Travel Tonic

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 29th 2011 through December 30th 2011:

• 6 Apps to Take Your Mind Off a Long Holiday Trip – Budget Travel recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Try some new winter-themed apps. (Courtesy bonnie-brown/Flickr)
• GoAir A320 hit by bus at Mumbai airport –
  flightglobal.com
  A GoAir Airbus A320 aircraft parked at the Mumbai airport was badly damaged yesterday when a bus rammed into its nose.The incident happened at around…
• Tech Travel: Why All Gadgets Should Be Banned On Flights | Fox News –
  foxnews.com
  

  Plenty of people want to use their e-readers, tablets, and smartphones during take-off and landing and think the FAA should lift its ban. I disagree, and the reasons seem obvious.
• South Carolina airport to get $102 million facelift – USATODAY.com –
  travel.usatoday.com
  

  South Carolina's Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) will embark on a $102 million makeover to its 49-year-old main terminal, …
• Two Iconic Cities Go Head-to-Tête – Valerie Rains recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  A handful of destinations in the world are so iconic as to be instantly identifiable by a single, simple image—say, the looming triangle of an Egyptian pyramid, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Space Needle (or perhaps the Starbucks logo) of Seattle.

• Airlines: 4 Best Uses of Facebook and Twitter for Fliers in 2011 – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  When it comes to customer service, Twitter and Facebook are the new 800-hotlines. These social networking sites are increasingly the place where passengers turn to gripe about shoddy service—and to seek solutions from airline customer service departments.

• #TTOT Topic for… | Facebook –
  facebook.com
  Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, post links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 27th 2011 through December 28th 2011:

• ANA announces new 787 livery, routes –
  flightglobal.com
  All Nippon Airways (ANA) has announced the dates it will begin operating the Boeing 787 on three domestic routes, as well as a livery change for future…
• New Year’s: What’s your travel resolution for 2012? – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Please tell us: What's your travel resolution for 2012? Is it a new adventure or a return to a favorite place? Is it an urban exploration, or a journey to a remote destination? Are you planning to do something different in the way you travel?

• Airlines on Twitter Monthly Report for November 2011: increasing engagement but 30 airlines produce over 80% of tweets | Leaders in airline & airport customer engagement :: SimpliFlying –
  simpliflying.com
  - Shubhodeep Pal
  

  Our friends at Eezeer have analysed the Twitter habits of airlines as well as their fans/customers for the month of November and have produced the Monthly Twitter Report in continuation with their monthly coverage and analysis of the dynamic social media landscape for airlines.
  At the close of the year, it’s worth pausing to consider how quickly the social landscape has evolved over the past year or so. Airlines have not only embraced Twitter but have also realised that there’s great value in u…  show all text
• Readers’ vote: What’s the most momentous event of 2011? « Leeham News and Comment –
  leehamnews.wordpress.com
  What do you think was the most momentous event for the following companies in 2011? And what do you predict for 2012?
• Australia’s Weird Wildlife Warning Signs – Fran Golden recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Tasmanian Devil warning sign, Tasmania (Courtesy of David Molyneaux)

  A car trip in Australia has its challenges including the fact driving is on the left. Distractions include a large number of weird wildlife warning signs on roadways.

• People Who Didn’t Get What They Wanted For Christmas –
  buzzfeed.com
  

  This is so, so sad.

  View Entire List ›
• Wendy’s Goes Gourmet in Japan – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  
  

  Wendy's new foie gras burger in Tokyo (Courtesy Wendy's)

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 24th 2011 through December 27th 2011:

• Reach visitors anywhere with local radio stations streaming online | Sheila’s Guide To The Good Stuff –
  sheilasguide.com
  - Sheila
  

  First in a blog post series for the get-revved-up week between Christmas and New Year’s
  Here’s a way to reach fans of your destination who live far away, but still want to connect even when they can’t visit …. tell them how to find and listen to your hometown radio stations that stream online.
  People who enjoy familiar music, a long-time DJ’s voice or a particular show may not even know that they can now hear those sounds on the web, even when their regular radio is nowhere near the station’s t…  show all text
• Tests Show FAA Should Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Hey Federal Aviation Administration, the rules governing electronic devices on airplanes are not based on science, writes Nick Bilton on the Disruptions blog at the New York Times. Tests show an ebook reader like Amazon's Kindle won't bring a plane down.

• The Dark Side of Vacation Rentals – Brad Tuttle recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Vacation rentals are often more memorable, and have way more character, than a cookie-cutter motel. That may or may not be a good thing.

