Today’s Pic - Sunset over Baghdad
The amazing tale of the most travelled Rum
Benny’s most travelled Rum!
Our friend Ben has spent the last seven years traveling all over the world as a diving instructor and he’s been to some amazing places and seen some amazing sights.
He recently came back home for a couple of weeks and managed to bring back with him what must be the most travelled bottle of rum this side of the equator.
This lovely drop which is cheaper than bottled water where it comes from in Roatan - Bay of Islands has been lovingly carried all the way back to Australia through thick and thin from:
Laceiba - Honduras to
The Grand Cayman Islands
then over to Jamaica
down to Curacoa in the ABC Islands
over to Columbia and all over the Carribian Coast
next stop: Bolivia, then Argentina,
all the back to New Zealand and then home to
Australia!
Have you got a great travel tale?
We’d love to hear it, so get in touch with us and sumbit your story!
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Qantas’ Secret New Asian Airline?
Qantas Asian expansion plans on a crash course with unions
In what has come as a surprise recent development and cost cutting measure Qantas Airways is planning to launch a premium airline based in Singapore. The move is aimed at boosting Asian growth and circumventing staff costs putting the airline on a crash course with its Australian employment unions, according to a news report released by the Australian Financial Review on Friday.
According to the secretive plans, Qantas would base as many as 20 aircraft in Singapore to secure a lucrative Singaporean airline licence. The nature of the aircraft are said to be narrow body A320’s which suggests that the plan is to focus on servicing the short haul Asian market pitting the airline directly against Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific who currently dominate the premium sector. It is understood that the new venture is not allowed to be called Qantas but will have the same look and premium feel as the current International services operated by the Airline.
Qantas has denied reports it had applied for an air operator’s certificate in Malaysia but said a range of options were on the table to try and recover its dwindling international market share.
However it has been confirmed that an internal team of employees has been set up to focus on how to reverse the airliner’s recent struggles, and have sought ways to duplicate the successes experienced by the low-cost carrier, Jetstar, that Qantas launched in 2003.
The new Asian airline would take direct aim at Singapore Airlines and Cathay for premium Asian market share, and risks inflaming strained relations between Qantas and its unions over the company’s plans to develop a lower-cost offshore base in Singapore with a local partner to increase flights to underserviced Australian hubs, such as Adelaide and Perth according to the AFR. The base could also be used to lunch an expanded European network.
“A project team has been established to look at Qantas’ international product and service, possible new routes and ways to reinvigorate our offering,” an airline spokesman said. “The team is considering a range of options but no decisions have been made about the direction Qantas will be taking at this stage. Recent media stories are purely speculation and based on rumour.”
The rationale behind the new offshoot is clear: Qantas needs to cut costs and expand into Asia without losing its high quality profile by damaging its brand. By moving its major International operations to Singapore it will be able to dramatically cuts costs, most notably in the area of staff where it is suggested that it will employ rotational regional crews. Flights for instance from Singapore to Bangkok would be staffed by Thai crew, where as a flight to Australia would be serviced by a Singaporean crew. This sets up an enormous battle with Australian unions and has even drawn the Prime Minister into the discussion.
The move has angered unions which were already threatening industrial action at the carrier. Aircraft engineers on Thursday called off plans to strike on Friday but there are plans for further industrial action next week.
Qantas says its international business has not been meeting expectations and market share had fallen in recent years but says it is too early to offer any details on what a taskforce has recommended to fix the airline’s ailing international operations “severe structural challenges”.
Qantas has a low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Asia which operates out of Singapore.
Look out for a more detailed report in the coming days.
To read more unique travel stories from Paul Blazey go to: Urban Globetrotter http://dld.bz/ZrBK
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Tiger’s wings about to be clipped?
What’s going on with Tiger?
A Special Report by Urban Globetrotter
After bursting onto the Australian domestic air travel scene just a few short years ago, budget Airline Tiger Airways has never been too far away from controversy and always elicits a love or hate response from travellers.
From the beginning and especially in more recent times, Airline industry sources have claimed the sector has been rife with rumours about Tiger which is owned by Singapore Airlines.
