Luxuo introduces us to a new type of architecture, a house built out of the iconic Louis Vuitton brown and gold print.  It’s rumored to be located in Mexicali.  I wonder how many tourists stop by for a look.

LA Times Travel lures us with exotic details of a cruise to Antarctica.  I would love to be able to afford a trip to this least inhabited of the continents.

Vintage Seattle shows us photos of Sea-Tac Airport circa the 1950’s.  It’s changed!

Tripbase lists 14 juvenile things to do with an underwater camera.  Come one, how many of these have you done while on vacation?

Over at Gadling, Heather lists 20 things you can do inflight with a maxi pad.  Yes, flight attendants really do ordinary items in unusual ways.

Traveling Mamas introduces us to the Broadmoor, a luxury resort in Colorado Springs.  The pool area sounds great, despite her little one’s misadventure.

Travel Writer News shares some airline humor.  Although many of these have been around for awhile, you’ll likely find a new one to chuckle at.

AOL Travel lists some ways to tell if a user generated review of a hotel is real or fake.  Take it all with a grain of salt seems like a good idea.

Almost Fearless gives good suggestions on how to find safe, affordable, and clean places to stay while traveling.  You’ll find these useful whether you’re traveling for a short duration or living on the road.

I’m off to learn more about what to expect in the travel industry for the next year, and what the trends will be.  I’ll have more to report on those topics coming up.

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Velvet Escape tackles the weighty topic of. . . refrigerator magnet.  I love them!  And now, I think I’ll start a collection of my own.

The Paris Traveler shares a whiff of the Paris exotic with information about how to get your very own custom French fragrance.  What a delightful, and practical memory of a great vacation.

Refreshing Italian gelato

The Trends explain about a sort of reverse pick-pocketing going on in London.  Instead of taking money out of your pocket, they’re putting it in.

Gail at Large has a great photo taken while going through the tunnel to Boston’s Logan airport.

The Venice Guide writes about a topic near and dear to my heart, Italian gelato.  While visiting Italy, it was not uncommon for me to eat it two or three times a day.  Now that I’m back at home, this post reminded me of just what I’m missing, and the photo doesn’t come close to doing it justice.

Vintage Seattle has photos from the 1962 Seattle’s World Fair.  It’s a little trip down memory lane.

Boston.com reports on a new hotel marketing trend – marketing to family travelers with upscale features and amenities for the kids.  Will it work for you?

The DC Traveler gives us a history lesson of the founding and development of the Smithsonian Institute.  It’s a whole lot more than just the castle.

My Marrakesh gives us a little fashion show Moroccan style.  You’ll always find great photos and style at this blog.

Las Vegas Sun reports on how Las Vegas luxury resorts are offering promotional bargains to fill the rooms, and wondering if it’s a good thing. Why aren’t these rates available when I need a room there?

The Buenos Aires Guide makes we want to visit the city even more.  See if this post convinces you as well.

Consumer Traveler offers suggestions for healthy and stress free travel.  Maybe some of these will work for you.

Photo credit: fortes @flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Maybe what you need to do to get out of your rut is to look at vacation through a different lens, and perhaps a vacation club will help you branch out and see the world.

Royal Holiday is a premiere vacation club, that allows you to purchase credits to exchange for accommodations over the life of your membership.  Unlike a traditional time share, which locks you into one location, the vacation club allows you to choose a different vacation spot each year.    (Okay, if you really want to do the same thing every year, you can still do that with a vacation club, but c’mon – live a little!)

For a warm weather destination you could choose the Paradise Beach Villas in Aruba, or maybe try a cultural destination like Paris or London.  If you’re ready to try something more exotic, try Morocco or Chiang Mai.   And if you really don’t want to get too far from home, there are plenty of locations stateside like Lake Tahoe, Orlando, San Diego and Vail.  There are over 180 destinations in 52 countries, so you know you’ll find somewhere you want to go!

Royal Holiday also has owns and operates a few all-inclusive hotels in Mexico in Cancun, Cozumel, Ixtapa, and Acapulco.  Blogging pal Jon, at The DC Traveler, visited the Park Royal Resort in Cozumel, so check out what he had to say about it.

Because they believe in their premium product, and want you to spend some time checking them out to decide if it’s an option for you, Royal Holiday has offered a GREAT prize for one Flyaway Cafe reader!

