News & Alerts

The Future of Air Travel?

In the UK, airline flights account for 7% of that country’s CO2 emissions, but thanks to more and more cheap flights this will probably rise to 25% in the next couple of decades. Worldwide, flights make up about 2% of all emissions, and again the percentage is rising.

The numbers are not good news for travelers who care about the environment. It’s downright annoying spending a year catching public transport to work to make the world a better place, only to discover that your short break to Hawaii emitted more CO2 than you could hope to make up in 10 years of not driving.

For those who travel because they want to see the world’s beautiful places before they’re gone, the irony could blow a blood vessel – taking a plane to see the Great Barrier Reef, whose existence is threatened because people take so many planes…

So what can we do? For most of us staying home is not an option; there’s too much world to see, family and friends to visit, cultures to learn from, foods to taste and mountains to climb. And if it really is going we want to see it before it’s gone. One option is to hope the airlines can come up with a way to make flying more earth-friendly. Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin airlines, is on a mission to do just that. He’s proposed all kind of ideas – his work on using new technology to both reduce circling times and cut down the distance planes need to be towed before they take off is boring but immensely practical– but this last week one of them is off the drawing board and (almost) on the runway.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that in February it will make its first flight using biofuels. The flight – from London to Amsterdam – won’t carry any passengers, and it won’t be entirely powered by biofuel (only 20%, in fact). But Branson thinks it’s a step in the right direction. So do Air New Zealand, who are competing to get their biofuelled plane in the air before Virgin’s.

The two airlines have been working with Boeing and GE Aviation on the project, which will use conventional engines. According to the manufacturers, burning biofuels doesn’t mean modifying the engines, and it won’t affect the plane’s performance. Neither airline is willing to reveal yet what kind of biofuel they’re using. Why not, you may well ask. Does it even matter? Surely any biofuel is better than aviation fuel, right?

Not necessarily. A couple of years ago, biofuels seemed like the solution to all our problems: a clean, green way to keep our cars and trucks on the road and our planes in the air without digging up more oil and churning more CO2 into the air. Europe was particularly quick to embrace biofuels: they set a target for biofuel imports and alternative gas stations began springing up all over the place.

But it’s not all good news. As farming corporations dream of becoming the new oil barons, small-scale farmers are being kicked off their land in South America and Asia, and biofuel crops are replacing much needed food crops (with recent reports suggesting biofuels may lead to widespread famine). In South-East Asia, ancient forests and peat beds are being cleared and burned to make way for palm oil plantations so Europeans can fill up with biofuel – the clearing and burning is releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere than the biofuels could ever hope to make up. (Europe has just this past week declared that it is reviewing its biofuel targets to make sure they don’t cause more problems than they solve.)

The rethink may be the fly in Richard Branson’s green ointment, and the reason why he’s currently keeping mum about the source of his biofuel. Or it may be that he’s discovered a revolutionary fuel that he’s not yet willing to announce.

Let’s hope it’s the latter, and that it won’t be too long before every airline is filling up with sustainable biofuels, letting those of us who worry about such things fly with a clear conscience, even if it is to see the melting glaciers of Greenland.

–Jane Rawson

What is the travel world buzzing about this week?

The New York Times travel section surveys family-ski options that won’t break the bank in Colorado; uncovers the top eating spots in Amman, Jordan (including my personal favorite falafel seller anywhere, Hashem, located in downtown Amman); and casts an approving eye on Hollywood despite all the LA-bashing naysayers out there (as a native of Los Angeles I appreciate the NY Times’ approving eye while reserving my right to remain an occasional naysayer).

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Top Trends in Travel in 2008 are likely to be eco-tourism, volunteer travel and ’singles mingling’. Silly me, this sounds like the same-same trends that travelers and the travel media were talking about last year. Is there really nothing more trendy on the horizon this year? The SMH is back on safer ground with a spotlight on surfing in Indonesia. (Which reminds me to report that, yes, Bali is officially back on the travel agenda this year — I’ve had no less than three different friends tell me they’re planning a trip to Indonesia and Bali this coming year.)

