Enter Pet Airways, the airline that promises to give your pet the care and attention they deserve while up in the air. Some may think that this is excessive, but if you actually think about it, your pets probably get so scared when they fly. Humans get terrified of flying – how much more for pets? And, imagine if they are cooped up in a cage and stuck in a dim crowded cargo area…

Pet Airways was created exactly for this purpose: to make sure pets fly safely and comfortably in the cabin and not the cargo. As a matter of fact, they are exclusively for pets – no humans allowed!

Of course, it is going to cost you to fly your pet via Pet Airways. Depending on the destination, you will have to pay at least $149 to have your pet transported. Still, if you really cannot go without your pet, that can be considered a reasonable amount to ensure that he or she gets to your destination without a problem. Me, as much as I love my turtle, I would rather leave him at home and have someone look after him while I am gone.

STA Travel in the United Kingdom is currently offering a King of Pop Pilgrimage, which will take Michael Jackson fans across 5 continents in 126 days. Seeing that there are only 365 days a year, it is pretty obvious that anyone wanting to go on this tour will need to plan his life way ahead of time.

The pilgrimage will cost die hard fans ₤12, 000 for the entire tour. If you’re short on money, though, you can opt to go on separate legs. A leg can cost ₤2,759 each – still a considerable cost if you ask me. Then again, if you are that much of a Michael Jackson fan, the cost shouldn’t be much of an issue.

There are 10 legs in the journey, starting in London. Dubbed Explore London, this leg lasts for 2 days.

Leg 2 is the European Pioneer Tour, which lasts for 36 days. The leg starts and ends in London as well, but cities such as Paris, Venice, and Athens are included.

Leg 3 will be a night in Bahrain in the UAE, where Michael Jackson used to go for a quick break every now and then.

Leg 4 takes 20 days – from Johannesburg to Cape Town. This is dubbed the South Africa Encompassed tour.

Leg 5 takes you to Asia – 2 nights in Brunei, where Michael Jackson spent time with his friend the Sultan.

Leg 6 will have you spend 2 nights in Tokyo, where some of the most ardent fans can be found.

Leg 7 takes you down under to spend 2 nights in Sydney. This is where he married Debbie Rowe – but you may already know that!

Leg 8 starts and ends in San Francisco – a total of 15 days.

Leg 9 – 45 days for the Southern Cross tour, which will take you from Rio to Lima. Some of MJ’s music videos were filmed here.

Leg 10 saves the best for last – the Big Apple.

Interested?

Paris
Cliché, but still a must visit. The Eiffel Tower, the River Seine, Le Louvre, Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, cafes – need I say more? Oh, and I absolutely have to go to the Ice Kube bar. It’s not a new concept, but it would be cool (no pun intended) to go there.

London
Easily accessible from France via the train that goes through the Channel Tunnel, London is definitely a must see. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and fish and chips! Maybe a visit to the West End as well.

Istanbul
Let’s deviate from the usual stops and take a look at the outer edges of Europe. We always hear talk about “East meeting West,” and there is no better place to discover that than in Istanbul. The culture is certainly unique and exhilarating.

Budapest
Another stop where the old world meets the new. Budapest is known for its night life AND thermal baths. Where else can you find such a combination?

Going to Europe? Make sure you stop by in each of these cities for at least a couple of days.

Wi-Fi Finder
So why is this app cool? Well, if you’re going to another country, you’ll be trying to avoid using 3G (or even EDGE). Roaming charges are outrageous, aren’t they? So your best bet is to look for Wi-Fi hotspots! With this app, you can find information on Wi-Fi access points in more than 140 countries. No need to walk around waving your iPhone – just check the app and go where you need to go.

TripIt
If you’re like me, you might have some problems keeping track of your itinerary and other travel details. That’s why I always did best when there was someone with me to pay attention to these things. With TripIt, you can input all the data that you need – and then forget about it. You can store information and access it offline; you can even access maps and directions so you won’t get lost!

AroundMe
This app, I can surely use. Say you find yourself in some street. You don’t know anything about your surroundings. Use this app and find information on practically everything there is in the area – gas stations, ATMs, stores, and more. You can also get maps and directions.

All these apps are FREE. Now all I need is an iPhone.

The reason for the alert is that reports are coming in about criminal gang members gathering in Kingston. Never mind that the reports are unconfirmed – Jamaican defense forces are “responding” to the potential threat already. And in spite of the fact that the reports are not confirmed, the US Department of State is being careful. Here’s a snippet of the alert:

The possibility exists for violence and/or civil unrest in the greater Kingston metropolitan area. There are unconfirmed reports of criminal gang members amassing in the Kingston area, as well as mobilization of Jamaican defense forces. If the situation ignites, there is a possibility of severe disruptions of movement within Kingston, including blocking of access roads to the Norman Manley International Airport. The possibility exists that unrest could spread beyond the general Kingston area. U.S. Embassy Kingston is taking extra security precautions. This Travel Alert expires on June 21, 2010.

