Travel Log - Travel Ideas Archives

Brought to you by the best travel agency for business and executive leisure travel

Watch TV, Cry, Go Places

Let's go to that special place

The Yomiuri Shimbun of Japan reports (in English) about travel agencies cashing in on weepy melodramas. It turns out the South Korean TV drama series Winter Sonata is big in Japan. (What's with that phrase? Even Tom Waits wrote a song about it.) So big that thousands of people have traveled to South Korea to visit shooting locations. This has been going on for more than a year, and the tours are said to be sold out.

Another show called Autumn in my Heart (also known under a couple other names in English) is likewise getting a lot of attention from audiences in Malaysia and Singapore, with related travel opportunities to boot.

No doubt Kim Jong Il, an avid blogger and movie buff, will find similar ways to attract tourists to North Korea. The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is ready to host them.

Olivier Travers | November 11, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (6)

Health Travel on the Rise

Redone with parts from
12 different countries

A stream of articles during the last few weeks and months shows there's a growing trend to kill two birds with one stone and get some medical procedure done while traveling abroad. In some cases medical care is the main goal of the trip, leisure coming only as a bonus. Even accounting for the cost of flight and lodging there are significant savings to be made.

Western Europeans enjoy cheaper plastic surgery and dental work in Central Europe countries which have recently joined the European Union such as Poland and Hungary, since EU membership simplifies things from an insurance coverage perspective (Molvanîa however seems left behind again). Meanwhile, India and Thailand seem to attract significant attention from Asian and even American patients (it was not reported whether these were considered to be Benedict Arnolds by John Kerry). Don't forget to import your post-surgery drugs from Canada for a fully-globalized healthcare experience.

Now for the educational part:

• AP: Poland attracts plastic surgery 'tourism'
• AP: High-speed ferry takes passengers to Canada for flu shots
• Philippine Daily Inquirer: Medical tourism?
• The Economist: Medical Tourism in India
• Deutsche Welle: Sun, Sea and a New Nose

Olivier Travers | November 1, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (3)

Unique Manhattan Cruise on Board a Sludge Boat

What could be more romantic than a night-time cruise around Manhattan? How about doing so aboard a "sludge boat." That is, a boat carrying the city's treated sewage. Sadly, or thankfully, the trip is available only to the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Department of Environmental Protection, which manages NYC's sewage system. For the past six years, the department has been conducting an annual summer sludge boat cruise for the committe, and it's a big hit. Go figure.

A transcript and audio story on WNYC.org, NY affilaite station for NPR:

• Part I
  
• Part II

Rick Bruner | August 24, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)

Spain's Running of the Bulls, for Kids

NPR reports this morning on a festival in Spain where tourists come to run with the bulls. No, it's not the San Fermin "Running of the Bulls" in Pamplona, it's the Encierro Chicos in Miraflores de la Sierra, outside Madrid. The hook? It's a festival for little kids. Yes, little kids running with bulls.

Okay, no not really. They run with wheelbarrows with stuffed bull heads on them. Apparently, they used to do it with baby bulls, but too many of them escaped.

Rick Bruner | August 19, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)

Travel Agency Offers Witch Cruises

As if there weren't enough themes for cruises already, Illinois based Pagan Travel Network has put together a series of cruises called "Witch & Famous Cruises." The cruises offer a chance for Pagans to get together, see the worldly sites, swap spells ans see if the can get the cruise ship to turn purely by willing it to do so. Press release reports.

Steve Hall | July 28, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)

Mountain Biking Across America

This past weekend, BizNetTravel's CEO Andras and I rode our bikes some 30 miles on paved roads (out of NYC, across the George Washington Bridge and up into NJ's Interstate Park in the Palisades), and the effort seriously kicked our butts (Andras's in particular, as his seat is really stiff). I can only imagine what it would be like to do the kind of cross-country, back-country mountain-bike trip described in this NY Times piece. Though I would love to find out, wannabe avid cyclist that I am.

Rick Bruner | July 5, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (1)

Vocation Vacation

Ever dream of working as a sports announcer? A chocolatier? A cattle rancher, innkeeper or LA celebrity wedding planner? Well if so, why not try a vocation vacation?

Entrepreneur Brian Kurth came up with this ingenious idea to let folks who are considering switching careers take a test ride. For a bit of cash, Kurth matches up folks dreaming of a new vocation with seasoned professionals in that career expertise who will mentor them for a day or so to give a taste of what the job is really like. Sounds pretty cool to us. This AP story has details.

Rick Bruner | July 5, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)

Heide and Mark's Excellent Adventure

I just stumbled across this web site by a couple who are doing what so many of us would love to do: "Adventuring until the money runs out...." And until it does, they're blogging their adventures as they literally travel around the world.

Rick Bruner | July 5, 2004 | Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)

Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo, DC, NY & Philadelphia

The Gay and Lesbian World Travel Expo, which has already taken place in Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and LA, is coming in April to DC (April 27, 2004 at Hilton Embassy Row), New York (April 29, 2004 at Metropolitan Pavilion, Chelsea) and Philadelphia (May 1, 2004 at Wyndham Franklin Plaza).

BizNetTravel has a limited number of complementary tickets for the expo. Call us at toll free at (888) 824-9638 for details.

Details of the event are here.

On a related theme, Metrosource, "a lifestyle magazine that reflects the cultural tastes and interests of the urban gay community," is featuring its travel issue this month. More content in the magazine itself, on newstands now, than in the online version.

Rick Bruner | March 31, 2004 | Travel Ideas, Upcoming Events | Permanent link | Comments (1)

Travel Advice for Single Parents

The Seattle Times has a great advice piece for single parents looking to plan vacations with kids. It points out that having to negotiate all aspects of travel as the only adult can be stressful, not to mention that many single-parent households are budget conscious and many "family" vacation packages require two adult fares in order to qualify for child discounts. Some words of wisdom the piece recommends:

• Travel with another adult (e.g., a family friend) if possible

• Stay in hotels with kitchenettes for economy sake

• Don't get overly ambitious in your travel plans. Slow it down, and stay at each destination at least 2-3 nights to keep grounded

Rick Bruner | March 24, 2004 | Advice, Travel Ideas | Permanent link | Comments (0)