rebecca's pocket

Top Ten Obnoxious Airline Fees

» Top Ten Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees. Agreed. Which airline fees really steam your jets?  [ 10/01/07 ]

10 Ways to Keep Europe Within Reach

» NYT Practical Traveler: 10 Ways to Keep Europe Within Reach.  [ 08/13/07 ]

Where the heck is Istria?

» When we first moved here, my husband and I found a review that described "San Francisco's only Istrian restaurant". We've spent the intervening time asking ourselves, repeatedly, "Where the heck is Istria?" After years of waiting, today the answer is revealed. (thanks, jjg) / (1) Comments  / [ 05/17/07 ]

The Best Meat Restaurant in Geneva

» Mark Bittman: Steak Frites: Seeking the Best of a Classic. We ate at Relais de L'Entrecôte [review], a meat restaurant in Geneva, on the recommendation of one of our hosts. We had no idea what we were in for, and were surprised when the waitress, approaching our table, asked only what we would like to drink and how we would like our steak done. It was delicious: sliced, sauced steak with huge pile of frites, and then when we were done...seconds!   [ 05/01/07 ]

Rice Paddy Art in Inakadate, Japan

» Did I never link this? Since 2000, the Japanese village of Inakadate has created rice paddy art depicting subjects as varied as a rice paddy Mona Lisa to traditional Japanese scenes and figures. Inakadate Village's webpage has documented villagers planting and harvesting rice from one year's design. Last year the village CIR even maintained a blog.  [ 04/23/07 ]

Airfare deals on the Web

» NYT: Damon Darlin has pulled together a nice summary of a few next-generation airline fare-comparison sites, including one site that is built on the idea that human beings—in this case, a staff of 5—are better at spotting the best deals than computers can be.   [ 04/10/07 ]

Convents for tourists

» One day I would like to travel to Italy. And when I do, I would absolutely love to stay in a convent. / (1) Comments  / [ 04/10/07 ]

Cake Tourism

» Fabulous. Cake Tourism: Eating cake around the globe. I strongly recommend they try the Dutch Apple Pie. (And who says there aren't any new ideas for blogs anymore? ) (via jh)  [ 03/15/07 ]

National Geographic's smart new brand extension

» National Geographic has a smart new brand extension—a pre-paid travel phone that works in over 100 countries. It's an unlocked Quad band GSM cell phone and battery, a universal wall charger, and international plug adapters.  [ 02/22/07 ]

Jet Blue: Yikes

» Last year, Jet Blue ignored FAA regulations in a "pilot fatigue test" designed to see if their pilots could maintain alertness while working longer-than-allowed shifts. What an idiotic move. Even if test results show that pilots can safely work more hours—even if FAA regulations change as a result of Jet Blue's testing—what I'm going to remember is that Jet Blue is willing to do safety experiments on unsuspecting, paying customers. (via rc3oi)  [ 10/25/06 ]

How to get upgraded to First Class

» Operational upgrades from a gate agent's perspective or "How to Get Upgraded to First Class". (via rc3)  [ 10/05/06 ]

Multi-city air passes for international travel

» The ins and outs of flight passes for multi-city international travel. The upshot: for certain itineraries, they may be economical, but for many trips, they just won't work.  [ 09/20/06 ]

Mancations

» The latest trend in upscale masculine luxury travel? Mancations.  [ 09/18/06 ]

TSA-compliant carryon personal hygiene items

» Personal hygiene items, including tooth powder, face cleaners, and various kinds of makeup, that are TSA-compliant under the new rules. (via kottke)  [ 08/22/06 ]

Ayurvedic Tourism

» In the Land of Four-Star Asceticism.

For pilgrims with deep pockets wanting an authentic immersion into this ancient medical system, including a radical purification and detoxification treatment known as pancha karma, the Kalari Kovilakom—which markets itself as combining "the indulgence of a palace with the austerity of an ashram"—is the real deal. Since the 1970’s, "ayurveda tourism" has drawn Lonely Planet acolytes and Rough Guiders, especially young Germans, to the thatched-hut beaches of southern India, lured by the promise of $5 massages. But with the reimagining of this historic rajah’s palazzo by the Casino Group—Keralan hoteliers who have shrewdly rechristened themselves CHG Earth—the ante has been considerably upped.

 / (1) Comments  / [ 08/14/06 ]

The safest place or the happiest?

» Smackdown! The safest place to live (US Border Patrol as personal security force!) vs The happiest place on earth. / (2) Comments  / [ 07/21/06 ]

Amsterdam Laundromats

» Note to self: Amsterdam Wasserettes.

