I can’t say we have all done it, but I know many men have. That is: to judge an airline on the attractiveness of its cabin crew rather than their efficiency.
One contributor to an online forum has taken exception to this, and her arguments are worth paying attention to.
They may seem small in comparison to their ocean-going cousins, but river cruise ships are getting bigger and better.
Their physical size is, of course, limited by the nature of the waterways they traverse — especially the bridges that restrict their height. But the onboard offering is improving all the time.
I love travelling in business class — who doesn’t or wouldn’t if they could? — but there are three small words that can make that experience infinitely better.
They are “direct aisle access” — and, surprisingly, not every airline offers that even in the most expensive seats onboard their planes.
The cruise industry, long associated with older travellers, says it is having increasing success in attracting Millennials.
The Cruise Travel Report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) cited research saying that cruise travel has become the most popular travel preference among younger generations, creating a new “Cruise Generation”.
As some in the transport industry want to revive supersonic air travel, others are looking at ways of making rail travel faster.
And, as with flight, some of the claims of speeds achieved, and reduced times from point to point, are difficult to get your head around.
The new immigration laws decreed by US President Donald Trump have reportedly left some people stranded in transit or turned back after flights to America.
It’s not just those on the immigration blacklist countries — Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan — that are affected.
“I hated what they called ‘pizza’.” So, more or less, said a review on a travel advice site I read recently.
The person writing it was from America. The “they” in the review were the chefs and customers of an Italian restaurant. In Italy.
No matter where they are issued, all credit cards are essentially the same. They have to be, so they can be used anywhere in the world.
But a quiet revolution has begun that will most likely make the plastic you’ve got in your pocket seem so 20th century.
Among the first was Family Ties, then (albeit in the realm of animation) came The Simpsons, then Oprah, and Ellen, then Modern Family. Now another American television show is to have some “special” episodes set in Australia.
And if the names Brooke, Eric, Ivy, Quinn and Ridge ring a bell with you, you’ll know which one I’m talking about.
Which city is the favourite with tourists? Well, it depends which source you believe.
Hong Kong is — again — the most popular city with tourists, according to the latest survey, which notes that London has been overtaken for second place by Bangkok.
OK, so I fell for the clickbait headline: “Ten reasons why you shouldn’t get travel insurance”.
But, when I clicked on the article (it’s clever and it’s a quick read), it was in fact 10 reasons why you do need travel insurance.
Updated March 7, 2017
The adventure is continuing. My travel plans not only include a cruise up and down the Arabian Gulf — which I’ve now completed and blogged about here and elsewhere — but relocating from the United Arab Emirates, which has been my base for the past five years.
The immediate plan is to return to Australia in early May, and then consider my options (of which, I hope, I have several). I won’t be giving up travelling (or this blog), but I’ll be examining my priorities.
Some travel destinations are more urgent must-sees than others. How so?
Well, for one reason or another, many places are changing so quickly, or are so subject to sudden change, that they will be entirely different, or perhaps even inaccessible, if you wait too long.
Airlines, both budget and full-fare, are always looking at new ways to make revenue. Once-free services, including snacks, drinks and seat allocations, now carry a charge on some airlines.
But how far should they be allowed to go? That’s the question one US senator is asking after two airlines indicated that they would be charging for access to overhead lockers.
The most depressing thing about travel stories and advertisements — be they in newspapers or magazines, on radio or on TV — is that they assume that we all want the same thing.
Sure, relaxing on a beach with a colourful drink in hand may be some people’s idea of a good time, but other (misguided, to my mind) people would rather be scaling a rockface, riding the rapids or swimming with sharks.
In the Mall of the Emirates in the desert city of Dubai, there’s a snow ski slope. On Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ships, there are “FlowRider” wave machines that simulate surfing in the ocean.
There are ice rinks all over the place, in towns and cities where the temperature never drops below freezing point, and there are water parks in places that rarely experience rainfall. China is building a theme park devoted, in part, to the English writer Shakespeare and the Spanish novelist Cervantes.
I recently wrote about the list price of the Airbus fleet. So, it seems only fair that I also write about the cost of cruise ships, in case you are thinking of buying one.
Now, buying a new ship is a bit different to buying a plane — they have to be custom built, you can’t get them off the rack, as it were. But you are still going to have to have fairly deep pockets.
This picture, which I took in Istanbul two years ago, has resurfaced on Facebook — and reminded me of something very important.
When we travel, we notice the differences in the way of life of people in other countries. But we also notice the things that we have in common.
There’s no doubt that budget airlines have shaken up the airline industry. With their cheap fares, they have allowed many people to have their first experience of flying.
But it’s also the case that no-frills flight isn’t for everybody. After all, budget carriers often have minimise onboard comforts, and put a price on extras, such as onboard food and drinks, and luggage space. And they sometimes use smaller, out-of-the-way airports, increasing travelling time.
So, why would the full-service carriers want to emulate them?
I’m pleased to report that a judge in the United Kingdom has taken a tough stance over misbehaviour onboard an aircraft.
According to The Telegraph, a man who took control of the intercom on a Jet2 flight as it was about to land in Tenerife and shouted “What does it take to get a —-ing drink in this place?” has been jailed for seven months.
