Travel plan idea blog

A few articles: Wisconsin adult resort, Cleveland museums, name spelling on flight tickets

This might be the British equivalent of the travel troubleshooter. I thought this one was interesting because correcting a spelling mistake on your ticket can be pretty tough. Who knew (maybe some of us could have guessed)? The other letters are pretty interesting reads as well.

I like this museum tour of Cleveland because I do want to get to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one day and might as well see the other museums as well. A few things in the article apply only to students at Case Western Reserve University - the article comes from a student paper.

Finally we have an interesting sounding resort in Wisconsin. Unless my reading skills are worse than they used to be, the author tells us the price of a steak but not the price of a room. Weird. I went to check the resorts website but it was down. Anyway, the heated outdoor pool sounds nice. Not sure how it feels when you get out and the cold air takes over...

Budget Rent A Car screwing people over in Europe

Another travel troubleshooter article, this one warning us of potential problems renting cars in Europe. One piece of advice seemed pretty strange to me: "If none of those strategies work, you should consider walking away from the car rental counter. You might do better elsewhere."

I don't think anyone wants to spend their vacation shopping around for a rental car, especially after making reservations in the US.

Panama travel plan

I recently had a few drinks with a hotel owner and as I was telling him about my site I realized how I've kind of gotten away from my original vision which was to share travel plans. So today I am happy to share a travel plan with everyone: this one. I outline the itinerary below but check the article for more about each destination.

Day 1: Panama City, Bristol Hotel, Alberto’s restaurant

Day 2: Caving Tour near Lake Bayano, back to Panama City, Casco Viejo and Restaurante Ego.

Day 3: Fly to the mountain town of Boquete, Hotel Panamonte, coffee plantation tour, spa.

Day 4: White water rafting on the Chiriqui River, strawberry farms of Volcan.

Day 5: Fly to Bocas del Toro, Tranquilo Bay resort.

Day 6: Snorkeling, sailing, or inshore fishing.

Day 7: Beach, Bocatown.

Day 8: Back to Panama City. Back Home.

Have you ever shipped luggage instead of checking it when you fly?

A few business are doing pretty well for themselves by delivering luggage for flyers. Apparently people are willing to pay what seems like fairly big money to me in order to avoid the hassle of flying with their luggage:

Rates vary depending on the weight, distance and speed of the delivery. For example, sending a large bag (65 pounds) from New York City to San Francisco with a pickup date in five days would cost $149 through Luggage Forward.

To expand its services among everyday travelers, Luggage Forward last year introduced a seven-day "economy" option that typically costs less than $100 for a bag one way.

Know any good adult only resorts in Mexico?

I have a big pile of papers to read for various classes so for today let me ask you to do all the work by answering this question from Cathy:

I have your site on my yahoo home page and frequently read the articles. I am looking for suggestions for an adult only resort in Mexico for our 10th anniversary. We have traveled to Mexico a few times and have stayed at Spa Palace twice. We are looking for a different resort of the same quality. Any and all suggestions are wonderfully welcome. Thank you so much.

One of the highlights to any visit of Rome: a tour of the excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica

I’m writing this over Easter, so I thought I would choose a Christian theme for this one. Whether you’re religious or not, if you’re going to Rome, this might be very important to your trip.

I had heard about and then read about this tour long before we visited Rome, however was very unsure of what to expect as there is very little information given on the Vatican website about the tour and they certainly don’t advertise. What we ended up with is what my girlfriend considers the absolute highlight of our trip... and she’s not even catholic.

As we always do, we had thoroughly looked through two of the major guide books to look at all possible tour options for Rome. As I’m a tour guide myself, I understand that sometimes it’s impossible to see something without a guide and even if it were possible, it’s better to have someone explain it to you and then later you can look everything up if you need clarification. In this case the only way you can see the excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica is to take the tour operated by the Vatican excavations office.

When I ask some people if they took the tour, they say “well, yeah, that’s how we exited the basilica”, which means they didn’t take the tour. To take the tour is not just a simple “Oh, I’ll show up that day if I decide I have time.”

St. Peter’s Basilica was built above the spot where St. Peter was buried. Below the main basilica today is the crypt where most popes are buried. Below the crypt is where you find the mausoleums of ancient Romans around St. Peter’s time which were built on a hill at the edge of the city of Rome. In this ancient cemetery is where St. Peter was buried, although not openly.

On the tour under St. Peter’s Basilica you see several of the mausoleums as well as what they believe to be St. Peter’s actual grave. This is, in fact, the only way to see St. Peter’s grave and an indescribable experience. It is completely different than seeing the catacombs and I believe different than any other experience you can find as your guide walks you through the ancient burial grounds and then up to the level of the crypt.

The tour must be booked weeks in advance. The tour can only be booked through the excavations office of the Vatican. Only groups of 12 or less are booked to go through the excavations and you must be over 15 years old as well. There is no photography allowed.
Follow the website’s directions and then on the day of the big event, go to the side of St. Peter’s Basilica (while looking at St. Peter’s from the front, go to the left side, outside the semi-circle of columns). Talk to the Swiss Guard in English, Italian, or German (they prefer German). The Swiss Guard will direct you to the excavations office. For me, just having to deal with the Swiss Guard and going where 99% of tourists don’t go was a highlight.