• Tests Cast Doubt on F.A.A. Restrictions on Kindle and iPad – NYTimes.com –
  bits.blogs.nytimes.com
  - By NICK BILTON
  The Federal Aviation Administration doesn't allow Kindles and iPads to be on during takeoffs and landings over the issue of possible interference with aircraft navigation or communication systems. A visit to a testing lab shed light on whether a hazard really exists.
• International Christmas Party – This week on the Travel with Rick Steves Podcast:
  Rick celebrates Christmas with friends from near and far, hearing about holiday traditions from Holland and Hungary, Sicily and Scotland, learning about the unique ways people light up the season in Santa Fe, and discovering how scientists at a research station in Antarctica make merry, plus listeners share some of their favorite Christmas memories from holiday travels.
  
  Podcast
• I can only imagine how many probs this will cause at #TSAChec… on Twitpic –
  twitpic.com
  
• NORAD Santa –
  noradsanta.org

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 21st 2011 through December 23rd 2011:

• End of Mayan Calendar A Rebirth for Mexico Tourism? – Michelle Baran recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Durango, Mexico (Courtesy cruceros.julio/Flickr)
• Boeing scrambles to meet 787 delivery targets for 2011 –
  flightglobal.com
  Boeing is scrambling to hand over three more 787s to All Nippon Airways before the close of 2011, aiming to meet at least a portion of its delivery guidance…
• A Holiday Surprise From the Travel Industry – posted this over on Frommer's : In the spirit of the holidays, remember that even the smallest gesture of kindness can improve a fellow traveler's day.
• 5 Oddest Historical Replicas in the U.S. – Budget Travel recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  America’s Stonehenge replica.(Courtesy cm195902/Flickr)
• Many fliers refuse to turn off electronic gadgets – USATODAY.com –
  travel.usatoday.com
  

  Fliers aren't turning off devices during takeoff and landing, despite government warnings, a USA TODAY investigation shows.
• That’s Ridiculous! Airline Passengers Go to War Over Bin Space – posted this over on Frommer's : A traveler's desperate scramble to claim space in the overhead bin can be avoided — at least if the airline industry implemented one of these three solutions.
• 12 destinations for 2012 – HeidiS recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  Where are you going in 2012? If you’re like us at Bing Travel, you have a long bucket list of destinations that have caught your eye. But so many places, so little time! How do you prioritize where to go?

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 20th 2011 through December 21st 2011:

• How the Most-Hated Airline Fee Became a Huge Success – Brad Tuttle recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  By charging passengers fees for carry-on bags, Spirit Airlines rakes in a whopping $50 million annually.

• Why You Should Consider an Arizona Vacation Now – Nicholas DeRenzo recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Welcome to Arizona (Courtesy Wing-Chi Poon/Wikipedia Commons)
• Travel Troubleshooter: Maybe I Won’t Be Home for Christmas – posted this over on Frommer's : A technical error and a declined credit card leaves this traveler with no confirmed plane tickets for holiday travel. Should the airline or the online travel agency have notified this traveler about the billing problem?
• Deal Strategy: Book an All-Inclusive Holiday Right After the Holidays – Brad Tuttle recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Often, snagging a major discount is as simple as avoiding peak travel times. Case in point: Try an all-inclusive resort just after (rather than during) the Christmas-New Year's period.

• Flier charged with in-flight groping could be caned – USATODAY.com –
  travel.usatoday.com
  

  A Ukrainian man faces potentially serious consequences after being charged for allegedly groping a Singapore Airlines flight attendant.
• Win a Trip to the Cayman Islands! – Smarter Travel has posted some info about night getaway: Like the Cayman Islands on Facebook and you could win a four-night getaway!

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

• #TTOT Topic for… | Facebook –
  facebook.com
  Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, post links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 19th 2011 through December 20th 2011:

• Travel Talk on Twitter – Info | Facebook –
  facebook.com
  

  Travel Talk on Twitter – Description: #TTOT – The Event It occurs *twice* every Tuesday: 9:30 AM and 9:30 PM Greenwich Mean Time (Check timeanddate.com's World Clock and Meeting Planner to find where that time is in your part of the world.) meeting.html #TTOT – The Hashtag You can use #TTOT throughout the week to tag your travel-related tweets to get the attention of others in the #TTOT community. | Facebook
• Flight delays, road closures in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas – RobinD_travel recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  A powerful winter storm that dumped snow on the Southwest and Great Plains on Monday is causing flight delays and road closures for travelers in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

  Albuquerque, still under a winter storm warning for heavy snow until 5 a.m. MST Tuesday, is experiencing delayed flight departures and arrivals at the Albuquerque International Sunport. Track your flight status on Bing travel. Major highways across New Mexico are experiencing closures, too. As of 5 p.m. MST, Interstate 25 northbound from mile marker 290 to 302 is closed. Interstate 40 westbound and eastbound is closed from mile marker 239 to mile marker 273 (Torrance County Line to Santa Rosa). Track road conditions in New Mexico on the New Mexico Department of Transportation site.

