Browsing: planning

I’m worried about Johannesburg. It’s getting a reputation that really isn’t doing us much good.
If we carry on like this, our image as a dirty, violent and gangster-ridden city will no longer fool anybody. Everyone will see that’s just tough talk designed to scare away the tourists and keep the city to ourselves.
In the old days, tourists were advised that Joburg was best approached with caution and locked car doors. In fact, it …

Now you and your pet can take a European vacation together as several North American and European carriers are offering a Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) whereby pets and their owners can journey together.

Your pet checks in with you at the passenger terminal and rejoins you on arrival at the baggage hall at the destination airport. Pets are loaded aboard into the cargo hold, directly below the passenger cabin. This hold is temperature controlled and …

Heading northwest, towards the Mozambique border, we left Wonderboom Airport (near Pretoria) via a chartered Cessna. Ninety minutes later we arrived at Cheetah Plains, a privately owned game reserve located within the 65,000 hectare Sabi Sands reserve, which itself shares a 50km border the Kruger National Park. Sabi Sands is world renowned for Super Seven* viewing, with Cheetah Plains the hot spot for Big Cats. There are no dividing fences, which sees game moving freely …

Do you want to save money when you travel? Of course you do. But how far are you willing to go to do so? If you’re truly motivated to stick to a tight budget – to let the experience and spirit of a destination override the importance of vintage wine during dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant – then these tips below are for you.

BEFORE YOU GO

First time at a Waldorf. Expectations: High. I admit it. My girlfriend—a 5-star hotel connoisseur, same as me—has stayed there two other times, and she’s been raving about it. It’s nearly a 5-hour drive from Miami, so when we pull up, we are expecting to be in front of the beachside pool in about ten minutes. Instead, we wait in a valet line for fifteen. OK, I get it. It’s Friday evening, around 6pm, and …

Beyond the historic handelskade lies an island full of surprises!

Chances are good if you have ever looked up the Caribbean island of Curacao, you would have seen a photo similar to this one above- a rainbow of restored 18th century Dutch colonial buildings lining the harbor. It’s certainly this island’s most famous landmark in its capital city of Willemstad. They call it the “handelskade”- meaning waterfront harbor- and  it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. …

As part of a larger seven-month trip around the world, my boyfriend and I knew we wanted to complete an African safari somewhere along the way. But where? How? I wondered where to start and how to budget for something like this.

Like many travelers, I started at a travel agent, collecting glossy brochures of U.S. based tour companies specializing in safaris. Mesmerized by the photos of zebras and lions, we started making a list …

Amsterdam is the greatest small city in the world. It overflows with character, 17th century merchant houses and distinctive canals who themselves are listed as a World Heritage.

It’s impossible to escape the city’s history, like that of the quietly elegant De L’Europe, built in the 1800s on the banks of the Amstel River in the heart of Amsterdam’s canal area. Owned by Heineken International, who recently gave it a $83-million facelift, De L’Europe is …

Have you ever noticed that despite being a spiritual person—or a good person—it all goes out the window when you hit that airport security line? Perhaps that’s what airports were designed for; to test your spiritual mettle.

I travel. A lot. So on my overseas trip of nearly 30 hours in the air, I created these quick tips to keep your sanity, and maybe a little bit of your spiritual practice, intact:

Act As If

The golden years are a good time for people to travel. Families are grown, so seniors don’t have to plan their vacations around school holidays. Retired from the nine-to-five work grind, seniors don’t have to limit their vacations to just two weeks a year. They can go whenever they want for as long as they want.

One of the best parts about traveling at this age is the number of discounts available for senior citizens: …

If you’re looking for cosmopolitan urban culture or beautiful buildings, Port Elizabeth won’t be your first choice for a South African holiday destination. It’s a busy yet relatively crime-free industrial city (important to the South African motor industry) that marks the eastern end of the Garden Route. Although the city has been ravaged by industrialization and thoughtless modernization, one or two buildings do stand out in an otherwise featureless city centre. Thankfully, a couple of …

Dear Airline Industry,

The time has come for you to start listening to travelers’ concerns. Not just hearing, but actually listening.

I have many years of personal and professional experience in the travel industry. My father was a pilot for a major U.S. carrier and my brother currently flies for another major U.S airline. I was raised around planes, understanding from a very young age about respecting other passengers, the flight crew, and airline representatives. …

Wales is a place that’s impossible to dislike. Tucked away on the west side of Britain, Wales marches to the beat of its own drum — one packed with Celtic lore, friendly faces and a unique identity all its own. The people of Wales — wry, welcoming and incessantly warm — are perhaps the country’s strongest selling point. But behind these warmhearted souls is a land full of charm, history and culinary delights. Animal lovers …