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Sydney Sunset © Tim R
Renowned writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann will create and produce a unique international campaign for Tourism Australia. The campaign, which will coincide with the release of Luhrmann’s movie Australia, will run from October 2008 until the middle of next year.
“The combined weight of the film and this campaign will provide Australia with its most powerful push in decades,” said Managing Director Geoff Buckley. “This is a remarkable, and we think, unique project.”
Mr Luhrmann said, “When Tourism Australia came to us, we were reticent at first because we did not want to confuse the promotion of the film with a tourism campaign. The more we talked, the more I realised that we both had the same aims; to celebrate the truly unique and transformative power of this ancient and extraordinary continent. With this in mind, we agreed to put our team into the conception and realisation of a contemporary campaign which, while not aping the film, reflects this singular and attractive truth.”
In consultation with Mr Luhrmann’s production company Bazmark Inq, print executions will be developed by Tourism Australia’s creative agency DDB Worldwide. The campaign will run across print, cinema, television and online platforms.
Recently, Digital Plow Partners, LLC, a mobile technology company, launched Codetalker® - a “Real Voice Language Interpretation” service accessible through mobile wireless devices.
Users of Codetalker have access to 2,600 interpreters and more than 175 languages and dialects. For example, if you are in China and need to ask for directions to a certain place, simply select a language and press enter to be connected to an interpreter. Codetalker will connect you to an available interpreter within seconds without requesting a pin number or account verification information.
Codetalker’s new service comes in very handy if you need to get vital information across when travelling abroad, but don’t know the language.
For more information and to sign up, visit www.codetalkerinc.com
Night View from Elciego © Hotel Marques de Riscal, A Luxury Collection Hotel
In celebration of 150 years of Marqués de Riscal Wines, The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts has created an exclusive wine auction with Christie’s at the renowned Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain. The incredible Super Vintage Weekend is the ultimate epicurean journey to experience this October. With the finest food and wine from the Rioja region and accommodation at the Frank Gehry-designed Marqués de Riscal, guests can expect nothing but the best.
Taking place October 24-26, the event will culminate in a Gala Dinner prepared by Michelin star chef Francis Parniego, and an exclusive Live Charity Auction of wines including the rare Riscal Superlot. One single lot consists of 131 vintages dating back to 1862. During this once in a lifetime opportunity, guests can purchase from the world’s largest vertical wine collection ever released by a winery. Proceeds from the auction will go to UNICEF.
Winery
Priced at 2,500 Euros per person, The Luxury Collection Epicurean Package includes accommodation at Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Elciego, Rioja, lectures on wine, regional art and architecture, visits to historic cellars and vineyards, and exceptional spa treatments and “wine therapy massages” at the Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa.
View from Premium Bedrooms
Designed by architect Frank O. Gehry, the Luxury Collection’s Hotel Marqués de Riscal offers more than 40 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, fitness facilities, meeting rooms and two restaurants. The heritage and natural beauty of the region is reflected in every angle of the hotel’s extraordinary façade.
For more information about the Super Vintage Weekend, or to make a reservation, visit http://www.luxurycollectionpromotions.com/events/.
The new Travel Channel GO’s iPhone web application isn’t your ordinary mobile local search service - the company likes to refer to it as your very own ‘personal radar’. GO makes your daily life much easier. You can use it to find a WiFi spot, locate an ATM, pick a coffee shop or restaurant, or find a store. For the most part, one touch does everything - from searching to calling places you find. For example, click on food and GO displays all cuisines, click on cuisines and you get all the restaurants. The same idea applies to shopping, entertainment and whatever you need.
What’s even better is that you will see more than an address and phone number. GO gives you interior shots of clubs and restaurants, reviews, ratings, descriptions, even tips for where to sit.
Whether you use an iPhone, iPod Touch, a Palm or Windows Mobile phone, a PDA, or a new Blackberry, you first need to set your location. Second, open a listing and GO gets the most up-to-date information through a live network of sources.
Travel Channel GO also looks for lodging, history, and famous landmarks. The application allows you to search through more than 10 million nearby destinations including 2,000+ points of interest. When you travel near places that match your interests, you can receive instant alerts. Rather go sightseeing with a friend? No problem. GO helps you keep track of where your friends, family and contacts are around town. The privacy controls lets you choose who can see your location, and when. Additionally, Samantha Brown provides users with audio narratives on many sights.
Also, those who possess the habit of getting lost at any new destination need not to worry. GO comes with easy maps and turn-by-turn directions from your exact location to the place you want to go - or friend you want to meet.
For more details and pictures, check out Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch Web Apps page.
If you have any tips or suggestions how the GO service can be more useful for travellers, be sure to get in touch with Travel Channel and let them know what you think.
Travel research shows that getting away for the weekend is an increasingly popular way to travel among Americans. More and more people find it hard to plan a traditional one-or-two-week vacation and realise you really don’t need more than a weekend for a great escape. Travel Channel host Samantha Brown looks into this growing trend in “Passport To Great Weekends”, where she explores the must-visit attractions in each destination and gives viewers suggestions to create the perfect weekend getaway.
If you’re like me and love shopping and shoes, watch this preview of Samantha Brown at Outfit and Manolo Blahnik.
