Travel Notes Blog

Google a Plus For Photo Sharing

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:52:00 +0000

With Google Plus opening its domain to the public, maybe the people who made accounts in July but didn't really do much more than add a profile picture, and perhaps a few words to their about section, might surf back over on the growing wave and find that there's some really good content being shared around.

If you sometimes feel that there's too much broadcasting noise on Twitter and an overflow of updates floating fast and furious through your Facebook feed, it could be worth expanding your social circle - on Google; or at least test the waters.

You might even find it to be the harbour that rocks your boat.

If you like pretty pictures there are some great photographers sharing their work on Google+.

You don't even need to worry about not being in their 'circle', just join in a hash tag theme or two on various days of the week and showcase your work alongside them.

These are some of the photography themes I like the look of:
Street Saturday; Sunset Saturday;
Sacred Sunday; Selfy Sunday;
Mountain Monday;
My Town Tuesday;
Waterfall Wednesday; Wildlife Wednesday;
Travel Thursday; Silhouettes On Thursday; Thirsty Thursday;
Food Friday and as it's the Fally Folly season - Fall Friday.

You can always save the searches that appeal to you to get easy access to the theme's latest additions.

For the full list, along with the relevant curators, see Daily Photography Themes on Google+ by Eric Leslie.

It looks like a lot of fun and I'm sure the list will expand. You might even have an idea for a subject of your own.

Google Plus looks like it could be quite a photographer's paradise, especially with how some of those awesome images display, that many are starting to Forget Flickr for Fotos,

SmugMug might be better in the image quality respect but Google has the mass photo-sharing capabilities within its tentacticles; served up from the free-hosting, Picasa Web Albums, back-end.

Serious photographers would probably not want to lock up their work solely on Google though, but the search giant is providing the ideal forum for showcasing their portfolios and making more contacts.

Excuse the pun, but the one thing you would probably hope for on Google+ is more exposure, especially if +1 starts to have an effect on search results served up to friends of friends; whose circles just keep getting wider.

Dynamic Views on Blogger

Even the new changes to the Blogger platform seems to be aimed more at the photo blogger.

There are a couple of problems with these dynamic views, as I see it, for your average blogger though.

Firstly, it appears all your own navigation and extras around the content is lost, so no more advertising or widgets when people read posts through those entry points.

Also, some of the themes like Flipcard, need your images to be stored on Picasa to work.

For photo sharing, it does look like a big plus for Google. Just make sure you store a hard copy of your portfolio elsewhere.

SmugMug to Google Plus

If anyone is trying to get their SmugMug travel photos into Google Plus you could follow the road I travelled.

First use the Photo Smuggler App to get them into Facebook, works with profiles or pages.

Then move your Facebook albums to Picasa and share it with your Circles with the Chrome Extension that was Move2Picasa.

+Michel Guntern.

9/11 Ten Years Ago

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Where Were You Ten Years Ago Today?

When asked where we were on a given date in the not too distant past, many of us would struggle to remember.

Mention the words 'nine-eleven' and almost everyone can bring back to mind where they were on the eleventh of September, ten years ago - when two hijacked aircraft unbelievably ploughed into the upper floors of New York's Twin Towers; rendering the World Trade Centre into a smoking ruin and sending shock waves around the world.

Just a few minutes earlier, I had been innocently walking along the promenade in Loutraki; on a pleasnt day-trip from Athens.

The sun was shining and everything seemed fine with the world; although the wind was picking up.

At least that's how it seemed to everyone soaking up the rays of the warm September sun; while hardened news editors around the world were about to fall off their collective chairs in shock.

Without understanding a word of Greek it was clear that something terrible had happened.

The following day, police presence around Athens was stepped up and flags flew at half mast.

The war on terror was about to begin and it would take almost ten years to find Osama Bin Laden.

Our thoughts are with all those who are no longer with us to remember where they were ten years ago today.

Chianti Classico - In The Tuscan Hills

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:06:00 +0000

It may be a long drive for a bottle of Chianti Classico but you can't buy the views in a supermarket.

The best way to explore the Chianti Classico region, between Florence (Firenze) and Siena, is by car. I was quite surprised at how many people were making the effort to cycle around though, as it really is quite hilly.

If you head east out of Florence and cross the River Arno, towards via San Marco, you'll eventually meet up with via Chiantigiana, the scenic route that is marked on maps and signposts as the SS222.

Ahead of you awaits a twisting route of vineyards and olive groves, followed by narrow streets punctuated with fortresses, castles and village churches.

Strada in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Panzano and Castellina in Chianti are all names that will soon come to life.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Chianti, from farmhouses and B&Bs to hotels and villas.

As we were only on a weekend visit, we searched for Radda in Chianti hotels before we hit the Autostrada.

With a forecast of 35 degrees in Florence, a pool with a view seemed to make a lot of sense, but as we were expecting to arrive towards the evening I felt we would be better off with a hillside restaurant.

As it turned out, the Relais Vignale had both. By booking online we even saved over 100 Euro on the advertised rates.

If you're not a vegetarian, be sure your Chianti Classico accompanies the famous Beefsteak Fiorentina. The meat here was grilled to perfection; a crispy bite into succulent beef.

If you are a vegetarian, just raise your glass and enjoy the view.

May in The South of France

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sun, 29 May 2011 06:53:00 +0000

I've always enjoyed the South of France in May.

May in The South of France

Whether for star-gazing at the Cannes Film Festival, unique street-racing at the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, or a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais before it gets too crowded - or too hot.

When I was younger, I remember disembarking from the night-train at Nice and feeling in a whole new world; waking up to to a light that had so inspired Matisse.

It does sometimes rain on the Cote d'Azur at this time of year but when it does, as it did the other weekend, it may be sunny over in Var - from Toulon to Marseille; ideal for a drive along the coast and possibly a visit to Château d'If and and Frioul Islands.

Château d'If Off The Coast of Marseiille

You may even arrive early enough to see the morning's catch being sold at the Vieux Port.

Mareille Vieux Port Fish Market

Now where will I go in June?

Alsace in Spring

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:52:00 +0000

Although the vines along the Route des Vins are cut back, Spring is still a great time to visit Alsace.

The narrow streets through old villages are still reasonably quiet at this time of year.

Spring blossom showers the countryside after what appears to have been a long, dark winter.

New born lambs are starting to test their legs.

Then there's the chance to taste the local produce at an outside table.

Merry Christmas From France

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Last weekend we were in Alsace, enjoying fresh snow at the Strasbourg Marché de Noël, and tomorrow (Christmas Eve) I'll be heading over to Nancy and Luxembourg; to continue our 2010 Christmas celebrations.

It's been a while since I've actually spent Christmas Day and New Year's Eve in France and I'm thoroughly looking forward to it.