The low-cost airline has triggered a price war with Qantas and Virgin forcing them to drop their domestic fares by 30 per cent. Since its 2007 entry to Australia, Tiger has targeted the tourism market and undercut its rivals with a range of “special” fares including 1c flights. This has been a boon for the local market and is a far cry from the completely and totally uncompetitive duopoly of the 1980’s when the choice was either Qantas or TAA.
However, Tigers introduction has also raised concerns that its profitability was taking priority over passenger safety and pilot training. Tiger has consistently ranked as the worst of the major airlines and had just a 72 per cent “on time” record for last year.
READ THE WHOLE REPORT AFTER THE JUMP
Top 20 Smart Travel Tech Tips and Apps.
For the Computer / Smartphone savvy traveller.
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With the popularity of the Smartphone on the rise, there is an increasing array of tech travel tools to use to make things easier while out and about, on the road or in the air. From booking flights to reserving a table to finding a clean bathroom, travel apps have the potential to make any vacation easier and more affordable. But with hundreds of thousands of options out there, it’s hard to distinguish the essential downloads from the clutter. Not to worry. We’ve scoured the market and tested hundreds of travel apps to come up with the ultimate tool kit for the vacation-bound!
Needless to say, the explosion in popularity of Apple’s gadgets, applications for Apple’s iPhone and iPad are probably high on most lists, but there are still plenty of great tools out there for other Smartphone users and even those with just regular cell phones.
Travel Tech Tip 1: Check the Airline’s Website for Schedules.
Whether flying for work or to visit family, you want a flight that will be on time. That’s why it’s a great idea to check the websites of the larger airlines to find the on-time record of each of the flights when considering purchasing a ticket. You can learn how often that flight arrives on time — within 15 minutes of schedule — as well as how often it arrives more than 30 minutes late. You also can find out if a flight has been cancelled 5 percent or more of the time.
Travel Tech Tip 2: TripAdvisor.com Unbiased hotel reviews, photos and travel advice for hotels and vacations - Compare prices with just one click.
Travel Tech Tip 3: Kayak.com. Find and book cheap flights, hotels, vacations and rental cars with Kayak.com. Hotel, flight and travel deals. Search hundreds of travel sites at once.
Travel Tech Tip 4: SeatGuru.com. By Trip Advisor. The ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities, and airline information.
Travel Tech Tip 5: Yapta.com Track flight prices and save money before and after you buy! Yapta aims to help travellers get a better handle on pricing by providing easy-to-use tools and information that assures they get the best value from their travel spending.
Travel Tech Tip 6: GateGuru. Consider it Yelp for airports. It’s an app contains searchable directories for 98 U.S. airports (124 airports overall) and more than 25 international hubs. They take the guesswork out of finding an ATM, a decent cup of coffee, or a 10-minute massage station — wherever you happen to be delayed. Some locations even have user reviews, rankings, and photos. 
Travel Tech Tip 7: Slingbox. One of the most ingenious ideas around for the international traveller. Essentially thru a box and a program, your laptop becomes a home TV so no matter where you are in the world you can watch your favourite DVRed shows! The Slingbox is a TV streaming device made by Sling Media that encodes video into the VC-1 format for transmission over the Internet and provides an infrared blaster. The video encoding and IR blaster can both be operated remotely over the Internet. These features allow users to remotely view and control their home’s cable, satellite, or personal video recorder (PVR) system from an Internet-enabled computer with a broadband Internet connection.
Travel Tech Tip 8: Yelp When travelling around the U.S. use Yelp. It helps you quickly find almost any amenity and has reviews and additional information.
Travel Tech Tip 9: Open Table. Restaurant Reservations – Free, Instant, Confirmed. With Open Table for iPhone you can make free restaurant reservations at more than 15,000 Open Table-enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Travel Tech Tip 10: INRIX Traffic .An App that helps get you to the airport on time by showing traffic speeds and delays, and can even predict traffic speeds at certain times.
Travel Tech Tip 11: Weather.com See what the forecast is!
Travel Tech Tip 12: AirWX. Is an App that pilots use to get detailed aviation weather reports and forecasts, but it’s also useful for the general public to check weather at departure and arrival airports because the reports are decoded into plain language.
Travel Tech Tip 13: FlightAware.com. Flight Aware provides live flight data, airport information, weather maps, flight planning, and navigation charts, as well as aviation news and photos to over two million users a month.
