Travel plan idea blog

Who says there's no such thing as a stupid question?

Have you ever asked - or been asked - a stupid question when traveling? I worked for a major airline for many years and have fond memories of some of the questions that I was asked, by otherwise seemingly intelligent people. One day I will try to publish them all in a book; meanwhile, here are some of the things I remember. I often spoke to people who weren't sure if they wanted to fly or drive to Hawaii for their vacation and several others who were surprised to learn that New Mexico was actually part of the United States.

But one of my favorites was a passenger who was flying to some obscure and exotic destination, where he needed to have a visa as well as a passport. I told him this and after a long pause, came the reply: "I don't have a Visa. Can I take my MasterCard instead?"

And then there is the classic story about a woman calling the airline to ask about the size of container needed when transporting a dog by air; I did not speak to this person, but the story is purportedly true. The reservations agent told the lady that the dog's container should have enough room for the dog to lie down in, turn around in a full circle and move its head and tail. Replies the passenger: "Oh, dear! I am leaving tomorrow - I don't think I can train him to do that by then!"

This UK newspaper site has a list of stupid questions asked by visitors to the UK and other countries. It's in the form of a slideshow, so you have to keep clicking to see the next picture, but some of my favorites are:

"Why did they build Windsor Castle (which of course, is centuries old) on the flight path to Heathrow airport"
"Why did they build so many ruined castles and abbeys in England"
"Do you know of any undiscovered ruins"
...and from a visitor at the Grand Canyon: "Was this man-made?"

There are quite a lot of other sites out there that list stupid questions, including this one that includes the question: "If it rains, will the fireworks be held inside?"

Lonely Planet also has a travel forum where you can post stupid question and answers. Does anyone have any stupider (or is it more stupid) questions than these..? Please share!

Guest entry by Mancunian

Posted by James Trotta at 8:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Do you wish you had had more vacation flings?

I'll leave you with a quick question for now since after teaching today I went to Opera Gallery in Seoul to meet Romero Britto and somehow that knocked me out.

Anyway, this article on regrets after marriage inspired the question:

Just thinking about all the solo trips -- not to mention vacation flings -- I missed out on makes me a little sick. I'd definitely take a do-over on this.

So the question is - do you married folks regret not taking more trips while single / not having more vacation flings?

Related question from June, 2008.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:07 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Travel planning technique: spiderwebbing

According to the person who seems to have come up with the term:

Think of spiderwebbing as controlled adventure where your travel itinerary is determined by like-minded individuals that you mainly don't know.

The article goes on to talk about how the author talked to a friend (who happens to be a hotel expert), talked to her daughter, and got some advice from magazines (but not travel ones).

I'm not sure this spiderwebbing travel planning can work for me. I don't read magazines (unless academic journals count but they never mention hotels). I do get some advice from people but not the main trip planning advice. For example I'm planning a trip to Lisbon but I don't really know anyone who has stayed in a Lisbon hotel. I did have a colleague recommend something (would be nice if I could remember) about a place to stay for a month that's good and cheap. I guess I'll have to talk to him again...

Anyone hear plan a vacation through spiderwebbing?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chako Paul City (the northern Swedish town full of sex-crazed lesbians)

This story is pretty funny. It seems Chinese media ran a story on Chako Paul City in northern Sweden:

Many of the town's female residents became lesbians "because they could not suppress their sexual needs", Chinese news service Harbin News reports.

The myth has been embraced by the Chinese media, with millions of men crippling the country's internet providers trying to find out how to get to the town.

Anyone know where this story might have come from? I think this is the first mention of it outside of China, so far as I know anyway. Maybe someone working for Harbin news in China felt like playing a little joke on every man in the country?

Posted by James Trotta at 8:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Slow travel = staying in one place for a while and connecting with the culture

I saw someone wearing a t shirt today that said "slow travel" and had some text about staying in a vacation spot for a while and connecting with the locals. I've always been a fan of staying in a city for a month in order to really get to know it. I came home and searched for "slow travel" and found a few sites talking about it. I learned a new phrase!

The idea is to live at the destination. That means:

Stay for a while (I'd say a month is just about right).
Shop for groceries and other items that locals shop for.
Get into a routine and meet locals (like going to the same cafe every day).

The best example I have of slow travel was my honeymoon where we spent 1 month in Rome while I took a language teaching course. Some people in the course were Italians so we went out to dinner with them, went to a bar with them, etc. We also went to the same cafe, gelateria, and pastry shop every day (often more than once a day) and though we gained a bit of weight we did get to know the people there a little bit.

This was actually more evident in Assisi where we also stayed for 1 month. There was only 1 gelateria there and we got to know the owner pretty well since he was there every day (and we went at least once a day). There was a restaurant, Il Duomo, that we went to at least every other day. Also, one of my classmates from the course in Rome owned a shop in Assisi where she sold hand made wood toys and music boxes. My wife likes music boxes and these were quite nice so we went to that store often and bought a bunch of music boxes that we still have on display but that no longer work. I think they need some oil or something - they seem to get stuck.

We were planning to stay in Lisbon (not the Lisbon in Ohio) for a month this winter. Now we're thinking we might split that trip up so we spend some time in Amsterdam (where I was supposed to meet a friend a while ago and maybe we can finally meet there this winter), then somewhere, then Lisbon - maybe a week or a bit more in each.

That timing worked out pretty well when we spent a week in Munich, a week in Zurich, and about 2 weeks in Madrid. I don't really consider that slow travel although we did meet and get friendly with a few locals in Madrid. I actually felt more like slow travel in London when we would go to the same Costa Coffee every day and talk to the Italian guy who started the original Costa Coffee. I hope it's true because no one actually believes I met the founder when I tell the story - at least not if they know how big Costa Coffee is now.

Another trip I have planned for some day is a month in Italy for a language course so my wife and I can work on our Italian. Maybe Bologna.

And it was actually a slow travel story that got me motivated to travel when I was 22 or so. I met a guy who had spent a month in Ghana taking xylophone lessons and living in some village for $25 a week or something. It sounded pretty cool.

Has anyone here had a slow travel experience? If so, can you tell us something about it? Or if you had a month would you go somewhere specific for a slow travel experience?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Some Fascinating Fall Festivals / Not so Fascinating Travel Channel

Guest entry from Mancunian (welcome back!):

Firstly, my apologies for not posting on here in quite a while.. (Not since May of this year, I see) I have just been busy with things - I'm sure everyone knows how that is! Including taking my son to summer camp, where he enjoyed archery, hiking, orienteering, baseball games, trips to the zoo and tennis every day (he seems to have a more exciting life than I do).

Anyway, my son has been back at school for a few weeks, so I suppose that means it must be fall. To my amazement, the local Home Depot had a Halloween display up at the front of the store as long ago as August 31st - that seems almost as bad as celebrating Christmas months before the actual day (I remember the date well as I had to buy a new water heater - the only scary thing I found in the store was the price of them.)

Anyway, as it is fall (or autumn, if you are in the UK) here are some interesting and fascinating events that you shouldn't miss. The famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes place from October 3rd to 11th this year, in New Mexico. The festival features over 700 balloons and pilots from countries such as Latvia, Israel and the Ukraine and apparently is the most photographed single event in the world.

I have seen signs for several corn mazes while driving around recently, although I hadn't realized just how popular these were. Apparently, there are more than 600 of them all over the United States - even one in Washington, DC. And the largest one is said to be Sever's corn maze in Shakopee, Minnesota. Of course, if you get lost in it, I suppose you can just trample your way to freedom.

Another thing associated with the fall is the pumpkin. This site has everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkin festivals and weighoffs all over the US, as well as some overseas. If you are in Half Moon Bay, California on October 12th, you can catch the world pumpkin championship weighoff - the winner collects around $20,000.

The next month or so is a great time to go to Europe - cooler temperatures, lower airfares and not as many crowds. And if you are heading to Germany in the next couple of weeks, you can try to catch one of the world's most famous and spectacular (not to mention overcrowded) festivals, the Oktoberfest in Munich. This year's extravaganza is from October 19th to October 4th.

And I can't resist mentioning one of my favorite subjects - the Travel Channel. I had high hopes that their programming would get better, although this has not really happened. The Travel Channel hit an all time low a few weeks ago by showing the movies "National Lampoon's European Vacation" and "National Lampoon's Vacation". Yes, admittedly they are films in which people travel, but to me this is rather like showing films in which people happen to be eating, on the Food Network! And the World Poker Tour is still on!!! Re-runs, at that! Anyone else have any opinions on the Travel Channel? I know we haven't discussed it for a while.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Traveling for life?

A few interesting articles here on people who travel (or will get to travel) for extended periods of time:

First, is a retired man who seems to cruise full-time always on Carnival. Now I haven't heard anything recently but a few years ago there were a lot of complaints about Carnival cruises. Still, you can have fun on a cruise and still find things to complain about as my recent review of the NCL Spirit proves (I had fun but also got hammered for complaining too much).

Still, I don't care if it's the best cruise line, the worst one, or somewhere in between - a cruise is still a cruise and while I would eventually want to spend longer stretches on land to really explore and get to know a place, I certainly see the attraction of cruising for a big chunk of time. Somehow this search turned up an old blog entry on misleading ads and the cruise industry - this is a topic I'd like to explore in more detail so maybe this will help me remind myself.

The second article talks about a travel job where you really travel (or blog). There are actually two jobs:

Tourism Queensland -- a six-month island caretaker job in the Whitsundays with a pay packet of $150,000 to sit on the beach and blog.

The company Mason Horvath is offering six months of luxury travel for two valued at $US500,000 ($A700,000) plus $US50,000 pay in return for promotional video blogs en route by the winner.

Posted by James Trotta at 6:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Anyone here gone backpacking?

2 days ago my wife met some cool people on one her DMZ tours. Tonight we had dinner with them. The parents live in Mexico in a resort retirement community and the 24-year-old woman just finished a 1 year teaching contract in Daegu, Korea.

Now she's going backpacking in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and maybe another country or two. I saw her backpack today and it was big (she's not). It's 39 pounds.

I've never gone backpacking. Carrying 40 pounds around on my back sounds pretty tough and I'm not sure I'd enjoy it. On the other hand, here's a travel experience I've never had and part of me is certainly curious.

So has anyone here gone backpacking? Where'd you go and how much of a burden was your pack?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:59 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

How could soccer players be such ridiculously bad travelers?

What does it mean to be a good traveler? This is perhaps not unlike the question about what it means to be well-traveled we asked a long time ago.

I meant to blog about this in 2006. I'm going to link to an old article in a bit but first I want you to guess where Djibril Cisse, a soccer player on the French national team is talking about:

"There was nothing to do there," confessed striker Djibril Cisse. "We hung out inside the hotel just waiting for the next day, for the next match. Going downtown was out of question."

Here's a little hint. When I took a friend of mine from New York here in 2006 he said that they should call this city the one that never sleeps. He said New York City doesn't deserve the nickname because in this other city at 5:00 AM the bars and clubs are still open and people are still out drinking. To be fair by 6:00 or 7:00 some of those people are passed out on the sidewalk (or sometimes even the street):

So the answer. The French team was bored in Seoul during the 2002 World Cup. Keep in mind that Seoul is a city of 13 million people or so I'm told.

Who do you blame when you're bored in Seoul?

To make things worse, Seoul was not the place they would have chosen to stay.

Their luxurious five-star hotel on a hill from where you could see the Han River swiftly became a kind of bunker....They stayed by themselves and started to get bored.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)

Would you travel for Running of the Bulls or Cheese Rolling?

I know I'm not the most exciting person in the world but I really don't get why people do dangerous stuff. I'm not even sure if I'd enjoy watching things like...

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling.

Or Pamplona's Running of the Bulls:

Did you notice the picture at 3:24? That's funny on YouTube but in person? I don't think I need to see it happen.

It's not that I just like sitting around. I like action - just not the kind where I end up hurt. And I certainly do things that "normal" people don't get.

For example this weekend I'm hopping a car with 3 friends, driving about 2.5 hours to a campsite in New Jersey, and doing some live action roleplaying. We hit each other with swords but they are made of foam so no one gets hurt. The campsites (and I've never been to the one for this weekend but here's a campsite in PA where the same game - called a larp - is played) usually have some woods, some cabins, some tents, and a place to eat.

And you and your friends get to spend a weekend beating up on other people with foam swords:

I'm actually in that video, which was taken at the campsite in PA I linked to above.

Anyway, what kind of "action" or "adventure" do you look for on vacation (if any)?

Posted by James Trotta at 9:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Back to the travel agent discussion

I was supposed to call my travel agency today but I forgot. The reason I'm supposed to call is that I haven't gotten all the papers and things I expect to get before my cruise on August 14th.

My sister tried calling the travel agent, my travel agent Lynn at Royal International. Apparently Lynn no longer works there but no one told us she was gone (until my sister called up and asked for her).

Now I'm sure being a travel agent is tough these days. Commissions are down and fewer people are traveling. More people are traveling cheap and booking online. It must be tough to be a travel agent.

That's why if I worked at Royal International, I would be contacting Lynn's customers in an effort to make them my customers. It would also be good for the agency itself and management should have made sure they followed up with Lynn's customers. I really don't like not knowing when my papers will arrive and who I have to talk to in order to get them. I have to consider finding a new travel agency or just booking online (which I sometimes do anyway). I mean one of the benefits of using a travel agent is not going through the trouble I currently have trying to get my papers and stuff.

Of course, there's always the possibility that they just don't want my business. They normally deal with VIPs and luxury travel. I think the only reason Lynn ended up being my travel agent is because she reads and comments (or used to comment) on this blog.

Posted by James Trotta at 7:44 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Who are the worst tourists in the world?

Interesting article here on a flawed survey from Expedia. They found that French tourists are the worst in the world, although apparently the mpst-likely-to-complain Americans gave them some competition.

Apparently this is big news in France where they have been the worst tourists for a few years in a row.

They only asked hptel workers so only a small part of the service industry got to respond to the survey. Had they talked to bar tenders pr whoever I wonder hhow different the results would be.

Japanese tourists are the best in case you were wondering...

Posted by James Trotta at 1:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Do you agree with these survey results?

Interesting results from a tripadvisor survey. I really don't understand how they have New York as both the friendliest and least friendly. I guess they screwed up. I could see it being the most expensive though.

Favorite City: New York City, San Francisco, Chicago & Boston
Least Favorite City: Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta
Most Underrated: Portland, Oregon
Most Overrated: Las Vegas
Most Economical: Las Vegas
Most Expensive: New York City
Cleanest: Portland, Oregon
Dirtiest: Detroit
Sexiest: Miami
Most Boring: Cleveland
Healthiest: Seattle
Least Healthy: Detroit
Friendliest and Most Helpful: New York City
Least Friendly and Helpful: New York City
Best Free Attractions: Washington D.C.
Most Romantic: Honolulu
Nicest Sounding Accent : Atlanta
Most Annoying Accent: Boston

Posted by James Trotta at 11:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Here's one story from a woman who doesn't regret traveling to Mexico. Unfortunately we don't get many details of the actual vacation in Mexico but we do get an interesting look at some of the fears the author felt before taking the trip (violence and swine flu in Mexico).

At first I was going to say something positive but after rereading the article, something seems hollow about the author writing that visiting this resort in Mexico will make her a real traveler:

Perhaps it was also the desire to be able to make sophisticated and knowing comments about distant places, with the kind of self-satisfied authority I heard in so many accomplished travelers.

I guess it comes back to the old question, what makes someone a real traveler? If you're curious, I spent 20 minutes looking for this entry - that's why you see so many other links above - I guess this blog is too big and too old.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hawaii safety concerns and Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009

This article popped up on one of my news alerts, and I wasn't planning to mention it until I read this part:

But only one concerned person with a Hawaii trip planned has called the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau seeking information, state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said on Friday. With Hawaii's huge military presence, no one should be afraid to travel to the islands, she said.

This story is even a more unlikely candidate for my travel blog but I include it here because some may find it inspirational. It must have popped up on my news alerts because Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009 wants to become a travel agent. More specifically, she wants to run a business that plans for vacations for disabled travelers.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Ever been quarantined?

Today I have a link for you.

One of my students turned me on to this blog I'm linking to. It was written by a friend of his, an English teacher in Korea, and describes his 8 day quarantine experience in South Korea thanks to the swine flu scare.

I guess this qualifies as a travel experience since the guy writing is not Korean. Makes me wonder if my own daily life qualifies as a travel experience since I am an American living in Seoul, South Korea. Then again I've been here for 7 or 8 years so am I still a traveler? What if I go do my Ph.D. back in America but not in my native New York? Would I be a traveler living in Tennessee or California or something?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What's worth doing in your hometown?

Here's an interesting article. The author is from Luton and he grew up bored of the place. Then he went back and tried to write a travel article on Luton. I'd say he found something pretty cool:

Ever since I was at school I had heard of Luton Hoo. I knew it was some kind of fancy stately home and I knew it wasn't for ordinary folks like me. It is set in 1,000 acres of rolling countryside only eight miles from where I grew up. In the past, films including Four Weddings and a Funeral and The World is Not Enough have featured Luton Hoo as a location, and in the past year the estate has been relaunched as a five-star hotel. My room is the Queen Elizabeth suite, and it was where our present Queen spent her honeymoon night.

We're also about 45 minutes from Woodbury Commons. I don't know if outlet stores are a tourist attraction to most American travelers (although I do know some LL Bean lovers who visit Maine for the outlets in Freeport). Anyway, Woodbury Commons is very popular with international travelers. I hear lots of Chinese and Korean when I go (and I go pretty often because of my wife).

So what can travelers do in or around your hometown?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

What's at the top of your travel list?

International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota because I want to hear wolves howl again.

Singapore Night Safari because I want to hear wolves howl again.

Numerous cities in Europe because I want to make sure that Rome really is my favorite before I retire there. Lisbon, Krakow, Paris, Bologna, Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Milan all make the list.

Some nature in North America. The Grand Canyon would be a good start.

New Zealand and Australia. I'm not exactly sure where.

Tokyo, Japan.

Nepal for trekking.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Naturally there are tons of other things I'd like to do but these are the first few that come to mind, without me really thinking about it.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Timeshares & YTB - news about some old controversies

Timeshares have been a bit controversial on this blog over the years.