-Mike Richardson, The Professional Tourist

Did you travel in high school?

This article talks about how high school students traveling abroad can broaden their horizons but I am a bit skeptical. I didn't travel abroad when I was a high school student, but if I had I doubt that I would have really taken advantage of the opportunity the way I could now.

The article implies that travel experience will help the students get jobs:

“A recent survey of employers published by LEAP (Liberal Education and America’s Promise) indicates that prospective employers want college graduates to possess strong intercultural competence and the ability to appreciate global perspectives,” Dr. Laney said. “Global travel programs open the door to cultural exploration, intercultural competence and appreciation for diversity.”

I suppose that a college student who did a semester or two abroad might have some intercultural competence but keep in mind that competence goes way beyond cultural knowledge or awareness and involves using these things to work effectively in different cultural contexts. You might get some of that from a semester or two abroad but I don't think a few weeks with the French club in high school will do much for most high schoolers.

I'm not saying high school students shouldn't travel - I think they should. And I think trips like the one described here are excellent learning opportunities. Interestingly, my sister went to Europe with her French club in high school. They saw some cool stuff but let's face it - with constant chaperoning and guided tours how much can you really learn from the locals?

So let's not pretend that a typical high school tour will turn kids into sophisticated global citizens. Let's set more realistic goals like getting a little cultural knowledge and maybe beginning to develop some cultural awareness. If all students get is a little curiosity or a little desire to see more of the world, isn't that enough?

So this is why you need a travel agent

I just received my Compass Rewards NCL coupons and now I need to book a cruise with them. I can choose between Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, Orient Lines (which seems to be defunct), or Star cruises.

The coupons actually say you need to use a travel agent and they have a special form on the back which the travel agent has to fill out. But even if it wasn't required, I would still need a travel agent.

I am not sure how the coupons work - I was told I'd get a 2 category, 2 person upgrade by Bank of America, but I actually got 4 coupons - each a 1 person, 1 category upgrade coupon and each says it is good for either inside to inside stateroom or outside to outside stateroom. From reading the coupons it actually sounds impossible to get a 2 category upgrade but perhaps the travel agent will know something I don't.

I was looking at the NCL July 6-12 cruise out of New York. From the NCL site it looked like categories went: inside, outside, balcony, suite. So I was thinking buy an outside room and get a suite with the coupons but now I know that was overly optimistic. Maybe I should have talked to a travel agent before actually getting the coupons so I could have gotten the most out of them...

I contacted Linda Bator who often leaves comments on this blog. I will let you know how things turn out...

Some interesting bookstores!

A couple of weeks ago my family and I took a weekend trip to the Green Valley Book Fair in Virginia. For some reason, we are on their mailing list and every once in a while they send us an invitation – so we thought we would accept. Their website promises that it is worth the drive (from North Carolina, in our case) and I would agree – it's a huge warehouse in the middle of a farmer's field, with several rooms of new books, (500,000 books apparently) all discounted. We spent a couple of hours in there, which still wasn't enough time.

And when you are tired of browsing for books, the store is located in a beautiful part of Virginia – plenty of antique shops, caverns and wineries, as well as the scenery. Here are some other bookstores that are worth a detour –

Baldwin's Book Barn, West Chester, PA

As the name suggests, this is a huge barn (dating from 1822) full of used books and prints. The Book Barn is situated in the beautiful Brandywine Valley, within easy reach of Philadelphia. Its how a used bookstore should be – slightly chaotic, and with old books stored in seemingly every nook and cranny of the place.

Powell's City of Books, Portland, Oregon

Powell's describes itself as the world's largest independent bookstore, occupying an entire city block. The store is something of a tourist attraction and is so large that they give you a free map of the store when you enter (apparently, more than 100,000 are used in a typical year) If you find yourself changing planes at PDX, Powell's has a smaller branch there.

Shakespeare and Co., Paris

This English language bookshop in the center of Paris is something of an institution, having been the haunt of such literary giants as Henry Miller, Anais Nin and Alan Ginsberg during its history.
Today, Shakespeare and Co. is as much a meeting place and a place for poetry readings, as it is a bookstore.

Strand Bookstore, New York, NY

The Strand boasts over 2.5 million books and dates back to 1927. It's still a family owned and run business – a refreshing change in this age of chain bookstores. The Strand offers the largest selection of rare books anywhere in New York.

Hay-on-Wye

But for more bookstores per square mile than anywhere else, take a trip to Hay-on-Wye, the tiny town on the border of England and Wales that boasts over 30 secondhand bookstores. If you really want to, you can even pay to become a citizen of Hay!

Guest entry by Mancunian

Riots and the crackdown affecting Olympic travel plans

This article says of the Beijing Olympics:

There have been discussions of a possible international boycott of the Games, though the European Union and the United States have so far said they opposed the idea.

One Thai torchbearer has stated that she will no longer be participating because she wants to tell China:

...the world community could not accept its actions. The slaying of the Tibetans ... is an outright violation of human rights.

Of course this is a no-win situation for China because they can't let the riots continue and stopping rioters always means using soldiers or riot police and violence. I don't think that banning international media was a good idea - now we all want to know what China has to hide.

