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April 2010 Blog Posts (72)

Is Education the Key to Reducing "Irresponsible" Tourism?

Having read a recent article in the Associated Press about the lack of knowledge that travellers between 18 to 30 have about the World, I asked myself: is this ‘responsible’? Shouldn’t they know about the destinations they are going to visit? In my view, education before departure nurtures a sense of respect and responsibility towards a countries people and heritage and can have a… Continue

Added by West Africa Discovery on April 19, 2010 at 5:30am — No Comments

Boeing Says “No” To Ryanair’s Pay-to-Pee Plan

From Blogger Pictures

You have to admire the gall.

Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary,… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 18, 2010 at 3:46pm — 8 Comments

Schumer has it wrong. Carry-on bag taxes are paid for by passengers not airlines.

The misdirected attempt to declare carry-on baggage "essential" so that it would be subject to the transportation excise tax won't affect airlines at all. It will on add a 7.5% tax on top of the baggage fees that is paid by passengers.

Should Schumer and his cosponsors prevail (I doubt that they will), the cost of any carry-on bag will go up by 7.5 percent. The excise tax is a separate tax on top of other taxes and exclusively paid for by passengers, not the airlines.…

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Added by Charlie Leocha on April 18, 2010 at 11:15am — No Comments

Tuscany

Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is a region on Italy's west coast, on the Tyrrhenian sea. It is one of the most popular places to visit in a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There are several reasons to visit Tuscany: some of the most important ones are seeing Renaissance art in Florence, eating Tuscan food and tasting the excellent local wines, and after all this enjoying a day at the beach in Viareggio.

Read more… Continue

Added by Italy Video guides on April 18, 2010 at 3:30am — No Comments

Nicaragua: Now Open to Curious Travelers

After the Revolution: Nicaragua Opens its Doors to Curious Travelers

By Kaleel Sakakeeny

In a ramshackle yet proud artisan studio in the dusty town of San Juan de Oriente, a young boy about 15 casts pots using his feet for power on an old throw wheel. The wheel hums, the clay spins and the pottery that evolves is astonishingly intricate yet elegantly simple.

His younger sister tends to a new littler of seven puppies, and his even younger brother… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 16, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

World Air Traffic 24 Hour Period

This is a super cool graphic that I posted earlier on The Travel Doc. Hope you like!.

Added by Lisa Teller on April 15, 2010 at 5:27pm — No Comments

2010 Memorial Day Weekend in Miami South Beach

2010 Memorial Day Weekend in Miami South Beach is coming soon. Urban Beach Week for Memorial Day in Miami South Beach is on May 27 - May 31, 2010. Hurry up and make your hotel reservations because majority of hotels are already book for this 2010 Memorial… Continue

Added by Natasha Demps on April 15, 2010 at 1:26pm — No Comments

Gastrotraveling.com Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary!

A few weeks ago I was reminded why I started gastrotraveling.com and why I continue working hard to write fresh content. After all, isn’t my tagline simple enough?: “A Better Understanding of Food Through Travel” Well probably not. First of all, here’s what I’m not. I’m not a food critic, columnist, celebrity chef, or culinary expert in any way. What I am is a writer who is extremely interested in learning about the ever evolving way we interact with… Continue

Added by Steve Mirsky on April 14, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

482 Words About Uganda

We, Danielle Nierenberg and Bernard Pollack (aka BorderJumpers), are traveling across the continent of Africa looking at innovations around alleviating hunger and poverty. We are writing a weekly diary whereby we share (in less than 500 words) observations from every country we visit.

People here are very laid back and the feeling is contagious! We managed to go three days… Continue

Added by bernard pollack on April 14, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

North American Travel Journalists Association Annual Conference in Reno, NV May 11th-14th!!!

NATJA invites journalists, editors, broadcasters, and travel industry professionals to their 8th Annual Conference & Marketplace in Reno, Nevada. This is a great opportunity for fellow colleagues to meet face-to-face, attend professional business development seminars, acquire great story leads and see the new and vibra...nt Reno/Tahoe area and its many new and exciting destinations.

Featured Speakers will include:

Peter Yesawich, CEO of Ypartnership, who will discuss… Continue

Added by N American Travel Journ Assoc on April 12, 2010 at 6:42pm — No Comments

Marmaris, A Turkish Resort Mecca

Once a sleepy fishing village, Marmaris has ballooned into one of the largest resorts on the Aegean coast, if not Turkey. Little of its history remains, as the town is now a modern development with tourism at its heart and soul. The population swells to a massive 200,000 in the summer, with most hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and shops catering to low-cost package holidays, although there are facilities for all budgets.

