Backpackers.com

Backpacking And Travel News This Week (11.04.08)

Time for this week’s bite-sized weekly summary of what’s going on in the travel and backpacking world out there (just in case you missed it) – so you can check it all out in the space of a few moments.

Tibet will re-open on 1 May – China (Iafrica.com) China’s ending its crackdown: after unceremoniously expelling all foreign journalists and tourists from Tibet last month (following the rioting of pro-Tibetan protesters), they would now be “allowed to travel into Tibet again from 1 May”.  How magnanimous.

Training with the pros in Thailand (Metronews.ca). Travel Junkie Julia Dimon finds out why backpackers from around the world are “flocking to northern Thailand” to learn the art of Muay Thai.

Tide goes out for world’s airlines (Daily Times). Airlines in general and budget/startup airlines in particular are taking strain as fuel prices soar worldwide. That’s likely to mean less competition, and higher prices for backpackers.

Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Backpacking And Travel News This Week (04.04.08)

Time for this week’s bite-sized weekly summary of what’s going on in the travel and backpacking world out there (just in case you missed it) – so you can check it all out in the space of a few moments.

‘BA sees Heathrow chaos clearing‘ (Reuters). The opening of Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 was a disaster, with hundreds of flights cancelled and thousands of bags going astray. But, says British Airways, it should all be sorted by next week… (we’ll believe it when we see it!).

‘English tourist raped in NZ’ (itn.co.uk). A 27-year-old English tourist (apparently in the country on a year-long working holiday) has been dragged from a secluded track in Northland (North Island) and raped.

‘No work so visitors pack up and leave‘ (Daily Mercury). Skilled backpackers having trouble finding any work in Mackay (Queensland, Australia).

‘Backpackers ripped off‘ (VillageVoice.com.au). Six young backpackers staying in Coogee fall for a sub-letting scam, losing their $700 up-front bond payment to their “rogue landlady”.

Posted in Travel News | 2 Comments »

Backpacking And Travel News This Week (28.03.08)

Time for this week’s bite-sized weekly summary of what’s going on in the travel and backpacking world out there (just in case you missed it) – so you can check it all out in the space of a few moments.

‘Hundreds stuck in mid-air on London Eye’ (Guardian UK). A malfunction of London’s revolving tourist attraction caused engineers to shut it down to perform emergency repairs, leaving four hundred people trapped in their pods for over an hour.

‘Australia to build fake Stonehenge for wine tourists’ (Reuters India). An Australian brewer plans to construct a complete replica of England’s famous Stonehenge to attract wine tourists. (Another Falconcity of Wonders in the making?)

‘Tourist in jail for stealing statue’s ear‘ (IOLTravel). “Santiago, Chile – A Finnish tourist is facing prison and a fine for allegedly breaking a piece of volcanic rock from one of the massive Moai statues on Easter Island.”

‘Hedging hell for Ryanair‘ (TravelWeekly.co.uk). “Ryanair’s fuel costs are about to soar as their hedged fuel price of $68 a barrel comes to an end next week…Could this mean the end for some of of the carrier’s less profitable routes?”

‘Mass tourism swamps Asia’s once unique, remote places‘ (USAToday). “Destinations once deemed too dangerous or remote, such as Luang Prabang in Laos, are now being overrun with tourists” (and they’re headed for ruin).

Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Heathrow’s New Terminal Off To A Bumpy Start

London Heathrow’s new terminal (Terminal 5) has come online. In theory, this should ease up the congestion for which the city’s busiest airport is so famous, but they got off to a bit of a rocky start.

According to the Telegraph, during the course of the first day over 30 flights were cancelled and “three planes left without baggage and incoming passengers were forced to wait up to two hours for their luggage to come through”.

Not exactly a flying start (ahem), but it’s only their first day after all. Just keep in mind that if you’re heading into London in the next while, there might just be a few more teething problems before they get things working smoothly – so give yourself a little extra time for delays.

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Hostels in England – find and book cheap hostels online
Visit England – travel and accommodation info for England.

Posted in Destinations, Travel News | No Comments »

Travel News Highlights (21.03.08)

You’re on the road, making tracks, paying as little attention to the real world as humanly possible – we’d do the same. But sometimes it’s good to get a bit of the latest news, especially if it’s likely to affect your travel plans (for better or worse).

So, seeing as we spend so much time surfing the net anyway, we’ve decided to put together a brief bite-size weekly summary of what’s going on in the travel and backpacking world out there – so you can check it all out in the space of a few moments. Hoorah for all things bite-size!

Right, so here’s the latest news to pop up on our radar this week:

• Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is officially opened by the Queen. Why should you care? Well, if you’ve been anywhere near Heathrow in the last few years you might have noticed that it’s rather an arduous process to get checked in and on to your plane (uber-security measures + unbelievably busy airport = ridiculously unbelievably busy airport). So, a whole brand-spanking new terminal means less cramped conditions, more space for all those travellers… you get the picture. The new terminal begins operations next week. (Source: The Press Association)
• Ryan Air announces a new route: Marseille – Paris. Significance? This is the “first time the low-cost airline has ever offered domestic flights in France”. We like trains better, but if flying’s your game, Ryanair is apparently releasing 25,000 seats on this route for €10 including taxes until midnight Monday. (Source: ThisFrenchLife.com)
• STA Travel Announces 2008 Travel Internship Winner. We wrote about this a while back – the chance for one student out there to travel the world for free, for a year. Well, Pat Blute is the lucky person who got the cut (let’s all hold back on that there raging jealousy developing round about right now…).
• China sends troops into Tibet to quell a week-long uprising against 57 years of Chinese occupation of the country. Things are not looking pretty.