Mancunian wrote about possibly going to Tibet a while back and I have considered going myself. However I have a friend who said he won't visit Tibet because of the political situation there and this is making me think that I should follow his lead and not visit Tibet.

I was also thinking about heading to Beijing for the Olympics but I had already made other plans by the time the riots started and people started talking about boycotts...

Landshut: the forgotten capital

Landshut (pronounced lands-hoot) is not a normal tourist destination. However, it is always on the top of my list of places to bring friends and family while visiting the area. I’m a tour guide of Munich, Neuschwanstein, and Salzburg. When people visit me I make a serious effort to show them the best that southern Germany has to offer, which includes Landshut. I even included it in my top 5 best day trips from Munich. The reason I do not recommend it to the average tourist is that the difficulty level is much higher than some of the near by tourist traps and major cities. The reason that the difficulty level is higher is that although there is a lot to see, it is not a major city and has yet to be discovered by the hordes of tourist backpackers. Even in late July, you might be the only English speaking tourists in town.

So what does Landshut have that is so impressive? To start with, it is an easy day trip from Munich as it is only about 70 km (43miles) to the North East of Munich which by car or train should be approximately 45 minutes. Once in town, two of the main sights are quite obvious.

The first major sight you will probably see is the castle up on the hill overlooking the city itself. This castle (Burg Trausnitz) is a real medieval castle built in 1204 and used by the royal family of Bavaria, the Wittelsbachs, until 1503. Although parts of the castle have been partially ruined by fire over the years, the castle is one of the most impressive, inside and out, of the entire region. There is a museum section which displays oddities that the dukes of Bavaria collected during the time period they lived in the castle (like a unicorn horn for example) and then the main sections of the castle are only available to see with a guided tour.

The second major sight you see while entering town is St. Martin’s church (dating from 1380-1500), which has the tallest brick church steeple in the world. However, they do not allow visitors up the 428 foot tower, so that is slightly disappointing until you see the inside of the church. This is a gothic basilica minor with several late gothic wood and stone carvings. The most striking image seen in the St. Martin’s church, however, is a stained glass window with an image of Adolf Hitler as part of a scene showing the martyrdom of St. Kastulus.

The third most impressive sight of Landshut is the Stadtresidenz (city residence), which is the oldest Italian renaissance style palace north of the Alps and dates from 1536-1543. The baroque façade was added in the 19th century and fits in with the rest of Landshut’s architecture. When I visited the palace in late July, at the height of the tourist season, we were treated to a personal tour. The only problem is they do not normally do tours in English, but I still feel it’s worth seeing even if you don’t understand much of what the guide is saying.

The city of Landshut is an easy get away destination from Munich with lots to see and yet is a peaceful city with cobblestone streets and beautiful baroque architecture in its historic altstadt (old town). I highly recommend it for your next trip in the area so you see more than the average tourist.

-Mike Richardson, the professional tourist

Poverty tourism and the Lebua hotel Bangkok controversy

I put this in the meaningful travel category even though the controversy stems around how much is being wasted. No doubt the extravagance of a $300,000 dinner at Lebua hotel in Bangkok would make many of us sick or jealous. The issue for many seems not to be the meal, however; it is that poverty tourism by the wealthy is immoral. It can sound pretty bad:

"You can't see people living in misery and then go back to Bangkok to eat foie gras and truffles," Solivérès (Taillevent in Paris) said by telephone from Paris.

So what it sounds like to me is that if the rich folks were just going to indulge in another extravagant meal no one would care. But because they are going to see poor people and then eat, the meal is somehow immoral. I don't get it. Eating truffles when other people can't afford bread or rice isn't any more or less moral depending on what you do that afternoon as far as I'm concerned.

The International Herald Tribune reports that some chefs have declined because of the controversy while others have declined because they are afraid of losing a Michelin star. Does Michelin deduct stars for politically incorrect cooks?

However, and this Wall Street Journal piece argues that something good may come out of this and the Lebua hotel says it will encourage the rich folks to help build a school in Surin, Thailand. The WSJ blogger says:

Yet if the result is greater awareness — and most importantly — more philanthropic giving by the wealthy, it’s a useful expense. Sure it would be nice if the wealthy went to Surin without needing truffles as bait. But jet-setters aren’t likely to tour Surin on their own. If the dinner helps introduce them to the other half, and generates charitable results, it will all be worth it.

I agree and don't know how we can say it's wrong for rich people to pay for tours of impoverished areas. It may be wrong for the rich folks to do very little to help poor folks but I don't want to think that I or anyone else deserves to be judged based on how I spend my vacation time (not that I'm in the rich folks category that these articles talk about). And seriously, would it be better to go stay in a fancy resort closed to all natives than to take a "poverty tour"? Sure, in ideal world you would go to impoverished areas on your own to volunteer but do you want people to expect that from you?

So, you want to be a tour guide?

Hi everyone. Please welcome Mike Richardson to the blog. Mike is a tour guide based in Munich and my wife and I were lucky enough to meet him when we went to Salzburg. He has kindly agreed to share some of his travel knowledge and experience with us! Here is his first article:

So, you want to be a tour guide?

Well, tour guiding can be a great job and I completely understand why you would want to do it. I’ve been a tour guide for four years now and sort of fell into it myself.

