thereyet

I am a news junky, if I have time I would read 2-3 papers/day. When I travel I love two read local papers, even small town papers to get a feel for the area and its people. Not a big fan of USA Today, except when that is the only thing available. When travelling I tend to wake early and so as not to disturb my family, I am out to find a paper. In London and Spain (so sad I don't speak/read Spanish) this Summer.

What are your favorite newspapers to read, not start fires or pack china with?

It is a shame the rags are running out of business or being consoladated these days, at least here in the States. I obviously love the internet but not at the expense of the printed page. Where would we be without the invention of the printing press? thereyet

Christina

If you are talking about newspapers in the US, this post would belong in the "lounge" as it really doesn't have anything to do with travel, sorry.

While traveling in Europe, my favorite papers to read are
Paris: I read a lot of them here, but especially Liberation, Le Monde, Le Figaro (prefer their weather and non-hard news sections to Le Monde) and Le Parisien

Spain: I read several here, also, but like ABC and El Pais

Czech Rep: Prague Post

I don't travel enough to other places to have many favorites. I only read Spanish and French well enough to read a paper. I do pick up IHT at times in Europe, but usually only if it's free at my hotel, as it's too expensive and doesn't have that much in it. But I prefer it to USA Today (which I will read if it's free). I don't go to the UK enough to have a real favorite there, but probably the Guardian.

NeoPatrick

For the past several months, every morning I step out my front door, bring in the newspaper, take the plastic wrapper off it, put in my plastics recycle bag, and move the previous day's unopened newspaper into the recycle bin, then set that day's fresh paper on the foyer table. The next day I repeat this operation. Finally this week, I cancelled the subscription. I figure it will save a couple of minutes every day, and reduce my recycles considerably, not to mention the $50 or so every two months.

thereyet

Christina, I did debate with myself (difficult thing to do)about putting this in the Lounge. But as you can see in my post I am really interested in the areas I will be traveling to, I just didn't want to exclude interesting posts such as yours that might include other countries. I was also looking for EU residents responses.

You did bring to mind another good question I have. Do hotels often provide free newspapers? Or will they deliver for a fee? thereyet

CarolA

London is still a great Newspaper town IMHO. Just go to your local news stand and pick up the one with the most intersting headlines. It's like a contest there and the headlines and "sales" stands are very interesting.

The International Hearald Tribune is probably avaialble in most major cities in Spain.

thereyet

NeoPatrick, did you stop reading the paper because of the internet or consoladation or for some other reason.In the last five years or so, when I read several papers they tend to be canned reports. So few papers provide homegrown reporters these days. It must have to do with the money. thereyet

madameX

The International Herald Tribune is a sister paper of the New York Times. The content can be shared and similar, but there are some differences for local issues. (IMHO, the NY Times is the best newspaper in the US.) The IHT is much smaller than the NY Times, but does the job (you'll be busy, no?) It is sold worldwide, and is in English. It should be available in most tourist-traveled areas and better hotels in Madrid.

In London, I like the Guardian, The Times of London, and the Financial Times (also a news junkie.)

Some perspective: Like you, I read USA Today when it is "free" with the room, but usually prefer something else. (If you read the fine print in your hotel bill, this "free" paper sometimes comes with a 50-cent surcharge built into your room price.)

madameX

I should be clearer: you'll also find the IHT in London, but there are other good English-language alternatives that I like there. IT's my ace-in-the-hole in other parts of the world where I don;t speak the local language.

BTilke

In Brussels, I read La Derniere Heure avidly. It's a tabloid, full of weird crime and scandal stories, also has very good weather page, with Saints days noted, high/low histories and little poems.
In the UK, occasionally I buy a paper, but not more than once a week and usually a lot less. My local Costa Coffee keeps the Daily Mirror, Express, and the other lurid tabloids on racks free for customers to read. So I indulge my guilty pleasure in reading papers I'd (almost) never buy.
For serious news, my husband gets free copies of the Economist, Financial Times (week-end edition), and Time (international edition) on Eurostar, so he brings them home for me.
Otherwise, I stick to the Internet sites for news.

thereyet

MadameX, Thanks for the heads up on the IHT in countries where I can't read the language.

BTilke, I do like the wierd crime stories and scandals, but not the alien type stories in US tabloids. Fact checks and multiple sources always prefered. thereyet

NeoPatrick

To answer the reason for my own cancellation, yes, the internet has changed it. Our local paper is filled with page after page of ads -- mostly real estate. There are four to five entire sections in the Sunday paper for real estate alone. I have to go through a lot of pages to find the news articles. Meanwhile I tend to look at the NYTimes headlines in the morning, as well as click onto our local paper website for any local news. Much quicker and easier than dealing with all those ads.

thereyet

NeoPatrick, as I thought. The papers have to resort to excessive ads to keep the price down for the dwindeling readership. I am affraid they will soon find annoying ways to make more money from the internet news sources. thereyet

hetismij

Depending on where you are in Spain you will be able to buy most British newspapers, plus US ones that are a day or two old. They will be considerably more expensive than local papers.
Here in Holland I read the Volkskrant every day. When in the UK I read the Grauniad.
When on holiday I don't read a paper.

MaureenB

I agree with you that newspapers are an important medium. Charlie Rose was interviewing someone the other day, I think from the Washington Post, and he made the point that the print medium can explore the details of a story in a way that TV and the 'net can't do. Let's hope people still want the details, not just the bytes!
>-

nytraveler

In Europe I read the Interational Herald Tribune and the Sunday NY Times (available in most cities).

And - if it's business I have my computer with me and read all my local papers on line.

Agree the USA Today is a poor substitute for a newspaper - and avoid it unless I'm truly desperate.

thereyet

Not only can you get the details but in a convenient package. I scan papers for stories of interest in just a few minutes. I can get lost on the net for hours and still not run across the story of a Judge in DC suing a dry cleaners for 65 million for losing his pants for a day! Turn the page in the paper and there it is. Plus I tend to trust what I read in the papers more then stories on the net. thereyet

Dukey

One thing about reading the "local" paper...it can give one a sense of what it might be like to actually live in a particular place or area.

There is one location we vacation in peridoically and when we do I always wonder to myself what it would be like to live there UNTIL I read the local paper with its lack of world news, etc.

thereyet

Dukey, are you refering to London or Spain?

I like to read the local papers also to find out about the church bizarres, music scene, street fairs, etc... that might not be easy too find on the net. thereyet

GeoffHamer

I always like to have a newspaper to read when I'm travelling. I like to keep up with what's going on in the world, I want to learn more about the country I'm visiting, and I want practical information such as the local weather forecast. A newspaper can be read on a bus or train, or in a café. If I'm in a country where I can't understand the language, I feel I'm missing something.
The more serious newspapers are actually easier to understand because they use fewer colloquialisms and deal with real news rather than stories about soap stars and celebrities.
In London and many other European cities, there are lots of free newspapers so a visitor doesn't even need to spend any money to catch up with local news and events.

thereyet

We have free weekly papers that are often far more provacative then the average paper. Good writers who research well because they don't have a daily deadline. These papers are also the best source of happenings with adverts for all the clubs, restraunts, etc... thereyet