Travel plan idea blog

Travel idea: Loango National Park

Here's an article that discusses a park in Gabon and has only good things to say:

Today's discerning travellers like little better than to go somewhere few others have been before. The chance of seeing lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants drinking from the ocean, exotic birds and slender-snouted crocodiles in an environment that resembles the Amazon, yet where the facilities are first class, is immensely appealing - especially in a part of the world most associate with bad news and conflict.

I think the author is right. I'd love to see elephants drinking from the ocean and tell people about it and my other adventures in Africa. It is cool to have been somewhere other people haven't been so Loango National Park goes on my list of places to see. Here's the official site for the park.

Swiss heritage in Wisconsin

Here's a neat article describing tourst attractions in Wisconsin: In Wisconsin's cheese country, townspeople hang on to tradition. I'm especially interested in the festivals:

June 24-26: Heidi Festival in New Glarus, Wis., with a play performed in the high school and an art fair, 1-800-527-6838, www.swisstown.org.

Aug. 6-7: Swissfest in Berne, Minn., west of Pine Island in southeast Minnesota. 1-800-322-2478, www. andrist.ch/berne.htm.

Aug. 7: Volksfest in New Glarus, celebrating Swiss Independence Day.

Sept. 2-4: Wilhelm Tell Festival in New Glarus, an outdoor pageant in German and English, with a Swiss fashion show and children's lantern parade.

Sept. 4-5: Lanzefest in New Glarus, a medieval festival with jousting, swordplay and gypsy dancers.

Oct. 7-9: Octoberfest in New Glarus, with a Civil War encampment and demonstrations Oct. 9 at the Swiss Historical Village, including old-time cheese-making, broom-making, scissor-cutting, basket-weaving and br?zeli-rolling.

In even-numbered years, Monroe holds its Green County Cheese Days on the third weekend of September.

Travel search engines tested

A Consumer Reports study has found that http://www.sidestep.com http://www.kayak.com and http://www.mobissimo.com consistently turn up less expensive tickets than the big ones: Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia.

The better performing sites are all search engines that look at numerous sources for the best travel deals.

Family fun in Boston

Modernmom.com has an interesting piece on Boston. Thye spend more time discussing places to stay (The Westin Copley Place has the Westin kids club and Hotel Marlowe has family packages and allows pets - and walks them for you) than things to do, so I'm going to add one thing to the list that will impress both adults and kids: the Mapparium.

Kids will want to spend a lot of time in there because of the unique acoustics. I can't describe them but I can say that it's a unique way of hearing voices. While you're inside the glass globe you can't help but get alittle geography lesson (of historic rather than current national boundaries).

Here's an article by Simon Raines. Tetraplegic (known as Quadriplegic in USA). Age 40.

Disabled people find it very difficult to find holiday accommodation which is truly accessible. Travel agents will often tell you a hotel or villa is wheelchair accessible yet when you arrive, it may have steps up to it, or doorways are too narrow. Even if you do find a suitable venue to stay, including the equipment many disabled people require, there is the problem (especially for the more severely disabled) of getting to it from the airport you fly to. Not to mention travelling about to local towns, supermarkets, restaurants or sightseeing further afield once on your holiday. Wheelchair accessible transport where the wheelchair user may get in a vehicle without leaving the chair simply is not available. My wife and I have experienced all these issues and more which precipitated our decision to address all these issues with our villa detailed below. We hope you agree.

Casa Ourico do Mar has been adapted to suit people of all disabilities. It is situated 20 minutes from Faro airport and is just a 3 minute drive outside the market town of Loulé. Despite its proximity to Loulé the villa is set in a very quiet countryside location. The property is built into the side of a very steep valley affording breathtakingly stunning views down and across a valley and out to the sea.

There is a local café and shop selling essentials within a short distance of the villa as well as a restaurant a bit further down the road.

Loulé is not within realistic walking distance, so we offer an adapted van for use. Loulé offers many restaurants and cafes as well as plenty of shops including several supermarkets and the open air market which attracts visitors from afar every Saturday morning.

The accommodation can sleep six people and up to eight people with use of the bed settee. It comprises 3 twin bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms (2 with wheel-in showers and wardrobes). The larger wheelchair accessible bedroom with wheel in shower and wheel-in wardrobe, one of the beds in this room has a luxury memory foam Tempur mattress or Roho mattress to aid pressure relief. Second smaller wheelchair accessible bedroom also has wheel in shower and wardrobe. The non accessible bedroom has twin beds with ensuite including a bath and shower.