Here's an article on a timeshare selling scam where one company asked for a $500 listing fee and made some promises about what they could get for timeshares. It seems that you never get your money back when selling a timeshare.

Our old friend YTB got some bad news from the state of California. They now have to tell people it's almost impossible to make money by selling travel and I think they are no longer allowed to charge $450 to join up.

That just makes sense - you don't have to spend money to join other network marketing things, or at least not much. You are strongly encouraged to buy products - YTB just didn't deal in products so they got lumped in with the pyramid schemes.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Tourism of Doom part 2

A while back, I blogged about an article that listed some tourism of doom sites - one which might be gone soon.

Yahoo has a similar article that made it to their front page yesterday.

Previously we had:

Glaciers of Patagonia (melting)
Coral of the Great Barrier Reef (threatened)
atolls of the Maldives (eroding)
Kilimanjaro (see the sunrise on the highest peak in Africa before the ice cap melts)
Galápagos Islands (getting worse)
a stay at a remote lodge in the Amazon (might be a cattle ranch soon)
Cruises of Antarctica (melting glaciers and sinking ships)

Add:

Croatia's Dalmation Coast (government is less friendly to foreign investment)
The Alps (losing ski areas)

Posted by James Trotta at 9:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Has swine flu got you thinking about summer travel plans?

With all the talk about swine flu spreading and possibly becoming a huge worldwide issue I'm curious if anyone here is rethinking their travel plans? SARs had a huge impact on travel and I don't remember the same talk about possible global pandemics back then.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:56 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Great Wolf Lodge, YTB, tour request poll

This article is about a place I almost visited, Great Wolf Lodge. The one I almost went to was in the Poconos but I guess all 12 are fairly similar.

Anyway, I was going to visit Great Wolf Lodge with my wife and 2 other couples. There was some 3 bedroom suite that was going to cost us $190/couple or something if memory serves. I had to cancel because that was when my grandfather got sick (you may remember the AA / JAL drama and the mystery of the missing clock motor and handles).

Anyway, the other 2 couples went - my friend said he'd be willing to go back but that it was more for families than for couples.

This article also dredged up some memories. Remember all the fun we had talking about YTB? I am not as negative on network marketing as most people, but the commenters talking about how great YTB (and how I was a big liar) was just made me shake my head. Anyway, YTB might be finished - we'll know more after the dust clears from the lawsuit by California and the class-action lawsuit.

Let's wrap up with this tour company's blog. They asked their readers to pick a destination they'd like to tour. I didn't notice the results on their blog but they were in the press release I got:

Madagascar, with 941 votes
Antarctica, with 910 votes
Ireland and Scotland tour, with 836 votes
Croatia
Bali
Brazil
Costa Rica
Papua New Guinea
Norway and Sweden
France
Philippines
Belize

Which of those have you visited? I'm going to Costa Rica this summer. And went to Cebu in the Philippines but really didn't see much of the country beyond a transvestite bar (I'm going here next time). My wife often talks about Antarctica but I worry about the cost. One of these days I will certainly get to Brazil - I mentioned a while back that a friend and I wanted to start a Brazil tour business for less touristy carnavals than the one in Rio (he was always going to do most of the work since he is the one who lived in Brazil for several years but we both seem to have lost some of our initial enthusiasm).

Posted by James Trotta at 11:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Continental sued over Mileage Program? / April in Paris / Unclaimed Baggage Center

USA Today reports that a frequent flyer with Continental Airlines is suing the airline over its frequent flyer program. The lawsuit maintains that the airline told him he would have to use 50,000 miles instead of 25,000, and also charged $75 to get the mileage ticket at the last minute - in this case, with less than three weeks notice. I have some sympathy for the passenger, but unfortunately most of the airlines do have these rules explained in small print on their web site, so I don't expect he is going to be very successful.

This blog has commented before on the increase in fees and extra charges that seem to be added on by the airlines, often for things which most of us have long taken for granted. I think that if you have a lot of airline miles - and some people have millions of them - you should use the option of more miles to secure a seat; most airlines offer double mileage awards which are not capacity controlled. As in the above mentioned lawsuit, there was a seat available - but only if you had the extra miles. There is also usually no charge to change a reservation booked with extra miles. This site has a lot of other tips and advice.

April is a good time to be in Paris (according to the song) or anywhere else in Europe - weather not too cold, not too many crowds and airfares that aren't too high. USA Today also lists these ten bargain European travel deals for April. And if you are lucky enough to be heading across the Atlantic, this site has details of European fairs and festivals - everything from the drag queen Olympics and a scarecrow festival to Europe's biggest kite festival.

I may not be going to Paris any time soon but I am quite excited as at last I am going to visit the famous Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. My family and I are visiting relatives in the area next week and having written about the UBC before, I can't resist visiting it. Perhaps the book I left on the plane 25 years ago will be there...?

Guest entry by Mancunian

Posted by James Trotta at 6:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Dubai: headed for a fall?

We've talked about Dubai which seems to be trying to survive as a high-end tourist destination. We also know that luxury travel is on the decline. This article talks about how the global recession is hitting Dubai.

Dubai certainly didn't help itself when they refused to give Shahar Peer a visa.

But some people may overlook the issues to see stuff like this. At that website, click on "Dubai Project" - I can't link to it directly. Here's a collection of Dubai photos:

So, what do you think will happen to Dubai? Can the city get what it needs from tourism to justify the money spent on construction?

Posted by James Trotta at 5:19 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Fun with my NCL Mastercard

I wrote about travel credit cards a while back (well mostly you guys did the writing in the comments section) and I mentioned how I didn't really use my points wisely when I took that Alaskan cruise.

Don't feel sorry for me, but I felt like I had to take another NCL cruise because of that credit card and the points. In fact I have 200 extra points because last time I couldn't use all my upgrades (my travel agent got me a free upgrade so the coupon became unnecessary).

So I booked one to Bermuda this summer. Then I got a letter saying that the NCL points program was changing - they would mail me my certificates in January 2009 because old points had to be redeemed now whether you like it or not.

As an aside, that timing worked for me since I had already booked a cruise anyway, but there are some people left with coupons expiring in a year that may not want to - or may not be able to - take a cruise this year.

Anyway, I got my coupons. There were 200 points missing. So I found the letter from NCL to Bank of America (BoA) stating that they were giving me the 200 points back and called up BoA. They said they saw the 200 points in the system and they would transfer me to a colleague.

I figured I was getting a manager, but after a slightly confusing exchange I figured out that Miguel was with NCL, not BoA. He said that they had screwed up the award certificates and would send some more. But since he didn't work for BoA and had no information about my account, he had no idea if those corrections would include my 200 points or not. Apparently the best I can do is wait and call again if I don't get my certificates by the 20th.

Also, I don't know what I'll be doing with the certificates. I learned last time that I should have gone for the money off instead of the room upgrades - just a much better value since the room upgrades are cheap compared to the money you can get off ($500 ofo for 500 points).

I thought I'd be getting 3 $100 off coupons but now I'm learning that 100 point coupons can only be used for room upgrades so who knows? My travel agent said she'd try to get me the discount. If that doesn't work I guess I'll have the nicest possible inside cabin on the ship.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act

The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on Feb. 4th. I would expect a favorable reaction from Obama since he said he supported easing travel restrictions to Cuba during his campaign.

Long-time readers might remember that I'm in favor of travel freedom but there are issues people who may want to visit Cuba should be aware of.

1. Before booking a resort, realize that Cubans are barred from many of them. That's actually not too different from resorts in poor countries when I think about it. For example in Plantation Bay I met only one Filipino guest and in Sirenis Punta Cana I met only one Dominican guest.

2. Spending money in Cuba will probably help the Castro regime.

If you're curious, Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass introduced the bill. Co-sponsors include Representatives Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Sam Farr, D-Calif., and Ron Paul, R- Texas.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:22 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Luca Marchio: Real traveler or naive tourist?

A while back I asked what it meant to be well-traveled. Here's a story about a pretty unique traveler: unique because he wants to see the entire world, including Iraq.

“I explained to him that it was not safe to move around,” said Renato Di Porcia, the deputy chief of mission at the Italian Embassy in Baghdad. “He is a little bit naïve.”

Can we call someone naive if they are able to get a 10-day Iraqi visa, enter northern Iraq, get to Baghdad, then go to Fallujah? And this is on his own - although he did hire a local guide in Baghdad - this guys was traveling solo.

What seems crazy to me is this: "An American marine working with the police suggested taking him to the city limits and dropping him where Falluja met the main highway."

How is abandoning a guy on the side of a road in Iraq going to protect him? Luckily, it seems like they didn't listen to that guy: "On Friday night Mr. Marchio was being held for his own safety, the Iraqi police said. “He will leave with the earliest flight tomorrow morning,” Mr. Di Porcia said."

Anyway, if you're looking for something to do, please read the article and think about whether Luca Marchio is a naive tourist or a savvy traveler and share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Posted by James Trotta at 8:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Quick question: country or city vacations?

Well I just arrived at my university's Yong In campus to work on some test questions. I normally teach at the Seoul campus. Seoul, of course, is a 13 million person city. Yong In is more country - lots of trees and open fields and stuff.

On the way here I was talking to a professor from Salzburg who prefers country living to city living. That got me thinking about vacations - I usually vacation in city areas because they are close to airports. Every once in a while I'll fly in to wherever and then take a bus or whatever to someplace relatively far away from an airport. But not usually.

So I thought an informal survey here would be interesting. When you travel do you see more city or more countryside?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:21 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Irish students' Leaving Cert holidays

I'm guessing this is kind of similar to American high school students going on vacation to celebrate graduation though it seems to be much more common in Ireland with basically all students doing it. This article talks about travel agents' role in booking these holidays. Apparently it's a good (and relatively new) source of income but also a good deal of work.

Posted by James Trotta at 6:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

What small islands have you visited?

Here's an article on travelling to small islands and how they make great travel destinations. The smallest island I've been to was So Mae Mul Do in South Korea.

So Mae Mul Island had 28 people living on it when I went. There was one store where you could buy bottled drinks and snacks and stuff. You had to find the owner to open it if you wanted something. There was one cafe. Again, you had to find the owner to open for business. I talk about it a lot but it wasn't really that fun - just different. I don't think I'm going back.

Next would be Capri in Italy. I am going back there some day. I wouldn't call Jeju a small island, but it's not huge. I wrote about Love Land a few days ago and this article mentions that plus some of Jeju's other tourist attractions.

What small islands have you been to?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Anyone think it's weird that we see vibrator commercials on the Travel Channel?

So Mancunian has criticized the Travel Channel before, as have a number of commenters here, based on their programming:

Nothing new
Samantha Brown's Passport
Not enough progress
Dhani Jones and sports around the world
Something new
My idea for a travel show
We need more
The post that got us started

So all that criticism was related to programming. Does anyone want to criticize them for airing a Trojan vibrator commercial? I don't personally have any problems but if I had kids trying to figure out what they were talking about (and asking me for help) I think I might...

Link to the commercial: here so you can decide for yourself it's appropriate for the Travel Channel. It's nothing too dirty or anything. The biggest crime is probably the crappy script and acting, but still, I don't think I'd want my kid to see this commercial (if I had kids) and it was aired on a Sunday afternoon.

Posted by James Trotta at 8:31 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Will travel be more expensive in 2009?

This article talks about American Express predicting lower prices for hotels and airfare in Australia for the rest of this year but higher prices next year.

I don't know how they came up with this forecast but I am pretty curious. What do they think will change between now and next year when prices might increase?

If prices really do go up in Australia I would expect them to go up elsewhere as well. Has anyone seen any predictions for travel costs for international flights or US domestic flights, or hotels anywhere in the world other than Australia?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Will I be willing to pay for a family visit this winter?

It's been a while since I asked if the economy would hurt the travel industry. Now the economy is even worse. Some people regret buying vacation homes for example. Others are mad about AIG salespeople (or executives depending on who you believe) getting pampered. A week ago I figured that since stocks were way down it would be a good time for my IRA contribution. Woops.

This article talks about how airlines need to lower prices to fill planes even though they've cut routes. Hotels are offering discounts. A stronger dollar means better values abroad for Americans. Tour package prices might go on sale.

For me, despite my canceled birthday travel, I still wonder if it's worth paying big bucks to visit family for Christmas. I'm already thinking of going in February for hopefully cheaper airfare and if it's not cheap enough than just going somewhere cheap on vacation and not seeing family at all this winter. We'll have to see what the ticket prices are...

If you are looking for a vacation package, this is supposed to be the best season to visit Wyoming's Snake River in the Teton Range, in the Rocky Mountains.

Next I have this article on a couple of niche cruises - a Cajun/Zydeco Dance Cruise and a Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. The blues one sounds OK to me...

Posted by James Trotta at 3:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Amsterdam birthday travel plan thwarted

Well my birthday trip to Amsterdam got canceled. My wife needs to work and she doesn't want me to go alone. I wish I could see Amsterdam and spend my birthday with friends there but I'll have more chances for both - just not a chance to do both at the same time.

I did want to share what my friends are up to though. Apparently they found a 3 story townhouse for 675 euros plus tax. That's for 3 nights and since they'll be splitting it 5 ways or so in ends up being quite reasonable.

Naturally, trying to look at the bright side, it's money I won't be spending. Airfare would have run about $1200-$1300 each so it was never going to be a cheap birthday. Until now...

The location of the rental is supposed to be good, on the oldest street in Amsterdam (apparently this is near the redlight district).

Posted by James Trotta at 9:23 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

XL goes bust: what happens next?

This article on how many in the UK have had their vacation plans ruined by the demise of XL, Britain's third-largest tour operator, makes a scary suggestion:

But the repercussions of the collapse are expected to travel much further. Will the demise of three holiday companies now signal fundamental changes in the way the market operates? As the industry contracts, will low cost flights and bargain basement holidays become a thing of the past? And will the much-maligned but relatively safe package holiday run by mass-market travel companies – derided by a new generation of budget-conscious, internet-savvy, independent travellers – make an unplanned comeback?

If so, will weary travellers be forced to return to the days of being herded aboard coaches by clipboard-wielding officials on their way to the obligatory "welcome" meeting, where cheap sangria is liberally dispensed to disguise the pain of substandard accommodation on a miles-from-nowhere building site?

Posted by James Trotta at 5:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What does it mean to be well traveled?

So when a language teacher meets a class for the first time we usually do a getting to know you activity. Last semester I did one where students wrote interview questions, interviewed someone else in the class, and then reported what they found to everyone. My students told me that every teacher used the exact same activity.

This semester I wanted to do something different. I don't want to be the same as all the other teachers. So I invented an 'awards game' where students choose an award and then interview classmates to see who deserves it.

Some awards were hardest studying, heaviest sleeper, most likely to succeed, and biggest traveler.

When I talked to the biggest traveler people I asked them what interview questions they would use to give the award. The only one they had was "How many countries have you been to?"

I told them that I thought they needed more. I mean someone can visit a bunch of countries but that alone does not make them well traveled. I told them they could ask how many countries someone has been to but they would also need to ask questions that dug deeper.

They said they would add how long the person spent in each place but for me that is still not enough.

So I thought that this would be an interesting question to discuss here. What makes someone well-traveled?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:20 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Facebook Where I've Been Countries Map Application

This will be a rant. You have been warned.

I really really hate this Facebook application. It's also for Mysapce and some things I've never heard of. I recently found an old college friend on Facebook and she had this application installed. It was the first time I had seen it. It didn't really excite me - you scroll over China and it says "Jane Doe wants to go here". You scroll over Hawaii and it says "Jane Doe has been here." Then I saw something about how she had seen 5% of the world. I thought 'that can't be right'.

A day or two later we're catching up and she says "I've been to 5% of the world which I think is pretty sad." I thought 'can she really think that?'

From her map it looks like she has been to about 10 states in America plus Ontario. Basically you fill in the information and the map shows people where you've been, where you've lived, and where you want to go. Then it 'calculates' how much of the world you've seen.

It's pretty ridiculous as far as I can tell. The US gets divided into states and Canada gets divided into provinces, but China is just China. Only the US, UK, Canada, and Australia get divided up. You can actually choose cities, but they don't seem to have smaller towns and I didn't see a chance to enter cities in China or wherever. Mostly North America I guess.

Now I was in China for 2 or 3 days. I saw 2 airports, 1 city, 1 dirty massage (well almost), Confucius' home, and a mountain. Have I seen China? I lived in New York for 12 years. Have I seen 5% of New York? Can you now calculate how much of the world I've seen?

I couldn't get the stupid thing to tell me how much of the world it thinks I've seen, but if 10 US states plus Ontario = 5% I must be up around 20% or maybe 30%. Yet I know that I've seen way less than 5%.

In the end, it's not the map that shows people where you've traveled I have trouble with. It's that only 4 countries get divided into states / provinces / whatever. And that they give you a crazy percentage of the world you've 'seen'.

Tripadvisor paid 3 million for this thing and I'm sure the exposure and advertising and awareness they get is totally worth it for them. But I still hate it. Better to just leave a comment here if you ask me.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:50 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Some Fall Reality Shows featuring Exotic Places!

It's that time of year again when the US television networks excitedly announce their fall line-up of television shows. A couple of the most popular reality shows are back and are going to some exotic places around the world. The latest installment of the long running CBS show Survivor was filmed in the small African country of Gabon – described as one of the last unspoiled wildernesses left on earth. (Hopefully the contestants won’t spoil it too much!) According to this article, Gabon actually sounds like an interesting place to visit – it is a politically stable country, and around 10% of the land is designated a national park. (Survivor starts Thursday, September 18th on CBS)

And one of the best reality shows, the Amazing Race is back for its 13th season (Starting Sunday, September 28th on CBS) If you haven't seen the show, eleven teams of two literally race around the world, trying to solve clues and be the first to arrive at the next location. The last team to arrive is usually eliminated.

The new series will include locations such as Russia, Brazil, Bolivia, Cambodia and Kazakhstan, and teams include an ex-NFL player and a couple of aging hippies. The show’s host Phil Keogh, who makes an appearance at every one of the show's locations, must surely be one of the most traveled people in the world by now.

