Taking off Travel blog

Ah - the glory days of travel: excitement, romance and luxury. The first time I stepped onto a plane, the experience was alluring. Seating felt roomy (I was young), there was food on little trays, and the cabin crew visibly loved their jobs - or put on a good show of doing so. Not any more. Here are three (plus one) things that take the shine off air travel.

Mealtime Woes

On most flights these days, you don’t get a meal unless you are flying long haul. Perhaps that’s good for our waistlines in a more health conscious era, but there are some flights where you could do with a bit of sustenance. I’ve spent a lot of time on AA flights this year. Sure there are food choices available, but the range of sandwiches, cheese and crackers, chips and cookies available is not exactly inspiring. As a semi-vegetarian, I’d love to have more choice on board. Since it’s not there, I have to prowl the airport looking for something decent or starve. Let’s not talk about the prices - this is a money spinner, pure and simple, and it increases the feeling that you’ve been had. Read more »

No matter where you go in the world, you can see people tapping away on a Blackberry. It’s fair to say it’s taken the business world by storm (yes, the pun IS intended). In the past we have looked at iPhone applications for travelers. Now it’s the turn of the Blackberry. Here are the best free Blackberry apps for travelers.

10. Flight and Hotel Travel Search by Kayak

Search Kayak.com for deals on hotels and flights.  You can also check flight status, useful if you’re on the move.

9. Tube Buddy

Traveling in London? Tube Buddy gives live departure boards for tube lines and Underground and DLR service updates.

8. SimulTravel GPS

This is a quick way to find a hotel while you’re traveling. You can even find out if the hotel down the street is a better deal than the one you are staying in.

7. OpenTable

Make free restaurant reservations at over 10,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom, and earn reward points while you do it. Read more »

Twitter

Back in April I told you about six travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter. Since then, I’ve interacted with a few more travel bloggers, so I’d like to expand the list. Here are seven more travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter:

GoPlanit

@goplanit is linked to the social travel planning site of the same name which we reviewed some time ago. The site shares some great travel articles through the Twitter account. Recently @goplanit has tweeted about an interesting travel photo competition.

Read more »

I spent almost a month in New Jersey and at the start of the month, I shared some of the photos I had taken. Here are a few more.

I visited Hoboken while I was there and made a discovery in the shape of the Karma Kafe, an Indian bistro with a great Zagat’s rating. They serve an all you can eat lunchtime buffet for a very reasonable price and the food is excellent. Here’s a photo of my meal (I admit, it’s not arranged artistically) and of the intricate table top.

On my way back to the station, I passed a beautiful building and couldn’t resist taking a photo of it. Read more »

What is your computer setup?

I recently wondered whether business travelers dare to unplug in the 21st century. If your answer is a resounding ‘no’ then it’s time to look at what you need to really stay connected today. Here’s a peek at my setup. I hope you’ll share yours in the comments below.

Computer

This almost goes without saying. Over the years, I’ve fluctuated between desktops and laptops. My current set up is a Dell desktop machine for home use with as large a screen as I could afford and a small laptop (Samsung NC-110) for taking on the road.  Tip: Choose a laptop with as big a keyboard as possible; tiny keys can be hard on the hands and wrists.

Other Hardware

One essential item for me is a good headset. Not only does this prevent me from annoying others around me when I play music and videos, it also comes in handy for VOIP software. A webcam is another tool that’s almost essential. When you are talking to and meeting people online, it’s good to be able to see their faces and gauge reactions. Read more »