Travel RoundUp

Happy Friday and Happy Easter Weekend! I am just so happy to have the day and sleep in 3 days in a row! Here are some interesting articles going around the travel world right now:

1 - This American man spent a year living in Airbnb rentals in Hong Kong. Some were nice, others were...very, very tiny!

{Photo: Kevin Lynch, Source}

2 - Virgin Atlantic is now going to offer mood lighting! Looks pretty cool!

{Photo: Virgin Atlantic, Source}

3 - A new service is being offered to travelers that want great pictures but hate asking strangers and ending up with a so-so picture. You can now hire professionals to follow you around and take your pictures. Maybe someone will mistake you for a famous person?!

{some of our not so great pictures...but hey, we look good}

4 - Did you know you could bring these 11 weird items on a plane? I knew of a few of them. 

5 - Take a look at this massive sing ray in Thailand that will be on John Corwin's show soon...

{source}

Hope you have a great weekend!!!!

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Travel RoundUp

Now that I have wrapped up our most recent trip to Hawaii what do I have to blog about?!

…

…

…

I guess I will do a Travel RoundUp, it’s been a while since I have done one of those.

1 – This video of some Orca whales is AMAZING! It just goes to show you that what was documented in the film Blackfish is correct.

2 – With the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, American Airlines has become the largest airline company. In honor of the several smaller airlines that helped create the company, AA is releasing retro amenities kits! Take a peek!

{American Airlines, Source}

3 – Have you ever wondered what the true cost of First/Business Class perks? How much did you pay for that seat? And they only spent about $6 on your food?! Check out the details here.

4 – Boeing 787 Dreamliner is nothing but the best!

{American Airlines, Business Class; Source}

{American Airlines, Economy Class; Source}

5 – This whale was in distress and needed some help. Check out the video!

6 – Visiting a Disney park any time soon? Well their ticket prices just went up – the price for a one-day entry for anyone 10 and up is nowat $105!

7 – Check out these perks at some of America’s best airports.

8 – Ever wonder what it’s like to be a flight attendant? This lady spells it out for you!

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~Welcome 2015~

Happy New Year! I hope you had fun celebrating!

I want to start the year with a Travel RoundUp (which I think I missed for the month of December).

1 - This is horrible! And the number one reason why I would NEVER, EVER put my dog on a flight unless they were able to sit with me in the cabin. United Airlines (at my airport no less) left this poor dog in rainy, cold weather for 30 minutes! I just want to hug the dog I feel so bad.

2 - Another crime against animals, in the Maldives a baby whale shark was captured for a short time and placed in a few hotel swimming pools for the guests to view... wtf?!?! are you kidding me? Leave these creatures be!

{Source, Eco Islanders Maldives}

3 - United Airlines (again) is suing a 22 year old for creating a website that is helping fliers get a cheaper flight. I will keep his strategy in mind the next time I travel!

4 - Check out this woman's journey and how her dream trip has turned into an absolute nightmare!

5 - The Netherlands are testing out a solar bike path, sounds pretty cool!

{Source, SolaRoad Facebook}

6 - Wondering if traveling is healthy? This article says it is!

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Travel RoundUp

I have been a bad blogger :( I haven't been able to keep up with my 3 posts a week for my readers. I have been busy with other stuff, including getting my health back on track. Its been tough. So we have our Travel RoundUp a few days late.

1 - Is traveling to every state on your Bucket List? (Its on mine) Well maybe staying in some of these hotels can be on your bucket list too. Cool hotels in every state. 

2 - One big thing on my Bucket List is to see the Northern Lights. I found this great list of hotels that are perfect for viewing them. Check it out!

{Piryia Photography, Source}

3 - If you're planning a honeymoon right now you might want to consider what this Texas couple is doing. They are taking a 7 month honeymoon and visiting all 50 states! Sounds super fun!

4 - Is your name Elizabeth Gallagher? If it is this man is offering you a free trip around the world - no strings attached. He bought airlines tickets for is then girlfriend and now they are exs. Problem one, you cant change the name on airline tickets. See the full article here.

Hope you all have a wonderful hump day and are enjoying the cooler weather November brings! 

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Travel RoundUp

Has there been a lot of travel news while I have been away from the internet?! I don't know, but here are a few things worth mentioning. 

Have a happy Monday! 

1 - Some people were up in arms about how these parents, from England, let their 11 year old daughter fly alone to Paris for a week. Was she on her own? No, she was staying with a host family which, by the read of the article, seemed more like friends. Check it out for yourself. 

2 - Again, start looking out for the baggage police! I was once asked to check to see if my carry-on would fit in the little box they have at the ticket counter, I replied, "I'm business class." "No problem" they said. :D

3 - Retired flight attendants are fighting for their right for free travel. Do they deserve it? I think they do for period after they retire, maybe 15 years but I don't think it makes sense for a company to offer this until the very end... 

