As airlines plan to add more rows of seats to their planes to increase revenue, air travel is going to become increasingly uncomfortable. SmartMoney has a few tips on ways to make your air experience more tolerable: 7 Ways to Snag the Best Airline Seat.
Spa Tourism is a popular segment of the travel market with Spas and wellness centers generating about $60 billion in worldwide revenue. Resorts and hotels make up 10% of spa providers, day spas make up 80%, and medical spas make up the last 10%. With the proliferation of spas around the world and increased competition, spa providers are having to make their services – and buildings – stand out from the rest. Flavorwire has located 10 spas around the world that provide clients with experiences both serene and unusual. They include a salt cave in Chicago, an underwater spa in the Maldive Islands, and a Geomagnetic Vortex spa in the Mohave Desert. Which one would you like to visit?
Sources:
http://www.firstresearch.com/Industry-Research/Spa-Services.htmlhttp://www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org/images/stories/pdf/8%20-%20spafinder%202012%20spa%20trend%20report.pdf
Iceland, an island country shaped by glaciers and volcanic eruptions, is rich in natural beauty. See for yourself in this gorgeous, 12-minute video voyage. This project by Henry Jun Wah Lee is titled, Legend: A Journey Through Iceland, and takes you on a “visual and aural journey through Iceland’s breathtaking landscapes during the time of the midnight sun.”
If after viewing you fall totally in love with Iceland, National Geographic Expeditions will be offering a new small ship expedition to the country next year. During this pricey cruise, ” passengers will get to experience walking on lava fields and ice sheets, visiting hot springs and waterfalls, birding in the Arctic Circle, kayaking into fjords and serene bays, and hiking along remote stretches of the Iceland coast.” Of course there are less expensive ways to see this beautiful place, but this cruise does sound wonderful . . .
Headed to Florida in September? You won’t be able to see any brightly colored fall foliage and the weather will still be hot, but it’s still a nice time of year to visit. Most of the big crowds will start to dwindle, the locals will be back in school, and hotels and attractions will begin offering discounts. Further, there are quite a few festivals and events planned around the state. The Orlando Sentinel has a list of these grouped by region and dates. For example there is Orlando’s Oktoberfest on September 29, and Epcot’s popular and tasty Food and Wine Festival that begins September 28. South Florida has an antiques festival, a ballet festival, and a wine fair. And if you’re in the Panhandle you’ll find a seafood festival and Jamaican Fest.
Clearwater Beach, Florida
The Eiffel Tower is the most valuable monument in all of Europe as determined by Italy’s Monza and Brianza Chamber of Commerce. When they say valuable, they don’t mean culturally or historically significant, but are referring to the amount of tourists they draw along with the tourism revenue they generate. In addition to the Eiffel Tower, the top five money-making attractions in Europe include the Colosseum, Sagrada Familia, The Duomo Cathedral, and the Tower of London. Are you surprised by this list? What is your favorite European attraction?
Europe’s most valuable monument
Travel app, jetpac, has a cool infographic outlining ten places around the world for you to put on your travel bucket list before they disappear. Locations range from the Alps, to Glacier National Park, to the Taj Mahal. Click on the picture to enlarge.
This painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is titled, The Bay of Naples with Vesuvius and Castel dell’Ovo (1818- 1820) is by German painter Franz Ludwig Catel.
Franz Ludwig Catel (German, Berlin 1778–1856 Rome)
This is a present-day photograph of the Bay of Naples. Though not in the picture Castel dell’Ovo is still there. It mainly hosts conferences and exhibitions today, but visitors can climb to the top for beautiful views of the city. Does either one spark a desire to see Naples for yourself?
Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius
Has a painting or other work of art ever inspired you to travel?
You may want to steer clear of the hotel mini-bar when you travel. Not because of its exorbitant cost (which is reason enough), but because contents may not be what they appear to be. The Daily Beast recently published an article, 12 Hotel Secrets by Hotel Staffs, From Minibar ‘Refills’ to Ritz-Carlton Largesse, revealing how things really work in the hotel world. After reading, you may decide to take your own drinking cup with you when you travel!
The coverlet on your hotel bed is not clean as it appears.
Budget Travel recently asked its readers to submit the worst travel advice they’ve ever received. The interesting submissions ranged from “take traveler’s checks with you” to “skip the Eiffel Tower in Paris.” From personal experience, however, I wouldn’t characterize “don’t eat the street food” as advice that is bad, just cautious. As with all opinions, they must be coupled with common sense – and research. I can’t remember ever receiving travel advice that could be described as bad; though a trip or two would have been better if I had heeded some good advice (don’t go to Disney the day after Christmas!!). Many times, however, less than perfect undertakings can make one a well-seasoned traveler and make great learning experiences! To read other bad advice that travelers have received visit Budget Travel’s blog.
Does Paris look distinctively different from other cities, such as London or New York City, or do all big cities look alike? The scientists at Carnegie Mellon University say each city has very unique features and, using Google images, have developed date mining software to capture these subtle differences. Science Daily reported this ground-breaking research which you can read about here: What Makes Paris Look Like Paris? Software Finds Stylistic Core
View of Paris, France from the Arc de Triomphe
