Archive for December, 2006

It happens to me every year. As the holidays approach I start panicking about the gifts I need to buy for friends and family. There’s always somebody on the list that is impossible to buy for. These people usually have everything, want nothing and are extremely difficult to please. No names, please, you know who you are.

So this year I’m making a list of things big and things small, all grouped around the theme of ‘travel.’ Best of all, many of these can be bought at the last minute. Hooray for the internet.

Please share your own travel gift ideas, and we’ll add them to the list.

• The gift of experience: A gift certificate from viator.com: hot-air balloon rides, NASCAR drive-alongs, shark diving, cooking classes in Paris, golf tee-times in Hawaii, Las Vegas shows, you name it…
• Travel philosophy: The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
• Travel humor: Toilets of the World by Morna Gregory & Sian James
• Travel strangeness: Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-made Nations by John Ryan
• Pimp your hotel room: A universal remote control, portable speakers and a global plug adaptor
• Make your own (part 1): Print your own T-shirts with slogans such as “I left my heart in Scranton” or “I Love Romania”
• Make your own (part 2): Make a cookbook of weird foods from around the world
• When all else fails: Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: Travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht

It’s sunny. The beaches are gorgeous. The sunsets are amazing.

Do you really need another reason to visit Hawaii right now?

How about some of the world’s best surfers riding some of the world’s most notorious waves. Three separate surf events are being held at three different locations along Oahu’s famous North Shore. Each surf break requires special equipment, unique strategy and exceptional mental toughness. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is currently underway and will run until December 22, 2006.

The Vans Triple Crown is followed by The Monster Energy Pipeline Pro (Jan 27 to Feb 9, 2007) and The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau. All three events take place on Oahu’s North Shore. For more information you can also check out the official Visit Oahu website.

-Scott McNeely

As a gift to our blog friends and family this holiday season,

Viator is offering 15% off all purchases made by December 31, 2006.

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It’s official — there’s been another coup in Fiji.

The US State Department has not issued a travel warning, but the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office are both advising against travel to some part of Fiji (mainly the capital, Suva), after military officials yesterday confirmed they had assumed control of the government in Fiji.

• Australia Department of Foreign Affairs: Fiji
  
• UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office: Fiji

Outside the capital of Suva, the rest of Fiji (in particular the tourism areas) are largely unaffected by the coup. The capital, Suva, is 220 kilometers (140 miles) from the main tourism areas in the western part of Fiji. And the Fiji Visitors Bureau confirms it’s “business as usual” in Fiji’s main tourist areas.

Of course all cancellation penalties will be waived where possible. Simply let Viator Customer Care know of any intended changes to your itinerary, and we will do everything possible to reschedule or issue a refund.

Vinaka,
- Viator’s Fiji Team

There’s something special to the ritual of ending every year with a celebratory tribute to both the good and bad times of the previous 365.25 days. With all the stress of the holidays with the family, New Year’s Eve tends to be more focused on fun, frivolity and friends. It’s my absolute favorite holiday and so I’m putting together an all encompassing wishlist with creative ways to kick off a new year.

If you live near Sydney, Las Vegas, New York, or London, there are events all over from just wandering where the action is to cruising along with fireworks and music. Why not start off 2007 by taking a historical tour, riding a segway, or joining a culinary feast.

If you aim to check something off of your New Year’s Resolution list, you can spend a few hours and learn to: cook, surf, sail, snorkel, dive, fly a helicopter or fly a plane. For me, I’m adding the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, a pub tour in London, and a guided visit of the Orsay to my 2007, things to do list. Where will 2007 take you?

-Suzann M

There are a lot of ways to do New York City - shopping tours, Broadway shows, hop-on/hop-offs, etc. You may have been to the Big Apple and done that, or that just might not be your thing - either way, if you want to approach the megatropolis from a different angle, Viator offers a number of off-kilter options.

You’d be hard-pressed to explore the city in more style than a ‘75 Chevy Caprice convertible (weather permitting). You cruise the major neighborhoods, cross the Brooklyn Bridge, and stop for photo ops as you please. Those up on the second deck of the tour bus idling next to you at the light might be looking down at you, but look closer - they’re green with envy.

And you’ll blow them away when the lights change.

Harlem is growing as a travel destination in its own right, and one of the best ways to get to know it is to soak up the music it’s so justly famous for. You can hear a gospel choir on a Wednesday or (perhaps more fittingly) a Sunday, or jazz just about any night of the week, with a healing helping of soul food.

If you like your music with a bit more edge, head down to the Lower East Side for a rock’n'roll walking tour. New York’s also known for its thriving hip-hop culture, which is another excellent way to organize your wanderings.

There are lots of other ways to see the city - by night, by air, or water. You can also see it all by yourself - with a little help from a GPS unit and some pre-recorded friends. So should you (heaven forbid) grow bored of the same-old same-old New York, you have no excuse - and lots of ways to mix it up.

-Bruce Melendy

Go grab a cup of tea or coffee and make yourself comfortable. This is going to take a while to explain. If you’re in a hurry, jump down to where it says If you’re in a hurry start reading here –>.

I have a friend who lives in London, we’ll call him “Mr X” to protect his identity. Mr X is one of these people who seems to be living about 40 years behind the rest of us. Example: Mr X once asked me how to ‘turn this TV thing on’, pointing at his desktop computer. Example: Mr X wears tweed coats with scarves, even though he’s in his 30s and is most definitely not a lecturer at Oxford.

So just the other day Mr X sent me an ‘electronic letter’, what the rest of us would call an email. It seems that Mr X’s mum is traveling to New York City for the upcoming holidays. Knowing that I work in the travel industry, he asked if I had any holiday travel advice for his mum. As a matter of fact, I did have some advice for his mum.

I sent Mr X a link to Viator’s New Year’s Eve and Holiday Tours page. There are some excellent holiday tours here, from Sydney Harbour Cruises to New Year’s Eve in London. And it just so happens that we have a few excellent (and extremely popular) New York cruises on New Year’s Eve that include dinner, drinks and front-row seats to the fireworks display at the Statue of Liberty. Sounds perfect for Mr X’s mum.

Thinking my work here is done, I was a bit surprised to receive another electronic letter from Mr X. He was not pleased. Apparently the link I sent him didn’t work. He couldn’t see anything on his television (computer) screen.

It turns out that Mr X was using the latest web browser from Microsoft. It’s called IE7 (Internet Explorer 7) and it was released just a few weeks ago. Now I am not in the habit of criticizing things in this blog. Nor do I want to join the ranks of the Microsoft bashers. (Can you sense a ‘however’ coming?) However, IE7 is really an awful browser and let’s not kid ourselves about it, sometimes the truth hurts but it’s important for Microsoft to hear the truth, similar to George Lucas being told that the last 3 Star Wars movies were terrible even if they made heaps of money, ditto with the last two Matrix films and season 1 of the US-version of The Office (OK, it did get a lot better). I’ll stop ranting now.

If you’re in a hurry start reading here –> To make a long story short, Mr X was having trouble using the new version of Internet Explorer. All of its buttons had been moved around and reorganized. For a technology neophyte like Mr X, this was just too much to cope with. He did what any of us would have done, he selected the “Start” menu in order to shut down his television.

After some frantic back and forth with Mr X, I was able to get him back online successfully navigating IE7. And within a few minutes we had booked his mum a lovely New Year’s Eve cruise in New York City.

So we’re nominating Mr X and his mum as our Traveler(s) of the Week, for not letting a little thing like Microsoft’s IE7 to stand between them and a happy, memorable New Year’s Eve.

-Scott McNeely

What is the travel world buzzing about this week? In a word, summer. As the top half of the planet eases into winter, the northern hemisphere travel compass starts pointing south, to destinations where ice comes in your drink, not on your windshield.

The New York Times Travel section picks up on the “go south” theme with features on Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The Times also throws in an excellent article on Venice, Italy, in case you’re one of the lucky ones to visit Venice off-season when the skies may be filled with rain, but the streets and canals are gloriously empty of tourists.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Travel section is feeling the same “take me somewhere warm & sunny” vibe, with a handy A to Z guide to the Caribbean, from Aruba to the Virgin Islands and every sun-kissed spot in between.

In the UK the Guardian is keen on fishing in New Zealand, where, thanks to the miracle of Planet Earth’s axial rotation, summer is fast approaching. Also featured are Trinidad (think: beach), Dublin (think: Guinness) and Beijing (think: cool!).

In Australia the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne’s The Age argue it’s time to add Fiji to your travel wishlist. As well as India. There’s also a pleasantly controversial article here about hitting the road for the holidays without your family. You know, leave the loved ones at home while you hit the slopes or hiking trails.

The global news round-up finishes this week in Dubai, where the Khaleej Times has profiles on Australia (extreme sports) and South Africa (wildlife, wildlife, wildlife).

Let us know what your hometown newspaper is buzzing about.

-Scott McNeely