Travel

Although the Family Travel blog is the “owner” of the Carnival of Cities (blog carnival) it’s always fun when the carnival is out and about, traveling the world with other guest carnival hosts. If you’d like to host the May 21, May 28 or June 4 version, email me at sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. I want to thank the hosts for the previous two weeks: Roaming Tales on April 30 and Leslie Carbone on May 7, and invite you to visit the next carnival, posting this Wednesday, May 14th on the Perceptive Travel blog. Submit a post about any…

I am disgusted. I am a U.S. traveler with multiple transportation options, and most of them are awful. After a week spent flying from Texas to Virginia to Chicago back to Texas, my verdict is official - air travel is simply wretched. Unless you have the money to decamp to first class, which I do not, it is a soul-sucking, annoying, tiring disaster (and I was traveling alone, without having to worry about wrangling young children.) I am not clueless about the current high price of fuel, so I understand why the airlines (except for Southwest, which actually planned for a fuel price increase)…

(This is a product review; I do not actively solicit travel products to test, but will investigate items if I think I’d actually use them or my readers might be interested.) Late last year, a public relations firm sent me a “test pair” of Ames Walker Microfiber Firm Support Travel Socks, but until last week’s trip to Chicago for the SOBCon08 blogging conference, I hadn’t flown anywhere so that I could check them out. The socks are also called “graduated compression legwear,” because they are woven in such a way that they are tighter in certain spots…

When I travel, I love to seek out those unique attractions or events or food/drink that can only be found in certain places. In Chicago, Illinois, I found Garrett Popcorn. Now, I don’t leap out of bed in the morning in search of popcorn. It’s an OK food, but not one of my top favorites. Still, I’d heard that Garrett in Chicago is special, so since I’m here in the Windy City for the SOBCon08 blogging conference, I headed out in search of the crunchy stuff. My finger-licking scouting report: this is one bag of greasy, yummy, super-fabulous popcorn. I couldn’t…

(This is a guest photo by Family Travel reader Nancy Sathre-Vogel from Family on Bikes. I’m traveling in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and Chicago this week.) Look at the bottom of that huge cactus down in Baja, California — that’s part of the Vogel family. Their triple bike is dwarfed by the size of that plant, isn’t it? Says Mom Nancy: “This photo was taken in Baja, California as we cycled the length of the peninsula with our 8-year-old twin boys. My husband and twins rode a bicycle build for three - an enormous bike - which was totally dwarfed by the…

Now even bridesmaids have to shed the tummy bulge and get some def in the arms before the bride’s big day because, as a stylish colleague says: “Good Lord, those strapless dresses just aren’t going away.” To help the cause, the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert is offering special fitness-themed packages for the bride-to-be and four people in her entourage. The “Escape! Bridal Party” deal includes a two-night stay in a suite and a personal fitness and nutrition plan, personal training and yoga or Pilates classes, a scrub, facial and makeup…

Nutritional taboo or a form of sensory nirvana? I choose to go with the latter descriptive for this post and will even help myself to the assumption that you, reader, not only like chocolate but adore it, respect it and might even be willing to indulge your craving for education’s sake. And what better place to begin a quest for sweet knowledge than San Francisco? The three-hour San Francisco Gourmet Chocolate Tour — a walk that takes in Union Square and the waterfront — is an expertly guided exploration of creations by “the new wave of artisan chocolatiers.” You learn about…

Disneyland Dream Suite couple gets engaged Imie Marzon of Reno, Nevada, recently won a night’s stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite and got another prize that will last a lifetime: Boyfriend Antonio Padua of Petaluma, California, asked her to marry him in an after-hours proposal in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. (They’re wearing the terrycloth bathrobes from the suite.) Pixar Play Parade adds “Bug’s Life” float Mice Age’s Monday in the Parks column shows off the new “Bug’s Life” float featuring Flick and Atta in the Pixar Play Parade at…

We’ve shown you how to get to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) by public and private transportation, to save on hassle and parking fees. So, you guessed it — next up is Bob Hope Airport (BUR) in Burbank. What’s follows are some ways that you can get away from Los Angeles via this departure point, without driving yourself. Shuttles: As with the other major airports, plenty of shuttles out there offer door-to-door service. Approximate prices to the airport for one person are as follows, through Super Shuttle: $24 (including tax) from downtown Los…

Chivas soccer team at Disney’s California Adventure The Chivas USA soccer club took its annual team photo at Disney’s California Adventure and then hopped on the California Screamin’ roller coaster for a quick spin. Toy Story Mania spoiler video **Spoiler Alert** Laughing Place tracks down a YouTube video that offers a point-of-view tour of Toy Story Mania. The interactive dark ride, which “soft” opened in Florida, debuts at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim on June 17, 2008. The latest Inside the Magic podcast takes listeners on an audio tour of Toy…

Easycar.com have done some research into the causes of arguments between British couples when driving a hire car abroad. My ears pricked up at this as my husband and I will be hiring a car to explore off the beaten track in southern Tuscany and Umbria at the end of this month. It doesn’t exactly portent well with more than a third of couples arguing when driving abroad (I’m actually surprised it isn’t higher) with poor map reading skills being the most likely cause of the argument. by finnur I had to laugh at some of the tips in the article such as ask locals for direction,…

This post is brought to you by Europe a la Carte, adviser to English tourism. England have taken Europe a la Carte’s advice and jazzed up the border crossing into England on the A1. Entry to England was very low key with a tiny sign and no flags compared to the Scottish side which has an enormous sign and three flags. However now England have erected three St George Cross flags. I suppose it had to be three because it couldn’t be fewer than Scotland and more than three would have seemed like one-upmanship. After Europe a la Carte’s advice Before Europe a la Carte’s…

We”re flying to Pisa for a seven night trip to Tuscany and Umbria the last week in May 2008. I want to stay at comfortable accommodation and pay an average of 70 euros, around £55 sterling or 108 US dollars for an ensuite double room including breakfast. The idea of our trip is to see some of the less well known areas and towns such as Lake Trasimeno, Gubbio and Arezzo so we’re hiring a car to get around. Lake Trasimeno by Schwarzkater Here are the hotels I’ve selected, all 3 or 4 star, found by using the HotelsCombined price comparison site which searches through more than…

Welcome to the third Europe travel blog carnival! I think that the Carnival is going really well due to the number of quality submissions I’m receiving. I do believe that I’m fulfilling my aim of publishing a quality blog carnival which is a coherent presentation of informative and entertaining blog posts for readers who love travel in Europe. Transport Planes, Trains And Automobiles (Part 2) « Middle Man posted at Middle Man is a hilarious account of incidents, on the short flight from Belgium to Holland, peppered with confusion over political correctness. Middle Man laments the…

by ccgd Visit Scotland have a great site called “Cafe Days” enabling you to find your perfect cafe. The featured cafes are independent cafes, often struggling to survive with the every expanding empires of the likes of Costa Coffee (which I refer to as Costalota) and Starbucks. You can search for cafes on a regional map, when you click on the teacup a short description of the cafe appears. You can click for more detailed information about the cafe and other activities on offer in that area. Or you can search by type of cafe e.g. near walks, suitable for families, close to…

