Travel is My Life; Work and Pleasure

In the past few months airport security has become hell.  Especially “thanks” to the Nigerian terrorist, airport security has yet again taken a step up in its approach and now we are all considered as danger to society, and been treated as such.

My main concerns relate to the following main issues:

1) Travellers spend longer time while queuing for security lines.

2) The fact that all travellers need much longer connecting times at airports.

Those lines don’t get any sexier, at first it was belts then shoes, and now (take a look) 

3) New Advanced Technology “Revealing Secrets”; to all my friends who have “something to hide”; talking to you Lior&  Dudi, who just returned from Thailand - reason can be seen in the screen bellow:

4) Holiday destination; Travellers decide on a destination in a new manner:

So, take a deep breath, flying is not going to get any easier, so i suggest hitchhiking.

Have a safe trip and before you go on one, go buy a new set of cloths according to the new “regulations” your old ones may not be returned…The New D&G shop

I wonder how come the insurance providers have seen a rise of 300% in sales since the Swine Flu.

Do people who travel to infected zones really believe that the insurance policy will help them survive it…

Get real, travel to Mexico only if really needed, why not postponed the trip by a couple of weeks until you see whats happening?!

Who said the old China is over?

I recently read in the Travel Daily News that the Chinese government has decided to intervene in the travel regulations and habits of the Chinese People.  Who will suffer? the people of course.

Some operators have found the old system where you bring a group for shopping and enjoy lower prices, moreover, from vast experience I can say - when you have a group going shopping the shops will be subsidizing your tours / hotels / buses etc which means tour operators can under cut market prices of tours and become attractive price wise.

Whats this different from Ryanair or EasyJet or any other  low cost airline which is subsidized by the local city of arrival just to bring over as many tourists as possible?

Is it any different from the free nights you get if you come for a 1 hour speech about the hotel time share scheme?

Would you go on a tour if you know that its subsadized by a shop and you will be taken there as part of your tour?

Whats the major difference between buying online and buying through a travel agent?

When you go online you buy what you see on the spot; i.e. instant purchase, you insert your credit card and you guarantee the price you see.

The process with the travel agent is more like a stock option - you buy an option to purchase, usually 24 hours before you need to purchase (issue ticket) actually, its best valid until same day 23:59 (its a system issue, dont ask why…)

ClickAir, the Spanish Low Cost Airline, has come up with a new feature; come online; freeze your price, and you have it for 24-72 hours.  They believe this will allow users to better plan their holidays and will increase sales on ClickAir.

Moreover, I see the synergy between such a tool and social networks when you wish to plan your vacation with more friends, this is “must be” widget on facebook and others.

Alex Cruz CEO of ClickAir whom I met in person a few times is an amazing person, and he is always ahead of others - good on you mate.

Continental Airlines have just received a tentative approval from the US DOT (Department of Transportation) to join the Star Alliance Group.

IMHO (in my humble opinion) Conti is the strongest airline player in the Sky Team group of airlines;  guys, lets be honest; I hardly saw you flying Aero Flot, do you still trust Alitalia to fly? :) lets be honest from 1 to 10 dont we all suffer on an Air France flight…. 

How can one compare the quality of service of the skyteam to the great group of StarAlliance; Thai, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Austrian, United, Air Canada, Swiss, All Nippon…

As i was saying, Continental Airlines will soon leave the group and join the strongest airline group the Star Alliance.

For some of us its good news, but for those who fly a lot and keep 2 major millage accounts, thus, one in each group: Star Alliance - Lufthansa and SkyTeam Conti, what would you do now? where will your miles go? will they allow merger of accounts? what about status match?

If to say something good about SkyTeam is that they have a much nicer website - more appealing, business minded, action orientated.

I will keep you all posted with the situation, and if you need any advise please do not hesitate to contact me in regards.

Aren’t you fed up with this stupid behavior that you are asked to take off your shoes for security?