“Samantha knows travel; she practically lives on the road. So in this series, she’s taking you to all of her favorite places and her go-to hotels, restaurants and activities in each place. Plus, she’ll take you to her secret, off-the-beaten-path discoveries, the places that she’s found on her travels that she doesn’t normally share. And, as usual, Sam will be meeting up with fantastic people that really make these places unique.”
Watch “Passport to Great Weekends” Thursdays at 10pm on Travel Channel. On tonight’s show, Samantha re-visits her favourite food haunts in San Francisco and meets two friends for a girlie getaway to South Beach, Miami. Upcoming shows include a great cruise weekend, Orlando’s neighbourhoods and locals, and sunning and biking in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For a detailed schedule of the show, visit Travel Channel ::TV Listings :: Passport to Great Weekends.
In May, I wrote about the new social travel guide tripwolf. Today, tripwolf launches publicly in the U.S. market. Combining professional editorial content with user-generated content from globetrotters worldwide, tripwolf offers useful tips and recommendations for US travelers who want to stretch their dollars while travelling through Europe.
In 2007, for the first time more trips were booked online than offline in the U.S. According to JupiterResearch, almost 50% of online travellers choose user-generated content travel sites to check the opinions of fellow travellers. Tripwolf strives to benefit from this growing trend: “We aim to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for travelers,” says tripwolf co-founder and CEO Sebastian Heinzel. “We want to be the leading international travel 2.0 guide.”
Tripwolf’s investor MairDumont, Europe’s major publisher of travel guides, has put all of its high-quality content of more than 200,000 destinations and points of interest online for free. Top travel content from MairDumont and travel tips from tripwolf’s knowledgeable “trip gurus” ensure a great experience for tripwolf users searching for relevant information.
German publishing house MairDumont sees excellent value in its investment in tripwolf. “An intelligent combination of our expert knowledge with the experiences of thousands of travelers is the future for us,” says publisher Stephanie Mair-Huydts. “With tripwolf we use all the benefits and advantages of the internet and web 2.0.”
Tripwolf also offers third party content from sites like YouTube, Flickr and Wikipedia, as well as personalized 10-20 page travel guides users can print for free and take along on their trips.
If you aren’t already a member, sign up at tripwolf here.
Want to know more? Watch the YouTube video of tripwolf or read about tripwolf’s key features below.
Happy travels!
Key Features
- Facebook integration
- Content partner and investor MairDumont, European market leader for travel information
- Portable data - build your own personal and printable travel guide for any destination
- Wiki-approach - users can add/update information
- Trip gurus offering knowledgeable local advice
- Community features
- Site is available in English and German
- Intuitive interface
- Covers the whole world
- Consistent geo-coding
- Travel blogs showing routes in a map
- Travel photo uploads
- Ratings for sights and hotels
Upcoming Features
- iPhone application
- Flight and hotel bookings options
Recently, MutualArt.com named this year’s most noteworthy exhibitions - from never-before-seen photographs by Frida Kahlo in San Francisco to Fernand Léger’s major works at Switzerland’s Fondation Beyeler in Basel and new creations by Holland’s design duo Victor & Rolf in London.
“For the first time, details on thousands of art exhibitions around the world are all available in one place - at Mutualart.com. This top 20 list will help holiday travelers plan the ultimate cultural excursions and see the shows that promise to be the talk of the summer art season,” said Moti Shniberg, founder and CEO of MutualArt.com.
US Exhibition Highlights
- Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy (Dallas Museum of Art)
- Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
- Gilbert & George (Milwaukee Art Museum)
- Everything’s Here: Jeff Koons and His Experience of Chicago (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago)
- The Baroque World of Fernando Botero (New Orleans Museum of Art)
- Calder Jewelry (Philadelphia Museum of Art)
- Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International (Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh)
- Frida Kahlo (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
- Louise Bourgeois (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City)
- Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe (Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City)
International Exhibition Highlights
- Paul Klee, A Play of Forms (The Albertina in Vienna, Austria)
- 16th Biennale of Sydney: Revolutions - Forms That Turn (The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia)
- The House of Viktor & Rolf (Barbican Centre in London, United Kingdom)
- Fernand Léger, Paris-New York (Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland)
- Masters from the Israel Museum’s Collection (The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel)
- Time & Place: Milano-Torino 1958-1968 (Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden)
- Y. Moralis. Traces (Museum of Contemporary Art, Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, in Andros, Greece)
- The 1930s: The Making of “The New Man” (National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Canada)
- Cy Twombly: Cycles and Seasons (Tate Modern in London, United Kingdom)
- Stray Alchemists (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China)
For full descriptions of the exhibitions, visit www.mutualart.com.
On a side note, those interested in fashion might want to check out Valentino’s exhibition at Museé de la Mode in Paris before September 21. As you may know, he said goodbye to the fashion world with one last couture collection in Paris earlier this year.
The Belgian fashion designer Véronique Branquinho’s retrospective exhibition at MoMu in Antwerpen, Belgium, until August 19, might also be well worth a visit.