I haven’t read the SMH Travel Blog for a while. Today on my first visit in 2008, it seems as if every second post is a regurgitation of a Lonely Planet guidebook. Hmmm. Is the SMH Travel Blog heading for second-class travel status? Maybe, just maybe. I’ll keep you posted.

Over at the LA Times travel section the topic du jour is Santa Barbara, with a handy list of free and cheap things to do in Santa Barbara. The LA Times Travel Blog’s top story today is about cheap airfares to New Zealand.

The San Francisco Chronicle travel section has a lovely pairing of articles today: Best Cruises for Tots alongside an article posing the challenge, How to Get Drunk at the Airport. As the parent of a toddler, I see the logic of this pairing even if you cannot.

The Guardian tells of 10 Winter Short-Breaks more enticing than a weekend in Paris (though, let’s be honest, a weekend in Paris is nothing to sneeze at). The Guardian argues that Romania, Norway and Sweden have plenty of mini-adventures awaiting the weekend getaway traveler. And who are we to disagree?

Finally, the Turkish Daily News has a sobering article about the (over)development of the Turkish Aegean coast; nearly 30,000 summer homes have been built in the past two years alone. That’s a lot of concrete.

–Scott McNeely

Largo do Senado, Macau

I was poking through the travel news this past week and ran across an article on some tourists who were none too happy with their tour of Macau. And I admit, it does sound kind of sucky, more than 100 tourists were mad that their tour guide took them to a bunch of shops instead of the historic sites they thought would be part of the tour. They got mad, one thing led to another, and the riot cops stepped in. On paper, a really great historical tour of Macau and a crappy shopping tour could look much the same, it all depends on how the tour is described and who is operating it. So how do you avoid ending up in a riot and get a great tour?

At Viator this is one of the main concerns we have with our tours and activities - how do we make sure they are all great experiences with great operators, and that any person coming to our site and thinking about a tour can easily get an understanding if its right for them. I am thinking of changing our tag line to “Riot free tours since 1995″, but there are other ways I think we embody that sentiment. Even if you aren’t considering a Viator experience, here’s some questions you should ask and things to think about to make sure you pick a tour or activity that will make your vacation memorable in a good way (not in a I-have-a-funny-story-about-finding-bail-money-in-Hong-Kong-Dollars kind of way).

1. Get as much information as you can about the tour operator and the tour you are considering. How long have they been in business and have been running this tour? Are they accredited in some way? Have they won any awards?

At Viator, we already do all this for our customers. We review every tour operator’s standing with the local visitors bureau, the Better Business Bureau, and relevant travel associations. We evaluate the operator’s customer-service procedures to make sure they meet our high standards, and verify their safety records and insurance coverage. Also Viator requires operators to adhere to the Federation of Tour Operator’s Preferred Code of Practice.

2. In general, avoid a tour with 100+ people. More people is usually, but not always, less fun. Sometimes a crowd is great - who wants to watch football alone in a stadium? But if you want a nice historical tour, think intimate. Odds are you will have more input into what you see and do.

Viator offers a lot of private or small tour options, we know that a big group is often less fun. A personalized tour is even better.

3. Get a detailed description of the tour, and if you are particularly interested in seeing something, ask if its part of the itinerary.

Viator spends a lot of time on on gathering detailed information about our tours and activities and succinctly providing that information to help customers make an educated decision about their experience. Check out Viator’s Macau tour description:

“The island of Macau is located 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometres (90 miles) from Guangzhou. A 60-minute Jetfoil or Catamaran journey from Hong Kong will take you to the former Portuguese colony where you will explore the Historic Centre of Macau, which has now been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it the 31st designated UNESCO World Heritage site in China. Visit the Old Fort, Penha Hill, the Bishop’s Home along the Praia Grande, The Ruins of the Historic Church of St Paul and the Macau Grand Prix Race Course.”

“You will also stop at the Border Gate for a glimpse of the Chinese Border Guards before proceeding to the Casino to possibly try your luck. Depart Macau in the mid-afternoon and arrive back in Hong Kong and your pick-up point at approximately 5:00pm.”

That’s a great description of what you will see and do. Don’t settle for something like, it’s a day tour of Macau’s historical sites. Get the details.