Travel Tech Tip 14: iTranslate.com. For the Business flyer, offers translation services in all the major European languages and in Japanese and Chinese. Accurate and rapid translation of all types of tender/bid documents (RFI, RFP, RFQ, RFB, etc.), technical manuals, contracts, websites, standards, specifications, marketing copy and press releases.
Travel Tech Tip 15:MileBlaster.com. A frequent flyer miles and points tracker is the ultimate frequent flier tool. Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch as well as on the web.
Travel Tech Tip 16: Star Walk. An App that allows you to recognize constellations, even on the other side of the world because the night sky looks quite different depending on where you are!
Travel Tech Tip 17: Skype. Stay in touch and stay connected with friends and business associates around the world cheaply.
Travel Tech Tip 18: Facebook. Stay in touch with family and friends on the web.
Travel Tech Tip 19: Dopplr. Is a service for sharing personal and business travel plans privately with the people you trust. Find city tips and travel advice on it’s own Social Media website.
Travel Tech Tip 20: Urban Globetrotter! Your source of daily unique travel stories and tips from people that have been there and bought the T-Shirt!
Missed anything, got any more?
What’s your favourite travel app?
See also: http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/handy-travel-apps-for-your-iphone
Got something to add? Then please do! Just drop us an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com
or Join the conversation over on Twitter!
World’s Travel Industry gets ready for new wave of Chinese tourists
This year, China’s outbound departures are predicted to top 65 million after reaching over 57 million in 2010, according to a report from the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI). The UN World Travel Organization (UNWTO) estimates that there will be 100 million Chinese outbound trips by 2020.
International airlines that haven’t already established direct routes to China are rushing to do so such as Air Mauritius and South African Airlines which will become the latest to set up links with direct flights to Shanghai and Beijing respectively, as early as July.
But airlines are not just targeting China’s major cities for direct routes. Australia and New Zealand are trying to encourage airlines to establish new links between tourist destinations in those countries and some of the China’s tier 2 cities.
China’s largest carrier, China Southern Airlines, launched its first direct flight between the bustling business city of Guangzhou in the Pearl River delta and Auckland, New Zealand earlier this month. Australian cities Perth and Cairns are also in talks with airlines to create direct flights.
Speaking from the China-Australian Business Summit in Beijing, Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy told CNBC.com that Australian airports are actively seeking out new capacity to get more direct access to the fastest growing travel market in the world.
“It’s an important market, because there’s a lot of mix here — 167,000 students, a whole bunch of visitors, and business people,” McEvoy says. “We’re in the time zone, so it’s terrific to be in a region that’s growing like that.”
In 2010, over 450,000 Chinese visitors spent $3 billion in Australia, which was 20 percent more than the year before.
Growing Travel Demand
Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) Director of Strategy Management, Kris Lim, says that in spite of a number of negative global events such SARS, the global recession, and H1N1 in the past decade, the demand for air travel to and from China has continued to grow at a rapid pace.
“What we’re seeing here is that for any destinations within Asia-Pacific, and outside of the region that is intending to build their tourism sector, the connection to China will be a very important element,” Lim says. “Inbound is equally important — China has become a centre of commerce and business. There should be more capacities into China as their economy continues to improve.”
Globally, China has increased its travel market share to over 4 percent in the past decade. With some Chinese airlines betting big on Destination Australia.
Some airlines are testing the waters with charter flights before launching direct routes. Earlier this year, China Eastern Airlines launched the first-ever chartered flight to Hawaii. Two months, and three chartered flights later, the airline is now seeking approval from China’s aviation regulator for regular direct flights to Honolulu.
Dubai has become a hot spot for Chinese tourists after the emirate received “approved destination” status from the Chinese government in 2009. Hotels such as the world-renowned Burj Al Arab have hired a number of Chinese speaking staff, created brochures and programs in Mandarin and added Chinese cuisine to their menus. During this year’s Chinese New Year, almost 80 percent of the hotel’s guests were from China, says Burj Al Arab operator Jumeirah Group.
While last week, Air China announced the launch of a direct flight between Beijing and Milan starting June 15, along with a new service to Athens in May.
