Travel plan idea blog

Checking in on the Travel Channel again!

Well, we are about half way through the year and it’s been about six months since we discussed the programming on the Travel Channel, so I thought I would check in with them again. At first glance, it isn’t promising – almost every program this weekend seems to be about Hawaii or Las Vegas. Admittedly, they are both popular travel destinations, but I would still love to see some well-produced shows on such places as France, China, the South Pacific, Italy, the Greek Islands, Australia, etc. And to my dismay, World Poker Tour is still on all Saturday evening – my suspicion is it’s the same program shown over and over…

Samantha Brown is back with a new series featuring weekend escapes in various areas of the United States – one of today’s episodes featured Samantha along with the Pussycat Dolls (Which unfortunately I missed!) There are several new shows on the Travel Channel, but there are till too many re-runs and shows about fast food, treasure hunting and gambling. What do other viewers think…?

With the price of gas averaging just over $4 a gallon in the United States, you may not be able to afford a weekend escape this 4th of July weekend. AAA estimates that around 40 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home – a decrease of 1.3% over last year.

New York, Boston and Washington, DC all hold spectacular fireworks displays every 4th July, which can be seen on TV or in person. But perhaps surprisingly, one of the biggest Independence Day celebrations are held every year in Urbandale, Iowa. The celebrations begin the Sunday beforehand and feature parades, a carnival, games and competitions, as well as fireworks.

Wherever you spend the holiday, happy 4th of July!

Guest entry by Mancunian

Going away for the weekend

I should have a fairly unique experience to share on Sunday night, as I'm going on a special kind of camping trip: Live-action roleplaying at Faire Play campground.

Since my experience has not been made yet, let me leave you with this one for now. Island Spirits Rice Lake promises relaxation or adventure on an island with no lawnmowers (sheep take care of grass). I'm guessing this island is 'missing' a lot of our modern things as well and it sounds good to me.

Travel socks review

Well I made it through another 13 hour flight. The socks I need to review, Ames Walker Microfiber Travel Socks.

These are supposed to prevent blood clots and improve circulation but I don't think I can review that part as I have no way of knowing whether my circulation on the flight was better than it would have been without them.

All I can say really is that mine are tight socks that come up to my knees. They really are compression socks. They felt weird at first - I put them on an hour before we departed but they didn't bother me during the flight. They may have helped me as I was able to sleep a bit better than usual.

After the flight I rolled them down for the ride to my home. An hour later when I took them off I had pretty serious lines visible on my calves because they were so tight.

Somehow, there are more demands on my time now than when I'm not on vacation so I'll be blogging irregularly. In fact I have to go now - hard to find more than 10 uninterrupted minutes to blog these days...

About to review some socks

And fly 14 hours from Seoul to New York. I'm not quite sure how to review these socks because I'm not sure what my feet are supposed to feel like after a 14 hour flight. I'll do my best though.

I'll also be reviewing Asiana airlines. I think I've flown them on short flights within Asia before and found the service comparable to JAL and KAL. That means far superior to Northwest, American Airlines, etc. with Air France somewhere in between.

One & Only Ocean Club Bahamas: how is it?

If you want to see celebrities on vacation, one possibility might be the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas on Paradise Island. I'm told that it was featured in the opening scene of Casino Royale and that Julia Roberts and Clive Owen shot scenes of Duplicity there. Robert Deniro supposedly rented out the entire hotel for his son's wedding.

Even this place gets mixed reviews, however. Has anyone been there? How was the service? Any celebrity sightings?

By the way, I would have linked to the official site, but One & Only (funny name for a chain, isn't it?) has an annoying flash website so I can't link directly to the Bahamas resort.

What happens when airlines reduce capacity?

I don't have too much to say about this article but I did think it was a fairly interesting look at which airports could be affected when airlines reduce capacity in the fall as well as how that might impact business flyers.

