Should all planes have kid-free zones?

Source:Australian Women's Weekly

Planes just aren’t kiddie-friendly. Their teeny ears can’t handle the air pressure.

Their teeny legs are the perfect length for kicking the seat in front. Their teeny voice boxes are able to emit not such teeny, but very ear-shattering wails.

In fact the whole concept of sitting strapped in a seat unable to get out or up for long periods of time is just anti-kids.

But we parents still need to transport these small people with us to take holidays and visit families. Kids will be on planes wherever there are kids and planes.

But it seems that kids on planes is possibly one of the biggest grievances expressed by people on planes without kids – and more and more airlines are listening.

Another airline has announced it will be establishing kid-free zones on its planes.

IndiGo, the Indian budget carrier, is the latest to announce its Quiet Zones aimed at business travellers, where passengers under the age of 12 are strictly forbidden.

“Keeping in mind the comfort and convenience of all passengers,” a statement from the airline read, “row numbers one to four and 11 to 14 are generally kept as a Quiet Zone on IndiGo flights.

These zones have been created for business travellers who prefer to use the quiet time to do their work.”

This is not the first airline to attempt to segregate children.

In 2013 Singapore’s budget airline Scoot introduced a ScootinSilence upgrade for travellers to move to rows 21 to 25, where children under the age of 12 were banned from sitting.

[Note the word "upgrade" - this is a privilege that doesn't come free.]

The airline's CEO, Campbell Wilson, said at the time: “No offence to our young guests or those travelling with them – you still have the rest of the aircraft.”

AirAsia X has also introduced kid-free zones, and Malaysia Airlines bans kids from first class and has also created no-kids zones in economy class.

Earlier this year an American airline, JetBlue, thought it was being really clever when it announced a promotion whereby each traveller would receive 25 per cent back from what they paid for their ticket for every baby that cried – ummm, five cried and every passenger got fully reimbursed.

An airline spokesperson, Elizabeth Windram, herself a mum of littlies, said one of the wisest statements about kids on planes at the time.

“People smile at babies everywhere, except on planes.” Ain’t that the truth.

But while some people believe separating the men from the boys, so to speak, only further divides the families from the childless, it seems there is some support out there for corralling kids into certain section of aircrafts.

Since airlines started setting up kid-zones, people have been taking to Twitter to express how they feel.

What’s your take? Would you pay extra to be in a kid-free zone next time you fly? Or do you think this is just another "us" and "them" debate between the child-endowed and child-free?

Lonely Planet releases updated version of encyclopedic 'The Travel Book'

Source:Relaxnews (AFP)

Lonely Planet is launching a revised edition of one of their bestselling travel books to reflect the changes around the world since the last guide was published 12 years ago.

"The Travel Book," an encyclopedic reference that features every country from A to Z, was first released a decade ago and sold a million copies.

The updated version is being re-released this fall and features 230 countries. Information includes the best times to visit, top things to do, what to see, and local phrases. The new volume also features 850 photos.

To promote the new edition, LP has created a new landing page for the book that features 360-degree virtual journeys through six continents at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-book.

Homestays: how to live like a local on a trip across Europe

Source: The independent

Clutching a handful of lavender, I inhale deeply, enjoying the sweet, vaporous scent before it gets carried on the warm summer breeze. I am being shown how to transform the flowers into garlands by Vesna, the host of my homestay accommodation in Plave, a Slovenian village with a population of 300.

Sitting in her garden, with the Julian Alps rising in the distance, we are surrounded by potato plants, tomato vines and the neat mounds of mauve, swaying in the wind. Vesna teaches me how to fold the stems over the buds, then weave a ribbon around the bunch to secure the garland’s shape. It’s the same technique she has been using for years, and she wants to pass her knowledge of herbs and plants onto her guests – from making jam to pickling cucumbers.

I hadn’t expected to be practising handicrafts so soon after my arrival in Slovenia, but I’m halfway through a trip around Europe and surprises such as this are giving me a flavour of real life that no hotel could provide. 

Travelling by rail, the stops on my week-long journey are Budapest in Hungary, Plave in Slovenia and the Italian city of Padua: three places I have never visited and whose languages I don’t speak.