Security is for everyone? not really;

I have just visited Jordan; I was wearing Nike sport shoes and was not asked to take them off, though, my wife who was wearing high heals was asked.  I stood aside and looked at the other passengers; its very funny - i wanted to film, but was not allowed;

Everyone who had sport shoes was allowed to keep them on, all others had to take theirs off, even people from India who wore flip flops…

“Assumption”: Nike, Addidas, New Balance are anti terrorist shoes… and there is a chance a gun will be hidden in flip flops; where exactly?

Idea; come without shoes.

Spice it up says Spirit; Spirit Air decided to go wild, they believe in the young crowd and the male dominated travelers.

Advertisers, bring out the big guns - we need to think out of the box to bring us new users or we drop dead;

Spirit Air came up with some nice, out of the box, sexy slogans:

Many Islands Low Fares = MILF - which is better known on the Internet as: Mothers I’d Like to Fuck

GET Low Airfare to International Destinations - look carefully again: Get LAID.

Red Light Specials - no words are needed here right?!

The Airline with Double D’s; Spirit says its Deep Discounts, the flight attendants believe they were hired for their double B’s: “big boobs” to promote sales and make travelers happier.

 And have you watched their:  “Spirit Air How Low Can You Get” VDO ad ?

Whats so wrong with promotional ads with sexual connotations?

www.Fly.comhas just cost TravelZoo $1.7M - and i was sure we are in difficult time or whats it called; Recession…

Its funny, as i read my favorit writers Phil Daviswho quoted TravelZoo Senior VP “The name is a perfect match for TravelZoo’s renowned approach; simple, fun and world class”

Can one teach me how Simple and World Class go hand in hand…

 Anyhow; I am selling a few domains if someone has some “change” to spare

Airlines have realized that travel agents are their best point of sale; reliable, knowledgeable, most of all; loyal.

In the current situation when economy has an enormous impact on air travel, I noticed that airlines are courting after travel agents; those same airlines who betrayed the agents point of sale and diminished their commission completely are now crawling door to door trying to promote their products.

I walked into my office this morning, finding a funny looking man and woman; dressed up in an old European fashion outfits, singing and dancing as if they are in the Moulin Rouge.

I felt sorry for them; they probably didn’t sign up for this job when they started working for the airline - but I guess in rough times its better become a pompom girl serving chocolates than open the newspaper and look for a new job.

Will American Airlines come as cheer leaders?   “Ouch”;  What will Lufthansa wear?

I hope tomorrow morning I’ll come in and the Lido girls will be acting as Air France staff…

Knowing the Air France staff; I hope they will NOTcome topless…

You’ll never guess that ear plugs are back in fashion;

More and more travelers are buying ear plugs for long haul flights; large groups and children are a pain when you have a full working day is a head of you having flown a red eye or an 11 hours flight across the Atlantic.

I found it useful - cheap, simple, light to pack :).  MensWay ship them worldwide.

Remember; its a small tip, a small “gadget” which can enable you a 10 hours sleep while your next seat traveler has an infant who is teething, though; it might not help you if the infant next to you is full of poo…

GRAB A BLANKET !!!

Airlines have been cutting on extras; and blankets are accessories which seems easy to be eliminated…

That been said; airlines are pumping more cold into the aircraft; in order to reduce passengers mobility - safety moreover, easier life for the crew.

Flights are getting chilly, grab grab grab… or freeze your ass!

I have been saying it for many years, now the so called “Travel Leaders” are saying it too: Travel Agent have a great advantage over the online service.

Advantage Travel Centres Colin O’neill says; “customers are looking for safety, security and reassurance which they can when booking with an Advantage Travel Agent”.

Hey dude, you forgot the main point !!!  Professional Agent.

Travel Agent is a profession, and you need to find a professional to deal with, its not the security; customers have SSL for that… what they lack is knowledge and someone who sees the wider picture not the buck making of the online system.  Yes, yes, trust me on that most online systems display biased results which base their results on income; like in all online marketing results; e.g. Google search results.

I personally know a few amazing agents (some even work with me), though, I know some stupid ones too.

When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere you need to know the basics; Emergency numbers !

I dont like to post long tables - but guys, cut and paste the countries you visit most, and send this list to your friends, its vital info, specially when you dont speak the language, or worse; where there is no tele-systems…

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Majority of the people would think that travel for business is fun; after all 60 million business people a year get to visit places on the expense of their company - guys, trust me; that much is so not true; it hurts, it’s not fun travel.