Easier to become a travel agent in Rhode Island

According to this article, there is now one state left in America that requires travel agents to be licensed. There used to be two but Rhode Island ended their licensing requirement because they felt that Rhode Island travel agents had a competitive disadvantage and could lose business to travel agents from other states.

I was curious about the other state that requires a license. All I could find was this page that lists states which have "examples of states that have specific laws for the regulation, registration, licensing, or bonding of sellers of travel."

I also wonder if repealing the state licensing requirement will be good for the travel MLM business.

New York Giants niche cruise

I've written about niche cruises (some I wouldn't like and some I really wouldn't like) before and I thought this one where you cruise and meet football players from the NFL Giants was worth a mention. Here's the press release:

New York Football Giants fans,

It is with great pleasure that we announce a partnership with CruisesOnly to provide "Big Blue" fans an opportunity to interact with Giants players on a themed cruise. The inaugural seven night voyage, "Cruise with the Champions", will take place on the Norwegian Gem in March 2009, depart/return from Manhattan and visit The Bahamas and Florida, and provide a "Super" trip down memory’s lane.

We invite you to join several players from the championship team as they share their insights and memories from the historic season. Key players such as Kevin Boss, Antonio Pierce, Justin Tuck, Lawrence Tynes, and others are scheduled to attend and participate in meet & greets, interactive events, and provide their unique feedback. This will truly be the experience of a lifetime for any Giants fan!

Our partner, CruisesOnly, has developing pricing ranging from approximately $1,200 to $1,925 (per person; excludes taxes/fees) for interior to mini-suite cabins. Included in the prices are a spectacular variety of meal choices plus access to other scheduled entertainment and onboard events.

CruisesOnly is the exclusive booking agent for this cruise and has reserved a limited number of cabins for this memorable group activity! We urge you to act quickly as we anticipate the cabins selling out prior to the start of the 2008 NFL season. Please click the link below or call 1-877-711-0748 to find out additional information on how to reserve your cabin today plus take advantage of an early bird discount and group bonus. We hope to see you on board!

Sincerely,

The New York Football Giants

LINK: http://www.giants.com/cruiselanding.asp

Is there a wizard rock festival in your future?

I smiled when I started reading this article about wizard rock, Harry Potter inspired music that doesn't have to be rock at all.

I laughed out loud when I read about Matt Maggiacomo, also known as the Whomping Willows:

Maggiacomo, 29, is a veteran of the Providence, R.I., music scene. But it wasn't until he discovered wizard rock that he was able to quit his day job as technical writer and focus on music full time.

The reason this gets a mention on my travel blog is because they have wizard rock festivals and I like festivals - I think they are great for vacations.

Many people think that wizard rock is especially great for vacation as a recent Missouri festival, Wrockstock, attracted travelers from all over the world.

Do you want to see why? Here's a video from Wrocklock of "Ginny Gets Around" performed by Forge and Gred:

I can't understand most of the lyrics but they don't seem all that deep for a supposedly literate audience. Here's another sample I was able to find - this will show you why wizard rock is not necessarily rock...

Yeah, that was "Accio Hot Guy" by the Butterbeer Experience. I think I'll stick to folk, rock, and jazz festivals for now. But if the festival only lasts one day, like the one on Sept. 21 in New York City I might be willing to go just to do some people watching. I mean who are these people who come to the US for the first time and hang out in Missouri for the wizard rock instead of Kauai or Vegas or Disney.

Then again, maybe Harry Potter is the new Disney...

So anyway, would you go to a wizard rock festival?

Vacation sex > regular sex?

I've been writing about how the economy is changing vacation plans and how staycations are a viable option, but this article asks couples to go somewhere on vacation, especially stressed out couples, because the vacation sex (in some cases better than non-vacation sex). What I'm getting from this article is that a lot of researchers are studying sex and vacation sex and whatnot. And I thought researchers were boring...

Anonymous comments only please...

