My upcoming travel plans

I can’t help myself.  I haven’t really even begun sharing all the tips from our last cruise with you, and I’m already working on more trips.  Actually, I’m thinking about my next FOUR trips!  lol

What to do in Paris

I’ve just watched Samantha Brown‘s weekend program on Paris, and she mentioned a few cool ideas I thought I’d share with you.

1. Go rollerblading.   Every Friday night at 10pm (barring bad weather), thousands of people gather and rollerblade an 18.6 mile route through the city.  The meeting point changes each week, so you’d need to plan this a bit in advance.

2. Rent a bike.  There are locations for pick-up and drop-off all over the city, and it costs less than $2/day.  It sounds pretty cool.

3. Shop for designer clothing and accesories – at a discount.  Check out Anna Lowe for big discounts on designers such as Chanel, Valentino, Versace, etc.

News: RDU to Paris!

In these times, most airlines are cutting back and dropping flights. This bad news hasn’t really reached RDU. Beginning in June 2009, we’ll have DIRECT FLIGHTS TO PARIS ON DELTA! To celebrate, Delta is offering a special fare of $599 for travel through June 30, 2009 (available until November 21). I wanna go!

Source: News & Observer.

Travel etiquette

I found this article on Tripso about etiquette for air travel.  My favorite tip is to avoid grabbing the seat back in front of you when crawling out of your aisle.  I been on the receiving end of that too many times.

WestJet offers free seats on Halloween

Guests with the last names Candy, Orange, Web or Webb, and Sweet and book a Halloween flight anywhere in Canada before midnight on October 30 will fly for free with WestJet!  (Well, almost – you’ll still have to pay taxes and fees.)  Isn’t that a sweet treat?

They’re also offering 5% off to anyone with any last name who books by midnight on October 30 and flies between October 31 and December 18.  The code for this deal is BOO.  No trick!

Source: Yahoo.

Rick Steves: Sightseeing as citizens of the world

CNN recently published an article by Rick Steves – Sightseeing as citizens of the world.  In this article, Rick talks about how he really appreciated his 1999 visit to the Reichstag in Berlin because of his knowledge of history.  While many tourists were worried about their camera batteries and cheerfully enjoying the view, Rick was able to appreciate the emotion of the Germans as they remembered WWII and the suffering during the Cold War and appreciated their freedom.

TTT: 10 tips for surviving a beer fest

As a recent beer fest survivor, this edition of Travel Tip Tuesday is all about tips for surviving one.

1. First and foremost, plan your method for getting home.  Get a designated driver who won’t flake out, make sure you have taxi fare, whatever.  No matter how careful you are, the point of a beer fest is to drink alcoholic beverages – you’re going to go a little wacky.  Your first priority should be to make sure that you’re not a danger to anyone else because of your experience.
2. Stay hydrated.  Drink a lot of water before, during, and after the fest.  Any kind of alcohol will dehydrate you.  The more water you drink, the less likely you are to feel the effects of the dehydration.  If you ignore this tip, you may end up with a terrible headache or possibly even a hangover.  Who wants that?  No one!  So take the advice.
3. Keep your belly fairly full.  Eat before, during, and after the fest.  You’ll be able to drink more beer in a more responsible and enjoyable manner if you do this.  Check out the festival’s program in advance, and get excited about the food vendors there.  Visit them.  If you don’t want to take the time to check out the food vendors, take something with you – crackers, cookies, or the infamous pretzle necklace.

Walk on the wild side

I can subject myself to lounging by a pool or on a beach for a maximum time of about two hours.  And usually I have to get up to take several walks during those two hours.  I’m just not good at “relaxing” on my vacations.  I’ve taken the time away from work and home to DO something!  Ben Groundwater posted to the travel blog on the Sydney Morning Herald about some truly wild ideas for what to do on your next vacation.  Here’s a sampling:

Eat a still-beating cobra’s heart in Vietnam
As famously demonstrated by Anthony Bourdain in one of his first shows, this is culinary joy at its most gruesome. After the snake is skinned front of you, you’re presented with what looks like a bloody, pulsating oyster. Bon appetite.
…
Watch elephant polo in Thailand
Fast-paced it ain’t, but it’s a sight you’ll never forget: huge lumbering beasts being urged around the polo field by riders in a highly competitive match. Amazing.

Dive to the centre of the Earth
As incredible as in sounds, in Iceland you can actually dive through a gap in the Earth’s tectonic plates, giving you a front-row seat to the centre of the planet. Another one for the dinner party collection.

That’s right folks – now I have another reason to think highly of Iceland.    Head on over to Ben’s post to read the rest of the list (and the comments).  It’s worth the trip.

TTT: Place no age limit on family trips

For Travel Tip Tuesday this week, I highly recommend that you refrain from placing an age limit on taking vacation with your family.  Like Gab from Lonely Planet, I enjoy traveling with my husband and friends, but the trips with family are the ones I love best.  Combining friends and family can be tricky, but it can also make for the most fun trips.

From Mykonos, Greece

Stonehenge “solved”… again?

Some of you may recall that I wrote about the mystery of Stonehenge in May.  Those folks decided Stonehenge is just a cemetery.  Well, now these two archeologists have decided they have figured it out: “Stonehenge’s purpose was to draw prehistoric pilgrims from Europe.”  (CNN)  They think the proof is in the use of the bluestones, which were prized for their supposed healing properties.  I think this is just something “the world may never know.”  What do you think?

Image from Michael Balter.