For the past few weeks John Ur has been heading on a course due south through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. This week he takes a sharp left turn and heads into Arkansas before turning another ninety degrees and heading back north through the remainder of the Midwestern states. Let me be frank: The film industry in Arkansas is not exactly booming. The state’s largest city and capital, Little Rock, does not hold many famous landmarks except its capitol building. However, because of its resemblance to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington DC, the Arkansas capitol has served as…

"My Shadow on the River" Photographer: Sarah M. Ligon of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Getting the Shot: I took this photo on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River on Leap Year Day 2008 using my Leica C-LUX 1 point-and-shoot camera. Although the scene looks like it could be in one of Alberta's more remote regions, it is actually in the heart of downtown Edmonton, a city of more than a million people. A fluke of geography, the river's steep banks made it impossible for developers to build along the river, and so the whole river valley was turned into an elaborate park system, nearly…

Just a few miles from the town of Price in central Utah lies Nine Mile Canyon, home to the greatest concentration of rock art in the United States, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Though there are few facilities, adventurous visitors can drive the 78-mile Nine Mile Canyon Back Country Byway to see the roughly 10,000 petroglyphs and pictographs carved by the Ute and Fremont Indians. But the images, created at least one thousand years ago, have been endangered in the last several years by dust kicked up by industrial traffic related to the development of natural gas nearby.

Mid-April, I decided to visit my hometown of Seattle. Seeing as the Emerald City is in the peak of its rainy season at that time (believe it or not, the rain does stop eventually), my mom wondered why I'd ever want to visit for a week of gray drizzle. Well, I found round-trip airfare for $178 (which I ended up paying for in the end, when my MD-80 flight was canceled and I spent an extra six hours in BWI—I'm not bitter), and I knew visiting in April would allow me to see my favorite parts of the Pacific Northwest sans camera-toting tourists. Fortunately, I ended up bringing with me about 36…

In the Destination Watch column in our May/June issue, "Promise and Peril," Traveler's Geotourism editor Jonathan Tourtellot's tells us that travelers should put a value on authenticity, and make "intelligent choices" when you visit a place. "When you seek authenticity, and pay for it, you're not only sending a message, you're helping protect a local asset," he writes. He mentions IT editor Janelle Nanos's recent trip to Cabo San Lucas as an example of a place on the cusp of tourism overload. Nanos offers her full story here. Yachts crowd the harbor in downtown…

It was only a matter of time before travel companies started to surcharge for currency fluctuations. ABTA has given 15 companies permission to make surcharges providing that they reserved the right to do so in their booking conditions, and absorbed an amount equal to 2% of the holiday cost. What does this mean to you? From what [...]

For the past few months I have been promoting my favourite travel videos submitted to me from readers and I am looking for new submissions. Simply upload your holiday video to the likes of You Tube or Travelistic and contact me with the link to your video and I will choose my favourites. Your travel video [...]

Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I was surprised to learn that apparently, when you use a hotel booking site they are not responsible if there is a issue with the booking. I find that worrying because I have used this type of site before and I could have been left stranded. What if the hotel haven’t [...]

An interesting day, at lunchtime I had a telephone interview with a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post regarding my Travolution consumer blog award. Then just after lunch I received a phone call from Sky News asking if I would go on television and talk about Heathrow Terminal 5. Unfortunately, it would have meant a trip [...]

I’m becoming fed up of ranting about airlines, so I thought for a change I would rant about hotels on behalf of a friend who asks why they charge so much for room telephone calls. She made a call home using the hotel room phone because her mobile battery had died on her. When she [...]

Doutzen Kroes, Dutch (Frisian) Top Model If you live in The Netherlands, you are so used to the beauty of our Dutch ladies, that you tend pass them by without even noticing their beauty. It happens to me, although I use to brag having a keen eye for female beauty with my fair share of a beautiful wife, two beautiful daughters and a number of photo shoots in my small hotel with likewise very nice photo models. So it is great getting an eye opener via Dutch News that featured: Friesian model Doutzen Kroes (23) is the fifth best paid model in the world, earning €3.8m in 2007, according to…

The Dutch Do Dance! Even their Queen! Happy Queen’s Day! On January 30, 2008 our Queen Beatrix reached the venerable age of 70. The Dutch Queen´s birthday is celebrated officially on April 30th, since Queen Beatrix ascended the Throne. It is a public holiday and everybody goes out partying. In Amsterdam you can walk over the heads of the visitors. Many cruise the Amsterdam canals in little boats totally clad in Orange. Other people use Queen´s Day as their annual garage sale day, because everybody is allowed to sell everything freely all over the cities. So did my family. Under Queen…

The Dutch Don’t Dance, Photo © by Wouter Hogendorp and Canon Recently I found this apt picture with apt title and color. The picture is apt because the wooden shoes or clogs stand as a sort of fake national symbol for The Netherlands, whereas hardly any Dutchman (or Cloggy as I am actually teasingly call my fellow countrymen) actually wears wooden shoes. The Title is as aptly untrue as the clog as national symbol as the Dutch do Dance, even on wooden shoes (later more on the subject of wooden shoe dancing). Actually the color is the only really apt element of this picture for today as…

Travel Blog author Darren Cronian has won the Travolution Award for best consumer travel blog with his Blog Travel Rants. He was chosen from the following shortlist: Travel Rants (Darren Cronian) TravelMail Blog (various authors) Viator Blog (various authors) Select World Travel (Lee Harrison) I believe winning from these great blogs will add extra to this award for Darren. The Laudatio says: “Darren Cronian has single-handedly set the benchmark to which other consumer-focussed blogs should aspire. Controversial, relevant, thorough and, perhaps most tellingly, much better than something…

The opening Screen Some time ago I came across Piclens from the company Cool Iris via a recommendation from Internet Guru Doc Searls. Doc has no search function on his Blog. A severe neglect! At first I couldn’t find his post back. As an aside: He also recommended Flickrfan in a post Less T, More V , but that is for the Mac aficionados. I have no Mac. Eventually my persistence did find me Doc’s: Nice Plugin. Another aside is that a commenter to that post advised to have a look at Photo Synth. I didn’t (yet). What is Piclens? Piclens is available as a plug in for Firefox and…

Aztec Candy. (no human sacrifices were used in the manufacture of this product) While I’m in Papua New Guinea, I’ve asked several other travel bloggers to provide some guest posts. Todays entry was written by Malena Stiteler who is on an eighteen month round-the-world odyssey seeking out as much candy as she can get her hands on. I sincerely hope her travels take her to dentist at some point along the way. You can read more about her travels at Candy From Strangers. Mexico is known for Mayan ruins and colonial cathedrals, chillis and tortillas, sombreros and tequila. Most…