You have to take into account issues such as; the stress level, the work time schedule, the pre meeting preparations and the energy consumption of each meeting, what about the travel conditions such as jet lag, driving to distant locations, and poor hotel conditions…

When the day is over you don’t have much strength or passion for quality “travel” time; furthermore, on your own… the most you want is a hot meal & a long hot shower.

In the face of the world financial situation crime rate will increase. Travelers are easy targets, and unfortunately, business women are easier prey. For this reason and to all my wonderful, talented, powerful business women clients I made a short list with tips;

1) In general don’t tell people you are travelling on your own.

2) Arrive your new destination in day light; try to avoid late night hour arrival.

3) Driving a rented car;

a. Make sure you have a GPS - it’s worth every penny, avoid asking strangers for directions.

b. When driving your car - lock yourself inside.

c. Someone hits your car (by mistake or not!) - WAIT, take a minute, don’t open your car door and go out; take a minute to look around watch the location, try to pull into a gas station or any other public place like a hotel parking, drive through fast food etc.

4) Hotel rooms;

a. Ask for a mid floor room; not high to be left in the elevator on your own.

b. The room should not be too far from the elevator; avoid long dark scary corridors.

c. Make sure your room is locked.

5) Keep your belongings as close to you as possible; carryon computer bags are temptation to local bandits, specially at breakfasts when you are still half asleep and at dinners when you are on your own at a local restaurant and tired from a long day - it only takes a second… these guys are pros.

6) Taxi:

a. If he looks creepy don’t go in, wait for the next one, even if it rains L

b. Try to book your taxi in advance, women taxis are very common, don’t be shay to ask meeting companions to walk you out and wait for the taxi.

7) Dress code; I am aware that fashion is a matter of trend, and I am probably out of it L but getting dressed non provocatively is always a positive approach.

8) Keep in touch with home & office on regular basis.

9) 911 is known as the emergency number, from GSM phones its 112 - log it in your speed dial - it should work in most countries even without a SIM card.

Using common sense is perhaps the single best tip for staying safe and having a good time while you’re traveling alone.

Saying “Thank You” is the extra mile which makes the difference;

I’ve been working in the travel industry for almost 2 decades now; it’s a bloody hard work. Clients don’t really know what you go through to ensure their trip is perfect and satisfaction is guaranteed; thus, you hardly hear the words;” Thank You” from your clients.

From time to time I join cruise ship tourist groups who arrive Israel for a one day tour with Patra Travel.

Last month I helped an elderly man, weak in heart to walk the entire Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. He came all the way from the US to see the holy sites; I was not about the let him go back without actually visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It was a tough physical challenge, so along the walk I nicknamed him “Tiger”.

Yesterday I’ve received this by snail mail and wanted to share

Mr. Bernard, it’s me who needs to thank you; what an honor to meet a gentleman as you.

They live on tourism (real pure tourism and sex tourism), so why do they think that closing the airport with riots will they improve their conditions?

The little people don’t think of the “after shock effect”, its been almost 24 hours that the 2 Bangkok airports are closed. This means all flights into Thailand are diverted to other destinations. Bangkok being not only a tourism destination it’s the South East Asia largest hub - and now it’s shut down!

The aftershock effect;

Airlines which now diverted the aircraft elsewhere will not be in able to shift back in a flash. After all, Thailand is a profitable destination but there is a point where airlines’ CEO cut the costs and shift traffic and utilizes aircrafts elsewhere.
A few important tips:

1) If you are in Bangkok now - crawl back to where you came from; the PatPong

a. And make sure your hotel booking is secured for the next few days

2) If you’re on one of the “Koh” (Islands) - go get a banana shake and a body massage.

a. Make sure your hummock has not been taken by some businessman who was left behind…

3) If you need to travel via BKK Airport - find an alternative.

a. BEFORE you start your travel,

b. Don’t trust the connecting flights from BKK to the further destination will operate,

c. Beware of OVERBOOKING - airlines might not be able to carry you on board as there are thousands of people waiting in line before you :)

Touch Down” for Royal Caribbean; they launched the largest cruise ship in the world; Oasis Of The Seas. The ship will actually board the first passenger in Dec 2009, though the vessel is in the water already.