4. Get recommendations from people who have been on the tour. This is a tough one when you’re already on vacation. You might run into someone at the hotel who happens to have done what you’re considering, but odds are you won’t. Do you want to trust the concierge, who in all likelihood won’t have actually gone on any of the tours (or worse, is getting a kickback)?

This is why Viator traveler reviews are great. There are 19 reviews of the Macau tour. You can read the honest feedback of travelers from four different continents; what they liked, what they didn’t like, and the overall star rating they gave the tour (incidentally this one gets 3 1/2 out of 4 stars). Why would we publish negative comments about a tour? Because we want you to have all the information possible. And we use it to make sure our operators are meeting our expectations - if they aren’t, they aren’t our operator anymore.

Pssst! We’re also announcing traveler photos to go with the reviews soon, but not quite yet. You’ll actually be able to see what its like to be on the tour through other travelers photos. Don’t say I told you. Scott will be mad.

5. To thine own self be true. Do things you like, don’t do things you think you have to do. Just because you are in Paris does not mean you need to see the Louvre if you hate museums. Skip it. Opt for tours and activities you will enjoy, you’re not obligated to do anything on vacation but have fun. There’s a thousand ways to experience Paris that don’t involve a museum if that’s not your bag. This can be a radical paradigm shift for some travelers, but make the leap, you’ll be much happier.

Viator knows that everyone likes to do different things. In Paris, yes, we have a great guided tour of the Louvre, but we also have 149 other things to do in Paris in 15 different categories, many of which do not involve a single painting. If you can’t find something you’d like to do, I’ll eat my chapeau.

Hopefully this advice is helpful when you plan things to do on your next trip. Not to sound like a broken record, but at Viator, we take the quality of our tours and activities to heart, our goal is for everyone to have a great travel experience.

Riot free since 1995….

– Kelly G

Good news: the stagehands strike that has shut down much of Broadway for the past few weeks has been resolved. That’s the news coming out of New York City this morning.

According to several news outlets in New York, all shows will be up and running on their regular schedules in time for the evening performances on Thursday, November 29.

So if you have tickets for an upcoming performance, go see the show! Starting from tonight all performances will run as scheduled and all existing tickets will be honored. If you’ve been holding off purchasing tickets, delay no longer! The crowds are expected back in full force. That’s a not-so-subtle hint to head over to the main Viator.com site to pre-book your New York City Broadway theater tickets. Can’t decide what show to see? Have no fear, hundreds of Viator travelers have already rated & reviewed the top shows in New York. Here is a snapshot of the top-rated Broadway shows, based on reviews from Viator travelers:

• Mamma Mia! on Broadway. Review in Viator.com: “Wow! A wonderful show and my front row seat right in the middle made it even more enjoyable.” (Read all Mamma Mia! show reviews.)
• The Lion King. Viator.com review: “I was told this was a good show but OH MY GOD, you have got to see it to believe it, it was the best show I have ever been to. If I had more time in New York, I would have went to see it a second time. Any words I write won’t do it justice, it is a fantastic production and will be the highlight of any trip.” (Read all Lion King show reviews.)
• Phantom of the Opera. Viator.com review: “When we go back to New York City, we will definitely get our tickets from Viator. I am amazed that we ended up three rows from the stage. Our daughter, who is very interested in theater, watched the entire show with her mouth open. She was in awe! Thank you so much!” (Read all Phantom of the Opera show reviews.)
• Monty Python’s Spamalot. Viator.com review: “Funny from start to finish! I took my family, aged from ten to forty four, and we all enjoyed the show. Even if you’re not a Python fan, as long as you like to laugh, you’ll love this.” (Read all Monty Python’s Spamalot show reviews.)

Check out our complete list of New York City tours, and book a NYC Broadway show now that the strike is over. Enjoy New York, see a show, break a leg.

–Scott McNeely

Just when I think nothing interesting is in the news lately, along comes a novelty story combining 2 of my favorite things of the moment - Egypt and Robbie Williams (British pop star for the Americans amongst us). The Great Pyramid of Giza has stood 4,500 years through the ages, now it faces its toughest challenge!

