While racing to finish up work, stuff the last necessary items into our suitcase (we would not be a good candidate for I am Packed right now), print out our boarding passes, double-check our camera equipment, charging cords and TSA-sized toiletries and do other last-minute errands before hopping on a flight, we caught eye of this snapshot from the Beijing International Airport in our photo archives.

Posted just before the trains to the baggage claim, it says: Relax. Train Comes Every Three Minutes.

Isn't that just...nice? We wish all airports had that sign so that us hyper-active, worrywart travelers could at least take a moment off (or three minutes) from stressing.

There's another bonus for the OCD traveler at Beijing's airport, as the lifts and train cars are frequently disinfected. But of course, we understand if you still want to bring your own personal hand sanitizer.

[Photo: juliana]]]> juliana 2012-02-10T12:31:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/2/6/152122/2862

We said they were coming, and lo, they have come. Yesterday, flying from Chicago-O'Hare, we encountered the dreaded advertising mirrors—bathroom mirrors that double up as screens for advertisements.

How are they in real life? Way more imposing/annoying than you'd expect. They work by sensing when someone's at the mirror, so if you're waiting in line for a cubicle, all you see is moving adverts. Which, we suppose, isn't too irritating, but it does mean you can't check yourself out carry out quick makeup touch ups as you wait. ]]> juliab 2012-02-06T16:56:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/25/135234/793

There's nothing quite like the mixture of the old and new in Budapest. Art Nouveau and Communist architecture. Medieval cobbled streets, and fast-moving dual carriageway thoroughfares. Cutting-edge modern opera staged in a beautiful 19th century theater.

And a sex shop in a gloriously frothy old building. ]]> juliab 2012-01-25T16:00:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/23/125227/979

Budapest in winter: somewhere we've always wanted to go, but somewhere we've never quite dared—the snow! The biting cold! Could the beauty of winter really be worth getting frostbite for?

This year, we bit the bullet and booked. The good news: we didn't get frostbite. The bad: there was no snow! We found ourselves in a January so mild it was unheard of.

On the plus side, we got to cut our Budapest teeth without freezing, with barely any other tourists, and with that stunning stark winter sun lighting up our photos. Like this one from the Fisherman's Bastion next to the Matthias church in hilly Buda, looking down at the Hungarian parliament.

Now there's a sight that beats Capitol Hill.

[Photo: juliab]]]> juliab 2012-01-24T12:05:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/20/14292/6080

Someone's got issues.

That was our second thought when we saw this postcard in prime position at a Paris newsagent. Our first thought was "what the hell, is this a Vegas postcard or something?"

No, it seems that size really does matter to Parisians. Not only do they feel the need to boast about the size of their, uh, tower by plastering it in all its phallic glory over every piece of tourist tat, but also they're fully invested in the "our monument is more monumental than your monument" game, even though—yes—this Statue of Liberty does exist in Paris, though realistically on a far smaller scale. We can thank Photoshop for this fantasy depiction.

Poor old Lady Liberty. What we need now is for Dubai to make a similar postcard pitting Monsieur Eiffel up against the Burj Khalifa. That'll make the Parisian smugness wilt just a little.

[Photo: juliab]]]> juliab 2012-01-20T15:46:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/16/164811/633

Paris in the spring time may be lovely and all, but it's not all that. That's the opinion we formed spending this weekend experiencing Paris in the winter.

Cold it was—bitterly cold—for this level of Europe at least. On Saturday at least; yesterday, in reaction to Saturday, we wore eight (yes, eight) layers, and predictably, it warmed up enough to make five or six totally manageable.

But the upside of the chill was that there wasn't a cloud in the piercing blue sky, meaning the sun was able to flood the streets. The riverbanks too; check out the delightful walk we took along the Seine at lunchtime.]]> juliab 2012-01-16T16:48:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/16/14248/1500

The city of Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim) has seen as much history as any other place on Earth. The Old City, the 1sq km walled area tucked inside Israel's larger capital, has been continuously inhabited for 5,000 years. It fell on particularly hard times when it was divided between Jordan and Israel from 1948 to 1967—all but one of the city's 35 ancient synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians, for instance—but since its reunification under Israel much of the destruction has been repaired.

The result is that the Old City is now often the highlight for tourists indulging in some Israel travel. It takes more than one day to see all the sights, with just the Ramparts Walk that we recommended to you last summer taking half a day. The question naturally arises, how can you see as much as possible in the least amount of time?]]> Omri 2012-01-16T15:45:18-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/