From creative city lights,

to the small boxes decorated with Christmas wrapping in the village streets;

there's something special about how the French add the finishing touches to their towns and villages at this time of year.

Bonne Noël - From the 'Capital of Christmas'

If you're still looking for some last-minute Christmas ideas, the TravelNotes Guide to Christmas in Europe presents a gift-wrapped selection of European Christmas markets and last-minute shopping tips for unique gifts.

Or maybe you prefer some Top Alpine Skiing at Europe's Best Ski Resorts.

Whatever you're up to, Enjoy the Holidays and I wish you all the best for the New Year ahead.

Michel

Associated Content - Yahoo! Contributor Network

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:24:00 +0000

'In November 2010, the Associated Content publishing platform became the Yahoo! Contributor Network'.

I received a link from a friend on Facebook promoting a recent travel article on a site called Associated Content. Or at least that's what the URL implied.

I read the article, found it helpful, then spent the rest of the day looking around; trying to figure out what was going on between Associated Content and Yahoo! Contributor Network - and how this connection might affect some of the freelance travel writers I know.

Apparently, Associated Content has been around since 2005; and so had quite a few of the Contributors I came across, it seemed - creating something of an unofficial 'you read me and I'll read you' type of circle. This is not uncommon when writers are paid for views, and the community has an easy trail of ready-made links from one face to another. It also keeps them on the site a little longer.

Anyone who remembers Themestream will know how this was used and abused by many; especially when Themestream paid out 10 cents a read to encourage writers to produce more material, market themselves, attract more readers, who might in turn then become content creators themselves.

There was an uproar when the rates were racked down to 2 cents a read - from registered members only. The quality of some of the 'content' on Themestream became something of a joke; as user greed helped milk the money cow dry.

Although Yahoo! boldly proclaims to have 'more than 400,000 contributors and growing', I actually found a large percentage of dormant accounts; while searching for travel writers. I even came across some faces famous for revealing all on Twitter, but their Associated Content portfolios remained bare.

Perhaps that's why this particular venture has not shown up on my radar, until now.

Enter Yahoo!

The move from blue to purple is not without its problems.

The day I chose to sign up was in the middle of a profile photo upload fail; which has left an unresolved trail of broken images. There have been a few other bugs - that are probably just another Yahoo acquisition thing.

I hope this doesn't signal the start of the demise for hardcore, former Associated Content producers. Many good (to some) things have suffered during and after such takeovers - Geocities, Webring and MyBlogLog are just a few that come to my mind.

Yahoo had a part to play in all of the above, along with the demise of Maven Networks, Farechase, Jumpcut, blo.gs and bix.

Right now they're probably thinking about how to tune everything in with Yahoo ids, or who to acquire to fill in the possible void to be left by Andrew Siegel (Yahoo’s head of corporate development, who is in charge of its mergers and acquisitions strategy).

Looking around some of the older Associated Content 'writing guidelines', written by their veteran 'citizen journalist' content producers, there is a concern that too much emphasis is being placed on writing for search engines. Sure the articles need to be found, but they also need to be informative or enjoyable for the human beings who take the time to read them.

There are signs that some content may be distributed on other Yahoo! properties (FAQ) but no mention of anything being used on Yahoo! Travel, as yet.

Fingers crossed that all goes well, and that the market for travel writers to reach more readers is helped by Yahoo's influence.

Making Money For Your Content on Yahoo

While some assignments claimed from the 'Assignment Desk' come with an up-front payment attached, most earnings will be based on the amount of traffic your content receives; with that micropayment increasing along with your 'clout'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update - April 1st, 2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While looking through the 'Featured Travel Contributors' closer I did wonder about the terminology; especially as some of the writers seemed to write about almost anything and others didn't appear to have much to say about travel for almost a year - although they were willing to supply top tips for applying make-up, 'articles' about the latest television personality 'making the news', or even attempts at broadcasting news from what they'd just seen on the television.

No wonder some people and, recently (to uproar from some contributors on the website), Google avoid giving too much weight to such online material.

I thought that if I were a Featured Travel Contributor I'd want to be writing about travel and anything related to travel, and so expected to read such material from those who were. Travel is such a broad subject, it shouldn't be too much to ask.

But then I noticed that some Featured Travel Contributors were also featured contributors for a couple of other subjects and realised how diluted some of the material in a given subject might become, especially when rushing to complete end of the month deadlines.

While some writers hoped that the arrival of Yahoo might mean greater exposure for their articles, others - myself included - wondered if it might not signal the beginning of the end. I did mention my fears in the December blog post.

Yahoo! have now moved another step closer to confounding those fears by announcing that they will be shutting down another acquisition of theirs - MyBlogLog.

It therefore came as no surprise that Yahoo! decided to review all the featured contributors it had acquired with the purchase of Associated Content. It's what companies buying out others tend to do; review their assets and try to sift through the deposits to find the gems.

What did surprise me though, is the way this was handled. Contributors who were only recently accepted into the featured program now had to apply again and very experienced writers were being discarded with copy and paste style rejection notes.

To really sort out the wheat from the chaff, it might have been helpful if the writers had been offered more feedback over the last few months. The fact that they weren't seems to imply that this was a radical cost-cutting exercise from corporate head-office (in some departments).

It was announced that those accepted into the new featured contributor program would be informed on April 1st, but 'rejection slips' were going out earlier.

The rejections have obviously hurt a lot of people, judging by responses given in the Yahoo! Contributor Discussions, but freelance writers in the real world do well to get every submitted article or proposal accepted.

Some very famous writers have even had their first manuscript rejected by various publishers before finding the right editor who would help launch their career into the stratosphere.

Of course I was surprised to see some featured travel contributors I enjoyed reading being told that the 'application contained incomplete and/or blank fields', or just being discarded with some other 'template response' and that they could apply 'to each Featured Contributor subcategory up to three times in one calendar year' - once they found their voice (or other template response).

With so much of the process automated, it's not hard to include JavaScript in the application to inform candidates of blank fields (if indeed there were any).

Personally, I'd only been writing as a 'Featured Travel Contributor' since January so losing a little title was no big deal. It even appears that my response was on a more personal level, albeit without the editor's name nor his travel editor e-mail address:

Thank you for applying to the Yahoo! Contributor Network International Travel Featured Contributor program. Your application was not accepted at this time. While you have great experience, the content examples you provided reads more like blog coverage of events and relies too heavily on your own photographs.

Also, your pen name doesn't meet our guidelines for this program. Featured Contributors must have pen names that comply with our guidelines.

I'm sure they are the same pen name guidelines that were in use when I applied, and was accepted, just a few months ago.

Of course I rely heavily on my own photographs (being a travel writer AND photographer - it's what I do).

As for the examples being 'like blog coverage of events', two of the articles were originally published in travel magazines for more than ten times what the new featured contributor program would offer to pay for them; and at least five years before Yahoo! was even founded.