Keen to immerse myself in the culture, I am staying in local people’s homes booked through the aptly named Homestay.com. With accommodation averaging £31 a night, and train tickets totalling around £169, it’s not only a fun way to travel but an affordable one too; an appealing prospect given the sorry state of the pound post-EU Referendum.

My first stop is Budapest, where I arrive at Maria Arvay’s fifth-floor apartment in the 13th district, four blocks from the Danube River. Maria greets me with a smile and cup of tea, and shows me around her one-bedroom flat, with its neatly-arranged shelves, little balcony with flower pots and two resident cats, Moki and Dormi. Maria gives up her bedroom for guests, sleeping in the lounge, and I’m settled into the bedroom; she pulls out a map and gives me an overview of the city, telling me which places to visit during my 30 hours whistlestop here. 

“Skip the dark history at the House of Terror,” she says, referring to the eerie museum I had planned to check out following a quick flick through a guidebook. “You only have a short time here and shouldn’t leave with only a dark impression of the city. Go to Gellert Hill instead. It has magnificent views of the whole city and is close to Liberty Bridge, which you can sit on with a beer to watch the sunset.”

© Provided by The Independent

She then hands me a mobile phone. “It has a local sim card in it,” she explains. “So we can call each other if we need.”

As well as being practical, it’s a thoughtful touch and, like the Hungarian phrases she has scribbled into my notepad, is one you usually wouldn’t get in a hotel.

Armed with the annotated map, I visit Buda’s medieval Castle District, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and nearby Fisherman’s Bastion, a terrace named after the fishermen’s guild that was once responsible for defending this part of the city wall. For dinner, I slip into a wooden booth at Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő – a cosy restaurant serving goulash soup for 830Ft (£2.30) – another of Maria’s recommendations.

© Provided by The Independent

The following day I hug my host goodbye, promising to return for longer next time, and board a sleeper train to Slovenia. Fifteen hours later, I’m at my second destination, Plave, being warmly welcomed into Vesna’s family home with a pair of slippers (a Slovenian custom) and a bowl of homemade Jota soup, made with sauerkraut and turnips – from the garden, naturally.

Upstairs, my room has herbal pillows and furniture made by Vesna’s father Ivan, and a balcony overlooking the vegetable patch, where I can see her mother Karmen picking lettuce. During my stay, the four of us eat meals together like a family and communicate through a mixture of gestures and Vesna’s translation. It’s a nice change from staying in faceless hotels where you are one of any number of guests.

“My parents love meeting people from different countries but are afraid of flying,” Vesna says. “By opening their home up to travellers, the world comes to them.”

Vesna is a licenced guide, and for €20 an hour, guests can join her on everything from gruelling hikes around the Julian Alps to gentler strolls through the vineyards of Goriska Brda. Homestay.com allows guests to contact their hosts prior to arrival, so you can discuss the types of activities available and save time researching and organising your own itinerary.

Knowing I’m a keen hiker, Vesna drives us to Kobarid village, a 40-minute drive north of Plave. Positioned on the edge of the fast-flowing, emerald-green Soca River, it was made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms, and has some excellent walking routes.

© Provided by The Independent

As we hike, gazing up at the beautiful wooded slopes, it’s hard to imagine the brutal fighting that took place between the Austro-Hungarians and Italians in this strategically important valley during the First World War. As Vesna explains the history, we pass some of the trenches and gun emplacements that were dug out of the craggy mountainside, now dotted with lichen and wild flowers.

The following day it’s time to move on to Italy, and I take two trains to Padua, where I’m picked up by my third and final host, Matteo Scialpi, a television producer who enjoys the company of guests now his sons have left home.

© Provided by The Independent

I feel privileged to have my own private tour guide as Matteo drives me through the city centre, with its canals and porticoed streets, pointing out the Botanic Garden – Europe’s oldest (1545) – and the arches of the Palazzo della Ragione with markets on either side.

We pass the university where Galileo Galilei taught maths for 18 years (“the best years of my life”, he said) and the Scrovegni Chapel with its ancient frescoes.