It’s not really the best time to try and fill up 6296 passengers.

Can Royal Caribbean be optimistic having built a 1 billion Pounds floating city?

I hope projections are to be met; 1.5 million passengers are expected to take a cruise in 2009.

So; is it only the size?

Nops, for the first time they are trying to reduce the fake and improve the reality alike style;

Real life park; where the growing trees are planted in the ground in real soil. (Will they have a Vet. And an Agronomist onboard to make sure no animals, bug or insects who travel the world for free?)

It’s the closest to a real city with a feeling of walking in Paris, London or New York, the arcade and the shopping area looks like a pedestrian area; with the feel and look of a real live and kicking city.

I flew out of Stansted Airport a couple of days ago; quite an experience; I assume its due to the crowd - the Low Cost Airlines Travelers. 
At the current situation everyone wants to cut costs, I just wonder at what price. In my humble opinion as long as passengers’ safety is not on the line all means are acceptable.

If you look at the photos you would be able to see that all the airlines; EasyJet, Air Berlin, Ryanair, Thomson; all connect to the Air Sleeve Terminal for passengers to be able to board and off board safely. However, you will see the; “take a walk on the tarmac” style of German-Wings Airlines who are saving money by not paying for such services to Stansted Airport.

Why use the old style AirStair when the airport is equipped with top of the range Jetways, afterall, Stansted Airport is a well equipped, designed and functions like a Low Cost Airline hub.

Its not me who says it; you could all watch Ryanair CEO; Michael O’Leary saying it out loud;
Ryanair at a press conference talking about flying UK to USA - over the Atlantic for funny prices. Thus, if you fly transatlantic for 10 Euro you would probably have to pay for the BJ whereas, in his business class its gonna be for free…

Thats an airline i want to fly with tonight

Driving in a foreign country can be deadly, and not because the drivers are crazy, its simply because you are not aware of the local driving norms.

Driving is totally different from sexual behavior where in most cases everybody in the world knows what you mean :)

Examples;

1) When you flash your car’s headlights:

a. In The UK it means; “Go ahead, I give you way”.

b. In Italy: “Be careful I am coming fast and I am in no real wish for you to enter my space”.

c. In Israel; “Be careful there is a police radar nearby…”

2) Driving in a roundabout is always confusing, but in France its crazy, it’s a real suicide…

I have driven in many places, and everywhere when you are in the roundabout you keep driving; i.e. you have the right to move on; main idea behind it; clear the roundabout.

In France - be careful, the cars who want to enter the roundabout have the right to drive in; and in high speed… which means you block the roundabout as you stop in the middle.

3) Hand signals; in Israel if you wave you hand in a unusual manner, closing your fingers together upwards - means please wait, give me a minute, “savlanut” i.e. patience, I need time to do what I want to do; whereas in Italy it means cursing your mother…

Take it easy out there, be smart not right.

Today airlines charge for everything; overweight luggage, extra bag, a soft drink, a blanket, extra leg room, stereo ear sets, food, preferred seats, and of course alcohol. 

So, when I first heard about it I thought it was a onetime joke, then I dag into the issue and learned that indeed airlines plan on charging Obese passengers more for their air fare;

In the past 20 years being a travel agent, I have experienced the very odd feeling when I have had to advise a client to buy an “Extra Seat” because they could not fit into a regular economy class seat.

I knew the routes, the airline regulation, the aircraft seats configuration, and most importantly I knew those clients very well.
Having said that, it was all based on the size of the chair, nothing to do with the new trend which is based on economical reasons not physical.
Derrie Air was a marketing teaser by Philadelphia Media Holding, “demonstrate the power of our brands in generating awareness and generating traffic for our advertisers, and put a smile on people’s faces.

  When I read the words: Derrie-Air; two things came up my mind:

Sounds like the French word: Derriere; in simple English; ass / backside …  

Sounds like Dare Air - who will be the first to dare charge according to weight.