A large open-plan lounge/dining area includes a settee and a bed settee and TV with Sky digibox and card showing Sky World Family Package. There is a portable telephone to make local calls. You may also, with use of the access code we can give you, make international calls for which you will be charged (15 cents (10p)/minute to the UK). The kitchen includes an electric cooker and gas hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washing machine (in pool side store room), kettle, coffee maker and toaster. There is a large terrace with eating and barbeque area leading off from the lounge and kitchen (also accessible from car parking area), which has views out over the valley and to the sea - relax, enjoy the views and enjoy the sunsets!

Access to pool and large terrace area is from the lounge via a large 'straight in - straight out' 2 x 1.10 metre Otis lift. This area consists of a heated pool with hoist (both seat and sling options) and built in steps in the shallow end, pool side room with relaxed seating and fridge to keep your drinks cool, flat terracing surrounded by garden below. The salt water swimming pool is 4 x 10 metres in size and is heated to 25ºC (May to October incl.) but this can be increased up to 30º or nearly 35ºC on request (extra - see prices). The property also has central heating and softened water.

This property is built into the side of a very steep valley affording spectacular views and is therefore on split levels - each level is accessed by the large lift. The lower level is the pool and terrace area; the middle level is the 3 bedroom rental unit and the top level is occupied by us. Guests park their car on the middle level and have flat access to their property, using the lift to get to the pool where they have total privacy. My wife Denise is fully qualified in Aromatherapy Massage, Reflextherapy. Metamorphic Technique and Professional Energy Field Therapy and your stay entitles you to one free treatment per group. Of course, all of these are available on site to all at reasonable prices, why not relax and enjoy a massage by the pool!

Turkey travel idea - Cappadocia

There's a good reason why Goreme is a world heritage site. And a Yahoo Cappadocia image search turns up some truly awesome pictures.

A nice description of the major attractions in Cappadocia includes information on when to go ("April to mid June and September to October are the best months for avoiding the intense heat and crowds of summer"). The tips also make a lot of sense to me:

Allocate more than two or three days to experience this truly unique area.
Do include Konya in your Cappadocian itinerary. It was the once known as Iconium under the Romans and later became the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. The best examples of Seljuk architecture and calligraphy can be seen here.
The culture of rural Turkey is conservative so modesty and polite manners are always appreciated.
Be sure to keep yourself hydrated and to pace yourself in the summertime as the heat can be quite fierce.
Try to vary your activities. Unless you are a Byzantine specialist, visiting the 50th rock cut church on the same day becomes a blur.
It is worthwhile to explore the area around Guzelyurt. Particularly interesting is the nearby Kizil Kilise (Red Church), a 6th century cruciform church with a dome that sits on top of an unusual, octagonal structure. This graceful, little church was constructed from red trachyte, a type of volcanic rock.
Do visit the rock fortress of Ortahisar, the spectacular Devrent Valley, the lush Soganli Valley and other well known sites. These areas have not been mentioned only because substantial information is already provided in most guidebooks.
Purchase a good road map prior to leaving home. They are difficult to find in Turkey, especially outside the main cities.

Norway travel plans

The official Norway tourism site has some good information on Norway travel plans. Unlike most official sites, this one takes on advertisers so there are links to commercail tour companies that are not exactly unbiased. Anyway it's a good place to read about travel plans in Norway. One of them was (some names may no display correctly depending on the fonts in your computer):

Top of the Fjords

Almost a week is required because here are sights galore! Historic Bergen. Narrow and winding roads to the Sognefjord, yet full of vistas. The old stone bridge north of Vadheim. Lake Jølster - try the local road south of the lake via the painter Astrup's home and make a detour to Fjærland. Våtedal framed by mountains.

Across the mountains to Nordfjord - remarkable views on both sides to Olden where the excursion to the Briksdalbreen glaciers, a branch of the Jostedalsbreen icefield, is a must. Past Europe's deepest lake, Hornindalsvatn, to Hellesylt with its magnificent waterfall and on the Geirangerfjord to Geiranger. Serpentine roads take you to the top of 1500 m high Mount Dalsnibba before you continue along the turbulent Otta river to Lom with its stave church and mountain museum.

The Sognefjell Road through Jotunheimen climbing to 1440 m.a.s.l. Majestic Sognefjord and the Vikafjell Road to Voss with medieval church and ancient Mølstertun farmyard. Finally through the Bergsdalen Valley on a narrow, winding scenic road, followed by a motorway along the Sørfjorden to Bergen.

On this tour, you travel through two national parks: Jostedalsbreen and Jotunheimen.

