Sherman's Travel

Twitter was shakin’ as much as the earth this afternoon, when a 5.9 magnitude quake struck in Virginia and sent tremors as far north as Toronto. New York has reported little damage, but because it’s the largest city in the country and home to major media outlets, the slight tremors are getting plenty of attention. Fortunately, the fallout has been minimal (buildings, potentially including the Washington Monument, have been damaged in D.C., but no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported on the East Coast) – leaving realtime reporting ripe for cheeky quips and photos. We’ve picked our favorite travel responses so far:

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Here’s a sliver of good news for Japan tourism: United announced today that it will resume twice-weekly flights to Sendai, Japan – the city closest to the March 11 earthquake’s epicenter – beginning October 2; it’s the first foreign airline to touch down regularly at the airport since it reopened April 13.

Visitor numbers fell by 73 percent immediately after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake devastated the country, fueled a tsunami, and set off a nuclear crisis, according to the Japan Times, but United’s restart of Sendai flights is one of a handful of signs that travelers are warming up to the idea of returning to the country.

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Though Haiti may have largely faded from the headlines, the devastation following the earthquake that ravaged the country on January 12 is far from fixed. Donations to the Red Cross and other organizations are still greatly needed, but now there are also opportunities to travel to Haiti for volunteer projects. Elevate Destinations, a leader in sustainable travel, sent its first groups of volunteers to Haiti this week.

Elevate offers two trips that involve building or rebuilding vital community structures: A nine-day stint in Port-au-Prince centers on St. Joseph’s Home for Boys, an orphanage for former street boys that was destroyed by the earthquake. A 14-day itinerary in the port town of Jacmel focuses on constructing classrooms and a computer room for a free community school at St. Joseph Family’s Trinity House. Both trips also include side trips to explore some of Haiti’s beautiful scenery.

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As the tragedy in Haiti has unfolded over the past two weeks, Royal Caribbean has stirred controversy by returning to its regularly scheduled cruises to Labadee, the cruise line’s privately owned “island” just 100 miles from Port-au-Prince. Just days after a major earthquake struck the nation, the Independence of the Seas docked offshore bringing both passengers and supplies. While some are applauding Royal Caribbean’s relief efforts (as well as a boost in tourism), others are disgusted that tourists are lounging with a tropical drink in hand just miles from the devastation that has claimed over 70,000 lives.

What do you think? Was Royal Caribbean right to bring tourism to Haiti, or should it be temporarily re-routing ships?