Shore excursions for Alaskan cruise

I figured I'd better finish planning my July cruise to Alaska before finals hit (just gave my first ones today) - grading season is usually pretty busy...

The advice I got from my travel agent and from this blog's readers really helped me decide. This is the thought process I went through:

Juneau = I had heard about small boat excursions to the glacier - they go right up to the glacier apparently - but didn't know which one I was after:

Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer
Mendenhall Glacier River Float

I don't eat fish usually, but my wife really likes salmon sushi so maybe she will enjoy a salmon bake. We decided on Mendenhall and a late salmon bake. We're doing the river float instead of the motorcoach trip to Mendenhall because it seems cooler to be on a boat than a bus.

Skagway = I knew I wanted to do White Pass Railroad but there are a few different choices here. We ruled out panning for gold (though I have written about that kind of thing before) but haven't quite chosen which White Pass Railroad excursion to take.

Ketchikan = We decided on the Saxman Village tour for story telling, totem pole carvings, songs, etc. We had also considered the Misty Fjords, but apparently the mist can be so thick you don't see anything at times. I've always been interested in learning more about Native American culture, at least since I went to a sweat lodge in college. Reminds me of this old blog entry.

Victoria = We chose not to do one in Victoria. I think we'll just take the little ferry / boat around the harbor, get off at different stops and explore a little. The gardens are the big attraction here, but I've seen a few nice gardens and don't really feel a need to see another.

By the way, there's an extra charge for reading this!

This site has commented before on the various extra charges and fees imposed by US airlines – a trend that seems to be becoming even more noticeable. One of the latest tactics is to charge for checking an extra bag, or even to check any bag. American Airlines became the first major US airline to begin charging a fee for a checked bag ($15) closely followed by United and US Airways. This will surely have the effect of making people take even larger and more unwieldy carry on bags.

If you fly, you may not get a meal, although you can usually be assured of at least a free drink – now even that is changing. US Airways recently announced that they are going to start charging for drinks in the main cabin – meaning non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee and soda. The charges for non-alcoholic drinks will apparently be $2. US Airways is also going to begin charging to redeem frequent flyer miles. Many airlines charge a fee to redeem miles within a certain timeframe, (for example, three weeks) but this fee is regardless of the timeframe.

Pre-reserved seats are not exempt - Spirit Airlines is already charging for pre-reserving a better seat - $15 for a highly coveted exit row seat, $10 for window and aisle seats, and $5 for a middle seat (Why anyone would pay to reserve a middle seat is puzzling – if you don’t pay, you are probably going to end up with a middle seat anyway!)

And we are all used to having our bags weighed, but what about having ourselves weighed when we check in? Apparently, some airlines are considering a plan to add on extra charges based on the weight of the passenger. (If nothing else, this policy would be a great incentive to lose weight!)

And if you have changed your airline reservation recently, you may have noticed that the standard change fee has gone up from $100 to a staggering $150 in many cases – this blog points out that the actual cost of changing a ticket in terms of the labor involved is estimated to be perhaps $10 – the rest is just profit.

Can it only be a question of time before you need a major credit card to be able to use the airplane lavatory...?

Guest entry by Mancunain

Travel to or staycation in Cleveland

This article has statistics that indicate I was right about the economy hurting the travel industry:

A Gallup poll in early May found that 36 percent of Americans were changing vacation plans because of gas prices. More than a third of those said they are canceling trips completely. A Rand-McNally survey found that two-thirds of households plan to shorten or cancel travel plans.

Later in the article they talk about tips for a good staycation - things like turning off your phone and not doing the chores. Then they give some advice for things to do in northeast Ohio (it's a Cleveland paper). A staycation means you sleep in your own bed, but you are allowed to leave the house (to eat out or to see local attractions for instance).