Quite often I am asked by people on my tours how they could go about being a tour guide. Nearly every time they want to do it as a student job or just for one summer. Don’t get me wrong, there are tour companies that do hire for one summer and there are also tour companies who hire students; however I would not recommend working for them.

In major cities in Europe you have many options as far as tour companies. In most cases these companies range from:
1.) a couple of guys working under the radar of the law trying to make money and pay no taxes.
2.) Companies where their average clients are staying at the Hilton and they need to be air conditioned at all times.

Usually the companies that hire seasonal employees or students are at the very low end of the spectrum and aim at backpackers. Typically they will offer tours far under market value and pay their employees either (literally) nothing or very little, requiring the tour guides to beg for tips to somehow earn a living.

The majority of non-backpackers are not willing to take those tours, so go with a more reputable tour company, possibly one recommended by the local tourist information office. These companies are the ones you had in mind when you thought to yourself that you’d like to be a tour guide. If you want to be a tour guide for one of these companies, typically you should have at least a bachelor’s degree, have lived in that area for at least a year, and know a good amount of the history of the area before you go in for an interview.

If neither of those options seems to fit what you had in mind, one option might be to work in promotion for a tour company. Most of the companies hire at least one or two people (sometimes a lot more) to distribute their brochures and promote their tours around town while the office employees and the actual guides are too busy. Although this isn’t as glamorous an idea and doesn’t pay that well, it can still be a lot of fun and better pay than being a guide for “free tours” as an example.

-Mike Richardson, the professional tourist

Legionnaires' disease and travelers

This article suggests that hotels and resorts should do more to inform people about Legionnaires' disease, which apparently likes pools and spas. I don't really know how much we can do as travelers because I certainly don't want to skip the pools when i go to a resort or on a cruise or something.

Speaking of cruises, I have a coupon for a 2 person, 2 category upgrade coming my way thanks to my NCL card. It looks like I'll be trying out an NCL cruise at some point this summer and staying in either a balcony room or a suite...

Brushing up on cruise tipping etiquette, I think I found out how much the average person tips on cruises:

People who clean the cabin: $5/day
Waiters: $5/person/meal (this might be split by the waiters and bussers)
Bellhop: $1/bag

Does this sound about right?

The Plaza (still in the news)

If Mancunian's recent blog wasn't enough to convince you to stay at New York's Plaza hotel, this article will also try to convince you. People claim it's not about price - it's about experience. I don't know because I've never been in the Plaza, but imagine you're a big Beatles fan for a moment. I think that visiting the John Lennon memorial in Central Park is a more authentic experience than staying in a hotel the Beatles once stayed in. Of course, if you can afford it, the Plaza is close to Central Park...

Or take the money you save from not spending a few nights at the Plaza and go to Liverpool!

Tibet travel warning

When tourists and locals need to be rescued from burning banks, schools, hospitals, and supermarkets, you know it's time for a travel warning. And despite international exposure due to the Beijing Olympics I think the Chinese will use excessive force as they try to stop the riots. How else can you stop a riot?

A few months ago Tibet got a mention as a place where people might want to avoid for moral reasons. Now there are safety reasons for the rest of us.

Mobil travel guide, a few deals, cruise talk

I had never heard of Mobil Travel Guide before reading this article, but the author recommends the guide, which seems to be pretty exclusive: "A total of 41 lodgings, 17 restaurants and three spas earned five stars from Mobil."

I wonder if we can afford any of them...

Speaking of affordability, this article has a few deals including tours of Yellowstone (river rafting, horseback riding, hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching), Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate (poolside cabanas, zero-entry family pool, aquatic playground, 850-foot Lazy River, two Greg Norman-designed golf courses and a full-service European Spa), Occidental Hotels & Resorts (I think they were one of the resorts that never answered my email a while back), Viva Wyndham Resorts, and various resorts in Curacao.

What is a zero-entry pool anyway?

Here's an article on Voyager of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. It focuses on the health and fitness options, which my parents noted when they went for a free cruise on Liberty of the Seas.

Cambodian bus ride

Apparently bus is not the safest or fastest way to travel in Cambodia, though it is the cheapest. By the way, the blog I link to here is from the author of this plan and this experience on my blog.

New York’s Plaza Hotel reopens

One of the most famous hotels in the world recently reopened after a $400 million renovation scheme. New York’s Plaza Hotel occupies an enviable position at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, in the heart of Manhattan.

The Plaza also has the distinction of probably having appeared in more movies than any other hotel. Alfred Hitchcock filmed several scenes from “North by Northwest” in the hotel – one of the first occasions that a director and cast assembled on site, rather than in a studio.

The Plaza also features in “The Way we were”, “Crocodile Dundee” and “Plaza Suite”. And who can forget McCauley Culkin enjoying the amenities of the Plaza Hotel in “Home Alone 2”? For other movies that may inspire you to travel, Budget Travel has a list of movies of 2007 that will most inspire you to pack a bag and go somewhere.

Not surprisingly, rooms at the Plaza aren’t cheap – rooms start at around $800 – and it is considered to be one of the most expensive hotels in the world. A night in the Presidential Suite will set you back around $15,000. The suite includes five bedrooms, several fireplaces and the services of your own personal butler.