  Parts of southeast Colorado remain under a blizzard warning. Denver International Airport is experiencing delayed flight departures and arrivals. Track your flight status on Bing Travel. Portions of Interstate 25 (milemarker 1 to 11) are closed due to severe weather. Check road conditions on the Colorado Department of Transportation site.

  Due to weather, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is experiencing gate holds and taxi delays of 45 minutes to an hour. Arrivals are experiencing delays of 15 minutes or less. Track your flight status on Bing Travel.

• Euro Dips Under $1.30, Making Europe Affordable – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  (Courtesy maesejose/Flickr)
• Tips On Flying With Gifts – Michelle Baran recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Holiday gifts (Courtesy almostbunnies/Flickr)
• Etihad acquires 29% stake in Air Berlin –
  flightglobal.com
  Etihad Airways is to increase its stake in Air Berlin to 29%, making it the largest single shareholder in the German carrier.Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has…
• 5 Eco-friendly Packing Tips – recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  
  

  How green is your suitcase?(Courtesy jepoirrier/Flickr)
• Where it’s always New Year’s Eve – HeidiS recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  Some cities around the world don’t wait for New Year’s Eve to throw a great party – they keep the atmosphere festive all year round. Walk the streets of New Orleans any night and you’ll hear music streaming from the doorways. Summers in Ibiza, Spain, are all about the dance clubs (foam included). New York? It’s the “city that never sleeps” for a reason.

  Whether you visit these cities to ring in the New Year or another time of year, you’ll always find something to celebrate in the 13 destinations featured in the new Bing Travel slide show: Where It’s Always New Year’s Eve. Veteran traveler Pauline Frommer found some familiar places and some that may surprise you. Take a look, and tell us if we missed one of your favorite party cities by leaving a comment below.

  Happy New Year and happy travels!

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 16th 2011 through December 18th 2011:

• kim jong-il looking at things –
  kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com
• Error – washingtonpost.com –
  washingtonpost.com
• The ORIGINAL Strange But True Aviation News « Aviation Queen –
  aviationqueen.wordpress.com
  - Aviation Queen
  

  Gun excuse number 2: “I forgot it was in my bag.”  Richard Popkin was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after the gun he forgot was in his carry-on bag went off at a security checkpoint, reports CNN.    He said he meant to check the gun in his luggage.
  Dude looks like a lady flight attendant.  Thailand’s new PC Air has hired four male transsexual flight attendants among its flight crew, reports the Daily Mail.  The crew flew their first flight, from Bangkok’s Suvarnab…  show all text
• That’s Ridiculous! US Airways Charges Family Extra to Sit Together | Frommers.com –
  frommers.com
  - <a href="http://www.frommers.com/community/persona.html?UID=826400">Christopher Elliott</a>
  

  Should airlines be allowed to charge extra for parents who need to sit next to their kids on flights?
• NTSB: Aviation fatalities down in 2010 –
  flightglobal.com
  Aviation in 2010 proved to be the vehicular travel mode with the lowest fatalities in the US, according to year-end figures released by the US National…
• On Defining Success | nerd’s eye view –
  nerdseyeview.com
  - nerd's eye view
  From time to time I get bogged down, lost in the weeds, wrapped up in all the sausage making and inside baseball stuff behind blogging. I’m genuinely interested in how this stuff goes down, after all, I owe a great deal to blogging. I write occasional commentary, meta crap that comes under the heading of “blogging about blogging.” It’s not particularly compelling to a good percentage of my readers, though I thank you all for indulging me the behind the scenes tours from time to time.
  I’ve backed  show all text
• That’s Ridiculous! US Airways Charges Family Extra to Sit Together – posted this over on Frommer's : Should airlines be allowed to charge extra for parents who need to sit next to their kids on flights?