This article focuses on Cleveland, so for those of you who are staycationing there or who might travel there, read on. Basically the recommend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I'd like to see that myself), Cleveland’s Western Reserve Historical Society (special Vatican exhibit), the House of Blues for food and music (though you don't need to travel to Cleveland for that since it's a chain), and Maggiano’s Little Italy for dinner (another chain).

The Irish tourism industry and online marketing

This article may only be interesting to a few, but I found it pretty interesting. It describes how many smaller Irish companies in the tourism business are not doing enough web marketing:

"If you look at where people get their information from, about 30pc is coming through the internet, whereas if you look at spend in the tourism sector, only 1pc is digital," says Conor Daly, founder and managing director of Travel Logic, an e-marketing and website development firm for B&Bs and smaller players in the hospitality sector.

I'm not sure that you see many B&Bs spending big money to advertise anywhere though. Each one will have a website, but that site won't be marketed any better than my blog is in most cases.

Apparently the Ireland tourism brand as a whole faces the same issue:

The tourists definitely want to come here for our surfing, water sports, course fishing, golf, hillwalking etc and their primary search tool is the internet, yet Ireland has not fully grasped the potential of the internet to get the tourists here.

But what is the internet's potential? We already know that banner ads don't work. The two most popular options seem to be...

1. Paid search results like the ads you see after doing a Yahoo or Google search

2. Trying to manipulate the search engines into putting a site on top without paying them directly for the ads.

3. Referrals, where website A links to website B and if someone makes a purchase on B after following that link from A, then A gets a commission. There are no referral links on this blog. As far as I know they are more for bigger sites - Amazon and Ebay get lots of customers from referral links and I hear it's possible for a webmaster to make some money by referring customers to Amazon and Ebay through "affiliate" links. I doubt you could make the same money linking to a small B&B that you make linking to Ebay so this is probably not going to be a huge boost for smaller travel companies.

I've actually tried the first two - this was back in 2003 when I made my first website. 5 years later I've given up - there's too much work because of all the competition and I don't sell anything or work online for a living. I don't really see many B&B owners having the time or know-how to market their sites online. That leaves them with the somewhat risky option of paying a consultant or web marketing agency - risky because you pay money and there's no guarantee of a good return on investment.

The Irish tourism industry as a whole, backed with government funding, should have no trouble. Official government sites tend to get very high search engine rankings without spending money if they go for option #2 above. If they go for paid search results, the government should be able to scrape up some money for the ads and someone competent to run the ad campaign.

In the end, most B&Bs and other small travel businesses are probbaly better off working on their product, encouraging visitors to recommend the place to their friends. Also, permission marketing, encouraging customers to come back.

Hawaii travel plans

I really like this article because it offers some possible Hawaii vacation itineraries. It's a fairly long article with 7 day itineraries for:

Oahu
Big Island of Hawaii
Maui
Molokai
Lanai
Kauai

Enjoy!

You too can travel like Bond – James Bond!

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ian Fleming – creator of the most famous secret agent of all time, James Bond. There are several Bond happenings this year – a new Bond book called Devil May Care was released a couple of weeks ago, and the 22nd movie in the series is scheduled to hit theaters this November.

Bond is particularly well-traveled and has been virtually everywhere in the 21 movies produced so far – from Paris to Iceland, Thailand to Japan, and Egypt to Rio de Janeiro. If you are a Bond fan, the ultimate trip is to the Goldeneye resort in Jamaica. This was once the home where Ian Fleming wrote all the Bond books; it's now been turned into a luxurious resort. It isn't cheap to stay there – the cheapest villa is almost $1,000 (for one night, as far as I can tell, which puts it right up there with some of the most expensive hotel rooms).

I know, London isn’t very exotic, but the city does feature in all the Bond films, even if only briefly. The best view of London is seen at the beginning of The World is Not Enough featuring a spectacular boat chase along the Thames. Several companies offer Bond themed walking tours of London, even complete vacations – this one sounds particularly good. If you are visiting London between now and March 2009, the Imperial War Museum is hosting an exhibition devoted to Ian Fleming’s life and work. And if you are a golfer, just outside London, the Stoke Park golf club was the backdrop for the famous golf scene from the movie Goldfinger.

