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Five U.S. Airports with Bigger Issues than Flight Delays

September 1, 2010 at 10:34 AM | by kjb | 2 Comments

Airline delays are always a bummer, and there are certain aiports that seem more prone to issues than others. We're talking about airports with problems bigger than weather delays. Cockroaches and leaky ceilings? Check.

Here are our picks for airports with problems greater than just flight delays:

· Roaches and Filth at DEN:
We’ve got a strange fascination with airline meals, and if a flight attendant tosses one onto our tray table we feel obligated to dig in; however, we might want to stay clear of the options at Denver International Airport. An FDA report told LSG Sky Chefs that they operated gross kitchens, complete with details about dead roaches, bacteria, and possible homes for rodents. Now that things have been revealed, we’ll assume the areas have been somewhat cleaned up, but Just in case we might stick to prepackaged Snickers and Doritos—so healthy.

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Chicken or Fish? Calorie Counting Coming to In-Flight Meals

September 1, 2010 at 9:43 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Even though it seems like only yesterday that the FDA warned that in-flight food posed a serious risk of illness, passengers are still scarfing down over-salted entrees by the planeload. Now however, the government is worried about more than just the cleanliness of the airline meal kitchens; they're planning to list calories for every in-flight food item served, out of concern for public health.

This news comes from the FDA as well, and Eater National explains that the agency is hoping to expand calorie posting regulations to include chains with more than twenty locations, which means that everything from McDonalds to movie theaters to airplanes will have to let their consumers know about the frighteningly triple (or even quadruple)-digit menu items that taste so good but are so bad for you.

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The Government Warns Against Traveling to Northern Ireland

Where: Ireland
September 1, 2010 at 9:08 AM | by Jennifer Kester | 4 Comments

If you were planning a trip to Northern Ireland, the U.S. government believes you should think twice and perhaps even cancel your plans. The good news is you can still go there to party on St. Patrick's Day in 2011..

The region has a history of violence, but a spree of bombings over the last month prompted the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs in Ireland to issue a warning to tourists. The warning is for April through August, when many parades are held, so those St. Pat's plans are still a go. The official statement tells travelers to remain alert in their surroundings as violence can break out at potential flash points. It went on to say that peaceful demonstrations could turn aggressive and possibly escalate into violence.

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Bangkok Opens Handy Dandy Train Service from Airport to Downtown

September 1, 2010 at 8:36 AM | by kjb | 1 Comment

Nothing beats skipping the rental car counter in favor of a high-speed rail link to downtown, and that’s why we’re excited to hear that Bangkok just opened dedicated service from Suvarnabhumi Airport to downtown.

As with any public works projects there were tons of delays, cost overruns, and other hassles; however, the train finally opened up last week, linking tourists, business people, and everyone else with easy access to the airport. The plans were first approved back in 2003, and it was actually supposed to open along with the airport in 2006; it certainly has been a long time coming.

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Tweet of the Week: An Expat's Life for Me

August 31, 2010 at 6:16 PM | by JetSetCD | 2 Comments

We love Tuesdays. Why, you ask? Because the day brings many travel tips and quips as "Travel Tuesday" on Twitter, and we're going to share our favorite with you. Got an avid travel twitterer we should follow? Let us know.

Ah, the expat life. It's what travel blogger David Lee of GoBackpacking.com is up to these days, ever since recently moving back to a town he obviously loves dearly: Medellin, Colombia. We've been following his tweets for quite some time, and and we're very much enjoying the observations he makes, such as this little bit he shared today:

Brewing my first cup of Juan Valdez organic coffee in new apartment. Planning to visit CO coffee region in early October!

We wonder—how much is Juan Valdez organic coffee when you practically live next door to the production area? David talks of visiting the Colombian coffee region soon, and already we're champing at the bit to read how that goes down. By the way, the "rtw" in his twitter name stands for "round the world," and rest assured that he's got the passport stamps to prove it...before settling in Colombia, that is.

Related Stories:
· @rtwdave [Twitter]
· Twitter Travel [Jaunted]

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Inside a Cabin Onboard Carnival Cruise Lines' 'Carnival Glory'

August 31, 2010 at 5:06 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Remember last week, when we talked about giving in and buying a kitschy souvenir cup onboard a recent cruise? That was just the tip of the iceberg—pardon the mention of ship and icebergs in the same sentence. Knowing that it's almost wholly suites and balcony staterooms that get talked about online and in magazines, we wanted to give a look inside our room, a standard exterior cabin on the lowest passenger deck of the Carnival Cruises' Carnival Glory.

Room 1412 isn't anything special, unless you count the fact that it has a window. We've never known anyone to stay in one of the giant, "Owner Suites," because who does that? We're not nearly old enough to try it.

Our room encompassed three lower beds—one of which is technically a converted couch—plus an upper bunk slept four comfortably and we have to admit that we were pleasantly surprised over the size of the bathroom and room in general, considering this was one of the cheapest rooms onboard and we've stayed in plenty smaller cabins in cruises past. Take a look at the images and judge for yourself, though. Do you think you could spend a week at sea sleeping in here?