I don’t see anything on the Travel Channel website about a new exciting fall line-up, so my feeling is that it will be the same shows repeated over and over. And the dreaded World Poker Tournament is still on all Saturday evening on the Travel Channel...

It isn't particularly exotic, but I spent last weekend with my family at Dollywood, Dolly Parton's theme park near Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. The park isn't as huge and overwhelming as some parks, but it has enough rides and entertainment to keep you occupied. My only complaint is that it cost $8 to park, which seems rather high, especially as we paid a lot just to get in the park. Which makes me wonder... what is the most anyone has ever paid for daily parking... either at a resort, theme park, airport or any other travel related place..?

Guest entry by Mancunian

Posted by James Trotta at 10:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Airport layovers, Atlantic City, disappointment damages

Here's an article on making the most of your time during a layover. The advice ranges from reading to writing Christmas cards but basically the idea is not to sit there bored out of your skull.

And here's an article about Atlantic City trying to become more of a luxury vacation destination and less of a gambling town. "For our survival, we couldn't rely on gaming anymore," says Jeffrey Vasser, executive director of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority.

And finally we have an article that I don't know what to make of. It's about disappointment damages - apparently travel agents in the UK will sometimes give customers who had crappy vacations a bit of cash.

The disappointment damage concept is pretty clear to me, but then I read this stuff about competing with German vacationers that seemed a little hard to believe:

The annual race to place your towel by the pool before the Germans get there has escalated in a most unexpected manner. Last week we heard that two English tourists returned home furious with Thomas Cook because their holiday resort in Crete was overrun by Germans. Mike and Amanda Barber, who hail from East Sussex, claimed their €3,000 sunshine holiday with their three children was ruined. They said the hotel reps told their daughter that "Only German children can play on the swings." It appears all non-German families were locked out of the main children's club, so, with nothing for their kids to do, the Barbers ended up spending an extra €1,250 on day trips and other activities.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Article on saving money

A while back we talked about how the economy might effect the travel industry and that topic has been revisited once or twice. Here we go again.

This article talks about what people are doing to save money and 21% surveyed said they would not travel. They talk about one couple that hasn't traveled since their honeymoon 3 years ago.

I know the higher airline fares are making it much harder for me to make up my mind about visiting family for Christmas.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

When you travel, learn something or bring something back that makes you more interesting

Today I visited a couple of friends in New York City, good friends that I don't see very often. While it was fun visiting with old friends, the highlight of the visit was trying some tea that another fellow (just met him today) had brought back from Argentina.

Here's the Wikipedia entry in case my description doesn't make sense.

And before I forget, my whole point is that because he brought back this tea from Argentina (and you can buy it in the US) and was able to tell people about this part of Argentinean culture everyone thought he was more interesting and he was the center of attention.

The first time I came back from Korea I brought some ginseng liquor (which isn't even popular in Korea) that looked pretty interesting because of all the ginseng roots in the bottle of alcohol. Anyway, if you learn to cook a foreign dish, make a foreign drink, or something other people will enjoy learning about the culture you visited, you can make yourself the center of attention if you want.

So the Argentinean tea was interesting. Apparently in Argentina everyone shares one cup with a metal straw in it. The person who makes the tea passes the cup to the left. That person drinks the tea and hands it back to whoever is in charge. They pour more water and pass it to the second person to the left. And on it goes.

Now the cup doesn't hold much water so it only takes a few seconds to drink the tea when it's their turn. And there's no waiting for the tea to cool down since everyone else is also waiting.

The metal straw burned my lips a little bit and the tea was quite bitter. Wikipedia says the tea is bitter when made with boiling water, but it's also bitter when made correctly with hot but not quite boiling water.

Now Brian might or might not care that I think he's cool for teaching me about and sharing Argentinean tea, but everyone else was also interested so the ladies present gave him more attention since they were learning something interesting.

And he is a more interesting person that he was before he learned about Argentinean tea. That reminded me that when I travel I should also try to improve myself in some way - hopefully by learning something about the other culture that I can share with others.

So what have you learned in your travels?

Posted by James Trotta at 12:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

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

Posted by James Trotta at 9:55 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

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...

Posted by James Trotta at 7:54 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

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?

Posted by James Trotta at 2:47 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Could I have been wrong about the economy seriously hurting the travel industry?

A few days ago I suggested that the economy will hurt the travel industry. There is room for conflicting opinions however. This article says that more Americans are traveling abroad this year than last year. It doesn't say if people are going to Canada instead of France but it's still significant - we're not talking about staycations if one goes abroad.

This article says that hotel bookings are fairly typical for this time of year - another possible indication that people are traveling despite the weak economy.

Interestingly, each article also mentions that the economy might be changing vacation plans. The first says that 51% of people say that money is the biggest problem when planning a vacation and the second quotes a hotel manager who thinks people will be taking shorter trips. But if the same number of people end up in his hotel I guess there's a chance the travel industry won't suffer much.

This article suggests that the way people travel could change. I personally love the suggestion of bringing snacks instead of stopping for fast food. Save money and your heart.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Best time of year to visit central Europe

One of the most often asked questions by tourists to tour guides like myself is the simple question of what time of year is the best time to visit. Depending on when this comes up in the tour, my answer can vary (as in how much time I have to answer, on walking tours you don’t necessarily have time to answer things in detail). I’m a tour guide of Germany and Austria with several years of experience monitoring ideal conditions for tourists.

The simple answer would be either early September or the middle of October. If neither of those works out, then spring would be the next best choice, with hesitation.

The main things people are worried about are the weather, crowds, and museum opening hours.

I think it's fairly common sense that late spring or early fall would have the ideal weather for the average tourist. In southern Germany and Austria, the highest amount of rainfall is during the middle of the summer, so June, July and August are rather wet. Most of the time between November and April it hovers around freezing, making it not very pleasant for wandering around new cities.

As far as crowds are concerned, those are also very much predictable. I would try to avoid spring break periods, and since different schools have them at different times, it’s difficult to guess and so from February until late April, there could be peak season crowds because of spring breakers, depending on your luck. May, June, July, and August are the busiest times, as well as the most expensive times to visit the region. One last thought on crowds is that since I live in Munich, crowds heading to and from the Oktoberfest make everything in the general region extremely busy as well.

A little tip to go along with that Oktoberfest comment: the crowds leave Munich nearly over night, which means if you come the week after Oktoberfest ends, Munich is empty. (Also, note that the Oktoberfest is at the end of September, and ENDS the first weekend in October)

Museum opening hours are of course the best during the peak times, but it is a little more general than that. April through September has the best opening hours for museums. Going along with that, fountains are covered by what I like to refer to as “large wooden huts”, which greatly diminishes the beauty of many of the cities in the region, from November until April.

In summary, the absolute best time to visit central Europe, based on weather, crowds, and opening hours, is early September. The next best in my opinion would be October, followed by late spring.

Mike Richardson - the professional tourist

Posted by James Trotta at 11:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Will the economy hurt the travel industry much?

This article asks if the travel business is recession proof, but I don't think it is. Obviously the industry can not die entirely, but it seems to me that people are cutting back on travel. Or at least they think they should be.

So while taking a vacation is certainly a priority (especially for us since we spend quite a bit of time on travel blogs!), people who have less money will spend less on travel. So whoever said "All the evidence going back to 1990 shows that holidays are one of the last things consumers cut back on. Things have got to get really bad for that to happen," has to realize that for many people and many economies things are worse now than they have been since 1990. I'm no economic historian, but besides the internet bubble we haven't faced too many recessions in the last 15 years, have we?

I don't think that means trouble for everyone. For example Dubai depends on tourism money (though if that slows down you'd think oil money would be able to compensate) according to this article, but they try to attract fairly wealthy people who will still have money to travel. And that article seems to agree with me that the travel industry will suffer at least some:

For the next year or two, the travel industry is likely to find its long-standing customers in rich Western countries a less than reliable source of growth. As American families plan their holidays, many will be worrying about the frailty of their country's economy, the rising cost of petrol and—for those venturing outside the United States—the weakness of the dollar. They are delaying booking in the hope of nabbing cheap, last-minute deals.

Anyway, what do you think? Will the economy hurt the travel industry much?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Nakation info

The American Association for Nude Recreation defines a nakation as:

1. A clothes-free interlude from one's customary duties, as for recreation or rest; a holiday.
2. The part of your vacation you'll brag to friends about.

I almost went to a nude beach when I was in college, but I cancelled at the last minute because I was too nervous. Topless beaches never really bothered me but the idea of going to a nude beach really freaked me out and I haven't considered it since.

This slightly old New York Times article discusses a fellow who started taking clothing option vacations when he was around 67, a bartender who thinks minimalism is good for the environment (wonder if she bought carbon credits), and a woman who lost her inhibitions about being nude while on a nudist vacation.

The article mentions the Hidden Beach Resort - Mancunian wrote about that on this blog a while back. Then there's the Sea Mountain Inn (California), Mira Vista condos (Arizona), Occidental Grand Fuerteventura (Canary Islands). Then some popular hotels in Vegas have nude or topless pools: Caesar’s Palace and the Mirage in Las Vegas.

Of course, if all you need is a topless resort, I suppose most that welcome Europeans will be used to going topless at the pool / beach. Sirenis Punta Cana was certainly topless-friendly.

Responses to that article include information on gay nudist resorts and a complaint about Grand Lido Braco (Jamaica) where one woman was told to leave the beach if she didn't strip completely naked.

The article also said that naturalists have more nude vacation options than before:

The types of nude vacations have expanded too. Vacationers can now roll out a mat at all-nude yoga retreats, share banana bread with other guests at all-nude bed-and-breakfasts, gear up for nude mountain biking in California’s High Desert and saunter around the decks of cruise ships chartered specifically for clothing-free travel. In Germany, a travel operator has arranged for an all-nude charter flight this summer to take customers to a clothing-optional retreat in the Baltics. The naturists will take off and land fully clothed, but shed their clothes once airborne. (Flight attendants and crew will, however, keep their uniforms on.)

This article talks about how nude recreation might help Arizona's economy. It's clear that travel companies see money to be made with the new nude flights, cruises, mountain bike excursions, etc.

For those of you who like to travel solo, many nude resorts don't allow single men. I guess single women are less likely to be voyeurs because there was no mention about turning women away.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Not quite back to normal yet

As I take breaks in my final push to finish correcting midterms, I come across articles that I present to you somewhat haphazardly:

An uplifting story about a volunteer program where people give wounded armed forces veterans access to their vacation homes.

Here we have a few book reviews including one travel book: “Home on the Road” (Syren Book Co., 5120 Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis, MN 55416, $14.95 paper) by Catherine Watson. Apparently if you don't vollow a link from Google news you have to register - I really hate that so let me give you the important bit:

I well remember Watson’s wonderful story about riding the Siberian railway years ago, being tailed by a Russian agent and drinking milk laced with formaldehyde. In her new book she describes a day in the small city of Suzdal in the most poetic of terms. Great!

I advise you to travel with Watson in this book to far-off places like Newfoundland, Tibet, Biminia and The Falkland Island and, yes, even Minnesota. If you missed her earlier book “Roads Less Traveled” published in 2005, it’s still available from Syren Book Co.

Posted by James Trotta at 5:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dhani Jones on the Travel Channel: Dhani tackles the Globe

American football player Dhani Jones is filming for the Travel Channel. Apparently he plays with professional sports teams and the show, Dhani Tackles the Globe, focuses on sports that are not popular in America.

This article explains how he'll try to learn hurley, a sport I've never heard of.

I was able to find this clip of him playing rugby, but I don't think it's from the Travel Channel show:

So I guess we have to wait for this new series to come out to see if our complaints about the Travel Channel (and here are some more) have been addressed. Other new series include "Bizarre Worlds," starring "Bizarre Foods" host Andrew Zimmern and "Cruise Season" for a look at cruise ships and port destinations around the world.

Still waiting for someone over there to notice my brilliant idea and make something happen.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:26 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Which parts of the travel industry are hurting most?

The Wall Street Journal says that the gloomy economic conditions are leading to shorter, less expensive vacations this summer.

I wish that meant sales, but thanks to gas prices airlines are expected to begin charging more.

There are some discounts to be had on European hotels:

WorldHotels, a company that does sales and marketing for more than 50 hotels in Europe, including properties such as Hotel California Paris Champs-Elysées and the Lindner Hotel in Berlin, have announced that U.S. passport holders can book rooms at a one-to-one euro-dollar exchange rate, which will save travelers at least 40%.

Cruise lines are actually doing well - possibly from new customers who are scrapping European vacations.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Aware that I should be cutting back

Here is yet another article on how many are finding it difficult to take vacations and another article with some vacation deals.

One of those deals is for Amsterdam:

House of Travel has land-only packages in Amsterdam for from $495 per person including two nights' accommodation at a three-star central hotel, breakfast daily, and a tour of Volendam and Marken. Return economy airfares flying Royal Dutch Airlines and Malaysian Airlines to Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur from Auckland start from $2729 per person. For travel until November 5, with some closeout dates. For more information call: 0800 838 747.

My first reaction was, "Well it would be fun but I can't do it." Then I thought, "Well I could do it but it's not very practical."

Then I thought of a friend of mine, a great great guy named John Finnegan who died a few weeks ago at age 37. I had been in touch occasionally via email but hadn't seen him in maybe 8 years. Then I thought, "Some of my friends will be at this party in Amsterdam - do I really want to save money more than I want to make memories with my friends?" And I thought, "My birthday is at the same time - do I want to be home saving money on my birthday?"

So I'm going to Amsterdam in October. And still going on the cruise this summer. And I still spent a lot of money in Europe last winter. My wife and I are fortunate in that we do have jobs and are in enough demand that we can work overtime to help pay for all these vacations. Working all the time is tough but sometimes I can comfort myself by thinking that it's good to know what you have to do every day. Thanks Albert Camus!

We also have credit cards in case we don't work hard enough...

Posted by James Trotta at 1:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Geocaching & travel bugs

Here's a game I've never heard of before: geocaching. And its sister game "travel bugs". With the Geocache you use GPS coordinates to get to the general area and then search for the cache where you write your name down. Sometimes people put a travel bug inside the cache. Then the next person who finds the cache take the travel bug and hides it in some other cache. In this case, the travel bug would probably do more traveling than any of the people playing the game but I felt this was interesting enough to get a mention on my travel blog.

I don't think this game is for me, but if you're up for some local traveling you might give it a try.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:34 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Choosing a travel agent: Christoper Elliott's advice and my experience

About a week ago, I decided I needed a travel agent. This was something of a departure for me since I like planning things myself. I mean I started this blog to write about all the travel plans I was dreaming up and saving for when I had time and money to do something with them.

It seems that many people are like me, whenever I link to an article about travel agents we get comments about how unnecessary they are:

Travel agents & service
Travel agents & niches (no comments yet)
Travel agents by 2020

It's not that I never used travel agents by the way. I used to recommend researching plane fares online and then calling an agent or two to see if they could beat the online prices. They often could beat or match the prices in my experience.

Anyway, my experience so far seems to match some of what Christopher Elliott says in this article. He recommends travel agents and talks about how to choose one. After all you probably want to avoid most people who are just in it for the commission or those who recently bought into the "card mill" business / scam (depending on who you listen to)!

For example NCL has two different Alaskan cruises, Sawyer's Glacier and Inside Passage. I had no idea which one would be better. I could have spent some time researching it online but instead I asked the travel agent and got this response:

I did look at both cruises, and although the one on 7/5 is less expensive, I actually recommend the one on the 6th. The difference is the Glacier visit. On the 5th, they visit Sawyer Glacier, which is a very stable glacier, and calving there is not something that generally occurs. On the 6th, the visit is to Glacier Bay, which due to its instability, is the Glacier to see, as it has the best chance of calving during your visit. And lets be honest, looking at ice that just sits there isn't all that thrilling, after all. The last time I was in Glacier Bay, the calving started on the port side of the ship, and continued around the Bay till it just reached the starboard side. Magnificent!

Now Christopher Elliott does say that the best test of a travel agent comes from troublesome situations so I hope I never really find out how good she is...

By the way, you may have noticed that I skipped posting on April 1st. I don't like that "fool's day" stuff so I just avoid human interaction (even online) as much as possible that day...

Posted by James Trotta at 12:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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...

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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.

Posted by James Trotta at 5:07 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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.

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

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...

Posted by James Trotta at 11:49 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Travel scams

This British article talks about some common travel scams including fake free trips to Florida, card mills (which aren't necessarily scams but you should know that it is network marketing and that many network marketing companies plus many network marketers don't deserve your trust), fly-by-nights, issues with travel insurance, people calling your room pretending to be hotel reception, bad exchange rates, fake cops who search you after a 'friend' gives you some drugs, drink-doping, unlicensed taxis, getting your bags stolen at security (especially common in US airports according to the article), trying to get in on a scam, and then a bunch of reader submitted scams.

The only real scam that I've experienced (one I didn't fall for since I had read about it before traveling) happened in Thailand. It's near the end of this travel essay. I remember being amazed that the Wat Pho guard sat there watching the scammer work on my wife and I. I don't know what those Wat Pho guards get paid, but whatever they get is more than that jerk deserves.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What do FEMA, the IRS, and TSA have in common?

Americans don't like any of them. This article talks about complaints Americans have with TSA expressed on the TSA blog.

Apparently, commenting on this blog can make a difference:

Last week, readers scored a point after some complained about a security procedure. At some airports, screeners had been ordering passengers to remove all electronics from their bags, rather than just laptops. There is no such rule. “We learned that this exercise was set up by local T.S.A. officers,” the agency reported back on the blog. By Monday afternoon, the word had gone out to T.S.A. screeners nationally: BlackBerrys, iPods and other electronics stay in bags.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:56 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Travel agents: besides medical tourism, in which niches are they needed?

When I asked about what travel agents will be doing in a few years, I stirred up some discussion. Many people say travel agents are no longer necessary but others have reasons why travel agents are still employed.

This article talks about how travel agents are still needed. The evidence they offer is that many people buy their plane tickets through travel agents.

Certainly there are niches where travel agents will always be needed. I think we can include the super wealthy vacations (though how would I know?), medical tourism, and a few others.

Speaking of medical tourism, we do have this article on dental vacations. Of course, I don't think you want to copy everything the family described in this article does since one person skipped going to the dentist for 10 years...