Another great Bond location is in Switzerland at the top of the 9,000 feet high Schilthorn mountain. The restaurant at the summit holds the distinction of being the world's highest revolving restaurant and also featured as the villain's base in the Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Apart from enjoying the spectacular views of the Alps, you can also enjoy a James Bond breakfast!

Guest entry by Mancunian

Mexico Beckons with Low Prices, Great Deals for Summer All-Inclusive Vacations

The following is a press release from a site that wants to sell you their vacation packages. One of the deals they mention is Oasis Cancun, a resort I'm pretty sure I went to back in 2001. The food was garbage compared to the only other all-inclusive I've experienced.

They also mention that Mexico will reimburse your VAT. I wonder if that's a government sponsored scam like they have going on in the EU. Anyway, I share this press release because it mentions popular vacation areas I've either blogged about before or at least heard of.

Here is the press release:

Searching for a summer vacation that makes the most of your dollar? Look South of the Border for sombrero-sized deals. BookIt.com (www.BookIt.com), an online travel company, says booking all-inclusive vacations to Mexico during off-season (the day after Easter to mid-December), can save travelers 20% to 50%.

Despite a sagging economy, travel organizations AAA and Global Insight, predict 25.1 million Americans will take leisure trips outside the U.S. this summer, up 2.6% from last year. The forecast counts Canada and Mexico among international destinations.

"We feel vacationing in Mexico – particularly with all-inclusive plans–is a great choice for international travel this summer," said Jesse Henson, VP of Marketing for BookIt.com. “Particularly during times of economic uncertainty, the all-inclusive concept is very appealing to many because it leaves very little room for unexpected costs. Our guests are finding amazing resort vacations in Mexico at a fraction of the cost of other international destinations.”

Favorable exchange rates are available, with one U.S. Dollar equaling 10.3680 Pesos. So whether you aspire to visit historic Mayan ruins or disappear on a deserted beach, escaping to Mexico won’t break the bankroll.

Not only are exchange rates favorable for traveler’s wallets, Mexico – in an attempt to attract more recession-wary Americans - will begin reimbursing the value-added tax (VAT) charged on purchases made at stores and businesses throughout the country to tourists who arrive by air and cruise ship.

BookIt.com’s top five All-Inclusive Mexico deals include:

1. Riviera: Sandos Playacar Riviera Hotel and Spa, $89 – Plus $200 Flight Credit
2. Cancun: Oasis Cancun, $79 – Plus $200 Flight Credit
3. Cancun: Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach, $89 – Up to $200 Free Flight Credit
4. Los Cabos: Hotel Riu Sante Fe, $449 - 3 Nights All-Inclusive w/air
5. Puerto Vallarta: Melia Puerto Vallarta, $79 – Free Flight Credit Plus Gift Card

I might have to stop reading Forbes.com travel articles

I'm not sure I understand this article which claims to help people save money on honeymoons. For example take the this excerpt about Cambodia:

Donna Keane, director of the company Distinctive Honeymoons, says that for $1,200 to $1,500 per day, her clients spend 10 days to two weeks in destinations like Cambodia, where they enjoy a champagne breakfast at the sacred temple known as Angkor Wat.

Couples with tighter budgets need not overlook these destinations, however.

I know Forbes is for rich people but what are they talking about when they say you don't need to spend $1,500 a day in Cambodia? You could spend $50/day in Cambodia though around Angkor Watt and with a little luxury for your honeymoon $200/day ought to be just fine.

They also mention honeymoon gift registries and destination weddings (getting a free reception is common) as ways to save on wedding / honeymoon travel.

Are American part time workers too lazy to compete with foreigners?

