But boy did I learn!

Now, after more than 3 1/2 years, and 1,325 posts, Flyaway Cafe is being retired.  Today’s post, my 1,326th, will be my last.

As I write this, there is an incredible range of emotions rushing through me, the first of which is a huge amount of thanks.

I am very thankful for the early days of b5media, and the people who were willing to take a chance on Flight Attendant who loved to travel, and said she could learn all the rest of this blogging stuff.  The people who have helped me along my journey are too numerous to mention, and I know I’d forget someone anyway, so I hope you realize that this big THANK YOU is for you.

My next thank you goes to the many, many bloggers I’ve met over these years.  You have taught me and encouraged me.  We’ve shared hopes and frustrations, common goals and common problems, and more than a drink or two.  I am a better blogger and travel of the world for knowing you.  I hope to someday be in a position to “pay it forward” and help others the way that you have helped me.

And my final thank you, and probably the most important thank you, is to you – all of my readers.  As I’ve learned a little more about blogging, I hope that I have helped you learn a little more about travel.  I hope we were able to create a place to discover new information, share ideas, share a Flight Attendant’s perspective, and have a little fun.  I hope you have tools to be a better traveler, that you are inspired to see something new, and that along the way of discovery, you’ve had a few laughs.  If you have learned even a small portion of what you’ve taught me, then Flyaway Cafe has been a success.

Although there is a little bit of sadness today, there’s lot more excitement and enthusiasm.   As much as I have loved blogging at Flyaway Cafe, I am even more excited about the new projects that I’m involved with

Since January 2009, I have worked with PlanetEye as their Travel Editor,  Earlier this month we’ve launched our fabulous new online travel magazine, PlanetEye Traveler.  I get to work with an exciting management team and a group of wonderfully creative travel bloggers to help bring you great photographs, expert reviews, cool interactive maps, and fresh content every day.  We have over 50 destinations around the world, along with some fun travel specialties, so stop by to see what catches your eye.  You’ll find me there blogging about Seattle.

And. . . of course. . . you know that I have lots more Flight Attendant stories to share with you.  And lots more trips to plan and take, hotels and spas to review, restaurants to sample, wine to drink, products to test and review, and plenty to do that will keep me full of personal travel blogging stories.  You can find me blogging about all those topics at my new personal travel website, Traveling with MJ.  I’ve already got a few posts up, and scads of reviews (including some really great products) and more information on trips to Las Vegas, Croatia, and Italy, that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks as I get settled in.  Please stop by and see what I’m up to, and put up with a little clean up left to be done there.   Of course, you can always reach me by email.

While I may be leaving Flyaway Cafe, I’m certainly not leaving travel blogging.  It’s gotten into my head and my heart, and I look forward to another 1,325 posts.  I hope you’ll come along for the next leg of the journey.

Photo credit: Mary Jo Manzanares

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

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.

Photo credit:

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The Vacation Gals entreat the airlines and the FAA not to allow lap children.  The fares are cheap these days, but the costs add up.  Still, think about these issues before keeping your infant on your lap for your next flight.

Italy Mondo strike a chord near and dear to my heart, Italian food.

PlanetEye Traveler – Green Travel is talking about holiday travel.  Already!

Eyeflare has a nice primer on how to capture silhouettes in your travel photos.  Here’s one of the tips – turn off your flash!

Uncornered Market, making its first appearance in my list of favorites, lists the 7 habits of highly effective travelers.  How many can you count as yours?

Travel Savvy Mom, another first timer on my favorite list, tells why spending more money for an executive floor room can actually save you money.  I agree, and try to take that option whenever possible.

Intelligent Travel teases us once again with a very strange hotel, this one in a sewer pipe.

PlanetEye Traveler – London tell s the story of a neighborhood about to be demolished.  Residents of the building have put up portraits on the windows, a reminder of the real people who are impacted by this decision.

Cockpit Chronicles at Gadling attempts to help us understand why waiting in line on the runway is inevitable.

Travellious has some cool travel gear.  And besides that, Kelly is heading off to Italy.  (See Italy Mondo post above. . . again!)

LA Times lists some over-the-top promotions that hotels are trying.  Are you tempted by any of them?  The promotion that I want?  FREE internet access!

Seattle PI reminds me that there are hostels here in Seattle.