The terms weblog and blog hadn't even been used back then and I believe the Internet was still something that only the military and scientists knew about. Have I really been travelling around the world that long?

I may still continue to publish 'display-only' articles and read some of the travel content being written there.

Funnily enough, when I do submit an article on the 'travel guide' template I am encouraged to:

Use this template for travel tips, travel journals and hotel reviews.

Oh, the irony.

Zurich's Baur au Lac Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:18:00 +0000

Zurich's Baur au Lac hotel was the scene of heightened security and media interest today.

With just two days to go before FIFA executives vote on who will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron flew in to try and add some political muscle to the England 2018 World Cup bid.

FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President, Jack Warner, arrives at Zurich's Baur au Lac hotel prior to a meeting with British Prime Minister, David Cameron ahead of Thursday's FIFA vote on who will host the 2018 World Cup.

British Prime Minister, David Cameron leaving Zurich's Baur au Lac hotel after his meeting with Jack Warner.

Warner, who controls at least two of the three votes from CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is considered crucial to England's chances of getting the necessary votes to pass the first round.

With a cappuccino in the Baur au Lac lobby costing eight francs fifty - more than twice the price of a better tasting cup elsewhere in Zurich - rooms where much of the frenzied lobbying and deal making takes place do not come cheap.

Compare Zurich Hotel Prices.

Devecser Clean-Up Continues

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:51:00 +0000

Five weeks after the toxic mud catastrophe engulfed Kolontar and Devecser, a resemblence of life is returning to normal: some people are returning to their homes and the train line between Devescer and Ajka is open again; although the red earth is still a disturbing sight and vehicles leaving the area need to be sprayed down.

Although the Torna creek continues to flow red and the Marcal river is still showing some signs of distress, disaster was avoided downstream of the Marcal river; in the Rivers Raba and Danube.

From Long Nights to Long Haul Flights

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:59:00 +0000

As the clocks go back in the UK this weekend and the long nights start to smother our daylight hours, now's the time to think about a long haul break; to feel the warmth of the sun again, at 5pm in the evening.

Let's look at a few of the options for a low-cost holiday before Christmas.

The Turtle Beach by Rex Resorts Hotel is directly on a mile-long sandy beach at Great Courland Bay, on the north-west coast of Tobago. The beach is regularly visited by nesting Leatherback turtles, usually between March and July, who turn the beach into home to lay their eggs. The hotel is 7 miles from Tobago`s capital Scarborough and 2 miles from the Mount Irvine golf course. (£602 for 7 nights).

The Sandos Caracol Eco Beach Resort and Spa sits on the exclusive Mayan Riviera in Mexico, ten minutes away from the charming village of Playa del Carmen. This all-inclusive beach resort is in a naturally beautiful area at the edge of an exotic jungle surrounded by mangroves and natural lagoons making it the ideal destination for taking things easy. (£861 for 7 nights - all inclusive).

The Hotel Shaw Park Beach Spa sits on a private beach on Cutlass Bay, Jamaica. Ocho Rios is approximately two miles away. The hotel is next to the mouth of the White River and three miles from the Shaw Park Botanical Gardens, a 25 acre reserve with waterfalls and tropical plants in a stunning hilltop location overlooking the Caribbean. (£713 for 7 nights - all inclusive).

The Grenadian Hotel has the choice of two wide, white-sand beaches; one dedicated to water sports and the other for simply relaxing in the hot Caribbean sun. The hotel rooms are modern and spacious, some with ocean views across Tamarind Bay to the capital of Grenada, St George's - six miles away. (£612 for 7 nights).

If money's a little tight in the lead up to Christmas, you can't go wrong with Goa.

The Peravel Beach Holiday Homes sits on a quiet lane less than a five-minute walk from Candolim Beach. Candolim village has a modest selection of local stores and eateries and Panaji, the capital of Goa, is ten miles away. Candolim beach is wide and sandy and is quieter and more relaxed than some of the towns.(£444 for 7 nights - B&B).

If you are a fan of the long, cold, dark nights (I know my sister is) - try Iceland or Norway. A selection of chilly, ice hotels coming soon.

Build Websites That Sell

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:23:00 +0000

Over the years, all sorts of website submissions have made their way to the Travel Notes inbox; from stylish, personal travel websites hosted on free domains to corporate productions that didn't do any favours for the brand.

I've also seen almost every search engine optimisation trick in the book and enough dubious domain name changes to wonder if there shouldn't be a law against such blatant misrepresentation of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Travel and Tourism Websites - Then and Now

Back in 1997, most of our links pointed to 'real' travel and tourism websites; in that people had travelled to the places they were writing about, or a local tourist office presented the attractions for visitors to their country or city.

Travelogues still make interesting reading although many have now taken on the form of a travel blog; which is fine, as all the entries are date-stamped.

But when I read some of the blogs today, so much work has gone into them that it's almost as if the 'blogger' is trying to make an income, as a writer. And if they are, I wonder why they don't create an articles website and call themselves writers?

Blog vs Website:
Most people searching for information will find a website rather than a blog, so perhaps the blog is better served as an add-on to the website?

The Website Business

It seems that keyword-driven-hyphenated-domain-names are getting longer; almost becoming sentences in themselves, boldly describing what the website is about.

We've had a number of these sent in to us and I must admit that I initially thought it was just another scam from fly-by-night promoters, trying to get their website ranked higher in Google search results.

As there are no robots at Travel Notes, I do look at the domains and noticed a similar trend in how these websites were laid out too.

Although most of the designs were different, the basic concept remained the same.

It was as if one person was churning out numerous keyword-optimised, content-driven, (hopefully) money-making machines.

The biggest common denominator was at the bottom of the page:

I originally thought Site Build It was a web-building tool provided by a free-host looking for a greater market share, along the lines of the former GeoCities, FortuneCity, TerraShare (now parked) or Bravenet.

It said 'Powered by Site Build It', but the links pointed to Site Sell. What's more, SiteSell seemed keen in getting affiliates to do the selling for them; judging by the way the small banner slides across the screen before your very eyes.

If you're a blogger and can't give up the day job just yet, you might want to take a look at the SiteSell affiliate program.

Maybe you're not a blogger and you're wondering how the World Wide Web can help your local business. Perhaps you've always fancied the idea of an online business but didn't know where to start.

I'm assuming most people reading this would be interested in reading about travel sites using SBI, or how to make travel your business?

Bookmarks

I first bookmarked Site Sell a few years back but never really got around to asking the questions. I have a few dormant domains I still need to develop, so I'll let you you know how things progress.

Although $299 a year might seem like a lot to pay out up front, ordering the $29.99/month plan seems a little more friendly. At under $1 a day, that's less than most reputable web hosting plans. And you can pay by PayPal, if you wish.