The newest trend in real estate has reached the beautiful Mexican seaside community of San Felipe, Baja California. FVH San Felipe and CIMA Development Corporation offer a range of homes in this coastal town through fractional ownership which allows a group of people to share investment in a property.
Made known as “The Aquarium of the World” by renowned oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, San Felipe has emerged as one of Mexico’s fastest growing resort destinations. The recently built FVH San Felipe beachfront homes will offer uniquely designed interior, high end appliances, carefully selected luxuries to maximise the vacation experience, and a rooftop sunning area with ocean view.
Nestled between the Sierra San Pedro Mártir Mountains and the Sea of Cortez, San Felipe is located a two hour drive south of the international border between Mexicali, Baja California, and Calexico, California.
Recently, Blissful Travel talked with Fred P. Dezwart, CEO of FVH San Felipe, to learn more about this real estate trend.
E.J: How did you come up with this idea?
F.D: When I was the CFO for Marshall Reddick Realty I met Cesar Bojorquez, the owner of CIMA. I purchased a lot and house in 2005 for a total of $275,000. This was still affordable. Today, the prices have increased as a result of growth and increase in construction prices. I felt that the prices had reached a point where vacation home ownership for one family was no longer that affordable. Today the trend to fractionals is shared throughout the world and is not just limited to real estate. Fractional opportunities exist in other areas, as diverse as corporate jets to women’s handbags.
E.J: What are the advantages of fractional interest ownership?
F.D: There are several advantages:
1 ) Price is a fraction of the total price.
2 ) The entire management and care of the home is covered under the homeowners association CC&R’s, so as a homeowner you have no worries.
3 ) Being able to diversify your investment in vacation properties among multiple locations.
4 ) Fee ownership vs. timeshare where you purchase a time interest only, thus building equity in the property.
5 ) Cost of amenities such as water crafts, ATV’ and home theater spread among all owners.
6 ) Since the cost is minimal there is no need to rent the property.
7 ) Since there is professional property management and all the owners have a vested interest in the property, the property will be maintained in better condition than if it was used as a rental.
8 ) The average family uses a vacation home 17 to 30 days each year, thus you are paying only for the time you use.
E.J: Why should people choose San Felipe as their vacation destination?
F.D: San Felipe exudes a charm quite different from other better known locations in Mexico. Being a rustic seaside village has attracted families who love the outdoors and the slow pace of life in San Felipe. There is something for every member of the family to enjoy, including golf, fishing, motor cross, sunning on the beach and miles of unspoiled white sand beaches warmed by the Sea of Cortez. The people in San Felipe are helpful and friendly and do everything to make you feel completely at ease and at home.
E.J: How do you view the future for this real estate trend?
F.D: I see nothing but positive. San Felipe is a drive to destination for South California and Arizona. Strangely, I see the price of gas affecting San Felipe in a very positive way. While the cost of gasoline goes up, the drive is short enough where the price increase will not dramatically affect the cost of vacationing in San Felipe. Compare that with the cost to fly a family to a destination and the choice to vacation close to home becomes more obvious.
The Mexican government has implemented many ideas to stimulate tourism throughout their country. They established the Nautical Ladder, a chain of marinas allowing boaters to anchor at marinas throughout the country. The marina at San Felipe is one of the marinas in this nautical ladder and will see a lot of improvement in years to come.
Property ownership for non citizens is now encouraged through the creation of bank trusts known as Fiedo Comiso, thus making your investment 100% safe. The two lane highway stretching from the U.S. border to San Felipe is under construction. Developers are rushing to San Felipe. Several high rise projects, such as those along the Pacific Ocean and seaside in the state of Sonora are on the drawing board.
Editor’s Note: Fore more information or to invest in fractional ownership in San Felipe, visit FVH San Felipe.
June 16-20, 2008, Portland hosts an international conference to promote urban cycling and other alternatives to build carfree cities of the future.
The Towards Carfree Cities conference presented by The World Carfree Network in collaboration with SHIFT attracts community leaders, advocates and professionals who support sustainable transportation systems and hope to transform cities into environments rich in community life and public space.
“This conference is a chance to bring North America to the forefront of the international carfree movement and to empower ordinary people to change their lives, governments, and urban landscapes for the better,” said Conference Coordinator Elly Blue.
With the theme “Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity”, the 2008 conference includes lectures, workshops, a film festival, walking and bicycle tours, and one public day.
“Portland is becoming an international leader in issues of sustainable transportation and urban livability,” said Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams. “This conference will help us bring local and international perspectives to a challenge we all share: dependence on the private car.”
For more information, visit http://www.carfreeportland.org
Not only Sex and The City’s Mr Big sees the attractiveness of Napa Valley. Set to open early fall 2008 in Downtown Napa, condominium-hotel Westin Verasa captures the latest trend in real estate with its luxurious accommodations, striking architecture and upscale amenities.
Ownership of a luxury property within the Westin Verasa Napa Residences is an exceptional opportunity to own resort real estate with all the services of an intimate hotel.
As the central point of Downtown Napa, Westin Verasa will represent all that people like about Napa - good food, wine, provincial architecture and an outdoor lifestyle. Located near COPIA, The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, the 180-suite hotel condo can offers its guests one of America’s most highly praised restaurants - La Toque.