Large-Scale Group Travel
Executive Chairman of the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Peter Harbison says the industry has never seen group travel on the scale in which Chinese tourism operates.
“Some of those groups that go to Europe are 12,000 strong, and when you’re sending a group of 12,000 — you have tremendous buying power,” he says.
Tour operators can only send groups to countries that fall under China’s Approved Destination Status (ADS).
Meanwhile in Europe, academic institutions are offering courses on Chinese culture for tour guides and travel agents, Lim says. But, he says it will take a bit more time before countries are better able to cater for Chinese tourists, like the Japanese before them.
So how will Destination Australia cope with this influx of visitors, are we ready?
What’s your take?
Got something to add? Then please do…just drop us an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com
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Virgin goes from being blue to Australian
“The only reason they would want to move away from the playful, joyful image of Virgin Blue is if the business market doesn’t like it,” said Stephen Holden, associate professor of marketing at Bond University in Queensland. “They might change, go more upmarket and become a lot more like Virgin Atlantic.”
The Virgin carrier’s push to win business travelers has already seen it abandon much of the low-cost model it used when it began flying in 2000. The airline has moved away from the budget market as the growth of Qantas’s Jetstar unit and Singapore Airlines Ltd.-backed Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd. has helped push down coach-class fares in Australia. Discounted domestic economy ticket prices fell to a record low in January, according to Department of Infrastructure data.
That competition, along with natural disasters and rising fuel prices, has left the Virgin airline expecting its second annual loss in three years. The carrier may post a loss of as much as A$80 million ($87 million) in the year ending June 30, it said in March. The airline’s shares were unchanged at 28.5 Australian cents at 10:30 a.m. in Sydney trading. They’ve dropped 46 percent in the past year, more than double the rate of decline for Sydney-based Qantas. Branson owns 26 percent of the carrier, while Air New Zealand Ltd. holds 15 percent.
“The Virgin brand has been underplayed, particularly internationally,” said Peter Harbison, managing director at Sydney-based industry consultant Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. “I don’t think it’s going to lose anything by dropping ‘Blue’.”
Virgin Limits
The company was only able to use the Virgin Blue name on domestic flights because of restrictions linked to Singapore Air’s 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic. Its long-haul unit is called V Australia, while flights to New Zealand are flown by Pacific Blue. The carrier also has a venture with the government of Samoa called Polynesian Blue.
Qantas last year began a revamp of its business-class services, including lounges, cabins and food to help fend off competition. It’s also adding Airbus SAS A380 planes and boosting an alliance with American Airlines to help win international flyers.
It’s been a very rough ride lately for Virgin will all sorts of issues and problems coming up, so it’s now time to deliver on the promise.
Do you think that Virgin Australia can take on Qantas?
See more about Virgin’s battle to reinvent itself:
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/virgin-blue-hits-week-long-turbulence
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/virgin-blues-overhaul-grounded
See more AIR WARS stories:
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/virgin-blue-on-the-money
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/tiger-takes-on-air-asia
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/coming-soon-to-a-plane-near-you-text-tweet-mi
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/australian-airline-wars-hot-up
What’s your favourite low cost airline?
Missed anything? Drop us an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com
Join the conversation over on Twitter!
Futuristic Airline seat only for the game
The concept seat, called ‘NFW’ (not for wimps), allows for serious tech-heads to have a 3D experience whilst plugged in (with seat belts fastened, no doubt).
According to British manufacturer Factorydesign’s director, Adam White, “NFW is designed to appeal to customers who would rather spend their time on long-haul flights locked in a gaming or viewing experience rather than dropping off to sleep.” Elaborating further: “NFW is a marmite seat – but love it or hate it it has created the stir required, and for us carries the important message about change. It is time. There is a new generation of younger Business/First travellers who relish a few hours uninterrupted time to play PS, eat a snack of sushi and chill with the latest AV content.”
Whislt the NFW hasn’t yet been snatched up by any airlines, so it may be a few years before you’re given the choice of cattle, business or Bioshock, but White hopes that “certain, more adventurous airlines” will strip out a few seats from their business class cabins to allow for these light-weight Kevlar contraptions. New seating like this does throw up an interesting point though. If it takes up more space but is pitched to younger travellers who want to only sit up, how will it be priced? Will you end up paying a premium to be seated?