Before you part with your money though, take a look at the tools to help you succeed. If you're serious about online success, make sure to read the SBI Action Guide. This is the 10-day plan that some people in the SBI forum wish you didn't have free access to.

The free-to-use, all-in-one Search It resource combines many pre-programmed advanced searches to help you 'brainstorm new topics for your site; deepen the research on your competition; get your domain naming, trademarks and other legalities right; and research material for your content pages'.

Beware - building websites that sell is not for everyone. Not only does it cost money to get started, it takes time and effort to keep going. But earning while you sleep is a good feeling. You might even come up with a new super-packed-keyword-domain-that-rocks.

Alptransit - New Gotthard Rail Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:05:00 +0000

Photo of a Poster Celebrating the New World Record

After 17 years of work, Swiss mining engineers finally drilled through the last section of rock, between Faido and Sedrun, to complete the 57km tunnel through the base of the Gotthard mountain; creating what will become the world's longest rail tunnel.

Going Down to Tunnel Entrance at Sedrun

Some two hundred guests were invited to witness the final breakthrough live, deep in the belly of the Alps, while celebrations were held in a marquee on a sports field at the mountain village of Sedrun; 2,000m above where the two ends of the tunnel became one.

Trains are expected to use the tunnel by 2017, reducing the travel time between Zurich and Milan to two hours and forty, instead of the four hours ten minutes the journey currently takes; but travellers in the tunnel won't get the mountain views.

The Glacier Express Passes by Sedrun

Around 300 trains a day will be able to travel at speeds of 250km/h (155mph), thanks to a project that has cost an estimated 9.8bn Swiss francs (about £6.4bn or $10.3bn).

That may seem like a tremendous amount of money, but due to the increasing freight traffic coughing out diesel fumes in the area, the project was considered a huge saving for the environment; althought the final cost may top 12bn Swiss francs - close to 5 billion over the initial cost plan.

Removing the Rock From the Mountain at Sedrun

Swiss voters gave the project the go ahead in a referendum held on 27th September, 1992 - with 63.6% of the voters in favour. A year later, on 22nd September, 1993 test drilling for the tunnel started at Polmengo.

Resculpturing The Alpine Landscape

About 2,500 people have worked on the tunnel, that cost the lives of eight people during its construction.

The End of The Road For The Gotthard Rock

All photos by Michel - Photos.TravelNotes.org.

Following The Tour de France

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:45:00 +0000

There's something special about the Tour de France that, like all great sporting events, should be experienced live.

The best place to watch the race unfold is in front of the television.

Alberto Contador - 1st in Verbier

With cameramen on motorbikes and tv crews shooting from helicopters in the sky, you are treated to different visual angles of the cyclists rolling through a varied French countryside.

A good commentary team on board can share a wealth of background information on the various chateaux, regional foods, and even something insightful about the cycling itself.

If you're a fan of Eurosport, you can even join in with other cycling fans on the (Yahoo) Message Boards.

While watching the race on television you'll see places with a number in brackets. This number represents the French Department (département).

For real atmosphere though, you would want to get out on the road for a stage or two; especially after you've seen a few tours on the screen.

Where to See The Riders For Real

The first thing to do is to look at the Tour de France route and see if the peloton will pass by anywhere you intend to be, or anywhere you would like to visit.

If you're using public transport, the departure and arrival points are often the easiest places to get to and there's always a party atmosphere when 'Le Tour' comes to town.

Last minute accommodation may be hard to find though and large crowds can make it difficult to get good pictures, if you don't have a photographer's bib.

If it's photographs of the cyclists you're after, then it's better to stake out a place on the route itself. This needs thinking about too; or you could find yourself waiting for hours, only for the peloton to pass you by in seconds.

Lance Armstrong in 2009 - by Michel Guntern

Riders slow down at feeding stations and tend to go slower on the steeper inclines.

If you're fortunate, you might even be lucky enough to have a bidon (water bottle) discarded in front of you; as we did, just after the Delle feeding station in 2009.

Getting Into Position

The official Tour de France website gives an estimated time schedule for each stage but not when the roads close; check out the local municipal websites for that.

If you have a camper van (RV or motor home) and want to park it on the side of the route, you need to find your spot early; sometimes the night before. Choosing this option also means you could be stuck in traffic jams for hours after the race.

You may prefer to study a local map and leave the car close to where you want to be but not on the route itself; for a quicker getaway.

Keen cyclists can always get themselves into good positions on the climbs and then beat the traffic jams back down to the bottom.

Waiting For The Riders

The Caravane precedes the cyclists by about an hour and a half. This is when the decorated vehicles of the sponsors pass by; promoting their brands in something of a carnival atmosphere. When you see helicopters approach, you'll know the cyclists are getting closer.

It's also a good idea to check out the Weather in France for the coming week. Meteo.fr has a good weather map that you can zoom in on.

If you're really interested in travelling around France to follow the tour, then you should consider getting your hands on a copy of Graham Watson's Tour de France Travel Guide.

Paris Champs-Élysées

The last stage of Le Tour, with its prestigious finish on the Champs-Élysées, is always highly attended.

You may not get the best view of the riders at the finish but at least there's plenty of hotels in Paris and you can say you were there. If you can get there early enough (the night before) the fountain by the final run-in is a good place to be.

The Place de la Concorde is where the team buses are parked up and you may catch some of the riders around here after the race is over.

Tour de France 2011 - July 2nd to July 24th:
1 Saturday, 2nd July: La Barre-de-Monts to Mont des Alouettes.
2 Sunday, 3rd July: Les Essarts (team time-trial).
3 Monday, 4th July: Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon.
4 Tuesday, 5th July: Lorient to Mûr-de-Bretagne.
5 Wednesday, 6th July: Carhaix to Cap Fréhel.
6 Thuray, 7th July: Dinan to Lisieux.
7 Friday, 8th July: Le Mans to Châteauroux.
8 Saturday, 9th July: Aigurande to Super-Besse Sancy.
9 Sunday, 10th July: Issoire to Saint-Flour.
10 Tuesday, 12th July: Aurillac to Carmaux.
11 Wednesday, 13th July: Blaye-les-Mines > Lavaur.
12 Thursday, 14th July: Cugnaux to Luz-Ardiden.
13 Friday, 15th July: Pau to Lourdes.
14 Saturday, 16th July: Saint-Gaudens to Plateau de Beille.
15 Sunday, 17th July: Limoux to Montpellier.
16 Tuesday, 19th July: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Gap.
17 Wednesday, 20th July: Gap to Pinerolo.
18 Thursday, 21st July: Pinerolo to Galibier Serre-Chevalier.
19 Friday, 22nd July: Modane to Alpe-d’Huez.
20 Saturday, 23rd July: Grenoble (individual time-trial).
21 Sunday, 24th July: Créteil to Paris Champs-Élysées.

Large Map - Cycling on Twitter.

