The opinion-sharing folks over at TripAdvisor recently released their latest annual survey on the top trends in travel. This year's obsession: germs on a plane. We probably would have pegged cruise ships as the most likely place to come down with a nasty case of the scoots from touching an exposed surface, but apparently most people fear picking up a bug while in the tubular confines of an airplane. Out of 2,500 respondents, 28 percent were concerned about germs, bacteria, and viruses onboard airplanes, while others reported having germaphobia relating to public transit, restaurants, hotels, and airports. The report should be good news for manufacturers of hand sanitizer, Wet-Naps, and Airborne dietary supplements, as travelers appear willing to try anything that might keep the creepy crawlies away.

]]> Victor Ozols 2008-10-04T14:22:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/21/15350/8429

Today's Practical Traveler column in the New York Times delves into the age-old problem of where to go when you've already been everywhere cool. Of course, lists of "emerging destinations," come out all the time, but the latest wisdom from the Times is unique in that it places next year's trophy vacation spots squarely in Asia.]]> Victor Ozols 2008-09-21T15:35:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/8/25535/37664

If you ask the British what the best things are about living in the UK, you probably wouldn't expect to hear "food" topping the list. But that's exactly what happened when the Holiday Inn hotel chain ran a survey recently to discover 50 things Brits most love about their land.

Coming right on top, fish and chips is apparently the best reason to be in Britain. Other food and drink experiences in the top ten included old-fashioned pubs, a Sunday roast dinner and a "cream tea" in the afternoon.

While we personally don't travel to Britain for its food, some of the other things on the British best-loved list are also not convincing reasons for us to hop on a plane: the queen came in at #2, the ever-more-expensive British pound at #9 and the National Health Service at #14. We've got a feeling the British need to get out more.

Related Stories:
· Fish and Chips Voted No. 1 in Best of British Poll [Telegraph]
· Great Britain Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hugovk]]]> amandak 2008-07-10T09:15:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/12/71054/4975

List-loving Forbes has just figured out which airports around the world are the most punctual. They checked into the 50 busiest airports and then looked at their on-time arrival and departure data to figure out who's on top.

The moral of their story is that if you want your plane to leave on time, fly out of Tokyo. Haneda and Narita airports hold the top two spots: At Haneda, 93 percent of flights departed within 15 minutes of the planned time and 87 percent arrived on time. We know Japan well, so this result doesn't surprise us--but it does impress us.

A little surprisingly, the laid back Aussies come in fourth with Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport; the organized Germans get their first rating in the ninth spot with Munich. An airport we consider a big mover on the international scene, Dubai International, came in a disappointing 49th.

Stateside, Orlando was the most punctual (8th) with Houston's George Bush Intercontinental close behind (10th). The US also gets the wooden spoon with LaGuardia coming in last.

Related Stories:
· 10 Most On-Time Airports [Forbes Traveler]
· Japan Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Airports coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jpellgen]]]> amandak 2008-05-12T09:50:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/5/93921/47961

TripAdvisor has unveiled its 2008 Travelers' Choice top destination lists--but only for those prepared to give away their email address to download the list. We've done it so you don't have to, and the big gossip is that New Zealand is still a hot destination.

Just how popular is New Zealand? On the list of the Top 100 Destinations in the World, it's taken not only #1 position with Milford Sound, but also #2 with Queenstown. It gets another few nods with #37 Auckland, #46 Wanaka and #48 Christchurch so we clearly should all be hopping on the next possible Air New Zealand flight. Maybe one day New Zealand will have more tourists than sheep.

Related Stories:
· Kiwis Come Out Tops [Expedia Blog]
· New Zealand Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· New Zealand Hotels [HC]

[Photo: vtveen]]]> amandak 2008-05-06T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/17/124141/701

Are flight crews getting a little eject-happy? After reading "Ten ways to get kicked off a plane" in the UK Times, our paranoia about getting tossed off a flight has only increased. Smelliness? Not paying attention during a security briefing? Wearing a T-shirt that could offend someone? We've done all those things. (Sorry, Mom.)

The trouble is, once airline crews start ejecting people for bad behavior, it's tempting to wish that every in-flight offense could result in an "unscheduled change of plans." We wouldn't begrudge the "Bye bye, plane!" 19-month-old of his seat, but continuing to make phone calls despite bad reception should be a ticketable offense. If it doesn't work the first time, send a text and take a hint!

For those times when we've managed to snag a precious aisle seat on an international flight, getting up from a middle seat every 10 minutes should sentence squirrely passengers to a shift cleaning the lavatories. (We're looking at you, 15-year-old Russian girl on Air France who pretended she couldn't speak enough English well enough to say "please.")

And for bringing a carry-on you can't lift into an overhead bin by yourself, you should be sentenced to the galley of Richard Branson's next venture. Be forewarned!

Related Stories:
· Ten Ways to Get Kicked off a Plane [UK Times]
· Airline Hell coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: artesea]]]> egw 2008-03-17T15:05:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/16/8283/22683

There's nothing like a "best of" list to stir some controversy, so it's hardly surprising nobody completely agrees with a recent attempt by the UK Times to list the world's 10 best beaches. The beaches range from (believe it or not) England through the islands of France and Spain and then to more exotic strips of sand in Uruguay, the Seychelles and Western Australia.

Strangely enough, the Bangladeshi beach that was leading the way in the Seven Wonders of Nature contest didn't make the cut. Instead, if we had to pick the top beach from the Times list, we'd probably go for Anse Lazio in the Seychelles (pictured).

This white-sand beach is on Praslin, the second largest island of the chain, and includes tree shade, tiny bays perfect for snorkeling and even a tasty beachside restaurant. And it's usually quiet and peaceful.

One more tip off the list for those who prefer their beach to come with action: The beaches at Uruguay's Punta del Este, like Playa Montoya, are where the beautiful people go to be seen. Beach bars and DJs make for a party-style beach instead, which you won't easily find in the Seychelles--or, we'd guess, on little-known Bangladeshi beaches.

Related Stories:
· 10 Best Beaches in the World? [UK Times]
· Cox's Bazar is #1: Isn't That Bizarre? [Jaunted]
· Beaches coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: gianbrutale]]]> amandak 2008-03-17T09:15:20-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/