Vacations & Holiday News

Mark Smith, also known as The Man in Seat 61, is iconic in European travelers’ circles for developing his incredibly comprehensive website, www.seat61.com. This site started as a kind of personal database explaining in a straightforward way how to travel by train anywhere in Europe, and now beyond as well. Smith’s personal preference for seat number 61 on the Eurostar train started the phenomenon and the website is the perfect first stop for anyone contemplating a rail journey.

The book version of The Man in Seat 61 is arranged in two parts. The first contains several chapters of general tips for train travel in Europe, including information about buying tickets and the various options for rail passes.

The second section looks at the possibilities for train travel in Europe country by country. Each country chapter typically provides information on useful websites, connections for reaching the country by train from Britain, and information on traveling by train within that country too.

This book is perhaps a useful starting point, but in some ways it’s also a step backwards from the Seat 61 website. For bedtime reading when you’re planning a trip, this book has its place as a general inspiration and guide, but for the up-to-date information and more detailed country-specific tips and tricks, the original www.seat61.com website will always be superior.

a

The Man in Seat 61 is Now A Book

Excerpted from:
The Man in Seat 61 is Now A Book

photo credit: greg westfall

If you want to get through the airport faster and with more ease, use the following travel tips to help you breeze right through, saving both time and hassle.

Dress the part. Avoid wearing metal at all, even underwire bras, as you’ll be either asked to take off the metal item or be pushed aside for a more thorough pat down.

Take it off. Get ready to take off your coat and shoes. This is just the way it is now and arguing with the security guards isn’t going to change a thing. Get ready for the security check and wear clothing that can be quickly doffed and donned.

Be prepared. Have your boarding pass and identification handy and ready to show anyone who asks. If you’re traveling abroad, keep that passport just as accessible.

photo credit: Joshua Davis (jdavis.info)

Organize your carry on. A clear x-ray needs to be taken of your carry on bag and if the security personnel cannot see everything they’ll have to open your bag and go through it manually.

3-1-1 Rule. The airline restricts fluids that can be carried on a plane the rule is only 3 ounce bottles or smaller, stored in one clear zip-top 1 quart bag, and one bag per person.

These flight tips should have your breezing through security and on your flight as quickly as possible. Just remember they’re doing their job and ultimately their goal is everybody’s safety.

photo credit: kainet

photo credit: frischmilch

a

Airport Travel Tips

View original post here:
Airport Travel Tips

I just found out that a tornado hit Southern California. They are saying that the earthquake had a “magnitude of 5.8,” according to the Atlanta Journal. The Atlanta Journal also reported that some people were evacuated. We don’t know if there was any damage yet.

Read more here:
Tornado Hit Southern California

The United States will soon have a fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Travelers who are coming to the U.S. from one of the 27 waivers countries which don’t need a visa to fly to the States will have to fill out an online form about their health and criminal background starting January 12, 2009. The form can be filled out by travelers online anytime before their departure date, but it’s encouraged to be at least three days before traveling.

The 27 waiver countries include:

Andorra
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Brunei
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
San Marino
Singapore
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

Though the requirement doesn’t go into effect until January, the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form will begin a testing phase this Friday, August 1, 2008.

The online form is currently free, but it is unknown if that will change in the future. Travelers will be asked questions about contagious diseases, mental disorders, physical conditions, drug abuse, criminal convictions, and if they have been involved in spying, terrorist activities or genocide. The answers will determine whether the applicant is eligible to travel under the VWP and whether the traveler poses a law enforcement or security risk.

Once the form is completed online, authorization will be given immediately in most cases and the permit will be good for two years.

The European Commission will be monitoring the test phase to make sure its not actual a faux visa in disguise. The commission expect to give a report about the ESTA in November.

a

Electronic System for Travel Authorization to U.S. to Begin Testing

Continued here:
Electronic System for Travel Authorization to U.S. to Begin Testing

The Eiffel Tower

Who can picture Paris without the Eiffel Tower? Yet when the tower was built in 1889, no one thought it would be around for this long.

Originally built as the main entrance for the 1889 World’s Fair, designer Gustav Eiffel could only get a 20-year permit for the structure. At the time, many thought it was an eyesore that clashed with traditional Paris architecture. By 1909 there were calls to tear it down. Yet the tower survived to become a symbol of Paris.

Eiffel approached the military in 1901 with a view to making the Tower into a long-distance radio antenna. In 1903 a radio connection was made with the military bases around Paris, and a permanent radio station was installed in the Tower in 1906, ensuring its continuing survival.

The Eiffel Tower is 1,050 feet high; it was the tallest structure in the world until 1930 when the Empire State Building took over that distinction. The tower is made from an exposed criss cross lattice work of iron beams weighing 7,000 tons. The lower platform rests on 4 legs that curve outward, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the tower.

The Tower has to be painted every seven years to protect the iron from deterioration. It has changed color several times before settling on the bronze shade of today.It takes 15 months, 50 tons of paint, 50 kilometers of security cords, 5 acres of protection netting, 1,500 brushes, 5,000 sanding disks, 1,500 sets of work clothes and 25 painters to paint the Tower from top to bottom.

The Eiffel Tower Lit Up at Night

The tower is open daily to visitors from 9 am to midnight, June 13 to August 31 and from 9 am to 11 pm January to June. Through April 3, 2009 it costs 12,00 € for adults and 6,70 € for children to take the elevator to all three levels of the tower. Group rates are also available. Be prepared for long lines. Mornings are probably the least busy time to visit.

At the base of the tower you’ll find ticket booths, souvenir shops and a snack bar. Be sure to look up before going in; it’s hard to grasp the scale of the structure until you are standing under it.

You can walk as far as the second level– it’s a workout with more than 700 stairs but it may help you bypass at least some of the queue. At every landing, there is a little placard detailing an event in Eiffel Tower history.

Once you’ve reached the upper platforms of the Tower, you can walk around and admire the view, with of Paris at your feet. You’ll find both an outer and an inner walkway to stroll. A 360-degree panoramic photo allows you to identify the city’s landmarks. You’ll find information displays and exhibits on each level detailing the history of the tower. Allow plenty of time during your visit to see them.

The Eiffel tower is even more impressive at night when it is illuminated. On summer nights, the Place du Trocadero is a great place to see the Eiffel Tower lit up. Another fantastic place to view the entire tower is from the top of the Montparnasse Tower. You can also take a cruise down the Seine and see the Eiffel Tower from the water.

If you’re looking for a lasting Parisian memory, try having lunch or dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant, located on the second level. The brainchild of renowned chef Alain Ducasse, the restaurant serves fine French cuisine. It’s an expensive restaurant: about $108 for lunch and $216 for dinner, without wine. Known for its romantic views over Paris, you will pay a lot for this meal, but you will also probably never forget it. The Jules Verne is served by a private elevator – you must have a reservation to go up.

Another restaurant, Altitude 95, is on the first level. Its prices are more down to earth as is the food and the atmosphere.

photo credit: peter.macdonald

photo credit: flickrusertest1t

a

Visiting the Eiffel Tower

Go here to read the rest:
Visiting the Eiffel Tower