Taking off Travel blog

Happy Tuesday! Instead of the usual travel news roundup, I thought I’d check out the travel blogosphere instead and there are some great posts to highlight. The Brave New Traveler blog proved a mine of information. The first post that caught my eye was 5 Writers Who Affirm The Importance Of Travel. The proof? A trawl through the works of Mark Twain, Maya Angelou and others. I was also interested to read Pauline Frommer‘s views on traveling and the travel guide industry. I particularly enjoyed this quote from Pauline:

Sometimes things are going to go wrong. That’s the nature of travel. Travel is about exploration. It’s not about what your rights are, in my mind. I think that it’s an ugly way to approach travel.

Free Travel?

Another Matador site, The Traveler’s Notebook, provides tips on how to travel the world for free. That could be a boon in these economically deprived times. The post doesn’t provide the advice you would expect. Here’s a sample:

If you need an income in order to pay off loans or support a child, find a job that calls for extensive travel. There are millions of jobs available in the global economy that demand travel.

If you’re looking for some great travel photos, then the Travel, Work, Life blog obliges with the first part of its best of travel photos series. I particularly like the two photos from Paris. The photos are also available for download. Read more »

Where The Locals Eat

There’s nothing worse than heading to a new city on business, arriving late at night and wondering where to go for a good meal. I should know. I once went on a business trip to Spain and by the time I had got my bags and found a taxi to my hotel, it was already nearly midnight. I know the Spanish eat late, but the local kitchens were closed and I found myself at the Spanish version of Mickey Ds – not what I wanted after a long trip. The next day, I was prepared and I asked the locals I met at the hotel where I could score a good meal so I could have a great dinner that night. When it comes to getting a good meal, you can’t beat local advice – and that’s the premise behind Where The Locals Eat.

Top Eateries In Each State

Where The Locals Eat gives you easy access to the top 100 restaurants in the 50 largest US cities. Since these are where you are likely to be doing business, then this is a great place to find restaurants serving your favorite dishes. The site balances ‘lengthy surveys of serious diners and hopelessly hooked restaurant habitues with the opinions and extensive research of certified foodies’ to bring you the top choices and they are constantly being updated. You can search the site by city and distance to select a restaurant within walking distance of your hotel. Read more »

I took my first flight at the age of four and, though I can’t remember it, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that there was a delay. Late flights and missed connections seem to be a normal part of travel these days, and they are no fun at all. I remember a student trip to Venezuela where, having arrived at the airport with only a few bolivares in our pockets, we were greeted with the news of a four hour flight delay (which turned out to be even longer). Trying to remain cheerful while splitting a couple of sandwiches among eight is not an experience I’d like to repeat in a hurry.

Delays seem to be a normal part of personal and business travel

Travelers In The Dark About Delays

More planes and bigger airports have resulted in more delays rather than fewer, with a recent New York Times article putting the number of stranded US passengers each year at 400,000, with 25 per cent of domestic flights delayed. To say that this is frustrating is an understatement. The information you need is out there, but it can take a while to get to you. As the New York Times puts it: ‘there is a convoluted flow of information that often leaves travelers in the dark.’ Read more »