More info in case of an emergency:

Emergencies involving American citizens can be reported by contacting the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section, located at 142 Old Hope Road in the Liguanea area of Kingston, telephone (876) 702-6450; after hours emergency telephone (876) 702-6000; Consular Section fax (876) 702-6018; and e-mail at KingstonACS@state.gov. The U.S. Consular Agency in Montego Bay has moved and is now located at Whitter Village, Ironshore, telephone (876) 953-0620. The U.S. Consular Agency in the Cayman Islands is located at 118 Dorcy Drive, Suite B-1, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, telephone (345) 945-8173.

Here’s the deal though – despite all these warnings and alerts, travel is usually still safe in many areas. If I were you, I would find a local and ask about the actual situation before altering arrangements that have already been made.

For those who have difficulty falling asleep while on long haul flights, though, the problems can be serious. The last thing that you would want is to feel dead tired because of lack of sleep all throughout your vacation. Here are some tips on how to get that much needed sleep in-flight.

Make sure the seat reclines.
Of course, this is not a problem for those who fly first class, but for those of us who normally fly coach, it is an issue. Seats in the back row and in the exit area normally do not recline so avoid them if you can.

Get the window seat.
Most people like this because of the view, but there is the added advantage of having a wall to snuggle up to. More so, this seat leaves you undisturbed – as you would be if you were in the middle or aisle seat.

Bring a neck pillow along.
This is the best thing that you can bring with you. It helps support your head and helps avoid that awful jerking movement it makes whenever you nod off. The soft material also helps make you feel more comfortable.

Other things to bring along: mp3 player to drown out the ambient noise and covering for your eyes (most airlines provide this but you can never be sure).

Happy snoozing!

Jambiani, Tanzania
The Beach that Time Forgot – that’s how this area is described. The only drawback to this beach is that you cannot really swim as the tides are low. However, you can put up that hammock and be lazy all day.

Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia
Lonely Planet’s write up says “Except for snorkelling, diving, frolicking, swimming, sunning your body or pretending you’re either Brooke Shields or Christopher Atkins inThe Blue Lagoon (1980), there’s nothing to do.” I think that that just about describes paradise for me! The biggest selling point: this place is so free from any commercial activities!

Kai Islands, Indonesia
They say that more and more people are proclaiming these islands to be the best in the world. I wouldn’t know, but I would sure like to find out for myself! Again, there isn’t much to do in terms of partying, but you can snorkel all you want and simply enjoy nature.

North Stradbroke Island, Australia
This area is said to offer some of the largest sand islands in the world. The waves are high and are best for surfing. There are also parties monthly, so extroverts will find it more interesting.

For the complete list, visit the article at Lonely Planet.

Have you ever thought of traveling to challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone? To be honest with you, I have always belonged to the first two groups I described above. When I travel, I want to stay at the most comfortable hotel I can afford. I want to do things that I am not “afraid” of doing. I stay away from anything that might keep me away from my comforts.

Then I tried traveling with different sets of friends. Suffice it to say that I am experiencing a paradigm shift.

During my past few trips, I had some new experiences that I probably wouldn’t have even considered before.

1. I stayed at a backpacker’s hotel. (Well, it was still not a “real” hostel, but it was interesting.)
2. I walked around a strange city to discover it. (No cabs for a while.)
3. I stayed at a camp site. (I didn’t sleep in a tent, but the room didn’t have its own bathroom!)
4. I went on a trek – to a volcano’s crater, no less!
5. I took a bus back to the city alone. (Well, with my friend, but not with the person I am used to traveling with.)

In the next few months, I already have a rough sketch of what I am going to do as I discover more places. I am going to push myself to leave that comfort zone. Little by little, I get to see the world with a different set of eyes. I challenge you to do the same!

Be a couch surfer. What in the world is this? If you’re a budget traveler, then you probably have heard of this. I am not into couch surfing, but my friends who are swear by it. The idea is to join a community composed of likeminded people who travel like you do. When you travel, you can look for a host who will offer his “couch” for you to sleep in, and vice versa. I think I shall write more about this in a separate post. Bottom line: you get free accommodations.

Look for last minute deals. This can be risky as you may not be able to score cheap rooms, but if you’re adventurous enough, you just might get the biggest break of your hotel-hunting life. There are several web sites specializing in this, but from what I hear, www.lastminute.com is pretty reliable.