This article talks about the influx of foreigners working in US hotels and resorts. The hotels claim that US workers don't want the jobs ($7-$8/hour) but I wonder if that's the whole truth. After all even if foreigners get the same hourly wage, they are still cheaper than SU workers:

The foreign students typically earn the same hourly wage as their U.S. colleagues - around $7 or $8 an hour for most of the jobs. Employers don't provide health insurance - nor Medicare or Social Security - for J-1 workers, which saves some money. They must adhere to minimum-wage and workplace safety laws and pay unemployment.

So they probably wouldn't offer health insurance to Americans either but they would pay social security. Still a few percent of $8 an hour isn't about to put a resort out of business.

Perhaps the real reason is that Americans are less likely to care about the job:

Many American job applicants, she said, dress unprofessionally, yawn through interviews or quit after a day or two of work.

The foreign students have a better attitude, McCauley said. "They work very, very hard," she said. "And they are respectful."

I can see where a US college student might not be too worried about getting fired from a $7/hour job so why would they work hard?

Who gets botox on vacation?

I just read a press release from the Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety (anyone else find that name weird?) that warns patients of the dangers of accepting Botox(R), Restylane(R) or any other cosmetic injection or procedure from unfamiliar physicians during vacation. I started thinking who does that anyway?

But I was thinking of a normal vacation - one that wasn't planned around a medical procedure. Then I remembered the whole medical tourism industry and that many people are going abroad for cosmetic surgery. You can save a ton of money. And you can get quality medical care - the Patients Beyond Borders book said Brazil is well-known for plastic surgeons for example. And there's the Jude Jarvis tragedy.

I guess the trick is to plan it right. The book I reviewed before discusses how to plan a medical vacation and find the right doctor. There may be other books on the market now but I don't know what they are.

What comes next for airlines?

The US airline industry is in trouble. US airlines saw a combined profit of $5 billion in 2007- not bad but not enough to make up for the $32 billion lost over the previous six years...

And turning a profit in 2008 looks like it will be tough: routes are being cut and prices are going up.

United Airlines is making cuts. 1,400 to 1,600 jobs and 14% of domestic flights.

Continental Airlines is making cuts - 3,000 jobs and 8% of its flights.

Silverjet has failed. The article blames the business model of "low fare business class airlines" where "attracting passengers was not a problem but obtaining sufficient revenue from those passengers to make a profit was." Customers who don't have a credit card company willing to fight for them will lose their money (but doesn't everyone pay by credit card?). It reminds me of this Mancunian article.

So what is next for the airline industry? Industry analyst Michael Boyd expects U.S. fares overall to rise 15 percent this year. Many people expect mergers, but this pilot says they are no the answer. So what is the answer?

Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa - Maui Film Festival special

This article showed me a $20,000 hotel package at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa during the Maui Film Festival - if that's per night then it may qualify for this list.

The Celestial Package = $450/night (plain room), $650/night (ocean-view)

2 passes to a film venue for screening, 2 passes to filmmakers panels, two passes to "Taste of Wailea", daily breakfast for two.

The Moon and the Stars Package = $20,000 ($13,000 tax-deductible) for a suite

Breakfast for two daily, limousine transfers, a luxury car rental, complimentary valet parking, special seating for two in a private golf cart within the VIP section at the Celestial Cinema, plus two VIP Film Festival Passes entitling guests to attend "Taste of Wailea," "Taste of Chocolate," a post-tribute "Green Room" photo opportunity with one (or more) festival honorees, access to any film venue as well as all filmmakers panels and tribute presentations, plus two invitations to the private Filmmakers VIP Soiree, the private oceanfront Very VIP Party, etc.

Harlem Alive

A while back, I published a press release on Harlem tours. Recently, a friend of mine had an opportunity to take one of their tours. Here is his review:

Harlem Alive by E. Edward Hobbes

If anyone asks, Harlem is alive and thriving! I recently was privileged to take the Harlem Gospel Tour with the Harlem Spirituals Sightseeing Tours. I encourage anyone that visits New York City to do likewise. If you have never been to Harlem you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. If you have not been back in a while, I suggest you come back. I plan to take this tour again in the near future.

