Strange People You Meet at Airports

It's a well-documented phenomenon that we're not at our best at airports. We're tired, hungry, irritated and disoriented. When I'm on marathon flights I have trouble remembering what country I'm in!

With all this in mind, it's no wonder most of us don't look our best. It's easy to spot someone on a long-haul trip like the poor woman above, but it still looks strange. I once sat for an hour in Paris CDG with my head nodding like a crazy person because I was travelling alone and desperate trying to stay awake.

And really, who takes the time to dress their best? Yes I'm out in public, but I'm not ashamed to wear my yoga pants and a hooded sweatshirt if it means I'm warm and comfortable.

Nothing but sympathy.

Best and Worst Hotels for Wi-Fi

If there's one thing that we always have to worry about when travelling, it's internet connectivity. While hotels seem to have standardised most amenities (you can pretty much assume you'll have a bed, tv, phone and bathroom), 21st-century needs are tacked on with enormous charges, or sometimes not catered to at all.

A friend who travelled often for work would keep a running tally of how much he paid for in-room internet, and the results were all over the map. At some hotels he basked in the glory of free wi-fi, others charged him up to $20 a day for ADSL connections, and still others simply sent him to hotel hell: the business centre.

With travellers adding gadgets like smart phones, laptops and tablets to their electronic arsenal, free wi-fi has become a near-universal demand in travel. Hopefully hotels will get the message soon.

HotelChatter.com has put together a guide to the best and worst hotel chains for wi-fi.

The best? Hotel Indigo for InterContinental Hotels (free) and Kimpton Hotels (free when you join their free loyalty club).

The worst? Marriott Flagship Hotels (the only Marriott hotels where you have to pay) and W Hotels ($14.95 per day).

Read the rest of the report, which includes city wi-fi reports and international hotels, on HotelChatter.com.

Image from here.

Walking Tours with the Homeless

Tour operators often go out of the way to show you the best of the city you're visiting. They want you to fall in love with it, so they leave out the seedy bits.

And let's face it, that's exactly what most tourists want. They're on holiday, and they don't want to have to think too much about crime, poverty, and other social issues.

But a company in London is turning that on its head. Unseen Tours is offering walking tours of London conducted by the homeless. The guides are fully trained, and the tours offer an opportunity to get a unique perspective on London, as they weave in their own experiences.

The tours are conducted at 7pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. Find more info on their website.

Would you go on a walking tour conducted by a homeless person? Have you? Let us know!

Image from here.

Justin Bieber Schooled by Qantas!

It's silly, it's stupid, it's barely travel-related, but nonetheless it is making news that Justin Bieber has joined the ranks of celebrities who behave like jerks on airplanes.

The normally squeaky-clean teen heartthrob was told by a Qantas flight attendant that she was treating him like a child because he was acting like one.

Read the full story here.

Snow Monsters of Japan

A truly curious phenomenon, the 'snow monsters of Japan' are trees covered in snow and rime ice that can be found on the forested mountains of Japan. A unique and whimsical photo opportunity, the snow monsters are popular with tourists.

More fantastic photos here.

Cheap Flights Song

This hilarious song chronicles the attempts of three women to find cheap flights to their friend's wedding.

It's a great round-up of the woes of unbundled fees... a little dig at Ryanair perhaps?

Time-Lapse Flight Photography

A man flying from San Francisco to Paris found he had an entire row to himself, and took advantage of this by setting up his camera to take photos out the window every two minutes. The result can be found here in a beautiful time-lapse video of the flight.

Be sure to watch around 1:00 when the Northern Lights appear somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean!

What Cruise Ship Employees Want You to Know

Many 20-somethings head off to cruise ships in search of adventure, romance, and a little cash. What they get is not often what they expect, though. Life working on a cruise ship is far from glamorous, and there is much that gets hidden from passengers' view.

Here's a taste of the truth from someone who worked as a musician on cruise ships for 11 years, letting you know what cruise ship employees want you to know:

What are your living conditions like?

Living conditions are... bearable. You are on a ship, so space is at a premium. Most of the crew live below decks, sometimes four to a small cabin, and occasionally with a shared bathroom. The officer and guest entertainer cabins are fairly spacious—usually featuring a porthole and a double bed. Generally, for staff (musicians, casino workers, cruise staff, boutique workers, etc.) it's two to an inside (i.e. no porthole) cabin. The cabin is functional—bunk beds, desk, and a bathroom. On some cruise lines, the staff have "deck privileges" (i.e., they're free to be in passenger areas when off-duty), which means they're not obliged to return to their cabin or crew areas after work. On other lines, not.

What’s staff members’ biggest gripe about passengers?

I suppose the biggest gripe of any crew member would be the occasional passenger's attitude. By and large, passengers are very sweet, and are polite and considerate.

Unfortunately, you also get the ones with the attitude "I paid for this cruise, and this is now my ship!" These passengers can be very abrasive, arrogant, and rude, but they are more the exception than the rule.

I wouldn't say we 'make fun' of passengers, but it's hard not to laugh at a lot of passenger "bon mots." Such as:

"What time does the midnight buffet start?"

"Does this elevator go to the front of the ship?"

"Do these stairs go up or down?"

In Greece: "Why did they build so many ruins?"

Also in Greece: "Nobody here spoke English!"

In Turkey: "They don't take American money here!"

"I love France. That's in Spain, isn't it?"

What piece of advice would you give someone taking a cruise for the first time?

Make sure you choose a cruise line appropriate to your demographic. Sometimes young passengers are uncomfortable with the activities and entertainment of a line that caters to an older crowd, and vice versa. And do say "please" and "thank you" to the crew. They work very hard for you!

Read the rest at Travelpost.com.

Image, and more about working on cruise ships, from CorinneWyatt123.com.

Richard Simmons' Viral Air New Zealand Video

Everyone has seen the pre-flight safety video a hundred times, so no one really pays attention unless they're a first-time flyer. In an effort to make it more interesting for veteran passengers, Air New Zealand got mad fitness guru Richard Simmons to star in theirs. The video has now gone viral, with nearly two million hits in three days.

You can watch it here. Don't miss the cameos by Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan at 1:20 and New Zealand tv presenter Paul Henry at 2:30!

Does Your Hotel Have Bedbugs?

The last thing anyone wants is a great night's sleep in a beautiful hotel, only to wake up covered in itchy red blotches. Yuck! The recent bedbug crisis in New York City has many travellers worried that they'll be unknowingly sharing their pricey hotel room with unwanted bedmates.

So before you book a hotel in the US or Canada, check it against the

Bed Bug Registry, where previous guests can report incidents of bed bugs.

If you do end up with being bitten, the best thing you can do is apply an antiseptic cream. There are natural remedies for bedbug bites using herbs like lavender, mint, and black walnut; and applying ice can help to calm the itchiness.

Remember to wrap your luggage and clothing in plastic bags and leave them in the sun for a couple of days to prevent hitch hikers, as bed bugs can't endure extreme heat.

Image from here.

Inspired by Iceland

Now this is how you promote a country. Check out this great video from Inspired by Iceland.

Congo Safari Blog

You can write a blog about your day in Paris, or your week in China, but if you're doing a hard slog straight through the heart of the Congo it takes a few more words.

Belgian travellers Josephine and Frederik (pictured above) did just that when they drive their Landcruiser from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. They chronicled the journey on this forum thread, and it makes a fascinating read with tales of breakdowns, endless bribe attempts, paperwork and permits, and locals they encountered, all with a tireless enthusiasm and a much-needed sense of humour!

It's 79 pages long, but worth a read!

5 Surprising things that are illegal in other countries

Over the weekend, a rather dim Canadian tourist was arrested in Berlin. His crime? Giving the Nazi salute while posing for a photo in front of the Reichstag. While he had to know that his pose was in poor taste, it's true that most tourists don't know that it is illegal to do the salute in Germany.

It pays to do a little research before you visit another country, or you may find yourself in a lot of trouble for something you didn't know was banned. The website DumbLaws.com has some rather funny examples, but there are a few that you might want to know about. Here's our list of 5 surprising things that are illegal in other countries:

Driving a car shirtless in Thailand. If you rent a car on your holiday in Thailand, better remember to throw a top on after you leave the beach or you may find yourself in a prison uniform.

Kissing on railways in France. So much for the city of love! While I'm sure this silly law gets broken all the time, it's probably best to restrain yourself on the Paris metro. Funnily enough, it is legal to touch a woman's breasts on a train (with her consent, of course)!

