Bombing anniversary draws visitors to Darwin January 27, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Australia, Events, Travel.add a comment
Darwin expects an influx of visitors next month when it marks the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin (frontlineaustralia.com.au).
February 19 marks 70 years since the first attack on Australian soil; the start of a 21-month-long raid on Australia’s north. The anniversary will be marked by a two-week program of events, including a re-enactment at the Darwin Cenotaph.
The Bombing of Darwin Heritage Tour guide, Garry Gallagher, says the event will be one of the last opportunities for people to hear firsthand accounts from those who defended Australia. ”Visitors will hear the stories of our servicemen brought to life … see important war sites and understand just how close we were to (more…)
Chip fat to fuel our planes? January 23, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: airlines, aviation, biofuel, green travel, Qantas, Travel, Virgin Atlantic
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If there’s something we can expect to see a lot of this year, it is airlines talking up their green credentials. From chicken fat to algae, carriers are busy looking for new ways to fuel their planes and reduce their emissions.
Several airlines have already claimed “world-first” initiatives such as the first commercial biofuel flight, the first scheduled biofuel flight and the longest distance biofuel flight, and Qantas has announced its intention to operate Australia’s first biofuel flight early this year.
IATA has declared work on biofuels to be a major priority for the industry in the year ahead, with the association’s chief executive, Tony Tyler, saying it is “one of aviation’s great challenges” to reduce its carbon emissions. ”Sustainability is our licence to grow,” Tyler says.
The problem with biofuels and other green initiatives is that they… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Trend watch: the new budget accommodation January 20, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: Britain, budget travel, camping, London, London Olympics, Olympic Games, Travel, travel trends
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Home owners in Britain and other parts of Europe are renting out their gardens as campsites for travellers on a budget. Campinmygarden.com lists properties ranging from urban areas to country manors, with gardens able to be rented for up to 28 days.
“With high household debt … the concept provides extra financial support to cash-strapped home owners, while offering holidaymakers [a] cheap alternative,” World Travel Market 2011′s Global Trends Report says. ”There are 350 gardens listed on Campinmygarden.com, from the UK to Romania. The site is mainly an urban phenomenon, bringing home farm stays to the city.”
The report says the key target markets for backyard camping are (more…)
Top travel trends for 2012 January 17, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Hotels, Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, China, Facebook, Frommer's, near field communication, Travel, travel technology, travel trends, Twitter, voluntourism
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In a fast-changing world, here’s five things you’ll need to keep up with in 2012.
1. Prices are rising
We’ve had a fantastic run with cheap travel in the past few years but expect to pay a bit more in the next 12 months. Strong demand for business travel is expected to drive up prices of both airfares and hotels.
American Express predicts economy class airfares will rise between 6 per cent and 10 per cent on short-haul routes and 5 per cent to 9 per cent on long-haul routes, despite airline competition and the growth of low-cost carriers.
Hotel rates are also on the rise, with American Express predicting mid-range hotels will increase their rates by 3 per cent to 8 per cent and upper-scale hotels will add between 6 per cent and 10 per cent to their prices.
Global forecasts by Carlson Wagonlit Travel show we can also expect to pay more at overseas hotels, with modest increases in North America, Europe and Africa and increases of about 10 per cent in Latin America.
2. Channels are changing
Travel deals and information will be released in different ways as social media and other technology-based channels continue to grow. Hot deals are increasingly being sent out through… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
The hottest travel destinations for 2012 January 9, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Adventure travel, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, NZ & Pacific Islands, South America, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: Travel, travel trends
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By now you’ve probably seen at least one list of what will be the “hottest” travel destinations for 2012.
Each year travel companies and publishers trip over themselves trying to come up with quirky and inspiring lists of countries and cities for the hipsters among us to visit.
Kyrgyzstan, anyone? Have you been to Suriname? And really, you must see Togo. No?
Here, travel industry leaders predict the real travel hot spots for 2012. In other words, where we will actually go.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/sit-back-and-spin-the-globe-20120105-1pmhl.html#ixzz1ivYIn1Gw
Another year gone! December 20, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Uncategorized.add a comment
Season’s Greetings to all.
Thanks for staying with me in 2011 and I’ll be back in January with the key travel trends for 2012.
Wishing you all safe and happy holidays.
Keeping your cool with Christmas travel December 13, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Australia, Events, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Christmas, holiday travel, Travel
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There’s nothing like a long airport queue or crawling traffic to test your Christmas spirit, so here are some tips to surviving Australia’s busiest travel period.
If you’re flying
For domestic flights, the peak days are expected to be December 22 and 23, with January 19 the predicted busiest day on the other side of Christmas.
A spokeswoman for the airport, Tracy Ong, says passengers travelling during that period should plan to arrive early, check the latest information on what they can take through security and use internet check-in if possible.
You can check in online up to 24 or 48 hours before your flight, depending on the airline, then all you have to do is drop off your bags. Checking in online can also allow you to choose your own seat, which could save you the dreaded middle seat on what is sure to be a full flight.
If you’re planning to drive to the airport, reserve some parking now, as many options will be booked out ahead of Christmas.
The Sydney Airport website, sydneyairport.com.au, is a good resource for other options for getting to and from the airport, including taxis, shuttle buses, buses and trains.
Another tip if flying is… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Would you travel with your in-laws? December 8, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: family, family travel, Travel, travel trends
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Swimsuit: Check. Good book: Check. Mother-in-law: Um…
Multi-generational holidays might be one of the biggest trends of recent times but it seems many women are none too happy about travelling with their in-laws.
This year’s Female Travel and Lifestyle Survey by lastminute .com.au found 40 per cent of women said “no way” to travelling with their in-laws. Another 11 per cent said they had travelled with their in-laws but not by choice, according to survey results released exclusively to The Sun-Herald.
One-fifth of women said they had holidayed with their in-laws and would do it again. Twenty-nine per cent said they hadn’t tried it but would be willing to give it a go.
In other results from the annual survey of travel habits and wishes of women, 87 per cent of women said (more…)
The truth about working in travel December 4, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Australia, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: careers, recruitment, Travel, travel agencies
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Do you dream of working in travel? Think it sounds like a glamorous kind of industry?
The good news is that travel agents and others in tourism are reasonably well paid these days, with an average salary of about $67,000 according to a new survey by travel recruitment specialists TMS Asia Pacific.
The bad news is that as salaries have gone up, the perks that have given the industry its glamorous image are fast disappearing. In the 2011 TMS Salary Report, only a third of respondents listed free or discounted travel as an additional benefit of their employment conditions.
“Industry rates”, which can provide discounts of up to 75 per cent on standard prices, used to be a big attraction for travel employees, even though air tickets were generally on a “stand-by” basis, with no guarantee of a seat. For the majority of those working in travel, it seems these discounts are either no longer accessible or have lost their shine.
“It is definitely something that has declined over the years,” TMS’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand, Sally Matheson, says. “With travel being generally more affordable through low-cost carriers and discount websites, the attraction of stand-by tickets has lost appeal to a large extent. Employers can no longer solely rely on that fact in attracting newcomers to the industry.”
Matheson says what remains appealing for those looking at travel as a potential career is… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
When to go five-star… and when to get real December 2, 2011
Posted by janeefraser in Asia, Australia, Hotels, North America, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Budapest, hotels, Hotels.com, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Sydney, Travel, travel deals, travel tips
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How much would you expect to cough up for a five-star hotel in a major city?
Travellers can pay anywhere from an average $192 a night to an average $499 a night in cities around the world, according to the latest Hotel Price Index from Hotels.com.
Berlin in Germany is the cheapest place to go five-star, with an average nightly rate of $192, while Budapest, Beijing and Bangkok also average less than $200 a night.
Sydney and Melbourne are in the next tier up but still relatively affordable, with nightly rates at five-star properties averaging $269 and $228 respectively.
The time to adjust your expectations or be prepared for financial pain is when visiting (more…)