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Wait, So Florida Tourism Wasn't Hugely Impacted by the BP Oil Spill After All?

August 31, 2010 at 3:27 PM | by Omri | 0 Comments

So here's how the BP oil spill tourism story seems to have gone: First there was the oil spill itself. Then Florida Governor Crist hysterically insisted that Panhandle tourism was getting devastated, and that he needed tens of millions of dollars from BP to promote the state. Then we did a basic Orbitz search and showed that Florida tourism wasn't declining much at all. Then Crist got his tens of millions of dollars, and Florida tourism officials launched a broad-based social media campaign with part of the money.

Then those officials cajoled a reporter into publishing an article about what a great job they did because Florida tourism... didn't decline much at all. Thank goodness we had them doing that kind of work—and showing all of us "a great model, a great best practice for responding to tourism crisis"—or else who knows what might have happened?

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Where to Find True Italian Pizza in the Middle of Walt Disney World

August 31, 2010 at 1:31 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

Don’t get us wrong, we love hot dogs, chicken fingers, and other fried delicacies when visiting theme parks, but sometimes we want a little more than that. Of course Disney World has plenty of alternative dining options—some we can’t even afford—but a new Epcot restaurant fits the bill between fancy and affordable.

Within the Italy pavilion around the World Showcase at Epcot sits a brand new restaurant dedicated to all things pizza; however, this isn’t your usual greasy concession stand slice. Via Napoli features wood burning ovens that reach temperatures of 700°F to create flatbreads just like they do back in the old country, or at least that's the idea. The restaurant gets its mozzarella from Italy and they're sure to keep plenty of San Marzano tomatoes around for the sauce.

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Miley Cyrus Hits JFK During a Break from Filming 'LOL'

August 31, 2010 at 12:31 PM | by cmb | 0 Comments

Miley Cyrus isn't letting a break up, or more controversy, get her down. The singer/actress was seen landing in New York's JFK airport yesterday where she was all smiles, laughing with her mom, Tish, and joking around with the waiting paparazzi.

Miley split with her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth just last week after the two had been dating for more than a year. The couple met on the Georgia set of their movie The Last Song and weren't shy about showing how much they cared for each other. There are rumors that Miley isn't all that heartbroken because she's already moved on. Various websites speculate that Miley is hooking up with her latest co-star, Adam Sevani. The two have been working on the movie LOL together in Detroit for more than a month.

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Hurricane Earl Sets Its Sights on the Outer Banks, Jersey Shore and NYC

August 31, 2010 at 11:12 AM | by JetSetCD | 1 Comment

Now that Hurricane Danielle is out of the picture and out of the way of ruining vacations of people in Bermuda, we're tracking the progression of the next big Atlantic storm, one which could possibly do much, much more damage and throw the best-laid summer plans off track. It's Hurricane Earl, and he's coming for more than just the Bahamas; Earl is on course to hit the east coast over this upcoming weekend.

With the Turks and Caicos islands currently under a Hurricane warning, many cruise lines have altered their itineraries away from the Bahamas and the northbound path of the storm. Next up, North Carolina's Outer Banks will be bracing for the onslaught of 120mph winds and more, if Earl keeps it up. Following that, we can expect the Hurricane to hit the Jersey Shore and New York City early Saturday and Cape Code, MA slightly after, when the winds die down to less insane levels of somewhere around 60-70mph. Even though that's still plenty insane.

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It's Taco Time! Virgin America Brings a Fare Sale and Taco Trucks to the West Coast Today

Where: Mexico
August 31, 2010 at 10:00 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

It's been a solid two months since Virgin America announced they'd be heading south for the winter—to Cancun and Cabo San Lucas from LAX and SFO—but until now we didn't know when exactly. Today, the low-cost airline announces that non-stop flights between San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose del Cabo International Airport (SJD) begin December 16, 2010; between Los Angeles (LAX) and Cancun (CUN) on January 19, 2011; and finally, between SFO and CUN on January 20, 2011. Looks like VX-loving LA folk will be stuck in Cali over Christmas, but SFO can at least head to Los Cabos.

To celebrate that they've finally got some dates for their first south-of-the-border routes, Virgin America is having a 3-day fare sale on their site HERE. Fares for the new Mexico routes start at $129 each way, but the sale includes coast-to-coast options for $109 each way and some smaller west coast hops from $39 each way. But wait...there's more!

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Venice Film Fest Brings Psycho Ballerinas and Wannabe Rap Stars to Italy

Where: Venice, Italy
August 31, 2010 at 9:31 AM | by Jennifer Kester | 0 Comments

Black Swan will kick off opening night.

After a summer of lackluster movies—The Expendables and Piranha 3D, seriously?—we're eager to see some great fall flicks. The first place we're looking to is the 67th annual Venice Film Festival, which happens September 1 to 11.

Although the Venice event isn't the flashiest or most star-studded of the fests, it's got cred; it's the world's oldest film festival.

The fest will have some famous folks in attendance. Sofia Coppola will be there with her boyfriend's band "Phoenix" to promote her new drama, Somewhere, set in favorite Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont. Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino are also expected to turn up at the fest.

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