A less expensive option than sleeping at the Plaza is to take afternoon tea in the famous Palm Court. Afternoon tea costs from between $60 to $100 – the more expensive option includes lobster, caviar and black truffle. I treated myself to afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel in London a few years ago. It’s a great experience – of course, you aren’t really paying for the tea, but the atmosphere and the service.

You can find more affordably priced tea rooms across the United States at teamap.com.

Guest entry by Mancunian

4 years traveling by bike

I admire people who can travel for years at a time. This couple traveled for 4 years.

Age 62 and 48, Pat and Catherine Patterson sold everything but their home and 2 bikes. "Fifty-seven countries, four continents and almost four years later, the Pattersons look back on their journey as something no less than life-changing."

4 years of vacation had better be life changing!

Their inspiring moment seems more like a lucky one that could have easily ended badly to me. A guard told them to empty their bags and follow him into a room while crossing between Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. They refused. I would probably have ended up in jail or something worse but they got lucky.

Apparently they could tell from his passport that he was older than anyone in the local village so they decided to be nice to them.

Sure they have a cool story to tell, but I don't see that event encouraging others (unless they were also born in 1939 or before and wan to count on the same luck).

Anyway, I guess most of us will only ever dream of traveling for 4 years.

ABC vacation deals

This article comes in two flavors, video and regular article. The article part is set up kind of weird so I liked the video better but the information is the same:

Apple Vacations tour of Los Cabos, Mexico
3 night Royal Caribbean Cruise of Bahamas
The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida
The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin

Reader submitted question about Atlantis Coral Tower Paradise

My fiancé and I are trying to book a vacation in the Caribbean for about 4-5 days flying from NYC. I'm looking at waterview room for 2 of us Atlantis Coral Tower Paradise Island at the end of May for 4 nights for a total of $1960 (fees/taxes included).

I was there a few years ago and stayed at the Royal Towers. They area bit nicer and newer, but Coral Towers are nice too. The whole place is great. Expensive, but worth it.

Does anyone have experience at Coral Tower? How does it compare with the Royal Tower? Do we have access to all the amenities that those that stay at Royal Tower have?

I’m thinking about the cheaper rooms since I probably won't be in the room much except to go to sleep, the beauty of the resort is the resort itself.

Travel To Dubai - An Experience In Extravagance

I've briefly mentioned Dubai a couple of times. Their marketing strategy is pretty brilliant (doing a bunch of crazy stuff that gets people talking about them). And commenters on this blog seem to say it's worth visiting. Anyway, here is a longer look at Dubai (not written by me):

If you’re looking for the ultimate destination and perhaps an experience of a lifetime, Dubai is worth considering. Situated on the Persian Gulf coast, the once obscure little village of fishermen and pearl divers has come to life in a big way. The thatched huts of 20 years ago have been replaced with amazing architecture you have to see to believe. Covering an area of over 4,000 square kilometers, the second largest of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is expanding into the sea with a series of man-made islands in The Palm and The World.

Although the desert climate can be hot and humid, the pleasant, balmy winter months attract swimmers and surfers to the warm waters of the sea. Families gather beneath the palm trees near the coast for picnics and barbeques beside the popular Jumeira beach. In direct contrast to the tropical atmosphere and scenery are the modern marvels that continue to bring the most seasoned travelers to Dubai. Here you’ll discover the underwater Hydropolis hotel, the manufactured islands of The World resembling the seven continents, the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building at three times the height of the Empire State, and One Central Park, a residential high rise of apartments for the elite.

If money is no object, you can really splurge on accommodations such as the luxurious 7-star Emirates Palace, known as the “Taj Majal of the Middle East,” or the Burj Al Arab, built on its own man-made island and accessible across a bridge for a mere $55. These hotels are obviously the latest in style and elegance, with rates far above the average traveler’s budget. Fortunately, you don’t have to be among the rich and famous, however, to enjoy the obvious appeal of Dubai. For the more budget conscious traveler, there are a number of modestly priced hotels, some for under $200 a night, such as the Sheraton at Jumeira beach, or the Shangri-La and the Dusit near the Dubai World Trade Center. Some visitors will prefer hotels in the heart of the city for the convenience of downtown shopping or the leisure in watching the abras, or water taxis, and dhows that travel on the Dubai Creek. From beach, spa, golf, and city resorts to villas and hotels, there is no lack of places to stay.

Of course, you could always rent a villa by the sea; buying these million dollar properties is in high demand, especially on the Palm Islands. The engineering of these three islands is a marvel in itself. Each is constructed in the shape of a palm tree, with 17 branches, surrounded by a reef, 7.5 miles long x 3 miles wide. There are over 900 foot bridges connecting the branches to the mainland, as well as two harbors to accommodate those traveling by water. Actually buying an island of your own may be well out of reach, but in Dubai it seems that anything is possible. Investing in real estate here has some advantages with financing available, no capital gains tax, low registry fee, and good quality in an area of relatively low crime and an up-and-coming tourist destination.

For those travelers who aren’t fond of sun, sand, and sea, Dubai offers its own ski vacation. The huge indoor Ski Dubai resort has the largest snow park in the world with five ski runs, and plenty of entertainment for the entire family with skiing, tobogganing, and snowboarding.