Originally posted on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. To insure myself on my trip, I use Travel insurance from Worldnomads.com. ShareThis

This guy was my guide for the day when I visited his village. Originally posted on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. To insure myself on my trip, I use Travel insurance from Worldnomads.com. ShareThis

I can’t believe they have internet here. It isn’t great, but I can do simple things. So far, my PNG experience has been amazing. The Port Moresby airport is far, far from the worst airport in the world. (which I saw it was on one list). I’m on Kimbe Bay on New Britian Island. The people here are great. The food is great. The diving is great. The other guests I’ve met are great. I did 3 dives today and got massively sunburned. Skin cancer is probably the biggest danger here. This is one of the better places I’ve stayed on my trip. So far, it has been 100%…

Inside the ruins of Nan Modal. This area is believed to be where royals were buried. Originally posted on Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. To insure myself on my trip, I use Travel insurance from Worldnomads.com. ShareThis

Here’s a bizarre Korean commercial for the LooLoo bidet. Check out the guy’s face 0:25 in. Have you ever personally experienced this level of happiness in your entire life? I’m not sure I’d be that happy … if I won the freakin’ lottery. Or was married to Scarlett Johansson on my own private Polynesian island with a lifetime supply of Dogfish Head. I guess I just need to experience being that clean for myself to appreciate what true happiness is. Originally posted on Vagabondish.com. Bizarre Culture: The Happiest Couple Ever Caught on Tape, All Thanks to a…

A new ad campaign by Africa Directo for malaria awareness uses mural drawings of mosquitoes to make its point. The portraits of despots like Hitler and Stalin - responsible for the deaths of millions - are created by drawing thousands of mosquitoes to define their features. The caption reads, “Nothing and no one takes as many lives as malaria.” The print ads by a Spanish ad agency also include mosquito drawings of fighter jets and other war aircraft. Simple, to the point, and very effective. Originally posted on Vagabondish.com. Clever Malaria Awareness Ads Use Mosquito…

I recognized those haircuts. I’d seen them in 1987. Complete with tapered stonewashed jeans tucked into high-top sneakers, teenagers and young adults filled all decks. This was, I presumed, going to be their booze cruise. The next demographic up were middle-aged men with forlorn looks dragging at cigarettes, followed by families with kids under ten years of age. Embarking on my first cruise ever, observing patrons as we all boarded for the weekend replaced people-watching at the airport. Stockholm’s close proximity to major Baltic capitals such as Riga, Tallinn, and Helsinki makes weekend…

A Rio de Janeiro tour company could have its license revoked after being caught offering tourists “intimate” tours of the city’s infamous slums, called favelas. Visitors were given the opportunity to meet the drug lords who rule these slums and even be photographed with them. The story was broken by an undercover reporter who paid the $55 fee for a 4-hour tour of the city’s largest slum, Rocinha, including a meeting with local drug lords. The tour also featured a question answer session with these drug traffickers, and the chance to pose for pictures with them. The company, Prince…

© Sukanto Debnath Originally posted on Vagabondish.com. Photo of the Moment: Lonely Boy, India

The Amateur Traveler talks to twenty something vagabond Matt Kepnes about his trip to the less visited Western part of Australia. Hear about swimming with porpoises in out of the way 50 person towns, Perth, back packer buses, Uluru and Karijini National Park. News You Are Complaining About What?? Airlines Fly Slower, Save Gas Show Notes click here to download (mp3) click here to download (iTunes enhanced) Nomadic Matt - Matt’s travel blog Matt’s pictures Perth, Australia Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia Map Backpacker Bus - Perth to Broome History of Australia Karijini National Park…

The Amateur Traveler talks to Barbara Egbert, her husband Gary and daughter Mary. Barbara is the author of “Zero Days: The Real Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-year-old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail”. The book is about their adventure with then 10-year-old Mary who became the youngest through hiker on the 2500 mile long Pacific Crest Trail. News Eat for Free at Walt Disney World Airline: “Sorry, Your Kid is not Dead” Royal Caribbean Plans a Floating Park Show Notes click here to download (mp3) click here to download (iTunes enhanced) Zero Days: The…

The Amateur Traveler talks to Friedel from TravellingTwo.com about a bike trip around the world. This episode focuses on the most hospitable country that have come to so far: Iran. Learn about ancient ruins, Tehran picnics, where to find kabobs and how to find something else when you get tired of them. News 2007 - No Deaths on Scheduled U.S. Commercial Flights Think Israel, Think Bikinis? “The 10 best podcasts on the Internet” includes the Amateur Traveler Show Notes click here to download (mp3) click here to download (iTunes enhanced) TravellingTwo.com - Friedel and Andrew’s travel…

Visit Lake Como in Italy with the Amateur Traveler: This video shows the lovely towns of Verenna, Bellaggio and the ferry ride between them. Show Notes Lake Como, Italy Hotel Villa Cipressi click here to download (m4v) click here to download (AppleTV) Click Here For Italy Discount Hotel Reservations Italy Rail Passes

Best Life Magazine, a men’s magazine, just named a list of the “The 10 best podcasts on the Internet“. In addition to two shows from NPR, the TED conference, the Economist, they named the Amateur Traveler. Cool. Chris Christensen created “Amateur Traveler,” a weekly hour-long audio and video podcast, to keep you as far away from tourists wearing jean shorts and Big Johnson T-shirts as possible. Each episode explores world destinations with guidebook writers, journalists, and veteran nomads. You’ll learn the best place to find lobster paella in Barcelona,…

With a fever that soared to a mind-numbing 103 degrees and a chest rattling with acute bronchitis, Kathryn Clover’s co-worker was in no shape to fly from Buenos Aires to Miami recently. But she boarded the plane, anyway. “She passed out on the first flight,” remembers Clover, an operations manager for a nonprofit organization in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “She was absolutely miserable for the long trip back. And I, in turn, was miserable because I was taking care of her and she was coughing on me — and our surrounding passengers — for 15 hours.” Why would anyone get on an aircraft…

Question: We have a somewhat unusual case we need help with. My wife and I went on a Princess Cruises cruise/train tour of Alaska last fall. The night before we disembarked the ship we were instructed to place all of our belongings outside our cabin door for transfer to Fairbanks. But when we arrived in Fairbanks, the box with numerous souvenirs and clothing was missing. Four days later our box was found, but a Princess representative told us that the bottle of Cognac could not be sent. We were given numerous reasons why they could not mail the bottle. They opened the box and removed the…

I’m baffled by Expedia’s latest marketing campaign, a tie-in to the upcoming film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The other day, my friends over at the online travel agency sent me a fedora in a box along with a note that promised I could “Travel like Indiana Jones, starting today.” Now why would anyone want to do that? Let’s be clear. The specials are pretty interesting, which is more or less how other bloggers have reacted to the initiative. (Sorry, but I refuse to post a picture of my kids wearing the hat.) Travelers visit the locations…

