French TGV operator goes kid friendly on 2 routes

by Scott Carmichael on

During the summer months, families with kids can take advantage of special kid-friendly TGV trains on their Paris-Marseille and Paris-Montpellier routes.

Once on board, kids will be entertained by characters from Disneyland Paris, and all children will receive a goodie bag. Kids will also be able to borrow portable DVD players, gaming consoles, books and comics.

In total, 4400 seats are put on sale for each train, with tickets for children under 12 going for a nice 60% off their normal price.

This is of course good news for people taking the TGV cross country with their children, but if you are traveling without kids on those trains, it may be a bit of a madhouse, unless of course you love the sound of screaming kids running up and down the aisles.

The special trains are running from July 4th till August 1st, and depart from Paris Gare de Lyon at 9:20 am and 2:16 pm, tickets are available from the SNCF website.

Ryanair: get in shape, carry your own bags

by Tom Johansmeyer on

European object of disdain low-cost carrier Ryanair is always looking for ways to save a few bucks. From pay-to-piss to the fat tax, the airline has put forth a stream of ideas that really haven’t gotten off the ground. Well, CEO Michael O’Leary has a new one to add to the list: mandatory luggage self-service.

Under this new model, passengers would carry their bags through airport security and drop them at the steps at the bottom of the plane. Turnaround times remain a concern – as they are for the fat tax. Let’s be realistic: the only people in the airport more likely to screw something up than baggage handlers are the passengers themselves.

If you spend 15 minutes staring at the menu at Sbarro and can’t figure the damned thing out, you probably shouldn’t be trusted to carry your own bags.

Bouncing Brit babes help hotels launch free nights offer

by Tom Johansmeyer on

InterContinental Hotels kicked off its biggest free nights promotion with a hell of a bounce. Around the world, the hotel chain invited people to bounce on oversized beds in an attempt to set a world record. In all, more than 20,000 bouncers bounced in Paris, New York, Shanghai and London for 16 hours.

The highlight for most was probably the presence of Olympic gymnasts at each of these locations, but it’s hard for anyone to compete with The Sun‘s famous “Page 3” models, who made an appearance at London’s Covent Garden for a bit of bouncing.

In New York, the crowed gathered in mid-town’s Bryant Park (which I walked by, but didn’t see any Page 3-caliber hotties).

Why all the fuss? InterContinental Hotels was just psyched to dish out 4,000 free room-nights at its hotels. Scoring with a Page 3 girl would have just been a bonus.

To see all the bed-jumping action in one place, click here.

Gadling + Bootsnall – Picks of the Week (5.8.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Here we are, back again for another weekly roundup of links from our travel friends at BootsnAll. It’s been two weeks (sorry, the Swine Flu had us preoccupied). But don’t despair, we’ve journeyed far and wide, from the jungles of Sri Lanka, to the Savannahs of Africa and through the Capitals of Europe to bring you this week’s picks. What did we find? Check it out:

  • Sri Lanka in Photos – Dominic DeGrazier could have gone anywhere for his recent sabbatical. He chose Sri Lanka, the tiny island nation just off the coast of India. While he was there, Dominic fell in love with the lush scenery, vibrant colors and frenzied street life. Check out this link to see some of his photos and read a few of his observations on the country.
  • It’s just Africa – say the word “Africa” to many travelers, and you frequently evoke some strong negative reactions. An entire landmass of varied countries is characterized as one giant continent, rife with poverty, danger and disease. Laura Claire-Corson wants to set the record straight. She’s got a few reasons why every traveler should check out Africa at least once. It’s easier to visit than you think, incredibly diverse and an experience you’re not soon to forget.
  • FREE Europe – earlier this year, Gadling took a look at how you can make that trip to Europe a reality, even if you’re on a tight budget. Cristina Dima is backing us up – she’s got a list of 12 of the best FREE European attractions you should check out. How can you say no to free museums and attractions? Take a look.
  • Food for thought – food is such a huge motivator for travel. Whether its eating sushi in Japan or an authentic bowl of pasta in Rome, food is a language that reveals the true details of destination’s culture. And one of the best places to experience food while traveling is the local market, where you can get some fresh specialities. Katie Hammel takes a look at eight of her favorite markets from around the globe.
  • Going it alone – face it. At some point the travel bug is going to sneak up and you and none of your friends and family will be able to come along. Have you considered trying a trip by yourself? JoAnna Haugen weighs to pros and cons of solo travel in her recent post. There’s plenty of reasons to give it a try – read her post and decide for yourself if a solo trip is right for you.

Sorry…we’re fresh out of great BootsnAll links for this Friday. Why not check back next week, when we’ll be standing by with another round of great Gadling + BootsnAll Picks of the Week.

Flesh eating bacteria consumes cruise passenger in 24 hours

by Scott Carmichael on

Have you had your breakfast/lunch/dinner yet? Because this story is bound to upset your stomach.

While on a Mediterranean cruise, 58 year old Raymond Evans hurt his knee during a fall. The injury was nothing serious, but the ships doctor put Mr. Evans on an antibiotic regimen, just to be safe.

Despite the shots, his widow said his condition started to deteriorate, and that the back of his knee was turning black. This developed into a “blotchy blackness” that spread to his chest, elbow and fingers, and he was admitted into the ships hospital.

When the ship docked in Alexandria, Egypt, Mr.Evans was transported to the intensive care unit of the city’s hospital where he died hours later. The total time from noticing the blackness on his knee till death was just 24 hours.

A pathologist told the official inquiry that Mr.Evans had been infected by the flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis (warning: graphic images on that page!).

The pathologist concluded that Mr.Evans had not caught the bug during his fall, because the symptoms of the flesh eating bug usually start hours after being infected, so the most probable source was something on the cruise ship that entered through his wounds.

This is of course just another example of the health risks involved with cruise ships. For years, cruise lines have struggled with the norovirus as we previously covered here, here and here. Still, common sense and basic hygiene precautions should help keep you perfectly safe when you get on board.

The cruise ship photo above is for illustrative purposes only – that is not necessarily the ship involved in this incident.

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