I shared this photo on my social networking streams @runawayjane on twitter and on facebook at facebook.com/runawayjane last week, but looking at it again today just made me realise how incredible Venice really is. It’s certainly a city I’ll have to venture back to and discover more of. Anyway, I just wanted to share it with you here on the site in case you hadn’t seen it already…

I recently spent some time in Florence as part of my PLUS Hostels trip that I’m doing at the moment. I’ll be telling you lots more about my work with PLUS in the coming days, but before I tell you about that, these were my first impressions of Florence;

Beautiful…

Florence is a pretty city. Even the name sounds pretty. The architecture here is jaw-dropping. The Duomo, one of the highlights of Florence had huge queues outside just to get in, but to be honest, I was happy sitting outside just marvelling at the exterior of the building. Florence really is an architectural gem. I literally spent a whole day here just wandering around, looking at the buildings, taking pictures, and just allowing it all to seep in. Simply beautiful.

A city of historical importance

Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. This meant that it was the most important city in Europe for over 250 years – politically, economically, and culturally – up until the early 1500′s. For those of you into history, Florence is a treasure trove for you…

Tourist queues and prices…

Florence is by no means off the beaten path. It’s very much on it, and as such you can expect to pay tourist prices and queue at every attraction you will find. A lot of the famous Italian cities are like this unfortunately, as I mentioned in my post about Rome, but sometimes you have to accept that if you want to visit a city of such historical importance, it’s hardly going to be hidden away. Try not to let yourself get put off by that though, as I really think Florence is a great city for a full day of sight seeing.

Darker alleys…

I was wandering around by the tourist zone and decided to take another street that looked a bit more interesting. Within a few minutes I knew I was in a murkier side of town. It was interesting to take a walk down the darker side of Florence, because it makes you realise that just like anywhere, no matter how gleaming on the outside it may be there is always another side to a story. I feel as travellers it’s important to look for it, because without it we are left with a false sense of the place we are in.

• Who wants to be sitting in an office or a classroom all day when they can be travelling the world?
• If you don’t do it now when will you do it? Soon you’ll have kids, a job, a mortgage, and other things that tie you down to a place. Then you’ll be old and with no guarantee that you’re health will be good enough to allow you to travel. So do it now!
• Because in 1 year you’ll learn way more about life than you will at college or university.
• You’ll meet so many new people, and make lifelong friends with people from around the world.
• Because I said so bitch! Ha ha just kidding, but seriously, in 20 years from now you’ll be more disappointed with the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did.

Rome is one of those cities you’ve probably already heard a lot about before you go. Either through history class, TV, friends, family, books, or somewhere else. I therefore had huge expectations of Rome and unfortunately not much time to explore it. It’s impossible to get a full view of a city in just a few days, but what it does do is allow you is a taster of what is to come should you ever make a return, and also allow you to see and experience the exterior with your own eye – which is always more memorable than reading about it or viewing a picture.

A look into the past…

Rome has so much history and historical architecture that it really does take a full 2 or 3 days to explore it the majority of it. The only other European city that can really compete with Rome on a historical level is perhaps Berlin. Nowhere else I have been to has had so much compact into a city of historical importance and resonance that you can experience. The Colosseum is obviously the main attraction, as is a visit to the Vatican. Expect queue upon queue, and tourist prices, but in my personal opinion in this case it is worth it. For me the Colosseum was really quite breathtaking. Unlike a lot of historical buildings across Europe, you can’t really find another building like this anywhere in the world, nor with it’s unique history. It may have been full of tourists, but an awe-inspiring building like this is still awe-inspiring no matter how many people you crowd around it.

Over-rated cuisine!

I’d just come from Bologna, Italy’s food capital, so I maybe I’d just gotten used to eating amazing Italian food, but for me the restaurants and cafes I ate in in Rome were really below standard. That’s not to say there aren’t good places to eat in Rome. I was only there a few days and you’re limited to how many places you can eat out in during that time, but I guess with it being the capital of Italy I was just expecting so much more from the local Italian cuisine here. I literally had the worst pizza I’ve ever tasted in Rome. I left half of it on the plate and was charged €11 for the privilege. It was also in a touristy area that I ate where they don’t rely on return custom so maybe I’m being a bit unfair, but I sort of think if you have the reputation of being home to some of the world’s best cuisine, you should try and live up to it! I therefore give Rome a thumbs down for food, but Italy as a whole a big thumbs up! (For the record I had an amazing diavolo pizza in Venice today that rocked so maybe you just need to pick the right place to eat…)

The place to be a tourist

The idea of being a tourist isn’t very cool to most people, and in most instances I try stay away from the typical tourist activities, but Rome really is a tourist’s city. There is so much see, do, and in particular so many landmarks to stand and take your picture by! I sort of enjoyed being the silly tourist on the big red bus going round the city for a change. It’s not what I normally do, but Rome sort of brought it out of me. For me Rome was a place to enjoy the indulgence of the crap I usually hate, because it was so over the top it made it fun!

