Clark Norton
According to reports, an unruly passenger who recently forced an American Airlines pilot to return to Miami en route to London was sitting in first class.
In this timely post, Contributing Writer Bob Waite offers his perspective on encountering rude behavior in the premium seats and check-in lines.
It’s happening more and more often — the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration investigated three times as many unruly passenger events in 2021 as in any of the previous 25 years. And just because someone is sitting in first class, doesn’t necessarily mean they exhibit first-class behavior.
By Bob Waite
Is it just me, or do the airlines bring out the worst in people?
The other day I was at the Air Canada counter in Toronto checking in for a flight to Honolulu.
Suddenly, there was a commotion to my right. A man of middle-age and middle-girth was having a tantrum worthy of… Continue reading
Several years ago I wrote about the Mediterranean island nation of Malta offering citizenship and a passport to most anyone willing to pony up US$850,000 for the privilege.
Malta’s potential clients included Americans eager to move to and/or travel freely among the European Union (EU) nations and many other countries, some of which might not welcome US travelers.
But the first nation to offer citizenship and passports for sale was the Caribbean dual-island state of St. Kitts and Nevis (more formally, the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis), way back in 1984.
Best known for its beaches, mountains, and tropical atmosphere — as well as the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton in Nevis — the Leeward Islands’ destination is the smallest nation in the Americas, both in size and population. An 18-mile scenic railway circles the entire island of St. Kitts (Nevis is even smaller), and Vervet monkeys are said to… Continue reading
By Bob Waite
There are tragedies far more consequential than the inability of a travel writer to travel.
It’s just that I can’t think of any at the moment.
My travels ended in late January 2020. As related on this site, I visited Japan, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The month prior I had been in China.
Then the world shut down.
Subsequent planned trips to France, Jordan, Israel, Ecuador, and Panama were all postponed or cancelled. My travel was largely confined to trips to the kitchen for subsistence; to my office to teach my college students remotely; or to the family room to watch sporting events or movies.
The highlight during this period of enforced stasis was the rearrangement of the condiments in our fridge alphabetically, A-Z. And then reversing them.
But — Omicron variant permitting — brighter days have arrived. I have begun traveling again… Continue reading
Here are some of the travel books I’ve been reading the past few months, any of which would make a nice gift for the hodophile among your family, friends, colleagues — or for yourself, of course.
They’re selected to get those travel juices flowing again (if they aren’t already).
The Road Trip Survival Guide
By Rob Taylor (Tiller Press, 2021)
Even as the Covid epidemic was dealing severe blows to airline, cruise, and international travel, domestic road trips were zooming in popularity in 2020-21, making this practical yet enjoyably written guide a timely read.
Penned in a folksy style, Rob Taylor encourages readers to “explore at their own speed” and modify his suggestions as needed to fit their own circumstances.
That said, just about any road-tripper (novice or experienced) can find loads of tips within these pages. Divided into five sections — Planning, Packing, Road Trip Food, Safety, and… Continue reading
Here are the answers to our previous post, A Ghoulish Halloween Travel Quiz.
1. If you want to visit the countries where Halloween originated, where would you go?
a. Romania and Bulgaria
b. Germany and France
c. Ireland and Scotland
d. Hungary and Slovakia
The correct answer is C, Ireland and Scotland. Halloween has its roots in ancient Celtic myths, and modern-day American Halloween traditions evolved from those brought by 19th-century Irish immigrants to the U.S.
2. Where would you find the world’s longest, deepest haunted “house”?
a. Lewisburg, Ohio
b. Rapid City, South Dakota
c. Blackfoot, Idaho
d. Lexington, Kentucky
The correct answer is A, Lewisburg, Ohio. The haunted “house” is actually located in a 3,500-foot-long cave located some 80 feet underground, complete with thousands of bats.
3. What European castle is said to have inspired Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula?
a. Neuschwanstein, Germany… Continue reading
If you’re looking to expand your Halloween fun beyond handing out candy to trick-or-treaters or dressing up like ex-presidents at costume parties, take our Halloween travel quiz. You might even pick up an idea or two for your next ghoulish holiday.
Some questions are easy, some are harder — but we’re betting you don’t stand a ghost of a chance of getting all the answers right without ghoulgling!
1. If you want to visit the countries where Halloween originated, where would you go?
a. Romania and Bulgaria
b. Germany and France
c. Ireland and Scotland
d. Hungary and Slovakia
2. Where would you find the world’s longest, deepest haunted “house”?
a. Lewisburg, Ohio
b. Rapid City, South Dakota
c. Blackfoot, Idaho
d. Lexington, Kentucky
3. What European castle is said to have inspired Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula?
a. Neuschwanstein, Germany
b. Bran Castle, Romania
c.… Continue reading
By Bob Waite
Ottawa – On August 9, 2021, Canada began allowing entry to American citizens and permanent residents currently residing in the United States who have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days prior to entering the country.
The United States, on the other hand, has yet to reciprocate. Canadians continue to be barred from crossing the land border. This despite the fact that Canadian vaccination rates are significantly higher than those of their American counterparts.
So what gives?
In a word, politics.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the border opening not long before calling an election. There seems little doubt that he heeded calls from the tourist and hospitality industries to open things up before the summer slipped completely away.
Politics was also undoubtedly behind the American decision to keep the border shut tight – although it is impossible to get an official U.S. government spokesperson to… Continue reading
The best part of planning for retirement is imagining yourself in your new lifestyle — Including having the freedom to travel.
By Rick Pendykoski
According to the 19th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey, two-thirds of American workers spend heavily on travel in their first year of retirement. Many plan to travel abroad, while others may want to retire overseas. (Take a look at this abroad retirement checklist to see if the expat life is financially right for you.)
But even if you come up short on that checklist, you can still travel affordably in retirement. The key is proper planning. Here is a seven-step guide to follow:
Set Your Goals & Make a Bucket List
Spend some time thinking about your retirement goals. Those who plan for retirement are more likely to find a happy retired life than those who don’t.
Get into as many details as possible, and list the… Continue reading
I confess — other than Latin, I was never very good about picking up foreign languages (and alas, speaking Latin won’t get you too far these days).
I used to joke that I could say the word for “beer” in 18 languages, especially since some of them were variations of the word “beer.” And even I couldn’t forget how to say cerveza. (I was also fluent in vino and café.)
I have been able to draw on my somewhat less-than-stellar performance as a French student in high school and college and, during months of travel in Spain, learned enough, among other necessities, to ask for the hombres room after drinking too much cerveza.
All this is to say that I wish I had absorbed more of the local languages while traveling, especially in my younger days, since so many people around the world now speak English that it’s… Continue reading
In Part I of Two Boomers, One Bike, Ken and Francie Gass — married 43 years and both celebrating 70-something birthdays in 2021 — detailed the training, equipment, and teamwork required to complete a six-week cross-country trip on a tandem bicycle.
The trip tested their fitness, stamina, and trust in each other.
While their bike (which they dubbed the Momentous Green Goddess) was well equipped to survive an arduous road trip across the Southern Tier of the U.S., the intrepid couple still faced an obstacle course of steep hills, bumpy roads, strong crosswinds and headwinds, and saddle sores as they pedaled from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida.
Here’s Part II of their epic journey:
By Ken and Francie Gass
While we had trained exhaustively for a year before setting out and enjoyed a fully supported six-week trip organized by Cycle of Life Adventures — which provided food and… Continue reading
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