Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
Cell Phones Allowed Limited Use in EU Flights
By Linda Tancs
Following up on our July 19, 2007 post, the EU has, after testing for safety, issued regulations allowing the use of cell phones during flight, not including take-off and landing. Let’s just hope that the resulting conversations don’t devolve into captive attention to the various trials and tribulations of your flight mates. Perhaps a manual on cell phone etiquette should find its way to the seat back in front of you.
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Serenity Now
By Linda Tancs
Cruise travelers seeking their inner Zulu will find it aboard every ship in Princess’s line by 2010, thanks to the success of Sanctuary on the Crown Princess. For the uninitiated, Sanctuary is an adults-only designated area offering spa-like amenities served up by your Serenity Steward (or stewardess?). So the next time those teens and tweens take over the hot tub, don’t sweat it. Your refuge is at hand.
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Stretching the Dollar
By Linda Tancs
Between rising fuel costs, exchange rate woes and failing airlines, you know your travel dollars will be stretched to the limit. So where can you get the most bang for your buck? The Portimão area of Portugal looks pretty good. You’ve got 5 beaches, 4 golf facilities, and the tourist mecca of Alvor, together with room rates as low as 83 euros through May. Hire a boat from Alvor to Ria de Alvor, an estuary giving sanctuary to a number of migrating birds and flowering plants amidst the sand dunes, mud flats, and freshwater and saltwater marshes. Top off your adventure with the local specialty of grilled sardine. Did you know that the Portguese eat more fish than any other Europeans? Now grab and bag and start packing. Desejo-lhe umas boas férias!
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Birthing Pains at Heathrow
By Linda Tancs
No one ever said it would be easy. Apparently, last month’s massive move of British Airways’ operations to the brand spanking new Terminal 5 was not without a hitch–or a glitch. Flight delays and baggage loss again wreak havoc on unsuspecting travelers using the newest digs at Heathrow–eerily reminiscent of the baggage belt debacle of December 2006. Over 300 flights have been cancelled, and more are projected at least until tomorrow. Ouch.
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Viticultural Areas Abound in U.S.
By Linda Tancs
So what is a viticultural area, you ask? It’s a wine grape-growing region with distinctive geographic features, similar to (but distinguishable from) an appellation of origin. The U.S. has over 180 American Viticultural Areas. As you might suspect, a great majority of these are in California. You might be surprised at some of the other locations on the list, places like the Ozarks in Arkansas, the Mississippi Delta, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Texas High Plains, and southeastern New England (Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island). So move over beaujolais and make room for the home-grown varietals.
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Power Napping At a Pod Near You
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard of yellow cabs. Now meet YeloCab in New York City, a suite of cabins with adjustable lighting and reflexology designed to invigorate you during your busy day. Now you can catch some zzz’s in style. Learn more at www.yelonyc.com.
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Travel May Affect Insurance–Part Two
By Linda Tancs
In follow up to our 26 February post, New Jersey has now passed a law forbidding life insurance companies from adjusting premiums based on the travel predilections of policy owners–for the most part, that is. Exclusion is made for the application of sound actuarial principles or past experience. You can read the new law at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A2000/1586_I1.HTM.
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The Luxury of Monaco
By Linda Tancs
Monaco is synonymous with luxury, from its five-star hotels and famous casino to the slew of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins and Bentleys that cascade around the tree-lined streets and boulevards. Experience the grandeur at www.travelrificradio.com.
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Passenger Bill of Rights Gets Tossed
By Linda Tancs
A New York appellate court has invalidated the nation’s first passenger bill of rights passed in that state, declaring that it conflicts with federal law designed to establish airlines’ rights and obligations regarding service. As travelers increasingly suffered the indignity of lengthy confinement on the tarmac sans food or drink, the idea of a passenger bill of rights gained ground around the nation among legislators. These bills intended to guarantee delayed passengers certain amenities such as food, water, clean toilets and fresh air. Now, unless Congress decides to legislate airline service in such circumstances, the treatment accorded New York’s bill doesn’t bode well for similar legislation proposed in states such as New Jersey and Washington.
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Dealing with Air or Sea Emergencies
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder who helps air or sea crews deal with passenger emergencies–besides other passengers with medical training? One emergency service provider is MedAire, whose services came to light recently when an air passenger died on a flight from the Caribbean to New York. According to their Web site, MedAire provides an array of services, including real-time medical assistance, medical training (including physiology as well as CPR) and medical equipment. Not all commercial carriers subscribe to their services, however. So before you travel, maybe another question you should get answered is how your carrier is prepared to deal with medical emergencies beyond standard crew training.