The whole day begins in Midtown Manhattan at about 9:30 AM where we boarded a comfortable bus that took us uptown. The trip uptown goes by Columbia University as well several beautiful churches. Saint John the Devine is particularly spectacular and is a must see if you visit Harlem.

Our first stop was at the Schomburg Center where we were treated to interesting exhibits on the formation and development of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Also on display at the Schomburg Center when we visited was an extensive display on the culture, norms, and traditions of the Senegalese people. As it turns out, because of recent immigration in the area, Harlem now boasts one of the largest Senegalese expatriate communities in the world.

After the Schomburg Center we were taken to one of the most moving scenes I have ever experienced – namely a full Baptist church choir singing their lungs out! No one was going to fall asleep at this church; even the crowd of tourists got up and started clapping their hands and stomping their feet.

The finale was brunch at Sylvia's and it was delightful! The fried chicken was the juiciest and tastiest I have ever savored. The fried catfish was to die for and the ribs were terrific. I have actually visited Sylvia's with a friend since because the place was just that good.

There are a lot of things to do when you are visiting New York City and there are many options available. Whether you come from Westchester or Germany, I make one guarantee: if you visit Harlem and take this tour – you won't be able to resist not coming back!

Ohio's Too Much Fun for Just One Day

Ohio's ad campaign for attracting tourism money will apparently include a cable TV ad featuring "Living for the weekend" by the O'Jays. I've never heard of the band or the song but the title does fit the ad campaign's motto that "Ohio's Too Much Fun for Just One Day."

Did anyone notice train day?

Apparently May 10th was train day in America. Who knew?

This article talks about how trains are supposed to help many of our environmental problems. In addition to learning that I missed train day, I also learned that Greenpeace offered BA passengers free train tickets to protest the increasing number of short-haul flights the airline was offering out of the UK.

The rest of the article talks about just how environmentally train travel is as well as the cost. I wonder if train travel will get a more positive response from our readers than carbon credits.

List of festivals in Europe

Since I am kind of a festival fan, I enjoyed this press release enough to share.

With the festival season upon us online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com has got the summer covered by offering more than 55 festivals in the UK and Europe. Families, heavy metal fans, foodies or trend setters, there is a festival for everyone. All of the festivals below can be found on the lastminute.com website.

So if you could choose one festival to see, which one would go to? I would pick Exit in Novi Sad, Serbia from July 10 to 13. It's in a fortress and I've heard of the Sex Pistols before... Plus I've never been to Serbia.

Here's the list from lastminute.com so you can decide which one you'd most like to attend:

If you are a rock fan...

Download Festival - Castle Donington , UK - 13 to 15 June: Acts include heavy metal legends Kiss, Lost Prophets and The Offspring. Tickets start from £65 for a day pass on Friday and £150 for the entire weekend including camping.

Other festivals recommended for rock fans include Arrow Rock Festival in the Netherlands with Def Leppard and Whitesnake and Nova Rock Festival in Austria with Rage Against the Machine and Judas Priest.

For poptastic music

Global gathering 2008 - Stratford Upon Avon, UK - 25 & 26 July: Headline includes Kanye West, Mark Ronson and Robyn. Tickets start from £59.50 for a day ticket on Saturday.

World music at its best

Womad - Wiltshire, UK - 25 to 27 July: The quintessential world music gathering with a host of stars including Mali's Toumami Diabate, Egypt's Bedouin Jerry's Can Band and Brazil's Mono Bloco. Tickets start at £125 and include camping.