The wide variety of restaurants caters to the international tourist trade by featuring an excellent selection of Asian, Middle Eastern, European, and American cuisine. The Arabian nights come alive with pubs, bars, discos, and upscale clubs and cocktail lounges for the casual and the more sophisticated crowd.

Shopping in Dubai is another experience to enjoy, where the scent of perfumes, spices, and incense fills the air at the Wafi, Bur Juman, and Emirates malls. These exotic smells mingle with the familiar ones of a city, the local grocery stores, and the enticing flavor of cardamom coffee. When evening comes to Dubai, you’ll experience the tradition and distinctive fruity aroma of hubbly bubbly, or shisha, as men gather in cafes to smoke a pipe of these unique types of Arabian tobacco. Other activities include the Art Dubai fair, an international film festival, golf classics, football, cricket, and thoroughbred horse racing.

Transportation in and around the city is plentiful with reasonable taxis, buses, and cars for hire. A metro system with above ground and underground stations is currently under construction, as well. Traveling to Dubai by air is facilitated by a number of airlines including the national Emirates airline, and other international flights. Future plans in tourism entertainment include Dubailand, Eco-Tourism World, Leisure and Vacation World, and numerous other shopping and retail establishments.

Many travelers will add Dubai to their list of must see places, as it continues to build the largest, the tallest, and perhaps the best, if not the first, wonders of the world.

Guest entry by Sharon Slayton

Italian food in Buenos Aires?

I've mentioned Buenos Aires before, and it is still high on my list of places to visit so I was interested in this article on the food there.

When I do get to plan my Buenos Aires trip, I'll use this article (and the comments since it seems the article is not entirely correct) to help figure out where I'm eating. One thing that got me excited was the mention that Italian food and gelato are very good (I think they said the gelato in Buenos Aires is even better than the gelato in Italy but I don't know I can believe that until I taste it for myself).

Typical babymoons

On a New York Giants message board I was reading an off-topic post about babymoon experiences and thought I would share with you what New York Giants fans have been doing for babymoons recently:

Front Row Endzone: Although the wife did get depressed on tequila night when everyone else was drinking and having fun. Went to Maroma, an exclusive resort south of Cancun.

BUgiantfan: The Mrs. is about 5 months along and we're going to Sanibel Island, Florida. We're going ahead with the trip even though I insist we have no money. She immediately pointed out my silliness in considering our financial situation. Never even heard of such a thing.

Mwheeler: My wife and I went on an cruise to Alaska before our first one came along. She was about 5 months pregnant at the time. I didn't consider it a "babymoon", rather our last chance for a nice vacation for the next 20 years.

A week or two before our second was born her parents came from out-of-state and took care of our daughter for a night while we hung out at a nice bed-and-breakfast across the street from the hospital. My wife had been having contractions fairly regularly since 32 weeks and had been on bed rest for a number of weeks, so we wanted to stay close.

Adevin: We decided to stay away from the resorts and do something with a 5 hour drive. Yes a 5 hour drive can be painful with a pregnant woman. There is a great Hotel up north Lake Placid area the Mirror Lake Inn. Plenty to due, some shopping for her good food and a spa. Plus you can relax and enjoy each other.

Jim: Wife is due in April. We have a 1 1/2 year old, so we figured we better do it now before we're in lockdown for 1 - 2 years. 5 days/4 night in the Bahamas.

Well that's it. Just thought it would be fun / different to share a few babymoon ideas from regular people who've done it.

Which new resort would you most like to visit?

This article starts with the Tides Zihuatanejo, Mexico and ends with the Agua Resort, Dominican Republic (near Punta Cana actually).

I think I would choose Azura, Mozambique. At $450/night it is expensive but not retirement-plan-breaking. And everything here sounds great, except for the fishing:

The resort focuses on fresh local cuisine, and guests can choose to eat in their villa, on a dock or under a palm tree. The island's big draw is its population of endangered sea cows, and the hotel offers excursions to view these gentle creatures. Visitors can help to protect and release the turtles from their nests on the island's shores, or spend their days sailing to deserted beaches or big game fishing.

Sea cows and turtles? Awesome!

Second place goes to Evason Hideaway Six Senses, Yao Noi, Thailand (if I wasn't worried about spending $1,000/night). Seeing the limestone rocks of Phang Nga Bay, made famous in the James Bond film Man with a Golden Gun and having picnics on nearby beaches sounds nice and relaxing. I'm not so sure aboutt he rock climbing but if they offer lessons I would have a try - it must be a good workout.

Banyan Tree, Maldives, Madivaru sounds even more unique (your room is a group of 3 tents) but at $4,000/night it's more out of reach than the Thailand one.

San Juan or Culebra in Puerto Rico? (reader needs advice)

There are a lot of questions in here from a reader who got conflicting advice. If you can answer only one, even that would help I'm sure.

I'm gonna go to Puerto Rico next week with my girlfriend for a short vacation. I've been to PR a bunch of times but never stayed in San Juan. For sake of convenience, it'd be nice to stay in San Juan, but as of now we're gonna stay in Culebra. I heard that San Juan is ok, but Culebra is the place to be. Let me say what I heard and then ask for advice.

