Jaunted

Alcohol

Vodka Travel: Finding the #1 Drink in Poland

October 1, 2008 at 9:05 AM | 0 Comments

With a recent experience of Polish vodka still tingling our taste buds, it's no surprise we had our attention grabbed by a weekend Age article about finding the best vodka in Warsaw.

Turns out that the Polish aren't quite as fascinated with their vodka as we are, seeing it as a bit of layman's drink, but that won't stop us trying a few more. The Age reporter was lucky to sample quite a few, including:

Krupnik, a honey vodka drunk for breakfast in the mountains, as well as subrezty, a sour-sweet vodka, a cherry flavoured vodka and Siwucha, a potato vodka.

The favorite turned out to be the potato vodka, but our personal vote is for the honey vodka. And who says breakfast time is too early to start drinking? Not the Polish, obviously.

Related Stories:
· The Best Vodka in Town [The Age]
· Polish Cuisine in Melbourne: Borsch, Vodka & Tears [Jaunted]
· Poland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ceronne]

Low Cost Carriers

bmibaby Wants Poland Too

October 12, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

British-based low cost carrier bmibaby appeals to us because it's at least innovative enough to have cute cartoon characters in its advertising and a cute slogan. (It's "the airline with tiny fares.") Until now the main routes of bmibaby have been from all over the UK to western Europe, with a very heavy focus on Spanish destinations including Madrid, Malaga, Ibiza, Alicante and Barcelona.

But times are a'changing. With the rise of interest in Poland as a tourist destination, bmibaby's decided it wants a slice of this market too. Starting in February 2008, there will be a number of routes flying between various UK airports and the Polish cities of Warsaw and Gdansk. You can already book these flights, starting at £21.99 (US$45). Whether or not cutie-pie bmibaby can compete with the Polish LCC experts like Centralwings or the hot pink marvel that is Wizz Air will be a matter for next summer's season.

Related Stories:
· bmibaby To Launch New Poland Flights [Cheapflights]
· bmibaby [Official Site]
· Site Scramble: bmibaby [Jaunted]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: benallsup]

LCCs

Centralwings Loves Kids, Discount Tickets

October 1, 2007 at 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

Following the (largely Polish-held) theory that Poland is the center of Europe, the low cost carrier Centralwings is, of course, based in Poland. The airline flies out of eight different Polish cities, though apart from flights out of Warsaw and Krakow, the destination choices are fairly limited. Coming up this winter, though, some new flights will open to Athens, Barcelona, Lyon and Manchester.

But the big news over at Centralwings is they're trying to drum up some family business and are proudly advertising that children can get a discount on tickets. Infants under two fly free, and all children aged between 2 and 16 get a 20% discount on the adult fare. It started out sounding kinda generous, but when we calculate that the 20% discount on a 19 Zloty ($7) flight is just about enough to buy a small fries, it starts to sound like a marketing trick.

Of course, if your travel arrangements are completely inflexible or you book at the last minute, you might end up with some useful savings. Tickets can go for up to 600 Zloty, and with the money you save there, you'll be able to buy a burger to go with those fries.

Related Stories:
· Site Scramble: Centralwings [Jaunted]
· Bad Jokes Are Free At Wizz Air [Jaunted]
· Centralwings [Official Site]

Tourism Boards

Poland Tourism Board Gets Interactive

July 31, 2007 at 8:55 AM | 0 Comments

Poland's tourism board has embarked on a publicity blitz since the announcement that it will host the 2012 European Football Championships, along with Ukraine. The website includes the standard tourism board links to the country's history, travel information, regions and cities, recreation and sports, and culture and arts.

Although it's still in beta testing, the just-launched interactive travel portal proves that the Polskas are hip to this Web 2.0 trend. There, users can create personal profiles and tailor the site according to their interests and travel plans. The site has interactive maps, video content, news feeds, and regularly updated tools like exchange rates and an events calendar.

Related Stories:
·Poland Tourism Board [Official Site]
·Poland Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Perfekt]