World Travel News and Information

posted by Charles H. Russo on Mar 1

Ask anybody and the typical answer you will get is that there is nothing in Alabama that is of special interest to the tourist. Yet tourism happens to be big business in the state and is, in fact, the state’s biggest industry, generating well over $10 billion in revenue each year.

The key to Alabama’s attractiveness as a tourist destination is above all its rural and agricultural orientation punched with great hospitality, delectable cuisine, top notch Alabama motels, hotels andGulf Coast resorts, and a globally well-known events calendar with many festivals and performances thrown in.

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Feb 17

A glorious day for walking. Clear sky, cool and sunny. We decided to do Great Gable, not from Wasdale as illustrated above, but from the Slate Mine on Honister Pass. Sadly, eventhough visibility was excellent, with the sun came haze and so it was not the greatest day for photographs.

The path up from the slate mine

The purist will say tackling the Gables from this starting point is cheating, as you have won a thousand feet before you get out of the car. But we have been up Gable a fair few times, and this was an ideal day for a family walk across from the Slate Factory, looking down on Haystacks and Innominate Tarn, around which Wainwright’s ashes are scattered:
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Feb 15

eBags Mother Lode Mini – Flexible packing combined with style.

The eBags company has continually created luggage based on the consumers needs. Their luggage isn’t some cheap generic knockoff. It’s quality gear designed for the consumers needs. The eBags Mother Lode Mini is a prime example. Child to the Mother Lode, the eBags Mother Lode Mini is a smaller, carry on version, of the popular rolling luggage piece.

Carry on rolling luggage is nothing unique, but the eBags Mother Lode Mini is. The main selling point is its flexibility for packing. Where most carry on rolling luggage gives you one main compartment and maybe a few pockets, the eBags Mother Lode Mini does much more.

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Feb 11

The Incase iPod nano protective cover has been in my hands for a week or so to test out. Normally we’re pretty hard on our test gear, but since I’m the one contributing the iPod we’re using, I’ve been taking it a lot easier. Sorry folks - this means no 12-foot drops on this test.

The quick & dirty:

Where you can get one:
incase $24.95

Why it rocks:

Nice rubbery material could offer some shock protectionFeels like decent quality

Why it bites:

No cover for the face of the iPodCan’t connect to accessories without removing from the case

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Feb 3

Off the beaten path, yet civilized, LaPaz is a the largest city on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. With about 200,000 residents, including a healthy population of Americans, this genteel metropolis is one of those rare places where the citizens generally seem content and happy to be there.

Although public works projects suffer somewhat from a manana state of mind, the sections of town where travelers are entertained are clean and well kept. The people are generally friendly and welcoming and many know enough English to enable language-deficient gringos, like me, to communicate with them.

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jan 29

Though work is not yet complete, it???s already clear that what???s going on at The Heritage Houseis no mere renovation. Built as a farmhouse in 1877 and first converted into a hotel in 1949, The Heritage House has always had a billion dollar location on 37 rolling gently acres that tumble down to the thrashing Pacific. For many years that location sustained the property as it grew into a haphazard collection of eclectic cottages and bungalows???one of which was used as the primary filming location for the movie Same Time Next Year.

But The Heritage House never had the d?©cor, amenities or service to go with its views until rolling renovations started in March 2007. The property has spent more than $20 million so far to complete work on less than half of the hotel???s 47 rooms, and it shows–carpethas been replaced with tatami mats, overstuffed chintz has been ditched in favor of angular earth tones. The new look amounts to a seamless marriage of the serenity of Asian-inspired hotel style and the effortless, naturally laid back Northern California attitude.

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jan 27

You can have a sneak preview at the new Tripadvisor site by browsing this “beta” microsite that TA globally announced today in its newsletter.

The user-generated reviews’ giant Tripavisor (part of the Expedia, Inc. family of travel companies), decided to “create a new and easier to use” site. Kristen Nicole from Mashable previously published an article saying that people have complained about the cluttered homepage of the (curent) site.

Look at those “before-after” screenshots I took and make your own opinion:

A typical WEB 2.0 launch for this new version: As it has been said by Tripadvisor: It is a beta site! “Beta” means [Tripadvisor] is still polishing a few things! This beta version was first launched on the co.uk site of TA a few days ago, and it is now for everyone to REVIEW!

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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jan 15

We are now quite familiar with customer-written hotel reviews; we also know about the trendy use of video reviews of hotelsbut what about reviews of flights?!

Yesterday I stumbled upon an incredible amateur video that made it to the top #20 of the most watched video of Youtube. The statistics speak for themselves:

Views: 76,062
Comments: 468
Favorited: 175

Robert McKee took a Delta flight (n°6499) and got stuck on tarmac during 7 hours straight.