With fuel prices near $4 a gallon, car rental companies are turning to a little-known practice called gas reclamation to squeeze every last penny from their vehicles. In the process, they may be squeezing their customers too, according to a car rental insider who has performed degassing services for a major agency. Here’s how degassing works: Whenever a rental car is retired because it’s been damaged or its lease expires, a car rental company hires a subcontractor to siphon off some of the expensive fuel left in its tank. Here’s a recent article about a gas reclaiming…

Read this week’s issue online or subscribe to the RSS feed. In this issue … • See you in court? • Yellow fever, red light: paperwork problem sinks Costa Rica vacation • Room with a wrong view • Beware of this Cancun all-inclusive fax scam • Paperwork problems • How to reach yours truly • Support this site This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is underwritten by ExpertFlyer, which empowers the frequent flier like no other site. Get the details here. FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel See you in court? Given the current state of the travel industry, no one…

When Denver aerospace engineer Doug Laczkowski and his family were planning a trip to Hawaii in 2007, he was hoping to keep costs down. Underwhelmed by hotel packages he saw online, he tried a different tack. After reading about a Web site where he could rent someone else’s timeshare, he found a two-bedroom condo at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Waikoloa Beach . He booked with the owner, confirmed with the resort, then spent a week in a spacious condo right on the golf course. The …

Want to go out on a limb for your next vacation—literally? Once the sole province of young boys and Ewoks, treehouses now offer adventurous travelers (read: unafraid of heights) a unique travel experience in an age of roadside motel chains and globe-stretching hotel corporations. So, forget the stale continental breakfast and carbon-copy room; instead, consider branching out on your next trip. Building a hotel in the treetops is hardly a new concept: the Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel , …

It’s no surprise that this summertime, American travelers are planning to stick close to home. But that’s no cause for disappointment: the United States has 95,000 miles of shoreline, including plenty of spectacular beaches in a range of flavors to suit every sun-and-sand fan. Some U.S. beaches are secluded enough to rival island oases in the Caribbean , with sparsely populated stretches of sand and remote points of entry. Horseshoe Beach, in La Jolla, California , is only …

Who hasn’t fantasized about jetting off to an ultraluxe private isle, like Turtle Island in Fiji, where a staff of 100 caters to the whims of just 28 guests? Or swooned with envy over gossipy guest reports from Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson’s sybaritic Caribbean resort, where weekly rates start at $23,500 per couple? True, these out-of-reach vacations are only for the super-wealthy. But what if you could have Necker-like island seclusion for as little as $100 a night? Well, …

Life’s a beach for Mariam Ahmadi, 19, a Los Angeles resident of Venice Beach , who enjoys nothing more than easy access to the ocean. "I love living here! I’m a surfer. I can wake up, go surfing, work, and then surf again. It’s heaven." Hers is the mantra of the beach-loving urbanite, from Los Angeles to Cape Town and Barcelona to Hong Kong . Easy access. Go often. And when it gets dark, head back to the bright lights of the big city. For travelers, it also means …

Everyone is ga-ga for the urban car-sharing services that have crossed into the mainstream. Now Hertz is fighting back with shorter rental terms at its European locations. It will now be possible to hire a car for three or six hours for short day trips, or nine hours for overnight trips. A Hertz survey revealed that 61 per cent of travellers would be more likely to hire a car if they did not have to rent it for a full 24 hours. The new service – Hertz 369 – is available at over 1,200 city and airport locations across Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,…

Oil hit $120 a barrel today, and the financial pundit class is talking about $200 oil. To quote the wisdom of Mr. T: “My prediction… is pain.” High oil prices and travel generally don’t mix. But is there any segment that stands to benefit? Apparently so. Trains! As the price of fuel skyrockets, more people are traveling to North Carolina’s major cities by train. Ridership on Amtrak is up as much as 40 percent on some routes compared to last year. 40%? Pretty substantial. Perhaps enough to offset the higher cost of diesel. But how widespread is this as a trend?

Bad news for aficionados of roadside American kitsch. As pointed out by commenter Mark, the Spindle, a.k.a. the Car-ka-Bob, was torn down from it’s Berwyn, Illinois site. The Chicago Tribune confirms the deed. You might remember the giant parking lot sculpture from the movie Wayne’s World. It could have been yours: They tried to sell it on eBay. But it is no more. The video of the destruction is below. Related: - Save the Berwyn Car-ka-bob! - Update: Join the movement to save the Spindle ShareThis

There’s a cliché in detective dramas, where there’s a battle of jurisdiction. Say, the FBI swoops in and tells the local cops, “We’ll take it from here.” Bureaucracy always trumps justice. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a similar battle within the federal government’s security apparatus. America’s no-fly list is so extensive and full of errors, that even Federal Air Marshals are being kept off planes. False identifications based on a terrorist no-fly list have for years prevented some federal air marshals from boarding…

Downgraded: American Airlines luggage policy American Airlines is the latest to charge an extra fee for a second checked bag. For a while, they were a holdout. This will apparently affect 4% of their passengers. I actually expected that number to be higher. Understandable move, considering the airline is losing $3.3M per day. Downgraded: Skycap tips Upgraded: Vindictiveness American Airlines is being completely petty in their legal dispute with skycaps. You may recall that the skycaps won their suit, in which they argued that they were being cheated when the airline imposed a $2 fee, which…

Man, this has been a busy week. I know I spent half of it lounging around Peru, but long vacations always make it harder to catch up on work when you return. Combine that with the fact that I’ve got a new job at PriceGrabber (Director of Community), and I’m just struggling to make it to the weekend. So, let’s get to what I missed in the international world and I promise I’ll have some more extensive stuff ready for next week. Nationwide Goes Down - It’s not just US airlines that are dropping like flies. Looks like Nationwide Airlines out of South Africa is the…

Hey everyone. I made it back from Peru yesterday morning, and let’s just say it’s going to be a VERY busy end to the week. I hope you enjoyed the guest posts while I was gone, and hopefully we’ll get both Henry and Benet to return at some point in the near future. I think I’m going to spend the rest of this week catching up on snippets of what happened while I was gone. You’ll see more in depth discussion about my trip which included new airlines, airports, and airplanes, starting on Monday. For now, let’s see what I missed while I was away. Continental…

It’s hard to write so many posts in advance of a long trip, so I asked my coworker and Cranky Photographer, Christopher Craig, to pick out a photo from his collection that I could post while I’m gone. Now keep in mind, I wrote this post on April 26, and I’m just going to guess that there’s been more merger activity since then. So, has this merger happened yet? I’d like to blame this ridiculous idea on my brain not getting enough oxygen at the high Peruvian altitudes, but I guess I already told you I wrote this before I left. Oh well. My plane is landing as this…

