Taking off Travel blog

Albany International Airport (ALB) has come a long way since its origins as the first municipal landing site for planes on a polo field three miles north of the city. The airport played host to many of the most famous aviators of the early 20th century, including Charles Lindbergh. These days, it is a busy commercial airport, with around 180 arrivals and departures each day. We’ve already looked at attractions around JFK and LaGuardia, but what do you do on a layover in Albany?

State Capitol Staircase, Albany, NY

Exploring History

One of the best things to do in Albany is to explore the city’s history. As the oldest surviving European settlement from the original 13 colonies, it has a lot to explore. Options include the Georgian home of Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler, which dates from 1761 and includes 18th century furniture and art. The Albany Institute of History and Art is another must see. It is one of the oldest museums in the US and was founded in 1791.

From Shakers To Slater

The Shakers played a major role in the area’s history, including providing some of the land that became part of the airport. The Shaker Heritage Society preserves this history and offers you the chance to visit America’s first Shaker settlement – a 770 acre site. Explore history from a different perspective by visiting the USS Slater, a refurbished Cannon Class destroyer escort. Also worth a look when it’s reopened is Cherry Hill, which houses a collection amassed by the Van Rensselaer and Rankin families over 176 years.

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A couple of weeks ago when I wrote a post on responsible travel, I ran into Alexia Nestora on Twitter. Alexia runs the Voluntourism Gal blog. With this type of tourism regaining popularity, I interviewed Alexia about voluntourism in general and her experiences in particular.

So what is voluntourism and how did it start?

Alexia Nestora of Voluntourism Gal

Voluntourism has been around for as long as people have been traveling, it’s nothing new but recently it’s gotten a lot of media attention and as a result is rising to the surface a lot more. The Peace Corps was one of the first organizations to formalize volunteering abroad and of course missionaries have been going abroad to serve for years.

The real voluntourism boom in the US happened after 9/11 and the tsunami. All of a sudden it seemed that people wanted to get more out of their vacations, they didn’t just want to sit on a beach anymore, they wanted to give back and get involved in the community.

What are the chief advantages of voluntourism for travelers?

As a voluntourist you will see a side of a community that is hidden away from traditional tourists. While most people will only take pictures of a sight, a voluntourist will live with the community that surrounds the sight and will truly understand what local culture is like – it’s so much more than a bus tour could ever show you.

What are the chief advantages of voluntourism for destinations?

There are many ways that, when voluntourism is done well, destinations benefit. Firstly, they get free labor. Maybe a local school needed to be rebuilt for decades but the workers in the area are spending every second they have trying to make money to support their family, and while they’d like to build a new school, they simply are too busy trying to survive.

Secondly, the communities benefit from the resources volunteers bring with them. Maybe the volunteers will bring new books for the library or maybe they’ll donate money so a group of local women can start a cooperative; this can be a slippery slope but as long as the giving is done responsibly the communities benefit greatly. Lastly, the intercultural relationships that are formed and the understanding of different nationalities greatly contributes to global cooperation. It’s easy to hate all Americans if you have never met one, it’s a bit harder to hate them if they lived with your family and diligently helped on your farm for 2 months. Read more »

Relax and enjoy your business trip with these tips

When traveling for business, it’s all go and it’s no wonder that busy executives sometimes get stressed out. But there’s a lot you can do to reduce the hassle of business travel, and it starts right from the planning stages.

Planning And Booking Your Business Trip

Gone are the days when planning a business trip meant schlepping to travel agencies or spending hours on the phone. You can search for the best route online, and make travel arrangements that are both cost effective and comfortable. And it’s not just the actual flight you can book – you can also pre-book accommodation, offsite airport parking, rental cars and sightseeing trips.

Fly direct if you can, but if you can’t, then leave some flexibility in the schedule. This is good both for missed connections and for your own health. Making your connection a couple hours later than your inward flight will free you from a possible five mile jog across an airport with your luggage. Believe me, I’ve done it and it’s no fun at all. Read more »

I love looking around the travel blogosphere to see what’s new. This week I’ve decided to look on the Alltop travel site, of which the Taking Off Travel Blog is a proud member. Here’s a flavor of what you can find. The Conde Nast Daily Traveler has a post on cheap chic hotels, otherwise known as ‘properties that have grown up in the last few years and are aimed at people traveling on a budget but who don’t want to compromise on style’. Meanwhile, the Intelligent Travel blog from National Geographic is in a festive mood, highlighting some Mardi Gras moments.

I’ve been following the Travel Rants blog on Twitter, and Darren has always got something interesting to say. This week, he’s discussing the treatment of disabled travelers. If you’re in the mood for a rant, then weigh in on the issue of security fees at Rick Seaney’s blog. Read more »