Digital Travel Photography

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:07:00 +0000

When I first published my 'travel photography' article online, back in 1999, we were still using Fujichrome, transparency film. Now travel photographers carry spare memory cards.

The art of taking photographs hasn't changed since then; although it seems more people are using telephones to call the shots.

I still use my mobile phone to talk to people, but whatever works for you.

Being a Travel Photographer in The Digital Age.

The worse thing about being a travel photographer on the road used to be waiting to get the films developed and seeing the results.

I would shoot rolls and rolls of film to increase my chances of getting something close to what I thought might work; the kind of shots that busy picture editors were looking for, or didn't realise were even out there.

It would sometimes be months before I could see if the light and camera angle had played together well with the subject, to create the stunning image I craved.

Travel photography, in the digital age, has become instant. We can even take pictures on a sailing trip and view (chimp) them, before the yacht ties up in port.

Smart phones can be used to connect to online services like Twitpic, which in turn tweets a link to your picture through Twitter.

9:36 PM Jan 15th, 2009 via TwitPic

A famous example being when an US Airways Airbus A320 went down in the Hudson River and Janis Krums (@jkrums) was on hand to record the moment - with the presence of mind to tweet it!

It's actually a very good photograph; something most photo-journalists would have been proud of, with the dirty lens somehow adding to the visual drama. News editors too, would have liked how fast the picture circulated around the world.

Shame there wasn't a Pulitzer Prize for Citizen Journalists.

Gone are the days when a photographer's anticipation quickly turns to disappointment.

The tense feeling in our stomachs...... when our photographic memories returned from the lab, after a visit to far-off locations, and we discovered that the elusive, perfect shot, just didn't happen...... has been erased.

This is sometimes replaced, however, by a sense of disappointment when you click on enthusiastically-shared, Twitpic links.

Travel Notes Tips For Better Photography

Whether you're brandishing camera equipment that costs more than some people earn in a year or waving your telephone around in the air, really concenrate on what's in the frame - and what shouldn't be.

If you train yourself to look, then you will see better results; no matter how financially serious a photorapher you are.

When I had a whole bag of camera bodies and lenses stolen in China, three days before Christmas (1996), I bought a ten dollar instamatic from Tian'Men Square, and continued on to Vietnam with it.

Travel Photography Tips

Get in close - to focus on something specific.

Fill the frame with the scene - so that the viewer's eye doesn't wander.

When photographing the tourist sites, try a different angle of something that has already been photographed a million times, or try for a detail that really makes it special.

A natural border will lead the viewer's eye in to the subject. But don't overdo this, unless you want all your pictures to essentially look the same.

For people photographs, by all means take that picture of someone you know at wherever in the world it is you are, but try and make the image more stimulating. Perhaps think about photographing strangers; to give your pictures a more local flavour.

Images of architectural structures often look better in evening lighting conditions; and if you're looking, you may even see reflections.

Hortobagy, the oldest stone bridge in Hungary.

For sharing your images on the Internet, save photographs as jpeg files, and try to keep the sizes small. Not only will loading speed improve, but you'll also have room for more photographs if your storage space is limited.

Think Like an Editor

Digital photographers can throw away the misses and maybe even try again, on the spot - and should.

Not only does editing 'in camera' save time at the computer screen later, it also frees up memory space for better pictures.

Even if you're not a professional travel photographer, your social networking friends will be more impressed if you took the time to select images worth sharing, rather than rolling out your whole series of phone-snaps.

Sell Your Digital Photography Online:
Serious photographers need serious online solutions with unlimited storage, unlimited traffic and a built-in web commerce solution with credit card processing to handle sales of high-quality images.

Cyber Cafes Gone Cold

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:15:00 +0000

When I first started Travel Notes we had Cyber Cafe listings on every country page.

I later wrote an article (Internet Cafe Guide) to feature the growing number of Internet Cafe directories; that I even used myself, when travelling.

How things have changed.

Much of what I wrote back then, with a great deal of enthusiam, now seems like cold coffee with three-day old cream curdling on top.

While many of us used to look for places to read our e-mail on the road because our computer work-stations were left at home, we can now slip a small netbook in our bag and pick up a wireless network in our hotel bedrooms before breakfast; sometimes even for free.

There are plenty of other wireless connection possibilities available when out and about for the day, and it's even possible to access the Internet and Google Maps from smart phones; whether your're travelling on a train, a bus, or sitting on the back of a donkey.

And to think that I did most of my travelling before I'd even heard about e-mail; when the only postcards I sent were ones with stamps on them, and tweet was something birds did.

Now telephones are put to the eye more than the ear, and looked at more than listened to; as a new generation of flashpackers tweet and upload videos to YouTube, faster than the old dial-up modems could crackle and gargle out their high-pitched tones.

Looking Back

When I was first thinking about getting on the Internet to learn HTML and inflict the world with my Web presence, I used a local Cybercafé to find out what it was all about.

I was an Internet geek right away; looking at what webmasters were doing by peeking at the source code. I had a new computer to play with at home, but was not yet connected with the wide world online.

We bought Internet magazines to find out about websites we might be interested in, and went down with our list of URLs on a Sunday morning and stayed there until well into the afternoon.

It soon became apparent that some of the websites needed us to register with an e-mail address. The cybercafés offered e-mail addresses, but as I hardly expected anyone to write to me, it seemed pointless to pay for an account.

Somewhere we read about free e-mail, and got connected. With these web-based (Yahoo) accounts we could keep the same address if we ever left the sheltered harbour of the Cybercafé, and went into the troubled waters of ISPs ourselves.

There was still something about viruses I didn't like the sound of, and would rather keep them away from my files and programmes.

Next step, a home on the Web. In two or three weeks we had become Cyber Citizens, and all it costed was access charged by the hour, and a few coffees; with two sugars.

Now it seems the Internet has taken over our lives and I find myself looking for WiFi connections, even on the phone.

How To Talk Like a Local

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:24:00 +0000

Are you a dardledumdue, clemt and looking for a pub, or just interested in colourful words and phrases?

Whether you're a visitor to the United Kingdom, or a British resident, you might think you're listening to foreign languages as you travel around the island.

From Aberdeen to Warwick, dialect and regional slang plays an important part in the daily life of locals.

To understand the differences in lingo, from Cockney to Geordie, and get an insight into the meanings and origins of some lesser-known sayings and phrases used in the English language, you'll need a copy of How to Talk Like a Local; compiled by Susie Dent, an English lexicographer and long-time dictionary expert on Channel 4’s game show - Countdown.

Be gallus on your travels and chamrag with the people you meet.

Are they just jannicking or deadly serious? Now you'll know.

Browser Choice - It's Here

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:04:00 +0000

Thanks to the European Union, I woke up this morning to a Browser Choice window that those outside of Europe, or not using Windows, might never get to see.

