Photo of the Day (11.02.08)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I really like the lighting effects in this lighthouse photo by Flickr user insEyedout. According to the tags it was taken at sunrise at the Ponce de Leon Inlet in Florida, and those first rays of light are starting to peek over the horizon. Meanwhile it’s still dark at the top and in the foreground, creating some interesting silhouettes in the palm trees and in the shadows on the fence and lighthouse. Finally, I’m most impressed because this photo was taken at sunrise, not sunset. That’s dedication to the craft! Nice work.

Have any photos you’d like to share wth our Gadling readers? Why not upload them to our Gadling pool on Flickr? It might end up as our Photo of the Day.

How tos for understanding travel promotions and other deals

by Jamie Rhein on

When finding the best travel deals the options can seem overwhelming. Sometimes the math may not add up. A supposed deal isn’t a deal at all.

Linda Zavoral’s article, originally published in San Jose’s Mercury News, outlines the vocabulary of various travel savings to help travelers make better decisions before opening their wallets.

For example, a package does not have to offer savings. All it means is that you’re purchasing more than one service bundled together.

If a hotel is offering a package deal where tickets to an attraction are connected to a room, shop around for cheaper options. Sometimes the package deal is for more expensive rooms in the hotel, and you can find inexpensive tickets to the attractions elsewhere.

When booking a tour package, Zavoral also suggests that you check the deals a travel company may offer against what you might be able to book yourself. In many cases the travel agency’s price may be cheaper because the agency is buying up blocks of airplane seats and accommodations, but check anyway.

Another saving might come from checking out various places for the cheapest hotel room rates. Find out what the cheapest available rates are by looking at the hotel’s website and other travel sites.

If a hotel says its offering a freebie like free breakfast– or some other amenity as part of a package, check to see if this is a regular offering at other times, or truly a for now only deal.

When booking a room, make sure you’re clear if the rate is per person or per room.

Also, check to see if phone booking or online booking is cheaper. Sometimes the person on the phone may not be aware of a deal. In that case, check the website. This holds true whether its a hotel, a cruise line or a tour group.

“I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated.”

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Translate fail.

In Wales, all road signs must be written in English and Welsh, but as we’ve seen before, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation. When English officials e-mailed a Welsh translator with their latest project, the response (in Welsh) came back, “I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated.” You can guess what happened next.

According to this BBC article, there have been all kinds of similar mistakes recently in Wales– mistakes that happen when native speakers don’t proofread signs before they’re made. Two more examples they cite:

  • In Cardiff, a sign for pedestrians said “Look right” in English and “Look left” in Welsh.
  • A bilingual sign for cyclists warned them, in Welsh, that they may have problems with an “inflamed bladder.”

Huh?

JetBlue includes a little extra treat in their Halloween goodie bags

by Scott Carmichael on

Halloween may be over, but please don’t let that stop us from posting one more piece of airline related Halloween news.

Kids at a Halloween party sponsored by JetBlue received an unexpected surprise in their baskets when parents discovered bags of candy tied shut with an ad containing links to an adult toy party Internet site.

The parents were naturally livid, and JetBlue has fired the employee responsible for the ad, making this the second story about fired airline employees this weekend!

I’m a bit at a loss as to how this could happen, unless the employee in question thought this was an adults only shindig. Of course, even if the bags were originally intended for the adults, I’m not sure it’s the kind of product you want to be advertising at a Halloween party.

A get rid of the winter blahs getaway-vacation for people and dogs

by Jamie Rhein on

For anyone who loves to travel with a dog companion, here’s a weekend getaway with pooch and you in mind. Camp Dogwood is offering everything to get your dog in top form after the holidays during Winter Camp, January 16-18, 2009.

To get rid of stiffness and stress, there’s the dog massage. If you dog is having “issues,” perhaps trying to tell you something and you don’t know what, there’s a session in animal communication. What about a tune-up in the trick department? Or maybe your dog is game for learning a new trick, or to do a bit more of what you want instead of doing whatever on the walks in your neighborhood. A brush up on obedience training may make both of your lives more swell.

Recognizing that a happy person can help make for a happy dog, there are people geared activities a well, such as wine-tasting, photography and arts and crafts.

The camp, located in Illinois not far from Chicago, offers cabins, shared lodging and private rooms. The Comfort Inn also has rooms available. In case you can’t swing the winter session, there is a spring session May 22-25.