Safety in Rio de Janeiro

This travel Q & A from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discusses the increase in crime in Rio, two airlines that do (sometimes) allow smoking, and the Palio in Siena, Italy. Here's some advixe about keeping safe in Rio from the article. It probably applies to many cities around the world:

Tarlow suggests that you don't walk anywhere alone and always carry enough money to satisfy a robber if you're approached (leave the rest in your hotel safe). On the beach, don't leave anything unattended; if you want to swim, have one person stay on shore to watch your possessions, he advises. The State Department also warns Americans to avoid city buses, to be cautious when using ATMs and not to venture into the favelas.

Short term rentals

With a growing number of people rejecting package holidays to design their own vacation, how do you find the ideal condo or villa rental for your trip? www.TipTopVillas.com is a new website that allows you to browse through hundreds of properties in over 30 countries all over the world. Liaise directly with the property owner to ensure you get the best deal available, eliminating the added cost of the travel agent. Vacation rentals starting at $110 per week, ensure every budget is catered for.

TipTopVillas boasts many European locations including villa rentals in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Cyprus to name a few, as well as many condo rentals in Florida, ideal for that special family trip to Disney. There are many exotic locations to choose from too, as Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean become ever more popular.

Using the TipTopVillas search facility will ensure you get a wide selection of vacation rentals to choose from.

If you own a vacation rental anywhere in the world, advertise your property free on TipTopVillas until summer 05.

How to pack light

Here's some advice about how to pack for your next trip. Advice includes rolling your clothes, wearing the same clothes more than once, planning and packing in advance, and bringing clothes that can be worn in layers.

Types of travel insurance

The ads are a bit irritating but the information in this article about different types of travel insurance is worth reading. Here's a sample:

Comprehensive Coverage
A travel insurance policy usually offers two types of coverage: trip cancellation and/or interruption and emergency medical evacuation. Reimbursements for lost baggage or trip delays are nice if they come bundled with trip cancellation/interruption or emergency medical evacuation, but they're usually not good buys on their own. Generally, a comprehensive travel insurance policy will cover every need you can anticipate and costs 5 to 7 percent of the price of your trip, so a vacation package valued at $US5,000 can be insured for $US250 to $US350, and is well worth the piece of mind.

It's also possible to buy year-round policies. Frequent travelers can buy insurance for a length of time, rather than for a certain trip. I'm told it can be quite inexpensive (sometimes less than $100 USD per year). Always read the policy for any limitations and exclusions that may apply.

Travel idea - Shanghai

I've heard a lot of negative travel stories about China, mostly the negative comments focus on noise and dirt. It was nice to read a positive article about Shanghai, with some practical advice about getting "real crab meat buns". I don't like crab but I mention it because it's supposed to be a traditional Chinese food.

I also found a very humorous account of a tour to China with some wonderful pictures. There are some negative experiences too, one American (of Chinese descent) writes about Shaghai's dirty little secret: "I was frequent prey to pickpockets and well-dressed shysters. I was shoved to the ground for a postage stamp, harassed and tailed endlessly by shopkeepers. I became a naïve target for indiscriminate expressions of anger." Interestingly the author summarizes by saying she can not be critical.

Travel insurance

The Miami Herald lists some good reasons to buy travel insurance, but only when you're booking an expensive vacation. There are a number of good travel insurance tips. Here are two:

Take care that your travel insurance purchase is complete and the policy is in place before you go. Another tip from Harvey is to be sure to get a policy number before you go away. If your travel insurance company says they'll send it to you later, you may find out that coverage doesn't begin until after your departure.

Don't buy travel insurance from the same company that's providing you with a vacation package, says John Hawks, executive director of the nonprofit Consumer Travel Rights Center. Two years ago, a travel supplier called Far & Wide Travel went out of business, leaving 15,000 people holding the bag. You want to buy what's called supplier default insurance.

Airline price wars

The Boston Globe says it's a good time to fly on US carriers:

US Airways is offering fares as low as $118 across all its routes, including a $138 round trip to from Boston to Orlando. United Airlines has a worldwide fare sale, including roundtrip fares from Boston to Paris for $430. Not to be left behind, American Airlines is offering roundtrip flights from Boston to Los Angeles for $288 and Boston to Miami for $198.

Of course discounted tickets come with restrictions so be sure to check on this before you buy.

India and Pakistan travel tips

Anthony Mitchell has some advice for travelers in India and Pakistan. Some of the things I learned were things most of us would never think of:

In some parts of India, particularly Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), if a car or bus hits a pedestrian, cyclist or animal, passersby might assault the driver and possibly the passengers as well. Buses that are involved in accidents might be set alight. Never be in a vehicle that hits a cow in India.

What do you do if the bus you're in hits a cow? Run?