I'm quite happy with the browsers I use but did you know that there's (currently) a choice of 12 browers out there?

For those of you who might feel left out.

Click on the images to dowload the browser, or the text link to find out more.

Avant Browser - 'The best web browser: Tiny, fast, simple, highly configurable and extendible. Perfect for everyone'.

Firefox - 'Your online security is Firefox's top priority. Firefox is free, and made to help you get the most out of the web'.

FlashPeak SlimBrowser - 'Fast and reliable web browser loaded with features such as form filler, popup blocker, login management and privacy protection'.

Flock - Friend-based Navigation: the browser to get the most out of Facebook & Twitter'.

Google Chrome - 'Google Chrome. A fast new browser. Made for everyone'.

GreenBrowser - 'GreenBrowser is your best choice of flexible and powerful green web browser'.

Internet Explorer - 'Internet Explorer is the world’s most widely used browser, designed by Microsoft with you in mind'.

K-Meleon - 'K-Meleon is an extremely fast, customizable, lightweight browser based on the Mozilla Gecko engine and designed specifically for Windows'.

Maxthon Browser - '37
languages; tear-off tabs & video; split screen; mouse gestures; touchscreen; ad killer; swept Webware Awards twice'.

Opera - 'The powerful and easy-to-use Web browser. Try the only browser with Opera Turbo technology, and speed up your Internet connection'.

Safari - 'Safari for Windows from Apple, the world’s most innovative browser'.

Sleipnir - 'Sleipnir: A fully customizable browser for a new web experience'.

The choice is yours!

Win a Million Lufthansa Miles

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:20:00 +0000

Now you really can be a part of Lufthansa's new A380 deliveries by choosing a name for one of the planes and maybe even win yourself 1 million air miles. That's enough to fly twice around the world - first class.

Find a blank space on the LH A380 silhouette to place your suggestion, and make it stand out with a background photograph. There are a selection of default images to choose from, or you may upload your own.

You can then encourage your social network to fly on over and vote for your choice of name.

From 31st March, the juding panel will choose a winner from the 50 best voted name suggestions.

Aero Cologne? Kölner? You decide!

Big Money Travel Domain Names

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:09:00 +0000

It seems that the dot com bubble is still floating high - despite having gone through a global recession - if you have the right domain name to sell. Or should I say, if someone wants to buy that domain of yours.

While reviewing website submissions to Travel Notes, I clicked on the About Us link of a China tours company.

Apparently, in August, 2009 Beijing ANZ International Travel Service and Xian Yatu Networks Technology paid $200,000 to so-called 'domain king' Rick Schwartz for transfer of the domain ChinaTours.com. Nice money.

This domain purchase seems to be a serious one but since 1997 I have been constantly deleting old links, probably bought by unscrupulous buyers, that now point to web content that has nothing to do with what the domain name implies.

We still get the occasional e-mail from someone wanting to buy one of our domain names but I have never sensed an honourable interest in the purchase. At least no serious money, to really whet my appetite, has ever been put on the table.

What is Serious Money?

Well, in a time when the Domain Name Journal leads with an article titled 'The State of the Industry January 2010: We Asked 16 Domain Experts If We Hit Bottom in 2009 and Will See a Rebound in the New Year' I was interested to see what they had to say to justify such a long title.

Can you believe that Clothes.com sold for $4.9 million in 2008 and that Shopping.de checked out at $2,858,945? That's serious till receipts.

In the second half of 2009, Sedo.com made some of their best domain sales ever – with Fly.com (to Travelzoo) taking off for a reported $1.76 million and Russia.com (purchaser hidden through DomainsByProxy.com and currently parked up at Godaddy.com) just a snip away at $1.5 million.

A quick look at the weekly domain sales report didn't reveal much in the way of any 'travel' domains competing with these sky-high prices; although I did notice that CityHotels.com is currently parked up (with searchmagnified.com links) through Sedo for $40,000. Bargain.

Asia Welcomes 2010

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:47:00 +0000

Do you like showing your photography off to the world? Have you taken a quality picture of New Year celebrations in Asian culture over the last decade? Then the Asia Society would like to see it.

You need to join the Asia Society Flickr Group to enter - before midnight EST on February 21st, 2010.

Taking great pictures of fireworks is not the easiest thing in the world, but thankfully that's not the only images allowed to enter. Nor does the picture have to be taken in Asia.

Whether it's praying, eating, or playing, photos may be of anything related to an Asian celebration of New Year; from preparing for the event with decorations and food, to people actively enjoying the traditional Asian New Year celebrations.

Asia Society.

Donate Reward Points to Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:20:00 +0000

You don't need to fly to Haiti to help earthquake victims - if you're not properly qualified, you'll probably get in the way (and be another mouth to feed) - instead, you can put the travelling you have done to good use.

If you have reward points you haven't used (and maybe never will) then give them away to charity. Many travel companies are already getting involved in the Haiti relief efforts and we thank them for that.

Airlines

Air Canada - Donate Aeroplan Miles to the Red Cross or to Médecins sans Frontières.

Continental Airlines allow transfer to a number of charities but right now it's probably best to donate your OnePass miles to the American Red Cross or AmeriCares.

Delta Airlines - Donate SkyMiles through the SkyWish program.

United Airlines - Mileage Plus donations go to the American Red Cross. Choose from 2,500 to 90,00 miles to donate.

US Airways - Donate your Dividend Miles through the Miles of Hope program.

You can also earn air miles by donating hard cash.

American Airlines - AAdvantage members can earn a one-time award (until February 28th, 2010) of 250 bonus miles for a minimum $50 donation, or 500 bonus miles for a donation of $100 or more to the American Red Cross. Donate!

Spirit Airlines - The first 200,000 people to make a donation of $5 or more to Yele, UNICEF or the American Red Cross - through Spirit Air (until January 17th, 2010) receive 5,000 bonus miles.

Car Hire

Auto Europe - Pledges $5 per reservation booked by any US travel agent, for their clients through March 31st, 2010 (for travel through June of 2010). Auto Europe CEO, Imad Khalidi, vows to personally match the plege.

Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean - The Independence of the Seas was loaded with badly-needed relief supplies in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for shipping to Labadee, Haiti. The Navigator of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas are also due to arrive on Monday and Tuesday.

Hotels

Best Western - 12,500 Best Western Reward points helps World Vision provide emergency safe water tablets.

Choice Hotels - Redeem Choice Privileges points. Every 1,000 points is worth another $5 to the American Red Cross.

Drury Hotels - Redeem 15,000 Drury Gold Key Club points for a $50 charitable contribution to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Hilton International - Every 10,000 HHonors point donation means $25 to the American Red Cross.

Intercontinental Hotels Group - Priority Club Charitable Donations are available in blocks of 10,000 points. Although UNICEF is the official charity partner of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, you can also donate to the American Red Cross.