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Kauai's identity: changing for the worse?

One of these days I will go to Kauai. I think I've written about these vacation rentals before and I know I've written about west Kauai.

However, this article talks about how Kauai is at a crossroads. Locals blocked the ferry Mancunian blogged about a while back because they were worried about increased traffic. The natives also have to deal with quickly rising real estate prices, and too much new construction.

Posted by James Trotta at 8:47 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

Trips to Outer Space... Long awaited new shows on Travel Channel

For the person who has been absolutely everywhere (and some people have been just about everywhere, it seems) a trip to outer space (is there such a thing as inner space, or is all space considered to be outer?) is the next big thing in travel.

There seems to be something of a competition to be the first company to offer tours of space – this blog has talked about this on a couple of previous occasions) And if you want to honeymoon in space too, you may soon be able to do that.

Virgin Galactic (a subsidiary of Virgin Atlantic) is one of the main contenders when it comes to offering trips into space for those who can afford to pay for them. Virgin has even signed a contract with up to 50 travel agencies - meaning you can walk into a travel agent and book your space flight.

The company actually had plans to commence the trips this year, but now it seems as though they have postponed until 2009. Not that I have the money to pay for such a trip at the moment, anyway – the cost per person is around $200,000. Virgin already has around 200 people signed up for potential trips, although, apparently if you have enough Virgin frequent flyer miles, you can use those, according to one story.

On a completely unrelated note, the Travel Channel has started to show some new shows at last. This Monday saw the debut of Michael Palin’s new series “New Europe” in which he travels through various Eastern Europe countries. The first episode featured the intrepid traveler visiting a minefield in Serbia and exploring one of the most mysterious European countries - Albania.

The bad news is that Saturday evening saw back to back episodes of that old favorite “World Poker Tour”. According to our source at the Travel Channel, the Poker show won’t be on for much longer...

I’d better start buying those lottery tickets if I want a trip into space.

Guest entry by Mancunian.

And on a personal note, (this is me, not Mancunian) I wonder if anyone at the Travel Channel ever saw my blog entry on an idea for a budget travel show...

Posted by James Trotta at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What is hard travel?

A friend of mine who has spen many years living and traveling in India and Nepal once called India "hard travel". This vidoe of a train ride in India reminded me of that statement and that I wanted to blog about it to get your opinions on hard travel. So what is hard travel?

Being on this train would certainly qualify:

However the term "hard travel" doesn't seem to be that common. A Google search showed me lots of hard travel cases, but that's about it.

So let me ask you, what is hard travel? Have you experienced it, heard about it, seen videos of it?

Posted by James Trotta at 6:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Packing, romance, hotels, cruises

I've taken several articles I thought were interesting and tried to tie them together into a coherent blog entry because I didn't feel like making 4 smaller ones.

This article made me smile. The author talks about how when she travel with her husband there's not much coordination when it comes to packing. But traveling with another woman is different because women know how to pack:

We understand the complexities of packing. One doesn't throw in a swimsuit just in case. It's a decision that involves suntan lotion, sandals, a cover-up, sunglasses and a month of dieting.

Speaking of traveling with your spouse, check out these tips on bringing some romance on your vacation. Hide a romantic card in your partner's luggage, have the hotel prepare roses and champagne in your room, visit the spa for a massage, bring body shimmer, temporary tattoos or body paint.

I guess you don't want to make a mess with paint in your own house but I'm not sure the hotel will be too happy if you get paint all over their room. Of course playing with paint is better than stealing - many old hotels are trying to get some of their old stuff back. Apparently you go on Ebay and find things like 5 gallon punch bowls that were stolen from a hotel 50 or more years ago.

And back to the topic of romantic travel, how about mentioning one of the more popular types of honeymoon - the cruise. According to this article, the cruise industry in the US might be facing a big change if a new rule is adopted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that would "require passenger cruise ships to spend at least half of each voyage in ports outside the United States." Somehow U.S. Customs and Border Protection thinks this will help cruise ships in Hawaii. I don't get it. Does anyone know why the cruise ships in Hawaii need help and how this new rule helps?

Posted by James Trotta at 10:10 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Nostalgia tourism: where would you go?

This article mentions nostalgia tourism:

...nine out of ten Brits were found to be using their holiday to return to a place that has a sentimental association for them.

The top five reasons were: 'Memories of a youth holiday' (27 per cent), 'lived in a destination when younger or as a student' (21.5 per cent), 'went there on honeymoon' (5.8 per cent), 'had a memorable romance there' (4.4 per cent) and 'got engaged or married there' (4.4 per cent).

I considered going to Italy (instead of Munich, Zurich, and Madrid) this winter because my wife and I honeymooned there in 2001. We spent time in Rome, Assisi, Perugia, Florence, Venice, Naples, and Capri. We wouldn't have revisited all those places but might have done Rome, Perugia, Florence, Milan, and Verona or something like that. So Italy is definitely near the top of my nostalgia tourism list.

Another possibility is a road trip. When I was younger I went on two big road trips - one was a two week drive from New York to Orlando with obviously a number of stops on the way. A friend and I basically drove from youth hostel to youth hostel so ended up in some places I can't even remember - the woods of West Virginia somewhere, Kitty Hawk and Pembroke in North Carolina, some other places, and eventually Orlando. A road trip now wouldn't have to end up in Orlando and couldn't possibly follow the same route (well I guess I could look at a youth hostel map and mostly figure it out). One strong possibility would be something inspired by the movie Elizabethtown.

The other road trip I went on was when I drove alone to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I would love to take my wife to Mardi Gras though I'm not sure I'm still young enough to party much. And I know I'm too old to drive there basically non-stop like I did back in the day. However, We were discouraged by a friend who lives in New Orleans. She told us that there are many more dangerous areas then there used to be, even where she lives in the French Quarter it is not uncommon to hear gun shots (not that it happens all the time or anything) and she is afraid to go outside for a smoke at night.

The last one I thought of was Disney World. I've been there three times but my wife has never been. I don't actually think I enjoyed it last time I was there (at the end of my road trip I mentioned above) although I do have a few good memories even from that visit. I still hate waiting in line, but I'm much less of an intellectual snob than I was back in college... I think my wife and I could have fun there - maybe make it a romantic holiday similar to a honeymooon.

And finally, I did recently do some nostalgia tourism when I took my parents and wife to Burlington Vermont this summer. I had a great summer there in 2000 when I was a camp counselor and was happy to share the city with my family and remind myself of some of the shops and scenes in Burlington.

Well I thought it was pretty fun thinking of nostalgia tourism. Would anyone else like to share their personal ideas on visiting places with some meaningful connection to your past?

Posted by James Trotta at 3:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Shopping on vacation: waste of time or good way to experience a country?

This entry started off as comment on my entry about how hard it is to get a tax refund after shopping in the EU.

I think it brings up a question entirely unrelated to that post though, so I decided to make it a standalone blog entry and see if you also feel it is worth discussing.

The question: Is shopping a good vacation activity?

Now the obvious answer is that it will be good for some and not so good for others depending on individual interests. But some readers seem to think that when I go on vacation there are better ways to spend my time and money than looking to buy nice clothes.

The comments that got me started were:

You must be nuts and VERY materialistic. Give me a break, Next time enjoy the country not the stores. Have a hard time feeling sorry for you.

Did you go shopping or did you go to meet the people and get to know them. Instead of staying in hotels stay at "zimmer frei" and you will get the most for your money and make friends for life. We tried getting our tax money back at Frankfurt one time and no one informed us we had to have the purchases with us. The agent stamped our receipts anyway and we made our way to the place to get our money. That said, it wasn't hardly worth it. All I read from your postings was how expensive everything was and your food was too expensive and the hotels were too expensive and the shopping was too expensive. Two hints: Don't go shopping and don't eat at expensive restaurants. Look for out of the way places and go to the small towns. If you don't have enough money to do it right, STAY HOME!!! An 18 trip to Europe Traveler!!!

Starting with the Jane Doe comment, I'm not crazy enough to argue that I'm not nuts and I don't ask anyone to feel sorry for me so no discussion there.

The bit about being materialistic though seemed important to me. I am materialistic and I don't see anything wrong with my vacation reflecting that. Let's say I need to wear a suit to work. I can choose to wear a cheap suit or a designer suit. I don't think too many people will say that choosing the designer suit is wrong. And since so many designers are European it makes sense to me that you might want to check out the choices if you happen to be in Europe.

This brings me to Jane Doe's bit about enjoying the country and not just the stores. Why can't you do both? I'd like to refer you to travelfan's comments about Zurich and how the stores on pedestrian streets are a great attraction (many long time readers will find it ironic that I use travelfan's comment to support my argument when we have had so many disagreements in the past).

What I'm trying to say is that the stores are part of the country. When you enjoy the pedestrian shopping streets in Zurich you are experiencing Switzerland. Sure there's more (I don’t ski and I missed the coffee museum in Zurich for example) but the stores are an important part of a visit to Zurich. The same is probably true for visits to most cities.

Then we have Lou's comment. He asked "Did you go shopping or did you go to meet the people and get to know them?" He also advises "Don't go shopping..."

Actually, I think that walking the streets and visiting the shops helps me meet people. After a few hours of shopping we've talked to lots of people but after a few hours in a museum we probably haven't talked to anyone. We also see miles of streets and thousands of people as we walk around.

So I disagree with people who say it is better not to shop while on vacation, especially when we're talking about my vacation. For people who enjoy shopping it's a great way to see the city (we spent hours wandering the streets every day despite occasionally sore feet), meet people (we didn't make any lifelong friends but we weren't really looking to either), pick up a few words of the local language, and see some of the local culture (assuming you visit shops that locals - and not just tourists - visit).

It can certainly be overdone and there is certainly a huge amount of personal preference here. I know I spent more time in shoe stores than I would have liked but if I'm with my wife - and she's happy trying on shoes - I can be happy too (for a while anyway).

Posted by James Trotta at 2:14 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Proposal for travel show - real budget travel expereinces

Here is my initial idea for a travel show to be aired on the Travel Channel or wherever. It is based on the comments on Mancunian´s last post. I´m just going to jot down my initial ideas. As you know, I am on vacation and can´t spend too much of my time in Madrid in the PC room. I hope that you will add your ideas ni the comments section so that together we can create a good proposal for a travel show we actually want to see...

The goal of my plan here is to get a travel show with real people trying to travel on a budget and enjoy their vacation at the same time.

First, each show follows a traveler for 2 episodes, say an hour each as they plan and go on vacation.

Second, some shows focus on single travelers, some on couples, some on families (singles or couples with kids).

Third, each traveler gets a budget for their vacation. Maybe $2,000 for singles, $2,500 for couples, $3,000 for families.

Fourth, the couple pays for the vacation themselves.

Fifth if the traveler does not go over budget, the show covers all vacation expenses. If the traveler goes over budget they get nothing from the show and they pay their own credit card bill or whatever.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:03 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

New Year – New Travel Channel?

I have posted a couple of times previously on this site about the disappointing quality of shows on the Travel Channel. They seem to have a lot of shows that are not actually about travel, but about poker, monster trucks, treasure hunting, etc.

Well, we are a little way into the new year, so I thought I would check out the Travel Channel and see what kind of shows are on…On one of my previous postings on this topic, I got a reply from someone at the channel, defending the network and promising no more “World Poker Tour”! That alone would make me happy – especially as the poker show seems to always be on at peak viewing time.

One of the better shows on the Travel Channel is “Samantha Brown – Passport to Europe”. All of these shows have been shown several times now over the last year or two. If someone from the Travel Channel is reading this, can I suggest a new series of shows with Ms. Brown, presenting destinations in Asia, Africa or the South Pacific?

Well, I am sorry to say I haven’t been too impressed with the programming on the Travel Channel for the first week or so of this year. The offerings on New Year’s Day were the Tournament of Roses shown several times, followed by back to back episodes of “Cash and Treasures” – which I don’t really consider to be a travel show.

Today (Saturday) is not much better – we have “Bizarre Foods” and “World Poker Tour” along with several other programs which have been shown several times before – “Tokyo Revealed” and “Earth’s Natural Wonders”. And tomorrow (Sunday) seems to be mostly “Bizarre Foods”, “Passport to Europe” and “Treasure Hunting”.

And if somebody from the Travel Channel is reading this, I do have another request. Is it possible to broadcast a Bill Bryson show, which was broadcast in the UK in 1999? Bryson is better known as a humorous travel writer and one of his books “Notes from a Small Island” in which he travels around the UK, was made into a TV series. I have never seen it, but would like to. And also, when is Michael Palin’s new TV series going to be shown, in which he travels around Eastern Europe?

I’m curious – what do other readers of this site enjoy watching on the Travel Channel? And are there any shows / destinations you would like to see…?

Guest entry by Mancunian

Posted by James Trotta at 9:58 AM | Comments (26) | TrackBack

Where can you vacation without losing your ethics?

This article asks whether its ethical to visit countries where people are oppressed by dictatorships or whathaveyou. I recently told my wife that I wouldn't visit North Korea with her. I don't really feel like paying Kim Jong Il to see the tiny part of the country tourists are allowed to see. I probably won't be going to Burma (Myanmar) but I did consider going to Tibet.

The article also mentions Iran and the Maldives. I have a colleague from Iran and he made his home country, especially the city of Tehran, sound pretty appealing. I'm not sure why the Maldives are mentioned in the same sentence as North Korea. Cuba also gets a mention - I'd go there if it weren't illegal for US citizens.

Which countries would you visit / not visit?

Posted by James Trotta at 1:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Gather for the holidays in your home or in a resort?

This article is obviously aimed at rich people:

She also advises clients to be open to unusual spots. Christmas in Provence or New Year’s in Seville can provide unexpected pleasures — a Gratsos client who took a villa in Spain had a memorable Christmas complete with flamenco dancing — and the properties can cost 25 percent less than they would at high season, she says. That means homes in Provence may run about $20,000 a week at Christmas, down from $25,000 in the summer.

So I ask you: Have you tried or at least considered doing the holidays in a vacation spot instead of in someone's home?

I know we always do Christmas at my parents' house. This year my wife and I will be in Munich and we invited everyone to join us there. No takers though.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Another reason to be careful of local laws when you travel

A Britsh woman in Sudan was recently arrested for allowing her students to name a teddy bear. Naming the bear Muhammed was seen as an insult to Islam in Sudan (the verdict and penalty have been condemned by Muslim groups in London).

I guess she got off easy with only 15 days in prison and not the 40 lashes...

And if you want to leave some inflammatory comment, do it on the article I'm linking to. I will delete all comments that are not directly related to knowing local laws when you travel. Now if you have heard of a similar story or know someone who had a close call thanks to not knowing the local laws then your comment is welcome.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:55 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Traveling made easy / hard in US / UK

While the US government is trying to make air travel easier for Thanksgiving, the British government is making travel more difficult, but hopefully safer, by mid 2009.

The US is planning to use military airspace for commercial flights. Since, according to the article, that airspace is unused anyway, I don't see why this should be done more frequently. The article also says something about new technology for air traffic control. I wonder if Thanksgiving is the best time to be trying out new technology though...

In England, the government wants to collect 53 pieces of information from international travelers. They say a test program has already helped them catch 10,000 criminals thanks to the extra information. I'm no detective, but why can't you identify criminals with a name and a birthday or maybe an ID number? Why does it take 53 pieces of information to identify criminals?

Having asked that, if it does take all that information, who are we to complain about the extra expense? I'd rather be safe than thrifty personally.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A very strange article that mentions dark tourism

This really weird article (by far the weirdest I've ever linked to) warns you not to throw away your dictionaries in case Google collapses. I'm pretty sure I still have mine somewhere...

Then they say something about who the EU president should not be. And then, finally they get to the travel stuff, dark tourism. Apparently dark tourism could lead to "the situation that wars and misery are created for potential dark tourist benefits. And that would signify the moral end of humanity."

Of course, most dark tourism is not so extreme. Lots of people visit Ground Zero or Hiroshima or the site of some other disaster.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:42 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Who wants to see a volcano erupt on vacation?

Here's an interesting article about how in the Philippines, people are trying to prmote active volcanoes as tourist destinations:

"People are fascinated by the phenomenon of volcanic eruptions," said Francois Dominique de Larouziere, scientific director of Vulcania, a volcano park that has drawn some 2.45 million paying visitors a year since its opening in 2002 on an extinct volcano in the remote Auvergne region of central France.

During last year's deadly eruptions of the Mayon volcano 340 kilometres (210 miles) southeast of Manila tourists flocked to the area to catch a glimpse of the eruptions.

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Living near a criminal who isn't going to jail

Sorry for not posting yesterday but we had some excitement in our apartment building (we live in an apartment complex for foreign faculty) when one teacher beat up an old Korean man (with a chair).

He's not in jail. Apparently according to Korean law you have to hurt someone 4 weeks worth to earn jail time. The old man went to the doctor and will "only" be hurt for 2 weeks so the teacher is safe in that sense it seems.

Still something obviously needs to be done. When my wife went outside to see what all the yelling was about the bad guy yelled and cursed at her a lot. By the time she woke me up (heavy sleeper) things had calmed down somewhat but we're still pretty mad about it all...

I have a couple of articles coming in the next few hours but meanwhile, I thought I'd pose a discussion question inspired by the Korean law (as it was explained to me) that if you injure someone for less than 4 weeks you don't get prosecuted (I mean when a young man attacks an old man with a metal chair the young guy deserves to go to jail, right?):

What crazy laws have you learned about places you've been?

Let me qualify this by saying that I'd rather talk about laws that actaully matter or affect people. We've all heard crazy laws like "In Delaware it is illegal to get married on a dare" or "It is illegal to have sex with a porcupine in Florida" (who knows if those are even truly laws?).

Anyway, I'm not talking about weird, obscure laws that people will never encounter. Let's share laws that might be worth knowing or might actually matter to travelers.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Where should university exchange students study in America? Where did you (or should you have) studied?

Many of my students plan to study as exchange students (undergrad) in the US or attend graduate school here. For example, just today, one student told me he would be going to Madison, Wisconsin for a semester.