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 15th 2011 through December 16th 2011:

• How would you paint your Dreamliner? – USATODAY.com –
  travel.usatoday.com
  

  Have you always thought it would be cool do come up with your own paint job for an aircraft? If so, then Boeing has just the thing for you … …
• Delta’s $1.2 billion JFK overhaul ‘is taking shape’ – USATODAY.com –
  travel.usatoday.com
  

  Delta's $1.2 billion overhaul of its New York JFK passenger terminals "is taking shape," Bloomberg News reports.
• Scheduled Air Steps In For Charter Vacations – Michelle Baran recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  USA3000 will be winding down operations in early 2012 (Courtesy Michelle Baran)
• Megabus Continues to Grow, Benefiting Travelers – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  (Steven Brahms)
• Poll: Would You Use Social Media to Find A Better Seatmate? – Michelle Baran recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  KLM Airbus A330-200 (Courtesy Capital Photos for KLM)
• Government confirms LightSquared lower band interference –
  flightglobal.com
  A GPS advisory board has revealed that broadband provider LightSquared's revised operating band for 4G wireless service caused "harmful interference"…
• Experiencing a hot-air balloon flight over Wadi Rum | Velvet Escape –
  velvetescape.com
  - velvet
  

  Wadi Rum is a famous desert region in southern Jordan. Predominantly inhabited by Bedouins, some of whom still lead a nomadic lifestyle, Wadi Rum is a wondrous land of awe-inspiring sandstone and granite mountains which rise dramatically from the pink-ochre sands. T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, set up his base here in 1917 to assist the Arabs in their efforts to oust the Ottomans. These days, Wadi Rum is a magnet for hikers, climbers and visitors who wish to see the spectacu…  show all text

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 14th 2011 through December 15th 2011:

• RentMix Maps the Best Hotel Alternatives – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  Vacation rental in Bali. (Courtesy Bart Speelman/Flickr)
• PlaneTalking Live – PlaneTalking Live –
  planetalkinglive.com
  

  oneworld Governing Board's final meeting of the year, held in New York, where the alliance's headquarters has been based since June. He will act as "first
• 30% Off Hotels, 75% Off Cruises Worldwide: Expedia – Smarter Travel has posted some info about steep discounts: Steep discounts on hot destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, the U.S., and more, not to mention a gloriously long purchase window!

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

• Catch a royal sighting during the Diamond Jubilee – RobinD_travel recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  While on a visit to Kenya in 1952, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary learned the sad news that her father had died. Her father? George VI, King of the United Kingdom (depicted by Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”). Thus, at the tender age of 25, Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. She went on to reign over the UK and commonwealths for more than 59 years.

• "HOT SPOTS 2012" WITH JOHNNY JET TO AIR ON TRAVEL CHANNEL –
  johnnyjet.com
• 30% Off Hotels, 75% Off Cruises Worldwide: Expedia – Smarter Travel has posted some info about steep discounts: Steep discounts on hot destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, the U.S., and more, not to mention a gloriously long purchase window!

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

• #TTOT Topic for… | Facebook –
  facebook.com
  Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, post links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Bringing you what’s new in travel for December 12th 2011 through December 14th 2011:

• 3 Affordable New Ways to See Europe’s Quaintest Cities – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:

  Remember your brave, virgin trip to Europe? When you wore a backpack and lived on cheese, hot baguettes, and red wine? You were such a natural at loose-and-easy travel. You instinctively knew that the best budget travel tip of all is to take advantage of the Continent's affordable train and coach bus options, hopscotching around instead of staying put.

• 737 Max commitments top 948 –
  flightglobal.com
  Boeing now holds firm orders and commitments for 948 737 Max aircraft from 13 customers, and expects that figure to climb to as high as 1,500 by the end…
• New Online Maps Reveal Heavily "Checked-In" Spots – Sean O'Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek's Travel Blog:
  

  4sqoogle
• I’ve seen the future at @HeathrowAirport -… | nonnyjorris –
  nonnyjorris.tumblr.com
  

  I’ve seen the future at @HeathrowAirport – @UltraGlobalPRT is amazing ! #PaxEx (Taken with Instagram at London Heathrow T5)
• Expedia: Save 30 Percent with Winter Warm-Up Event – Smarter Travel has posted some info about cruises: Save up to 30 percent on hotels and packages and up to 75 percent on cruises.

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

• Donate : Passports With Purpose –
  passportswithpurpose.org
• White-sand beaches – HeidiS recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:

  Why is it that some sand is so brilliantly white? It depends on where you are. In the Caribbean and other tropical destinations, white sand usually comes from waves crushing corals and seashells into fine powder. In other parts of the world, white sand consists of quartz or silica, usually mixed with other minerals, ground down over time into small particles by weather, wind and other forces of nature. (Interesting side note: The White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, N.M.,  is made up of pure gypsum.)

  Whatever its source, white sand draws us like bees to honey – especially this time of year when our fleece-wrapped thoughts turn to warm, azure water lapping at sugar-fine shores. Go ahead, dream a bit. What beach has your name on it? We pulled together photos of some of our favorites, from Aruba to Zanzibar, in a new slide show, I’m Dreaming of a White Sand Christmas.

  Have you been to any of these? Did we miss your favorite? Tell us by leaving a comment below.

  Happy travels!