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Category Archive: Themes

Finnair Flight Attendants: Tales from a Thousand and One Flights

Finnair Flight Attendants have published a collection of stories from their lives in the skies aptly titled Airborne: Tales From A Thousand And One Flights, Drawing on decades of flight attendant history and experiences, Airborne is a collection of true stories written by the professionals who’ve seen it all. You think they make this stuff up, huh? Not a chance! There are too many crazy true stories, you just don’t have to make it up. The book is available in English and Finnish, with profits from the sale donated to the Finnish Central Association for Mental Health to be used in the prevention of mental health issues among children and adolescents. Finnair won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past three years running. Photo credit: Atar Publishing

Updated Map of Where I’ve Been

Now that I’m back from TBEX in Spain, it’s time to update my map of how much of the world I’ve visited. I still have lots (and lots!) of countries to visit, but plan on checking another one off this coming week. Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

My Favorite Paris Museum

In a city as full of museums as Paris, you might think think it tough to choose a favorite. After a whirlwind week soaking up as much as I possible could, and visiting more than a few museums, there were only a few Paris museums that made a lasting impression. The Louvre was vast and covered an extensive period of time. But while I enjoyed it, the art on display – with a few notable exceptions – wasn’t really my cup of tea. The Rodin displayed statuary that was lovely, but it didn’t offer the depth to really captivate me. Although this museum would score a solid second on my list of favorites in large part because of the gardens that surround it. The Centre Pompidou made me smile with its architecture and exhibits, the Delacroix was nice, the Quai […]

What’s a Hotel Fail for You?

Just as first impressions are important in business and personal relationships, so are they important in setting the tone for a hotel stay. That impression starts the minute you walk into the lobby, if not before, and just like with your interpersonal relationships, first impressions are usually spot on. Throughout a stay, however, a hotel has numerous opportunities to impress or fail and often this is what separates the so-so hotels from the really great ones. Here are a few things that I think are hotel fails – do you agree? Lines. Lines are a fact of life. But when there’s a line all the time, or the line moves so slowly that people start to get restless (in a not so happy way), it’s a sign of a larger problem. If the lobby is always full of lines, it’s […]

The Top 5 Family Attractions in Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh is a popular place year-round for travelers of all kinds, but especially families. From the very atmospheric city streets to the many tours and festivals that the kids will love, Scotland will leave the parents charmed and your children ready for their return trip. With so many attractions and venues, it’s really hard to decide where to spend your time. So fuel up with a big Scotland breakfast, and then head out for a busy day – these suggestions are sure to keep everyone smiling Edinburgh Castle Of course, the famed icon that brings travelers here from afar has to top the list. But why? Because the castle can be a fun way to learn about Scotland’s troubled history. There is so much to see here, from the city’s oldest building (a small chapel) to […]

Five Major Moments in the History of Flight

If you’re a fan of the history of air travel, I think you’ll enjoy today’s guest post reminding us of some of the outstanding moments in the history of flight. The next time you step on a plane, think about just how far we’ve come. —– Humanity has long been fascinated with the idea of flying. Early humans created cave paintings depicting flight and told myths such as the tale of Prometheus. Kites were invented thousands of years before that fateful day at Kitty Hawk. It was not until the beginning of the Industrial Age, however, that the dream of flight started inching closer to reality. Of all the major moments in the history of flight, five stand out. Hang Gliders Most people consider the Wright brothers’ flight to be the beginning of aviation history but it started decades previously, […]

Disney Terms to Know Before You Go

Anytime is a great time to visit Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Trips in the fall offer foodies not only fabulous weather, but a feeding frenzy at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival. Winter visits provide even more excitement with the park beautifully decorated for the holidays and a chance to maneuver the theme parks with reduced crowds. Would-be gardeners and spring vacationers can view the magnificent floral displays of the annual Flower & Garden Festival. But with children out of school, summer visits are by far the busiest time of year at Disney World. As the crowds increase, so does the need for a little extra planning. So if you’re a first time guests, or perhaps haven’t visited recently, all those oft used Disney terms can be a bit overwhelming. With a bit of a review, however, words […]

I’m Going to Tokyo #ANASEA

Yes, I’m going to Tokyo and I’m very excited about it. But I jumped to the end of the story before telling you about how this came to be, why it’s important to me, and how you can help make sure my trip is everything I want it to be. So let’s rewind just a little bit. . . . All Nippon Airways (ANA) is launching a new service between Seattle and Tokyo on July 25th, 2012. The daily flight departs Seattle at 1:15 pm and ten and a half hours later arrive at Narita at 3:45 pm (the next day). For visitors interested in traveling on to other cities within Japan, or making connections to other destinations in Asia, this arrival neatly coincides with outbound flights. The outbound flight leaves Tokyo at 5:25 pm and arrives in Seattle at […]

Photo Op: TBEX Collage

I’ve spent the past few days in Denver and then in Keystone, Colorado, for TBEX – the world’s largest gathering travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators. As the TBEX Conference Director, I attended all the events but often found myself so busy that I didn’t have a chance to connect with all the travel bloggers that I wanted to. For those new friends and old who I had the opportunity to chat with, please know that it’s your energy, enthusiasm, and love for travel that makes the conference so great – and that keeps me so enthused. And for those I was unable to connect with, I know that our paths will cross one day soon. Maybe in Girona for TBEX Europe or maybe just as our travels take us. Photo credit: From the TBEX flickr pool

May Day: How Do You Celebrate?

Today is May 1st, and depending on where you are in the world, the significance of the day runs for substantial to relatively unimportant. When I was a kid, growing up in a small town, May day was a day of leaving flowers – anonymously – on neighbor’s doorsteps. We’d gather up brightly colored construction paper, draw and decorate it, then roll and tape it into a cone. As a final touch we’d attach a thin strip to make a long handle. Once complete, we’d fill the cone with flowers from my grandmother’s garden. I’m not exactly sure what flowers we’d put in it, but grandma’s garden always seemed to have an abundant supply of blooms to fill a dozen or so May baskets. As I got older, the May baskets went from that rudimentary cone to woven ones, and […]