Take advantage of your credit card. Every so often, I would receive promos with my credit bill. More often than not, discounts for hotels are included – if the credit card is used to pay the bill, of course. Keep those discounts in mind as most of them are valid for a year anyway.

Some of the featured cities were not really a surprise. Buenos Aires, Argentina, for example, has long been known to offer the most exciting night activities one can ask for. After all, this is the land of tango!

But, did you ever think of going to Tel Aviv to party? According to the travel experts, this city is filled to the brim with bars and clubs, which start getting crowded by midnight. That should let you know that the partying doesn’t stop till the early morning hours. Oh, and yes, Tel Aviv is very outgoing and open to most everything.

If you want to get a natural high, head on over to La Paz in Bolivia, which is 3000 meters above sea level. That means that you will get a buzz going way before you normally do. And yes, the people of La Paz love to party!

Cape Town, South Africa also made it to the list. With the 2010 World Cup fever infecting practically everyone in the city, the parties never stop. Have the best of both worlds here – the beach during the day and the clubs at night.

For the full list, visit the Ultimate Party Cities article.

Sunset at the beach

The beach is just “okay.” The sand is not even white – it’s more of a beige-brown color. Neither is it fine. Once you get in the water, the pebbly ground can hurt your feet if they are overly sensitive. The waves are often strong. There is practically no night life to speak ok.

So why do I keep coming back to Tamaraw Beach Resort in Puerto Galera, Philippines? My answer is simple: I feel at home there. Every time I lay my eyes on the quiet beach devoid of the crowds in other beaches, I feel tons better. Each time I walk up to the reception desk and they greet me like they are actually happy to see me, I feel like I have come home. Every time I sit on the beach staring at the waves and listening to the sounds of the ocean, I feel like my worries are washed away.

I have to say that despite the fact that this beach is far from being the best beach in the Philippines, it is the best for me when I need some respite from the daily grind. Oh, and never mind that I do have to travel 2 hours (or so) by land and 1 hour by boat. The trip is always worth it.

What makes you come back to a place over and over again?

In any case, as I was telling you in my previous post, Ben Thanh Market closes in the early evening, but its night market draws more crowds – if that’s at all possible. The night market is composed of stalls set up in the streets flanking the Ben Thanh Market. During the day, these streets serve as, well, streets. The sides are parking areas as well. When the night market opens, they still serve as streets – motorcycles galore – but your senses will be assaulted (pleasantly) by the sights, sounds, and smells of what the people have to sell.

I think that I did most of my shopping at the night market. I got clothing – this nice shirt with a tiger print on it, the most amazing white robe with a silver dragon embroidered onto it, wallets, and all sorts of other stuff! The best thing about the night market is that you can haggle all you want. The trick I learned is to just walk away when you don’t get the price you want. If it’s reasonable, the salesperson will run after you and you’ll get an excellent price!


Of course, you CANNOT ignore the aroma of food while at the night market. This is perhaps one of the best places where you can eat. There are a lot of stalls selling grilled everything, soup with anything in it, fried everything – name it, you’ll find it in these stalls. Thank you, guru Anthony Bourdain, for alerting me to the presence of this night market!

One of the attractions of Saigon is the shopping experience. Trust me, even those who normally shy away from shopping will have a blast in Saigon! The most popular shopping destination is Ben Thanh Market. It is located right smack in the center of the city and served as a landmark for me. When I got a little lost, I would always find my way back to this market and rediscover my bearings.

So what does Ben Thanh Market have to offer? During the day, this bustling complex is full of tourists and locals haggling their way to a good buy. You can find practically anything here.

Bags – mostly North Face and Kipling – are so cheap, your eyes will pop out! Be careful, though, as many of them are knock offs. I have to say that despite being knock offs, they look pretty good.

Spices and other dry goods. I love this area. I got coffee, tea, and other spices to bring home. Here’s a tip – if you want to buy cheap coffee, go to the outer stalls. I thought it would be cheaper inside so I bought my coffee there. On my way out, though, I found a shop selling coffee for almost half the price!

Lacquerware and other knickknacks. These are everywhere. They’re perfect for bringing home.

At night, the building closes but the night market becomes alive…that’s for the next post.

The fact that it erupted fairly recently and that you can hike right up to the crater is too tempting to resist. Even more so, the sight that greets you at the end of the trek is enough to entice anyone – even those who wouldn’t normally go hiking. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

That’s my first view of the crater. The eruption created this gorgeous lake, the depth of which is currently undetermined. I had seen pictures of this view so many times before but nothing prepared me for the real thing.

Yes, you can go swimming in the lake. The water is perfect! At first it may seem too cold but the sun is hot enough to keep you warm.