Valentine's Day in Saudi Arabia. If you want to be romantic around February 14th in Riyadh, best find a non-traditional way to do it, as red roses, wrapping paper, teddy bears and hearts are removed from the shelves by authorities. Oh, and remember not to kiss or hold hands in public either.

Publicly removing bandages in Canada. We know Canadians are polite, but apparently they're also squeamish. Although maybe they do have a point... who wants to see that? Do it in private.

Flushing the toilet after 10pm in Switzerland. The Swiss just love regulating things. They have rules about when you can hang your laundry, mow the lawn, wash your car, and also flush the toilet. This law applies to anyone staying in an apartment or flat. Oh, and guys? You can't urinate while standing after 10pm either. Love to know how they enforce that one...

Photo by Stewart

Composite Photos of Tourist Attractions

Switzerland-based artist Corinne Vionnet has created some very interesting images of instantly-recognisable tourist attractions by overlaying hundreds of tourist's photos, taken from the same spot. The results are haunting: busy locations like the St Basil's Cathedral, the Taj Mahal and Tiananmen Square (above) are filled with ghostly crowds of people, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco appears to by trying to fly.

You can see the whole collection here.

Where Can You Afford to Travel?

Sometimes it can be confusing figuring out where you can afford to go, given your travel budget. Maybe your dream destination is within your grasp, or maybe not. There may be a fantastic alternative destination you hadn't considered. You wanted to go to Thailand, but have you considered the Philippines?

Wanderfly lets you search for travel destinations based on your location and budget, as well as desired activities and interests. The site is still in beta, so the hotel booking function and a few other gadgets are a bit spotty, but it's a great way to find inspiration!

Airplane Bomb Threat for Love?

It's like something out of a romantic comedy... guy meets girl, they fall in love, something happens and he decides to leave the country in order to take a job, she realises she can't live without him and races to stop him boarding the plane and disappearing forever...

Except not quite. When Grace Guajardo called in a fake bomb threat to stop her boyfriend's plane from taking off in Chile, it seemed a little less than romantic to the other 300 people on the plane. Consider that they had been living together for eight years, and that he would only be gone for a few months. Consider that he had done this many times before.

Why the sudden desperation?

Read the full article here.

How to Book a Local Flight Abroad

Let's say you're on holiday in the Netherlands and need to book a flight. You can't necessarily use the same websites you do at home, but can't get to a travel agent. Where you you go?

This site has a great list of local flight booking websites in 32 countries. It will tell you that in the Netherlands, GoedkoopsteVliegtarieven.com is the place to go, or Despegar if you're in Chile. You need never be stuck again!

Misleading Hotel Advertising

The photos on hotel websites are always (literally) picture-perfect. Beautiful sunsets, beautiful rooms, beautiful facilities, and beautiful people abound at these resorts, and paradise is just a plane ride away. Right?

Not always. Oyster.com has put together a list of pictures from hotel websites that don't quite live up to the real thing. Whether its creative cropping, enterprising angles, or good old-fashioned photoshop, these photos make you think twice!

View the list here.

Beyond Window or Aisle: Choosing Your Seat on Airplanes

Airlines these days are making us pay dearly for little pleasures like choosing our seats. It's our job, therefore, to have as much information as possible when doing that. We all know if we prefer window or aisle, but choosing a seat goes way beyond that.

For example, if you prefer a window seat for a great view of the Statue of Liberty as you fly over, you want to be sure that view isn't blocked by the wing of the plane. Or if you like an aisle seat, you want to be sure you're not too near the toilets and have people hovering over you the entire flight.

Other factors to consider vary from aircraft to aircraft. Will your flight have entertainment stations in the back of each seat, or will you be forced to crane your neck to see the screen above the aisle? Which seats have the best view of those screens?

It's also worth knowing which rows are exit rows and which are bulkhead for maximum legroom, although you may end up paying for that as well.

That's why I always check my flight on Seat Guru before I book. The site has diagrams of every aircraft, with the seats colour-coded to help you choose. You can even search for your flight and it will tell you which aircraft you'll be in.

360° Views of Norway

VisitNorway.com has an interactive 360° panoramic view of the Geiranger Fjord in Norway, which features the beautiful Seven Sisters waterfall. Through the rotating camera, you can also see The Suitor, which is the single waterfall opposite.

What isn't clear in the image, though, is the bottle-shape in the lower part of the Suitor, visible from the water. You'd turn to drink as well if you were romancing seven sisters at the same time!

Check out the view here.