First, here’s the prize:

• Royal Holiday-branded polo shirt
• Royal Holiday-branded gym bag
• Royal Holiday-branded hat
• Royal Holiday-branded towel
• Flipcam Ultra

Yep, all that logo swag, AND a Flip video cam so that you can shoot some video on your next vacation.  How great is that?!

Here’s all you need to do:

Go to Royal Holiday and check them out.  Take a look at their history and what they offer. See if a vacation club offers good value for your personal travel style.  Then, go look to see if they have something to offer in your favorite vacation destination – or maybe somewhere that’s destined to become your new favorite location.

Leave a comment here telling me what that location is and why.

Deadline for comments is Tuesday, August 1st at midnight ET.  At that time, I’ll random select a number a match it up with the comment.  You must leave an email so that I can contact you.  This content is only open to residents of the United States, Canada, and Mexico (shipping requirements).

I’ll start it off with my choice of the Sheraton Casablanca in Morocco.  Why?  Morocco fascinates me – the culture, the people, the food.  But I don’t know that I’m adventurous enough to go it alone in the country.   I’d like the convenience of a modern place to stay, alleviating the stress of the unfamiliar place to stay, leaving me free to explore something totally outside by comfort zone during the day.

How about you?  Where do you want to stay and why?

Photo credit:  Royal Holiday

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

If you want to know more about where I’m going and what I’m doing, you can follow me on Twitter.  I’m known there as @flyawaycafe, and I make an effort to share little bits and snippets of what’s going on in real time travel life.  Should you choose to add me as a friend, please take a moment to say hello.

See you traveling about in the Twitter-sphere!

Image credit:  Twitter

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

What kind of traveler do you consider yourself to be?

• Expert – My bag is always packed, I can be at the airport in half an hour, and will figure out plans on the fly.
• Advanced – It takes me awhile to figure out what I need to do, but I can manage planning, packing and the airport with minimal stress.
• Intermediate – It’s going to take some doing, but I’ll manage.
• Novice – I don’t travel that often, so it takes me awhile.
• Inexperienced – I need a lesson to help me back, and I have no clue how to get through security. 
• Miracle Worker – These kids, car seats, strollers and bag didn’t magically get to the plane, OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!

Vote in the Poll Section of the top portion of the sidebar, and feel free to leave comments below.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

I think the ability to research, sleuth out the best and perfect deal, and make reservations yourself is a wonderful thing.  BUT – it also means that you have to take responsibility for those reservations, including the mistakes that you make.

One mistake that I’m seeing on a regular basis, is travelers not allowing sufficient time to make a connection.  This can have unintended consequence that can wind up costing you money.

Here are a few scenarios, and my recommendations on making sure you have enough time to make your connection:

You are traveling domestically on Airline A and are connecting to another domestic flight also on Airline A:

If it’s a large airport, I’d allow no less than 45 minutes.  That gives you time to get off one plane, walk to another gate, and board another.  It has a little built in room in case there’s a small delay.  I’ve seen people do it in 30 minutes, but I’d not take that chance unless it is a very small airport.  Under 30 minutes is just asking for trouble.

You are traveling domestically on Airline A and are connecting to a domestic flight on Airline B:

I’d probably go with 45 minutes unless I knew that the connecting gate areas were at opposite ends of a busy airport.  Then I’d allow an hour.

You have purchased two separate tickets (rather than one) and will need to get to another gate to make that flight:

This is the riskiest scenario of all.  Because you have two different tickets, and if you miss the connection, the second airline will assume you are a no show and will cancel your ticket.  Will you be able to convince them to reinstate it?  Maybe.  Will there be a fee associated with it?  Most likely.  If you are going to take this option, I recommend leaving lots and lots of time to make the connection.  Don’t try to cut it short and find yourself without a flight.  Depending on the airport and the airlines, I’d suggest hours and hours of a cushion.

You are traveling domestically on Airline A and are connecting to an international flight on any carrier:

I’d allow no less than an hour at a smaller airport and 90 minutes at a major hub.  The reason?  You will most likely have to go to the international terminal, and that’s going to take some time.  Depending on the airport, you may have to go back through security (LAX for example).  That means you need to allow for time in line and clearing security.  You also want to make sure there’s time for your bag to make it as well.  And if you’re flight is early and everything goes smoothly, you can use those few extra minutes to browse duty free!

What about an international flight?  Any difference?