I've never been to Madison so there wasn't much I could tell him, but it got me thinking. Exchange students face all kinds of challenges. They think the language will be a big issue but if they pass the university interview system I think their English is good enough.

One of the big problems for those not going to a major city (and who can afford to live in New York or Boston these days?) is transportation. I wonder if my student will be able to get around in Madison.

Of course, there are other possibilities as well. Vancouver, Canada is a popular choice for students. And countries such as the Philippines are often less expensive options.

The other question I'd like to ask is where did you go if you did a study abroad program? Or where do you wish you had gone?

Personally, I always ignored the study abroad choices at my university. Now I realize that I was being stupid. There are hundreds of countries where a semester could have really helped me see the world. Some place close like Mexico, some place exotic like China. But I really wish I had experienced Europe during my college years.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:19 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Plan your winter vacation in advance

One line from this article about planning vacations in advance rang especially true for me:

Pam Seagle, an agent with Carlson Wagonlit Travel in High Point, N.C., said the families who "get it" booked their holiday travel plans back in January and February of 2007.

It turns out that the cheapest flights from Seoul to Europe are with Thai Air. It's a very long flight, Seoul - Bangkok - Munich (or wherever). However we figured we could make it worthwhile by spending some time in Thailand, maybe a week to study Thai massage in Wat Pho or something. Then we learned that all the flights from Seoul to Bangkok for Dec. 19-21 (our possible departure dates) were already booked.

So we ended up with flights on Lufthansa or something but I just couldn't believe that everything was full so far in advance.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

How many countries have you visited?

Do you consider yourself to be well-traveled? You probably haven’t been to as many different countries, states and territories as Charles Veley. According to this web site he has visited almost every place in the world – a total of 627 states, territories, countries and provinces. I’m amazed that he has somehow found the time to do this, as he’s only 42!

According to infoplease, there are 194 countries in the world today, although it depends upon your definition of a country. The 673 places are arrived at by listing not only every country, but all the US states, Canadian provinces, territories, island groups and disputed territories.

The web site lists places I have never heard of and will probably never visit – the Lesser Sunda Islands, Karnataka, Redonda and Pukapuka. Some of these places don’t even have scheduled air or boat service – and some of the places on the list I wouldn’t want to visit such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda.

The site also needs proof of visiting the country, in the form of a passport entry stamp, airline ticket or credit card receipt. So if your plane lands there but you don’t leave the airport, it doesn’t really count! Speaking of exotic and hard to come by passport stamps, Budget Travel’s web site has a slide show of some of the most unusual.

It seems as though it would take almost as much time and effort to visit every county in the United States – all 3086 of them. But apparently, there are people who do just that and call themselves the Extra Mile Club. And the club doesn’t need proof that you have been to the counties – they are prepared to take your word for it. By the way – in Louisiana, counties are known as parishes and in Alaska, they are called boroughs.

But with all his 627 places visited, there is no mention of Mr.Veley having visited the self-proclaimed nation of Sealand, which declares itself to be the world’s smallest country and is currently up for sale.

So which reader of this site has visited the most countries? I thought I was doing well at 21 countries, but obviously I have some way to go...

Guest entry by Mancunian

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Vegas massage therapist speaks

Here's a moderately interesting article from the point of view of a Vegas massage therapist who complains about being grabbed and mistaken for a prostitute, customers who are sick or dirty, not getting a 20% cash tip, and customers who complain that women don't give good deep tissue massages.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

A few articles to get you reading & thinking

I'm entertaining my Parents-in-law today so I hope you don't mind if I'm a bit brief...

We've had a few discussions on this site about when (and if) to use travel agents. If I were gay, I would use this travel agent. He says he works hard for his clients and he has been to 120 countries so he has a bit of first-hand travel experience...

Most of the article is about gay/lesbian travel. There seem to be lots of cruise options.

Here we have a handful of free vacations for US soldiers. I hate mentioning the war because we tend to get at least one crazy comment about it every time (not surprising that war makes people emotional though) and it leaves me open to criticism about not supporting our troops. In reality though, injured soldiers like the guy in this story need more support from the US. 23 free vacations isn't enough when thousands are dead or injured, is it?

Blowing Rock might be a funny name, but it sounds like a nice place for a vacation home. Apparently there are about 1,500 full-time residents but more like 10,000 people in the summer. Supposedly this place can compete with the nature spots we're talking about on the post from the other day.

Posted by James Trotta at 9:40 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

What British people can do when travel plans go bad - do Americans have any recourse?

From this article, I get the impression that British travelers who are unhappy with their travel agents get taken care of much better than Americans in the same situation.

For example this story talks about a British couple that had planned a trip to Egypt. Then they had to cancel when they found out the flight schedule had changed. The travel agent (Thomas Cook) offered them a full refund plus 50 British Pounds (about $100).

That sounds wonderful to me - I can't even begin to imagine an American company giving you a full refund. Something a little extra for your trouble is just out of the question, isn't it?

But the British couple said 50 pounds wasn't enough - they wanted 10,000 pounds. Now that's American thinking!

This left the British couple with two choices:

Disappointed holidaymakers have two options: arbitration through the Abta (Association of British Travel Agents) scheme, where a third party hears both sides and makes a decision resolving the dispute; or going through the courts.

So the British couple in this story went to arbitration and lost. Honestly, what were they thinking asking for 10,000 pounds?

Now some people complain that Abta favors travel agents (considering the name stands for Association of British Travel Agents, I guess this wouldn't surprise me) but statistics show that many travelers do win even if their rewards are not as big as their claims.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

What's the most striking nature scene you've seen on vacation?

First, I apologize for not blogging yesterday - I had to finish off a paper on how repetition is wrongly associated with only Behaviorism when (if done properly) it is actually cognitive...

Anyway, back to blogging and dreaming of vacations.

I love nature and everything, but I'm not so sure I see the appeal in bird watching. I like birds (when we were in Vermont we looked for humming birds while eating breakfast since there was a feeder just outside the window) but I can't focus an entire vacation on looking for one type of bird...

These guys on the other hand, organized a vacation to go look for Himalayan snowcocks. Depsite the name, they only had to go to Nevada which is easier than India or Nepal...

I was thinking about a trip to India's Corbett National Park to see the nature (as research for a book I plan to write one day). And I do enjoy hiking - I've published a few hiking vacation ideas on this blog. This one in Banaue comes to mind.

Speaking of nature, we should all be this lucky. I'd settle for a lot less in a a vacation home...

Also on the subject of enjoying nature on vacation, here's an article on declining numbers of campers in Yosemite and other parks. There's a place I'd like to go camping but I understand why they are closing campgrounds:

A few generations back, 80 percent of Yosemite visitors spent the night, said park spokesman Scott Gediman. Now just 20 percent do, a sure sign that people's vacation patterns are changing. They're taking fewer days off, planning shorter excursions. Research shows that in the park, hotel-style accommodations are king.

Of course, camping would be cheaper as this article on saving money reminds us.

And while we're on the topic of parks, here's a Yellowstone vacation itinerary. I would love to go to Yellowstone, Yosemite, see the Grand Canyon, etc.

What's the most striking nature scene you've seen on vacation? For me it might be seeing a moose in Algonquin Park (up in Canada) although seeing wolves (and hearing them howl) in the moonlight in Singapore's night safari was my first thought. I wasn't sure if it counted since it wasn't exactly "in nature"...

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Some of everything: visas for crime victims, Sandals losing divers, social networking

I have a good mix of articles for you today.

Illegal immigrants in America are being offered a limited number of visas if they were the victims of a crime and help law enforcement with the investigation. It seems that many illegal aliens were afraid to report these crimes to the police because they feared deportation. In true government fashion, the law was passed 7 years ago but the visas are just now being made available. Well, 30 days from now.

The same article has a scary story about a border patrol guard facing murder charges for allegedly executing an illegal immigrant who had surrendered while trying to cross the border.

Here's a story about British families getting a free Sandals vacation. Of course, on their first Sandals vacation (Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa), the Sandals dive team left without them - leaving them in the ocean somewhere.

Luckily the two British men were vacationing with their wives. And luckily their wives were waiting for them to return - when the women noticed their husbands weren't on the boat they called for help. I guess the men were rescued with no real trouble.

I do have a couple of previous blogs on Sandals including one on Selling Sandals vacations and this honeymoon advice blog entry where Sandals was recommended.

This article mentions a few social networking sites for travelers. I'm on Facebook if anyone wants another Facebook friend... I might sign up for Myspace one of these days. As for the travel social networking sites, I'm not sure. I don't think I know anyone who uses them. Does anyone use any of these?

Asmallworld.net - international user base, and users try to meet up when on the go.
FlierTalk.com - frequent fliers.
World66.com - users share travel advice, creating a kind of wiki.
Dopplr.com - business travelers share travel schedules.

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How stupid is the average traveler?

In an article that argues everyone needs a travel agent, John Frenaye offers as evidence some stupid comments he's heard from past clients (he is or was a travel agent).

Of course his argument that 25 stupid comments proves that everyone needs a travel agent makes him look about as smart as his dumbest clients... I'm sure some people enjoy reading about the stupidity of others but let me give you a sample so you know what you're getting yourself into if you go read all 25:

How much is a train to Jamaica? (We are sold out, but if you call Amtrak, they have space. Be sure to ask for a seat on the left side of the train so you don't miss the Lost City of Atlantis on the way down.)

What language do they speak in England? (Swahili. Would you like to purchase our "Learn Swahili in 10 Easy Steps" manual?)

The answer, according to this article, is that the FAA is too weak to stand up to all the warring factions (airlines, labor unions, politicians, airplane manufacturers, executives with corporate jets, etc.). It's as plausible a reason as I've heard...

I guess we really will have to switch to train travel.

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More competition = better service (we hope)

Just a quick article that may be of interest to some about how competition in the online travel business is going to heat up. That should mean better customer service since industry growth won't be strong enough to increase profits at these big companies.

It's a UK article, but I imagine the same applies in the US. I sure hope so!

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Traveling alone: single and solo vacations

Here's an interesting article on traveling alone that mentions two types of independent travel:

Solo vacations are more structured, experiential travel for people who want to go to a destination they may never get to visit with family.

Single vacations are more-mixer oriented geared towards people who want to be in the company of other single travelers.

Well I don't have time to explore the issue further - I'm doing my sister's wedding ceremony tomorrow (In Massachusetts I can be ordained for a day in order to do a wedding ceremony). While I think I'm done writing my speech, I'd better make sure...

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What should I do in Boston (besides the duck tour)?

I'm in Boston for my sister's wedding. I won't have much free time, but I do have a bit of free time to explore. Our family is already planning a duck tour so I could use some advice on what else to do while I'm in Boston.

I have pamphlets for New England Aqurium which I hear is very good. I have another one for the Mapparium mentioned on this blog a long time ago), which I've visited and absolutely love. I might just go back there. I also have a card for the ICA, Boston's Institue of Contemporary Art and one for a 4 hour whale watch.

Contemporary Art is pretty hit or miss with me plus I've already been to Boston's ICA so Boston's Museum of Fine Arts would be a more likely choice. If I find myself with enough time to make a museum visit viable, maybe I should just walk the Freedom Trail or the Black Heritage Trail.

I will have some time tomorrow night, well I could have some time if I don't join my future brother in law and some of his friends for drinks, so the Prudential Observatory is an option for night views of Boston. Of course I should just go to the bar, but I don't like drinking and my wife would then have to go hang out with my sister and her friends. That's not bad, but I think she'd prefer the observatory since we've been to the top of the Empire State Building, Namsan Tower and the 63 Building in Seoul, and the Petronas buildings and the tall KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur. We really like night views of big cities from high vantage points.

There are a few movie and TV tourism choices like the two "Cheers" bars (an original which inspired the TV show's setting and a replica set up by Hollywood at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. I have a brochure for that one too.

It's also restaurant week in Boston, so maybe we shoud try to take advantage of that...

But now that I'm done brainstorming, what are your ideas for fun things to do in Boston?

Posted by James Trotta at 1:44 AM | Comments (19) | TrackBack

19 month old baby kicked off plane for threatening words "bye bye plane"

I didn't like it when an annoyed couple got booted off a cruise. I didn't like it when a coughing girl got kicked off a plane.

I really don't like it when babies get kicked off planes.

Did you hear about the passenger who was kicked off an airplane for repeatedly saying "Bye-bye, airplane" while the flight attendant was giving the safety demonstration?

According to an AP wire service story, the toddler (19 months old) was looking out the window and waving goodbye to a taxiing aircraft. The flight attendant became so agitated over the child's words, she had the plane return to the gate and the mother and child removed from the aircraft.

But isn't kicking a 1 and a half year old off the plane a bit much?

According to this news story, the flight attendant was on some kind of crazy power trip. The flight attendant suggested baby benadryl and lied saying that the mother was threatening. All Kate Penland did was refuse to drug her toddler.

If you ask me, Continental Express and Express Jet Airlines have a flight attendant that needs firing and owe the mother, Kate Penland, and her baby, a very sincere apology. I mean their flight gets delayed 11 hours and then their flight attendant goes nuts on a baby?

I have much less sympathy for the mother who was kicked off a Freedom Airlines / Delta flight for not covering up her breastfeeding with a blanket. I don't care if you're in the second to last row, I don't want to see any breast feeding.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:33 PM | Comments (83) | TrackBack

Do you travel without your spouse?

I liked this article on how it's becoming increasingly common for spouses to vacation without their bettter halves. I know that a collegaue and I once went to Hong Kong and Taipei while my wife stayed home. It was a good experience but I definitely remember thinking that Hong Kong was a fairly romantic city (especially the ferry rides) that would have been better with my wife.

And my wife has been to Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Utah/Arizona/California without me. Those trips were half business though...

At some point, we'll probably do it again, mostly because there are some things I want to do that she's not interested in (kayaking and hiking in particular). I wonder how you feel about traveling solo when married (or traveling with friends but not your spouse) - is it healthy and normal?

Posted by James Trotta at 5:21 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack

Travel troubleshooting: on your own, in the US, in the UK

Here we have an article from Christopher Elliott, National Geographic Traveler's ombudsman and the Miami Herald's Travel Troubleshooter.

He has some advice for people fighting with bad travel companies on their own:

Don't wait. Keep meticulous records. Take a deep breath. Talk is cheap. Write tight and polite. Start at the bottom. Cite the rules. Tell them what you want -- nicely. Copy all the right people. Press 'send' or mail. Be patient. Appeal your case to a higher authority. Take another deep breath. Take extreme measures. Go to court. Know when to cut your losses.

While the advice seems solid, I do wonder how useful it will be. Even American Express Platinum Travel won't help its customers until the travel trouble shooter gets involved. In this case, they promise a room rate in US dollars but dues to currency fluctuations, the rooms ends up costing more. All the travel agent had to do was tell the customer the price in pesos along with the current exchange rate, but since the travel agent screwed up we have problems...

Then we have a British travel trouble shooter. The problems don't change too much when you're on the other side of the Atlantic.

Or the Pacific for that matter as one Air New Zealand passenger had a particularly outrageous experience. Her flight was cancelled due to weather, the Air New Zealand agent promised a refund upon returning to London, the airline contract says customers can get a refund if their flight is cancelled for any reason, and the airline refused to give the refund.

It's hard to believe, but there it is. I hope that someday my humble travel blog has enough clout to sponsor a travel troubleshooter. We sure need them with all these evil corporations out to get us...

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Brick & mortar travel agencies vs. online travel agencies

This article says that travel shoppers are starting to return to regular travel agents. They are turning away from the online travel businesses because of poor customer service.

I understand. If I had booked my trip to Costa Rica through a travel agent, I would have ended up in Costa Rica. Instead, I'll end up in Punta Cana this summer. I also would have saved myself many hours of work but I probably would have spent more money. I'm not even sure about that though.

On the other hand, the one time I did use a travel agent was when I went to Cancun. Everything was OK but we expected the travel agent to pick out something better for us. I think that if I had done the research myself I would have ended up in a better resort. One of these days I'll figure out the name but it's probably too late for a review anyway since this was in 2001.

This article on travel insurance for British travelers, says to buy travel insurance online (directly from the company), not through a travel agent. Apparently travel agencies overcharge for travel insurance (about 1.3 billion pounds worth). That includes normal agents and online ones.

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Enjoy the July 4th holiday!

And don't forget to tell us about the fireworks you see.

Yes I know some of you will see this early. My blog is on Korean time, 14 hours ahead of New York. I do this so it looks like I beat all the other travel bloggers to the best news stories or because I'm a visiting professor of linguistics living in Seoul.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Advice for traveling in groups

I thought this article on group travel was interesting.

It reminded me of the time I traveled in a group to Mount Taishan in China. The group was my hiking club, but somehow once they got into China a few people lost their will to hike. They went up Mount Taishan so slowly that we missed watching the sunset. That was supposed to be the highlight of the trip.

Of course, seeing the sunrise could have made up for that, but some group members had to get home for work and the flight was leaving early so we had to leave Mount Taishan without seeing the sunrise either.

Anyway, I quit the hiking club.

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Where are you going to read Harry Potter? Edinburgh?

I really liked this article on hotel specials. We have mancations, , and why not go to a release party and then to a hotel to read Harry Potter:

Attend a private party at Waterstone's West End bookstore in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 20 to celebrate the release of the final "Harry Potter" book. The party begins at 10 p.m., two hours before the book's official release, and offers partygoers the chance to retire to specially reserved "fan reading rooms" at their hotels once they have the book. Fans can also reserve the room in Edinburgh's Balmoral hotel where author J.K. Rowling finished the book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," with travel packages offered by HP Fan Trips, a Harry Potter-themed fan tour group.

The Harry Potter themepark isn't open yet, but these Harry Potter-related tourist attractions are. And in this England vacation itinerary, Harry Potter fans get to tour Christ Church and listen to Evensong (during day 2).

Anyway, is anyone here going to a Harry Potter themed party or are you just waiting for your books to come in the mail so you can read them at home?

Posted by James Trotta at 1:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Can big British travel companies compete with specialty travel agents?

I'm collecting articles from British newspapers today. First, the British travel industry is changing. Thomas Cook will merge with MyTravel and First Choice will merge with Tui, the German owner of Thomson.

According to the article, "The key to their long-term future will be offering holidays that Ryanair and easyJet can't hope to provide, such as cruises to Antarctica and treks to Tibet."