4 - How did this lady make it all the way to her plane and board it with a different name on her ticket?!?! Read here. 

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Travel RoundUp

1 – This clip below is from the Duncan Trussell Podcast...Its hilarious! It does have a few F-Bombs in there. (The last picture in the video source: Hannover Airport - Credit: Ho-Yeol Ryu)

2 – Looks like hotels are going to start charging you for conveniences just like the airlines. Say you land at 10 in the morning but check in is at 3 in the afternoon and you need to store your luggage… that might cost you $1 or $2 per bag. Need an in room safe? That might cost you $1.50 per night. Need to put YOUR water bottle in the mini fridge? That will cost you $25. Its bad enough they charge $20 for internet!

3 –  This seems line old news already and even MORE passengers are making big deals about it that they are making emergency landings...SO...This plane had to do an emergency landing because two passengers were fighting over reclining the seat. One passenger was using the Knee Defender to keep the person in front of him from reclining and the situation escalated causing the Denver bound flight to land in Chicago… Causing the flight to land at its final destination 1 hour and 40 minutes behind schedule.

{Knee Defender}

In this article he says he could have handled the situation better but he isn't going to stop using the device. 

4 – Over 200 crew members have quit Malaysia Airlines…can you blame them?

5 – Check out this cool video of world air traffic in a 24 hour period.

6 – A pilot gave his passengers and once in a lifetime experience when he took a detour to show them the eruption of the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland!

{Source, Photo: @Icelandair / Erla Vinsy}

Have a Happy Friday and an even better weekend!

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Travel RoundUp

1 - Have you heard about the AirBnB squatter? Seems like the guest from hell. The owner of the property can't get him to leave without filling an eviction notice! 

2 - Here are some helpful tips on how to snag the best seats on a plane!

3 - This actually happened a while ago but I forgot to post it. An emergency slide inflated while the plane was 38,000 feet in the air?!?! 

{Source}

4 - Are you planning on visiting a national park soon? Fox News ranked America's best national parks. 

5 - Here is a list of America's cleanest beaches... my favorite, Hapuna Beach, made the list! 

{snorkeling at Hapuna} 

6 - Check out these pictures of the new Airbus A350XWB, looks amazing and sleek! 

{Source}

Happy Monday! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

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Travel RoundUp

Happy July! Here are some fun travel excerpts I've found and wanted to pass along.

1 - Would you spend $130,000 for a seat on the Four Seasons plane? Your 24 day itinerary will include stops in Kona, Hawaii, Bora Bora, Sydney, Australia, Bali, Thailand, Mumbai, Istanbul and London.

{Source}

2 - Have you seen people take their emotional support dogs or mini horses on a flight? This is a bit ridiculous. I have seen someone take their little toy dog on a flight with a service dog vest... it was not a service dog. They are just trying to avoid paying the pet fee.

3 - This happened in May but I forgot to post it in last months RoundUp, air traffic control had a near miss when two flights almost collided while traveling over Hawaii! A passenger describes his account of the situation.

4 - Maybe we shouldn't have participated in the touristy tradition of adding a lock onto the bridge (although we did it on a different bridge than the one that lost a section of the fence). As an engineer I wondered how these bridges were holding all the extra wight of these locks!

5 - Disney World isn't just for kids anymore, now the 21 and over crowd can participate in a Disney Bar Crawl! 

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Travel RoundUp

I can't believe its already June! And I totally forgot to post my Travel RoundUp series on the first of the month! I was preoccupied with my studying..I hope I passed! Anyway, here are some interesting things that have been happening in the travelverse: 

1 - Here is a fun geography quiz from BuzzFeed, How Well Do You Know Your European Geography? I only missed one! What did you get? 

2 - Southwest Airlines has discontinued flights to Key West, FL., Jackson, MS., and Branson, MO. 

3 - What would you do if your child thought your passport was a coloring book? That's what happened to this father while he was traveling from South Korea to China. 

{Source}

4 - Here is a great letter from an agree customer of American Airlines.  The last time I flew with them their flight staff was pretty shitty. 

5 - Check out this guys cool selfies...caution, you might get dizzy. 

6 - See how close this plane got to landing on a person! And no, it wasn't a planned stunt! 

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Travel RoundUp

And we're back to our regularly scheduled posts! Here is what has been happening in the travel world lately.

1 - Ever wonder how airlines handle your luggage? Air Canada was caught red handed!

2 - How did this teen survive in a wheel well on a flight from LA to Maui...at least Maui is a nice destination!

3 - Five things you should never count on when you're flying. 

4 - More news for all of you that have frequent flyer miles with American Airlines. 

5 - What would you do if you saw a plane bust into flames?!?! 

6 - Airline innovations that will change the way you fly.

7 - Later this year United will launch the longest flight, LA to Melbourne, Australia. A total of 7,927 miles! 