Nice play on words when you want to deliver a message about fat travelers.
The one thing I have learned so far is that the airlines are looking into categorizing weight passengers based on fat people not tall people.

A non official response from an airline spokesman is: “Height is genetic and you cannot fight it…”

The truth of the matter is that it’s not a pleasant experience to sit by an Obese a 12 hour flight.

I wonder what will the effect on the airline’s branding and who will be the first mover…

We have all seen how the grand XL Group UK has collapsed in a matter of days, and yet on its grounds here comes Kiss Flights and rises up from the same place, only looking into the profitable routes and destinations of its previous operator.

I wish them luck; http://www.kissflights.com//Agents/Default.aspx

I am not talking about the size of my shirt…

XL.com the UK largest tour operator has collapsed & stopped trading on Sep 12th.

There are over 100,000 Brits stuck overseas wondering how would they get home. The message on XL home page was not that clear about who will be taking them home, moreover, who will be paying their bills for the already paid accommodation, car rental and cruises.

The UK based company has closed all operations in the UK leaving the French and German divisions fully operative.

If I was to choose whom to book my next holiday I am not sure I would buy from a French or German subsidiary of a UK closed company… after they have left tens of thousands of their own clients / tourists stuck away from home.

The Travel Industry is definitely going through a rough stage, the smart operators will survive.

As Israelis we always ask ourselves; is this route a safe route to fly? what happens in case of emergency landing?

Well, I dont have the answers to what may happen in case you land on the lap of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad… though as a professional travel agent I could reccomend you which airlines are safer in respect to their routes flying via Europe to Asia.

Please note, that my advise has nothing to do with the safety of the aircraft, nor last minute and Force Majeure cases where airlines must change their routes.

* KLM & Air France are the ones mostly known for last minute changes of routes and they are NOT obliged to advise in advance.

Have a safe and easy flight:

NOT SAFE = Above Arab Countries

I was walking in the small pretty streets of San Gimignano in Italy, allowing my almost 3 years old son, Dan, to use my camera.

After a while I realized the little man whom I gave my camera to was talking specific pictures; he has noticed that the doors to the houses and shops of San Gimignano were not the same; i.e. each door was different, and he took pictures of the doors !!!

It has amazed me what children observe, ofcourse it made me take almost 100 pictures of different doors around the small city - amazing experience.

These are only a sample of the 1000 doors of San Gimignano…

We have visited Pisa yesterday, what a remarkable place.I have not been to Tuscany area before, and the drive to Pisa through the small roads was amazing, there were roads so narrow where we had to stop the car and allow a single car passage to go through before we could - amazing, like in the movies and the stories - the authentic Tuscany.After seeing the amazing Leaning Tower of Pisa .

we took the kids for some great Italian ice cream, at the Piazza Del Duomo .

- I have had to take the kids to the bathroom, and was allowed to use the café’s. I was shocked to have found that the facilities are Indian “free style” toilets - shit shoot style… I have been to India many time in my life, and learned to live with shit shoot style, but did not expect so in Pisa, the centre of European culture.

I would divide the dangers into two categories:

The actions we do in conscious - we know what we are doing, but we either don’t care, or don’t think far into the future, nor wide angle and see the whole picture (example; those we travel with)
The actions we take without knowing the reality of the place.
Dangerous places; there are many official websites which advises which country and zones are not safe for visitors; and we all hear about the latest Anti Terrorist Department warnings about Sinai. However, there are countries which are listed and we as Israelis “enjoy” traveling there, examples; Colombia. (Among the other countries; Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Nigeria, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Iran, Gaza Strip, Indonesia, Iraq, Haiti)

Extreme sport; I was younger and foolish myself, while visiting Peru I Para Glide, which was great fun, knowing its dangerous as I was jumping off a cliff of 1800 meters after 2 day basic training - was that smart? Probably not. Scuba diving without license, nor experience; driving a motor cycle without license, white water rafting - check the equipment, the company, the insurance they have, the rescue team, the route, the weather.