Wassalon ESO
Frans Halsstraat 83

Wash & Mail
Amstel 30 / (3) Comments  / [ 07/17/06 ]

Frugal Carbon Neutral Strategies for Travellers

» Ethan Zuckerman on finding frugal carbon-neutral strategies for cost-conscious jet-setters. This is way cheaper than I thought it would be, even going through the spendy outlets. I intend to work this into my travel budgets. (via rw)  [ 06/23/06 ]

Salon's Literary Guide to the World

» Armchair travellers alert: Salon is compiling a literary guide to the world.   [ 06/23/06 ]

The Universal Packing List

» For your summer vacation, The Universal Packing List. Input the length and type of your trip to generate a list of items to pack. (thanks, jjg!)  [ 06/19/06 ]

On Returning to Paris

» "Oui, Oui, Oui" All The Way Home. Jessica Helfand returns to France with her daughter to see if the Paris of her childhood, and its food, still remain.  [ 06/14/06 ]

Self-guided walking tours

» What are you doing this summer?

• A Walking Tour of San Francisco
• Fodors: New York City East Village Walking Tour
• On Martha's Vineyard, A Walking Tour of Edgartown
• A walking tour of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood in Atlanta
• USC Department of Geography: Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour
• USGS: Building Stones of Washington Walking Tour: West and East
• National Geographic: A Chicago Loop Architectural Walking Tour
• The Rocks (Sydney Australia) self-guided walking tour
• A Classic Walking Tour of Oxford University
• Frommers: Paris Self-guided walking tours
• A Marie Curie Walking Tour of Paris
• A Wallace Stevens Walking Tour (the poet's daily route to and from work).
• Franz Kafka's Prague: A Literary Walking Tour
• A George Eliot Walking Tour of Nuneaton
• Book Excerpt: Blockology: An Offbeat Walking Guide to Lower Manhattan

  [ 06/12/06 ]

Cheap Travel for recent graduates

» Get Rich Slowly has some great advice on how recent graduates can provide themselves with a year or two of world travel—on the cheap. "Develop a travel plan that is so amazing, so glowing, that you are willing to walk blurry-eyed to work everyday to make the money necessary to reach the light. I don’t recommend a career job (there’ll be time for that later) and I don’t recommend just one job. [...] On my own, I have traveled to Thailand, India, Nepal, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Canada, Mexico, along with several treks across the United States. [...] I traveled for almost two years to all of the places listed above—all without using a credit card."  [ 06/08/06 ]

World Citizen's Guide for Americans

» Business for Diplomatic Action Inc. has put together a World Citizen's Guide to try to stop Americans before they embarrass themselves abroad—again.  [ 05/26/06 ]

ID theft from a discarded boarding pass

» Q. What could a boarding pass tell an identity fraudster about you? A. Way too much. (via the bradlands)  [ 05/11/06 ]

Will economy class become standing room only?

» Airbus has devised a way to squeeze even passengers more efficiently into a plane: by strapping them, standing, against a padded backboard. Update: Airbus calls the NYT report "crap".  / (1) Comments  / [ 04/26/06 ]

Flight socks really do combat DVT

» Wearing compression stockings significantly reduces the incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis on long flights. Of 2821 passengers on flights of at least 7 hours, 50 developed symptomless DVT, of whom 47 were not wearing flight socks.  [ 04/26/06 ]

Travel the world with your shell on your back

» One Bag. The art and science of packing light, including a master packing list.  [ 04/17/06 ]

Couch surfing for Bloggers

» CanICrash? is a wiki that lets you lend your sofa to travelling bloggers. / (2) Comments  / [ 04/06/06 ]

Superior self-catered cottages in Britain

» File under "to do someday": Superior self-catered cottages in Britain.  [ 04/05/06 ]

Pantyhose Tea

» It is an Anglo-Sino delicacy, born of the Chinese love of strong black tea and the British love of milk tea. Brewed, strained, rebrewed, and strained again, it is called pantyhose milk tea. "This way, the color is evenly distributed and the tea feels smooth to your throat, like aged wine." Lam Chun-chung, proprietor of the Chinese cafe Lan Fong Yuen, a "shrine for creamy tea fanatics".  [ 03/06/06 ]

Compare airfares by day

» The Consumerist has posted a brief on two proposed airfare comparison services that will let you chart ticket prices to find the cheapest day to fly.  [ 02/22/06 ]

TSA Registered Traveler Privitized

» Bruce Schneier has written on the inherent insecurity in TSA's Registered Traveler Program, which essentially enables terrorists to pre-screen themselves to see who will be allowed to fly without a security check. Now he reports there's another wrinkle in this hare-brained scheme: privatization. "They want the companies that sell for-profit, Registered Traveler passes to do the background checks. They want the companies to use error-filled commercial databases to do this. What incentive do these companies have to not sell someone a pass? Who is liable for mistakes?"  [ 02/01/06 ]

Full Body Deodorant Spray

» Airtroductions is a new service that will allow you to choose compatible seatmates.

A photographer said he was looking for investors, an executive said he was seeking "engaging conversations" about globalization and technology and a rabbi said he would like to "schmooze about Judaism." One man provided his photo, with half his hair shocking pink and the other bright blue. One woman promised she 'always smells nice,' while another insisted that any seatmate wear full body deodorant spray.

  [ 02/01/06 ]

Frequent Flyer Wiki

» My friend Alan Nelson has created a Frequent Flyer Wiki for travellers to share tips. "Any traveler tips are welcome, but the audience is people who spend much of their time on airplanes and in airports."  [ 01/18/06 ]