Ten things to know about your destination before you go

by Meg Nesterov on

So you’ve chosen your vacation destination – booked the tickets, agonized over TripAdvisor to find a hotel, and bought the guidebooks or downloaded the apps. Whether you like to plan your itinerary in advance or play it by ear, there are a few things you should research in advance to make your arrival – and your trip – go smoothly.

From airport taxis to local laws to transit passes, what should you know before you go?

  1. Best way from the airport to the city – This should be your first order of business – figuring out the most efficient and/or least expensive way to get to your hotel before you find yourself being hounded by taxi touts at baggage claim or standing in the rain waiting for a bus that comes every two hours. London’s Heathrow Express is a great compromise between an exorbitant taxi ride and a long Tube ride with transfers, but other cities may have cheap cab fares (find out approximately what you should pay before you get in the car) or excellent public transportation systems connecting with the airport. Check out any guidebook or the Getting In section of a Wikitravel article for the best info and check if your hotel offers pick up service for a good value.
  2. How much cash to start with and in what denominations – Now that you know how to get to your hotel, you’ll need cash to pay for your transfer. No matter what the exchange rate, you should find out how much money to withdraw from the ATM or exchange at the airport (note: most airports in the world have ATMs and will give you a better value than exchanging currency, but it never hurts to have some backup cash). Lonely Planet‘s Cost Index is great for determining about how much cash will cover a taxi ride, a meal or two, and other expenses for your first day or so. Some countries will give you large bills that are hard to break – try entering an odd amount like 130 to get some smaller bills or visit a newsstand to get change.
  3. What’s the tipping culture – So you’re in the taxi, cash in hand to pay the driver, do you tip? In many countries, like Turkey, people don’t generally tip taxi drivers, perhaps rounding up to the nearest lira or two, so a 38 TL fare would cost 40 TL (taxi drivers here are so loathe to give change they may eat the cost of a 52 TL fare and give you change for the 50). Likewise for restaurants and cafes, 10% is standard in many places outside of the US and often included in the bill. I’ll never forget leaving a 20% tip on top of an included 10% in a London bar – the waitress was thrilled but I felt like a fool. Figure out what’s appropriate and do as the locals do to avoid stiffing or overcompensating for service.
  4. A few key phrases in the local language – This is a necessity in some countries, and always a courtesy to know a few words of a foreign language. “Please” and “thank you” and “where is the bathroom?” will always be useful, and “two beers,” “another one” and “check” will usually result in good things.
  5. When to leave for the airport when you depart – It’s hard to think about going home when you’re enjoying vacation, but knowing how much time to allow for your departure can help you to maximize your last day. While your airline might tell you how far in advance to arrive, better to ask someone who really knows how long to budget, like your hotel concierge. A Lisbon hotel front desk clerk once saved me several hours waiting at the airport by letting me know the recommended three hours before check-in was overkill.
  6. What’s legal – Learning about the local laws can save you headaches and money. I just discovered that in Warsaw, jaywalking is illegal and punishable by a 50 zl fine, hence why all the residents wait patiently at crosswalks for the light to change. In some cities, it’s fine to bring a bottle of wine or beer into a park for a picnic, but in others, public drinking can get you fined. Knowing what’s legal can also help you avoid (or seek out, depending on your proclivities) potential danger areas such as red light districts. Wikitravel is good at listing info on local laws and dangers.
  7. What days museums are free or discounted – Visiting a museum on a free day might allow you to see something you’d otherwise miss due to the admission price, and free nights are often packed with locals and fun events. Find out what days you can get free to help plan your itinerary. Rick Steves’ guides always have a good summary of free (as well as closed) days.
  8. The real value of a transit or tourist pass – Many cities have a museum or tourist card that you can purchase to get free admission at many sites for a set time. But before you invest in a pass, check out if you really want to go to the included places (cheesy sights like wax musuems are invariably included) and if you’d have enough time to really enjoy visiting them all. Similarly, public transportation passes can be great in a city like New York, where a Metrocard can save you time and money, but if you prefer to walk or cab around town, you might skip it. The single best deal I’ve found is the Japan rail pass, which must be purchased in your home country, and gives free or discounted access to public transit and many of the country’s awesome bullet trains.
  9. Where to get help if you need it – I used to think registering with the U.S. Department of State when traveling abroad was a bit silly but a friend at the embassy in Istanbul stressed how important it is in case of a disaster in locating citizens, as well as to help Americans abroad in trouble. Leave your travel details with friends back home, carry the contact details for your embassy and credit cards and check your insurance policy for coverage away from home.
  10. Can’t-miss tips from locals and travelers – Here’s where social media can really help you have a great vacation – before departure, ask your travel-savvy friends on Facebook and Twitter what their don’t-miss recommendations are for what to see or where to eat. Even if they are well-known attractions, having a tip from someone who’s been there will help you prioritize. You can always ask us at Gadling, chances are one of us has been there and can provide recommendations – just post to our Facebook page or send us a tweet @Gadling.

Other tips you’ve found handy to know in advance? Leave us yours in the comments.

80 gigapixel London panorama breaks city photo record

by Scott Carmichael on

What you see above is the result of an 80 gigapixel panaormic photo of London. The photo was shot in the summer of 2010 from the top of the Centre Point building.

Using 7886 individual images, the creator turned them into a single image. If you look closely at the right image, you’ll barely make out the London Eye – the image on the left if what you see of the London Eye when you zoom all the way in. This shows just how much detail was captured in the picture.

Go ahead and head on over to the site and spend some time browsing your way through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Other panorama photos we’ve covered in the past include Prague (18 gigapixels), Paris (26 gigapixels), Dubai (45 gigapixels) and Budapest (70 gigapixels).

[Photo from 360Cities.net / Jeffrey Martin]

Airplane food with a luxurious twist: Lufthansa, Ritz-Carlton team up for in-flight entrees

by Melanie Nayer on

You’re used to fine dining in luxury hotels, but is it possible for fine dining to take place in-flight? First-class travelers are no stranger to white tablecloth service at 38,000-feet – hot meals replace boxed sandwiches and bags of peanuts; wine is served instead of the half a can of Coke you get in coach. Now, a new trend is taking place up in the air – hotels are partnering with airlines to create in-flight meals prepared by top Michelin-starred chefs that represent local flavors in top markets.

Case in point: Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa.

The luxury hotel group and the German airline have been in partnership for over a year, but recent changes to the airplane food menu mean not only a decent meal, but an impressive marketing campaign. The unique partnership between Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa gives guests flying in premium seats specially-created dishes by award-winning chefs from various Ritz-Carlton hotels, which in turn keeps the hotels top of mind to flyers.

Chef Bernd Schmitt of LSG Sky Chef team works directly with Ritz-Carlton chefs to create and deliver the unique in-flight meals. Denver, Laguna Nigel, New York City, Boston, and San Francisco hotels have already been presented, and now South Beach joins the mix, added a little Latin flare to the in-flight fun. The Miami in-flight menu features everything from black bean soup and queso fresco to sautéed snapper, spiced tomato “enchilado”, and pepper and tomato “sofrito” stew.The program has been so successful for domestic hotels, Ritz-Carlton tells me they are planning to introduce menus created by chef’s in international markets.

“This past July, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company expanded its relationship with Lufthansa’s Star Chefs program. Specifically, our hotel and chef in Shanghai has developed First and Business Class menus for flights to and from Germany to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou,” said Victoria Gottlieb, Director, Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC. “Asia is a critical region of growth for the Ritz-Carlton so we are very happy to have such a strong presence in Lufthansa’s Asia flight network.”

The menus, which will be created by chefs from The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, will be on board for 12-months. Lufthansa’s own sommelier, Markus Del Monego, will consult with the Ritz-Carlton chefs to create a wine list that marries the flavors of the food with the best global vintages.

What pairs well with spiced ceviche, duck confit, sherry vinaigrette; a vegetarian plate of seared watermelon, and goat cheese mousse with a Banyuls glaze and crushed pistachio nuts? That’s for the airline and hotel to figure out. In the meantime, the collaboration between Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa leaves premium-seat flyers satisfied, and keeps the concept of good food and experience top of mind in-flight.

We want to know what you think: Would you be more inclined to visit a hotel after tasting the chef’s in-flight creations on a flight?

Ryanair passengers stage sit-down strike

by Sean McLachlan on

What would travel bloggers do without Ryanair? From trying to get rid of co-pilots to arresting passengers for complaining about the sandwiches, the budget airline provides endless grist for our mill.

Yesterday more than a hundred passengers refused to leave their plane after their Ryanair flight from Fez, Morocco, to Beauvais, France, was diverted to Belgium. It was one of four Ryanair flights diverted to Liege due to foggy conditions in France. Passengers were offered a bus to their final destination, a journey of 225 miles. While passengers in three of the planes agreed to go, those in the fourth flight refused, insisting to be flown there instead. The flight had departed Fez three hours late and landed in Liege at 11:30 PM. The passengers didn’t leave the plane until 3:30 in the morning to catch a 4:30 AM bus home.

That’s the story both sides agree on. Beyond this, there are two stories. Passengers say they were then abandoned by the crew, who even left the cockpit open, and were not given any water for several hours. The toilets were also locked.

Ryanair said the crew stayed for an hour and only left when some passengers got disruptive. They also say that they would have gotten an earlier bus if they had agreed to leave.

[Photo courtesy user Yap S S via Gadling’s flickr pool]

Roman village discovered in London suburb

by Sean McLachlan on


Archaeologists working in the west London suburb of Brentford have discovered a Roman village.

The 2,000 year-old village was along a road leading out of London (called Londinium back then) to Silchester, another Roman settlement. Archaeologists found several houses, a stretch of the original road, plus numerous burials and artifacts. The site is located on the grounds of Syon House, the stately home of the Duke of Northumberland.

This isn’t the first find on the Duke’s property. For the past six years an archaeology team has been excavating a medieval abbey there.

The excavation that found the Roman site was done to clear the way for a new Waldorf Astoria hotel. Some of the artifacts will be on display at the hotel once it opens later this year.

Despite being a massive city that’s been built, burned, rebuilt, bombed, and rebuilt again, London has managed to retain some remnants of its Roman past. A mithraeum, a temple dedicated to the god Mithras, is right downtown at the corner of Queen St. and Queen Victoria St., as you can see in the above picture. There are stretches of Roman wall nearby and an excellent display of artifacts in the Museum of London.

Strangely, the announcement of this discovery came at the same time as an announcement by Egyptologists of a discovery of a sphinx-lined road under an apartment complex in Luxor, Egypt. Makes you wonder what’s underneath your basement.