8 - Budget airline Allegiant Airlines had plans to offer passengers a "giant" seat.  

And check out my recent TripAdvisor stats!

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Travel RoundUp

1 – A group of passengers is suing Carnival Cruise Lines for damages after an engine fire left their ship adrift for days. They are asking the company to pay $5,000 a month for the rest of their lives for medical bills and mental anguish. I think this is a bit much!

2 – A US Airways plane had to abort its takeoff after its nose gear collapsed while leaving Philadelphia International Airport, sending the plane skidding off the runway. Click link to see video!

3 – See what flight attendants really think.

4 – A Delta flight lost part of its wing during a flight from Orlando to Atlanta! Scary!

{Source}

5 – I thought these pictures of North Korea from space were really cool.

{Source}

6 – An eight-car Chicago commuter train ran across a platform and scaled an escalator at an underground station at Chicago O’Hare…. Go home subway train, you’re drunk! 

{Source}

7 – Airlines are now moving to an even tighter economy class, "Slim-fit". From what I can tell they pretty much look like glorified lawn chairs... Check out the video at the bottom of this page link. 

{Source}

{Illustration by Heather Jones for TIME, Source}

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Travel RoundUp

1 – Disneyhas raised its fee to get into Disney World to almost $100 per day. It will now cost you $99 per person to get into the park for one day. You bet I would literally be there ALL DAY for that price! BUT if you're going for more than one day maybe you should consider the three-day pass runs to $91.34 per day or a five-day costs $60.80 per day.

2 – Airlines are adding more perks to First and Business Class ticket holders. The latest is offering them distancefrom the masses. This includes your own private check-in and sometimes they will even have a private car that will take you from check-in directly to the plane!

{Source}

3 – AmericanAirlines is cancelling their bereavement rates. I didn’t even know airlines offered such things.

4 – Now you can be gluten-free on your flights! Beginning in March 2014, United will be switching from regular to gluten-free salad dressing on premium-cabin flights departing the United States to points throughout North and Central America. This summer, the offerings will be added to UnitedGlobal First. You can also find Two Degrees Fruit & Nut Bars as a gluten-free Snack Shop á la carte option. To read more about what is being offered on United Airlines click here.  

5 – The Asiana Airlines flight that crash landed at San Francisco airport last year has been fined $500,000 for the crash. Read more here.  

6 - Man killed after huge wave breaks window of cruise ship MarcoPolo in English Channel.

7 – JetBlueis taking hold of the Caribbean market with the new addition of its 25th non-stop flight in the Caribbean. JetBlue can now take you from JFK (New York City) to Piarco international in the Port of Spain.

{Source}

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Travel RoundUp

I hope everyone had a good January and you're ready for February because its here! And ol' Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so it looks like we'll have six more weeks of winter. Which I believe because we're just starting to see winter weather here in Houston. How about where you live? 

Below are some interesting updates in the travel world:  

1 – Did you meet your significant other while flying on United Airlines? Did you propose at 30,000 ft. (9,144 m)? United had a Valentines contest for you.

2 – Southwest and JetBlue have bought takeoff and landing slots at Reagan National. Southwest is also starting to sell their first international flights!

3 – With this crazy polar vortex (we even got snow here in Houston) Niagara Falls partial froze! See pictures here.  And planes were sliding off the runways and into banks of snow at JFK.

{Source}

4 – The tallest hotel in America has opened in NYC. The 68 story building has 639 rooms and is 760 feet tall. Floors 6-33 are Courtyard Marriot and floors 37-65 are Residence Inn by Marriot.

5 – Here are 25 reasons why Norway is the greatest place on earth!

From my visit to Norway in 2008

6 – The aviation industry has decided that airliners are safe enough to fly over oceans, no matter how far, with only two engines!

7 – Would an increase in shark attacks keep you from visiting the Hawaiian Islands?

8 – The airlines are going on a major shopping spree! They have ordered more than 8,200 new planes in the past five years!

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Travel RoundUp

1 - A Boeing 747 clipped a building in Johannesburg injuring a few grounds crew.

2 - Check out these awesome pictures of London on a foggy day

{Source}

3 - A French coffee shop will sell you coffee for less if you ask for it politely.

“A coffee” costs 7e. “A coffee, please” costs 4.25e. And “Hello, a coffee please”, costs 1.40e. {Source}

4 - This one happened here in Houston; a man flying from Louisiana fell asleep on his flight to Houston and was left on the plane. He woke up to a dark plane and then called for help.

5 - This Hawaiian town is sick of tourists. See why here.

6 - Feel like you’re not getting enough paid time off? Check out these countries… I think a move is in order! 

7 - American Airlines and US Airways merged to become the world’s biggest airline! 

8 - Dubai set the world record for fireworks while welcoming in the new year!

{Source}

9 - Airline CEOs predict the next 100 year in aviation. 

10 - The best Airline club lounges...I have been to the one in IAH!