Marriott International - The Mariott Hotels in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic are being used as staging areas for the relief efforts in Haiti and the Marriott Foundation is sending $500,000 to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund (audio).

The more Marriott Reward points you offer, the larger the Mariott Cheque to the American Red Cross: 18,000 points for $50; 33,000 points for $100; 60,000 points for $250; and 180,000 points for $1,000. Awesome!

Starwood Hotels and Resorts - Transfer Starpoints to the American Red Cross. Every 4,000 Starpoints is equal to a $50 donation. If you have 16,000 Starpoints doing nothing, that's two hundred dollars.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts - Wynham Rewards can be redeemed for a Charity Choice gift card: 5,500 points for $25; 10,500 points for $50; and 20,500 points for $100.

If you know of any others, leave a comment, Tweet me on Twitter (@TravelTweet), or Message Me on Facebook.

How Far Can I Travel

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:20:00 +0000

The other day, while planning a possible cycle adventure around Europe, I was trying to work out how far I could expect to travel each day and how long it would take for me to complete the trip; with one rest day every five.

I couldn't find the right distance calculator for my needs, as most tend to plot straight lines and require you to input the arrival and departure points.

I did manage to plan out the trip, by setting Street View to a 5km scale, and scrolling the map around; noting the places at about one map window distance away from Amsterdam. Continuing the procees for each subsequent day of the journey took a rather long time and is not for the faint of heart.

More about the possible cycle adventure later.

Today I found just the sort of tool I was looking for and just had to share it with you.

How Far Can I Travel
'Discover how far you can travel on land from a fixed point. Specify the start point, then input either how far you can go or your mode of transport with time available. This tool will then show you the range of locations that you can reach in that time'.

Eureka!

To put it to the test, I typed in Amsterdam, selected cycling and estimated 8 hours in the saddle.

There's also an option for speed vs accuracy - I chose 'Medium Accurate (medium speed)'.

Amsterdam to Bruxelles seemed a long way to cycle in a day.

Maybe that's a day's ride for Lance Armstrong but I didn't want to race around with my head down, aerodynamically poised to shave off the most time possible. I wanted to ride more slowly, with my head up; enjoying the sights and the freedom of the road. This thing needed some tweeking.

My initial plan had me cycling from Amsterdam to Den Haag in a day. I figured this would be reasonable and based the rest of the adventure on roughly those sort of distances; depending on what sight-seeing distractions might come up along the way.

To test this again, I needed some points I had cycled before; for real-life, travel-by-bike - complete with ice-creams and picture stops - conditions.

Sopron to Csorna (with a de-tour along Fertő-tó), Csorna to Komarom (rain forced us to take the train from Györ, after spending a few hours in an Internet cafe); Komarom to Esztergom; and Esztergom to Szentendre (after a late start, a visit to the Basilica and a side-trip across the Danube to Vac).

Toggling with the speed and hours I eventually found something that looked about right.

Sopron to Csorna.

Csorna to Komarom.

Komarom to Esztergom.

Esztergom to Szentendre.

To get these results, I chose running (12km) and 6 hours (with medium accurate).

If this is something you've been looking for too, create your own How Far Can I Travel map.

Helping Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:26:00 +0000

When I heard news of the earthquake off the coast of Haiti last night, I thought of all the people who became friends during my visit to Hispaniola.

I remember sitting in a little restaurant and writing up my travel notes; long before I even knew about the Internet.

I wrote:

Port-au-Prince is snugly positioned in a horseshoe bay, at the foot of surrounding hills. An island at the mouth of the bay protects the capital from intruding gales, but the wide, treeless main streets do little to shelter the people from the bright light and the tormenting heat of the midday sun.

Ebony pores glistened with sweat in the continual competition for space. Baskets on the floor were continually being pulled aside, or pitches picked up completely, for the through passage of huge, laden barrows, or motor vehicles that should have had no right of way.

Others looking for places to sell, balanced the goods on their heads and stepped through dirty puddles and piles of waste; flicking splash marks up tender calves.

A white face in their midst is a strange occurrence:

"Hey Blanc, where you go? You want something?"

All anybody could want is for a big, fluffy cloud to scud over from the neighbouring mountains, or a gust of wind to swirl around the doorkeeper, Gonâve Island, and ventilate the stinky streets.

Haiti may be one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere, but there is certainly colour and resourcefulness in the lives of the people. Rickety old pick-ups and little lorries have been colourfully transformed into public transport (tap-taps).

Just like people on a crowded street, these vehicles weave in and out: pulling in close to a crowd to pick up and drop off passengers, and pulling out just as swiftly, without ever seeming to collide.

Perhaps there are occasional scrapes, but on the whole, cars seemed in a better condition than in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Then there are the evangelical signs on the tap-taps, like those on Filipino jeepneys, praising Dieu and Don Jesus: Jesus Roi des Rois, and Dieu avant tous among the many variants on the theme.

Even in the poorer mountain regions, groups of children could be seen walking to school in clean uniforms. If they succeeded with an education then they were less likely to suffer from the splash stains and constant sweating from the labours of the market streets.

Sandy left his birthplace to study in the United States, and subsequently rose to prominence in the world of engineering.

As well as bearing him three children, his wife also succeeded in business management.

From New York, they moved nearer home to Miami, and twenty years after his initial departure, Sandy returned to his birthplace with his young family.

"I have seen it all," he said, "What more can I do but return home?"

But he would always be grateful for his start in life, and now he was pleased to see a world-wide crackdown on the evil drug trade that threatened to ruin so many young lives.

"If you have the will, you can do anything. At college in the States, not once did I even smoke a cigarette," he offered; condemning those who are so easily swayed by others.

Sandy was into the third month of his six month leave of absence, and if things worked out with his little restaurant, and the political future seemed stable, he would stay.

"They have an American school here, but of course you have to pay! To have a chance today, it is important for my children to have that education," he shrugged. I was the only customer in the restaurant, and my bill would hardly pay for a satchel to carry the books.

The proud father would not have his son pushing a barrow three times his size, or his girls carrying their merchandise on their heads and squatting to trade in the dirt.

They would be the luckier ones, and if another unsavoury regime snapped upon them, he had his American passport and property in the States.

His heart was in Haiti, and even though he was tentatively testing the the shark infested waters with his big toe, the undercurrent of his birth would work strongly to keep him.

However, education had taught him caution, and I wished Sandy well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't until first light this morning that we could really see the devastation caused by last night's cruel earthquake and callous after-shocks; where even the Presidential Palace had crumbled to the awesome force of nature.

Embassy of Haiti.

Haiti updates on Twitter.

According to an International Red Cross spokesman, up to 3 million people may have been affected by the earthquake. At least the main airport seems to be working, which will make it easier for relief aid to get to the people who need it.

Helping Haiti

The American Red Cross has pledged an initial $200,000 to assist communities.