I’ve heard to stay at Flamenco Beach in Culebra because you get the beach to yourself, but is that true any time? Anyway, they say you won't need to leave Culebra. If you do, you'll take the ferry to Fajardo and then drive 60 minutes to San Juan. Would I really be better off not even visiting San Juan? Wouldn’t San Juan give easier access to El Yunque (the rainforest), the Cumuy caverns, and other attractions?

Cause one guy recommended San Juan and another guy Culebra. LOL. Old San Juan is supposed to be great. He stayed at Ocean Park (gated community). The beach is public and is known as "G-string beach" to the locals. Sounds good...heh, heh. The locals supposedly come to the beach in thongs but don’t want to get myself in trouble looking since my girlfriend will be there!

The guy telling me Culbra stayed at Numero Uno guesthouse. If you do go to San Juan, you must eat at Pamela's, which is in the Numero Uno guesthouse. It's expensive, but well worth it. He said to go to Flamenco Beach. Supposedly if I walk around enough I can find some old Sherman tanks abandoned there – anyone know about this?

I also need advice on islands around Culebra. Some are nature preserves. If you can get on a sail boat trip, or small boat trip you can visit several, snorkel and scuba, and hang on empty beaches. The two I have been on are Monkey Island-(used to be a govt preserve for apes, and you could only swim in the surf because of the animals) and Viequez (about 10 miles away fro Culebra) I believe there is a phosphorus beach on Viequez. There are countless others including Saint Thomas which is close too. So where do I go? LOL!

And he also said the beaches in San Juan are just OK, and a bit touristy because of the strip of hotels there. Lots of NYers on the beach. He also said watch out for the undertoe. Even near the shoreline it can pull you out but is it worse in San Juan or Culebra?

And what’s the deal – I don’t need a passport, right?

And isn’t it much harder to get to Culebra? My friend had to rent a car and drive to Fajardo. (60 min from San Juan). Take the Ferry to Culebra ($2.25 each for the ferry, $5.00 for parking) The ferry leaves at 9AM sharp. Ferry ride is about 70 minutes.

Once on Culebra, you'll take a taxi/van ($2.00) to Flamenco Beach. (10 min drive) They do not sell beer at the beach, if you want some, bring it. They have food, drinks & nic-nacks all in kiosks. Then he said bring cash, only one of the kiosks takes a card, the others are simply grilling shark, chicken & plantain as well as rice and beans.

Resort insists upon Nudity!

Most topless or nudist resorts give you the option of keeping your clothes on or taking them off, as understandably, not everybody likes to go topless. But the Hidden Beach Resort, located on the Riviera Maya near Cancun insists that its guests are naked – at least some of the time.

A concierge (who apparently wears clothes) at the resort has the perhaps enviable job of wandering around the resort grounds and instructing people to remove their clothes. I wonder how he or she knows that someone hasn’t already been naked and just wants to cover up
for a while?

The resort claims that this policy discourages participation, avoids embarrassment and also prevents people from coming in just to watch. I suppose it’s also somewhat difficult to steal things from the hotel rooms if you aren’t wearing any clothes.

Being able to go topless or take it off altogether seems to be increasingly important – a survey indicated that most vacationers thought that access to nude recreation was more important than being able to play golf and tennis. Here’s a list of the “10 Great Destinations to go Topless” according to USA Today. Most are in predictable vacation spots such as Hawaii, the South of France and the Caribbean, but beaches in New Jersey and Vancouver, Canada also made it on to the list.

And nude sleepwalking in hotels is also something of a problem in the UK, according to this article. As far as I know, I have never done that, but now I’m worried that the staff just didn’t
tell me...

Guest entry by Mancunian

Seeing and hearing whales in Iceland and why we travel articles

This article is mostly about hydrogen power in Iceland, but since the story focuses (in part) on a whale watching ship I thought it was worth mentioning here. Especially because the hydrogen power allows the ship to shut down its engines when whales are spotted. This means that tourists get to hear the whales swim and blow water.

I don't know what whales sound like, but if you're going to see them it seems to me that you might as well hear them as well.

Iceland is the first of 17 slides in this article. I really like this article which has pictures and positive travel experiences from real people. Of course one slide is a passage from Robert Byron's (1933) from “First Russia, Then Tibet” but mostly these are ordinary people sharing happy travel moments. Besides Iceland and Moscow we have Tokyo, Mexico, Sweden (where we get a genealogical travel experience - cousins showing a traveler the actual house where her grandmother was born), Montenegro, Kyushu, Peru, China, India, Turkey (Cappadocia - a place I really want to visit), Macedonia, Colorado, New Mexico, and Rome (one of my all-time favorites).

Anyway, this article put me in a great mood and certainly left me looking forward to some more travel experiences. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Hostel rooms in converted prisons

Does anyone here know the TV show, Redemption Hill. I've never seen it, but I learned about it by accident and was surprised to see it is closely related to travel.

Apparently it was filmed in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand at Napier Prison. Apparently travelers can spend the night there: "Accommodation includes converted cells (double rooms with loo and sink), comfortable dormitories, share rooms and original cells for the 'real experience'."

Thinking that some people might enjoy the prison experience without actually getting convicted of a crime I found a few other hostel / prisons:

Langholmens Vandrarhem STF/HI, Stockholm, Sweden

Renovated 1840's prison cells in central Stockholm, 500 meters from the subway. This used to be Sweden’s largest prison. The cafeteria is open 24 hours a day. Rates are cheaper if you are a Hostelling International member.