It seems Robster has decided the acoustics in the Great Pyramid of Giza are irresistible and he simply must check it out to see if he can record part of his next album in the ancient structure. Having recently been inside the second largest of the Pyramids at Giza, I wish him the best of luck but think he is clearly out of his mind. No ventilation inside so the air is stale and hot, 10 minutes inside was all I could handle. Passages are low and narrow, good luck to his crew trying to get equipment in and out. Lastly, the fact it is a burial place for a Pharaoh. The poor Pharaohs of Egypt endured centuries of tomb raiders and gawking tourists traipsing through their resting places, and now a 21st century pop star’s whim!

So, cheeky Robbie Williams is flying to Cairo in December to belt out a few tunes in the Great Pyramid and hear for himself the legendary acoustics. Enjoy your trip Robbie and don’t forget - Viator offers a great range of things to do in Cairo and the rest of Egypt…

-Kerrie O’Mahony

New Orleans has a special place in my heart. I’ve spent many holidays there. I was married on the front steps of The Columns Hotel on St Charles Avenue. I even have a dog named Tchoupitoulas (Toula for short).

Mid City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Open for business

Needless to say, I pounce on every positive piece of post-Katrina news I can find. When Uglesich’s reopened I nearly cried for joy (you have not lived until you’ve sampled their deep-fried oysters with blue cheese).

Today another bit of good news passed across my inbox, the fact that Mid City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl is open. I had heard they were badly hit by Katrina, and there was even talk they would not reopen.

Luckily the rumors are false. Mid City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl is open!

What’s the big deal, you ask?

Let’s start with the bowling. It’s a 1940s-era bowling alley with plenty of history, a great vibe, excellent table service, everything you’d expect from a classy bowling alley. Yet what really sets Rock ‘n’ Bowl apart is the music. Nearly every night of the week there’s live music, on a stage about the size of a barn door, right there in the middle of the bowling alley. And it’s not “stand around looking bored” music, not even close. This is “get off your ass and DANCE” music, everything from zydeco to Cajun to country to local rock (check out the music calendar here).

Mid City Rock ‘n’ Bowl may not change your life. But for me, it’s another small sign that New Orleans is coming back to life. Laissez les bons temps…

–Scott McNeely

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s things to do in New Orleans, from a post-Katrina city tour to a swamp and plantation combo tour, and everything in between.

Viator’s founder with his contraband surfboard

A wave of protest. That’s what British Airways (BA) provoked this week when it announced — with no warning — that starting November 6 it no longer will transport “unsuitable” items on its fleet of aircraft.

The list includes canoes, hang gliders, pole-vaulting poles, javelins (!) and, yes, surfboards.

Surfboards??? Dude, what is BA thinking?

While the global community of javelin throwers is tiny, surfers number in the thousands. And they are not happy.

A spokesperson for the British Surfing Association (BSA) said she was “extremely shocked” by the decision, especially as some boards weigh much less than many items not included in the ban. “We’d find it extremely hard to believe that the average short board would be more difficult to handle when compared to a double bass and a full bag of golf clubs.”

And there’s the rub. BA’s new policy applies to surfboards and javelins, but not to bulky items such as golf clubs, bicycles and over-size musical instruments. Which looks to some like an arbitrary policy that unfairly punishes surfers (economy class, who cares) but not golfers (business class, don’t mess with them).

BA’s response? “Some items are simply not suitable for airport baggage systems to handle or travel in the aircraft hold.” They have no plans to review the new policy.

That’s not stopping the British Surfing Association from launching an online petition against the ban. The BSA complains that Britain’s surfing teams usually travel to their European and international events on BA flights but now will be forced to use other airlines. And think of all those unlucky British surfers who live in cities where BA is the primary carrier. Akaw, surfer dudes and betties, this doke ban was put together by a bunch of butt crumbs. Let’s hope they come to their senses.

–Scott McNeely

We didn’t want the day to pass without wishing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Viator Travel Blog, which went live exactly one year ago today. Here’s an excerpt from our very first post:

It’s official — the Viator travel blog is up and running. Tell your friends, tell your coworkers, tell random people in the street. The Viator travel blog is a resource for anybody who loves to travel. Check back over the coming weeks and months as we post and share our thoughts on a range of travel topics: from things to do in New York City and Paris tours and activities (the stuff that pays the bills and keeps us going) to travel deals, travel news, travel alerts, you name it. We also want to hear from you — don’t be shy, ask us questions, tell us what you like or don’t like, and we’ll see what we can do to help you make the most of your next trip. Happy travels.

Turning one is a good time to reflect on the year that was, the year that will be. Here’s a motley mix of facts and figures about our blog. It’s been quite a year, and we fully expect Year 2 to be as fun, inspiring and interesting (possibly even controversial!) as the first one.

The Viator Travel Blog: Year One

Somehow we’ve managed to publish 434 posts. Many of these are actually quite useful and good!

The 5 most popular (based on page views) are:

• A first-hand report from Viator’s founder about opening day at the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
• Our list of the Top 25 Things to Do in Europe in 2006. Which reminds me, stay tuned for our 2007 lists of top things to do, including our list of the Top 50 things to do around the world.
• Kerrie’s post about the 2007 Cricket World Cup. She explained the game with grace and patience (useful for us Americans) and did a pretty decent job tipping the results, too.
• My post about 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. It struck a nerve, and generated a fair amount of controversy. My opinions have not changed.
• Our Insider’s Guide to Malaysia’s Best Beaches. Going to Malaysia? Read this post.

Our Spam Filter has deleted 17,663 comments! That’s a lot of Viagara links. My favorite spam comments:

• I do think your right on the spot here, i am going to bookmark your site to see if other people have different views.
• I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
• Sorry, it just sounds like a crazy idea for me

The 3 most popular search terms used to find our blog…

• rugby world cup predictions (thanks Ian for all your great Rugby World Cup posts)
• things to do in Europe (once again our list of Top 25 Things to Do in Europe in 2006)
• virgin first time (hmmm, was this post really what you were looking for??)

The 3 least popular search terms used to find our blog…

• belize it or not (no joke, 1 person found us using this term, hopefully they enjoyed our post)
• menstrual blood attracting sharks (yes, we really did blog about it)
• ancient 14 wonders of the world (silly us, we thought there were only 7)

Who are you people??? The top 5 home cities of our blog readers:

• London (cheers)
• Auckland (ta)
• Sydney (good on ya)
• New York City (thanks)
• Singapore & San Francisco (it’s a tie)

We have plenty of new ideas and plans for Year 2, so keep checking back over the next 12 months (or subscribe to our RSS feed and let your computer do all the heavy lifting). Thanks for your interest in the Viator Travel Blog, and let us know what else you’d like to see in the coming year.

–Scott McNeely

It came as a shock this morning to read about the BBC’s acquisition of travel publisher Lonely Planet.

Part of the shock is very personal — I worked at Lonely Planet for more than a decade, and was its online publisher for many years. I respect the brand, am fond of the people who still work there, and think the world of Lonely Planet’s guidebooks.

I’m also big fan of the BBC. How could you not be? The BBC is one of the world’s most respected media organizations, a leader in news, opinion and analysis. Though this acquisition was undertaken by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, there’s no reason to think that Lonely Planet won’t receive a massive boost from integration with the BBC.

Or will it?

Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the legendary founders of Lonely Planet, spent their professional lives building Lonely Planet into a trusted, authoritative publisher of independent travel advice. Lonely Planet’s success for many years was a direct result of its ‘backpacker’ spirit. Unlike Fodor’s and Frommer’s and countless other guidebook publishers, Lonely Planet succeeded thanks to its outsider status. Holding a Lonely Planet guidebook in your hands was akin to having a savvy local guide you through the back alleys and off-the-beaten-path sections of any destination.

For most of 30 years, the Lonely Planet model worked well. Generations of travelers to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America were raised on Lonely Planet. The company created an incredibly loyal following. It was one of the first travel publishers on the web, and its Thorn Tree bulletin boards set the standard for peer-to-peer communication and social networking — and that was in the mid-1990s, nearly a decade before the likes of Myspace and Facebook. (The fact that the Thorn Tree hasn’t changed all that much since the mid-1990s is a topic for another day…)

The Lonely Planet website, circa 1996

Even so, it was not surprising to read the quotes from Tony Wheeler discussing the rationale behind the sale. “All media are in transition, and while guidebooks are not in decline, their growth is not as strong as they have been in the past.”

In other words, now is not a good time to be in the business of making books. Travel publishers are lucky if they can make a return of 8 - 10%. (Have you seen what Google’s return is? Let’s just say it’s a wee bit higher than 10%. Ditto with Yahoo and Myspace and Facebook…)

So what about the web, what about Lonely Planet’s early lead with its website and digital content?

The stark reality is, Lonely Planet could never afford to keep up. Independent travelers who came of age in the 1970s and ’80s are now all grown up and don’t travel as much (or much like) they once did. So Lonely Planet has been forced to compete for the current generation of travelers — and these kids most certainly don’t use guidebooks, at least not like their parents. They’re an online bunch, planning trips based on feedback from friends in real-time, thanks to social networking websites and the ongoing migration of information and media to digital distribution outlets.

In this context, Lonely Planet’s 4.3 million monthly unique visitors is unimpressive. Not compared to any of a dozen websites where today’s teens and 20-somethings spend the majority of their time. For a brand with Lonely Planet’s global reach, 4.3 million monthly visitors is anemic.

Which is why the Wheelers decided to sell. They knew their company was on the verge of permanent second-class status in the online world. And without a massive influx of investment, there was no chance to catch up.

So on the whole, I think the acquisition is a fine thing. Except that it probably signals the fading days, the twilight years, of the truly independent global traveler. As soon as the BBC publishes a glossy Lonely Planet magazine and revamps the online business strategy, say bye-bye to the Lonely Planet we all know and love. I’m sure that this new Lonely Planet will be great. But let’s not kid ourselves. A Lonely Planet owned by the BBC isn’t going to be as interested in the $1 food stand, the $5 bed, the free happy hour. It will focus on the mid-range, because that’s where the margins are. That’s what sells ad space.

And it will end up outsourcing its community and global traveler-to-traveler network to the BBC’s accomplished technology team. I’m sure this will do wonders for the Lonely Planet web experience. However ownership by a large corporation that ultimately is accountable to a Parliament – rather than to a CEO — is unlikely to nurture the independent, off-center, low cost and pleasantly ironic attitude that made Lonely Planet famous.

I’m a betting person, so let me make this bet public: the new Lonely Planet will be a lot more UK-centric, a lot more slick, and a lot more focused on the same things that the rest of the struggling travel-media industry focuses on. Namely on television content and websites pushing an “extreme travel” philosophy (read my rant about that alarming trend in travel), on character-driven reality programming along the lines of Big Brother and Real World, and on a slew of cross-media efforts aimed at developing a brand-positive crop of youthful travel personalities.

There’s nothing overtly wrong with these changes in focus. Certainly not from a business perspective. But it’s a different sort of Lonely Planet, and it will not make the world more accessible or interesting for the endangered traveler independensus.

–Scott McNeely

God is my pilot, and copilot, and navigator…

I’m not a frequent reader of christiantoday.com, but I did find this story illuminating (uplifting? enlightening?): apparently the Vatican has just launched its own low-cost airline.

It’s billed as the “first-ever Roman Catholic airline” with service from Rome to the world-famous pilgrimage site of Lourdes (more destinations are planned to Catholic holy sites in Poland, Spain and the Middle East). Currently service is offered on a lone Boeing 737 painted in the Vatican’s white and yellow colors (even the Pope’s gotta worry about brand consistency, you know).

The Vatican itself has no airline and no airport (just a helipad used by the Pope for local journeys), so the Vatican has done what any good corporation would do: it’s outsourced the flights to Mistral Air, which is owned by the Italian postal service.

We’re not sure what the beverage service will be, but it’s a safe bet that The Passion of The Christ will be a popular in-flight movie option. Another nice touch: the seat backs are decorated with the inscription “I search for your face, Lord”, which presumably is meant as an inspiration to pilgrims and has nothing whatsoever to do with runway markings or landing the plane safely.

–Scott McNeely

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Vatican Tours, including the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, as well as all things to see and do in Rome and Toulouse.