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50 ultimate travel apps ... so far
Interview with a pilot: 7 insights from the cockpit
How to annoy a world-class chef
Srinagar: The best destination you haven't considered
Flying kites at Bondi's Festival of the Winds
The long drop: Australia's outback dunnies

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 08:15 PM PDT

There is of course one smartphone app no true traveler could ever do without. This one.

But once you've downloaded that, why not browse these too?

We're going to skip over obvious ones like Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Gowalla, Foursquare, Instagram, Google Earth/Maps, as worthy as they are, for ones you may have overlooked, but shouldn't.

Also on CNNGo: 20 most iconic skyscrapers

1. Kayak -- Flight search

More than a few trips begin with Kayak, one of the web's most popular travel services. Its mobile apps are great as well, allowing you to search flight details with ease on a mobile device.

Interview with a pilot: 7 insights from the cockpit

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 06:46 PM PDT

by Violet Kim

Senior Pilot, Captain Han Hee-seong, 58, has been flying for 33 years, and despite near-death experiences, constant jet lag and rogue combat planes, he still loves what he does.

After a shining career at Korean Air (where he was nominated as a top pilot), Han now resides in Shanghai and flies Boeing 777s to Europe and the United States for China Eastern Airlines.

"When I was young my dream was to be a judge," he says.

"But in high school all this changed. I realized that I wanted to travel and fly around the world."

Based on our interview with him, we think he made the right decision.

How to annoy a world-class chef

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Bangkok's 13th World Gourmet Festival is on this week at the Four Seasons Hotel. From September 3-9, 11 top global chefs and experts will showcase their skills during a series of lunches, dinners and master classes.

But along every road to culinary stardom comes a heavy serving of folly and irritation.

Here, a few of this year's participants share their wildest moments on the job, tales of painful injuries and what questions annoy them most -- along with all the good stuff that fuels their lifelong passion for wine and cuisine.

Chef Igor Macchia, La Credenza, Piedmont, Italy

"I couldn't go to the hospital until the end of the service." Now that's hardcore. Chef Igor Macchia spent years creating his own personal kitchen style before becoming co-owner of Italian restaurant La Credenza in 2005.

He was awarded his first Michelin star the following year.

Srinagar: The best destination you haven't considered

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT

by Richard S. Ehrlich

Dal Lake, Srinagar: its placidity belies decades of political unrest in the region.

Srinagar, the summer capital of the India-administered state Jammu and Kashmir, is known for its natural beauty, charming people and occasional violent political unrest.

It's a heady combination that has intrepid travelers salivating.

Kashmir has faced separatist violence for 20 years. More than 40,000 people have been killed, according to the official count, but several human rights groups and other non-governmental organizations believe the number of dead is at least twice that amount.

India, Pakistan and China all control parts of the 222,770-square-kilometer region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.

Flying kites at Bondi's Festival of the Winds

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT

by Ian Lloyd Neubauer

Sydneysiders will be hoping wind god Aeolus plays his part to the full this weekend, delivering a gale or two for Bondi's annual Festival of The Winds mass kite-flying extravaganza.

Now in its 34th year, it's Australia's premiere kite event -- a colorful spectacle attracting some 50,000 spectators and hundreds of kite-makers.

The festival includes a free multicultural entertainment program staged across the many rooms, exhibition halls and amphitheatres of the voluminous Bondi Pavilion Community Centre.

This year's lineup includes a Chinese Lion Dance and Kung Fu acrobatic display, the Gypsy Dub Sound System, Aboriginal culture showcases, glassblowing, food from around the world, kite-making workshops, special kids' activities and an art exhibition celebrating Bondi's colorful birdlife.

In keeping with the aerial theme, there will even be an aerobatic flyover by Sydney's own Red Baron.