Thanks to Chef Ken Frank, who moves his award-winning restaurant from Rutherford to The Westin Verasa, the property establishes itself as a culinary hotspot of Napa Valley wine country.
“I’ve watched Napa evolve to the point where it’s really ready to take center stage in the valley,” said Frank. “I’m very excited about all the development and the positive things that are happening in downtown Napa. With Oxbow, COPIA and a bunch of little wine bars downtown, Napa is going to become the go to destination in Napa Valley in the next 10 years.”
La Toque prides itself in using organic ingredients and offers guests a warm atmosphere, a luxurious dining room and a patio where foodies can enjoy Napa’s mild weather.
Owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Westin Hotels & Resorts consists of more than 150 hotels and resorts in more than 31 countries and territories. For more information about Westin Verasa, visit www.VerasaNapa.com.
The travel community YouPlanet recently launched a new travel competition with an estimated prize value of 7,200 Euro.
Here’s how you enter:
1. Join YouPlanet.
2. Add an article or place to the YouPlanet guide.
3. Click ‘Add to competition’ in the submenu. Done!
Your chances to win increases depending on the quality and quantity of your contribution.
The writer of the best article will receive a secret travel prize worth a minimum of 500 Euro, the best contributor gets an iPhone from Apple and the grand prize (which is drawn at random) is an adventure trip for two persons to South Africa, including flight tickets and accommodation. The lucky winners will get to dive with great white sharks, experience the world’s highest bungee jump, enjoy a luxury spa package in Cape Town’s 5 star SPA Twelve Apostles, and learn how to surf and try sandboarding with Downhill Adventures. Wow! What a dream trip!
To join the competition, visit Win the adventure of your life at YouPlanet.
The contest ends on August 31, 2008.
About YouPlanet
Founded in 2007, YouPlanet is a fully-packed travel community giving people everything they need before, during and after their travels. The travel guide gives people information and inspiration for living, eating, nightlife, the places to see and the things to do. The community allows people to find and stay in touch with new and old friends, upload photos and plan and share their travels. And with the unique ambassador program people can stay out traveling as long as they want, independently of their start budget. YouPlanet is a privately-held company and is headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus.
TEXT: Jessica Gross
Trip to Florida: $450
Travel Outfit: $63
Wrinkle free and looking good all day: Priceless
A day of layovers and cramped plane seating and you’re looking to drop off your bags and head to the beach and then on to the bar all in one swift move (and definitely without wrinkles) - what do you wear? Rarely is there one piece of clothing we can travel comfortably on the plane, wear straight to the beach and even head out to dinner afterward in. That’s just the mission of one company, SkirtSports (www.skirtsports.com) - to make functional wear that lets you feel comfortable AND look good while going from the plane at 6AM all day.
Looking good without the need for changing after a full day of traveling has never been this easy, as SkirtSports introduces their Footloose Dress. Set to impress both the ladies and the men this spring, the Footloose Dress features a built-in shelf bra, sexy V-neck, all-mesh panel racerback for comfort and moisture management (crucial for you and those sitting next to you), and a flattering empire waistband.
With travel becoming such a hassle these days, the Footloose Dress, allows for one less thing to think about - what to wear.
Editor’s Note: SkirtSports also offers functional wear suitable for running, cycling, triathlon, tennis and golf. For more information, visit www.skirtsports.com.
Imagine traveling anywhere in the world without the hassles of long delays, flight cancellations or inconvenient layovers. George Khairallah and Michael Thomas, seasoned technology and travel service experts, have created a revolutionary way to fly that taps into thousands of underused airports in the U.S.
The result? JetCombo.com, a concept that allows travelers to combine both commercial and private jet services and land within miles of their final destination. Each year, over 450 million passengers fly through 30 airports in the United States. JetCombo redistributes air traffic to the other 5,400 public airports in the country - so that travellers can fly to all rural areas.
Today, we speak with co-founder George Khairallah to learn more about his brainchild.
E.J: I must say, JetCombo is a terrific concept - being able to fly the long hauls non-stop with an airline, before booking a private plane for the remaining distance to reach your final destination. When and how did you come up with the idea?
G.K: My love for aviation and affinity for technology inspired me to start BusinessJet Class in 2004 and its subsequent retail website, JetCombo.com in 2008. My business partner Michael Thomas and I combined our expertise in a shared vision that opens air travel to all rural areas, providing the convenience of virtual door-to-door service. JetCombo.com, the first and only web site that allows travelers to combine a private flight and an airline flight in a single itinerary, is the first building block towards realizing this vision.
E.J: How has the response been so far?
G.K: We have seen a tremendous response thus far. Over the past three months, web traffic has grown by approximately 470%. Our call volume has also increased by a similar ratio.
E.J: Where are your costumers based?
G.K: Our customers are based throughout the US and internationally.
E.J: What are the advantages of joining JetCombo’s membership program?
G.K: This is a comprehensive program designed for the next generation traveler whose focus is on a triple bottom line:
- The economic focus is in the significant savings even on economy fares; savings that will be difficult to find anywhere else.
- The social focus is on saving precious time to spend with your family and your community instead of airport lounges and airline delays. Executives who fly exclusively private save up to 1 month a year on time otherwise lost. Passengers who combine airline flights with private flights frequently cut their travel time by half, even when they fly the less expensive piston aircraft.
- The environmental focus is our unique strategy to calculate the carbon emissions for every flight you book on JetCombo.com and give you the option to fund existing technologies that soak up or compensate for your flight’s unavoidable emissions.
E.J: If a traveler would like to fly internationally, from Europe to the U.S., can you explain how he or she would make the booking with JetCombo?
G.K: Users simply enter their search criteria - the city name of their true departure and destination points, arrival and departure times, etc. - and Jetcombo.com delivers the most efficient route. Mining a database of aircrafts and operators, including thousands of small jets and hundreds of small props capable of serving rural areas with small airports, JetCombo.com combines private and first-class commercial jet service in a single itinerary.
E.J: What are your views on the environmental concerns many people have when flying?
G.K: With a nod to environmental efficiency, JetCombo.com is the only online booking service to display the carbon emissions for Business and First Class options. Customers also have the unique option to purchase carbon credits to make their flight “carbon neutral.” JetCombo.com also offers users the option to offset the unavoidable emissions caused by their flights by contributing to projects that reduce an equivalent amount of pollution. At http://nextgen.jetcombo.com, JetCombo.com provides an open platform for users to discuss and debate current issues in the aviation community, as well as access the most recent aviation news and statistics.
E.J: With such a great concept, do you believe other companies will follow in your footsteps?
G.K: Similar to cell phones, which originally were a luxury option priced at thousands of dollars, this new concept in travel is following a trajectory from the exclusive to the commonplace. The fact is that 98 percent of the population lives within twenty miles of an airport.
Editor’s Note: For more information, visit JetCombo.com.
Travel solo or in a group?
“Both solo travel or group travel have advantages and disadvantages. You need to decide what choice best fits your preferences. For example, would you prefer the freedom of making all decisions yourself and going where your whim takes you? Or rather let others decide once in a while?”
To read the rest of my latest guest blog, visit Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blog and Guest Blog: Solo vs Group Travel.
Matt is a twenty-something guy from Boston who was on the road for 537 days. Impressing. In the summer of 2008 he will return to Europe before heading back to Asia. Make sure to keep up with his travels and experiences at Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blog. I especially recommend The Saturday City: Bostonand Are Guidebooks worth it?
Don’t miss Matt’s Travel Photos, Travel Videos, Travel Tips and Travel Links including travel blogs, general travel sites, tour companies and flight search engines.
Also, if you have a travel related question, head over to the Ask Matt! section.
Celebrating its three-year theme “Our Agenda: Love. Equality. PRIDE”, The Los Angeles LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender) Pride Festival takes place along Santa Monica Boulevard and throughout West Hollywood Park in West Hollywood June 6-8. The message of the 38th annual parade and festival is about taking pride in who you are, your family, your community, and the world around you. Locals and visitors can enjoy the parade, vendor booths, food, exhibits, and live entertainment.
As one of the leading Pride Celebrations in the United States, the annual three-day event brings more pride to West Hollywood - home to Southern California’s largest gay and lesbian population.
The 2008 parade takes place on Sunday, June 8, starting at 11a.m., and will run west along Santa Monica Boulevard from Crescent Heights Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard. On the WaMu® Mainstage, musicians Joss Stone, Olivia Newton-John and Kimberly Locke will headline the event on Saturday and Sunday night.
As a way to honour those who are no longer with us - brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, friends, partners and other loved ones - LA Pride announces its first “Silent Celebration”. The moment of silence shared by nearly 400, 000 parade goers occurs at noon on Sunday June 8.
About 2008 Los Angeles LGBT Pride:
2008 Los Angeles LGBT Pride festival is sponsored by The West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau, along with its partner Qantas Airways.
For more information on LGBT Pride, complete entertainment lineups, and the City of West Hollywood’s gay community, visit http://www.lapride.org/ or http://www.gogaywesthollywood.com/.
After enjoying number one non-fiction bestselling success in its first seven weeks of publication, Ruinair continues to sell strongly. The Dublin-born author Paul Kilduff finished novels such as Square Mile, The Dealer and The Headhunter before he decided to write this travel book about the cheap Irish airline.
“Kilduff travels to places he never knew he wanted to go that are probably not quite where he thinks they are and he is not sure what he will do once he gets there, including beautiful Beauvais, cosmopolitan Charleroi, electric Eindhoven, heavenly Haugesund and tropical Tampere… On his miserly pan-European exploration he reveals the secrets of the new travel phenomenon favoured by one hundred million plus passengers annually. And his advice to fellow travellers in the ultimate airport holiday book? - “Don’t get mad, get even - Get a one cent airline ticket.”
Today at Blissful Travel, Paul Kilduff talks about how he got the idea to Ruinair, managed the transition from fiction to non-fiction and have kept his writing career alive for 10 years. He also shares some travel writing tips, reveals his future projects and includes a terrific description of Spanish Seville.
E.J: When did you get the idea to write Ruinair? Had you travelled with low-budget airlines much before?
P.K: I got the idea to write Ruinair when I was marooned in Malaga airport in Spain a few years ago for 10 hours by Ryanair. At the time I was writing fiction so I thought I would write a stroppy letter to their customer service dept and then I later decided to go one better and write a book about travelling all over Europe on the same airline and other budget airlines (none of which I had not used previously), and all for the same total outlay as my fare to Spain which was €300, so not so low fare after all.
E.J: How did you manage the transition from fiction to non-fiction?
P.K: I had written four fiction thrillers for Hodder Headline and then all changed there when they were bought by a French company and my editor left and in all that change they declined my fifth book which in hindsight was a good thing. I still wanted to write and always loved travel so I decided to write non fiction in the travel genre. I was originally thinking about writing a travel book about Germany (everyone else does Spain, Italy and France) but then Malaga airport happened. People say that fiction writers write the best travel books because they can tell a story, can write about characters they meet, can create suspense and can set a scene. The most important thing when moving from fiction to non-fiction is to have a good idea for a commercial book on a topic you like - everything else follows easily.
E.J: What are your tips for aspiring travel writers?
P.K: My tips would be travel as much as you can, observe everything, get off the beaten track, avoid the usual sights and attractions, look for a theme in your writing. Don’t just go see the top 10 attractions and write about them. If you are writing amusing travel stories then pray that something goes wrong because as John Cleese once said of his TV show Fawlty Towers; ‘It’s only funny when something goes wrong.’
E.J: You have kept your writing career alive for ten years, how do you do it?
P.K: It’s easy to do something for 10 years if you enjoy it. I do not see writing as a chore but as a creative outlet, an interest and almost like a hobby although it has its rewards. I think every genuine writer wants, and needs, to write. It’s true that I tired a little of writing financial thrillers so then I changed genres to travel writing.
E.J: We would love to hear about your future projects. What are your plans? Any new book in progress?
P.K: I am presently working on the sequel to Ruinair, which is a book about visiting all 12 new countries of the EU, mostly in Eastern Europe. The book is about 75% complete. So far I have been to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Malta. I have plans made to visit the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Cyprus in the coming months. The book will be called Ruinairski and will be published in Feb 2009.
I am also completing a short book featuring the best quotations from Michael O’Leary, the Chief Executive of Ryanair, called The Little Book of Mick O’Leary’ to be published in late 2008, for example: ‘‘I’m an Irish peasant at heart. I grew up on a farm in the Irish countryside, and now I live on a farm in the Irish countryside. You would impress fucking nobody if you drove to the paper shop on a Sunday morning in your Ferrari. They’d think you were a gobshite. And you probably would be. A big tractor, now, they might be impressed. But it doesn’t get to the shop fast enough for me.’
E.J: I’m curious to know, of all the places you flew with Ryanair, which was your favourite?
P.K: There were many great places I flew to where I expected to have a great time, such as Barcelona, Berlin, Venice and the like, and I did.
However the best surprise for me was Seville in southern Spain which in my book I described reasonably succinctly as follows; ‘Civil Seville represents Europe’s optimal summertime city break destination; a small, efficient and navigable airport with zero delays, a 15 minute public bus ride to the city centre for 2 euros, shopping in Zara Home at Nervion Plaza at a fraction of any Dublin prices, the 4-star Novotel next door with a roof top pool to savour guaranteed blue skies and thirty degrees plus, open-air dining and mazes of tapas bars, a La Liga topping and UEFA Cup winning Sevilla soccer team, new 2-bed townhouses for only 150,000 euros, an open top bus tour which fortunately speeds through the barren remnants of the Sevilla 1992 Expo but lingers amongst the fine international residences of the 1929 Ibero-American Expo, a street tram system so new that it glistens, the inspiration for a hundred operas (Don Juan and Carmen attend the Marriage of Figaro?), tourists from Spain rather than from Essex, the heady aroma of orange blossom, the biggest Gothic Cathedral on Gods earth with a landmark Giralda minaret tower, a mesh of Islam, Jew, Gypsy and Christianity, horse and carriage rides through the religious grandeur, a river cruise from the Torre del Oro down the Gaudalquiver river made famous by that Chris de Burgh song and a two hour walking tour of the achingly photogenic Barrio Santa Cruz old town where the only information imparted by the guide which I dispute is that Seville is most famous for sending all its oranges to the UK to made into marmalade.’
E.J: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
P.K: I was fortunate that I did a day job for several years which allowed me to travel on business within Europe, North America and Asia. However one place I never got to on expenses was Australia and that’s where I would like to go. I have two very good friends from college who live in Sydney and I am sure that they would be amazed/ delighted/ horrified if I turned up on their doorsteps to stay for a few weeks. The one reservation I have is enduring the 24 hours in a plane to get there, but at least the trip will not be made on Ryanair.
Editor’s Note: Ruinair was published in February 2008 by Gill & Macmillan, Ireland, and entered the Irish non-fiction bestseller list at no 1. For more information or to purchase your own copy of Ruinair, visit publishers Gill & Macmillan.
What the press has to say about Ruinair:
”Ruinair is an entertaining travel book based around the destinations you can visit on this much-used but maligned airline. This is a razor sharp travel guide. VERY funny, sure, but be warned, if the book fails to please, there is no refund.” - Sunday Tribune
“This is a thoroughly humorous, witty and evocative book. Kilduff has produced a travelogue every bit as good as McCarthy’s Bar, and one that promises to be a must-read in airports and on airplanes for many years to come.” - Evening Echo.
“It’s chocks ways for a breathless tour of the low-fares revolution. Kilduff has done his homework and displays a keen eye for bizarre detail, settling on the quirks of our European neighbours with touching exuberance. His no-holds-barred style echoes O’Leary himself, which should be a compliment. It’s not half bad. There are worse ways you could while away the wait for your next Ryanair flight.” - Irish Mail on Sunday.
“Kilduff has a neat sense of irony when balancing his own and other people’s discomfort, with the motivation that brings us all back to Ryanair: it’s cheap. He can be a droll and perceptive writer. His dispatches from the hot-spots of Liechtenstein or San Marino are witty and engaging. A quirky study of a modern phenomenon, Ruinair is the ultimate airport book. You may even see it sold on Ryanair flights, if Michael O’Leary can find some way to make a buck from it.” - Sunday Business Post
“Kilduff brings considerable and stylish descriptive powers to the stampede boarding and bussing experience we all know so well. His strength is the variety of destinations he visits including non-Ryanair ones amongst them. This is a 2008 Homer’s odyssey.” - Travel Extra Magazine
Being a tourist is not always fun. Imagine you are abroad and want to get in touch with a new acquaintance, but not reveal your outside area code or your real phone number.
The solution is called Vumber, a virtual phone number that links to your current phone line. Use Vumber’s two way disposable phone number service and add additional lines to any phone you want with any area code from across the U.S. When you call someone in a new area, he or she will instantly accept you as a local.
You can make and receive anonymous, secure phone calls from any telephone, anywhere. Pick any area code you wish and Vumber will assign you an available seven digit number.
Say you visit New York and want to ‘live’ on Manhattan, choose the area code 212. You prefer Brooklyn or Queens? Opt for 718. Or perhaps you would rather be known as an L.A. resident? Then, you’ll pick 213. The person you call can only see your Vumber, not your real phone number.
At the moment, Vumber is available in Canada and the U.S. They will add international codes by early 2009.
To learn more about this new long distance calling solution, read my interview with Vumber CEO and Founder Cliff Wener.
E.J: How did you come up with the idea of Vumber?
C.W: The most basic idea behind Vumber is preserving privacy in communications. So when a doctor friend of mine asked if there was some way he could avoid having to give patients his private cell phone number, so that he didn’t get calls at all hours of the night, without having to carry two phones, we came up with the concept of a virtual phone number or a Vumber
The best part of it for him is that it really allows him to have two numbers on a single phone and it works like a real phone number - so not only can patients call him on his Vumber, but he can also call them back and the Vumber shows up on their caller ID. It truly allowed him to take control of his personal privacy.
E.J: How has the response been so far?
C.W: The response has been really good so far. Apart from some really good media coverage, our user base has been growing steadily since our launch in January. The real surprise for us has been customer loyalty. We offer a free trial, so we presumed we would get a lot of signups, just looking to test the service - however the percentage that become loyal, paying customers has been much higher than we expected.
Not only that but our customers write us on a daily basis to say how useful they are finding the service - whether they are using it for dating, job searching, apartment hunting or as a second number for business. So it’s been really great.
E.J: What are the future plans for Vumber?
C.W: As a company, we aim to become the first choice in second numbers. With the lines of communication becoming increasingly blurred - from constant internet access, cell phones, ever-expanding social networks and general 24/7 availability - protecting your privacy is more important than ever, not to mention the fact that identity theft is a very serious problem - which means that giving out your phone number to the wrong person can have serious consequences.
As for our product, we are constantly releasing new features to make Vumber even more useful. For example, we plan to offer low-cost international calling and international Vumbers in the future. We advise customers to go to our website, www.vumber.com, which is constantly updated with the latest happenings at Vumber.
The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali
Thanks to a new partnership with Luggage Forward and Newspaper Direct, guests at The Luxury Collection’s hotels and resorts will now enjoy luggage free travel and having access to more than 600 newspapers and publications.
The Luxury Collection consists of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, including Laguna Resort & Spa, Bali; Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, Arizona; Grande Bregtagne, Athens; The Phoenician, Scottsdale; and Hotel Imperial, Kuala Lumpur.
“We define The Luxury Collection by our guests and the experiences and services they demand and expect. Nothing less than an exceptional level of service, perfect location and indigenous personal offerings will do,” said Ross Klein, President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group. “We are proud to launch the brand’s first global partnerships in our continued effort to offer our guests a portal to the world’s most enriching experiences found only within The Luxury Collection.”
Through the exclusive partnership with Luggage Forward, The Luxury Collection offers the brand’s newest service Luxury Collection Luggage Liaison. Imagine having booked a stay at one of The Luxury Collection’s hotels. Prior to departure, Luggage Forward’s door-to-door luggage delivery service will retrieve your baggage and send it to the hotel to be placed in your room. If you wish, they can also unpack your luggage before you arrive.
Picture how good it would feel when you don’t need to worry about your luggage and can travel with a peace of mind - knowing that your belongings will wait for you in your hotel room. No need to carry bags to and from the airport, stand in long check-in lines, or hang around the baggage claim.
You can also use the Luggage Liaison service for your return trip. Just pack your bags and let The Luxury Collection do the rest - including delivery of any purchases you made during the trip.
“Luggage Forward has fundamentally changed the travel experience by providing a global luggage delivery service that offers convenience, service and unparalleled reliability by circumventing the airline process”, said Aaron Kirley, Co-Founder of Luggage Forward. “We are pleased to be working with a brand as respected as The Luxury Collection that has taken the innovative step of adding Luggage Forward as one of the brand’s first global partners.”
For more information on Luggage Liaison, visit www.luxurycollection.com/luggage.
Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, Arizona
Through The Luxury Collection’s partnership with NewspaperDirect, the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine content distribution, you can receive the same-day editions of your favourite magazines from home. Choose from more than 600 newspapers and magazines from 77 countries and have them delivered to your room during your stay. You can also select and purchase publications.
”NewspaperDirect is honored to partner with the Luxury Collection,” said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect. “Luxury Collection’s prominence and stature within the hospitality industry is a testament to its dedication to fulfilling the needs of every guest. We strongly believe that the ND Press service will be a great fit for this prestigious brand and will be a distinctive amenity for guests who need more than just a local newspaper.”
The Luxury Collection’s new partnerships surely put the company on the forefront of guest hospitality. With Luggage Liaison and NewspaperDirect’s services, you can expect a truly blissful stay at your chosen destination.
For more information on The Luxury Collection, visit http://www.luxurycollection.com/
Chicago - the most popular Memorial Day weekend destination
With rising gas prices, ridiculous airline add-ons, and an uncertain economy, many Americans choose staycations for the upcoming Memorial weekend May 23 - 27. Opting for a destination close to home makes perfect sense for today’s price-savvy travellers.
For example, people living in Los Angeles pick Las Vegas as their staycation spot and Detroit residents choose Chicago - the most popular Memorial Day destination for the second consecutive year. By checking into a nearby hotel, travellers can enjoy little luxuries such as relaxing by the pool, visiting the hotel spa, or ordering room service.
“Taking a staycation cuts travel time and hassle to a spectacular minimum and allows families to save money on getting to/from the airport, airfare, the high Euro, etc,” said Clem Bason, travel expert at Hotwire.com. “Through our relationships with top travel brands, we can offer four-star hotel rooms for two-star prices and discount car rentals for as low as $13.95 per day.”
According to hotel booking data from Hotwire.com, the top ten Memorial Day weekend destinations include:
(2007 rankings in parentheses):
1. Chicago, Illinois (1)
2. Las Vegas, Nevada (22)
3. San Francisco, California (3)
4. New York City, New York (12)
5. Seattle, Washington (16)
6. Los Angeles, California (5)
7. Washington D.C. (2)
8. Toronto, Ontario, Canada (10)
9. Boston, Massachusetts (7)
10. Orlando, Florida (11)
J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Two Years in a Row.”
Below Clem Bason presents some great staycations options for Memorial Day weekend that are available on Hotwire.com:
Atlanta - take a CNN Studio Tour for a behind-the-scenes look at the 24-hour news service (entry $9-12)
- $79 per night for a 4-star hotel in Downtown Atlanta
- $79 per night for a 3.5-star hotel in Midtown Atlanta
- $59 per night for a 3.5-star hotel in Downtown Atlanta
Savannah - Take a Oglethorpe Trolley tour in Savannah’s historic district or visit the immensely popular 700 Kitchen Cooking School. In Hilton Head Island, hit the beach or play golf, or visit the interactive Coastal Discovery Museum, where families can learn about the history and wildlife of sea islands.
- $246 per night for a 4-star resort hotel in Hilton Head Island (listed on Hotwire.com as beachfront hotel with pool)
- $169 per night for a 3.5-star hotel in Savannah Historic District
- $139 per night for a 3-star hotel in Savannah Historic District
- $114 per night for a 3-star hotel in Hilton Head Island
Nashville - Listen to country music and visit the Country Music Museum or go outlet shopping near Opryland
- $172 per night for a 4-star hotel in Downtown Nashville -Vanderbilt University - Metrocenter
- $126 per night for a 4-star hotel in the Opryland area
- $122 per night for a 3.5-star condo in Opryland Area
- $59 per night for a 3-star hotel in Nashville South - Antioch
As you can see, staying close to home can pay off in spades!
Most people have an idea of where they’d like to travel - whether it’s a beach vacation, a skiing holiday, or a city break - but not everyone know where to stay. Thanks to UpTake, you can search and find hotels anywhere in the U.S., read opinions from other travelers and also discover what to do at your chosen destination.
Today, UpTake opened to the public by letting users come in without a password. In today’s interview, UpTake president Yen Lee talks about what new features and enhancements you can expect and how he views the future of the company.
E.J: To what extent did your background at CitySearch San Francisco and Yahoo! Travel, help form UpTake?
Y.L: At CitySearch, we learned the intricacies of launching a start-up from the ground-up. We also saw that offering the