CARE is assessing the situation in Haiti.

Direct Relief International is responding to the 7.0-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks.

Haiti earthquake update from Medecins Sans Frontiers.

International Medical Corps is deploying an Emergency Response Team to Haiti.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has joined its Red Cross partners to support the earthquake victims of Haiti.

International Relief Teams (IRT) is appealing for cash donations.

Operation USA announced that it will send medical aid to Haiti as part of the relief efforts.

Save The Children launches emergency relief aid to assist children and families in Haiti.

UNICEF is deploying necessary supplies to Jacmel and Port-au-Prince as quickly as possible to assist with recovery efforts.

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

World Vision staff members are assessing the situation and preparing for an emergency response.

World Food Program is mobilising all available resources to bring urgently needed food assistance to thousands of people affected by the devastating earthquake.

The United Nations has also set up a Haiti Response page.

Once the humanitarian needs are met, the International Fund for Animal Welfare will have an Emergency Response team ready to assist the animal victims.

We can also start to look at the smaller organisations in Haiti who could do with our donations: Partners in Health, The Lambi Fund and Yéle - set up by Wyclef Jean (@wyclef).

Where to Go in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:10:00 +0000

I've already posted where I'd like to go this year, on Facebook, but what about where you might like to go?

Some people like to travel to major events around the world while others simply must know when the holidays and festivals are - to avoid them!

If you need more travel ideas for 2010, here are some suggestions.

Do you like it hot, or cold?

Hot this month is Sydney - where it's summer and the Sydney Festival is on until the 31st (also on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr).

If you're in Sydney, you can also catch the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival. Sydney's first beachside cinema is held at the Bondi Pavilion until the 17th.

There's also Australia Day to enjoy - on the 26th.

If you like it cold, the Jasper in January Festival (15th to 31st) adds a little extra to your entertainment on the slopes.

Good news across the Atlantic is that there's been plenty of snow in The Alps; for those who like to Ski Europe. The World Economic Forum also makes its annual visit to Davos (27th to 31st).

Party people love carnival time - officially held 40 days before Easter; this year that's from Saturday, February 13th through to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), February 16th.

While Rio Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is often regarded as the 'Carnival Capital of the World', Salvador (Carnival in Bahia) and Olinda (near Recife - which also has its own carnival) are other excellent venues to party in Brazil; especially with Brazilians.

I have been to all three and favour Olinda. It's smaller and the historic centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. If this is the place for you this year, see A gringo in Olinda (Twitter: @gringoinolinda).

One year I even flew from Recife to Rio; to catch the Champions Parade, on the Saturday after Carnaval. This is a great way to see the winning Samba schools performing in the Sambodromo. And it's cheaper.

Others prefer the São Paulo Carnival or the much smaller, carnival in Porto Seguro.

In southern Brazil, head to the Florianópolis carnival.

This is almost turning into an article about carnival so let's also quickly mention a few other places to celebrate carnival: New Orleans (for the raucous); Mobile, Alabama (where Mardi Gras was first celebrated in the United States); Trinidad and Tobago (jump up and celebrate Mas); Carnival in Venice (hide behind the mask - 6th to 16th); or maybe the Carnaval de Nice (12th to 28th) - on the cooler, at this time of year, Côte d'Azur (so take a sweater).

In German-speaking countries we're talking about 'Fasnacht' and you should be thinking about Cologne (Kölner Karneval), Lucerne (Luzerner Fasnacht) or Basel (Basler Fasnacht - 22nd to 24th).

There will also be plenty of celebrating in Vancouver; where the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be under way, from February 12th to 28th.

Celebrating Chopin's bicentenary. On 1st March, 1810 Frédéric François Chopin was born in the village of Żelazowa Wola, 80km west of Warsaw.

Chopin 2010 will consist of around 2,000 separate events, from concerts and exhibitions to films and theatrical performances - with only 1,200 of them actually taking place in Poland. If you've done Warsaw and Krakow, don't miss Wroclaw.

Easter this year falls on Sunday, 4th April.

Favourite festivals of mine are Holy Week in The Philippines and Easter in Antigua (Guatemala).

For Christians, what could be a better than Easter in Jerusalem?

April is also a good time to visit Petra and Eilat, before it gets too hot.

Alternatively, the more adventurous might prefer a trip to Damascus (the Arab Capital of Culture in 2008); already being talked about as the 'next Marrakech'. Check out the Old Vine Hotel - where the website's background music will entice you to make a reservation, or hit the back button.

Better City, Better Life is the theme of Expo 2010 - in Shanghai (May 1st to Oct 31st).

If that doesn't appeal, how about a trip to Bavaria? The little village of Oberamergau - 80km south of Munich (München) - is expecting a large audience to their once-in-a-decade staging of the Passion Play (May 15th to Oct 3rd). Also appearing on Facebook and Twitter.

In June 2010, it has to be the Soccer Safari in South Africa, or stay at home to watch the 2010 World Cup Finals (11th June to 11th July); unless you don't like football (soccer) in which case, anywhere that doesn't have a television.

With the football over, how about some swimming?

Croatia is nice before the school holiday crowd arrives but maybe travel further south, to Montenegro.

When it's all hot and sweaty around the Mediterranean it's time to Visit The Oregon Coast.

The Greek Islands are still warm in September and Greek Island Hopping is a lot more fun when there's actually space to walk around the ferry's deck and enjoy the views.

The Fall Folly Season sees leaf peakers heading for New England, for the colourful sights of nature.

While in southern Europe Harvest Time in Andalucia means plenty of food festivals to get your teeth into. The article is from 2008 but it will whet your appetite.

This is the time to be in Colombia; and make sure it's colonial Cartagena - on November 11th. When you pass through Bogota, don't miss the Gold Museum (Museo del Oro).

It's hard to plan where to end the year when we've only just started a new one, but perhaps consider Ljubljana; where the Christmas market continues right up to New Year's Eve.

Or you could hang the Travel Notes Calendar on your wall and travel to a different country in Europe every month with photography from Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Search What's on When - the worldwide events guide from Frommers - direct from the Travel Notes Toolbar.

300 Unmissable Events and Festivals Around the World.

The Fall of The Berlin Wall

noreply@blogger.com (travelnotes) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:06:00 +0000

When East Germans were squeezing themselves through cracks in the Berlin Wall, twenty years ago today, I was in Colombia enjoying the preparations for Cartagena's 'independence festivities'; oblivious to their cries of joy.

Even though chinks in the Iron Curtain appeared at the Hungary/Austria border - near Sopron - in August of 1989, I would wait until April, 1992 before I visited the former Soviet Republics; for a tour around what had recently become the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

I don't think I'd have stayed in Europe, even if I could have predicted the events of 9th November, 1989 but I would like to visit North Korea before the Korean peninsula is reunified.