That’s it for this week.  Please stop by and say hi to this great group of travel bloggers – and tell them you read about them at Flyaway Cafe.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

That’s how I feel about Friend Mosaic, in beta, a site that will take all you Twitter followers and create a mosaic photo of you.  Sounds strange, I know, all these photos of other people going to create a larger photo of you.  But it’s actually kind of cool.  So cool that I spent an hour or so playing around with it, using my own @twitter name as well as some of my friends.

The resulting photo here is a compilation of my 2,222 twitter followers.  Cool, huh?

You can follow me on Twitter:  @flyawaycafe.

Photo credit:  Friend Mosaic

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Consumer Traveler – Chris Elliott shares good advice about dealing with a bankrupt, or soon-to-be bankrupt, airline.  Ignore this advice at your peril.

Ciao Amalfi – Taking the boat from Salerno to Amalfi.  Just a little slice of heaven.

London Bridge

Travel Blog Camp – Registration for this travel blogger meet up opens. . . and closes.  If you’ll be in London next month, it may still be worth getting on the waiting list.  I’ll be there, so let me know if you will too!

Almost Fearless – Commonsense tips for travel safety.  Don’t let fear run your life.

PlanetEye Traveler – Green Travel – Green travel iPhone apps.  And you know how I love my iPhone apps!

EyeFlare – A couple travel organizers for your consideration.  These are such personal things, and I think it’s best to look and compare several before making a decision.

Travel & Leisure Blog – It will cost you more to sit next to your traveling companion with these new reservation fees from British Airlines.

IB Traveler – Places to experience French culture, even if you’re not in France.  Good list, but I still want to go back to Paris.

Gadling – Don’t mess with my free wi-fi access.  Could mooching it soon become a thing of the past.

Intelligent Traveler – Ken Burns talks about his new PBS mini-series, The National Parks:  America’s Best Idea.  I’m recording the series.

Location Independent – Tips to lighten your load when packing.  While I’m not a fan of all the choices, everyone should be able to walk away with an idea to implement.  Me?  I’m going shopping for a wireless travel router.

The Vacation Gals – Tips to deal with a fear of flying.  It’s real and it can be paralyzing, but it also can be tamed.

Travellious – All those gadgets need power, and here’s how to get it.

PlanetEye Traveler – Disney – Help your kids have a successful experience in getting Disney character autographs.  These tips will help kids of all ages.

West Seattle Blog – A local story that brought tears to my eyes about an assisted living center and the cats who live there.  If you doubt the healing powers of a pet, these stories will change your mind.

Seattle MetBlogs – Great photo of a reptilian resident of the Pike Place Market.

Photo credit: slideshow bob @flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Earlier today I was interviewed by Addison Schonland from IAG (Innovation Analysis Group), an airline industry consulting company.

Addison and I talked about what it was like to travel these days, managing airport security and the TSA, dealing with potential confrontational situations on the airplane, and ways to deal with potentially difficult situations.

My simple answer is that when you can’t change something, you have to change the way you think about it.  And for air travel, there’s lots that you can’t change – at least at the very moment it’s happening to you.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes and go listen to the interview, Air Travel Etiquette.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and USA Today newspaper have launched the Reporter at Sea contest, looking for a talented citizen journalist (blogger?) to cover the pre-inaugural voyage of the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Sea

Oasis of the Sea has 16 decks and can carry 5,400 guests in 2,700 staterooms.  It’s themed around a neighborhood concept, with specific themed areas:  Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center, and Entertainment Place.

Starting today, and running through October 9, 2009 at 11:50 pm (Eastern Time) you can submit a creative video that is no long than 45-seconds that showcase your reporting skills, and giving RCCL a reason to choose you to be their reporter at sea for this preview sailing on the Oasis of the Sea.  One winner will be chosen from the United States, and additional winners from Canada, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom will also be chosen.

After the entry deadline, the judges will select 10 finalists from each of the above countries, based on creativity and quality, as well as the entrant’s ability to entertain, effectively bring to life and clearly explain travel or cruising concepts, and articulate why he/she should be chosen to represent their country.

Following the judges narrowing the field, the selection process moves online.  Voters will have the opportunity to choose their favorite video between October 20-25th, with the winner from each country announced on November 4th.

