Archive for the 'Travel Insider' Category
Travel + Leisure online airport guide to restaurants, shops and bars
November 2, 2009 3:18pm
It’s a common dilemma when passing through an airport: What should I eat? Where’s the bar? Are there any good gift stores, because I forgot to get my kids/spouse/mother something on my trip. If you’re racing through the airport with 20 minutes before boarding or stuck on a layover for four hours — Travel + Leisure’s Airport Navigator has the answers to those questions and more for 20 different airports around the globe. It’s not just a list of fast-food options or bookstores that are easy to find — the guide lets you know if it’s a swanky restaurant like El Madrono in Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD), or the much admired Tiffany & Co. jewelry store in Hong Kong (HKG).
Unfortunately, there aren’t any airports covered within the U.S., but the editors are not done adding to the list (the guide launched this past Aug. 22).
20 Airport Navigator sites covered so far: EUROPE — Schipol (AMS in Amsterdam), Munich International (MUC in Germany), Atatürk (IST in Istanbul, Turkey), Charles de Gaulle (XDT in Paris), Heathrow (LHR in London), Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (FCO in Rome), Barajas International (MAD in Madrid); ASIA: Capital International (PEK in Beijing), Changi Airport (SIN in Singapore), Hong Kong International (HKG), Narita International (NRT in Tokyo); US + Canada: Toronto Pearson International (YYZ), Vancouver International (YVR); LATIN AMERICA: Ministro Pistirini International (Ezeiza) (EZE in Buenos Aires), Guarulhos International (GRU in Sao Paulo, Brazil), Mexico City International (MEX); AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST: Cairo International (CAI), OR Tambo International (JNB), Dubai International (DXB); AUSTRALIA: Sydney Airport (SYD)
Q&A: What is TSA’s Secure Flight and how does it affect you?
September 15, 2009 7:11pm
Talk about TMI. Now airlines are starting to ask your age and gender when you book a ticket. So expect to provide that, along with your first, last and middle name (if you have one) as it appears on your driver’s license or other government-issued ID.
It’s all part of the new Secure Flight program, an attempt by the Transportation Security Administration to reduce mistakes and smooth out the process of checking names against its watch list, popularly known as the “no-fly” list, of people suspected of posing a risk to aviation security.
The program is being phased in, airline by airline. Today, Sept. 15, American Airlines began asking for the personal information, and other carriers are expected to follow soon.
What happens if the name on your ticket doesn’t match the one on your driver’s license? Or if you make a mistake in giving your age? For answers to those and other questions, I turned to TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne and American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner. Here are their answers, along with information from TSA’s website:
Travel the world with bookstores in London, Paris, Rome
September 2, 2009 5:56am
For those who could fritter away hours in a good travel bookstore, there are compelling options in European capitals, starting with Stanfords in Britain.
The London flagship, which claims to have the world’s largest array of travel books and maps, may be the oldest specialty travel shop. Founded in 1853, it was mentioned in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tale “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
Since 1901, Stanfords has made its home among the theaters of Covent Garden, where along with books and maps, you can buy flags of the world’s nations (not to mention the skull and crossbones for aspiring pirates). Read the rest of this entry »
Are you a digital nomad? 12 resources for working on the road
July 29, 2009 11:37am
Today there’s an article in the Los Angeles Times detailing some success stories for digital nomads, “With wireless devices, telecommuters cut the cord.” I’ve been working from home and abroad for a long time, and have some additional resources to offer those who are new to working from the road. Let’s start by saying it is definitely possible.
Still in the office? If you are still working in the corporate world but dreaming of working from the road, these two books will provide plenty of inspiration and practical advice for how to make the change: Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim and The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss (which has been very popular in travel circles for years).
Hotel WiFi: Most hotels have WiFi. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I stayed in one that didn’t. Lots of hotels even offer free high-speed Internet access. I like HotelChatter’s Annual Hotel WiFi Report of their favorite WiFi hotels. I also use TripKick’s amenity search to look for the kind of hotel I want that also has WiFi, whether it’s for business or if I want to take my laptop on a holiday. BlueHippoTravel also has a terrific amenity search with many more options. On this site you can search for accommodations with WiFi at the beach, pool, in public spaces or in your room. The cost of WiFi varies. Again, HotelChatter has a great chart showing which major hotels offer it free, which make you pay and which offer it free in your room (not just the lobby). When on a solo road trip, I’ve often stayed at Best Westerns because of their free WiFi and reasonable rates. Just last weekend I signed up for Kimpton’s In Touch membership (free) so that I didn’t have to pay for Internet access once I got to my room (Hotel Allegro in Chicago). Otherwise, it would’ve been $10.
Work from home - but outside the house: If you are already working at home, it can be a challenge to stay focused. I find that leaving the house to work can be helpful for increasing focus, creativity and getting out of a rut. The article mentions places with WiFi to work such as Panera, Starbucks and coffee shops and talked about this new trend in working from home:
A look into the world of Peace Corps volunteers
June 10, 2009 7:00am
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Anybody remember those words from President John F. Kennedy’s Jan. 20, 1961, inaugural address? Besides inspiring a generation of young Americans, they served as an unofficial motto for the U.S. Peace Corps, founded the same year. Since then, more than 195,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 139 countries around the world.
To find out what volunteers are blogging about, you can visit an informal website maintained by two Peace Corps veterans and an engineering student.
Statue of Liberty crown tickets go on sale June 13
June 8, 2009 3:53pm
Talk about a ticket to the top! Starting June 13, you’ll be able to reserve a visit to the crown of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island off New York City. The crown, which was closed after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, will reopen July 4.
Why reserve? Because only about 240 people will be allowed into the crown each day, at the rate of three groups of 10 every hour, the U.S. Department of the Interior said. Crown tickets will cost an extra $3 per person, on top of the ferry ticket price, which is currently $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children.
Microsoft mashes Farecast and MSN Travel into Bing
June 1, 2009 5:21pm
Looking for Farecast or MSN Travel? You’ll be redirected to Bing Travel, which blends the two websites and adds some extras.
The new Microsoft site offers MSN Travel’s insights into destinations plus Farecast’s predictions, which advise on the best time to buy the cheapest airfare. In addition, when you search for flights, the site displays your recent searches and a link to hotels at your destination.
Its blog, patterned on Farecast’s, will expand beyond flight info, said Mike Fridgen, Microsoft’s director of product management, who gave me a run-through. Travel gurus Peter Greenberg and Pauline Frommer and Farecast’s “fareologist” Joel Grus will also contribute to the site.
Bing Travel is part of Microsoft’s ballyhooed Bing search engine — launched today — the software giant’s bid to improve its share of the Internet search market, where it ranks third behind Google and Yahoo.
Bing, which claims to reduce clicks and produce answers faster, has garnered mixed but generally positive reviews on sites such as TechCrunch, Gizmodo and PCMag.com, Besides travel, it offers targeted searches for videos, images, shopping, news and maps.
Have you checked out Bing Travel? What do you think?
— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor
Dhani Jones tackles the globe for new Travel Channel show
March 16, 2009 5:32pm
As far as armchair vacations go, the Travel Channel’s hosted guide shows have hit the sweet spot of R&R and indulgence — Andrew Zimmern’s “Bizarre Foods” and Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” introduce new foods and cultures, Adam Richman’s “Man v. Food” gets to pig out spots and Samantha Brown and newcomer Bridget Marquardt show you how to let loose and relax a bit.
Now it’s time to take on adventure sports — the cable channel’s new series “Dhani Tackles the Globe” airs at 9 p.m. today.
The hourlong program follows Dhani Jones, a Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, out of the stadium and into foreign countries as he spends 10 episodes trying his hand at some of the more challenging sports that may not get a lot of screen time on ESPN (think Thailand’s muay Thai boxing; Switzerland’s Schwingen, a type of wrestling; and Spain’s jai alai, “the game of dodging death,” or at least avoiding speeding rock-hard balls to the head).
Whew! As if the NFL isn’t strenuous enough, Jones filmed six episodes before the football season started and four after it finished — mostly to countries he hadn’t visited on his own dime. We sat down with Jones when he was at the W Los Angeles-Westwood hotel last week to find out why he’d put himself through this. Here’s a bit of our Q & A: Read the rest of this entry »
‘Amazing Adventures of a Nobody’s’ Leon Logothetis shares his travel tips
February 11, 2009 10:08am
![Leon Logothetis, star of \](http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/leon.jpg "Leon Logothetis, star of \")
While a well-deserved vacation might seem out of many folks’ budgets right now, there is one guy who’s found a way to see the world on a fiver a day. Granted, it helps that he has a camera crew with him.
In Fox Reality’s “Amazing Adventures of a Nobody,” host Leon Logothetis treks across the globe with what amounts to lunch money, depending on the kindness of strangers to help him through.
We caught up with Logothetis before the show’s third season started in January.
Although these episodes follow his travels from Paris to Moscow in 28 days, he was off on another adventure when we spoke — a journey of 500 miles in five days on $5 a day in an attempt to get from Atlanta to Tampa, Fla., and score a free ticket to the Super Bowl (he was rooting for Arizona, by the way). Read the rest of this entry »
What FAA glitch? All calm at LAX
August 26, 2008 5:19pm
Andrew Nystrom, our senior Travel producer, was headed for the airport shortly after news broke of the FAA computer glitch that threatened to cause flight delays across the nation. Here is a timeline of his updates as he reported by BlackBerry from the road and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
2:27 p.m. Smooth sailing on fwys to LAX Lot B - LAX AM airport radio vaguely reporting delays. I should have a domestic terminal update soonish
2:45 p.m. Intl terminal looks like a ghost town. Outside little traffic, but TV newscams are here
2:56 p.m. All quiet at AA Lax T4. More news cams than cars in front of Bradley Intl terminal
