The World’s ten happiest cities

by Kraig Becker on

Disney World has been labeled “the Happiest Place on Earth”, but one look at the tired parents, screaming kids, and extremely long lines will tell you that is just marketing spin. Ever wonder where the actual happiest place on Earth is? Then wonder no more, because Forbes, in conjunction with market researcher GfK Custom Research North America, has put together a list of the ten happiest cities on Earth, just in time to start planning your next vacation.

The list was compiled using data from 2009 Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index which was published in June. In that study, more than 10,000 people, across 20 countries, were surveyed about the their general satisfaction with their lives and their overall lifestyle. The results were then compiled, with these ten cities rising to the top for the overall happiness level of their inhabitants.

The ten cities to make the list, in order, are: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; Barcelona, Spain; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Melbourne, Australia; Madrid, Spain; San Francisco, U.S.A.; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Many of the cities on the list come as no surprise, as they are already top destinations for travelers, but clearly the Australians and Spaniards know what they are doing, as they each have two cities in the top ten. So? What are your thoughts on the list? Are there any cities that seem to have been left out? How many of these have you visited?

Utrecht tour guided by the homeless

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you really want to learn what happens on the streets of a city, you’re best off talking to someone who’s lived there. In the Dutch city of Utrecht, five people are about to become tour guides … five people who used to be homeless. Their training from the tourism bureau will help them with the more formal aspects of their duties, but it’s the time they lived in the streets that will make their perspectives interesting.

The tours, called “Utrecht Underground,” will begin on September 13, 2009. They’ll be 75 minutes long and cost a mere €5. In addition to the usual sights of the city, guests will get to see where their guides “used to sleep or do drugs.”

High speed rail in Europe on track to provide a painful blow to the airlines

by Scott Carmichael on

On September 7th, the Dutch rail operator will finally start operating trains on the Amsterdam – Rotterdam high speed line, the next step in making continuous high speed rail travel possible from Amsterdam to Brussels and Paris.

This high speed line had been in the planning phase for over 30 years, and took ten years to build. As with many Dutch infrastructure projects, the environmental impact meant a lot of the track had to be tunneled or bridged, increasing the total cost. One of the longest tunnels crosses under the “Green Heart”, and is almost 8 kilometers long.

There is one minor snag – the trains required for continuous high speed travel have not yet been delivered, so even though there is one long high speed line from The Netherlands, through Belgium to France, parts will still be serviced at low(er) speeds using trains from the existing Thalys service.

Once the new trains are delivered, what will this mean for European travelers? Well, from the city center of Amsterdam to the city center of Paris in just over 3 hours. Or from Rotterdam to Brussels in just 30 minutes. Some times have been cut by more than 50%.

Flying the Amsterdam – Paris route takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, but once you add the trip to the airport, check-in time and security, you are easily looking at 4 hours, so it is obvious that the airlines are really going to feel the pain from a 3 hour high speed trip. At the moment though, the current Amsterdam – Paris train takes about the same time as flying (4 hours 10 minutes) so there is no time gained.

The Dutch bike bar is beer + sightseeing

by Scott Carmichael on

It is no secret that The Netherlands is where you go if you don’t like being tied down by rules. You can drink beer in public, smoke a joint in one of the many coffeeshops and even visit the red light district for some legal prostitution.

The Dutch are also very mobile people – bikes are everywhere, and the infrastructure in the country is often designed around making things as comfortable as possible for bike riders.

So, what do you get when you combine liberal alcohol laws with a passion for biking? Well, you get the bike bar.

These bars are becoming pretty popular for parties and other events. They can be stationary if you just want an extra bar at your celebration, or you can actually pedal through town on them, while drinking beer from its on-board beer tap and 50 liter keg.

The bike bar has been in the news lately because of a couple of minor accidents, and some Dutch municipalities have banned them from their towns. Amsterdam also had its fair share of trouble, but didn’t ban them, choosing to map out a fixed route and permissible times instead.

So, next time you find yourself in The Netherlands with a bunch of your friends, why not rent one of these and fill yourself up on some decent Dutch beer. Or, if you don’t mind traveling to Minnesota, you’ll be able to rent one from the US version of the beer bike – the PedalPub.

Is 13-year-old Dutch girl too young to sail solo around the world?

by Alison Brick on

Let me think. What was on my mind at age 13? Homework and boys and fitting in at school, probably.

Laura Dekker, a 13-year-old in the Netherlands, has bigger fish to fry. She wants to take on the world. In a sailboat. By herself.

She has her parents’ permission. Now she just needs the Dutch government’s.

The Dutch Council for Child Protection is in the process of asking for temporary custody of Laura to stop the trip, since her parents won’t. They’re concerned that this goal comes less from Laura’s own drive, and more from the need to please her divorced parents–especially her father, who is an expert sailor and the parent with whom she lives. The decision will be made on Friday by the Utrecht District Court.

I’m a bit torn. I’m so impressed by her adventurous spirit and want to cheer her on. But at the same time, I’m worried for her safety. At what age would it be okay for her to go? I’d be happier if she had an adult with her, but, of course, that defeats the purpose of a solo trip.

But if anyone has the background for a trip like this, Laura does. She spent her first four years on the ocean because her parents were on an around-the-world sail. She’s been sailing solo since she was six, and dreaming of her own around-the-world trip since she was ten.

If she wins her court case on Friday, Laura would start her two-year trip in September.