But how does a company that tries to do it all compete with niche travel companies? This article talks about companies that specialize in all sorts of niche travel markets:

Custom itineraries such as "gorillas in Rwanda, Latin American bird-watching and musical festivals in Mali."

Tours to the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran that often change due to military activity.

Expeditions in Egypt into unvisited areas of the Sahara.

Adventure sports like "motorbike safaris through the Philippines, volcano surfing in Nicaragua and trips to Switzerland to replicate James Bond's famous leap off the Verzasca Dam in Goldeneye."

Weekend bike trips that "trace the stages of the Tour de France and Dauphine Libere cycle races."

Skydiving, skiing and summer breaks in the Alps.

Races in crappy cars (or riding crappy scooters) through dangerous areas known for bandits and whatnot.

Posted by James Trotta at 6:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Passports, the Bronx, New Orleans, & vocation vacations

Here's a crappy vacation story for you. Just because the US says it won't require passports for travel from the Caribbean, doesn't meant the country you're going to doesn't require a passport. Turks and Caicos, a British territory, does require a passport to enter.

Here's an interesting one about a vacation for amateur choral singers.

As a New Yorker, I thought that the Bronx's new advertising campaign is an interesting one. They have good attractions (Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium), but I'm not sure being so close to Manhattan will help attract people who actually stay and eat in the Bronx.

I really like this article about visiting New Orleans. I missed almost everything when I went there for Mardi Gras right after graduating college, but next time I'm going here:

Get the ultimate cheap lunch at Johnny’s Po’ Boys, an eatery whose interior is as humble and scrappy as the sandwich itself. The po’boy is New Orleans’s answer to the submarine or hoagie, served on French bread with the filling of your choice. The classic po’boy is made with fried oysters or shrimp, but favorite deli foods—roast beef, ham, meatballs—also have strong followings. Nobody does po’boys like Johnny’s. If you ask for your po’boy “dressed,” it will come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. (511 St. Louis St; 504/524-8129; open noon-4 p.m. daily; cash only)

"Seventy-five per cent of these people are truly looking for new careers," said Brian Kurth, founder of the company, which is based in Portland, Ore. "About 25 per cent are signing up for brew master or sports announcer or something like that that's usually a gift from women to men. But most are serious job seekers."

Travel agencies offer programs for travellers seeking to spend a vacation doing some volunteer work or exploring a new culture, and groups like Internships For America connect people with short-term positions in everything from hotel management to culinary training.

But VocationVacations' two- or three-day internship model is unique. It offers dozens of "dream job" holidays across the U.S., including white-water rafting outfitter, chocolatier, sword maker, raceway manager and dog day-care owner.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Who gets vacation time and why we all need more holidays

We've talked about vacation time before, but this article has an interesting country by country comparison. It looks like Finland and France make sure workers get plenty of vacation time.

Of course the real issue is what kind of work you do. When I was a kid I thought that teaching was a good gig because of summer and winter vacation. I have a friend in the Air Force who gets 30 days vacation and university professors can get 4-5 months.

Back to Americans and their too short vacations, this article speculates on the financial implications of shorter vacations:

John A. Challenger, of the Chicago-based consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said the trend toward weekend trips could hurt expensive and distant vacation destinations and help local attractions....

“Where this will hurt is places like Hawaii and Las Vegas, where so many fly to get there,” said David Jackson, of the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau. “In our scenario in Bucks County, this could kind of work in our favor.”

This article reminds us why we need to spend a little money on vacation: "Companies are beginning to realize the benefits of vacations for their weary workers - fewer sick days, smaller health care bills and a more motivated workforce." Of course, you also have to wonder how many vacationers are still working on vacation. I know when I'm on vacation I'm always looking for stuff to blog about on here. Not that I'm complaining - I think I do a good job keeping my life fairly low stress (although that stray dog is still driving me a bit nuts).

I imagine that the readers here, like me, know how important it is to travel a bit. And this is true not only for corporate types but also for people who get their stress from raising kids.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

New Discovery Channel travel show: 1,000 Places To See Before You Die

We talked about travel shows a while back and here's an article on a new one based on the popular book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die (also the name of the new show). The hosts spent 4 months traveling aorund the world - getting paid to travel is a great job if you ask me!

By the way, who has seen Christopher Elliott's new travel show?

Posted by James Trotta at 11:50 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Why is it so hard to find resorts that permit night swimming and/or answer emails?

Those of you who saw my positive reviews of Plantation Bay in Cebu know that one of the things my wife and I loved about the place was that we could swim all night long.

If you've been reading more recently, you know that Spirit Air is forcing me to go to Punta Cana so I'm researching various resorts there, including Sunscape. What I haven't been able to find is a resort that has a pool open 24 hours. In fact, they all seem to close the pools at 6:00 PM.

I don't understand this. A resort that allowed night swimming in Punta Cana would make my decision on where to stay (and review) so much easier. Yet after searching for an hour or so I haven't found one resort with a pool open later than 6:00 PM. Some people say they went swimming in the ocean at night but had to contend with sand fleas, crabs, and jelly fish. I hate all three of those pests.

Of course a simple email would also help me decide where to stay. So far I've emailed Grand Palladium, Riu Palace, Secrets Punta Cana, Tortuga Bay, Excellence (adults only which I like), Bahia Principe, Majestic Colonial, and Iberostar Bavaro. Can you believe that I've only gotten one reply?

That reply was from Secrets Punta Cana and all they said was that they weren't a Secrets Resort. I replied asking what kind of resort they were but they haven't answered. If i ever figure out that little mystery I'll let you know.

I just don't get it. Surely my week-long stay (not to mention the exposure they'd get on my travel blog here) is worth a reply to an email, no? If not, why do they publish the email address on their websites?

Posted by James Trotta at 2:26 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Tourism in North Korea & happy Memorial Day

Here's a rare topic for you, the travel appeal (and lack thereof) of North Korea. It talks about how fewer and fewer Chinese tourists are visiting Kim Jong Il's Hermit Kingdom although that does give it a certain appeal to travelers who want to do something different:

A Chinese travel agent says North Korea’s poverty is part of its off-beat appeal. If North Korea were to become richer, she says, it would lose its competitive tourism advantage. Not that it is a huge draw, even when it does welcome tourists. The Arirang performance, originally due to last for a month, ended several days early because of insufficient paying visitors.

China still can be somewhat prickly (as my wife learned in Beijing), but certainly not like North Korea. I remember watching a documentary on travel in North Korea a year ago where a British guy (after leaving North Korea) was cursing because he'd just spent a week in prison for asking why Kim Jong Il was chubby when all his people are so skinny.

He was probably lucky it was only a week. And I guess he got that unique travel experience he was after.

With Memorial Day coming up it reminds us to appreciate the sacrifices of US military. My grandfathers and some of my current friends have served and while some people complain about different militray actions or strategies we can at least all be grateful that we don't have to worry about a lot of the things that people in North Korea worry about.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Watching people body surf at Newport Beach's the Wedge?

I wonder how many of us have watched surfing while on vacation.

I have a friend taking a business trip to California's Newport Beach. When he asked for suggestions on what to do in his free time someone recommended the Wedge (the "body surfing mecca"):

Is it just me or would most of us actually find this fairly stressful (the longer you watch the crazier it gets)? I hate watching people almost (or really) get hurt. Then again, I think I am getting more squeamish since my surgery. For example today I had no interest in watching K1 or UFC or any of those other fighting shows but normally when I'm flipping channels I'll stop and watch...

Anyway, I'm home from the hospital. Thank you to everyone who wished me luck. Everything has gone well so far and I just have to finish recovering.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:45 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

New travel TV show: Christopher Elliott's What You Get for the Money: Vacations

I recently mentioned the new Disney video on demand and fairly recently we talked about not having enough good travel shows.

Maybe this new travel show will be worth watching. "What You Get for the Money: Vacations" from the Fine Living TV network will be on Saturday at noon. It will feature Christopher Elliott's (he is a travel columnist ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine) tips for cheaper travel.

There will also be giveaways - vacations featured on the show will be awarded to sweepstakes winners.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:49 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Virtual vacations or fantasy vacations with Second Life computer software

I suppose people are becoming too addicted to computers when they go on virtual vacations like the one in this article where people would rather watch their avatar lay out on a beach then do it themselves:

Visitors need only download a free program, then log in. With the help of elaborate 3-D locales designed and built by the world's residents, tourists can watch their online embodiments -- known as their avatars -- lounge at the beach, dine at a romantic restaurant, or go out dancing at a crowded nightclub.

This very similar article (some parts are the same) calls them fantasy vacations. However some people treat them as if they were quite real:

Like in the real world, it's easy to get lost. Longtime inhabitants of "Second Life" are creating automated tours, opening virtual travel agencies and even publishing travel guidebooks modeled after those seen in the hands of confused tourists.

"There are sections on how to fly and how to hover," said co-writer Paul Carr. But despite such necessary adjustments, he said, "it's very much like going to a foreign country."

Has anyone tried this free program (at least you don't have to pay to not go on vacation) called Second Life?

Posted by James Trotta at 5:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Delaware vacation: Rehoboth Beach or Bethany Beach & hotel recommendations please

I recently received this question: I have a wife and 2 small kids. Has anyone stayed at a place in either Rehoboth Beach or Bethany Beach that they could recommend to a family with small kids. Thanks...

I've compiled a few answers. Please leave a comment below if you can add something.

Answer #1: Henlopen Hotel is oceanfront but pretty reasonably priced.

Answer #2: Thos are pretty nice beaches. Rehoboth Beach is known as the gay beech town though. Don't know if that would bother you with the kids. I would stay in Bethany Beech instead.

Answer #3: Didn't stay there, but passed on my way up from Ocean City. Very nice town with a lot of places to eat and shop and looked like nice beaches. They make excellent beer there also, DogFish Head...

Answer #4: I stayed in nearby Bethany Beach a few years back and liked it a lot. It's a little more laid back but still plenty close enough to Rehoboth or Ocean City, MD. We stayed at Sea Colony, a high rise complex. It was very nice so I can recommend it. Dewey beach nearby is good times.

Answer #5: Rehoboth beach is known to have a strong gay community. However, don't let that stop you. It is a very nice place for your family. The town is really nice and as you can imagine...well kept. I would also recommend the Henlopen right on the beach and boardwalk

Answer #6: I have a friend who lives in Henlopen Acres and that is beautiful but he hates Rainbow Street because Rehobeth has a very large gay community and they like to express themselves too much for my friend's conservative tastes.

Answer #7: I like the Henlopen and stay there frequently with my wife and two kids, and the location is unbeatable. The Henlopen is nice because it is towards the end of the boardwalk so its not as loud at night and is more private.

Its a great town. Even though it is known as a 'gay town', it doesn't affect it being very family friendly. I've never seen anything that I would consider bad for kids in the many years I've gone there. As for the gay aspect, yeah, it's there... but the town goes out of its way to be family friendly. It is well maintained and is very clean.

And eat at Nicola's. Excellent food!

This is a noisy 3 minute video of the waves at Rehoboth Beach - I got bored after 30 seconds, but it did look like a nice beach in the short time I spent watching the video. If you make it through the whole thing let me know how it ends!

Posted by James Trotta at 3:17 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Go somewhere exotic to find a model for your garden

Here's an interesting article on expensive tours (2 week tours in the $8,000 range not including airfare) to places like Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, and the Maldives (over $10,000 but your bungalow comes with a sailboat). There are also spots in Europe, including Slovenia. Interestingly I was just talking to some friends about going to Slovenia because it's cheap. But I guess some people are willing to pay big bucks anyway.

When go to these exotic destinations, make sure to check out some gardens so that you can make your neighbors jealous. Here's an article about modeling your garden after what would be found wherever you travel. After all, a "garden can recreate the excitement of stepping onto foreign lands every day."

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The importance of taking vacations

Here's an article strongly recommending a "girls' trip" (that's what the author calls it - not being sexist I would have to say "a trip for women only" or something) because mother's regular lives are so tough:

Mothers rarely have time to truly recharge. Sure, we work out, we sit down, sometimes we even go out with our friends for an evening. But when the break is over, we are back to the 24/7 duties that don't end. Motherhood is a project that is never finished.

But I do get it. Mothers need time away from their normal responsibilities. I'd say that's true for everyone. We all need some vacation time. Using vacation time helps your health and doesn't hurt your career. It could be Las Vegas like the author of our "girls' trip" experienced. Or it could be something more exotic, maybe Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha celebrated every summer (July 16, 2007) in Puri. Puri is a temple town in Orissa, India (on the east coast).

Your vacation doesn't have to cost a fortune either. That trip to India would probably cost a few bucks (at least the airfare). Soon I'll be taking a long weekend to go to Cebu and stay in the Plantation Bay resort - you'll see a review and pictures in this blog in late April. It will be a very expensive long weekend, but I'm working hard and could use a break. This USA Today article will show you how to take a vacation in Martha's Vineyard for under $500/person.

If I can go back to my Cebu vacation for a moment, while I'm looking forward to a few days in a resort, there's a part of me that wants to do something a little less touristy. I have the Manila to Palawan travel plan which is slightly less touristy. Banaue, in the province of Ifugao (in the mountainous Cordillera region of the Philippines) would certainly be a cooler story. Ilocos Sur, in the northern part of the Philippines, would also make me sound like more of a traveler.

Well, eventually I'll do some real traveling. For now I just need a relaxing break so Cebu it is. No matter what your job is, make sure you take a break once in a while.

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Emotional story: Jennifer West, Sarah Hall, Oprah Winfrey

This is a story that's hard to talk about but that has to be shared. A young widow nominated for Oprah Winfrey's "O" magazine "Live Your Best Life" contest by a total stranger now gets a vacation and a birthday party that might help her get on with her life.

Good luck Jennifer.

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Is it too late to book a spring break vacation?

According to this article, spring break vacations are getting booked quickly but a little flexibility can really help you. This late in the game, however, makes it very difficult to save money on a spring break trip.

For students at Purdue, spring break in Cancun is most popular but Amsterdam is also drawing college students (I wonder what they do there). Not that I should talk considering that I blogged about Amsterdam's best coffee shops (not that I've ever been to Amsterdam).

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Chile, Spas, Israel

First I have an interesting article on Pucon, Chile. Pucon seems good for people who like the outdoors:

Why does anyone bother with Pucon? You should be at least a closet-outdoorsman if not a hardcore backpacker. There are plenty of opportunities to fly-fish for salmon and rainbow trout in well-stocked lakes and brisk rivers, along with hiking, bicycling, kayaking and white-water rafting, horseback riding or just lolling in a local thermal spa.

Here's an article on tourism in Israel, including the Dead Sea and Eilat.

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Suggestions: what golf courses to play in the Vegas area

This is a reader submitted article on golfing around Las Vegas:

Hi James. A friend recently asked me for some advice about where to gold in Vegas and I thought of your blog. Maybe whatever I know will help some readers.

Bali Hai - Very nice course, but many men go to oogle at the beautiful cart girls.

the Wynn - Directly behind the Hotel is a nice golf course. Rates were around $500 when I was there so it's expensive.

the Las Vegas Country Club - A mid-level, reasonably challenging course, very fast greens.

TPC at the Canyons - Is said to have very good rates for the summer.

Badlands - In the Summerlin area, this Johnny Miller course is fairly challenging - the desert areas come into play on pretty much every hole. It is very scenic and very well maintained with a friendly staff. It's a little gimmicky - lots of "target golf" where you're teeing off with irons on par 4s in order hit small landing areas, etc. Not your standard track but enjoyable if you want a change of pace.

Rio Secco - Often said to be better than Badlands.

Angel Park - Also in the Summerlin area, Angel Park is a fair to middling course. It has a lot of nice views of the surrounding area, and fast greens for a public course. However, the pace was glacially slow the day I played - 5+ hours.

PGA West - I played 36 holes at in September one year. It was 120+ degrees. No caddies - but a covered golf cart with a complimentary gatorade sized thermos of water attached was the club's rule of the day. Most of the fringes were burned and there were fans blowing on all of the exposed greens to keep them from burning. We were the only players on the course that day, it was a trip.

In the desert in the summer, dry dry dry and hot hot hot. It can be really brutal. Bring and use plenty of sunblock, wear the right clothing including a hat with a brim.

Bear's Best - This Nicklaus course is fairly challenging with some 500+ yard par 5 holes.

Paioute - There are 3 different courses at Paioute, and it is a 30 or 40 minute ride from the strip, so you are better off renting a car than cabbing it. Pauite is very good and it is reasonable (for Vegas).

Anthem at Revere - In Henderson, Revere at Anthem has two beautiful courses, which are fairly challenging. In addition to the other two names I sometimes call this one Revere Anthem.

Lake Las Vegas - Two courses which are gorgeous, and have the nicest greens I have ever played. Enjoy, but they can be pricey, even in July.

Wolf Creek - If you are good and want a once in a lifetime experience, drive 80 miles (only an hour there) to Mesquite and play Wolf Creek. It's like playing golf on the moon. Unreal golf course...trust me.

Well I hope you enjoyed this reader submitted article on golf courses in Vegas. If you want to share your travel knowledge, email jtrotta@gmail.com.

I know comments haven't been working since I got the new server set up. Sorry for that but they should be working soon.

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Travel news for Superbowl Sunday

I have a few travel articles for you. First there's one on getting ready for vacation with reminders like planning your trip and pet sitters in advance, trying new stuff, etc.

One story that bothers me is that of the Norwegian cruise ship that ran aground and leaked oil in Antarctica. As far as I can tell, Norwegian Coastal Voyage is doing nothing to clean up their mess. They are tracking the situation. I hope this raises their insurance premiums enough to punish them.

Study abroad programs can be kind of like vacations depending on what classes are involved, but they are always travel experiences. Here's a domestic study travel experience. Do it in Colorado and do a lot of skiing, do it in Miami and watch basketball, do it in San Francisco and go to an S&M festival, do it in Malibu and go surfing.

