SoSauce (travel geek blog) an Indian cooking lesson, including Naan.  Yummmmmmm!

LA Times Travel compares and contrasts Halloween activities at Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios.

PlanetEye Traveler – Philippine Culture (formerly Filipina Soul) shares a delicious and easy  lumpia recipe.  I’m going to give it a try.

Intelligent Travel asks us if we’d take the Titanic cruise.

Consumer Traveler debates the issue of whether airport lounges are worth the price of admission.  For frequent travelers, I say yes.

A second post from Consumer Traveler outlining a new boarding process being tried out at Virgin America.  Travelers with NO carry on bags go first.  I think I like it!

PlanetEyeTraveler – Boston lists 5 great north end Italian restaurants.  A trip to little Italy is a must for any Boston visit.

My Bella Vita lists five essential Italian experiences.  How many have you done?

Itallyville provides a recipe and instruction for make homemade tomato sauce.  It’s a lot of work, but can’t you just taste that delicious freshness?!

Sharing Experiences lists five cities sure to part the shopper from some serious cash.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

PlanetEye Traveler – Las Vegas (formerly The Las Vegas Adventurer) lists the best places to hang out for Monday Night Football.

Italylogue lists options on how to get to Croatia from Italy, along with costs, pros and cons.  Having done this myself a few months back, I can tell you that it’s a close distance away, but takes a long time.

Up Up and a Gay portrays some classic traveler profiles.  Any Flight Attendant or frequent traveler will recognize these types.

Gadling gives us a look the shower on the Emirates Airbus A380.  First class only!

I hope you enjoy these travel posts as much as I did.  And if you stop by, please let them know that you read about them here at Flyaway Cafe.

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

I very quickly had a bunch of responses.  Some from people that I knew and some from strangers.  All were passing along information or a referral, and all were most helpful.

Eventually I connected with Peter Czinkan, from On the Globe.  Peter is a tour organizer, guide and event planner, whose geographic areas of interest include Hungary, Austria, Croatia and the Czech Republic.  Peter has been great with recommendations about transportation arrangements, things to see and do, and most recently has been instrumental in helping us secure hotel reservations.

Although this is primarily a vacation, as every travel blogger knows, we are never truly and completely “on vacation.”  This trip, like all the others, will give me photos, material, and inspiration for many, many stories.  You can count on me sharing stories about Croatia – from a hotel review, to the location, to traveling there, to the food, lots of photographs, and all that there is to see and do in this country on the Adriatic.

This is just one way that Twitter connect travelers, so remember to keep it on your list of research places.  Whether you’re seeking general or specific information, there’s someone out there with the answers you need.  Give it a try.  Throw it out to the twitter universe and see what comes back.

NOTE:  You can follow me on Twitter as @flyawaycafe

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

One often overlooked FREE source of travel information is the Convention & Visitors Bureau.  Often related to tourism bureaus, boards, and commissions, CVB’s are a good resource for information on larger cities.  Larger is a matter of interpretation these days, as more and more small cities have set out to bring tourism to their communities.

CVB’s are trying to “sell” their community, but not any particular business within the community, so they are often seen as an unbiased source of information.  I’m not sure that I’d go so far as to call them unbiased; I’d like to think of it more as neutral.  They’re dishing out information, rather than commenting upon it.

What can a CVB provide you with?  Most anything you can think of.  Since their objective is to bring tourism to their area, they try to show conventions and travel groups the myriad things to do and see in the area.

Some of this will have to do with meeting space, of course, but every CVB hopes that an attendee will come in early, stay a few days after, and maybe even bring family and friends along.  And they know that it’s not all business all the time, so they’re sure to provide information about all the things the city has to offer.  You’ll likely find hotel and restaurant information, transportation and airport information, and most likely a list of attractions and events, all useful data for your planning.

Many CVB’s have a website, and a basic search should help you find it.  You can view and download information from the site, or often request that information be mailed out to you (usually at NO CHARGE).  The effectiveness of the website is usually directly related to the tourism budget of the city, so be patient with some of the smaller cities.

Don’t pass up this FREE resource when you make your travel plans!

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The tourism office will be full of information about places to stay, cultural events, special packages, maps, restaurants, history, and odds and ends of local color.  If you’re researching an international destination, you’ll find information about visa requirements, language, and currency information.

Tourism offices offer tons of information on their website, and most will be happy to mail you out information as well.  Keep in mind, though, that the job of the tourism office is to “sell” themselves to potential travelers.  While information will be accurate, it will be “spun” in a positive light and will not necessarily be unbiased.

Many sites offer newsletters, so you can sign up for regular delivery of news, current events, and lots of happenings going on in your vacation location.

You can locate a tourism office by looking up your destination in the Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory.  The directory list countries and states, and you can then narrow down your search to larger cities as needed.

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

There are some great general travel magazines that I get every month, and additionally, if I know that I will be traveling to one particularly destination, I also like to subscribe to that city’s regional magazine.  It’s an easy way to get current information about what’s going on, new restaurant openings (that you won’t find in a guide book), current events, festivals, etc.  For a relatively small investment, you can learn a lot. 

And the small investment required just a got easier, with a special promotion from Amazon.

Through March 31st, Amazon is offering $5 and $10 bonus certificates with the purchase of selected magazine subscriptions.

There is a pretty good list of travel and regional magazines to consider, so take a look:

• Conde Nast Traveler
• Travel + Leisure
• Sunset
• Texas Monthly
• Los Angeles Magazine
• Coastal Living
• Atlanta Magazine
• Midwest Living
• Orange Coast
• Southern Living
• Indianapolis Monthly
• Cincinnati Magazine

Check out the full list of magazines offering bonuses to see if there’s something that’s just right for you.  This is cheap research!

Image credit:  Amazon

Post from: Fly Away Cafe