Air travel safety

The IATA says that 2004 was a very safe year for air travel:

"Over 1.8 billion people traveled safely in 2004. Tragically, however, 428 people lost their lives in commercial aircraft accidents. To put that into perspective, that is a similar number to 1945 when the industry carried only 9 million passengers," IATADirector General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

AA contest

American Airlines is having a contest - the very cool prize is free travel for a year, but it will probably be hard for non artists to win: you have to use words, pictures, or video to explain why you fly. Even if you don't win, 100 AAdvantage miles are donated to the Make a Wish foundation for every entry so that's good.

Buenos Aires

Reuters calls Buenos Aires a gay mecca, but lists reasons for anyone to visit:

A port city of 3 million people, Buenos Aires has never had trouble luring tourists with its European-style elegance, historic neighborhoods and reputation for beautiful people....

Last year, the number of tourists in Buenos Aires surged 38 percent as Europeans and North Americans took advantage of a favorable exchange rate that makes everything from barbecues to operas at the grandiose Teatro Colon dirt cheap.

Advice shopping for flights online

L.A. Johnson of the Post Gazette has some detailed advice about shooping for airline tickets online.

The idea is to start with big sites like Orbitz and Travelocity. Then check the web site of the airline with the cheapest price. Of course there are more sites to check including some of the searches like Mobissimo that check out a bunch of toher sites and the sites of low-cost carriers that don't get listed in the third party web sites.

There's also some advice about bidding on Priceline and a warning about buying travel online in general:

Travelers booking trips online also should be aware of a practise called fare jumping, when a particular quoted fare suddenly increases mid-booking, McGee warns.

Coal mining tourism

Here's a different kind of travel destination: a coal mine tour:

"The trend in tourism is this experiential travel," said George Ward, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Parks. "We'll show tourists the evolution of coal mining, from the picks and shovels and donkeys in early mining to the high-tech equipment used today."

To be honest I was skeptical of this "Disney-like tourist attraction with animatronic miners and underground tours" until I read something important at the end of the article:

"We have something here that is well-preserved and is emblematic of the mining camps that once existed throughout Appalachia," he said. "This is our last best chance to preserve our history and to preserve our culture."

Honestly, I don't see how something "Disney-like" could preserve culture but if showing off a dying culture is the intent of the mining museum I'd say it's worth a visit. Of course it's not finished yet, but the plan is to combine an existing nearby tourist attraction - "Benham already has a coal museum that attracts 30,000 people a year and an inn that was created from an old coal company school" - and combine it with the Portal 31 mine.

A few ideas for some great cities

The BBC World City Guides has information on Berlin, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Milan, Mumbai, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. As a sampler, the information on Milan includes the best bar, restaurant, attraction, and local secret. The local secret? Dress well when going to a soccer game.

A weird around the world trip

This is a strange travel plan, but this is a travel plan web site so I should mention it. Laura Bly's around the world in 8 days travel plan seems a bit hectic for my tatses but she did it. Here's a preview:

Inspired by next month's 100th anniversary of Jules Verne's death, I leave at 6 a.m. Monday for a condensed, 21st century version of the travelholic classic Around the World in 80 Days. I'll be doing it in eight: Eight destinations in eight time zones, traveling through 24. A total of 19,393 air miles, 354 car miles and 213 train miles. A scheduled time of 44.7 hours on airplanes … in coach.

I'm determined my trip be more than a jetlagged blur of stale air, sore backs and long waits in soul-sucking airport lounges. Whether it's a pretzel with mustard and glimpse of The Gates in New York's Central Park, a camel ride near the Sphinx in Giza or a full-moon tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra (a nine- or 10-hour, roundtrip car ride from the New Delhi airport, much of it in the middle of the night), my goal is to capture a quintessential experience at each stopover - no matter how shallow or short.

For saner travel plans, visit my travel plans section and scroll down until you find something interesting.

Italian travel ideas - try the islands!

I found a nice guide to Italian Islands on The Independent web site today.

I saw a couple that I've been to including Venice and Capri. Capri can be expensive because it is a tourist island, but it's kind of neat. The taxis are antique, the scenery is nice, there's some shopping, and the food is good. If you go in November as I did, make sure you check that the heat will be on! I know it sounds crazy, but my wife and I got stuck in a bungalow tih no heat after taking one of Lonely Planet's suggestions. If I could remember the name I'd tell you... Of course we went there to see the Blue Grotto, but we have to go back. The seas were too rough for a boat trip while we were there.

Venice was beautiful. Gondola rides are expensive, but if you walk away from the first person you talk to and go stand a little way's off and talk about what to do next, gobdoliers will come up to you with various offers. Usually these involve shorter trips that cost less but aren't actually better deals. My wife and I got 4 or 5 offers this way...

But of course there are lots more islands worth visiting in Italy. Read all about Tremiti islands, Pantelleria, and an Island hopping travel plan around Sicily in the article linked to above.