I'm not sure why, but not all parents paying their kids way through college are convinced:

With college costs already steep, Carol Powers of Pembroke, Mass., wasn't thrilled when her son Tom passed over a business-management program in Australia for a pricier option in Los Angeles that required her to take out a $6,000 loan. "It seemed ridiculous. He needs a rental car so he can live with beautiful people?" says Ms. Powers, a 59-year-old social worker who fears he will be seduced by the money and "blonde, tan, perfect bodies" of L.A. "I think it's so superficial. In Australia he would have learned about a lot of different cultures."

Tom, a business-management major from Boston University, is taking classes in entertainment law and management, but has spent much of the past month cruising with his friends along Sunset Boulevard and looking for an internship. He says here, too, there are cultural differences: He doesn't have to wear a tie for interviews, and unlike Boston, where "you are what you do, in L.A., you are what you drive."

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Travel trends: Asia, Europe, river cruises, volunteering, & the environment

Those of you not too caught up in holiday madness have noticed that I'm not blogging as regularly as I normally do. That will continue for the next week or so although I do have something for you today.

Here's an article on travel trends that says more Americans are visiting China and India although as you'd expect, Europe is still very popular. In both China and Europe, river cruises are becoming more popular. Volunteer and environmentally friendly vacations are also gaining popularity.

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Trouble with Destination Adventures in Branson, Mo.

Here's a brief complaint to one of the newspaper troubleshooters (but not the travel troubleshooter) where a woman is promised a refund that never gets delivered. It turns out that Destination Adventures in Branson, Mo. has lost its BBB membership: "the Better Business Bureau in Springfield revoked the company’s BBB membership because of the company’s failure to respond to one or more customer complaints." Sounds like one to avoid.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Which 7 "New wonders of the world" are you voting for?

Which 7 attractions are you voting for in the new 7 wonders of the world survey? I haven't decided yet, but some of the wonders seem to lag way behind the others. For me, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the Sydney Opera House are cool, even great. But do they really compare to India's Taj Mahal or Turkey's Hagia Sophia? Anyway, what do you think? Who are you voting for?

Posted by James Trotta at 3:34 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Is Sandals trying to destabilize St. Lucia?

Here's one I thought was interesting. Maybe because I used to be in the Political Affairs Club in college or maybe because I once wrote a blog entry about selling Sandals Resorts vacations. Anyway, St. Lucia's attorney-General, Victor La Corbiniere, is claiming that Sandals is trying to destabilize the country by announcing 100 job cuts (services like security are being outsourced) at an inopportune time (election time). Is Sandals playing politics?

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Encouraging comments on a few old and very old travel posts

In case you missed the Holland America not honoring its advertised prices post, this one is setting a record for most comments on my blog (complaints about Carnival cruises is barely in the lead). Feel free to tell us what you think.

British actress Keira Knightley, the 21-year-old made famous by Pirates of the Caribbean wants an Italian wedding like Tom Cruise had (several comments there as well). "We've already decided to get married in Italy. Tom Cruise is living my dream by marrying in a castle," the actress said. If you have or want to get married in Italy, read or comment on this thread about me trying to get married in Italy.

This one wasn't as popular with commenters, but maybe someone feels like talking about German sausage? Saving money on a cruise is more likely to interest most readers I suppose. If you feel like getting political, there's always Cuba. If you want to feel sad or angry, there were a number of comments on the Jude Jarvis cosmetic surgery in India post.

Posted by James Trotta at 10:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

NASCAR infield party at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama

I used to travel to folk festivals for the partying that happened in the campground but I don't think I've experienced anything quite like a Talladega NASCAR infield party. 250,000 NASCAR fans come to a rural town of 15,000 people. According to the author he was the only non-white person out of these 250,000 people.

The author (an Asian guy who writes for Giant Robot - see below) was impressed by the friendly people offering food and beer and the women showing their breasts (the author calls this "a less talked about side of the famous southern hospitality").

However, he seems less impressed with the grandmother who high-fives him when her 15-year-old granddaughter shows a bunch of old drunk men her breasts (after dancing in her underwear for a while men yelled at her to take her shirt off), when 13 year-old girls posing for pictures ask if they should pose with their tops on or off, or when a father convinces his daughter to flash some guy in exchange for a free drink (the father got the drink, not the daughter who had to do the flashing).

I've never been to a NASCAR race, but are the infield parties as bad as the author describes in terms of underage nudity? If you've experienced this, is it safe to bring your family to a NASCAR race? Perhaps most people go enjoy the race while a few wack jobs leer at the under 18-year-olds? I guess I' asking what's it like?

Giant Robot magazine

The only reason I can write this blog is because a friend gave me a magazine called Giant Robot for my birthday. It seems to be an Asian magazine written in English and mostly about modern art. But there's an article by Doug Kim about what he observed in Talladega. This was basically the only travel article in issue 43, October 2006.

Related articles: Spa and the Belgian Grand Prix (Formula One), the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richard Petty racing experience (takes you to another site).

Posted by James Trotta at 2:02 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

When are the lines short in Disney World?

I've heard from a couple of people who say that the best time to go to Disney World is January/early February. You can avoid the big crowds and one person claims to have done the entire park in one day using the fastpass ticketing system. However I was warned that Disney World hours are shorter during this time and that they often choose this time to randomly close rides for maintenance. When did you go to Disney World and how were the crowds / lines?

Posted by James Trotta at 12:47 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Does a city's relative safety influence your travel plans?

Two days ago when I wrote about Aruba, and even more when I wrote about Aruba before that, I got some comments about how it's too dangerous there. With the new Morgan Quitno Press ranking of most dangerous US cities coming out, I started wondering how many people use these rankings to determine travel plans?

For example, would you go to St. Louis now that it has "beaten" Camden, New Jersey and been ranked America's most dangerous city? Would you go to Detroit knowing that it is ranked the second most dangerous US city?

I'm sure that much of the crime happens in non-touristy areas, but St. Louis and Detroit both just dropped a bit on my list of places to visit.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:43 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Most popular US and international vacation spots

There's a unique mix of travel related information in this Chicago Tribune article. They mention that "Taking a Caribbean cruise was the top international vacation, but five Mexican destinations were in the top 10: Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen. Jamaica and the Dominican Republic placed in the top 10 as well, along with London and Rome, which climbed to fourth place this year from seventh place in the top 10 last year.

Three other Italian destinations, Florence, Tuscany and Venice, were in the top 20 international destinations."

They also talk about popular US destinations, Disney's world tour, a new museum in Berlin, and Medicare coverage for travelers (this Medicare coverage sounds very limited so I don't think you'll want to rely on it).

Posted by James Trotta at 3:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What is a last-minute vacation?

Here's an interesting article written by someone who has booked a number of last-minute holidays. However, even last-minute vacations need to be planned slightly in advance. But how far in advance? On the one hand, if you really book last-minute you should have a good idea of the weather you'll get on vacation. On the other hand, there are very few vacations left if you wait until the very last minute:

If you book your trip less than a week before you depart, the pickings are awfully slim. Some airlines post a handful of air-only deals on Tuesday, for travel beginning that Friday or Saturday. But other air-only deals and most of the air-hotel packages listed at online travel agencies like site59.com are posted the previous week, 10-12 days before departure, and are snatched up quickly.

The dilemma, of course, is that it's awfully hard to predict the weather that far in advance.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:23 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Should my friend be upset with his travel agent?

Someone I know just booked a Princess leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. This is his second cruise leaving out of Ft Lauderdale. This time, the travel agent's service didn't meet his expectations. Let me tell you what happened and then ask you what you think - did the travel agent do anything wrong or is my friend too demanding?

The travel agent the first time set up everything. This time they went back to the AAA travel agency and the agent they used last time is no longer there. Yesterday they made the final payment for the cruise and started talking about a hotel for the night before the cruise. They explain to the travel agent that all they need is a place to sleep and where they can get a shuttle to the cruise the next morning. The agent did not know of a good hotel and offered to get back to them.

My friend told me that this caused a big red flag to go up. The agent did not know and would have to get back to us? Why? So the question, did the travel agent do anything wrong or is my friend too demanding?

If you're curious, my friend ended up finding a Ramada that states it's only 1.5 miles from the airport and Port Everglades cruise port with a shuttle from airport and cruise port. Should the travel agent have been prepared with a hotel like this?

Posted by James Trotta at 1:59 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

Saint Maarten YouTube video: planes near beaches

Here's something I've never done before. Normally, I when I write about beaches, I write about quality beaches (like the best beach in America) or beach vacation experiences (like Sunscape the Beach in the Dominican Republic).

Today is a little different. I'm going to embed a YouTube video about some beaches that are crazily close to runways. If it weren't for the people in the videos, I would never believe that anyone was allowed on these beaches. Has anyone here been on a beach link this?

If you're at work, be careful because when you press play the sound will come on. Unless you're in the travel industry you might not want your boss knowing that you're reading a travel blog on the job...

Posted by James Trotta at 12:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Vacations in New York City and Puerto Rico

I have two interesting articles for you today. The first is the author's experiencing finding a place to stay in Manhattan by using Craig's List. It took 4 days to find a place after emailing and calling lots of people. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me.

The second article is about the little town of Rio Grande on the northeastern tip in Puerto Rico. Rio Grande is a few miles from the El Yunque National Rain Forest a 30-minute drive from Old San Juan. San Juan is crowded with tourists but Rio Grande has quite a few natural attraction in addition to Texas Hold'em and spas.

If you like to keep active, how about golf, tennis, water sports, rainforest trekking, and kayaking?

(The author took a) two and a half hour kayak trip at night into the Laguna Grande, (think Jurassic Park)—one of nature’s most magnificent sights. The lagoon is filled with billions of one-celled organisms called dinoflagellates, which light up under the water. We kayaked in the pitch black and somehow lived to tell about....paddling into a lagoon filled with iguanas and giant, hanging vines that can take you down in the dark.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

28 islands of Kochi

Here's an interesting vacation experience from an Indian newspaper. If you have no idea what I'm tlaking about here's an excerpt from the article:

There's Vypeen for instance, that has a famous 15th century Portuguese fort. And Bolgatty, with its Dutch palace (1744) that is now a 5-star heritage hotel. And tiny Gundu island, with its ancient coir factory hidden among the palms, actually owned by the Taj. However, it's still Willington island that has me hooked, man-made but with a charming tale that Captain John Early tells me his grandfather passed on to him years ago.

I may just do some more research, though, and you'll know why after reading the article. There's lots of talk about history, spas & massages, boats & ferries carrying you around the islands, and other good stuff.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Keeping a travel scrapbook

I couldn't find many interesting travel experiences for you, but I did find this article about someone who bought an old photo album with lots of hotel stationary in it. The author then decided to collect stationary from hotels and add it to the album.

When I was a kid, I used to collect stuff from vacation: tickets to Disney, postcards from museum gift shops, and whatever else. I've thrown it all away, but part of me wonders if looking back at whatever scraps we have leftover from old vacations isn't worth the trouble of maintaining a scrapbook.

I'd like to hear from anyone who does keep more than photographs of their vacation experiences. What do you do to make sure you have a physical reminder of your travels?

Posted by James Trotta at 2:59 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Mancationing

We've talked about vacations for women gaining popularity but it's not only the fairer sex that wants to travel with their own kind. What do men want on vacation? The usual guy stuff: "everything from poker parties to hand-rolled cigars, buckets of beer to sports tickets."

There are plenty of Mancation ideas, from "Dudes on the Dunes" to "The Fishing Mancation" to the Regent South Beach (opening soon) and some pretty cool hotel packages:

Fairmont Chicago's "Mancation Package" includes seminars on style and entertaining, cigar sampling, whiskey tasting and a steak dinner starting at $399 a person. And the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa has a "Speed Meets Spa" package pairing three-day race driving instruction with man-friendly spa treatments starting at $4,795.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:16 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Is swimming with stingrays safe?

Swimming with stingrays is a popular vacation activity in the Caribbean. In addition to Antigua and Grand Turk, Grand Cayman’s Stingray City is a very popular tourist attraction. However, some tourists most be reconsidering after the death of Steve Irwin, the famous ‘Crocodile Hunter’. Irwin died after he was stung by a stingray.

Stingray swims are still deemed safe by most experts and all the cruise lines:

Carnival said "The death of Steve Irwin was a terrible tragedy. Experts agree that it was an extremely unusual occurrence involving a particularly large breed of stingray found in Australia. To be stung by a stingray is rare and, despite the tens of thousands of our guests who have participated in the stingray shore excursions offered by our tour operator partners, there has never been a fatality or serious injury."

Disney offers stingray excursions at their private island Castaway where they manicure stingrays' barbs to make the experience even safer for guests. I’m not sure how I feel about this; I hope these “manicures” aren’t painful for the animals.

Holland America said that there has never been a serious injury on one of their stingray tours.

Royal Caribbean International's Lyan Sierra-Caro says "I think everyone understands that this was a rare circumstance. The stingrays in the Caribbean are much different then the kind found in Australia. Also, the stingrays that our guests usually see are used to being around humans and even fed by them."

Posted by James Trotta at 3:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Travel trouble, smoking, flying, Cuba

I don't have much to write about today so hopefully I'll start getting more winter vacation plans submitted via email to jtrotta@gmail.com - remember every vacation plan that passes the initial screening gets a $5.00 prize and is in the running for much larger prizes.

What do I have for you? We have the travel troubleshooter looking into the Mariott for sending a traveler to a crappy motel when they couldn't honor his reservation.

Then there's a new airline for smokers, launching next year with a Germany - Tokyo flight. Instead of going 12 hours without a smoke, flyers can go 12 hours in a cabin full of smokers. Makes me glad I don't smoke!

We've got an American woman on a humanitarian mission to Cuba. I lover her quote, "I always like to go places where I'm not supposed to be," says Mary Ann Olding of Clifton. "I like to see things for myself."

Speaking of Cuba, we have Tom Hall from Lonely Planet answering questions about driving in Cuba, spending two days in Bangkok, and more.

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Hot but funny Paris vacation experience

I enjoyed reading this Paris vacation experience, especially the part that reminded me of my own experience in China:

We try to go to the public pool, but the rules require that ladies wear bathing caps and men wear briefs, like Speedos. No "boxer" swimsuits allowed. We're not even permitted to look at the pool unless we don such silly garb. It is like being told that we can't step into an art gallery unless we wear a beret.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When should you visit Boracay?

Boracay's rainy season is from June to September, but that may actually be a good time to visit:

The chaotic, stressful and claustrophobic clutter of the summer past is gone and replaced with a serene atmosphere, which opens the opportunity to a string of favorite activities: scouring shops for bargains, dining to your heart’s content without the long wait, enjoying your favorite spa treatment that’s hard to book in the summer...

Posted by James Trotta at 12:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Women only tours: men are too goal oriented and efficient

Women only tours are becoming increasingly popular. I guess we men behave so badly that single women can't endure our company. Plus we just have different travel desires:

"Men are more goal-oriented," Wade said. "Women appreciate every little thing about the experience. They are more relaxed."

For example, they both may want to hike to the top of the mountain, but men tend to want to reach the peak efficiently while many women don't really care how long it takes, preferring to meander through villages and markets on the way.

But some members of the group (women as luck would have it) were just too slow. We had to stop frequently to let the stragglers catch up. The sun set while we were on the mountain somewhere and we had to finish hiking in the dark. It got cold and it was dangerous. And we totally missed the sunset.

Since I try to be entertaining (rather than grumpy) company, I rarely tell that story about missing the sunrise and sunset thanks to joining a slow hiking group. My special massage in China story (the night before the hike) always gets a laugh though.

Anyway, what do you think? Are men and women really so different on vacation?

Posted by James Trotta at 1:18 AM | Comments (3)

A little hardship and a little humor

People flying from England are now permitted one small carryon. Some flights are still being cancelled as well.

Here's a slightly humorous article by a teacher who has unusual travel interests that leave him unable to make normal conversation:

I love to travel, but my interests are not the typical tourist's. I've taught English in China and Finland. I flew into Russia on a Friday evening and the next morning ran the Moscow Marathon. I worked as a volunteer at the Atlanta Summer Olympics and lived with families in South Africa. I took Swedish dancing lessons in Stockholm. These experiences I can remember. But they aren't what friends want to hear about.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)

Cruise news, home exchanges, and traveling oil money

I've found a few interesting travel articles in the news recently.

The largest cruise ship in the world will soon be joined by an equal. This article talk about the progress on the next huge cruise ship. Speaking of cruises, here's a $300.00 reason not to be late for yours.

Here's a happy story about a successful home exchange, with a recommended site for seniors. I'm going to try that one day.

Here's a story about where all the money you spend on gas goes. Apparently it goes to France, which has lost some American tourist dollars but found some from the Middle East.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:08 PM | Comments (0)

Where are all the happy travel writers?

It's tough to find happy vacation stories these days. Nobody writes about fun anymore? Anyway here's one vacation that involves injured kids and a broken down car.

We do have some good news for seniors who can book interesting vacation packages through a nonprofit called Elderhostel. For those under 55, REI is recommended. They don't seem particularly inexpensive though.

Speaking of happy endings, I suppose it's time to write about my friend's last night in Korea.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:57 AM | Comments (2)

The bad and the ugly in travel

Here's another article on vacationers stuck in a war zone. Talk about a scary vacation.

Another disturbing thing I read is the trend for married men in Qatar to find temporary wives to vacation with (leaving their real wives at home). Even after reading the article I don't quite see how this works.

Bad news that almost seems good compared to the other stuff: Americans aren't taking any vacation, or at least not their fair share. Toward the end of that article you'll find a few tips on how make sure your work / career doesn't suffer too much while you're on vacation.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:23 AM | Comments (2)

Is Dubai a good place to visit or live?

The article of this author has mixed feelings about Dubai, but in the end he concludes it's worth a visit:

All in all, Dubai is a discombobulating place, where East collides with West and mutates into some new idea of a city that careens among bloated, ridiculous, audacious and beautiful, and it's all moving too fast for anyone to make the distinction. This futuristic city is a fascinating place to visit, but I would never want to live there.

Posted by James Trotta at 5:06 PM | Comments (3)

Where to keep your money and how to keep money safe on vacation

When I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras in 2000, I hid my wallet in my car, a credit card in my shoe, and a little cash in my pocket. All in all I felt pretty safe from pickpockets (looking back a car thief would have ruined my vacation though I suppose that will always be true).

