What We’re Reading: Summer 2012 Hurricane Season Forecast

If you’re taking a cruise or heading to the beach on the Atlantic coast this summer, take heed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) annual 2012 hurriance season forecast is here. Find out how stormy this summer’s going to be, read about traveling by RV in the U.S. (it’s more fun than you might think), and take a nostalgic look at air travel in the 80s.

Roaming the West in an RV

These days, it seems like long-form travel writing has gone the way of the T-Rex, especially on the Web. But travel journalism is alive and kicking at The New York Times, which recently published a mesmerizing account of an RV road trip from Oakland to Oregon by Andy Issacson. Writes Issacson, “I had never driven an RV before, and for this I could say I had never experienced my own country as millions do every summer, and have for more than a century.” The writer visits some of the less-traveled parts of the States—abandoned homesteads, small rural towns, and Wal-mart parking lots—plus popular places like Crater Lake National Park; and there’s a photo slideshow to go with it.

The Official Forecast for Hurricane Season 2012

NOAA’s annual 2012 Atlantic hurricane season prediction is here. In short, it’s the essential weather report for anyone heading to the Atlantic coast or the Caribbean between June 1 and November 30. According to scientists, it’s good news: “NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years.” Read the full report on the NOAA website.

10 Things Kids Would Never Believe About Flying in the 80s

Need a dose of nostalgia? The Everywhereist comically recalls a more innocent time in air travel, when flight attendants were called stewardesses and River Phoenix was alive. A smoking section, fee-free checked bags, and unbridled excess in the form of free mini-soaps, pillows, and blankets: such was the world of air travel in the 80s. But it wasn’t all freebies and cigarettes. One part of air travel that’s improved with age is the meal service, according to The Everywhereist. Do you agree?

(Photo: Shutterstock/Mighty Sequoia Studio)