Despite the development which reaches around 10km along the west of… Continue

Added by GAMZE ÖZKAN on April 12, 2010 at 12:44pm — No Comments

Istanbul: Two Continents

İstanbul

Area: 5.712 km²

Population: 10.018.735 (2000)

Traffic Code: 34

The god and human, nature and art are together in there, they have created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see." Lamartine’s famous poetic line reveals his love for Istanbul, describing the embracing of two continents, with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. http://www.anzacdayonline.com

Istanbul, once known as the capital of… Continue

Added by GAMZE ÖZKAN on April 12, 2010 at 12:41pm — No Comments

The Storm Before The Calm

There is much to enjoy about early mornings in Kyiv: the cool air and peaceful blue tint in the sky (or whimsical snow in winter); the purposeful stomp of expensive shoes on the street as its businesspeople make their way to work; the unflustered rhythms of the metro before it becomes crowded; the melodious whirr of the coffee machine in the kitchen in my office, churning out triple espressos to be sipped before the working day starts. Unfortunately – due to my body’s own unflustered rhythms –… Continue

Added by Jonathan Campion on April 12, 2010 at 4:23am — No Comments

Banning Kids from Flying...at least First Class

No Fly Zone for Family Travel and Kids

Most Americans are not anti-kids, just some mean-spirited, presumably well-heeled ones who fly first class.

As part of a thread on kids and families flying first class, one guy (maybe a woman) said:

“ If I paid money for first class, I WILL GET FIRST CLASS. I don't want any ROTTEN CHILDREN anywhere near me…Or breathing MY FIRST CLASS AIR, THAT I PAID FOR.” (sic)

Whoa!

And… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Nude Travel Vacations (Nakations): Big Business

The Naked Traveler: Nude Holidays

Jaws dropped (and pants too) a couple of years ago when German Travel agency OssiUrlaub.de said it would start taking bookings for a nudist day trip from an eastern German town to a popular Baltic Sea resort.

Apparently the 55 passengers will remain clothed until they board, undress during the flight, then dress before disembarking.

The crew remains clothed throughout the flight for, well obvious reasons, I… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Osa Peninsula Lapathon Jungle Race 2010

The second edition of the Lapathon, a race for a good cause organized by Lapa Rios Ecolodge will take place on May 1st. Start of the 18 kilometer race is the Carbonara School in Matapalo at 2:00 p.m. and the finish is at the Plaza in Puerto Jimenez. Participation fee is of 8,000 colones (about $15) and all proceeds from the race will go towards an educational project for… Continue

Added by Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality on April 9, 2010 at 5:49pm — No Comments

A Few Words About Tanzania

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Kigoma, Tanzania.

Actually, we never even made it to Kigoma. Precision Air, one of only two airlines that flies to the remote region, had just suspended all flights for the next several weeks and the other airline was all booked. No worries, we headed to Zanzibar instead….

Everywhere you look in Zanzibar there’s a bounty of fresh vegetables, fruit, and spices. One of the “Spice Islands”—a group of islands that…

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Added by bernard pollack on April 9, 2010 at 12:29pm — No Comments

Carbon Offset Programs: More Hype Than Hope?

Carbon Offsets: More Hype Than Help

Travel honchos in the travel and tourism industry are running a bit scared.

With all the hand-wringing about Global Warming, the execs wondered if they are about to become the next Exxon Valdez of travel, villains in the making: major contributors to global pollution.

Will the government, they worried, come out with a slogan: “Save the Planet. Travel Less?“

Actually… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 9, 2010 at 12:00am — No Comments

When Women Travel Alone

Too many movies and books give us too many images of women as helpless victims. That’s unhealthy.

But the truth is that a majority of women say that security issues are their number one concern when traveling alone.

And given the choice, 79% of women road warriors say that they prefer to travel with a companion.

It seems though, that the joys of travel are so strong, these women would rather travel alone than not travel.

To which we… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 8, 2010 at 3:14pm — No Comments

Photo Workshop in Costa Rica

Join me May 12-18th for a Photo Workshop at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge in Costa Rica. The focus will be on shooting botanicals in a tropical setting. Still time to sign up.