Posted in Travel News | No Comments »

Tough On A Backpacker’s Budget: The World’s Most Expensive Cities

Travelling around the UK and Europe can be expensive, but there are some cities that will be especially hard on a backpacker’s penny-counting budget. A recent survey by Swiss bank UBS should give travellers an idea of where to be most careful.

According to the survey, Oslo, London and Copenhagen rank as the three most budget-busting cities in the world (Dublin came in fourth), so keep a hawk-eye on your spending if you’re planning on visiting some time soon.

The good news, though, is that American cities are becoming cheaper – weaker dollar et al – with New York slipping down the ranks to a relatively lowly 18th place.

And, what you really want to hear: the world’s cheapest cities for backpackers – Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires and Mumbai.

(Source: IOLTravel)

Photo: j.caluk/Flickr

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News | 1 Comment »

Backpackers Bookmarks: Global Incident Map

We mentioned it a little while ago, as one of the fun things you can do with Google Map Mashups, but we thought this one deserved its own special mention.

It’s the Global Incident Map and on it you can see a ‘global display of terrorism and other suspicious events’ – everything from threats to consulates/embassies to tampering with food products.

Probably not something you’d want to spend too much time studying (for fear of never leaving your home/hostel/helipad), but perhaps useful to get a sense of what’s happening wherever you happen to be headed.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel Guides, Travel News | No Comments »

You And Your Backpack, Somewhere In New Zealand: mytravelbackpack.com’s 2nd Photo Contest

My Travel Backpack is a website dedicated entirely to photos of backpackers and their backpacks taken in various distinctive locations around the planet. Last year, the site held a competition for the best photo of “You – Your backpack – Somewhere cool on the planet”, with a prize of these cool travel guides for the winner.

Well, this year they’re at it again, and this time you could win a Kelty Tahoma daypack for your troubles. All you have to do is rummage through your shots from New Zealand (you have been to New Zealand, right?) and submit them to mytravelbackpack’s 2nd photo contest. Anyone can participate, and you can enter as many photos as you like, as long as it’s obvious that it’s “You and your backpack somewhere cool in New Zealand”.The contest ends April 1st. For inspiration, check out the photos from last year’s finalists, and, of course, the winning shot.

Related entries:
My Travel Backpack Photo Contest: You And Your Backpack, Somewhere Cool On The Planet
Get Lost: How To Ditch Your Job And Get Travelling
How To Plan Your Round The World Trip
Sticking To Your Budget: Free Things For Backpackers To Do In Europe

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in New Zealand – find and book your hostel online
New Zealand.com – 100% Pure New Zealand, travel advice and more.
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in Destinations, Travel News, Travel Photos | No Comments »

Venice’s Gondolas Stuck In The Mud: Lowest Tides In The City’s History

Backpackers heading for Venice shortly and planning to take a ride on one of the water-logged city’s famous gondolas might just be in for a surprise. According to the UK Telegraph, the distinctive boats have recently run aground:

“Gondolas have been left stranded in mud along Venice’s Grand Canal after the city witnessed one of its lowest ever tides.
Ferry companies and private boats had to find new routes around the Italian city when the water level fell to about 30 inches below sea level, the lowest figure recorded for the past 14 years.”

So, before you go planning any uber-romantic expeditions, be sure to check that that there tide is coming in…

Related entries:
‘Dubai’s ‘Falconcity Of Wonders’: How To See All The Wonders Of The World In Just One Day‘
‘Meeting Venice: Everything You Needed To Know About The “Queen Of The Adriatic”‘
‘Travel Photo Of The Week – 23/10/06 – Calm Canals Of Venice‘
‘Would You Pay An Entrance Fee To Visit Venice?‘
‘Visiting Venice Or Florence Next Year? Prepare To Be Taxed!‘

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in Venice – find and book your hostel online
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News | No Comments »

Ryan Air ‘Web Closing Down’ Sale: Tickets From €10.00

Ryan Air is having yet another sale. This time, the European budget airline is calling it the ‘web closing down’ sale, in anticipation of the planned (temporary) 3-day closure of their website for upgrade and maintenance.

The site will be closed from 22 to 25 February but because they ‘need your bookings today’, for the next two days they’re offering 100,000 seats for (from) €10.00 on flights departing during the last week of February.

Prices are for one-way flights, and include the usual taxes and fees.

Related entries:
RyanAir £5 Sale Ends Midnight Tonight
Flyglobespan’s Winter Clearance Sale
Sterling Valentine’s Sale: 2-For-1 For All Destinations
More Cheap Airfares For Backpackers: EasyJet And BmiBaby Cut European Flight Prices

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in Europe – find and book your hostel online

Posted in Destinations, Transport, Travel Deals, Travel News | No Comments »