Taking off Travel blog

It’s Easter! To mark the holiday we’ve compiled some fun facts about this season. Hope you enjoy them.

1. The date of Easter Sunday changes every year because it’s celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. The Paschal Full Moon is part of the Ecclesiastical Calendar and varies considerably, so Easter Sunday can be any time from March 22nd to April 25th. Still confused? Maybe this will help.

2. The original date of Easter was first fixed in 325AD.

3. In the Christian calendar, Easter marks the rebirth of Christ and the end of the 40 days of Lent.

4. Good Friday is an official holiday in 12 US states (and if you’re in one of those states, enjoy the long weekend).

5. Easter is celebrated at different times by Eastern and Western Christians. That’s because the dates for Easter in Eastern Christianity are based on the Julian Calendar.

6. There’s a link between Easter and Passover and in some countries and languages, the words for the two feasts are related.

7. Eggs are associated with Easter because they are a symbol of starting new life. It’s believed that eggs have been given to celebrate the spring equinox for more than 2 millennia.

8. The Easter Bunny tradition made its way to the US in the 18th century. It is believed to have originated in Europe where it was actually the Easter Hare. Other Easter traditions include wearing Easter bonnets, making Easter baskets and having Easter egg hunts.

9. Easter eggs may be painted and decorated hard boiled eggs. Often today they are chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with candy.

10. The Annual White House Easter Egg Roll was originally held at the Capitol in the 1870s.

11. Around 90 million chocolate bunnies are made for Easter each year. Jelly beans are also a favorite in the US, with about 16 million eaten at this season each year. The only time Americans eat more candy than Easter is at Halloween. Hot cross buns are another Easter tradition.

12. The largest Easter egg ever made was around 9,000 pounds. It needed a steel frame for internal support.

Happy Easter!

Image: Stiefen Schlingen

It’s time for the latest roundup of cool stats on travel – infographic style. Here are some of the ones that caught our eye in March.

Travel Industry Technology

From Train to Tweet tracks 171 years of travel industry technology from the founding of Thomas Cook to social media reservations and discussions in 2012. The Model T Ford and the development of high speed trains are just two of the milestones that got us from there to here. (via Teletext holidays)

Popular Destinations

Travel Supermarket highlights the world’s most popular tourist attractions – and the top 4 public attractions are right here in the US. Along with Times Square and Central Park, there’s the strip in Las Vegas and the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and there are a few more US attractions on the list, along with some interesting facts.

The Techie Traveler Read more »

Now that the pranks are out of the way, it’s time to consider what April is all about. Just in case Valentine’s Day didn’t give you enough time to focus on your significant other, there’s no excuse in April because it’s Couples Appreciation Month. It was originally founded by romantic proposal company Blissful Escapes ‘to encourage couples to do something special to reinforce and celebrate their relationship’. The celebration seems to have outlasted as it’s still around while the new Blissful Escapes focuses on spa breaks.

Celebration Ideas

So, how could you celebrate this month with your spouse or partner? Think of it as a month-long romantic idyll, where you could:

• take the time to notice, appreciate and acknowledge what your partner does.
• write a list of your spouse’s best qualities and then share it.
• avoid going to bed mad.
• have a special meal together – or two, or three.
• organize a date night and get away from the usual family obligations.
• plan a staycation.

Also consider one of these unique Valentine’s Day celebration ideas.

Movie Inspiration

Even better, you could take inspiration from some of the great romantic screen couples, such as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. A movie featuring one of these couples would be the perfect way to celebrate Couples Appreciation Month.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out 101 Ways To Tell Your Husband, “I Love You” and 101 Ways To Tell Your Wife, “I Love You”. See? Now there’s no excuse! How will you celebrate Couples Appreciation Month?

Image credit: mozzercork

Spring is definitely in the air now. We’re all looking forward to longer, warmer days and some places are having an unseasonal heat wave – lucky people! Here are some of the celebrations and observances to look forward to in April.

April 2012 Celebrations

Easter

In some parts of the world, the big celebration this month is Easter, with observances starting (mostly in churches) on Holy Thursday on April 5, and ramping up through Good Friday on the 6th, Easter Sunday on the 7th and Easter Monday on the 8th. In those countries, it’s a four day weekend while in some parts of the US, Good Friday is a holiday, making it a three day weekend. We’ll be looking at Easter celebrations in more detail next week.

Earth Day

Nearer the end of the month, on April 22nd, it’s Earth Day – a day when we keep the environment in mind and try to be just a little bit greener. One easy way to do that is to avoid using paper when you can get information by email – the trees will thank you. Read more »

We’re still in spring celebration mode here at Park Ride Fly USA, so here are some fun and interesting facts about the season.

1. We’ve all heard the term ‘vernal equinox’. Vernal means ‘spring’ and equinox means ‘equal night’. Both words are from Latin.
2. Despite the term, the day when there are 12 equal hours of daylight and darkness usually happens before the first day of spring.
3. The first day of spring in the southern hemisphere is the date of the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, usually in September.
4. Benjamin Franklin was the first American to propose Dalylight Saving Time in 1784. However, it wasn’t fully implemented in the US until after the Second World War.
5. The practice of starting Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March in the US started in 2005.
6. Daylight Saving Time starts and ends at different times around the world.
7. In Europe, Daylight Saving Time is known as Summer Time.
8. The reason that there’s more daylight during spring is that the earth’s axis tilts towards the sun at this time of year.
9. Some of the plants that have strong associations with spring include dandelions, daffodils, lilies, primroses, hyacinths, tulips, azaleas, iris and lilacs.
10. Dandelions originated in Asia.
11. Several singers have sung about spring including Van Morrison (Celtic Spring), Billie Holiday (Some Other Spring) and Frank Sinatra (Suddenly it’s Spring).
12. Animals and insects associated with spring include the rabbit, frog, deer, fox, bear, bee, butterfly, ladybug and hummingbird.
13. Spring fever is not just a myth – the body may experience physiological changes due to changes in diet, hormone production and temperature.
14. Melting snow and additional rain may cause more flooding in spring.
15. Children grow faster in spring.
16. Spring is when birds return home after migrating in winter. About 1800 bird species migrate.

How many of these facts did you know? Have you got any fun facts about spring to add to the list? Don’t forget to check out our spring coupon to save on off airport parking.

Image: Markusram