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
A Twist of Twain or a Dash of Dickens
By Linda Tancs
Book lovers, take note. Do you long to experience the riverscape of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer? Are you interested in the historical underpinnings of chancery, “keeper of the King’s conscience,” as young law clerk Charles Dickens would have seen it? Then why not step into their shoes–and those of other literary greats–through a literary tour. Is this a new trend? Hardly. Think “da Vinci code tour” and you’ll know what I mean. Still, you can’t help but be inspired to write the next great novel of our time after walking in the path of the masters. The thought of their dedication and effort gives more meaning to every edifice of brick, marble or stone lining the tourist trail of the places with which they’re associated. Perhaps Oscar Wilde said it best: “Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it.”
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Air Barista
By Linda Tancs
Okay, so there’s really not an airline by that name. But Austrian Airlines Group is a strong contender for the title, billing itself as the first Viennese coffee house above the clouds. Business class passengers get to choose from 10 of the finest Austrian coffees such as Kaisermelange and Franziskaner. Business class is also touted for its unparalleled sleep comfort. Seems to me you have a choice: enjoy the fine coffee or get a good night’s rest for, as the saying goes, “Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.”
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Italy’s Fabled City
By Linda Tancs
Popularly known as the Eternal City, Rome boasts 3000 years of timeless beauty in this fabled Italian metropolis. Take in the sights at www.travelrificradio.com.
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You Can Be a Select Traveler
By Linda Tancs
Imagine yourself sipping champagne in an ornate wood-paneled dining car, watching the Italian Dolomites soar as the steward offers you yet another canape. Or perhaps you prefer the French country elegance of a château. Or the craggy, mystical highlands of Scotland. Or the samba beat of South America. Whatever your guilty pleasure, Continental Airlines now gives you a menu of options to choose from with their new Select Escapes luxury packages. They’ve put together an impressive array of high-end rail tours, palatial digs, resorts and spas. Someone once said, “Vacation used to be a luxury, but in today’s world it has become a necessity.” Does that mean that a luxury vacation is an imperative? You decide.
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Long Life in Lugano
By Linda Tancs
Ask German born Rosa Rein if there’s something in the Swiss air, wine or water to account for her longevity. She’s now the oldest woman in Switzerland at a spry 111 years. Living in Lugano, she still enjoys the best of health despite some hearing loss. And she could have a partner with which to toast her good fortune. In the area of Misoexertal, Switzerland four men reside over the age of 100. Maybe longevity really is determined by how you choose to look at life, regardless how life treats you. After all, Rosa was widowed as early as 1973 and lost her mother at a Nazi concentration camp. As Swiss psychologist Carl Jung observed, “It all depends on how we look at things and not on how they are themselves.”
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New Hotel Chain Promises a Lofty Experience
By Linda Tancs
If tight ceilings, small beds and even smaller TVs are putting a crimp in your hotel experience, then maybe Starwood’s new offering will give you a lift, or should I say, a loft. “aloft” is the newest budget entry in the chain’s array of properties, sporting oversized windows, HDTV flat panels, oversized beds and showers, and 9-foot ceilings that even Brobdingnagian guests should find comforting. The majority of open properties at the moment are in North America, ranging from Montreal in the East to Rancho Cucamonga in the West. Other properties slated to open in 2009 and beyond include hotspots such as Orlando, Nashville and Denver in the U.S. and international locales such as Brussels, U.A.E. and the Asian Pacific region. With hotel development in full vigor worldwide among the leading players, let’s hope that guests won’t be aloof over aloft.
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Heathrow Ad Likely to Promote Ire
By Linda Tancs
Following up on our 3 April post, a recent ad by British Airways promoting Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 will likely throw salt into the wound of any traveler who “benefited” from the experience. The ad, entitled “Feel Calm Again,” directs you to “immerse yourself in serenity as you flow effortlessly through your journey.” Yep. Memo to Ad Team: Major media ad placement shall hereafter take place following successful testing of new launches.
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Happy Earth Day
By Linda Tancs
Today marks a worldwide celebration of our natural resources. What better way to commemorate the day than to see what’s on in some of Mother Nature’s most glorious natural environments. How about Hawaii? Many Earth Day-related festivities have already started–and ended. However, the Kona Earth Festival is still kickin’ until 21 June. In Thailand, morning chants at Dhammakaya Assembly Hall started off the annual salute to our environment, ending tonight with fireworks at the Grand Meditation Square. Calgary is celebrating with a call to action to Ward 9 to pick up litter for 22 minutes! And the U.K.’s North Norfolk coast, an eco-friendly paradise for backpackers, is hosting an exhibition on environmental technology and initiatives at Deepdale Farm. What’s on in your neighborhood?
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Cell Phone Use Made Simple
By Linda Tancs
The limping U.S. dollar may not have you thinking about traveling abroad any time soon, but if you do, you might be wondering about using your cell phone internationally. You may very well have a phone that is capable of working in most countries–the key word is “capable.” Will the frequency used in your target destination jibe with your phone? Do you need to “unlock” your phone from home before traveling? Should you rent a phone internationally or replace the SIM card? A good place to start looking for answers is with your service provider, of course. Some sites also attempt to provide you with some basic information to get you started, like http://www.cellularabroad.com/cellinfo.html.
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Vatican City
By Linda Tancs
Vatican City, led by the Pope, is one of the holiest sites in Christendom and houses some of the most magnificent displays of art in the world. Explore the wonders of the world’s smallest country at www.travelrificradio.com.
