Tag: travel alerts

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(Another) Immigration Agent Strike in London Will Affect Travel This Thursday

May 7, 2012 at 9:58 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you have had the displeasure of traveling through London-Heathrow, you understand that long lines to get your passport stamped is a very common occurrence. Airport officials are well aware of the impact this will have on this summer's Olympic games and have taken steps to reduce the headaches.

For the sake of easing traveler frustration, the debate on how to reduce waiting time through immigration continues, and, frankly, hasn't resulted in much progress toward a solution. All of these debates will cause the ultimate airport hell: a strike.

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Just Be Happy You're Not Flying into Nigeria's Lagos Airport

Where: Lagos, Nigeria
May 2, 2012 at 2:46 PM | by | Comments (0)

A few years ago we did a Nigeria Travel post on how Lagos was becoming a vacation spot for the uber-wealthy. We're not sure how they're getting in and out of the country, but, after reading this article on the sad state of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, we're guessing it's not by commercial air.

We complain about domestic airports all the time, and sometimes we do so with some enthusiasm, but even we have never described one as "the shame of a nation." Ouch!

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Eight Travel Safety Lessons We Learned the Hard Way, After Getting Robbed

February 27, 2012 at 4:07 PM | by | Comments (2)

Only a few days ago, while bicycling around Argentina's wine country, we were robbed [read the full story here]. The banditos only got away with our Nikon DSLR camera, and it could have been much worse, but regardless we've come away with a slew of lessons learned the hard way.

While the "what ifs" stream through our mind, here's eight tips to avoid being a victim:

· Keep moving. Even if you're lost, try to keep moving and look alert (maybe go around the same block) or head towards a busier area to ask at a major business for help with directions.

· Always read about crime and safety considerations when you travel to an unfamiliar city. In this case, we had actually read about the snatchings on WikiTravel, so we knew immediately what was happening as soon as the man surprised us by putting his hands on the camera in our bike basket. Alas, it was because of this warning that we had wound the straps around the handlebars, which prevented him from taking off with our backpack as well.

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Robbed While Biking the Argentina Wine Trail: Our Firsthand Account

February 23, 2012 at 3:20 PM | by | Comments (2)


Policia truck in which we rode

Me robaron. Me robaron. ME ROBARON. I was robbed.

I've gotten very good at saying this in Spanish in the last 20 hours, as yesterday around 3pm local time in the wine tourism town of Maipú, Argentina, a man reached into the basket of the bicycle I was riding, and stole my Nikon DSLR camera. That's the simple way of explaining what went down; the full explanation is far more harrowing, and you can guarantee that I've spent every waking moment since then replaying the events in my mind, wondering how a nice day of biking to vineyards turned into an ordeal involving 17 bulletproof vest-wearing members of the local Policia.

Here we go.

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Another Month, Another French Transportation Strike

Where: France
February 6, 2012 at 8:57 AM | by | Comments (0)

The week of your trip to Paris has finally arrived, and you’re fully packed and ready to go. There’s just one problem that might screw up your plans, as there might be a little bit of a transportation strike.

French unions are calling for a travel strike beginning today, but don’t worry, the country is still going to be open for business. It just might take a little more patience if you’re getting there by plane. The plan is a four-day strike across all sectors of the country’s aviation services, so that means back-up plans and deep breaths area required if you’re flying through or to spots like Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

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The Biggest Travel Villain of 2011 Is...

December 29, 2011 at 4:26 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's that time of the year again, the time when the year just plain ends. Alas, we can't just let 2011 go that easily, especially since travelers spent it both up in the air and up in arms over a crazy range of topics, encompassing everything from nudie scans to tarmac delays. Needless to say, we're ready for 2012, but first we're taking a brief look back at the best of 2011 with the Jaunted Travel Awards,—or as we fondly refer to them—The Jauntys.

Do you think we're going to say "TSA" for this year's biggest travel villain? Truthfully, we were tempted but they won the title in 2010 and it's time to move on. For 2011, the single biggest villain keeping travelers from where they wanted to go were...natural disasters.

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A Major Strike Will Gum Up the Works at UK Airports This Wednesday

November 28, 2011 at 2:43 PM | by | Comments (0)

Heading to the UK this Wednesday, November 30? Bring a book, a snack and loads of patience because for the second time this year, the UK Borders and Customs employees who stamp your passports will be on strike.

The last strike by the PCS Union was exactly five months ago, on June 30, and we just happened to fly into London-Heathrow and get stuck in the middle of it (and the line's 17 switchbacks). Although Heathrow had obviously prepared well by handing out both bottled water and kid activity packs, the nightmare of standing for nearly three hours in the most boring, bureaucratic environment ever still happened. Just listen for your flight crew to warn you about "industrial action," as our Virgin Atlantic FAs did, just to make sure we were aware what exactly was the holdup.

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Hurricane Rina Heads for Cancun, Cuba

Where: Mexico
October 26, 2011 at 5:25 PM | by | Comments (2)

Update 10/27: Good news! Hurricane Rina should be downgraded to a Tropical Storm and will likely only make it as far as Cuba. Nonetheless, the projected path continues to change. Follow updates here.

Just in case you don't instinctively flip to the Weather Channel during TV commercial breaks, we should tell you that this weekend is probably not the best time to be vacationing in Cancun, the rest of the Riviera Maya, and even in the Florida Keys as Hurricane Rina bears down on the vacation destinations.

As a result of the impending arrival of 80-40mph winds and potentially damaging Category 2 hurricane, cruise ships in the area have shifted their routes and airlines are offering rebooking for those traveling into the storm. An example is JetBlue, who have the alert clearly stated at the top of their website, and the full rebooking details here.

The worst of the storm is due to land on Cozumel and Cancun tomorrow, while it'll take until the weekend to dampen the Florida Keys* (see update above). Thankfully it's only a Category 2 (for now), so tourists already enjoying the sun and who don't mind weather disruptions, shouldn't be worried for their lives. The real threat is to those still planning on travel during the storm days, as they'll likely just end up sleeping on airport floors.

[Photo: Weather Channel]

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The Early Stages of the Current Thailand Flooding: Photos from Ayutthaya

Where: Thailand
October 24, 2011 at 5:28 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's as we feared would happen. The rising floodwaters of the Chao Phraya River near Bangkok, Thailand have reached the city's secondary airport, Don Mueang. DMK was the focus of one of our recent stories on great places to go plane spotting, owing to the existence of a golf course in between the airport runways.

Well, it's safe to say that the entire place is in danger of becoming one giant water trap.

Although central Bangkok and the main tourist areas remain high and dry, the UNESCO historical sites in nearby Ayutthaya can't say the same. Although we aren't there now to show you some of the damaging floods (thank god), we were there as recent as a few weeks ago, when the waters of the river had already begun seeping into the first floors of riverside homes.

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Delta Nixes Tokyo-Haneda Flights Over Growing Nuclear Meltdown Fears

March 17, 2011 at 1:20 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week has been absolutely horrific for Japan, and for the world in general considering that what's happening with the earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear issues impacts everywhere else in some way or another. Really, we don't even have the words to describe how badly the last several days have been, when tragedy gets piled atop fresh tragedy.

In the travel sector, the freshest loss to Japan today has been the withdrawal of Delta's new direct routes from Detroit and Los Angeles to Tokyo-Haneda, the metropolis' smaller international airport, which only inaugurated a shiny new international terminal in October 2010. The flights have stopped for now, and are not schedule to resume until May 31 from Detroit, and June 2 from Los Angeles at the earliest.

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No Really, The Government is Serious About That Europe Travel Alert

October 14, 2010 at 4:47 PM | by | Comments (0)

It may be the vaguest warning to be issued this year at least, but the State Department stands by their alert that American travelers should be ultra-aware of their surroundings while in public places and on public transportation throughout Europe. But like the majority of travelers, we remain unconvinced.

Trust the Guardian UK to dig up the dirt on why the alert remains:

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Europe Terror Plot Focused on Airport Security Areas

October 6, 2010 at 2:04 PM | by | Comments (0)

So you know that new travel alert, which warns Americans to be super vigilant while on public transportation or in tourist areas of major European cities? Yea, it sucks. Thanks for the warning, but a vague alert won't do much to cause a change in people's travel behaviors even if being aware is always great advice. It would hope to know exactly where to be vigilant, what to look out for.

Shortly following the travel alert announcement came the news that a US drone attack near the Afghanistan border had killed a group of al Qaeda-tied militants who were suspected of planning attacks in Europe. So finally, we have a little more information. The Daily Mail reports that a "law enforcement official" told ABC News that "terror teams could have staged commando-style attacks on pre-security areas packed with travellers before they boarded flights." It's true that at many major airports the check-in queues can get quite long and that confusion on day with many delayed and cancelled flight does occur, so the security area is a risk.

Apparently some of the highest threat areas are Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport and Paris' Metro System, but four other (as yet unnamed) European Airports are also high risk. Should nothing else occur to increase warnings or spread the risk, the travel alert will expire in January 2011.

[Photo: Wikimedia Commons]

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