I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a huge fan of Garrison Keillor’s work, but it’s not like I dislike him either. I’m just sort of ambivalent. But every so often I come across a column of his that I really enjoy. Before I left town on vacation, I came across a piece he wrote entitled “The Old Scout: Singing the Delta Blues” (via Get the Flick), and I thought that others might like to read it as well. It’s a perspective that only someone growing up in Northwest’s backyard could have, but it’s a nice reminder of the romantic side of air…

Thanks, Brett, for the opportunity to guest post on your blog. Hi everyone, my name is Henry Harteveldt. I’ve been a friend of Brett’s for several years, and I’m delighted to have been invited to post while Brett is on vacation. I’m just as much of an airline dork as Brett, maybe even more so. Hmm. No, scratch that. No one can match Brett for his airline dorkiness. Regardless, my “day job” is that of a Vice President & Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, a leading technology market research firm. I’ve been at Forrester since January 2000, and lead our airline and…

Burmese Junta Prohibits Relief Experts but Welcomes Donations Woman Dies, Others Ill on Quarantined Train in Ontario Fewer Leis for Travelers as Fares Increase, Seats Decrease FBI Mislabels Curious, Photo-Snapping Tourists as Terrorists Backseat Plane Pockets Hold Dirty Secrets BURMESE JUNTA PROHIBITS RELIEF EXPERTS BUT WELCOMES DONATIONS – The New York Times The United Nations’ efforts to assist homeless, starving and dying victims of Myanmar proved mostly futile on Friday, as military leaders seized food aid, stating they would accept food and medicine donations, but experienced aid…

If you want to avoid the crowds of the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam or the Tuileries in Paris, you may find that some of the most peaceful gardens can be found in unexpected places, like rooftops and even cemeteries. In London, the one-and-a-half acre Roof Gardens offer an unbeatable view of the London skyline, 100 feet in the air above Kensington High Street. And, in the summertime, London’s Open Garden Squares Weekend lets you visit secret gardens that are normally closed to the public. In Paris, the Jardin Atlantique is located on the rooftop of the Montparnasse train station. This…

Athens has come a long way since Greece’s first emergence as an empire in the days of antiquity. Refreshed and updated by playing host to the 2004 Olympic Games, the city is now a pleasant mix of ancient marvels and modern comforts. Hotels have been redone, trolley lines added, and grand promenades cleaned and polished. The subway system is now fast and convenient, linking previously hard to reach sights and neighborhoods, and making intra-city travel a breeze for visitors. However, no coat of fresh paint will ever cover the special reminders of Athens’s great legacy. The city is still…

Upscale ski resorts like Colorado’s Aspen or Canada’s Banff are rarely inexpensive travel options — except in the summer. You might be surprised at the sheer number of outdoor activities on offer at many of these mountains during summer. And since the summer season is the low season for most mountain resorts, prices are as good as they’re going to get. So check out the options for cheap summer travel. Talk about and rate this video on YouTube. Find more travel tips on Peter’s official YouTube channel. Get more inexpensive, offbeat destination ideas with our…

Despite Losing Panel in Flight, American Airlines 767 Flies to Paris Federal Officials Work to Make Oxygen Easier to Use Catch a Tour of Yankee Stadium Before It Closes The Ultimate Guide to Wi-Fi at Hotels Olympic Torch Goes Into Thin Air DESPITE LOSING PANEL IN FLIGHT, AMERICAN AIRLINES 767 FLIES TO PARIS - USA Today American Airlines is delving into the incident involving a panel stripped from a jet’s belly on April 20, which flight crews initially described as “a loud shaking noise from the belly of the plane.” Though the Boeing 767 made it safely from Dallas to Paris, ground…

Employees at New York John F. Kennedy began undergoing training last week to improve customer service for travelers caught in ...

Jenna Bush picked "You Are So Beautiful," the ballad made famous by Joe Cocker, for the father-daughter dance with President ...

On this 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, the woman credited with creating one of the world's most celebrated holidays probably ...

A memorabilia dealer who profited from O.J. Simpson for many years is the latest former crony to write a tell-all book, this ...

Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday acknowledged that the Vatican's instructions against using birth control is complicated, even as ...

Red Hook, Brooklyn, Amy Langfield/NewYorkology Food-cart fave Hallo Berlin Express opens on 9th near 50th (Eating in Translation via Midtown Lunch) Hallo Berlin Express has seats for about 30 diners and elbow-benders, if they squeeze in tight. The menu...

The New York State tourism board -- the "I heart NY" people -- last week relaunched their campaign to lure visitors to the parts of the state beyond NYC's five boroughs. It's a sure bet that the places they're pushing...

The Knicks, finally, "in principle" have a new head coach: Mike D'Antoni of the Phoenix Suns. That's the official word from the hoops club. The New York Times, which calls D'Antoni "perhaps the best coach on the market," reports that...

Significant progress can be seen on all four of artist Olafur Eliasson's mega-public art event "New York City Waterfalls" -- including the one positioned between piers 4 and 5 below the Brooklyn Promenade. Here's the view of the top: Its...

Subway Inn. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology Picture gallery of Bklyn Designs weekend offerings (Brownstoner) We just got back from Dumbo where we were checking out Day 1 of the annual BKLYN Designs show of furniture and accessories by, you guessed it,...

Jump to the full entry & travel map Anaheim, California, United StatesI asked Alice in Wonderland to line up for us to show Santina that she also could lead a parade and dance like this as well or better. It was a fun parade and enjoyed by all.It turned fairly cool after that and we still had a few hours to go for the night parade and to survive we required some warmer clothes, As can been seen the Jackets of Goofy and Tigger,  they  suited the guys well. Karon chose to be Tinkerbelle with a cuddly warm jacket but wouldn't pose with it because she had "thought ahead" and…

Jump to the full entry & travel map Queenstown, South Island, New ZealandWed 30th April - Not a very exciting day I'm afraid. We drove to Queenstown stopping at the Kawarau Bridge on the way to watch some crazy people throw themselves off on a bungy. I tell you that is scary stuff! No way I will do that! (Thats Ali not Ed who actually wants to throw himself off a pod 3 times that height for a laugh - he is one crazy dude!)We got to Queenstown and sorted out a hostel - again staying with Britta, Marion and Julie. I tell you they are stalking us! We went to have a little look around and do the…

Jump to the full entry & travel map Anaheim, California, United StatesKaron chose to lock the boy dogs into the Dog Pound in Toon Town but we escaped and found a wonderful ride with Roger Rabbit in a car. I know Ethan and Jarrod would really teach everyone how to drive this car so well.    Then, My Miss Catherine we looked in on Minnie Mouse's house and you would certainly have fun in her kitchen as you cook up some wonderful meals you have learned to do from Mummy.We took a train ride to the town centre to line up for the daytime parade.

