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The Newbie Traveler / Photo Gallery / Prague Travel / British Airways / Castles / Czech Republic Travel / Europe Travel / Shopping Travel / → All Tags

The Newbie Traveler in Prague: Red Roofs and Good Foods

What would your life be like if you hadn't yet traveled to Europe? If you'd spent years reading travel novels and fantasizing over guidebooks, but hadn't made the big leap? This is the case for Andy Miles, who in his late twenties just embarked on a trip to hit most of the cities for the first time. He's walking us through the emotions and observations of a true Newbie Traveler.

Since writing my very first Newbie Traveler article back in 2010, I have been to nine different countries. I'm actually starting to feel more like a seasoned traveler than a newbie, but I believe it's less about where you've been and more about where you're going.

I started off my most recent trip with a week's visit to London for a conference. All business. It was my third time in that beautiful city and as much as I hated to leave it, my itinerary this year was well worth leaving for. My girlfriend and I visited Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Bruges, all cities new to me.

After our all too brief week in London, we hopped a British Airways flight to Prague.

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Airport News / Airports / PRG / Czech Republic Travel / → All Tags

Fly to Prague, and You'll Be Landing at Vaclav Havel International Airport

It’s not quite as close to home as the new airport name down in Little Rock, but another airport is getting ready to change and update plenty of signs. Prague Ruzyne International Airport is getting a new name, and it’s all because plenty of Czechs have been pretty vocal about changing it.

Residents think renaming the airport after former President Václav Havel is a great idea, and after plenty of pleading and petitioning it sounds like it’s a done deal. Even the Transport Minister is now onboard, and he’s thinking that the best day to change over the airport will be on October 5—that would have been the late president’s 76th birthday.

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Movie Set Travel / Jaunted On Location / Prague Travel / Tom Cruise / Mission Impossible 4 / → All Tags

Tom Cruise Accepts a Fourth 'Mission Impossible' in Prague

Tom Cruise stepped back into the shoes (and Russian disguises) of Ethan Hunt this week for the fourth Installment of Mission Impossible.

The movie commenced shooting in Prague on Wednesday, after Tom and the movie's producers spent several days last week scouting locations. During their trip they visited the city’s Vrsovice train station, and several sites in the Old Town of Prague, where Cruise is rumored to be staying. Old Town Square, which dates back to the 12th Century, was the once central marketplace for Prague and is now one of the most visited sights in the Czech Republic.

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Obama-Around-The-World / Presidential Travel / Barack Obama / Political Travel / Prague Travel / → All Tags

Like a Prague Tourist, Obama Spends All His Time at Prague Castle

Barack and Michelle greet Prague during their trip one year ago

It's been exactly a year since President Barack Obama first set foot in Prague, at that time taking Michelle along for the ride and giving public speeches in places like Hradcany Square. But this year, it's all business as Obama embarked on a whirlwind 2-day trip to the Czech capital for the purpose of meeting up with President Klaus of the Czech Republic and signing a nuclear arms reduction treaty with President Medvedev of Russia.

Sadly Obama did not enjoy the usual delights that Prague offers to tourists, with the exception of multiple visits to Prague Castle for his meetings. Prague Castle is the city's top tourist stop, and since it holds the Guinness World Record for being the "largest coherent castle complex in the world," we doubt that the whole thing had to shut down just for Obama's visit.

How to follow Obama into Prague Castle, after the jump

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Thanksgiving Alternatives / Thanksgiving Travel / Travel Deals / Fall Travel / Virgin / Virgin Vacations / Prague / Prague Travel / → All Tags

Six Nights In Prague Over Thanksgiving For $669? See Ya, America!

Are you a last-minute planner when it comes to big holiday travel times like Thanksgiving in Christmas? Yes, we are too, especially because everything looks so darn expensive and plain booked up. This year, it's either another Thanksgiving of ordering Chinese takeout or booking it out of the country for some autumn appeal overseas...like in Prague.

Remember that it's not Thanksgiving over in the Czech Republic, so that means no dinner reservations or pressure to eat cranberry sauce. Virgin Vacations seems to have the best deal we've seen for this, with a 6-night hotel, airfare, and daily breakfast starting at $669 per person. Sure they have other deals for Thanksgiving to Barcelona, London, Paris and Rome, but the Prague trip sounds like the most fall foliage and old school charm for the lowest price.

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Airports / Prague Travel / Ruzyne / PRG / → All Tags

How to Survive 'The World's Most Alienating Airport'

Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport

In one sense this clip isn't totally inaccurate. Every airport has its own quirks. Ruzyne Airport in Prague is no different - empty information desks, lost luggage, and the occasional empty cash machine that still debits your bank account. There's a reason they're trying to privatize it.

Getting into and out of Prague can also be a hassle. We strongly recommend that you avoid the fixed-priced taxis. Instead avail yourself of bus #119, which runs about every 10 minutes and takes you to the beginning of the city's gorgeously efficient metro.

None of which compares, of course, to the angst-ridden existential ennui uncovered by the Onion's intrepid correspondents as shown in the clip. They call the airport Franz Kafka International Airport but just like the security checkpoint officer who stamped the word "Liar" on a passenger's hand, the Onion is just poking fun. Don't try to book a flight using airport code FKI or anything.

On the other hand, any report that implies that there's a European airport more infuriating than Alitalia-dominated Da Vinci/Fiumicino - in jest or otherwise - is just plain untenable.

What do you think is the most 'alienating' or infuriating airport? Let us know!

