Taking off Travel blog

Time for another round up of posts that caught my eye on the travel blogs. First, a short post on Family Travel Guide called The Vacation Departure Maniac (with a title like that, how could I resist looking at it). This post extols the virtues of the list, in which I’m a firm believer. What about you? Next, the LA Times travel blog has another eye-catcher on Following Elvis Presley’s Ghost Around. Not quite as spooky as it sounds, it’s about a tour of Memphis.

European Highlights

Gary talks about his visit to Amsterdam in Brussels, Amsterdam and the Green Fairy. I loved his description of drinking absinthe as ‘doing a shot with cough syrup mixed in’. Not too far away (well, on the same continent at least), there are great pictures of the Guggenheim Bilbao on the Soultravelers3 blog. I’ve seen this building from the outside and it is fabulous.

Rants And Weird Things

Thinking of booking travel insurance? Then maybe you should read The View From The Wing’s post on why it may not be such a good deal. (You might as well read the NY Times article that inspired the post too). On the lighter side of travel, check out the list of weird airport names on The Independent.

Galavanting points to the fees to be imposed by United and US Airways when paying baggage fees at the airport. I wonder if those airlines have been talking to Easyjet in the UK. That airline also has some interesting fee policies.

Wrapping Up

The Location Independent blog has a detailed post on the ultimate mobile office setup for that lifestyle. Even if you’re just a frequent traveler you will find something useful here. And finally, Nomadic Matt has a list of free things to do in Washington, DC, complete with great pictures.

About a year ago we wrote about strange celebrations from around the world. Now it’s time to add to that list.

Camel Wrestling

I’ve always been fascinated by camels - they have a certain sort of lumpen elegance and the fact that they can survive in harsh conditions makes them worthy of respect. However, I certainly wouldn’t want to wrestle one. But that’s just what happens in the Aegean region of Turkey. It seems the camels spend a lot of time pushing and shoving before heading for the crowd, which is when it gets really exciting. I’d certainly pick up my heels to avoid a ton of overexcited camel, wouldn’t you?

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I was interested to read this item on USAToday about British Airways’ grand plan to save money after posting a $595 million loss for the past financial year - asking employees to work for free. Head of the company Willie Walsh is leading the way by foregoing his salary for the month of July, though the gesture seems less magnanimous when you realise that his salary must be well over the million dollar mark.

Years ago, I remember getting quite irate when after delivering excellent work and being punctual and efficient for a whole month, I presented my paycheck at the bank and it bounced. That was just one month and the issue was sorted within a couple of days, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

With redundancy and job losses affecting people in the travel industry and beyond, BA’s move of asking people to volunteer for a pay cut is perhaps better than the alternative. However very few of us can afford to work for less than we already do and no one is likely to be happy about it, a point made strongly by the union which represents BA employees.

What’s your view? Would you work for free to save your employer’s company?

Sometimes the most exciting attractions are those closest to home - and we never make the time to visit. We figure there will always be time to get there. I discovered one of those attractions on my recent visit to England. I’d lived in Nottingham for around eight years, yet had never visited Nottingham Castle. And it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me to make it a priority had it not been for my daughter.

Model of Nottingham Castle

We’ve been reading the tales of Robin Hood at home, and once she knew we would be visiting Nottingham, she asked if she could see the castle. We agreed, and I have to say that it’s the best £3.50 I’ve ever spent. We approached from Castle Gate, one of the old entrances to the walled city. Outside the castle is a statue of Robin Hood, as well as plaques depicting scenes from the well known tales.

Once inside, there was plenty to look at. We bypassed the children’s play area, where kids could sit on tiny horses and pretend to joust or clamber over a wooden climbing frame. Instead, we headed to the top level, which gave a panoramic view of the city. You could see why that was a good location for a castle, as inhabitants would have been able to spot their enemies from any angle.

We then went into the castle itself, hopeful of going even higher, but alas, the top level was closed off as it was too unstable to permit visitors. Perfectly acceptable in a castle that dates back to the 1670s. The site itself has housed a castle at least since the Norman Conquest. Inside there were three art exhibitions, ornate decorations, including a stunning coat of arms mosaic on the ground floor, and an entertaining video showing some of the uses of the caves under the castle.

For me, though, the highlight was the history of Nottingham City exhibition, which starts with the earliest known information and works its way to the present. You can see armor, chain mail, spears, saddles, clothing and more which bring the different periods to life. There are also several good models of the city at different eras. This is one location that’s well worth a visit.

Forgetting an essential item is a nightmare when traveling on business or vacation. One of the best ways to avoid the hassle is to have a packing list. But what should be on it? These online packing list tools will help you to decide.

OneBag

OneBag.com has a one page packing list that features most of the items you will ever need to take. The site is designed for those planning to travel light, so you may wish to add a few items. A checklist version of the list is also available for download. Read more »