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1/20 SLIDES © Roberto Binetti/Shutterstock

Lonely Planet, the world’s leading travel media company, released “New in Travel,” a free ebook on Jan. 8, 2016. The book lists some of the most exciting and novel travel experiences around the world for 2016. With attractions and adventures to appeal to every taste, the list has been compiled by Lonely Planet’s travel experts after scouring the globe to find these fresh adventures. The book includes attractions that have either opened recently or are opening soon. Click through as we pick out some of the best ones from the list.

After an afternoon exploring on my own, I meet Matteo for dinner at Al Carmine, his favourite pizzeria, where ours are the only English-speaking voices. Tucked away down a cobbled street, a little further from the central PIazza dei Signori than most tourists venture, it’s a restaurant I wouldn’t have found by myself, though its plant-dotted terrace is busy with locals.

As the sun sets on my final night, I finish my trip with a sense of satisfaction that I’ve explored three very different parts of Europe, and seen sides to them that most tourists don’t get to see.

If you want to learn a new language to be comfortable leaving with other people then I suggest you to visit www.bookingmate.biz/Language

How to recline respectfully when flying

Source:http://thenewdaily.com.au/

An expert in etiquette has warned plane passengers to recline with care after an in-flight argument reportedly turned violent this week.

Punches were allegedly thrown on a Jetstar flight on Wednesday after a 42-year-old woman attempted to recline her seat, to the annoyance of a 27-year-old man behind her.

A spokesperson for Jetstar told The New Daily the airline would not tolerate “disruptive behaviour”, but said the rules of reclining ultimately rested with passengers themselves.

“Like all airlines, our seats can be reclined in flight at customers’ discretion, aside from when seats must be in an upright position for take-off and landing,” she said.

The spokesperson said Jetstar’s rules were no different from other carriers, and noted that there was no policy against reclining your chair when the person behind you was eating.

But Melbourne etiquette expert Susie Wilson told The New Dailythere were a few very simple tricks to showing respect in the air.

 ‘It’s a rare commodity’

The two passengers, who were eventually met by police on the Sydney tarmac, had been flying from Phuket in Jetstar business class – proving that even increased leg space doesn’t solve the etiquette dilemma.

Fellow passenger Scott Haywood told Melbourne radio station 3AW a number of bystanders were forced to restrain the pair before Australian Federal Police could board the plane.

“In the area there were about 12 of us who saw it all and they were certainly laying into each other,” he said.

On most domestic planes, tray tables are difficult to use if the passenger in front fully reclines their seat, making meal time a big no-no for pressing the silver button.

“How would you feel if someone threw their seat back while you were eating?” asked manners expert Ms Wilson, who runs the Antoinette Champagne Finishing School in Melbourne.

She said the decision should be as simple as consulting the person likely to be affected.

“When I fly, I turn around to check, and let the person know that I’m sitting back.”

“Just see if it works for them – it’s very simple.”

Ms Wilson said the most common reason for people not wanting to be reclined on was if they were using their tray table to write or eat.

She also emphasised stress as a significant factor to consider on planes.

“People are often experiencing a lot of emotions when they fly, it’s a stressful environment,” she said.

“Let’s just help them out.”

Unfortunately, Ms Wilson said in her experience, people who check before they recline are a “very rare commodity”.

“People need to be educated,” she argued.

Tips for reclining with respect

Worried you’ll offend a fellow passenger by trying to relax? Just follow the rules from Independent Traveller below and you should be fine.

• Careful of kids: Children are often jumping around on flights, so it’s worth checking to see if a child’s hand or fingers might get caught when you push back.
• Only go as far as you need: If you don’t need to push your seat all the way back, don’t. Reclining slightly will give you more comfort, and could help the person behind you stay comfortable too.
• Just don’t do it at mealtime: This is a blanket rule. If people are eating, you can wait.
• Recline slowly: Both for safety, and to disturb the person behind as little as possible.
• And finally: A little consideration goes a long way.

There’s a huge problem with this stunning, $3b international airport

Source: News.com.au

A GLEAMING new international airport has just opened in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, and at first glance, it’s really impressive.

The $3.07 billion complex was designed to replicate the shape of a soaring falcon and promises to process up to 1600 passengers every hour.

But its official opening on Saturday was overshadowed by a sobering realisation — hardly anyone is ever going to use it.

Despite the huge amount of money and effort poured into the airport project, strict visa requirements means only a tiny number of tourists and professionals ever step foot into Turkmenistan, which is regarded as the most mysterious and isolated country in Central Asia.