The design release was a part of the recent Aircraft Interiors Expo, which took place in Hamburg, Germany.
You can see more airline seating stories from Urban globetrotter right here:
All new Firstclass Air Beds v’s All new Cattle Class Seating.
See more articles like this in Getting There.
Join the conversation over on Twitter!
Secrets of traveling light
How To Travel Like A Pro
Part Three of A Travel Pro’s Guide To Touring The World In Style.
There’s an old theory about packing for a holiday: grab everything you think you’ll need for your trip, lay it out on the floor, then throw half of it away!
Sounds easy, right? But you’re not going to chop a pair of shoes in half, or your expensive camera and if you’re going on a varied holiday (beaches to trekking in the mountains) you’re definitely not going to want to ditch your swimming gear or your warm jacket.
But there are some smart ways to cut down on your luggage and take advantage of the savings airlines offer (plus the ease of getting around once you’re there). Every traveller has different priorities, but just taking a few of these measures will reduce your load.
Time to layer up
We’ve discussed layers before but it’s a key point. Unless you’re going to the snow, you probably don’t need a huge, bulky jacket. Instead, pack a thermal top, then your normal shirts and a jumper, and wear them in layers. The colder it is outside, the more layers you slap on, until you wind up waddling around town looking like the Michelin Man.
Please remove your shoes
Unless your hiking or mountain climbing, simply wear a comfortable shoe that is good for walking in, this is your ‘main foot ware’. After that pack a pair of slide-on’s and only if absolutely necessary take another pair of shoes for more formal night wear. Shoes are bulky and take up a lot of space. If space is super tight, another trick is buy anything you need at your destination on the cheap and then discard.
Get rid of the bulky Guidebooks
Not altogether, though. These days Guidebooks are expensive and most of the information can be found elsewhere (like at Urban Globetrotter!) If hard copies are your thing though, just photocopy the pages you think you’ll need, and take them along with you. There’s no point having a whole South-East Asia guidebook if you’re only going to Thailand. Even better is to download a digital copy of the guide onto your phone, laptop or tablet (if you’ll be taking them anyway). You’ll save money, too, as you can just download the chapters you’ll need.
Invest in an eReader or Tablet
It doesn’t really matter if you’re a Kindle, Kobo or an iPad person or a whatever-else-there-is-out-there person, an eReader will dramatically lighten your load if you like to read while travelling. The only down side is that it takes away the chance to swap books with fellow travellers, unless you have it on some sort of USB drive but that’s starting to get too geeky….
Sort all your electronics out
You’ve got your phone but do you really need a laptop? What about a Tablet? Do you really need a hair-dryer? (Really?) Do you need a point-and-shoot camera and a separate video recorder when your phone takes good photos? Do you even need your phone? Everyone’s different, but there’s probably something you can chuck out. The key is, modern technology is getting better and better and once separate devices are being combined with great quality and convenience. Look into this. It’s becoming easier and easier to just take a phone which does almost everything and a tablet which does everything else. Also remember that you can use computers in hotels or internet cafes. Only take extra electronics if you really, really need to and also be mindful of all the cords and make sure that you get the right wall adapters for power to recharge everything otherwise taking them will be a waste of time in the first place.
Think about your accommodation
If you’re staying in hostels, you’ll definitely need a travel towel, maybe a silk bed liner, and maybe a sleeping bag, depending on the weather. If you’re staying in fancier accommodation, however, ditch all three.
Pack for a week
This is purely personal, but you’ll usually have a chance to do laundry once a week while travelling, so there’s really no need to bring more than a week’s worth of clothes. And remember, there’s nothing wrong with doing the odd “backpack wash” – stick it in your backpack for a few days, and it becomes magically clean again. Pretty soon “clean” becomes a relative term.
Here’s another trick: Forget about folding your clothes, roll them up instead. Doing so will not only reduce air trapped in them, it’ll also prevent unsightly creases. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can squeeze into that bag of yours when every single garment has been rolled up. Avoid placing items into luggage an item at a time. Before you know it, you’ll run out of space and then got to unload everything and start over. Instead, lay out everything that you plan to bring along. Take a quick glance at the open luggage beside you and chances are you’ll have to forgo that thick sweater or the extra pair of running shoes. Discard as many items as possible. You can always add them back in if there’s space after that.