Cheap to get about

Public transportation in Rome is really cheap. For one ride across town on the metro it’s just €1. If you travel on your return journey within 75minutes you can use the same ticket. For an all day ticket on the metro and the main city centre bus network it’s only €4. That gets you on any metro trains and city centre buses an unlimited amount of times up until midnight on the day you validate the ticket. If you’re planning on spending a whole day sight seeing and hopping around the city this could be really good value.

- Rome is somewhere I’d probably recommend for first-time travellers. There’s lots to do, it’s not too challenging, but you’ll also learn something too about Italy and Europe’s great history. For me, although I didn’t necessarily click with the city like I have with other large European cities, I did enjoy my time there…

Today’s post was brought to you (and written) by ManchesterAirport.co.uk.

If you’re travelling any distance at all, flying is your fastest, safest, most convenient and economical choice of transport. But it doesn’t always appear that way. Granted with the number of discount airlines in operation you can fly to any destination worldwide on a cut price deal. Price isn’t always the issue for some of us though.

You can read anything you want to or listen to all your friends, but for many of us taking to the sky in a metal beast just doesn’t seem like the safest way of getting from A to B. A fear of flying is difficult to get over. If you become overwhelmed as soon as you step on the flight this can cause the entirety of the journey to be very stressful.

For those who may need it, here are our top tips on easing your fear of flying.

Stay in comfortable surroundings for as long as possible

The fear can happen as soon as you set foot outside the door. To stop this try and stay in comfortable surroundings for as long as possible, so think about driving to the airport and leaving your car there for the duration of the trip. Cheap parking Manchester Airport serves those flying from the north, but all airports around the UK have cheap and secure options. Not only will you save money you’ll be in secure surroundings until the last possible second.

Turbulence is uncomfortable but normal

Turbulence is a normal part of flying, but for those passengers with a fear of flying it can feel as if the plane is falling from the sky. Just remember, for each down bump there is an up one – you just don’t feel it as much. It’s perfectly normal. Whilst it may be difficult, try and stay calm and remember all those stats about flying being the safest form of transport.

The plane is a reliable machine

Technology has come a long way since we first took to the skies. Planes are reliable. They have to go through rigorous tests to ensure they are sky worthy. Don’t panic, try and stay positive and put your trust in the captain – he’s a highly qualified individual flying a top class machine.

Deal with your nervous feelings

When you feel afraid your breathing quickens and your heart begins to race. It’s important to keep yourself calm. Push your stomach out and take a slow, deep breath through your nose. Try and fill your lungs from the bottom up. Pause and then exhale slowly. If you do this a couple of times you’ll start to feel better. Try practicing this before you board, so when on the flight you’ll be fully prepares to keep yourself calm.

But most of all look forward to your holiday…. That should focus your mind.

I released this vlog a week or so a go on YouTube, and thought it would be cool to share it on here with you. The idea for it came after spending some time recently in Morocco as part of a tour to the area sponsored by Busabout. I’d found that a lot of people (girls in particular) were worried about what they should wear in the country. Morocco is a Muslim country, and is therefore more conservative than what some people from Europe, the States etc may be used to. You therefore have to be considerate of how you are expected to dress in Morocco so as not to offend the local people or disrespect the customs. In this vlog I go into what’s acceptable and what’s not based on my own experiences in the country. Check it out!

Right now I’m in Bologna, Italy, in the region of Emilia Romagna. I’m here as part of a press trip to the area called ‘BlogVille‘. It’s sort of a cool initiative brought together by the Emilia Romagna Tourism Board to bring bloggers to the region and check out all it has to offer. Our base here in Bologna has proved to be a pretty cool spot for experiencing authentic Italian cuisine, wine, nightlife, and culture. Bologna is both Italy’s food capital, and the UNESCO World City of Music. For me, music and food are two things that are a part of my everyday life. I can’t live without either, so Bologna is kind of like the perfect place for me in terms of catering to what I love about travel. However, enough about me, what about you? Why should you come to Bologna?

Food Capital of Italy

Pretty much everyone I meet who comes to Italy or wants to come here talks about how they want to eat local Italian food! It usually ranks in the top 3 things that people want to do while in Italy, if not number 1 on their list. Bologna is the birthplace of cuisine such as Bolognese, Lasagna, and Tortellini. So if experiencing local Italian food is what you’re after, then you really can’t get a better place to do it other than here. Food is simply in-bed into the natural fabric of the people here, and is such a huge piece of what makes this regional capital unique.

Music Lovers Paradise

As I mentioned above, Bologna is the UNESCO World City of Music. That alone should give you an insight into the city’s credibility as a destination hub for music. I was very fortunate to be here during the Live Music Festival of the last week of May. There was people and bands of all genres playing music out in the main square (Piazza Maggiore) and surrounding areas. Whether you were into brass bands, rock music, or just something else, you can usually find it there.