Jump to the full entry & travel map Ko Phi Phi, Phuket, ThailandWe were picked up in a sort of tuk tuk and taken to the pier, where we caught the ferry to Ko Phi Phi. We got talking to a woman who was on her way back there to visit her father and her friends for the first time since the Tsunami four years ago!! Once we got there we found the right long tailed boat to take us to Long Beach, where we wanted to stay, and a pretty basic 'bungalow' a stones throw from the beach which was lovely. Spent the afternoon on the beach and in the sea then went to a restaurant right on the…

Jump to the full entry & travel map Anaheim, California, United StatesThe Matterhorn which was an Earnie MUST do ride and a Karon "No WAY" but gee before you knew it,  we are all in the bobsled and away we go.I don't quite understand someone that complained strenuously as we went into the dark in the ride about not being able to see, YET when we came into the light closed HER eyes so tight and was still in the dark! And people wonder why males have trouble understanding the female gender.Surprise, Surprise we managed to survive that one, even with our eyes closed JWalking over to…

ADP: Yesterday night, after making a vain attempt to clean up some random files on my trusty iBook, I came across this destination article that I wrote for a now-defunct magazine called Travel Savvy. The piece never did see the light of day—the magazine folded in 2005, just days after I submitted it to my editor—and until now it's just been languishing in my computer's hard drive. Sure, the piece is long past it's newsprint prime (the references and locations almost certainly outdated), but I still feel that it might be worth publishing here in the blogosphere. It recounts the…

HCC: The continent’s remote location isn’t the only challenge to setting foot on Antarctica—it’s also protected by the 500-mile wide Drake Passage carrying the world’s most turbulent waters. But ignorance was definitely bliss for all Antarctica virgins on board as our group of about fifty passengers set sail from Ushuaia on the Akademik Shokalskiy. It ain’t a Carnival Cruise: The research vessel’s ice-strengthened hull can navigate between floating bergs and fit into nooks and crannies that larger cruise ships can’t. The vessel is more cozy than luxurious, with a bar/lounge,…

ADP: As much as Jen, Holly and I loved traveling together as a dynamic trio of girlfriends, we always wondered what it might be like to do a similar trip with a boyfriend. Happily, our questions were answered after stumbling upon Globestompers.com, created by fellow backpacker diva Julie Stone, and her fiance Jared—both fellow New Yorkers.As we learned through their blog (and a lovely email exchange), Julie had been an official member of the NYC rat race for just over 7 years by the time she and Jared made the decision to travel the world for a year. They're camping their way through Ne…

HCC: Ushuaia is known as both del fin del mundo (translation: the end of the world) and the beginning of the journey to Antarctica from South America. Convicts helped construct its streets, bridges, and buildings after the Argentinean government built a jail here in the early 1900s. Officials figured wannabe-escape artists wouldn’t have a chance to make a getaway, thanks to the city’s location on the island of Tierra del Fuego and its border on the Beagle Channel. Today, the population is ballooning to almost 65,000 residents during the tourist’s high season from November through March.

HCC: One of my favorite things about blogging is the cool people you meet through the web. One such woman is Wendy Ferguson a fellow travel-lover and New Yorker who recently returned from Antarctica. When Wendy (pictured here) read that I was heading to the South Pole as well, she went beyond giving me travel advice—she offered to let me borrow the gear she’d used during her own trip!I was more than game to hear her travel stories and save a couple hundred bucks, so we met for a drink at the W Hotel in Union Square. She shared her tips and passed me a big bag filled with cold-weather…

We wake up to a beautiful morning and eat our breakfast with views of Mesa Verde National Park through the window.Then we pack up and take off for Canyonlands National Park. On the way we stop at Newspaper Rock State Park to have a lunch and look at the petroglyphs.

Last month Travellerspoint challenged you to nominate your best travel photos on the theme of "water". The results are in and here are the best 13 as voted for by the members of Travellerspoint ...

It was dark when we arrived in Mbale but the streets were swarming with people. All sorts of makeshift shops and restaurants lined the pavement. Coming from sleepy Bujigali it was like entering Vegas. The town itself was not very big but it had a lively atmosphere for the time of night. We found a nice hotel and ate at the Indian restaurant downstairs.The next morning we tried to get some money out from the ATM but it wasn't accepting any of our four cards. We had been successfully using the same bank throughout Uganda so we assumed that the international lines were down. With most of…

So the first part of the "real" Silk Road from ancient Merw onwards passes the Garagum desert perpendicularly to reach Turkmenabat and the Amuderya river plain. We crossed the 180km desert stretch in two days and it required some guesswork from the map and a good provision of water bottles to get from one supply point to the next. To make things a little more complicated, some of the settlements didn't have a shop, other supply points were closed and yet others had practically nothing to sell. The only companions are the frequent Iranian trucks carrying cars to Uzbekistan,…

It was more for our distaste of wearing backpacks whilst riding a motorbike than tight ass tendencies which led us to take the mini-bus to the top of the hill. We stood by the side of the road as dozens of packed buses passed us by. After 30 minutes and a few side adventures we found one with empty seats. I stuffed the bags in the back while Di clambered aboard. When I got in Di looked me in the eyes and said "we're in a school bus" I turned around to survey the scene and a dozen kids in uniform stared back. I burst out laughing and so did they. In fact they didn't stop…

The Earth Times has been reporting that Cambodian authorities will be cracking down on the marijuana-laced pizzas found all over the backpacker circuit in that country. Eating a slice of so-called “happy pizza” has been a backpacker rite of passage for a while now. So what will become of the hippy paradise now that the ganj is no longer a welcome pizza topping? Cambodians aren’t the only ones to mix recreational drugs into food. Have you tried the space cakes in Amsterdam? How about the mushroom shakes in Vang Vieng? Let us know about your experience in the TravelPod travel…

Feeling stressed? Maybe it’s time to start a blog. Two recent articles expound upon the benefits of blogging for your mental health. One article from CNN and another from ABC in Australia cite scientific and anecdotal evidence showing how blogging can bring you back from the brink of death, (in the case of one suicidal woman) and how you can create a stronger circle of friends, simply by writing about your daily experiences on the internet. While doctors say that blogging should never replace actual psychotherapy, some say that blogging can work well with an established therapy program.

