Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
Ludwigsburg Festival in Full Swing
By Linda Tancs
North of Stuttgart lies the former dukedom of Ludwigsburg, Germany. Noted for its 452-roomed palace and heirloom gardens, this Baroque-inspired town plays host to a summer music festival, aptly known as the Ludwigsburg Palace Festival. Open through 27 July, events include an opera gala celebrating the festival’s 250th year, string quartets, musical interpretation of the spoken word and a classical concert with fireworks. With some ticket prices as low at 11 euros (and even lower for children), it won’t even burn a hole in your pocket. The hills are indeed alive with the sound of music.
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Routes Follow European Theatre
By Linda Tancs
The Culture Programme of the European Union sponsors a European Route showcasing the European architectural aspects of theatre buildings around the EU. First to open was the German Route in 2007, exploring German theatrical architecture from the 17th to 19th centuries, including the half-timbered summertime theatre in Neubrandenburg, Frederick the Great’s private theatre in Potsdam, Gotha’s palace theatre and the much-copied 19th-century style playhouse in Meiningen.
A recent addition to the theatre trail is the Nordic Route, celebrating the historic theatres of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Visitors to Sweden will enjoy the theatre barn, a staple of Swedish cultural traditions, the oldest of its kind located in Hedemora. Historic stage sets and props await visitors to Halden, Norway, site of an Empire-style theatre built by townspeople in the 19th century. Saved from demolition in the 20th century, the Elsinore Theatre in Aarhus, Denmark is the oldest playhouse in the country preserved in its original form.
By 2009, five routes will connect culturally significant properties from Italy to Norway. The three additional routes to open are the Italian Route, the Emperor Route (covering Austria and the Czech Republic) and the Channel Route (linking the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK). Novelist Oscar Wilde regarded the theatre as the greatest of all art forms. See if you agree.
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Mobility-Challenged Travelers Find Companions
By Linda Tancs
Mobility-impaired travelers can fret less about getting from point A to point B. Former airline professionas have taken on a second life as traveling companions for those with special needs. Their services include booking travel, handling airport transfers and keeping relatives informed of your progress on domestic and international flights. This service epitomizes the phrase, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Find them at www.flyingcompanions.com.
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Paris on a Budget
By Linda Tancs
The French capital is rich with displays of cityscapes and architecture, festivities, sports, arts and entertainment. But is it too rich for your wallet? Fortunately, no–if you know how to stretch your euros in the City of Light. Find out more at www.travelrificradio.com.
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Stretching the Dollar in the City of Light
By Linda Tancs
Few expenses irk travelers more than transport costs from airport to inner city, and the pain is more keenly felt when the traveler’s currency is trading downward (like the U.S. dollar). Thanks to Paris’s still relatively new light rail at Charles de Gaulle Airport, you can transfer free among the terminals, and catch the Roissybus to L’Opera Garnier for less than $15. Transfer there via cab to the inner city for less than $10. That’s a savings of $50 or so from the price of an airport cab. What to do with that extra cash? Why not order the plat du jour at that sidewalk cafe you’ve been meaning to visit. You’ve earned it.
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A Cool Trip
By Linda Tancs
As record breaking heat grips the northeastern U.S. this late spring (spring!), it’s time for our collective mindset to turn to cooler climes. How about Iceland? Coming in this time of year at a delightfully cool 56 degrees fahrenheit in Reykjavik, you can run, hike, swim, bike, kayak or glacier hop without breaking a sweat. And it shouldn’t hurt that Budget Travel cites Iceland as one of few places where the U.S. dollar goes further. Of course, budget is a relative term. If fuel costs, airline downsizings and surcharges have you staying closer to home, then you can always enjoy Icelandic culture vicariously through the Puffin cam on the tourist board’s website.
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Tourism Survey Measures P’s and Q’s
By Linda Tancs
How well tourists mind their p’s and q’s was the subject of a recent survey of hoteliers commissioned by Expedia. The results for American tourists (ranking eleventh overall) are mixed, scoring high points for generosity and low points for tidiness and civility. German tourists scored highest for neatness while the Italians and French topped the best-dressed list. Americans, whose fanny packs and white tennis shoes apparently do little to impress the front desk, are number one on the traveler’s equivalent of Blackwell’s worst-dressed list. So how does one become a model tourist? You’ll need to ask the Japanese, who ranked first overall.
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E-Ticketing Touted as Cost-Saving Measure
By Linda Tancs
You may have noticed that, effective 1 June, paper airline tickets have gone the way of the dinosaur. In a move initiated by IATA about 3 years ago, e-ticketing is now the standard for processing passengers. According to IATA, this move will save the industry over $3 billion per year in expenses. Now the question is: as carriers realize the savings to come through effecting electronic transactions, will we see an elimination of the checked bag charges now being widely introduced by carriers, a reduction in surcharges, and–better snack foods? Stay tuned.
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The Aqueous Paradise of Venice
By Linda Tancs
World famous for its canals and gondoliers, Venice is an aqueous paradise often emulated but never rivaled. Find out what it is about this city that charms so many. Visit Travelrific® Travel Show.
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Moving at a Glacial Pace
By Linda Tancs
A glacial pace is taken to mean a slow, lumbering movement. Not that there’s anything wrong with that– unless we’re talking glaciers. Ice movements in New Zealand and Greenland are causing some consternation among naturalists and scientists alike, not to mention the uncertain effect on tourism. Consider this: New Zealand’s 2 million-year-old Tasman Glacier in Mount Cook National Park is losing 500 meters each year, an uncomfortable progression for a skiing destination touted as the ultimate New Zealand alpine adventure. On the other side of the world, Greenland’s glaciers have been shrinking for 100 years, losing some 150,000 tons of ice each year. That’s bad news for Disko Bay, where adventurists travel to marvel at a colossal collection of floe. Better get there before the glaciers leave town.
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Travelrific® Travel Journal 