I am moving to a new job in 2013 which will require me to travel less! Nonetheless, my bucket list for my life is: Visit 99 countries (currently 57) Visit (not transit through) all 50 US states (currently 46) Alaskan Cruise Walk across Hadrian’s Wall in England Yellowstone National Park Five major New Zealand hikes (currently 2: Milford and Queen Charlotte) Camino de Santiago Walk Hadrian’s Wall walk, UK Iguazu Falls ( have been to Victoria and Niagara Falls) Berlin Marathon (if I am going to run that far, I am going to do it…
Stop Wishing and Do it- Life’s Bucket List
Wherever I go I meet people who say “Australia. I wish I could go there” or “I want to go there” or “It is my dream“. Yet they never come. I have friends all over the world and they have never been to see me in Australia! đ One of my goals is to visit 99 countries in my life. I am now up to 55 countries with the addition of Argentina and Turkey in 2012. If I add two more countries per year, then it will take me 22 more years. So in 2034,…
My Top Airlines for 2012
This last year, I flew 121 times for a total distance of 331,127km (205,753 mi). This is eight and a quarter times around the earth. I was inside planes for a whopping 19 days of the year. Some airlines made my time with them a delight – and some made it not so fun. I rate each flight I take for every factor from Booking to Check-in to deplaning. and keep a tally of my rating using Flightmemory.com. The scores averaged out give me the ranking of flights, airlines and airports. I have placed my score for each airline…
The Airlines that Vanished in 2012
Twenty six airline names disappeared in 2012 – an average of two per month. Some “biggish” name carriers sadly vanished including Malev and Spanair. One of the airlines “died” and came back (Air Zimbabwe) and two more have promised a return. Some of the victims were amongst the oldest airlines in the world. An extraordinary 13 of the carriers that went were Europe based. Four African carriers went, Australia, Asia, the USA South America/Caribbean all lost two. One of my burning questions from the year’s bankruptcies is: Why do consumers get dumped? Most of the airlines gave absolutely no…
Ten Worst Airlines- 2012 [Updated]
I am often asked which airlines are best avoided.  Having flown for over 3040 hours (0ver 18 weeks of my life!) with 83 airlines, there are some clear differences between the best and the worst! I rate each flight I take for every factor from Booking to Check in to deplaning. and keep a tally of my rating using Flightmemory.com.  The scores averaged out give me the ranking of flights, airlines and airports. I have placed my score for each airline next to the airline name. Here is my list for of the 2012 worst airlines, starting from the…
Branson Wears Dress
Tickets will be auctioned off for charity for a special Lumpur to London Air Asia flight next May. The focus of the flight will be the sight of Virgin Atlantic owner Richard Branson wearing a female Air Asia flight attendant uniform and serving drinks. The reason for the dress is a 2010 bet between the two over which team would finish higher in a Grand Prix race. AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes Lotus team finished 10th and Virgin 12th. No doubt there will be plenty of photos! Will Branson be wearing his beard too?
12 Places to celebrate Christmas
Seasons Greetings from down under. If you are celebrating today, where are you doing it? Where would you like to celebrate it? Here are 12 options for next year. While, I have been to all of these places I have only had Christmas season in six of them. More on which six later! Quebec City, Canada – one of the most romantic cities in the world. At Christmas, it has a very high possibility of snow, giving you a white Christmas. New York, New York – this city does holidays well with shops full of amazing food,…
My 20 Top Travel Tools
Got a new smartphone? Wondering what apps to download? I am not sure how I travelled before the internet and my smart phone? Today I travel with a lot more information and a lot less paper. There are plenty of list of apps but they can be overwhelming. The first ten on my list are the apps and tools that I consider “essential” and the remaining  are “very useful”. 1. Kayak.com Free: Web, iPhone and Android This is my favourite fare and hotel search engine. My only niggle is that Kayak have evolved from just a travel site to a seller…
The Mayans were wrong and we have had no End of the World!
Despite the fear mongering of some doomsdayers, the Mayan calendar date of 21 December 2012, did not mark the end of the world. Seems safe to say the world has not ended? Glad you are still with me! I am stunned to see Skyscanner saw a dramatic rise in one-way bookings to “safe” havens. Why do people get sucked in by this stuff?
2012 Airport Top Twenty
Having been to 203 airports now, I have a fair idea of what I want in a good airport. I want first of all an airport that is easy to get around with good signposting. Short lines come next. Being well connected to public transit is more important than parking for me. I do like the car rental outlets located close by and not a shuttle bus away. Talking of shuttle buses, I hate being bussed to and from a plane, so give me enough gates please. Clean well maintained airports get my attention and I do…
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