Listen fancy pants
Unless you’re going on a tour of the world’s best polo venues, you’re probably not going to need to dress up very often. Just one set of semi-nice clothes that you can also get away with wearing during the day will do the job.
The long and short of it
Going somewhere hot? You only need one pair of long pants, probably something loose-fitting and cotton, for comfort and versatility. If you’re heading to colder climes, then chuck in an extra pair. And you can safely reverse that for shorts (two for hot, one for cold).
What are your secrets to packing light?
How much to you usually travel with?
Then please do! Just drop us an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com
What’s your tip?
Here’s some related stories for you:
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/the-5-step-guide-to-travelling-like-a-pro
http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/top-tips-to-fly-like-a-pro
Join the conversation over on Twitter!
The 5 Step Guide to Travelling Like a Pro
How To Travel Like A Pro
Part Two of A Travel Pro’s Guide To Touring The World In Style. 
So you’ve worked out how to get the best Airline Tickets & Seats, so now it’s time for the departure.
You know, travelling in style is the way that most people see themselves travelling these days and it is definitely possible, but for the majority of the time, that plan goes completely wrong because we get caught up in packing, arranging documents and finances and forget to concentrate on what it is that makes travel so important to us – taking a moment to chill out and relax so as to enjoy the journey and the destination with a minimal amount of stress. Travelling in style is the epitome of that for a number of reasons.
Travelling in style is all about planning ahead of time, taking care of yourself and taking the time to do so. Very few people find that they can take their time when heading to the airport because, for the majority, it is a mad rush to pack and grab everything they need and then get to the airport on time. It is possible though. There are several ways you can achieve this, and all require you to take straight forward but certain steps:
Style Step One: Weather watch! Check out the essentials of the destination that you are heading to.
For instance, if you want to travel in style then you cannot land in a mini-skirt and flip-flops if it is freezing cold and raining at your destination. So keep a watch on the weather forecast in the week before you fly because it will constantly update and give you a great idea on what to expect. After this, buy a map and travel guide or have Google Earth and Maps loaded to your Phone, Laptop or Tablet ready so that you can easily find your way to your hotel when you get there. Make sure that you’ve confirmed you arrival be email, ensuring a smooth check in and for those that have that little extra to spend, arrange private transport ahead of time creating a seamless transition from airport to lodging.
Style Step Two: Plan ahead some more! The departure. After carefully working out your itinerary and creating an easily accessible running sheet for it, start planning your get away the week before you are due to fly. Be sure to also include a few key phrases on your running sheet if travelling to a non English speaking country.
Make a list of what you are to pack and lay out the outfit that you are to wear on the flight the night before you board the plane. It does not matter where you are travelling to, just as long as you remember to include all of the essentials in your carry on. This is usually along the lines of: a book or eBook reader, a music player of some sort, or simply a Tablet that does it all, an eye mask, facial wipes and something to snack on and some gum for when the plane takes off and lands so your ears do not pop! Make sure that your carry bag is light along with its contents but also contains a change of underwear just in case your main luggage gets lost! This way, you don’t get caught short. Remember to set your Phone’s network settings to International Roaming.
Travelling in style is all about being prepared and making sure that you can handle anything that your trip throws at you!
Style Step Three: Layers and Pockets. Wear layers when you board the plane if you want to be adaptable to changing conditions throughout the flight.
By wearing light and breathable multiple layers with pockets, when it’s hot then you can strip off the layers, but a cold plane at altitude is nobody’s friend and encourages bugs and colds to spread to the vulnerable. As a result, you want to be warm! If you wear layers then you also escape using the airline blankets as well, the pockets help you store more items conveniently.
Wearing appropriate clothing for your journey helps you look good and feel good all in one go! 
Style Step Four: Packing it all in. Choose the right hand and main luggage and pack it properly.
Whilst luggage doesn’t maketh the man, your choice of luggage can certainly make things easier for you. Some people do see their choice of luggage as somewhat of a status symbol, the main point here is to be appropriate for the journey that you are going on. Always try to travel light as possible. That means get the most durable, lightest and secure luggage that you can find. Multiple pockets and expandable sections really help.