Turkmenistan boasts interesting architecture, such as the Gami hotel in the Caspian Sea resort of Avaza, which opened earlier in September and is shaped like a cruise ship. Picture: AFP/Igor SasinSource:AFP

While tourism is officially welcomed in Turkmenistan, tourists have complained about difficult bureaucratic processes. All international visitors require visas and visits longer than five days require a state-endorsed tour and official guides.

Just 105,000 tourists visited in 2015, according to government figures.

The former Soviet nation was largely shut off from the rest of the world until the 2006 death of its eccentric dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, who called himself Turkmenbashi.

The oasis of Merv in the Karakum Desert, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was a major stop along the ancient Silk Road.Source:Supplied

Although little-known, the country is rich with culture and history. The two ancient cities of Konye-Urgench and Merv were impressive stops along the Silk Road and have been UNESCO World Heritage-listed. But of the 200,000 tourists that visit Konye-Urgench each year, only 3000 are foreign visitors.

So while the new addition to Ashgabat international airport is likely to go unnoticed and be unused by most of the world, it will be a great fit for Turkmenistan’s capital city, which is known for its bizarre and striking architecture. 

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The buildings in Ashgabat have been commended for their bold design. Picture: Dan LundbergSource:Flickr

In 2013, the Guinness World Records recognised the city as having the greatest density of marble-clad buildings, which was estimated at more than 540, AP reported.

Many are noted for their eccentric designs, such as the state publishing house, which is in the shape of a book.

Tourist faces jail over pulling plug on prayer sermon

Source: News.com.au

A TOURIST is facing two years in a Burmese prison after he pulled a loudspeaker plug during a religious sermon near his hotel so he could get some sleep.

Dutch citizen Klaas Haytema, 30, has apologised for the September 23 incident, in which he allegedly disconnected the amplifier during late-night Buddhist prayers at a religious hall in the tourist city of Mandalay in northern Myanmar.

Soldiers were deployed to protect Haytema from an angry mob of people who gathered outside his hotel after he silenced the sermon.

He was arrested and charged with insulting religion and has been detained while awaiting trial.

“I wanted to sleep desperately. I couldn’t stand the noise and checked outside the hotel,” Haytema said at an initial court hearing, according to the Coconuts Asia news website.

“I saw that children were playing. I thought that they were playing it [the sermon] and disconnected the amplifier.

“I did not notice that it was a religious building. I am really sorry and I really apologise.”

Police accuse Haytema of insulting religion by pulling the plug on a speaker relaying a late-night Buddhist sermon in Mandalay. Picture: AFP/STRSource:AFP

The man who was reciting the sermon pressed charges against Haytema for insulting the Buddhist religion.

A local legal officer recommended the alleged offence was serious enough to warrant a criminal trial, The Telegraph reported. The offence carries a two-year jail sentence.

In a further blow to Haytema, immigration officials have also charged him with violating the terms of his visa.

Local immigration department head Thaung Dan told the Myanmar Times Haytema had breached two provisions in the visa: that visitors should follow the existing laws of Myanmar, as well as the customs of Myanmar.

“If someone applies for a visa to enter Myanmar, they have to follow the rules and regulations laid out in the visa,” he said.

Insulting religion is taken seriously among Myanmar’s majority Buddhist population.

A number of tourists have run into trouble with authorities in Myanmar after allegedly insulting religion. Picture: iStockSource:istock

Mandalay, where Haytema allegedly committed the offence, is an especially culturally and religiously conservative region.

But the Dutch man is far from the first tourist to run afoul of Myanmar’s strict rules protecting Buddhism.

New Zealand man Philip Blackwood served two and a half years after he posted a picture of Buddha on Facebook in 2014.

The online flyer included a “psychedelic” depiction of Buddha wearing headphones and was used to promote cheap drinks at a bar event. Blackwood was released on amnesty 10 months into his sentence.

In July, a Spanish tourist was reportedly kicked out of Myanmar after monks in the ancient town of Bagan took offence an exposed tattoo of Buddha on his leg.

The influence of religious hardliners appears to be intensifying in Myanmar in response to the country’s new civilian-led government’s enthusiasm for tourism and foreign investment.