There are different routes you can take to the crater – we chose the easiest one. We drove all the way to Capas, Tarlac, where the famed Pinatubo Spa is located. We met our guide there, who took us near the crater on a 4×4. That ride lasted about an hour (rough road all the way!), while the trek lasted about 30 minutes. According to the sign below, we’re way older than senior citizens!

I say who cares? The experience was worth everything!

You see, the countless hotels in Saigon offer good rates – anywhere from USD15 to USD40. The really big names, like Sheraton and Continental, are out of my league. I would have loved to stay at the Sheraton but it was just too much. Anyway, we ended up staying at Blue River Hotel for the first two nights, and then moved to Blue Diamond for the last three nights.

We chose Blue River Hotel 2 (there IS a Blue River Hotel 1) because it was very cheap – USD30 for a family room (good for at least 4 people). They have WiFi (free), hot water, cable TV, a bathtub (for this particular room). The only problem I had with the hotel is its location – about 10 minutes of walking to the bars and Ben Thanh Market (more about this in another post). There’s nothing to complain about regarding the staff – they are amazing!

Entrance to the alley going to the hotel.

Entrance to the hotel.
Blue Diamond Hotel is a bit more upscale, and it opened about two months ago. It is very very new and for $40 a night, it is very much worth it. It’s located just behind the Ben Thanh Market, making it ideal for tourists.

Their breakfast buffet.

With all the choices available to visitors, picking out a single hotel can be confusing. If you’re heading to Saigon anytime soon, I suggest checking these two hotels out. You really won’t regret doing so.

So why am I itching to see Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City – HCMC for short – by the way)? As I said, Vietnamese food is to die for. Fresh spring rolls, the famous pho (noodle soup), and banh mi (French baguette with all sorts of stuffing). I am fairly new to their cuisine, so we’ll see what else I will discover! Oh yeah, I shall let Anthony Bourdain’s Vietnam feature guide me for a week.

I also read this article in the New York Times about “following the beer trail in Vietnam.” I didn’t know it, but Vietnam has quite a good selection of beers, many of them local! I wouldn’t call myself a beer connoisseur but I can appreciate a good brew anytime! Now I have printed out the article and will go around HCMC looking for some of the best beer in the city.

Of course, there is shopping. From what I hear, I can find tons of shawls, bags, and other apparel for dirt cheap.

I seriously am beside myself with excitement now.

Power Distance Index and its effect on aviation safety was discussed by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers“. There he explained why a plane manned by a crew hailing from countries with low PDIs have a higher chance of crashing than those with a crew from countries with high PDIs. PDI has such a big impact on a crew’s performance because it affects the crew’s ability to be proactive and assert themselves, which is very important during an emergency. To better understand PDI let me give it’s definition. PDI is a measure of the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. What this means is that if you have a low PDI you are more likely to be submit to authority and less likely to assert yourself, whether or not the person in power is right or wrong. What this means in aviation is that even if the captain makes mistakes a co-pilot with low PDI will likely not be able to make himself correct the pilot, which could lead to disastrous results.

The good news though is that airlines have come to realize the importance of PDI and so has conducted trainings to mitigate this problem. However, personally I would just feel safer flying on an airplane whose co-pilot I know comes from a place where culturally PDI is high.

Now, enough sarcasm. The data may seem trivial to me (and maybe some of you) but I am sure someone will make good use of it. According to the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, in the year 2009, there was only 1 accident for every 1.4 million flights. That’s an impressive figure, isn’t it? However, the numbers only take into account Western-built jets. Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever flown in a non-Western jet. Have you?

Here are more details from Reuters:

IATA said the 2009 rate was a 36 percent improvement on 2000 levels.

“We must understand the underlying safety risk trends, not just from the handful of accidents each year, but by bringing together and analyzing data from millions of safe flights.”

Here is something else that you might find useful – which parts of the world had the worst accident rates? The IATA pinpoints Africa and the Middle East. The safest, on the other hand, are North Asia, Latin America, and the Commonwealth of Independent States – they had no losses last year.

I wonder what 2010 will bring. I guess we’ll get the figures in 2011.

So anyway, the news is that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – that’s the name of the theme park – is set to open its gates on the 28th of May. That’s about 3 months away from now – more than enough time to gather together enough money to afford the cost of entering Harry Potter’s world.

Universal has announced the first travel package for the theme park. It’s a 4-night deal which will cost an adult $258 and a child (between age 3 and 9) $130. For a family of four (two parents and two kids), the package amounts to $829.

What’s included in the package?

• Accommodations at a Universal Partner Hotel (mid-range)
• Early Admission to the theme park
• Park ticket (3 days)
• Breakfast at The Three Broomsticks.

Harry Potter fans better start saving up now!