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Dave, one of AirTreks’ skilled travel consultants, has a penchant for long stays in exotic countries. After spending a year of his life in the island nation of the Maldives and over four years in Thailand, Dave is very familiar with the world traveler’s state of mind.
To Dave I posed the Your Agent’s Dream Trip question:
“Without having to state your reasons, and if cost was of no importance, what would be your dream around-the-world trip in 10 stops or less.”
Here’s what Dave came up with, starting in his current home town of San Francisco:
Destination Tuesday: A series celebrating world travel destinations. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
While not specifically related to travel, other than it’s French, this is a great way to move into your weekend.
A scene from François Truffaut’s 1960 movie “Tirez sur le Pianiste” or “Shoot the Piano Player”. Bobby Lapoint singing the very fun “Framboise”, with subtitles. See if you can follow along.
Have a Frenchtastic weekend!
If you’re someone who thinks you can’t do anything fun for free, let me be the first to tell you otherwise. While the activities may not be as white-knuckle inducing as zip-lining across a jungle canopy or tumbling down a hill inside a giant plastic ball, there are a host of different things you can do that are completely free of charge and will make you smile at your good fortune for finding them.
Here are some of the best free enterprises to be had on any standard round the world trip. Take THAT budget woes!
Glenn has been in the business a long time, and as one of AirTrek’s longest-standing employees he’s a seasoned traveler. His passport will show you — with recent trips to Borneo, Malaysia and Argentina, plus the 20+ years he’s been under the influence of the travel bug, Glenn knows his geography.
With this in mind I expected his dream trip to be pretty exotic — he didn’t let me down.
To Glenn I posed the Your Agent’s Dream Trip question:
“Without having to state your reasons, and if cost was of no importance, what would be your dream around-the-world trip in 10 stops or less.”
Here’s what he offered. (Glenn lives in Oakland, CA but said he’d be willing to come across the Bay to catch his international flight. He’s nice that way.)
All Nippon 747 decked out in Pokeman livery
To the delight of women everywhere, All Nippon Airlines (ANA) will be the first airline to officially take a stance on the timeless toilet seat versus gender controversy.
According to an March 1st ANA press release:
Following numerous requests from passengers for this service, one women-only lavatory will be designated in the passenger cabin….and will be available for use by women passengers [only].
For anyone in currently in Europe, that had to miss the New York Times Travel Show or who doesn’t already know about it, the ITB Berlin Travel Show is happening next week in Germany.
If you like these kind of exhibitions, this one will blow your mind. With over 11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries it pretty much lives up to its hype about being the world’s largest.
Not an industry professional but want to take a look? Not to worry. The show isn’t just for insiders. Last year 80,000 of the 300,000 visitors were general public travel-loving folks. There’s sure to be events, activities and symposia galore. And no doubt plenty of schwag for the taking.
The show is on March 10 – 14, with the weekend dates open to the public. Tickets are €12 per day in advance or €14 at the door.
So pack your comfortable shoes, hop in a plane, train or automobile and get to Berlin. The most current trends in the travel industry will be on display. This year’s show is dedicated to the happy topic of industry sustainability.
Enjoy the show!
Stories From Around the World is a CBS News item where journalist Steve Hartman randomly picks a person from the phone book in a randomly selected town around the world and does a story about them. Gleaned from the same idea he had several years ago when he tested the idea in towns around America, this time he ups the risk factor and sets out to meet people around the globe.
If you have some time this afternoon, 12 minutes, it’s absolutely worth the watch. These three wonderful vignettes, from India, Latvia, and Oman, are guaranteed to make your world a little smaller and your day a little brighter.
Video after the jump…
Dream...
The travel consultants currently employed at AirTreks have a vast pool of travel experience. Today we start a new series entitled “Your Agent’s Dream Trip” conceived to bring the readers of this blog planning suggestions and possibly some dreams of their own.
The question was put to the travel consultants, “without having to state your reasons, and if cost was of no importance, what would be your dream around-the-world trip in 10 stops or less.”
If you’ve never been to Switzerland, here’s your reason to go – and it’s not for fondue.
Celebrating 80 high-altitude years, the Glacier Express gives riders the Swiss alps, on a platter. Even if you’re normally put off by enterprises set up solely for the tourist, the passage will probably impress you. It’s hard not to be humbled by a majestic mountain landscape no matter where it is. Dramatic, steep, snow-covered and picture perfect.
Not an “express” in the formal sense of the world, the train takes passengers from the foot of the Matterhorn in Zermatt to the Engadin ski resort in St Moritz in about 7 and a half hours, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels in the meantime and vaulting over the Oberalp Pass at 6,670 feet.
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