Jailhouse Accommodation, Christchurch, New Zealand

The old Addington Prison is not really in the city center, but the staff gets good reviews. Some people said that their room (cell?) was kind of loud...

Hostel Celica in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Lonely Planet says this is the hippest hostel in the world. It's in a good location in the center of Ljubljana, near the main station.

Hi-Ottawa Jail Hostel, Ottawa, Canada

Promises a realistic prison experience. They also play up the haunted theme with tours of the prison and its ghost stories.

New resort / water park business strategy

I start classes tomorrow and have to make sure syllabuses are ready and everything so let me leave you with a short one for now.

This article is interesting because they talk to the owner of a new water park about business strategy. It's a 100 million dollar plus deal so no direct benefit to most of us, but since some of our readers have or are interested in starting a travel business I thought it was interesting.

It's also a resort / water park I may want to visit...

Home exchange news article with interview

This is another article on home exchange, but in addition to the same old stuff I did read a few things for the first time with this one.

"Think of house swapping like internet dating for your house," suggests homexchange.com, which, like others, helps home traders connect but leaves the exchange details up to them. "You wouldn't go on a date if you didn't feel a connection, the same goes for home exchange."

They also mention hospitality exchange / couch surfing.

At the bottom, there's an interview with Helen Bergstein of Digsville.com. She says that housekeeping often determines the success of a home exchange.

My unfinished business on Italy's island of Capri

This article on Capri got me thinking about my honeymoon. My wife and I spent 2 or 3 days on Capri, in a bungalow with no heat. Capri isn't real warm in October...

Apparently we got in right before they shut the bungalows down for the winter season. Lucky us... I wish I could remember the name of the place in order to warn you all but this was almost 7 years ago.

If I can digress some, this reminds me of the talk we had about what travel agents are supposed to do for you. Now we didn't use travel agents for our honeymoon - it was very unscripted (we had planned to travel all around Europe but ended up spending 4 weeks in Rome first; then 4 weeks in Assisi with trips to Perugia, Florence, Venice; and finally a week traveling around which included Naples and Capri).

Yes, we were very much in debt after that trip!

Anyway, I was thinking that most travel agents wouldn't have known the bungalows were unheated any more than we did. The guide books didn't help either.

Anyway, back to Capri. The article lists some attractions at the end. Some ring a bell - some I may have missed - some I may have forgotten. Here it is:

Piazza Umberto I. This is kind of the center of activity in Capri. It was plenty busy in late October.

Gardens of Giardini di Augusto. The article says they are just off the piazza but I don't remember seeing any gardens.

Villa Jovis. According to the article, "playground of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (who reputedly discarded his lovers from the cliffs)". That doesn't bring back any memories as it's not very descriptive.

Arco Naturale and Punta Tragere. The article says you go here to look at the offshore rocks of Faraglioni. I saw rocks but don't know which ones.

Anacapri, a less touristy village according to the article. This is where we shivered through the night.

Chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro. My wife and I loved the chairlift.

Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) - long waits in the summer according to this article. That wasn't an issue for us in October but the boats didn't go out due to bad weather. If we return to Capri it will be to see this "natural wonder of the world".

Do I recommend Capri? Sure, but I would (and did) see at least Rome, Venice, and Florence first. Assisi and Perugia are also great but not necessarily better than Capri depending on your tastes. If you like medieval looking stone buildings, Assisi is better. If you need to see the blue grotto then off to Capri.

Again I never did see the blue grotto so maybe it is better than the rest of Italy's attractions put together. I doubt it's better than Rome, Florence, or Venice but can't say for sure.

London is so Expensive!

Its common knowledge that London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, although apparently not as expensive as Moscow.

London also has some of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world, and as I found out when I started looking for a reasonably priced hotel, it’s now very difficult to find a hotel room under $200. Apparently, the average cost of a hotel room in London is now around $300 per night. (I just booked a room for April at the Eden Plaza Hotel, which seems like a bargain at $220 a night! Has anyone stayed there…? I hope it’s OK)

It isn’t just the hotels that are expensive. Originally I planned to take the Heathrow Express between the center of London and Heathrow Airport – until I looked at the prices. It’s about a 15 minute train journey each way and for three of us, the cost is about $142.00 round trip. This is the internet discount rate – it’s a little bit higher if purchased on the day of travel.

First class costs even more – around $230.00 for three people. Why you would even bother to pay more for first class on a 15 minute journey is a mystery to me.

Transport in London is generally expensive though – a ticket for a single journey on the London Underground (or “tube” as the locals call it) costs anything from $1.80 to $10.00 depending on the distance. This compares to about $2 for a journey on the New York Subway and 70 cents for a journey on Moscow’s metro system.

The least expensive major city in the world to visit is considered to be Asuncion, Paraguay, (where a hotel room can cost as low as $15) followed by Harare, Zimbabwe; Karachi, Pakistan and Bangalore, India.

The good news is that most of London’s museums are still free and there are many other attractions that don’t cost anything either. And walking – which is still free - is a great way to see London.

Guest entry by Mancunian

Related: Eurostar, Sherlock Holmes, Da Vinci Code, London and Amsterdam, England travel plan, Europe travel plan, Harry Potter.