seems to me that people are discovering that they have plenty to see in the area in which they live. This applies equally to the U.S., France and Italy. The French are discovering their own country's treasures, in part thanks to the enthusiasm of Americans ("Why do the Americans like Provence so much?" they ask themselves, then decide to go out and see for themselves). In Liguria the locals are taking short day trips, or weekend trips, to explore the interior of the region, or next-door Piedmont, Lombardy and Tuscany. Budget isn't the only reason: More people have traveled to more parts of the world in recent years than ever before. What they find -- I believe -- is that there are as many similarities as differences out there, and ultimately, for many, "there's no place like home." SALON | Dec. 24, 1998