Animals - monkeys in Nepal, India - when you travel near them be safe they could be vicious, could be jumping for your food - in California bears can smell your food in the car and break into - pack your food. Don’t forget that animals such as African monkeys carry diseases such as AIDS.

Extreme nature danger; when you are up in the Himalayas make sure you treat the nature with respect, walk slowly, drink, don’t be a hero the nature is much stronger than you think. Bolivia; “El Camino de la Muerte” (road of death) 70 km of dangerous downhill 4600 meters to 1800. Until today over 13 young Israelis died there - what for?!

Local habits, custom and religion; respect the locals you are visiting and dress accordingly, it has a great affect on your safety. I have seen Nordic backpackers who travel with no shame in Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish countries holy places as if they came out of the shower. It sometimes lead to harassment as well; sexual & physical (Indian are known for “bat pinching” and hair pulling)

Insurance - make sure you are covered, don’t neglect nor ignore its importance - hope you want need it; don’t regret you didn’t do it.

Medication - what you take at home is not the same as what you buy there. The local “Chinese Doctor” is not always your home town standard of doctor.Pregnancy - think ahead to the future, some great Malaria medications will mean you should not get pregnant at least a year of cleaning your body from taking it - is it worth traveling to those countries for your honeymoon?

Health and local hospitals - before you get into trouble find a companion whom you trust to be with you in case of need. If you get hospitalized the partner should be with you ALL the time, don’t find yourself returning home with a kidney missing.

Drugs - not always you know that you are the smuggler… make sure you check your gear well - specially before airports and border crossing - smugglers are smart they plant drugs on you for crossing it over.

Theft - pick pockets and drug tourists with food (Thailand busses)

Advise; learn on the country & city you are about to visit, their customs and social conduct. Think ahead, remember you have a family at home who cares and worry about you. Don’t be shy to ask a fellow traveler about his experience, but don’t be a hero, it’s not worth it.

A couple of months ago I have written about the Trans Atlantic Open Sky revolution, and here it comes; British Airways has announced to open OpenSkies new low cost airlines (www.flyopenskies.com). Not a surprise that they chose the French market to start with; (June 19th). Following the closure of 2 low cost airlines flying the Atlantic from the UK, British Airways has decided to compete with Lavion.

Prices are not bad at all, and divided to 3 categories; Business, Premium and Economy.

Round trip restricted fares; NYC PAR NYC: Business; $2450, Premium; $1525, Economy; $1155

Round Trip restricted fares PAR NYC PAR; Business; €1420, Premium; €1019, Economy; €706

A bug;

I tried to check one way prices and the site seems to display one way but the prices are of round trips.

Have a great flight; I like the Open Sky revolution.

What can I say? I was walking with my family on Saturday morning on the beach of Tel Aviv, looking for a cool place for a “shabes” morning coffee.

We wanted to walk into the well known place; Shalvata, having looked at the sign I thought twice of the place, it has to respect its visitors in order to be respected.

Shalvata - them Hebrew meaning is total relaxation, and guess what the sign at the entrance says; No entry with drugs and weapons!

Some kind of relaxation this place is…

Israel 60 years of Independence & Jerusalem 40 years of Unification ;

I have spent the day in the Old City of Jerusalem, working with the Pacific Princess Cruise shore excursion department, operated by Patra Travel Israel.

Words cannot express the beauty of the city of Jerusalem; it’s the 60 years to Israel’s independence & 40 years celebrations of unification of city of Jerusalem. The flags, the colors, the 3500 honored guests of President Shimon Peres and the world leaders among them President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, all attending the Conference: “Facing Tomorrow”.

I was lucky to bring with me a small tiny camera and capture amazing moments;

The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the burial place of Jesus), and an amazing guide Mr Tzachi, who guided a group of Patra into the Old City who brought with him a “Shofar”, acting the same way as the worldwide known; Rabbi Goren at the same place at the liberation and unification of Jerusalem in 1967; “Baruch ata Hashem, menachem tsion u-voneh Yerushalayim. [Translation: Blessed are thou, who comforts Zion and builds Jerusalem]”

I am proud of Mr Tzachi ! He represents the values I was raised on.