Student City (Party Town)

Bologna is student city, and is in fact home to the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna. This means that although the touristy areas of Bologna are quite pricey (like most places), you’ll also find a lot of cheap deals in and around the University area. If you’re going out head to Via Zamboni (University Road). Thursday is student night so you’ll find lots of young people out and about on a Thursday night during term time, but it’s also very busy here on a Friday & Saturday night too.

Day Trips to Modena, Ferrara, and Comacchio

Bologna provides a fantastic base for someone looking to make day trips out further into the Emilia Romagna region. Modena, home to the Ferrari Museum, is a popular spot nearby to spend a day, and is only 30 minutes away by train. If you travel on a slow trains it will only cost you €3.60 to get there from Bologna travelling in 2nd Class.

Ferrara, home to the Castle Estense is also a fantastic spot for a half day out up to the top of the castle, and for those interested in taking a boat out into the Po Delta River, Comacchio is somewhere I recommend nearby to Bologna. It’s also just a really nice town for a bike ride, some gelato (Italian ice cream), and a chance to eat some local sea food.

Via Aemilia (The Ancient Roman Road)

Bologna is very well connected to all of Italy’s main cities. The North-South railway line between Bologna and Milan also follows the ancient Roman Road, Via Aemilia. If you were looking for a trip to do in Europe that was combining modern day travel with history, then travelling the old roman road from through Bologna could be an option?

Any trip to Italy should include Bologna…

Today marks the end of the Travel Bloggers Unite conference held in Umbria, Italy. For those of you who are not travel bloggers, or who may not be familiar with TBU.. It is essentially a place where travel bloggers and those working in the travel industry come to meet, network, connect, and work out how they can best work together in the future. This year we also got to do this in the beautiful setting of Valle de Assisi, in the Italian countryside of Umbria. Free drinks, 5 star cuisine, and a beautiful setting to do business… It’s a hard life being a travel blogger, huh? ; )

I try my best to limit posts aimed at travel bloggers rather than people just interested in travel, but I think what has gone on at TBU also affects anyone who reads travel blogs. The reason for this is that with the announcement that much of the travel industry is increasing their PR & Marketing budgets by up to 20% to work with travel bloggers, this means that travel bloggers such as myself will be able to dedicate a lot more time in the future to producing amazing travel content for their readers. We will be able to spend more time giving our readership and engaged audience the travel tips, info, insight, and advice that they need to make their travel decisions better.

One of the key things that made my first TBU conference here in Umbria so rewarding was the panel discussions held on both days. It’s amazing what you can do when you get a bunch of creative people together and see what they come up with. It was also refreshing to see travel bloggers and PR/Marketing people working together to come up with solutions to our problems on both sides.

Overall what us travel bloggers were saying to the PR & Marketing folks was that if you want us to work with you, then you need to pay us! We can’t work for free. As much as we’d love to, we just can’t spend time away on press trips that could be spent earning a living on other projects. So if PR & Marketing departments really want our time, dedication, and access to our audiences, then they need to communicate to their clients that they’re going to have to set aside dollars to do so. There are already many case studies that show online publications have much more engagement than ads placed in print media, so if it was me I’d be redirecting that cash into the online world.

Which brings me onto my next point – Travel Bloggers travel blog for the love of travel blogging! When we say to PR companies that you need to pay us to work with you, it’s not for a greed of money. It’s because we literally have bills to pay, and our time spent promoting your projects is time spent away from making money to put a roof over our heads. If all we wanted was money we would not be travel bloggers! We’d be working in investment banking somewhere, or in some other equally soul-sucking profession (No offence to any investment bankers out there! I just know a lot of you guys who hate your jobs! Although if you love it keep doing it!) We also need to communicate better with one another, and be clear with each other what we want, need, and expect from each other too.

There was some fantastic talks at this years TBU. In particular by Jeff Jung and Jodi Ettenberg. Both very inspiring and engaging individuals. The list for what was talked about, discussed, and learned at TBU Umbria however goes on and on, and far outweighs anything I could ever put in one post. I guess if you want to find out more you’ll have to buy a ticket for next year!

From a personal perspective though, TBU Umbria has given me renewed enthusiasm for what can be done in travel blogging and in the travel industry as a whole. It has given me confirmation of a lot of things that I’ve been thinking about of late in regards to the industry, allowed me to network with my peers, and given me new insight to walk away with which I know will only help my blog, and ultimately help me provide a better service to my readers. As that’s what it’s about at the end of the day – the people who read this blog and others like it. Without an engaged community of readers a travel blogger really is nothing. Whether your readership reaches just 1 or 1 million people, it’s all about the people who come onto your blog. They are the reason you keep doing it, and the reason why you’re here.