What’s the prize?

The winner and a guest will be flown to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 18th, 2009, where they will have overnight accommodations in a local hotel and a $200 allowance for food.  The next day, they’ll board the ship for a 3-night cruise with balcony cabin stateroom.  During the cruise, the winner will experience the sailing right along with Gene Sloan, USA TODAY’s cruise editor, and receive behind-the-scenes information and access to write blogs posts and video clips.

Sounds like a lot of fun, huh?  Who’s going to enter?

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Consumer Traveler thinks that when it comes to tarmac delays that we want to have our cake and eat it, too.  See what you think.

West Seattle Blog gives us a peek at some wildlife along the shore.  It’s part of the reason why Seattle is such a great place to live.

Gadling shares what it would be like if airlines ran restaurants.  This would be funny if it weren’t all too true.

LA Times tells us about FREE tours of the White House Gardens.  If you’ll be back DC way, this sounds like a great idea.

My Marrakesh always has such wonderful finds from her corner of the world.  One day I’m heading that way for a visit, and will convince her to take me shopping.

AAA Travel Views snagged me with an article about what goes into a 5-star hotel evaluation.  Ahhhhh, luxury!

Ron Dubin always captivates with his photography, and this one of the Seine in Paris brings back memories of a wonderful vacation.

LUXUO introduced me to Louis Vuitton City Guides.  Love their bags, but have never seen their city guides.  Anyone?

Nerds Eye View advises about mistakes that rookie RV-ers make, and owns up to the one she made herself.

A Single View provides a little airline humor.  Who has the guts to use this bag tag?

Sharing Experiences talks about what it takes to be a travel writer, and how to get some good travel learnin’.

Tripbase tackles the age old problem of post-vacation blues.  My choice?  Start planning another vacation ASAP.

Travel Rants talks about Google Sidewiki.  What do you think?

What a Trip talks about a trip to Ketchikan.  Read about the must-do in the great city in Alaska.

The Vacation Gals have a great giveaway, combining the Wii and travel.  Go and enter!

PlanetEye Traveler – Lisbon has my mouth watering with a great fine dining review.  Now I’m hungry!

Till next week, happy reading!

Photo credit:  Mary Jo Manzanares

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Here’s some posts you won’t want to miss:

The New York City Traveler combines two of my favorite food groups, bacon and beer, in his post about a limited production beer at the Brooklyn Brewery.  Another reason to make the trek across the bridge!

Nerds Eye View takes us along her road trip – in a 32 foot RV.  I’m not a camper, but maybe RV-ing it would be a little different.  What do you think?  Is a road trip in your future?

MSNBC gives us some tips on how to spot a hotel in bankruptcy.  Ignore these warning signs at your peril.

Seattle PI Blog has an interview with Hollywood screenwriter Mike Thompson, and he talks about his new movie, Love Happens starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart.  Parts of the movie were set in and around Seattle.

Fox Nomad suggests that we ask for a corporate discount, even if we don’t work for that business.  Or ask for a conference rate, even though we may not be attending the conference.  A good topic at the intersection of budget and ethics.

A Traveler’s Library reviews the recent Travel Insight 100 poll about using Twitter.  Members of Travel Insight 100 are travel writers, travel industry professionals, advisors and analysts, and travel bloggers.  (Full disclosure:  I’m a member of the panel.)

A Single View has a beautiful photo of the Hotel Cala di Volpe on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy.  Beautiful!  And makes me long for my return trip to Italy.

Traveling the Green Way lists some green activities in the Portland area.  Some great stuff happening just down the freeway a-piece.

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

What can you do on the day to help get these bills passed?

Let your Senator and Congressional representative know that you want to go to Cuba now!  Well, even if you personally don’t want to go to Cuba, that you support the right of anyone else who might.  Make a call between 9 am – 5:30 pm (Eastern Time), and convince your family, co-workers, business associates, and friends to do the same.  The goal of this call in day is to flood the Congressional offices with phone calls making the statement loud and clear – let us go to Cuba!

You can follow information about the campaign to end the travel ban to Cuba by becoming a fan on Facebook and on Twitter.  You can learn more about the End the Ban campaign from the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) and from its LAWG Blog.

Do you support the ending of the travel ban to Cuba?  Or do you think the travel embargo should continue?

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe