World Traveler

Yesterday marked the transatlantic maiden voyage of the Airbus A380, the largest commercial passenger airplane in the world. The maiden voyage across the Atlantic is considered one of the most important airline flights since the Concorde. The Airbus A380 is a double decker jet plane. Airbus hopes that when Americans see how efficient the plane is, they will want to buy them in order to service transoceanic flights. MSNBC reports:

Lufthansa Flight 8940 is meant to be a statement by Airbus that it can accommodate vast numbers of travelers comfortably and efficiently.

“We’re talking about an airplane that is representing aviation in the 21st century in terms of efficiency,� said Jens Bischoff, Lufthansa’s vice president for the Americas.

The specs on the Airbus A380:

• Holds 550 passengers
• 239 feet long
• Wings the size of a football field
• Holds 81,890 gallons of fuel
• Flies 560 miles per hour
• Can go 8,000 nautical miles without refueling

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A European ski vacation is uniquely romantic and charming. However, skiing in the Swiss Alps, or even the Austrian Alps, can get a little pricey. If you are looking for a good ski vacation travel deal, you might try Romania. It isn’t too late for a Romanian Ski vacation, and you can enjoy the scenic Carpathian Mountains. These mountains are little known extensions of the Alps, and offer great skiing at a fraction of the price.

Right now, the ski season is winding down across the non-Arctic world, so it is possible to find some good ski vacation travel deal opportunities. There are three main Romanian ski vacation destinations: Poiana Brasov, Sinaia and Predeal. Any of these can offer you a world class ski vacation, but Sinaia offers the added bonus of a visit to Peles Palace, and Poiana Brasov offers European city life. You can also enjoy mountain cabanas for privacy, some of them quite luxurious.

Visit Go Romania Tours for more information on other Romania tours.

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Daylight Savings Time is coming three weeks earlier this year — starting this Sunday (March 11). And, since it will be weeks before Europe switches to Daylight Savings Time, this could wreak havoc on your international travel plans. Why? Because there are strict time slot regulations in Europe and Asia that U.S. airline companies have to adhere to. These “lose it if you don’t use it” time slots, so it is not just a matter of changing the European departure time. USA Today reports on the Wall Street Journal’s assessment of the way Daylight Savings Time could affect international travel:

For example, the Journal cites connections on American Airlines for passengers traveling from Madrid through Miami. The Madrid flight typically lands in Miami at 3:05 p.m. local time, but -– with the USA’s early jump ahead -– it will temporarily land at 4:05 p.m. local time until Europe also springs its clocks forward. For fliers, that makes catching the 4:35 p.m. flight to Houston –- usually not a problem -– all but impossible. Another tight connection looms for Madrid travelers hoping to connect to to Bogota, Colombia, on AA’s 5:20 p.m. flight. The usual 2-hour layover on that route now gets whittled down to about an hour.

As you can see, you may have to adjust your plans for the next few weeks until Europe starts its Daylight Savings Time. Otherwise you may find yourself stranded for much longer than a regular layover.

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Portugal offers a lovely travel experience. The landscapes are beautiful, you can experience exquisite Portuguese wine tours and visit gleaming white sand beaches. And, visiting Portugal allows you the opportunity to take what is considered a bargain vacation when compared to the rest of Western Europe. And you can do even better if you stay in a pousada, which can offer insight into Portuguese culture.

A pousada is basically a cultural hotel. In the 1940s, they were created by the government as a way to preserve historical authenticity and Portuguese culture. They are designed as luxury hotels on the inside, providing every comfort, but they are also meant to offer Old World charm. There are four main types of Portuguese pousada:

• Historical: located in national monuments such as castles, monastaries, fortresses and convents that are unspoiled by modern design
• Historical design: Portuguese pousadas that are located in the monuments listed above, but include renovation to allow for modern designs and facilities
• Charm: these pousadas are meant to offer a unique and romantic atmosphere
• Nature: Portuguese pousadas that are located in rustic, countryside locations that allow for a natural setting

All Portuguese pousadas are owned and operated by the Pestana Hotel Group. There are also two pousadas in the Azores and one pousada in Brazil.

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Vienna, Austria is known as “Europe’s Main Street” and you can find pretty much anything you want on a visit to Vienna. Including an authentic Irish pub. Irish pubs are popular throughout mainland Europe, but there are few Irish pubs as authentic as Flanagan’s Irish Pub in Vienna. Why? Because this Irish pub is actually from Ireland.

Flanagans Irish Pub: carried across sea and continent

Originally, Flanagan’s Irish Pub stood for centuries in Church-town, County Cork in Ireland. It was a public house in the village. Then it was taken down, quite carefully, piece by piece and carried to Vienna. It was rebuilt as an Irish pub in 1996, and named Flanagan’s. It is owned and staffeed by Irish residents of Vienna. Flanagan’s Irish Pub offers an array of expected pub foods (tasty and reasonably priced), and, of course, Guiness on tap. Additionally, there are plenty of TVs throughout the establishment, tuned to sports. A big screen TV in the back is ideal for watching soccer matches. There are plenty of ex-pats mingling with the local crowd so that the authentic flavor remains true.

The pub’s closing time is 4 a.m., so things become really lively later in the evening. Whether looking for a bit of a break from the club scene, or just looking for a place to relax, you can find what you’re looking for at Flanagan’s Irish Pub.

Tags: Flanagan’s Irish Pub, Irish Pubs Europe, Irish Pub Vienna, Vienna,
Austria

One of the best ways to enjoy a European vacation is to head to Eastern Europe. There are plenty of options, and you can find resorts and spas that are comprable to their Western European counterparts — but at a fraction of the price. And one of the best places to go is a city on the southern end of Croatia: Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic.” It is a quintessential bathing town. On the beautiful and temperate coast of the Adriatic Sea, the climate is almost exactly the same as that of Greece. But you will spend less in Dubrovnik than you ever would at a Grecian spa resort.

Dubrovnik has plenty of activities as well. It is a rather cosmopolitan city, complete with dining, entertainment, shopping and nightlife. You will find plenty to do and see, and you will be pleasantly surprised at what a fantastic travel deal the Pearl of the Adriatic is.

Learn more about Dubrovnik here.

Tags: Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik, Adriatic Sea, travel deal,
Eastern Europe

Brussels Airlines had an attractive logo on their planes: 13 balls to create a “b”. Interestingly enough, though, there are still plenty of U.S. and Italian passengers that were concerned. Why? They thought the 13 balls would bring bad luck to their flights. CNN Travel reports:

This week, however, Brussels Airlines was busy changing the 13-ball logo on the tail and sides of one of its Airbus jets and adding a 14th one in response to complaints from superstitious customers in the United States and Italy. …

“They said they were not pleased with an aircraft with a logo with 13 balls because they think it brings them bad luck,” said Brussels Airlines spokesman Geert Sciot.

But what will happen when Chinese passengers go to fly? 14 is the unlucky number in China. Happily for Brussels Airlines, there aren’t flights to China, so it won’t be that big of an issue. But why not drop down to 12 dots? Well, according to CNN Travel, there are religious connotations surrounding the number 12. You remember the 12 disciples…

Tags: Brussels Airlines, travel news, CNN Travel, 12 disciples

No matter where you go in the world, it seems as though you can get great Spanish food at low prices. The same is true in Amsterdam. You can get a great meal at any tapas restaurant in the city, but if you want the best, head to Duende. The food is great, and the prices (around $5 to $12) can’t be beat. Plus, Duende is located in the Amsterdam section of town known as the Jordaan. Spanish tapas dishes are small dishes in variety. You can choose out one or two, or you can choose even more to make a meal. They are easy to share with friends as well. And Duende features flamenco dancing. You can watch, or even join in and learn. As far as bang for your food buck, Duende in Amsterdam’s Jordaan offers the best deal, with its wine and beer selection, great food, atmosphere, entertainment and reasonable prices.

The Jordaan is a hotspot because of the many activities available, from museums to monuments to markets and architecture. And, of course, dining. You can enjoy the culture available in the Jordaan, and plenty of tasty food will be close at hand.

Click here to read about Japanese food in Amsterdam.

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the Jordaan, flamenco Amsterdam

Right now, the euro is doing remarkably well on the currency market. And this means that things are more expensive in the euro zone. Your dollars won’t go nearly as far in the euro zone as they will in other countries. Countries like Italy that used to be cheap for travel are less so because now, instead of the old currencies (like the lira) that were weaker than the dollar, the euro is used instead. And that means that the dollar is the weaker currency. It takes close to $1.30 to equal one euro (and almost $2 to equal one pound, if you head to Great Britain).

The good news, though, is that you can get a rather European experience by heading a little further east. Bucharest Romania was once known as “Little Paris” and in addition to the dubious honor of being the home of Vlad the Impaler (the model for Count Dracula), Romania boasts some excellent wine touring opportunities. And you can hit the Adriatic Coast of Croatia for an experience remarkably similar to those in Greece and Italy (and markedly cheaper). Hungary is another European destination that offers some European cosmopolitan delights at less-than-cosmopolitan prices.

So, if you are planning a trip to Europe, consider some destinations alternative to the more famous. You’ll spend less money, and be less crowded to boot.

Read more on travel and the currency market here.

Tags: European vacation, Adriatic Coast, Croatian Adriatic Coast, currency market,
euro zone, euro zone travel, Bucharest Romania, Hungary

If you are looking for something delicious in Amsterdam (the capital of the Netherlands) a visit to the city’s best Japanese restaurant could be just the thing. Kaiko is a the premier Japanese restaurant in Amsterdam, and offers a variety of delicious dining options (including vegetarian) for a range of prices. The sushi bar is to die for. It is probably the best sushi bar in the city. Additionally, you can enjoy a treat as the cook prepares the food in front of you. This is a rather entertaining portion of the Kaiko dining experience.

Kaiko is such an authentic Japanese restaurant that it is the place for Japanese businesspeople to dine. Indeed, Kaiko is conveniently situated near the Okura hotel. Incidentally, if you want a taste of the Orient while staying in Japan, a room at the Okura is an excellent choice. This is where many Japanese visitors to Amsterdam choose to stay.

It may seem silly to go to Amsterdam and have Japanese, but the visit is well worth it.

More restaurant choices in Amsterdam.

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