The Latest In Budget Friendly Glamping: Can A Mini Compete Against An Airstream?

by Anna Brones on

There are many ways to road trip. The first is in a car, paired with dodgy motels along the highway. The second is more picturesque and for the outdoor lover, packing a tent in the trunk and pitching it at camp sites along the way. The third is a combination of the two, driving a vehicle that allows for mobile sleeping options. Some go for a motorhome, some a camping trailer, some a Winnebago and some a vintage Airstream.

But if you though that mobile camping vehicles had to be large and bulky, think again: you can now buy your very own Mini Camper. Thanks to the British subsidiary of BMW Group there is a new trio of cars, all in the Mini family, intended for the weekend warrior. A pop-up camper on one of the smallest cars out there? Yes. Hey, if your kayak fits in the back, even better.

Compared to a traditional RV or Airstream, it’s good for the budget. Depending on the size of an RV, you’ll get somewhere between 6-10 miles per gallon. Newer Airstreams will do slightly better, and even more so if you run them on diesel, but that’s nothing compared with a Mini. The new Mini Countryman All4 Camp is quoted at about 40 miles per gallon, and even if you’re driving it hard and getting half of that, you’re still well beyond the classic mobile camper options. And you can still make it your city car.

Will the new miniature sized camping vehicles win over the Airstream and combi van lovers? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, better start downsizing your camping gear.

7 Travel Options For Those Obsessed With The Royal Baby

by Anna Brones on

In anticipation of Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge’s firstborn, Great Britain has had baby fever. Now that the royal baby has finally arrived, the travel industry is taking advantage of the frenzy. Even Heathrow gave out special T-shirts yesterday. Nothing like a baby to stimulate the economy after all.

It might take awhile for the royal baby to become king. Meanwhile, we commoners can take full advantage.

1. Fly for Free (If You Are a Baby)
Infants fly free of charge today on RyanAir. Time to make a last minute travel decision and buy a ticket before the day is up. The bottle of milk will probably be an extra charge, however.

2. Sleep Like a British Baby
Kate isn’t the only one popping out a baby this year. According to Visit England 700,000 babies will be born in England this year, which is why the tourism board has opted to put an emphasis on baby themed travel options. Maybe the most notable is the Grosvenor House Hotel where you can stay in the Premium Park View Suite. In celebration of the royal birth the suite has been turned into a quintessential English nursery, including a hand-painted doll house toy closet. But sleeping like a royal baby isn’t cheap; the room runs $3,428, and that’s without a babysitter.

3. Hope You Have the Right Name
If you are extra lucky and happen to have the same name as the baby — which has yet to be announced — check in at the Jury Inn within 24 hours of the name announcement and you might score a bottle of Prosecco. There’s already a bottle of bubbles on ice at 25 of Jury Inn’s hotels around the UK.

4. Get the Royal Treatment
Playing off of the baby’s placement in royal succession, on the day the little royalty was born, Virgin America promised a special deal to its own “third in line” passengers on the day of the baby’s birth. While Kate is certainly busy being pampered and sleeping off the pains of labor, if you were third in line for your flight on Virgin America, you would have been happily treated to a special pass to the airline’s Clubhouse, complete with bubbly.

5. Study Up on Royal Baby History
Even if you can’t afford a night in a royal baby suite, you can at least buff up on your royal baby history. The Museum of London celebrates is celebrating the occasion with the ‘”A Royal Arrival,” an exhibit showcasing baby clothes and memorabilia from the last 400 years of UK history. Admission is free, which leaves plenty of extra cash for royal baby souvenirs.

6. Have a Proper Royal Baby Shower
Ok, so you couldn’t manage to get a slot to give birth at the Lindo Wing (or pay for it), but at the very least you can throw yourself a royal baby shower. Expecting mothers can reserve the Royal Baby Shower Package at St. James Hotel and Club, which includes a baby shower-themed tea, complete with delicate English cakes, and a pregnancy spa treatment. You’re feeling more royal already aren’t you?

7. See a Private Photo Exhibition All About Royal Babies
While waiting for new royal baby pictures online, you can go to the Athenaeum hotel which is hosting The Royal Child photography exhibition. You’ll find 40 rarely seen photos of all kinds of royal children from Victorian times to present, but just like any good royal experience, it comes at a price: the private exhibition, shown over high tea naturally, will run you £60 ($92).

Rare View Of Empire State Building Endangered

by Elizabeth Seward on


I had only been talking to Brooklyn’s Richard Kessler for a minute or two before he began telling me about his personal passion project: protecting a rare view of the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Mirador.

The view of the iconic building from the edge of Prospect Park, a view many New Yorkers or travelers aren’t even aware of, is framed by the Grand Army Plaza arch. If you stand at the base of the black median lamppost which is on the road that leads into Prospect Park, face the Grand Army Plaza arch and look through it, you can see that the Empire State Building bisects the arch perfectly. Keep in mind that this view will be easier to see in colder months when the leaves have fallen. This serendipitous placement of the arch in relation to the Empire State Building provides a breathtaking image of New York City for those entering or exiting the park, or just passing by.

According to Kessler, plans are underway for the construction of a building that would obstruct this rare view. You can read and sign his petition here.Brooklyn residents have a long history of fighting to preserve increasingly rare views of Manhattan. The Brooklyn Paper has documented this kind of opposition in DUMBO and Greenwood Heights and these aren’t the only cases by any means. Without much in the way of scenic landscape, views of the famous skyline are coveted among New Yorkers.

[Photo Credit: Richard Kessler]

I Slept In The Conference Room At Comfort Inn O’Hare

by Elizabeth Seward on

My evening of July 9 was filled with the kind of mundane frustration that can come only from delayed travel. My husband and I were set to fly from New York City to Chicago and Chicago to Marquette, Michigan. Our flight out of New York kept getting pushed back and, despite receiving a seat on a plane leaving earlier than our original flight to Chicago, we still missed our connection in Chicago – the last flight to Marquette for the day. Since the delays were weather-related, we received a coupon for a hotel rather than a voucher. We found the shuttle and lugged our bags toward the long line at the Comfort Inn O’Hare. Once we had our key, we went to our room and opened the door only to find that we’d been placed in the hotel conference room.Just beyond the gigantic oval table and whiteboard was a normal hotel bed. My husband called the front desk to make sure there hadn’t been a mistake. They said we got the last room in the hotel because many passengers had been stranded in Chicago that evening and received airline coupons for the hotel. I wasn’t at all perturbed. Having to wait around all day for delayed and missed flights only to be put up in an airport hotel is boring. This, on the other hand, was new.

A follow-up call with the hotel manager revealed that this “Conference Room Suite” is always available for guests to rent and that under normal circumstances, it costs more, too. Although I didn’t see the room as a booking option on their website, business travelers occasionally choose this room over others. Distressed passengers typically stay in the room only if the hotel has been hit hard with delayed and canceled flights and has nowhere else to put guests.

Aside from the leaking ceiling and distance between the bed and television, I was happy to stay in the conference room. Not only did it give me a roof over my head for the night, but it gave me a good story, too. Have you ever been placed in an unusual hotel room?

[Photo Credit: Ben Britz]

Six Flags Ride Still Closed Following Roller Coaster Death

by Elizabeth Seward on

Rosy Esparza was apparently concerned that she wasn’t properly fastened into her seat before her ride began on a Six Flags roller coaster Friday. That ride led to her tragic death when she fell out of her seat on the Texas Giant, which reaches a height of 153 feet. The Arlington, Texas Six Flags announced on Saturday that the ride will remain closed until the end of an investigation into the death, which they are conducting themselves.

This tragedy is now added to the list of other deadly roller coaster accidents in the United States, including:

  • 2011, Ride of Steel, Darien Lake, New York: Sgt. James Hackemer, 29, came back from the Gulf War as a double amputee. When asked employees of Darien Lake for a list of rides that would be safe for him, the Ride of Steel was included in that list. He bounced out of the restraints to his death toward the end of the ride.
  • 1930, Big Dipper, Krug Park, Nebraska: A loose bolt on this ride caused four cars to plummet to the ground, killing four people.
  • 2011, Python Pit, Go Bananas, Illinois: A three year old boy fell out of the little roller coaster to his death.
  • 2004, Ride of Steel, Six Flags, Massachusetts: After being ejected mid-ride, a 55-year-old man died after sustaining serious injuries.
  • 2002, Rainbow Ride, Six Flags, Colorado: After unfastening his seat belt, a man fell to his death.