Then I met a young woman who I liked. We went to the House of Blues and that cost a few bucks. Then she wanted me to buy her a beer somewhere on Bourbon Street. The little cash in my pocket was getting used up quickly and who wants to take credit cards out of their shoes when they are trying to impress a lady?

Anyway, this article on keeping your money safe might have come in handy back then. Had I taken their advice and brought my wallet (minus social security cards, debit cards, extra credit cards, etc.) I might have seemed slightly more normal to the young woman (who if I recall was from Kalamazoo and named Missy). One interesting point was that it's better to bring a credit card than a debit card because a stolen credit card won't deplete your bank account.

Still, maybe I was on to something with the credit card in my shoe. The article does say to keep one card in your wallet and another somewhere else...

Posted by James Trotta at 12:15 AM | Comments (6)

Travelocity.com car rental trouble

First, I just read Javaun's comments on Portland Oregon and the surrounding area and if you haven't read it yet, go do so. Javaun has done all of us a favor with some excellent information based on his own vacation experience.

Now Javuan shared some great experiences, but sometimes there's trouble. The travel troubleshooter had to take on a Travelocity.com case again (remember I have vowed never to use Travelocity in the past). It seems that they promised someone a full-sized SUV Thrifty car rental. Problem is, Thrifty Cost Rica doesn't even have such a car...

They got a car from another agency, did their traveling, and contacted Travelocity.com when they got home. No response. The troubleshooter got Travelocity to pay the difference, but again we see a big company just ignoring complaints until they get in the newspaper.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:47 AM | Comments (1)

What is the right mix of adventure and relaxation?

I'm too busy watching World Cup soccer (not in Germany, on TV) to write much, but I did find one good article for you on planning family vacations.

A good point in this article is that you have to find the right balance between adventure and education and relaxation but this one vacation sure sounds cool (if not relaxing):

We took Josh one year to the Yucatan on an organized learning vacation, kayaking in a beautiful biosphere with a Mayan storyteller.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:18 AM | Comments (0)

More about that 3 week vacation in Europe

Here's a little more from Dr. Z, the sports writer who loves wine (and who just got back from vacation). Here he talks about almost throwing up and passing out in a fancy restaurant (not because each meal was 142 Euros) that turned expensive food into a 3.5 hour ordeal. He also names a few European restaurants he likes.

Also interesting was the art in Hotel Turm in the northern Italian town, Fie. A not to army vets: visiting your old base might be more frustrating than fun:

"No is no, see?" And then it all started coming back. The Army. The tight, stupid faces. The denials--just to show they could do it. The barracks sergeant who cleaned out my locker the day the football season ended, and threw out, among other things, draft cards I'd gotten from the Colts and the Browns.

"Let's get the hell out of this place," I said to Linda.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:59 AM | Comments (2)

Some advice on going to Universal Studios during a Disney vacation

This question about taking a day off from Disney to visit Universal Studios came up on a sports message board and I thought I would share some excerpts with you.

Question: I am planning a trip to Disney World, we will be staying 8 days we are bringing my 7 year old daughter, my wife and I were discussing the possibility of going over to Universal Studios for a day while we are in Disney World...I'm sure people have done this, overall was it worth the time away from Disney? Are both of Universal parks able to be seen in one day? Any other helpful tips about my trip? Thanks.

Answer 1: In my opinion, you can't do both Universal parks in 1 day. However, Islands of Adventure is basically a Six Flags amusement park that can easily be skipped. Being a huge Disney fan, I'd suggest skipping Universal altogether... :)

A different answer: Universal is great and I think you can do both Islands of Adventure and Universal in one day. And your daughter is right at the age when she can probably ride on the Hulk, Spiderman, Fire & Ice, etc. One suggestion is to spend the $15 per person to get a pass where you basically circumvent the entire line and go thru "back doors" to enter all the attractions. It's well worth the money - only drawback is that if they run your card thru their scanner, you can only go on the ride once. Good times there...more fun than Disney, in my opinion.

A third answer: Don't skip Universal. If she is too small for the big rides, you can definitely do both parks in a day. Don't miss Spiderman at Islands of Adventure, or Back to the Future in the other park. Terminator is also very cool... hell, just about everything there is great. It's right on par with the Disney parks, and is better than MGM's "studio" themed park.

The last answer: I agree about the fast pass feature. At Universal, you pay extra and avoid lines. It's not that much more and saves a lot of time. A word of warning though: Universal is definitely geared towards older kids. There are a lot of rides that will be a bit much for a 7 year old (some 3-D rides are pretty intense) and others that have height restrictions. It's also very definitely not Disney. An older, rowdier crowd. You might want to check out their website for some guidance on the suitability of rides. Good luck.

Posted by James Trotta at 11:12 PM | Comments (9)

Vietnam, Kilimanjaro, and Lake Quinault Lodge

This will be a shorter entry since I was out shopping all night and am anxious to get to bed. I did find a neat article about a Vietnamese travel destination that should be off the beaten path.

I found another article that I thought would be another boring one on Freedom of the Seas, but did find something interesting:

Luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises is offering a new overland adventure to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Thrill-seekers will revel at the rare chance to climb 19,340 feet to Uhuru Peak, through an equatorial jungle and dense cloud forest to the snow-capped summit, en route to the highest peak in Africa. The nine-night extended land program debuts in March, 2007, and is available pre- or post-cruise in conjunction with two Crystal Serenity itineraries beginning or ending in Cape Town, South Africa.

Lastly, a great vacation experience article. The author stayed at Lake Quinault Lodge, a rain forest in Washington state. Follow in his vacation footsteps and you too can see "the largest Sitka spruce in the world, 54 feet around and roughly 1,000 years old" and a cougar (don't run from cougars because they will stalk you and attack - instead hold your ground and fight if necessary). The lodge starts at 87.00/night (106.00 during high season). Dinner will be 80.00+ at the lodge, breakfast 8.00 for oatmeal and closer to 20.00 for fancy eggs. Apparently the general store across the street makes decent sandwiches for a few bucks each.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:44 AM | Comments (0)

Where is your vacation paradise?

55 million years ago it would have been the subtropical North Pole (greenhouse effect researchers found out that the North Pole used to be pretty warm which supports the theory that we need to do something about greenhouse gasses).

If you were in 4th grade, you might be dreaming of 6 Flags or "Kennywood, Sandcastle and the park" whatever that is.

For me, right now, it might be a resort somewhere nice that focuses on yoga, healthy eating, mud and mineral baths, and massages. Vacation doesn't start until the 19th for me, but it's never too early to dream about vacation!

Posted by James Trotta at 3:10 AM | Comments (4)

Niche markets help travel agents stay in business

Over the past five years, the number of travel agents has gone from 142,000 to 91,000 thanks to the ease with which people can book online. The survivors are finding niches like adventure travel, eco-tourism, and ethnic travel (I don't exactly know what ethnic travel is so maybe there will be a future article on it once I've done some reading). They are also marketing their expertise:

"If you're spending $20,000 or $30,000 for a trip, why wouldn't you spend the extra few hundred dollars to get the expert advice of someone who's been there?" adds Nigosian (a travel agency owner), who has visited 100 countries.

Posted by James Trotta at 12:54 AM | Comments (0)

Mexico recovering from the hurricane

Mexico is recovering from the hurricane. Riviera Maya, which didn't get hit full-force by the hurricane, has about 97% of its hotel rooms ready for tourists. I have some tips on Riviera Maya and Play del Carmen from a few weeks ago if you're interested. There's also a little conversation about retiring in Riviera Maya (specifically in the jungle nearby).

That reminds me of an even older post about Cancun. Remember when I asked if the travel agent was to blame for sending British tourists to Cancun during hurricane season? That post received quite a few responses. According to the article I linked to above, "More than 18,000 of Cancun's 27,800 rooms are open now and another 3,450 are scheduled to come on line by the end of June." Cozumel is said to be fully recovered.

I wasn't a big fan of Cancun (and haven't been to Cozumel or Riviera Maya), but I am happy to see Mexico getting things back in order and hope that life is returning to normal for Mexicans affected by the hurricane.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:19 AM | Comments (3)

Travelocity, travel insurance, slow refund

It always amazes me how companies will rip us off. This story about Travelocity failing to issue a refund is a perfect example as one customer had to work for 6 months in order to get the refund he was owed. Even after 6 months, Travelocity only responded to the Miami travel troubleshooter.

Interestingly the troubleshooter says that a polite email would have yielded better results than 6 months of phone calls. I personally find this impossible to believe though I do accept that it's worth sending both emails and making phone calls. Even then, big corporations can be slow to do the right thing for their customers.

Add Travelocity to the list of companies I'll never use to book a vacation.

Posted by James Trotta at 4:02 AM | Comments (13)

Traveling with small packs

Has anyone tried packing with space bags? I haven't, but it seems like they can really save you a lot of space and I love traveling without bulky packs.

Now I'm just thinking out load here (not really - I have given it a little thought), but if I took this large space bag that holds 10-12 sweaters and shrinks storage space up to 75%, and used it on my vacation clothes wouldn't that work out well?

The only potential problem I see is packing up at the end of your vacation. You need a vacuum with hose to evacuate the air. I suppose most hotels would have something if you could track down room service.

I suppose it would make more sense to use these travel space saver bags. I guess since you roll them up you don't need a vacuum. This package says it has 2 Carry On Size (13.5 Inches x 19.5 Inches - Holds 2 Blouses, 1 Jacket, 1 Sweater) and 1 Suitcase Size (18 Inches x 22.5 Inches - Holds 2 Shirts, 2 Sweaters, 1 Jacket).

Has anyone tried these space bags before? How well do they work?

Posted by James Trotta at 6:06 PM | Comments (10)

Don't let mosquitoes ruin your vacation

I hate mosquitoes. The only reason I haven't gone back to Algonquin Park for some wolf howls or gone on a jungle trek is because mosquitoes really take the fun out of everything for both me and my wife. So I did a little research on how to keep mosquitoes off.

I already knew about DEET, but last time I went to Algonquin the Cutter Backwoods Insect repellent (30 or 35% DEET) just wasn't enough. Not even close.

I learned that both DEET and picaridin are supposed to block a mosquito's ability to find you. DEET appears in Off!, Cutter and Repel. A picaridin-based repellent is Cutter Advanced. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is a natural ingredient found in a number of products, including insect repellents marketed by Repel and Off! Botanicals.

I wonder if it would help to use both Cutter Backwoods and Cutter Advanced?

Posted by James Trotta at 3:17 PM | Comments (8)

3 books about buying real estate in Italy

On my other blog, I was blogging about an article that called buying real estate in Prague a great way to get rich. Well Prague isn't too far away from Rome, which is where I want to buy a little real estate.

Of course, I have no intention of investing. I just love Rome and want to live there. Some of you may remember this from when I wrote about Rome museums and restaurants. On that blog entry someone asked how one goes about retiring in Rome. There's something I should know!

So I tracked down a few books, which I thought I'd share here to see if you have any comments on the books or other suggestions. Buying a Property: Italy certainly has the right title, but not all reviews are positive. One speaks of misleading information. The Complete Guide To Buying Property In Italy also has a good title but no reviews. Buying a Home in Italy: A Survival Handbook is more for EU citizens than for Americans according to one review.

I suppose I'll have to read them all for myself, but if anyone has any suggestions, please share!

Posted by James Trotta at 1:47 AM | Comments (2)

Politics: seal hunt and Canadian travel boycott

Yesterday's post on the cruise ship disappearances wasn't exactly political, but it was on a fairly controversial topic. This post is all politics so be warned (and if you want the controversial posts to stop, don't worry - I'm working on a post about wolf watching in Spain). Quotes below come from the Edmonton Sun.

Anyway, you've probably heard about this issue, the Seal hunt in Canada that has environmentalists crying themselves to sleep or sending you petitions in your email.

Well one U.S. family, the McLellans of Minnesota, cancelled a Canadian vacation because of the seal hunt. They wrote to some Canadian senators about their plans to boycott their vacation in Canada to protest the seal hunt.

Quebec Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette replied "What I find 'horrific' about your country is the daily killing of innocent people in Iraq, the execution of mainly black prisoners in the U.S., the massive sale of guns to U.S. citizens every day, the destabilization of the whole world by the aggressive foreign policy of U.S. government, etc."

Separately, Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette advised, "Look in your own backyard and start correcting things that are more horrific than the seal hunting in Canada."

Now I should note that other Canadian politicians are distancing themselves from Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette, so it's not like she speaks for all Canadians. We're talking about one politician with a very critical message.

Personally, I'm not a fan of war or hunting and I don't really see why protesting the seal hunt has to be connected with US foreign policy. Actually, I think a more rational person would connect this issue with environmental policy in the US (which is also fairly easy to criticize).

Posted by James Trotta at 12:10 AM | Comments (4)

Rock of Gibraltar and Barbary Apes

There are lots of places I want to go around the Mediterranean: Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Spain, and Gibraltar. When visiting the famous Rock of Gibraltar, look out for the monkeys. They are called Barbary Apes, but they are technically monkeys.

Anyway, the monkeys called Barbary Apes want to be fed. Be careful though; some people have been attacked as the �apes� search for food. If it happens to you just let go of the food and the Apes will leave you alone as they go for the food.

Posted by James Trotta at 2:09 AM | Comments (0)

Vacation planning activity for kids

One interesting idea I heard recently is involving kids when planning a family vacation. I don't have kids, but I am an educator and I love this idea. Kids can learn about budgeting, responsibility, and compromise.

Kids might plan one day of your vacation. This would include choosing restaurants, activities and possibly transportation. Give them a vacation budget and let them make the choices about what to do and where to eat.

The kids can create a folder with the itinerary, just like a travel agent. They can include "brochures" that they can make themselves.

Of course kids information and travel resources, a folder, paper, scissors, and glue for the brochures. The travel resources could come from a travel guide (this is a comprehensive collection of travel guides with reviews), the website of a newspaper local to wherever you're going, brochures from the travel agent, etc. Internet savvy kids might enjoy searching Yahoo and Google for restaurant reviews and the like.

Posted by James Trotta at 1:39 AM | Comments (6)

Sustainable tourism in developing countries

For my winter vacation, I'm going to Cambodia's Siem Reap. In 2002 Siem Reap had 2,500 rooms. The figure is now 5,000 rooms and is predicted to reach 8,000 by the end of the year. Meanwhile electricity does not meet the demand of local residents, and poor waste treatment is causing pollution. There is also concern (and there is no imminent danger of this happening as far as we know) that using so much underground water will lead to landslides and the collapse of Angkor Watt�s temples.

I don't think there's a lot that we can do as tourists (beyond the obvious conserving water and energy and we should do that no matter where we are) but I sure hope that governments like Cambodia's can find the right balance between developing tourism and preserving the environment.

Posted by James Trotta at 3:20 AM | Comments (2)

Researching online travel agents and booking direct

The US-based Internet monitor Hitwise (which monitors more than 25 million internet users) said that visits to online travel agents remained stable last year, while visits to hotel and airline websites increased nearly 20%.

Hitwise said that travellers are researching travel agency websites but then booking directly with airlines and hotels: there was ''a big push to book directly with airlines and hotels at the expense of the online agents'."

Posted by James Trotta at 12:45 AM | Comments (1)

Terrance Hawkins allegedly scams Oprah fans with phony travel package

The Maryland Attorney General's Office has issued a cease-and-desist order against Terrance Hawkins from Temple Hills who allegedly took deposits from more than 90 people for a bus trip package to Chicago and Detroit that included Oprah tickets, hotel reservations and casino rebates. Hawkins could not provide them. Consumers who pay for a trip that is later canceled have the right to a refund, said Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr.

Terrance Hawkins, who did business under the names Royal Travel Group and Royal Stages Inc., must return more than $30,000 to consumers, the Attorney General's office said Tuesday. The Oprah Winfrey Show does not provide large blocks of tickets -- so Hawkins had no way to provide the tickets he was hawking.

Actually, this does give me an idea for a future travel plan, a vacation where you visit different talk shows like Leno, Letterman, and of course Oprah...

Posted by James Trotta at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)

Description of a wedding in Las Veags

It's Vegas day! While I was on the subject of the nature around Las Vegas, I figured I should share this little story about getting married in Vegas. The writer tries to make some sort of deep statement, but really it's the depiction of the wedding that's interesting. It involved Elvis and the Wedding Queen. Anyway, heres one couple's reasoning for getting married in Vegas:

But why Vegas? Why a wedding chapel? And why, oh why, Elvis?

"Why not?" says Rafael with a grin. "It's Vegas, how can you not have Elvis? It's cheese, it's all about cheese, isn't it? That's the whole idea. Have a bit of a laugh."

They did laugh, this couple and their children and their friends and family, as Elvis finished singing, snarling and swaying. Then The Wedding Queen stepped forward.

"Well, what a joy," Charolette exulted. "What happiness has been brought to your hearts this very moment as you become husband and wife. And that's what life and marriage is all about. It's about being happy, isn't it? It's about being together and belonging to each other forever and ever."

Posted by James Trotta at 11:26 PM | Comments (6)

George Clooney urges Americans to travel and learn

Actor George Clooney says Americans need to0 travel internationally and learn about non-US cultures. According to Contactmusic.com, Clooney believes that global understanding can reduce international conflict. I tend to agree.

Yesterday I had the unpleasant experience of reading and getting involved in a message board thread (on a popular New York Giants football forum) about the recent outrage at some European newspaper's cartoon depicting Mohammed and the reaction of the Muslim world.

And some of my fellow Americans are very ignorant and anxious to post their stupidity. I read disgusting generalizations about muslims overreacting all the time, not being able to take a joke, wanting to eliminate non-muslims, imposing their values on others, 9/11 and 3,000 reasons to hate muslims, etc. The owner of the message baord said "I've never met a muslim with a sense of humor." I have but so what? I don't want to go into too much detail because it's upsetting.

Clooney said: "Here we are in Morocco and three times a day a siren goes off and everyone stops their cars, gets out in the middle of the street, kneels down and prays. We are dealing with a passionate belief system and anyone who thinks you can bomb that ideal out of them needs to travel more.

"I just wish more people in our country travelled more. They'd learn a lot about how hated we are."

And if you went to my football message board you might know why we are so hated.