Related Stories:
· Airports coverage [Jaunted]
· Prague's Franz Kafka International Airport Named 'World's Most Alienating' [The Onion]

[Front door photo: Solja]

Romantic Travel / Prague Travel / Travel Deals / → All Tags

Prague Is Calling All (Cheap) Romantics

If your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other hasn't taken you to Prague yet, we recommend dropping seriously heavy hints. This weekend's UK Times reported that it's a bargain time to go, which will appeal to those looking for a cheap date, and also romantic because for once, the streets aren't too jam-packed.

Prague in winter is cold but undeniably pretty with a layer of snow, and what better weather is there for snuggling up with your sweetheart? It helps that most of the best hotels are offering rooms for nearly half price right now after tourism's dropped off (there goes that bad global economy again).

Apart from wandering the snow-dusted cobblestone streets hand in hand, you can also explore Prague Castle, gaze lovingly at art in the Veletrzni Palac, or take a walk through the woods of Petrin. If all that fails, there's always Czech beer to put you in the mood.

Related Stories:
· Instant Weekend: Prague [UK Times]
· Czech Culture: Czech Beer [Jaunted]
· Prague Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: alan.devlin]

Where Is / Celeb Travel / Jason Mraz / Colbie Caillat / → All Tags

Jason Mraz In His New Video?

Low-key crooner Jason Mraz went all out for his new music video "Lucky," which places him and singer Colbie Caillat on two dream vacations. We've figured out one--now we need your help to crack the other.

Despite claims online that he shot the vid in Luxembourg, Mraz, who recently performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, is cruising through the streets of Prague in an old-timey car. Included are several shots of historic Old Town Square, which is given the "Vanilla Sky" treatment and appears to be empty. (It probably never is in real life, right?)

Now it's your turn: Where is Colbie Caillat in this video? She's on a beach that we think looks sort of Everglades-y, but we could be wrong about that. Keep in mind, Mraz's last video "I'm Yours" was shot in Kauai and Oahu, while Caillat recently shot her own video "You" in Seal Beach, California. Leave your best guess in the comments!

Related Stories:
· Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat, "Lucky" [PerezTV]
· ScarJo Fetes Peace Prize Winner [Jaunted]
· Singer Colbie Caillat Films Video at Seal Beach Pier [OC Register]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Movie Set Travel / Angelina Jolie / → All Tags

Movie Set Travel: Wanted

Summer's big action-adventure flicks are finally surfacing and "Wanted" won't disappoint. Angelina's back as a gun-toting, ass-kicking secret society trainer for a young man who finds out his father was an assassin. (You can barely tell she'll soon be a mother of 5!)

Wes Gibson (James McAvoy) is a boring office drone popping anti-anxiety meds when he meets Fox (Jolie) and finds out his father was a member of a secret society of assassins called "Fraternity." Fox takes him under her wing and trains him to bring out his own special powers and avenge his father's death. It's a comic book come to life, in which all the characters are stunning.

"Wanted" was shot in stunning Prague, so this Friday we offer you some cool things to check out in the Czech capital.

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Dubai Travel / LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / Europe Travel / Smartwings / → All Tags

LCC Travel: Eastern Europe to Dubai Sounds Smart

For a cleverly named European LCC, Smartwings doesn't get a lot of air time. That's because it's not as smart as it sounds ... or is it?

Smartwings is based largely out of Prague and if you want to fly from the Czech capital to anywhere in southern Europe (read: anywhere warmer and sunnier), you've got lots of choices. They also have a few routes out of two other Czech cities, Brno and Ostrava.

The most curious route is a new addition. Smartwings added flights from Prague and Budapest to Dubai last month. This is definitely one of the first low-cost long-haul flights to come out of central and eastern Europe, and it opens up interesting possibilities for flying from Europe to Australasia for a lot less. So maybe Smartwings really is smart.

Related Stories:
· Smartwings [Official Site]
· New Budapest to Dubai Route Opened [CarRentals]
· Site Scramble: Smartwings [Jaunted]

[Photo: mr_nhw]

Europe Travel / Festivals / Prague Travel / Edinburgh Fringe Festival / Summer Travel / → All Tags

Getting Fringed at Prague's Festival

The grand cities of Eastern Europe are holding festivals left, right and center: We talked about the Budapest Fringe Festival in the spring and now it's time for the Prague Fringe Festival, which runs from May 25 to June 1.

It started back in 2001 and is closely modeled on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. There are all kinds of performances to be seen at the Prague Fringe, from shadow puppets from Cyprus to Czech theater and pretty much anything else you can imagine.

Tickets are cheerily cheap for all the performances--on the opening Sunday they're just 100 crowns (just over $6). That's cheap enough that if a particular edge of the fringe doesn't suit you, you haven't lost much. You can always abandon the show for a good Czech beer instead.

Related Stories:
· A Guide to Prague's Fringe Festival [Guardian]
· Prague Fringe Festival [Official Site]
· Spring into Budapest in 2008 [Jaunted]

[Photo: christopher.woo]

Clubs / Night Clubs / Public Transportation / Trams / → All Tags

Prague's Party Trams

If you're the nightclubber type when traveling, yet loathe showing up at hot spots in foreign cities stone cold sober and haggling over cab fare, head to Prague. They've got the perfect solution: Tramix, a tram-based club. Yep, it's a standard streetcar with a full-on party happening on board, including room to dance and mobile bars.

Tramix travels around the city about once a month, picking up locals and visitors alike and transporting them to area clubs revved up and ready to party. They claim that "euphoric entertainment has no limits on board" and guest count can range from 60-150, depending on the car Tramix takes over next.

The trip's generally around two-and-a-half hours and costs about $18. Partiers can buy tickets in advance on Tramix's site. Definitely beats paying a cab driver for just an ordinary ride.

Related Stories:
· Tramix [Official Site]
· Prague: A Moveable Feast [NYT]
· Prague coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Poslouchej]