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).

Two-Wheeled Tourism: 10 Cities to Visit If You Love Bikes

by Anna Brones on

Why spend your summer vacation on subways and buses when you could be out exploring places on two wheels?

Thanks to an explosion in bike-share systems and a general appreciation for bike culture, making cycling a central part of your travels is becoming easier and easier. You don’t have to throw down, pack your bicycle and head off on a full cycle tour to get the pleasure of seeing a place on two wheels; there are plenty of cities around the world that are bike-friendly and perfect for anyone who enjoys the thrills of riding in a new place.

Here are the ten best places to explore by bike.1. Amsterdam
There’s no denying that if you’re a bike lover, Amsterdam should be at the top of your list. Here people are practically born on bicycles, and if you want to experience the city like a real local, there’s no better way. Start off in the Jordaan district, rent a bike at the friendly Bike City and get ready to master the dance that is cycling in the Netherlands.

2. Copenhagen
Bike riding in Scandinavia is truly part of the local lifestyle, and nowhere is this more true than the Danish capital of Denmark. This is the birthplace of Cycle Chic after all. There are over 390 kilometers of designated bike lanes and over 50 percent of locals commute by bike on a regular basis. The Copenhagen tourism office has a round up of top bike rental places to make fitting in easier than ever. Just remember to wear your finest — Scandinavians look good on their wheels.

3. ​Portland, Oregon
Beer, baristas and bikes; it’s the Portland trifecta. You can get all three at Velocult, the city’s hub for bike related events and general fun. If you’re downtown you should be sure to hit up the Courrier Coffee Bar, opened by one of the city’s favorite pedal-delivered craft roasting companies. Add Trailhead to the list as well, another bike-powered artisan roaster. And when you’ve had enough pedal-powered caffeine for the day, take your bike, roll over to the bike-centric bar Apex and drink one of their 50 beers on tap.

4. Paris
Ok, so Paris might not be the first place that comes to mind on the list of bike-friendly places – you do have to do a lot of scooter and pedestrian dodging – but thanks to the successful Velib bike-share system, cycling is a big part of Parisian culture. The key in Paris is to identify that bike paths; you’ll find separated lanes around the city that make two-wheeled Paris a true delight.

5. San Francisco
Don’t let the hills scare you off. Through the late spring and early fall you can take advantage of Sunday Streets, a collection of events that closes off streets to cars in different neighborhoods around the city, and in Golden Gate Park there are car-free Sundays and Saturdays. For a longer adventure, make your way to Marin County.

6. Berlin
Berlin is in the top 10 of bike blog Copenhagenize’s bicycle-friendly cities and with good reason. Around 13% of the population ride their bike on a daily basis, and in some neighborhoods it’s as high as 25%. There’s the 1st Bicycle Gallery which is all about showcasing gorgeous bicycles . There’s an online route planner you can use to facilitate your ride, and if you want a different look at one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, cycle the Berlin Wall Trail, tracing the former wall.

7. Rio de Janeiro
A bike-share and over 250 kilometers of bike trails make a normally congested city ideal for the cycle crowd. A large part of the bike push has come for preparing for the Olympics in 2016, and above and beyond the Bike Rio bike-share system, there are plenty of bike rental options around town.

8. Barcelona
Beach and bikes; it’s no surprise that Barcelona is popular with budget-savvy travelers looking for a little warm weather and outdoor strolls. There are over 100 stations for the city’s Bicing program, and a variety of rental and tour options. Top that ride off with some tapas and you have the perfect day.

9. Montreal
Montreal is the place to be if you’re a cycle lover. There are trails, separated lanes and designated biking streets, easily navigable on PedalMontreal. The city is also the gateway to Quebec’s Route Verte, boasting over 5,000 kilometers of bikeways all over the region along with bike-friendly accomodations. You may need a few weeks.

10. Bogotá
Bogotá’s CicloRuta s one of the most extensive in the world. Given that a very small percentage of the local population has access to cars, bicycles make economic sense. If your destination is too far to ride to, the network of bike lanes connects well with the local transportation system, complete with bike parking at several designated stops. As the city’s ex mayor Enrique Peñalosa said, “I think the future of the world has to do with bicycles.”

Photo of the Day: A Weekend at Virginia International Raceway

by Jake Thiewes on

I’ve been “into cars” since I was a little kid — and recognized my motorsports passion during my time in college. It’s led to a weekend hobby of driving the pace car for the local region of the National Auto Sports Association and participating in driving schools to eventually go racing. This weekend, I was at Virginia International Raceway to do just that — and earned my Time Trials racing license as well.

VIR is located in Alton, Virginia (next to Danville), right on the Virginia/North Carolina state line. The drive to the track is beautiful, full of back roads. You’re surrounded by trees and fields. And the scenery at the track is pretty incredible, too.

Check out more photos from my weekend on Gadling’s Instagram feed.

We’d love to feature your photos and videos on Gadling, so please add them to our Flickr Pool (with Creative Commons licensing!), tag @GadlingTravel on Instagram or email us at OfTheDay@gadling.go-vip.net.

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]