Designers Jacky Wu, Neo Chen & Eric Liu have released their concept idea of an airline ticket that comes with a synchronized watch. When you buy your ticket, the vendor programs the time for you and you can wear the watch for the rest of your trip (assuming the batteries will last longer than your trip, of course). It’s a neat idea but in this age of airline downsizing, I’m pretty sure nobody will spring for adding this little gadget onto each and every ticket. It seems to me that the world’s still doing pretty well with everyone wearing their own watches. Last time I…

Call me an old romantic but Italy has to be one of the most appealing destinations for getting married abroad. We spent our 20th wedding anniversary in Rome and our 25th in Venice, so you can see that I'm an italophile. © Global Jet You could arrange everything yourself as long as you are aware of all the necessary paperwork. There are also several companies who specialise in organising weddings in Italy such as Weddings Made in Italy, Italy Weddings and Italian Weddings. See full article. Related Entries: Married vs Single - 21 February 2005 Yes - They Are Married - 07 August 2007…

It's all too easy to forget what's on your doorstep. I thought that I knew my home country of Scotland pretty well until I began researching for destination guides for my travel site. When I started my travel business in 2002 I more or less ignored the UK as I was under the spell of the beauty of Italy. However I began to realise that there was so much to do and see on my own doorstep. Melrose Abbey, Scotland by europealacarte I know it's wonderful to travel to exotic locations but with rising oil prices, concern over the environment and the hassle of flying you could be…

Unbelievable but true you can travel across New Zealand with Naked Bus from only $1 New Zealand dollar plus booking fee of 70 cents for travel until 21 July 2008. © kangotraveler When I heard about $1 dollar bus fares, I thought I must write about this. I've had in mind to write about New Zealand this low cost bus fare promoted through Travel Zoo kick started me into action. In a presentation at the World Travel Market in London in November 2007, Chris Loughlin of Travel Zoo said that many people would book the accommodation offers featured by Travel Zoo before they'd even arranged…

The Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland will be the largest National Park in Europe. It will encompass the entire Vatajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe and the Dettifoss Waterfall, the most powerful falls in Europe. The Park, due to officially open on 7 June 2008 will cover 13% of Iceland's landmass. © r h There's plenty to do in addition to enjoying the spectacular countryside and scenery in Iceland. The capital city Reykjavik has some great nightlife. There are many events such as the Festival of the Sea the first weekend in June, The Jazz Festival at the end of August…

Up for grabs in this prize draw a surfing holiday for you and a mate every year for the next three years. The location for the first year is La Hosteria on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain. In year two you'll be staying at the Errant Surf Villa in Ericeira, Portugal. Your final destination is the Morocco surf camp in Tamraght. The prize includes airport transfers, accommodation and some meals but you'll have to arrange your own flights. © Laram777 It's pretty unusual for a prize to offer three holidays, so this one could be worthwhile entering. See full article. Related…

The abundant supply of low cost airlines in Europe has created the situation whereby flying can work out cheaper than getting the bus to some places.To counter the competition from the airlines, low cost bus services have started up across Europe. Traditional bus companies have also answered the call, offering cheap bus fares in the same manner that low cost airlines sell tickets.Here are some low cost bus deals for travel in Europe.U.KIt's no surprise that the leading country of low cost airlines in Europe should also lead the charge for low cost buses.Megabus offer bus tickets across…

Here are this weeks travel blogs that have been added to the directory.flyingcritic.comA frequently updated blog about airline and travel news, travel tips and tricks, reviews, daily travel photos, and more.The Flying Criticvietnamtravelnotes.comVietnam travel information, articles, tours, resources and travel tips. Vietnam Travel Notes - Let the journey begin.Vietnam Travel Notestour-dubai.blogspot.comRead about the best hotels in Dubai, cheap airfares and about the best places to dine and stay in Dubai.Dubai Travel Guidesoekershofwalkabout.blogspot.comDevelopments in and around and the…

Australia and USAirfares to London and L.AWhen booking international flights from Australia it is not uncommon to see the ridiculous situation of flights to London being cheaper than flights to Los Angeles. This currently stands because only two airlines, Qantas and United, are allowed to operate direct flights between the US and Australia. This is set to change with the Open Skies Accord that was agreed between Australia and the US. V Australia will commence flights between the two nations in December, which has already prompted fare reductions from Qantas.Australia and EuropeThe next…

Many cities in Europe are spelt differently in English to how they are actually spelt. For example Firenze in Italian is Florence in English.First time visitors to Europe may not be aware of different spellings for city names. Some name changes are obvious enough as only a small change is made. Roma becomes Rome for example, or an umlaut or accent is dropped, so Zürich becomes Zurich. Some aren't so obvious though. You might be Eurailing through Germany on your way to Cologne, not realising that you should have got off at Köln.It is not just English that changes names to suit. Most…

I'm starting a new feature where every friday I will list travel blogs that have been added to the travel blog directory.Here are this weeks blogs, with a description from the author.conradwoodring.comThis blog is a record of my life in Turkey as an American. I focus mostly on my interactions with Turkish culture and the divide between east and west.An American Life in Istanbulgreatwall.se/blog/The purpose of this blog is to describe my trips to the Great Wall and hopefully this can be an inspiration for other Great Wall enthusiasts and tourists with a general interest in the Great Wall.Great…

Filed under: Learning, Business, Europe, SwedenWhenever I hear about rich individuals owning whole islands, I always wonder how one actually goes about buying such a piece of property. Do you just walk into your real estate agent and say, "you know, I'm really in the mood for an island, do you have any available?" Seems like an odd question.If you are in the market for your very own island -- and who wouldn't want one? -- the island of Hanö, off the Blekinge coast in the southeast of Sweden, is currently for sale. The idyllic island includes 6 kilometers of beach front and even a 19th…

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, United StatesI heard that this weekend there are Civil War reenactors on the state house lawn in Columbus. This reminded me of my two friends who have dabbled in Civil War reenacting. Each dress up in period soldier attire-- one is in Confederate gray and the other is Union blue. As reenactors, they meet up other reenactors to act out a particular slice of history. There are rules involved for how reenactments are done. It's not a matter of running around on a field any which way, but following the patterns and paths of what actually happened…

Filed under: China, Photo of the DayI'm a sucker for a good sunset. Aside from being beautiful, the lighting conditions are also perfect for some great photography. Flickr user matt.hintsa has the right idea in today's photo. Matt's shot of Shanghai captures a little bit of everything. The silhouettes of the two ancient Chinese buildings do a great job of framing the ultra-modern skyscraper in the background. And the top of the skyscraper is bathed in that beautiful light you can only get at the very end or beginning of the day, when the sun sits low on the horizon. Nice work.Think you've got…

Filed under: Hiking, Ecuador, CampingRachel Atkinson hops like a Darwin finch from one volcanic outcropping to the next, then plunges into ankle-deep mud. Squishing as she walks, the botanist with the Charles Darwin Research Station homes in on the ailing invaders: blackberry, passion fruit, and quinine bushes clustered near Santa Cruz Island's last shrubby stands of Scalesia trees. Atkinson smiles in approval. One more blast of herbicide ought to prevent the aliens from regrowing and give the Scalesia a shot at survival after all.We were on the front-line of an epic war being waged on all…

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories, United StatesFriday, when J. Patrick Lewis, a children's book writer was signing copies of Earth and Me at a writers conference I was attending in Dublin, Ohio, he mentioned that his mother was coming up for a visit for Mother's Day. I asked where she lives. "Richmond, Kentucky," he said, as if I perhaps I wouldn't know the place. "I was born there," I said. I left Richmond in the front seat of a U-Haul moving van sitting next to at an age when I still can remember the trip. My mom followed us in our car with my brother. As J. Patrick Lewis and I…