You are traveling international inbound to the US on Airline A and are connecting to another US flight.

You will have to go through customs and immigrations inbound to the U.S., and depending on the airport, time of day, and number of other international arrivals, this could take awhile.  You will need to claim your bags and get them checked to your final destination, then clear security again and get to your departure gate.  If you make the trip regularly, and know your airport and its traffic patterns, or are continuing on the same flight number, you will probably do fine with 90 minutes.  If you are not an experienced traveler, are planning on making major purchases abroad, are traveling with children or a large group, or in any way can’t run through an airport if time is tight, I’d recommend allowing 2 hours.

There are, of course, exceptions to all of these recommendations, but these are the guidelines that I personally start with.  If missing a connection has serious repercussions (missing the last flight that gets you in on time for a cruise departure, missing the last flight of the day to Europe, or something like that), I try to take an earlier flight or leave additional time to make my connection.

NOTE: If you don’t have checked bags, and can make an earlier connection, you can always ask your airline to stand-by for the earlier flight.

Image credit:  SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Here’s a recap:

1. Visit two new countries – I can check this one off with my visit to Italy and Vatican City. 
2. Visit two new states – Ooops, a big zero here.  Some plans fell through at the last minute, and never did get rescheduled.
3. Visit four new cities in countries or states that I have already visited – I’ve been back to Guadalajara , Mexico, after a 20 year absence so that almost counts as a new city.  But that’s about it.  Lots of good intentions, but not much follow through.
4. Try a minimum of one new restaurant a month (while traveling), and blog about it – I did better here.  I definitely made it to a new restaurant each month, and posted several reviews both here and at The Seattle Traveler.  I probably didn’t make it to one a month in the review department, but it’s a good start, and I have a lot of material for next year.
5. Stay at 10 new hotels (inns, resorts, bed & breakfasts, etc.) and blog about it – I did pretty good here as well, posting not only some hotel reviews, and information about hotel services and amenities in general, but I also did a couple of trips late in the year which yielded lots of good info for the next few months.  Not a perfect completion, but pretty credible.

All in all, not a very good job at meeting my travel resolutions!

I’m not discouraged, though!  It just means that I have to make some new resolutions for 2009 and redouble my traveling efforts.

How about you?  How was your year in travel?

Image credit:  SXC

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

A.  What a great question!

No one likes a delay, least of all your flight crew, but they are rarely within our control.  So, we’re pretty much in the same boat as everyone else.

What I do depends on when the delay occurs.

If we’re already boarded and ready to go, we hang out along with you guys.  Generally speaking, in this situation the delay is what we call a “creeping delay.”  This means that every ten minutes or so we’re supposed to get an update.  It doesn’t always happen that way, and the flight crew is often the last to get an update.  And believe me, although the delay is expected to be short, a creeping delay can quickly add up into a whopper of a delay.

If these situations, there’s really not much that you can do.  It’s not fun, and we hate it too.  Ringing your call button and asking how long it’s going to be, won’t speed the process up any.  Complaining about how uncomfortable you are, when you’ve turned down an opportunity to get off, will not garner you any sympathy.  If you are given the opportunity to deplane, take it.  We would if we could. 

If the delay occurs before boarding, Flight Attendants are likely to get off the aircraft.  We’ll go searching for food, coffee, a magazine, use rest rooms in the airport, find a place with good reception to make a phone call, or even find a wi-fi spot.  It will all depend on the length of the delay.

It always amazes me how after a delay of some duration, the first thing people start talking about is needing to use the lavatory or wanting something to drink.  Didn’t you do that while you were in the terminal?

What do you do during a delay?  Tell us in the comments.

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The Gerbermuehle Hotel (click on the English version) in Frankfurt (60594 Frankfurt Main) is a designer hotel, located on the banks of the Main River.  It was a former flour mill, and its evolution from mill to hotel is the story of the love of literary great, Goethe.

Providing a mix of old and new, both quaint and contemporary, the hotel has all the modern features that a traveler could want.  One unique summertime feature is a 500-seat garden, consisting of elaborate tents where guests and companions gather to enjoy a summer Frankfurt day.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Don’t worry!  You can always get back to ground level, usually the location of the hotel lobby and front desk, by looking for the star sign. 

The star sign is universal elevator-speak for ground floor.  And that piece of information can help keep you grounded.

Photo credit:  flickr

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe