TSA-Holes: New Rules Make Air Travel Even More Annoying

A Christmas present that no traveler had asked for this year was delivered by the Transportation Security Administration just hours after a Nigerian nut-job named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to ignite a device and blow up a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

The T.S.A. is now making it mandatory that all U.S. flights order passengers to remain seated for the last hour of travel. Th means no getting up to grab that ipod from the overhead compartment or take a quick bathroom break before arriving at your final destination.

In addition you can not have anything on your lap for the last hour and certain international flights will be deactivating the backseat map trackers that show you where exactly the plane currently is during your trip. Even worse is that some airline’s map tracking software is connected to the in-flight entertainment. So you guessed it, many long flights around the globe will now have their televisions turned off while flying the increasingly aggravating skies.

The T.S.A. is also only allowing one small carry on which means you will wind up checking in another bag and spending even more money on those pesky fees. I do not understand most of these new rules at all.

What if someone needs to use the bathroom in the last 60-minutes of flying? Will they pick and choose who can go potty depending on what they look like?

What does turning off a map tracking screen do for bettering overall passenger safety? Will the terrorists get completely thrown off their game plan now because they can not view the little cartoon plane slowly scrolling across a screen with the airplane’s speed, altitude and time of arrival?

It is getting to the point that we will soon all have to arrive at the airport a week before the flight, not be allowed to check in bags or carry any onto the plane, be completely covered in bubble wrap, blindfolded and stored in overhead compartments for safety reasons.

What the hell is going on with air travel? I would love to hear your thoughts on the new T.S.A. rules and how it will effect your travel plans. Will you travel less? Maybe hop a train or take a road trip instead? Leave a comment below.

Tags: airlines, amsterdam, detroit, nigeria, tsa

Guest Nomad: My Summer In Europe

This week's "Guest Nomad" Heather D'Amico in Vienna, Austria.

This week’s “Guest Nomad” is Heather D’Amico. Heather recently graduated from Otterbein College last June majoring in public relations and minoring in journalism and speech communication. Heather plans to move to New York City from Ohio in January to further her public relations career. She is a Twitter addict, loves all music, writes for various blogs and news publications and is a dedicated traveler.

In December 2008, I traveled to Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary for three weeks for a class I was taking. It was my first time out of the country and the longest I had ever been away from home. Luckily for me, I fell in love with Europe and never wanted to leave. The sights, sounds, smells and people – I loved all of it and wanted to be a part of it forever. Unfortunately, I had to go back to school in the States and graduate. I knew I had to go back and see more of Europe as soon as I could.

One night in February, I was lying in my bed asking myself, “If I could do anything after graduation, what would it be?” The first thing that popped into my mind was to go backpacking through Europe. From that moment on, my mind was made up. I was going to backpack through Europe the summer after graduation.

After graduating from Otterbein College in June 2009 my friend Kim and I left Columbus, Ohio for the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France on July 1st. For two months, we traveled to 25 cities and 10 countries around Europe.

Good times in Pamploma, Spain.

Although I loved every single second, there were three specific experiences I will never forget. The first one being Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. I only have one word: insanity. I was there for the first four days of the ten day festival and it was like nothing I had ever seen.

Thousands of people filled the streets celebrating, singing and dousing anyone in sight with wine, sangria and champagne. The goal was to drink all day, all night and be able to stay awake for the Bull Run at 8 a.m. the next morning. I was able to do it, but barely. It was one of the most fun, exciting times of my life.

The streets of Amsterdam.

The second experience I will never forget was my time spent in Amsterdam. Now, I know what you are probably all thinking, “I know why Amsterdam was one of her favorite places.” In all honesty, you don’t even have to smoke the ganja to enjoy your time in Amsterdam. The streets are filled with the most diverse people you will ever see in the world and the vibe of the city is undeniably exhilarating. Walking through the Red Light District, going into my first coffee shop and meeting all of the wonderful people that I did was an eye-opening but fascinating experience.

Leeds Music Festival

My third greatest experience in Europe was attending the Leeds Music Festival in England. As a huge music lover and a major Kings of Leon fan this was a dream come true because KOL was headlining the festival. I had never been to a music festival before, so I had no idea what to expect. Kim and I and our London friends we went with all slept in a tent together and couldn’t shower for the whole three days we were there.

Although I felt horrifically disgusting, it didn’t seem to matter because I saw some amazing bands, like Manchester Orchestra, Radiohead and the Kaiser Chiefs. On the last day, I stood in the rain in a crowd of 90,000 people for six hours to wait for Kings of Leon to come on stage. Those brutal six hours paid off in the end because I got to enjoy Kings of Leon from the fourth row. That was by far, one of the coolest moments of my life.

Going on an adventure like this was life changing. The people I met from all around the world, the beautiful sights I saw and all of the experiences I had (good and bad) gave me a whole new perspective on life and who I am as a person. Europe is an amazing place with so much history and culture. I urge anyone and everyone to buy a backpack, a flight to Europe and go experience everything Europe has to offer.

Tags: amsterdam, columbus, england, kaiser chiefs, kings of leon, leeds, manchester orchestra, OHIO, pamploma, radiohead, spain

Travel Experts Reveal More Dirt From The Road

Well yesterday’s article was pretty revealing. I mean we had some very sinful travel experts get a lot off their chest. In fact it got so bad that I needed to close down the confession booth for 24-hours. But I am back with even MORE travel confessions.

I will try to keep it a little cleaner today I promise. When most travelers confessed to me, one topic seemed to come up quite a bit and that was “I have never been to…”. Below are some places that these vagabonds have yet to mark off on their “to see” list.

• Johnny Jet, a man you would think has touched every inch of this planet, has yet to make his presence felt at the Grand Canyon.

• Nomadic Matt is another globe-trotting individual that has also seen most of the world. He also runs one hell of a travel blog. But Matt confesses that he has not yet rolled the dice in “Sin City” Las Vegas.

• Stephanie Yoder of Twenty-Something Travel visited Amsterdam, but skipped the Red Light District.  That is like going all the way to New York and not trying pizza! Stephanie also mentions here why she has yet to walk the streets of Paris.

Have you ever visited a popular destination and wound up being extremely disappointed? You’re not alone. Two such travelers shared their dismay with a certain Italian destination that millions of vacationers flock to each year.

• Andy Murdock of Lonely Planet told me, “I’ve only been to Venice once, and all I wanted to do was leave as quickly as possible. It was the height of summer so it was hot, filthy, smelly and just crammed full of tourists and hawkers selling tacky trinkets at every turn, and the geography makes it really difficult to escape the hordes. I hate telling this to people because they’ve either been and loved it and try to convince me to go back and give it a second shot, or they haven’t been and hold romantic notions of the city that I don’t especially want to dash because of my one bad experience. Maybe one day I’ll return off-season, but for me it’s like an expensive restaurant that everyone else loves but gave me food-poisoning: why should I spend the money and effort to go back when there are so many new places to try, not to mention places I would love to return to?”

• Gary Arndt ,who runs the extremely popular travel blog Everything-Everywhere.com, also did not enjoy his time in Venice. Arndt confessed, “My first reaction when I arrived in Venice was ‘Wow. This looks just like EPCOT Center!’.”

• Spendthrift Shoestring’s Alex Robertson Textor fessed up and told me, “I’ve been to 98 countries/territories, but I’ve never visited Sydney, Tokyo, Mexico City, or Orlando — or a cruise ship.”

• The Elite Travel Gal herself Stacy Small has been to many great cities around the world, but one seems to keep getting away from her. Small told me that she has never been to New Orleans. “I had a few trips planned,” Small stated. “But I always had to cancel due to inclement weather!”

• Mike Barish, contributing travel writer to Gadling.com, expressed that, “It took me 30 years to get to Paris. Still haven’t been to London. Yet I’ve been to India twice.”

• Sarah Schlichter from IndependentTraveler.com told me that she likes to keep it simple for accommodations and that, “I never stay at luxury hotels. They’re too pretentious, and I don’t feel like I belong there. Give me a B&B or a mid-priced guesthouse any day.”

Wow! The confessional’s line is out the door. I am going to have to shut it down for today. Check back tomorrow for part 3/3 of travel confessions.

Tags: amsterdam, australia, cruises, england, florida, france, grand canyon, italy, japan, johnny jet, Las Vegas, London, lonely planet, louisiana, mexico, mexico city, nevada, new orleans, nomadic matt, orlando, Paris, red light district, sydney, tokyo, travel confessions, venice

All You Need Is Love (And A Passport): 9 Beatle-riffic Destinations

Today is “09-09-09″, and while that may be catchy enough, it has also been dubbed “Beatles Day.” The reason behind the nickname is because the Fab Four’s entire music catalog is being re-released starting today in proper CD digital format. So that means you can get a hold of all the legendary British band’s popular hits ranging from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Yesterday” and all songs in between in crystal clear quality.

In honor of The Beatles, which just so happens to be one of my favorite bands, I thought I would showcase some of the more infamous destinations that John, Paul, George, and Ringo frequented when they were rocking around the world. Groovy.

Liverpool, England: Well duh. Of course any list of Beatles destinations would have to start with where the band got started. This English town is still crazy for their most popular residents 40 plus years after they formed. All members of the Beatles grew up in Liverpool, and if you visit that is a fact you will soon realize.

Almost all of the streets, pubs, and churches have Beatles references next to them. Every July they celebrate “Beatles Day” and just one month later the the party continues with August’s “International Beatles week.”

London, England: Our next stop on The Beatles world tour is just 200 or so miles away from Liverpool. London is easily the most popular city in all of England and where The Beatles recorded most of their work. One street in particular has been a “must cross” destination for Beatles fanatics for centuries.

Abbey Road Crossing, which is where Abbey Road studios is located, was used on the cover of the last Beatles album. Since that time visitors have imitated the infamous pose, causing the ultimate photo op and traffic nightmare in the process. Many locals driving down the street must be careful as to not hit faux Beatles as they strut across the road.

Some famous faces like The Simpsons and Red Hot Chili Peppers have paid honor to the band with their own version of the album cover. Abbey Road studio is still popular to this day for producing music from the likes of Pink Floyd and Radiohead, as well as scores for such blockbuster movies as Lord of the Rings and Batman.

Hamburg, Germany: The Fab Five (Pete Best was the infamous fifth member of the band in the early days before being fired by the original four because they simply did not like him) honed their skills at many clubs in the early 1960s in the city of Hamburg. Hot spots like the Top Ten Club were buzzing with Beatlemania until they were booted from Germany after it was found out that George was hanging out at clubs underage. Today the city of Hamburg is home to nearly 2 million residents and is sixth-largest city in the European Union. Hamburg is also known for being a major port city and transportation hub in Germany.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: After tying the knot, John Lennon and Yoko Ono honeymooned in this popular European city. If you listen to the lyrics of “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” Mr. Imagine even mentions the lodge where he stayed (Amsterdam Hilton) with his new wife for a week to “get him some peace.” Their stay was peaceful – but in a different way. Both used their fame to garner some media attention to promote peace in the world. It worked as several reporters showed up to interview to duo.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Loving the attention that their “Bed-In For Peace” received in Europe, John Lennon and Yoko decided to perform the same stunt in the United States. However, the government did not allow Lennon to enter due to a previous drug conviction. Some believe that President Richard Nixon had a personal vendetta against the rocker due to his extremely liberal views and used the issue to bar Lennon from entering.

So “Plan B” was to head up north to Canada, Montreal in particular, where he was welcomed with open arms. It was on June 1, 1969 in suite #1742 of the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth that “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded by the Beatle. Lennon did not sing the tune alone, as Yoko and the media joined him in an impromptu jam session.

Washington, DC: Just two days after arriving in the United States and performing on the Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert to thousands of screeching fans at the Washington Coliseum. The date was February 11, 1964 and the show easily sold out.

The venue still stands today, however it is used as an indoor parking garage. The ticket price to see the Fab Four for this historic show? Four dollars! That is far less than the convenience fees we see added to today’s concerts.

San Francisco, CA: It was here that The Beatles performed their final full concert at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Although the concert was not professionally recorded and it was decades before the “YouTube Generation,” some of the show was actually captured on film by a 15-year old fan in the audience and was even featured in a documentary entitled “The Unseen Beatles.”

Rishikesh, India: After being burned out by touring and the entire life that comes along with fame,  The Beatles headed to the city of Rishikesh,India for eight weeks in 1968. Known as the birthplace of yoga, all four men spent a week at a Transcendental Meditation course followed by spending time with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his ashram in the Himalayas. It was here that the Fab Four not only found their “inner peace,” but wrote the lyrics to many songs that would appear on the extremely popular White Album.

New York, New York: After performing a spur of the moment gig high above London on top of the Apple Corps building, the Fab Four would soon split up. For years fans hoped that John, Paul, George, and Ringo would reconcile and tour again. Sadly that was never to be. On the night of December 8, 1980 John Lennon was shot to death by Mark David Chapman right outside of The Dakota in New York City.

For days thousands of fans mourned outside of The Dakota and sang Beatles tunes in unison. Yoko Ono requested that the mourners move away from the building as it was keeping her and son Sean awake at night. They reconvened across the street in Central Park.

The 2.5 acre piece of land named “Strawberry Fields” has become a memorial not only for the legendary Lennon, but it also drew a candlelight vigil days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and was a place to mourn the passing of rock stars like Jerry Garcia and The Beatles’ George Harrison.

For more Beatles goodness, check out their official website.

Tags: abbey road, amsterdam, beatles, beatles day, california, canada, cavern club, england, fab four, fairmont queen elizabeth, germany, hamburg, hilton, india, john lennon, liverpool, London, montreal, netherlands, new york, quebec, rishikesh, san francisco, the beatles, washington d.c.

Move Over Porta-Potty, Urilift Solves A “Wee” Travel Issue

Well when you gotta go…you gotta go. So the next time you are traveling in a city like Amsterdam, Belfast, and London, be careful when walking down certain streets at night. That seemingly innocent looking manhole cover might start to slowly rise up from the ground to reveal…a bathroom?!

One of the most ingenious ideas in public restrooms to come down the pipe (sorry) since the porta-potty is the Urilift. This “pop-up urinal” is placed under sidewalks in very busy European cities that suffer from public urination issues.

Yes many of these locales noticed that men, after a few pints in the pubs, were wandering home or to the next watering hole with some seriously full bladders. So instead of holding it in until they got to the little boys room, they instead whipped it out and did their “business” on storefronts, homes, and other unacceptable places.

The smell of urine throughout town is not one that many locals enjoyed, so many cities started to invest in a little company called Urilift. The underground outhouse is only available after 10pm in most places and is basically set up for the hectic nightlife in these popular cities. During the day workers, tourists, and locals have no idea that the manhole they are walking over is actually the top of a hidden restroom. So it keeps the area looking, and more importantly, smelling clean.

To all of the females out there reading this that feel their public restroom needs have been ignored, rejoice! Since the introduction of the Urilift in 2000, the company unveiled a unisex solution in 2004 called the UriGienic. Yup now you can access a toilet (with a locking door) when you “gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now” ladies.

Urilift International BV brags that, “The entire toilet is made from stainless steel and is cylindrical in shape. It is so ingeniously designed that it disappears completely from view during the day by means of a clever hydraulic system.”

Urilifts and UriGienics are currently located in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, France, and Germany with plans to expand elsewhere soon. So if you need a bathroom break when visiting these countries, don’t fret, look down you are probably standing on a lavatory.

Tags: amsterdam, belfast, belgium, denmark, england, finland, france, germany, ireland, London, Paris, the netherlands, united kingdom, urilift