When people think of eating out in Miami, they think of Latin American food. But the city offers more than that. We’ve put together a short list of excellent restaurants in Miami. Hiro’s Yakko-San 17040-46 W. Dixie Hwy. North Miami Beach 305-947-0064 Japanese www.yakko-san.com Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink 130 NE 40th St. 305-573-5550 Contemporary American www.michaelsgenuine.com Michy’s 6927 Biscayne Blvd. 305-759-2001 Bistro Sardinia 1801 Purdy Ave. Miami Beach 305-531-2228 Italian www.sardinia-ristorante.com Here’s a Google map of Mapplr’s favorites in…

Chicago is best known for its architecture and lively urban scene (music, theater, nightclubs). Carl Sandburg’s poem “Chicago” published in 1916 still conveys the city’s atmosphere, almost a century later, long after it lost most of its industrial and manufacturing base. Although most foodies look to the coasts for inspiration, Chicago has a lot of excellent restaurants. Here are Mapplr’s favorites in Chicago. Blackbird 619 W. Randolph St. +1 312 715 0708 Chicago, IL www.blackbirdrestaurant.com New American cuisine Bonsoirée 2728 W. Armitage Ave. Chicago, IL +1…

There are few cities in the world that can compete with Rome when it comes to history, art, cuisine, shopping and atmosphere. The city gets thousands of visitors every year but lags behind other European cities in high quality accommodations that don’t cost a fortune. I’ve tried to put together a list of reasonably priced hotels in various areas of Rome. I once stayed on the Campo dei Fiori which has a wonderful produce market and inexpensive (but good) restaurants. Hotel Fortyseven Via L. Petroselli, 47 00186 Rome, Italy +39 6 678 7816 www.fortysevenhotel.com Hotel Pulitzer Roma…

It’s that time of the year when people are making travel plans for the summer. London is one of my favorite cities, but it’s not easy finding a good place to stay that’s good value at the same time. I’ve listed my favorite hotels in different areas of the city for different budgets. Personally I like staying in Notting Hill or Covent Garden because there’s so much to do and the shopping is fabulous. I will post a list of my favorite restaurants and cafes in a few days. Notting Hill area: The Gate Hotel 6 Portobello Road London W11 3DG United Kingdom +44 20…

Toronto is a beautiful cosmopolitan city that has very good restaurants and a fabulous night life (and an excellent ice hockey team). There are a lot of excellent ethnic places to dine, especially in Chinatown, where you can also find Vietnamese food. C5 Restaurant Lounge Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, 5th Fl. Toronto, Canada +1 416 586 7928 Colborne Lane 45 Colborne St. Toronto, Canada +1 416 368 9009 Foxley 207 Ossington Ave. Toronto, Canada +1 416 534 8520 Bistro Lucien 36 Wellington St. E. Toronto, Canada +1 416 504 9990 Bistro Splendido 88 Harbord St. Toronto, Canada +1 416…

Maureen and I have recently acquired a house in London which we’re using as a base for the European side (as opposed to the Australian side) of the world. Maureen farewells my London ambulanceOn Saturday afternoon I managed to trip over a chair, fall full length across the room, crash my head against the corner of the wall and arrive on the floor bleeding profusely. Maureen did the British thing, called 999 and asked for an ambulance. Ten minutes later medical assistance arrived. On a bicycle. It makes perfectly good sense, I wasn’t about to die, I could find my own way to a…

I started and ended my Colombian travels in Bogota, the country’s capital, and on my last morning climbed up to the top of Cerro de Monserrate, the hilltop viewpoint overlooking the sprawling city. - Click here for more on Bogota - And here for Cartagena & the Caribbean Coast - Here for Medellin & Santa Fe de Antioquia   BogotaI started and ended my Colombian travels in Bogota, the country’s capital, and on my last morning climbed up to the top of Cerro de Monserrate, the hilltop viewpoint overlooking the sprawling city. Bogota’s a lofty place, at 2600…

SafewayNot sure if the supermarket company would approve, but what a great name for a condom brand! It was thoughtfully provided in the bedside table of the Confucius Hotel in Tainan, Taiwan. Is there a Confucian saying about it being wise to take precautions? SafewayNot sure if the supermarket company would approve, but what a great name for a condom brand! It was thoughtfully provided in the bedside table of the Confucius Hotel in Tainan, Taiwan. Is there a Confucian saying about it being wise to take precautions?

Close to the equator the climate doesn’t change much with the seasons in Colombia, but it sure does with the altitude. I’ve always thought of Kathmandu, at 1300 metres, 4300 feet, as a useful rule of thumb for city heights. So between the hot and steamy Caribbean coast of Colombia and Bogota, the often chilly capital, at 2600 metres, two Kathmandus high, I’m also visiting Medellin, at 1540 metres a bit higher than the Himalayan city.Medellin In Colombia’s bad days Medellin was the baddest. Once upon a time this city could claim to have the highest murder rate on earth…

I’m travelling around Colombia, a country which travellers are starting to discover, now that the drug guys are keeping their heads down and the rebels have retreated into the jungle. In the rest of the country the main danger, the Colombian tourist board suggests, is that you might want to stay longer. I’ve been travelling along the Caribbean coast between Santa Marta and Cartagena. Cartagena Street SceneClick here for more on Colombia - Cartagena & The Caribbean Coast I’m travelling around Colombia, a country which travellers are starting to discover, now that the drug…

A few days ago, I was with my family on mainland Abaco, driving to Crown Point, the northernmost town in the Abacos. We stopped in Coopers Town, which happens to be the hometown of the Prime Minister. Coopers Town is a lovely place of about 900; it is small, it is colorful, it is clean and it hangs along a beachless stretch of the Abaco sea. We stopped the car when I saw something strange.

To put myself in Martin Sheen's Apocolypse Now character would be absurd. But I'll tell you this much - as we head up the coast of Great Guana Cay, things are going to get a lot weirder, and already, I can't help but imagine Martin Sheen as Army Captain Benjamin Willard, heading upriver, into the depths of human madness. When I lived in Western Malibu, sometimes I would see Martin Sheen at the grocery store, or at the post office. One night, it was 3:30 AM, I was buying No-Doz. Sheen was buying orange juice and vodka. To each his own. That was when pictures of Heidi Fleiss and his son were on…

I am on a boat, tied to a dock in a bay on the tiny island of Great Guana Cay in the Northern Bahamas. Troy Albury is untying lines and points out a Caribbean reef squid taking shelter under the dock. These animals, hued in purple and electric orange, can be difficult to spot during the day - their bodies are brilliant but translucent...

I drove north from Hanksville, past the entrance to the remote Mars