A bit further a field and later on in the year, discover Lake of Stars, Malawi's music festival, set on the shores of Lake Malawi, it offers top World Music in the most magical setting. On sale soon on lastminute.com

For a good time with the family

Camp Bestival - Lulworth castle, Dorset, UK - 18 to 20 July: Camp Bestival festival has family fun at the top of its agenda with a super Kids area perfect for games and offering a wide range of activities. There is also entertainment for the whole family with campfires, dressing up parties etc. The line up includes Kate Nash, the Flaming Lips, Billy Bragg and the Cuban Brothers and the festival also offers a wide range of camping facilities from luxury tents to yurts, tepees and beach huts. Tickets are free for children under 12, £60 for children (between 13 and 15) and £120 for adults.

For eco warriors

2000 trees - Upcote farm, Cotswolds, UK - 11&12 July: One of the most ethical festivals in the UK, the organisers try to have the smallest impact on the environment possible and have set up some green policies and actions such as recycling, biodegradable drink and food containers, locally produced and organic food and drink, energy used is provided by biodiesel sourced locally and bands are mainly from the UK. The line up is varied and this year includes Art Brut, Reuben and Frank Turner. An adult weekend camping ticket starts from £39.

Blissfields in Winchester - winner of the UK's best small festival in 2007 - is also very active to protect the environment, promoting car share schemes, enforcing recycling, cutting down on energy consumed. Line up includes the Wonderstuff, Noisettes and Pete & the Pirates.

If food matters

Les Eurockéennes de Belfort - France - 4 to 6 July: One of France's top music festivals, it showcases the best European acts including this year's French sensation Camille as well as international bands such as The Offspring. The festival is located in a stunning setting right by a lake and being in France, the numerous food and drink stalls offer a wide variety of tasty options from delicious locally produced meats, yummy cheese dishes to champagne and wine bars and speciality beers, a real foodie paradise. Tickets start from £68 and include camping.

It is all about location location location

Exit - Novi Sad, Serbia - 10 to 13 July: Winner of"The Best European Festival" in 2007 is set in the atmospheric 17th century Petrovaradin fortress and presents one of the best line ups in southern Europe with acts including Manu Chao, Sex Pistols, Paul Weller and Primal Scream. Tickets start from £72 and do not include camping.

Fib Heineken 2008 in Benicassim in Spain is nestled between the hills and the beach and is perfect for anyone who wants to relax by the Mediterranean whilst listening to good music.

For trend setters

Dour Festival - Dour in Belgium - 17 to 20 July: Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Dour is the place to go to discover new bands, new trends. This year over 200 bands will perform across six stages over four days, it has a unique international bill. This year acts include Raveonettes, Gogol Bordello and Goldfrapp amongst many others. Tickets start from £75.05 and include camping.

Field Day in Victoria Park, London on 9 August also showcases a cutting edge line up with this year bands such as Foals and Simian Mobile Disco as well as the Mystery Jets and Lightspeed Champion.

Destination weddings and marriage economics

Many of the destination weddings here are typical go to a resort type deals, but one stands out:

For the even more adventurous, there is a wedding in the wild at Kenya's Cottars 1920s Camp, through Uncharted Outposts. Couples wed under a clear blue sky surrounded by chanting Masai warriors. If the wedding is in July or August, the soulmates will behold the great wildebeest migration, but any time of year they will see hippos, impalas, buffalo, zebras, and cheetahs. A four-night stay, including all the arrangements, starts at $3,250 per person.

On the second page they switch to vacations that I hope are not for weddings like a 31 day motor coach tour...

This article on the financials of marriage suggests having the weeding in the spring or fall to save money (on the wedding and on travel fees for the honeymoon). I don't think that would have worked for me because I pretty much have to do my traveling in summer and winter when school is out. So my August 19th anniversary date works out real well since I am always off and we can always do something (even if we don't travel on our anniversary).

Are you a real adventurer?

The author of this article on Darwin writes, "For a real adventurer, to travel hopefully is not enough: Some end must be in view."

Perhaps that's why none of my vacations would make much of a book. Anyway, I'm just curious if any of you have an "end in view" when you travel?