Travel Tonic

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 8th 2010

• Best Cruises to Get (or Stay) Fit – Smarter Travel has posted some info about yoga classes: Five pieces of chicken, three servings of rice, and two peach cobblers later, you might want a state-of-the-art gym on hand. Thanks to these cruises, you have the option of doing more than just laying in the sun, with gyms, yoga classes, rock walls, and more.

  Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.

• London: Street art beyond Banksy – Alex Robinson recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  The world's most famous graffiti artist since Basquiat, Banksy, launched his first feature film this past weekend. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is premiering at cinemas throughout London and the U.K. before launching overseas.
  ��
  The artist made his name on the streets of London and his graffiti remain daubed on walls from Camden to Croydon. But there's far more to London street art than Banksy. Many of London's graffiti crew see the Bristol-born, middle-class artist as an imposter. Along the Regent's Canal in the north London borough of Camden his work has been defaced by another cult graffiti artist Robbo, angry at Banksy artist painting on what he has long regarded as his patch.��

  
  [+] Enlarge photo

  Banky's artwork (Courtesy Alex Robinson)

  London's street art—arising out of an illegal and often destructive hobby—is some of the most creative and vibrant in the world. And whilst some borough councils (a.k.a. local government officials) paint over graffiti almost as soon as it appears, others leave the quality daubs, or even positively encourage their creation. Hotspots include Camden, Hoxton, and Whitechapel.
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  Look out for Banksy's little boy fishing on Regent's Canal in Camden (22 yards east of Camden market, subway Camden Town), and his painter apparently inscribing the name of a rival artist, Robbo, 300 yards east of the market.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 8th 2010

• Temporary test post. Please ignore – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

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• Get Better Customer Service by Knowing Exactly What You Want [Customer Service] – Lifehacker's Jason Fitzpatrick just posted this article:
  

  Like it or not, customer service representatives don't exist to act as your personal grievance sounding board—they're there to resolve problems customers encounter. Speak their language and make action-based requests to get better service. …

  Read the rest at Lifehacker

• Paris: Macarons at McDonald’s? – Meg Zimbeck recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  (Courtesy McDonald's)

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 6th 2010 through March 7th 2010:

• Mass Cancellations: The New Norm in Bad Weather – Smarter Travel has posted some info about ed perkins: Ed Perkins explains why we can expect more cancellations in the future, and how to mitigate the inconvenience, frustration, and possibility of being left without a flight.

  Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.

• Video: Bad week for the cruise industry – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Is it safe to take a cruise? Sure it is, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise after the past week. A series of mishaps have hit cruise lines around the world. In the Mediterranean Sea, a 26-foot wave pummeled a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 people, killing two. A passenger shot some amazing video (included in the video clip, below) of what it was like to be inside.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 5th 2010

• Our Guide to Flying on the Cheap to Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, and More – Smarter Travel has posted some info about plentiful options: From across the border to across the Atlantic, low-cost airlines keep adding routes, giving you plentiful options and lower prices. Heading abroad? We'll show you how to get there on a budget.

  Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.

• Rome: 5 best March values – Katie Parla recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  The Citta' dell'Altra Economia, an organic food collective in Rome's Testaccio neighborhood (Katie Parla)

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 5th 2010

• Readers’ best Mexico photos – Kate Appleton recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Click the image to launch the slide show. (Courtesy joe8211943/myBudgetTravel)
• 14 stunning film locations – RobinD_travel recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  When Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the 2010 Academy Awards, a parade of stars will pick up Oscars in the usual categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and so on.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 4th 2010 through March 5th 2010:

• A reader writes: "Continental’s new exit row fee is stupid" – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  A Continental 737 on a low approach (Courtesy egmb757lover/Flickr)
• Suite Arrival Ships Toiletries Ahead to Your Destination [Travel] – Lifehacker's Jason Fitzpatrick just posted this article:
  

  If you like to travel light but have a well stocked toiletries bag upon arriving at your destination, Suite Arrival makes it easy to ship your bathroom favorites ahead. …

  Read the rest at Lifehacker

• Another Reason to Buy Travel Insurance – Smarter Travel has posted some info about ed perkins: Last week, a big Canadian tour operator collapsed, reminding travelers about why trip protection exists. Ed Perkins provides his rules for purchasing travel insurance.

  Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 4th 2010

• London: Lesbian and gay film festival – Alex Robinson recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  A scene from The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (Courtesy British Film Institute)
• San Francisco: Tacos get the star chef treatment – Justine Sharrock recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  The Taco: a simple, wondrous thing. San Franciscans love 'em. And just like other foodie favorites, the taco is prime for reinvention.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 3rd 2010 through March 4th 2010:

• Cancel your flight, but don’t get your taxes refunded – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Buy a plane ticket, and you'll pay the base fare plus the taxes and fees. Cancel that ticket at the last minute, though, and you won't always receive a refund for the taxes and fees.

• The Most Popular Travel Apps for Smartphones – Smarter Travel has posted some info about ed perkins: It's no secret smartphones are handy travel tools with all the apps providing everything from restaurant reviews to maps. But Ed Perkins has one caution for iPhone users.

  Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 3rd 2010

• From Twitter – RT @travelitup Best Summer Hotel Deal Destinations 2010 #travel http://bit.ly/bEvqzt
• NYC launches new taxi sharing service – JD Rinne recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  (Courtesy vancouvergirl/myBudgetTravel)

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 3rd 2010

• London Controversy: The Beatles’ Abbey Road Studios – Alex Robinson recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Over the past few weeks Londoners and Beatles fans the world over have been up in arms about EMI���s possible plans to sell Abbey Road Studios, the legendary location where the Fab Four recorded many of their greatest albums. The studios are a prime piece of real estate near Madonna's old home and around the corner from Kate Moss in��ever-so-fashionable St John's Wood, and there were fears that they'd be snapped up and turned into swanky apartments. The rumors became a scandal that soon made the national news—on all channels. Concerned fans launched a huge Facebook campaign and Paul McCartney was rung up and interviewed repeatedly, expressing concern and proclaiming sadness.
  ��

  

  Photoshop Phun (Courtesy
  beneneuman/Flickr)

  On February 17th, the National Trust—which preserves many of the country's heritage buildings—announced that it was thinking of launching a campaign to save the studios. And two days later, Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was "very interested" in buying should EMI formally decide to sell.

• Child allowed to direct air traffic control at JFK – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Funny or scary? The FAA is investigating why the child of an air traffic controller was allowed to talk to pilots at JFK airport on February 17.