When it comes to size, it does matter, smaller is better! Just try to take the least amount possible in the smallest luggage possible. If you plan on shopping up a storm a great trick is to put all your luggage in a smaller suitcase, packed inside the next size up, that means you take on piece of luggage on the way and bring two back. When you do this, please consider the cost of extra luggage and make sure you pre book it, otherwise it can cost you a fortune and that’s a last minute surprise you don’t need at the check in counter on your way home.
Security is really important, remember to use locks, plastic id tags or you can get your luggage plastic wrapped at some airports! Always use a method to personally identify your luggage so it’s easy to pick out on the carousel.
Style Step Five: Finally enjoy it! Travelling in style should be fun! Air travel should not be a chore, but it will be if you view it that way! Travelling should be about adventure, so be determined to make it one!
Set out with the right attitude, be prepared and be flexible. Not everything will go your way but if you follow these steps you’ll make your travels as stress free as possible.
Pro Tips:
Set the alarm and pre book your taxi the night before giving yourself plenty of time to get to the airport and check in.
Always take the E-Check in service if you can, it cuts your waiting time down in a big way.
Load up on vitamins before you go, especially vitamin C to boost your immunity.
Got anything else to add?
Chasing Picasso in the Park
Art Journey
Hakone Open Air Museum
The steam subtly rises up from the vents in the undulating roads lined by lush trees and shrubs. In the distance mostly covered by cloud but unmistakable no less is Mt. Fuji and almost unbelievably nestled amongst these ancient surrounds is one of the most amazing contemporary art museums in the world.
The Hakone Open Air Museum (Japanese: Hakone Chokoku No Mori Bijutsukan), creates a ponderous harmony of nature and art by exhibiting various sculptures across its rolling grounds in combination with beautiful views of the surrounding valley and mountains.
Besides the sculptures, the Hakone Open Air Museum has a few other indoor galleries, including one of the most amazing Picasso Collections around featuring paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramic creations but more on this later. As with anything the Japanese do, this place is born of passion and attention to detail which is immediately evident upon arrival where you are greeted by an outstanding and dynamic water feature that sets the tone of what to expect once you’re inside.
Once you are inside, it’s time to just wonder around and try to take it all in. There is so much to see.
As you walk and discover, you’ll never know what you’ll see next. Bright bursts of geometric colour pop out from around a clearing contrasting directly with other all white stone pieces representing more natural forms. You could easily spend the entire day here and everywhere you look is a million dollar view. It’s the perfect place to have a lazy picnic, even if the weather isn’t quite with you. The fact that you’re amongst the Japanese highlands means that your visit will probably be met with a little drizzle but this only adds to the mystique of the place.
The huge and well placed sculptures rise up from the ground in such a commanding way that they control their immediate position but only ever complimenting the surrounding pieces. Some are deliberately placed to work in tandem with each other which is a further demonstration of the thought that has gone into the facility. The mist that swirls around some of the higher works creates a dreamy atmosphere that easily sweeps you up and makes time disappear.
It’s such a curious place and if you’re the type that really likes to explore there are off beat tracks you can take venturing further into the forest where you’ll come across descending stone stairways that lead you to some hidden moss covered traditional stone works that seem as if they’ve been there for 100’s of years. Be careful here as there are also some very large spiders just waiting for you not to notice them!
Once you have almost done a lap and just when you think it doesn’t get any better, you are met with a very tall mosaic structure, which is the Picasso Wing. It’s here that you will find a wonderful array of Picasso works including sculptures, paintings and tapestry’s, the building itself one of his creations. There is plenty of informative signage to help guide you through which offers an excellent insight into some of the history, trials and tribulations of the artist. There is strictly no photography allowed in this section.
Because this place makes time stand still before you know it visiting hours will be almost over but if you’re into art or sculpture what a time you’ll have! The Hakone Open Air Museum is a must see attraction and can be reached by a short walk from Chokoku No Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway (30 minutes, 390 yen from Hakone-Yumoto, covered by the Hakone Free Pass), the last station before the terminal station of Gora.
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Paul Blazey is an artist and travel writer for Urban Globetrotter
How to get to and around Hakone
