Things to do in Rome

Take a small-group walking tour (20 people max) of the Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica. Jump the queue. Get inside before the crowds swarm. This is one of the top things to do in Rome, the Vatican is simply unmissable. What, you don't like the pope? Fair enough. Just think about all the art. The history. The sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, ancient maps, tapestries... the mind boggles to think about all the amazing art squirreled away in the Vatican's museums over the years. Definitely worth doing.

Parlez-vous travel?

OK, I am back. With a vengeance. Or should that be vengeances (it's a French thing. Not funny, I know. But there it is). Doing some digging on the Frenchies. If you're a travel Frenchie, here you go:

• Activités à Las Vegas et visites à Las Vegas... par exemple en hélicoptère pour un survol du Strip, découvrez les spectacles de Las Vegas, le Grand Canyon, barrage de Hoover.
• Tours à New York et activités à New York... New York City, spectacle à Broadway, l'Empire State Building, la statue de la Liberté, Manhattan en hélicoptère, ou journée aux chutes du Niagara, vous avez le choix.
• Tours à Barcelone et activités à Barcelone ... du quartier gothique à Gaudi et Dali, dégustation de tapas, une visite en vélo au crépuscule ou une visite flamenco de la ville, partez pour la journée à la découverte de Montserrat, Sitges ou Tarragone.
• Tours à Rome, activités à Rome, visites à Rome ... du Colisée au Panthéon et aux venelles de Trastevere, Vatican et la chapelle Sixtine, passez la journée à Pompéi ou Capri.
• Activités à Londres et visites à Londres ... la Tour de Londres, Buckingham Palace, le London Eye, Stonehenge, Bath et d'autres sites de renom à travers l'Angleterre.

Check out the main site: Viatorcom.fr.

It's been a while, so what's your problem?

I've been off traveling. Yes, for real. Mainly in London. Having a few weeks of pubs, long summer days (weather was crap, then nice, then crap, go figure) and some sightseeing. Figured I'd pick off the list of London attractions here. I made it all the way through 'C' (the list was alphabetical, if you're clueless). Way too much to see. And maybe next time I won't plan my travels in an alphabetical order. It's highly likely I missed a few of the top attractions, do you think? One bit of advice: buy a freakin' Transport card. London is expensive on tube and bus. Those Transport multi-day cards are a good deal. CHEERS.

Ode to Joy (in German)

Another chapter in the saga of Viator. This time it's all about the Germans. Must be something in the travel sphere that makes companies like Germans. After all the Germans do travel a lot. A lot. Probably they are way more represented in destinations like Thailand, Costa Rica, Nepal, India than most other western Europeans (per capita). Anyway, it's obvious that Viator is now looking at Germans for some growth. Interesting times. The site tagline is Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten. Here are some of the top areas they're covering:

• Rom Touren, Rom Sehenswürdigkeiten Check out the "VATIKAN – Keine Warteschlangen: Rundgang durch die Vatikanischen Museen mit Sixtinischer Kapelle, Stanzen des Raffael und Petersdom". Cool.
• New York City Touren, New York Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten. As it says on the site, "Erleben Sie New York City wie ein New Yorker. Sehen Sie sich eine Broadway-Show an, klettern Sie zur Spitze des Empire State Buildings, machen Sie einen Hubschrauberrundflug über Manhattan oder eine NYC Hafenrundfahrt oder verbringen Sie einen Tag an den Niagarafällen." Which I think means, see New York like a New Yorker (even if you're German).
• Barcelona Touren, Barcelona Sehenswürdigkeiten. Entdecken Sie Barcelonas kulturelle Seite, vom Gotischen Viertel über Gaudi zu Dali. Machen Sie eine Tapas-Tour oder eine Flamenco-Show-Tour durch Barcelona. Oder machen Sie einen Tagesausflug nach Montserrat, Sitges und Tarragona.
• Paris Touren, Paris Sehenswürdigkeiten, Paris Unternehmungen. The big deal here is "Abendessen auf dem Eiffelturm, Show im Moulin Rouge und Bootsfahrt auf der Seine".
• Las Vegas Touren & Vegas Freizeittipps, Hubschrauberrundflüge über den Gran Canyon. Machen Sie einen Hubschrauberrundflug über Las Vegas, touren Sie den Las Vegas Strip, sehen Sie sich eine Vegas-Show an oder besuchen Sie zwei von Amerikas berühmtesten Wahrzeichen: den Grand Canyon und den mächtigen Hoover Dam

That's just a small sample. Check it out, it's kinda cool. Especially if you speak German.

Thoughts on Swine Flu

Hard to imagine that swine flu is more severe that SARS or avian flu, but that's what it is looking like. Not sure what effect this will have, long-term, on travel trends. I assume it's still too early to know for sure. I think it's strange how some people are already freaking out about it. Sure, I won't be going to Mexico anytime soon. But I ain't canceling my trip to New York because of it. At least not yet.

Twitter Travel Deals

Just noticing the Twitter fad is taking over travel, too. Here I thought we were safe and sound from Twitter, but no, if you like to travel it seems that now Twitter has become an indispensable tool. It's a little annoying -- I need another travel website like I need a hole in the head. But such is progress, and life. Things change, and now, to find good travel deals, you need to check on Twitter. OK OK OK, fine. Just make it easy. (Thankfully it is). Here's the Viator Travel deals Twitter feed. Worth a look. Tell 'em the other Viator sent you.

Ode to Bermingham

Birmingham (pronounced “Berming’am” with a silent H) might have some of the weather that England is known for but it’s much faster variability is far more endearing than menacing. Cloud can turn to clear skies in minutes and these clear skies have the kind of bright blue that I’ve only seen in far away Australia. From ponderous cumulous wonders bumping across the sky to dainty wisps of cirrus, the heavens in Birmingham prove to be the perfect backdrop to slowing down and actually enjoying life.

Dreaming of Things to Do

Checking for cool things to do when you travel? Well friends, check out the latest tours and activities over on the Viator site. I am especially interested in two things right now. Planning a New York tour for my upcoming trip to the Big Apple. And trying to find a cool gift - maybe a Las Vegas helicopter tour - for a friend who's getting married. It's also coming up to the holidays. I wonder if I should buy myself something. Ho ho ho.

London's Leicester Square

I have to say I am always disappointed with this square. London is full of beautiful, calm, treed oases; Leicester Square by comparison is grey-stoned and not very pretty. And the tube station is busy and unforgiving; no one’s going to help you carry your suitcase up the stairs here. But it is also slap bang in the centre of a fabulous part of London so it’s a necessary evil on any visit.

Las Veagas Tour Tip

Ideas for your next trip to Vegas. I'm not a huge fan of the Las Vegas - Grand Canyon helicopter tour, mainly because I don't like heights. But check this guy out - is that Vegas or what! He looks like a cross between Elvis and Kramer on Seinfeld. And this guy will sing to you from the top of a bus as it crisscrosses the Las Vegas strip. That's what I call a Las Vegas sightseeing tour, baby! I am sold. I'm in. Let's go.

Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten

Yeah, I don't speak German either. But I know enough to know that Viator just launched a site in German. It covers Las Vegas, Barcelona, Rome (or Rom, if you're German), Sydney, New York. It's in Beta release, so have a look: Viatorcom.de. Here's the German bit: Viator Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten. Machen Sie jeden Urlaub zu einem unvergesslichen Erlebnis. Wer bei Viator bucht, erhält immer das beste Angebot, garantiert niedrige Preise und Flexibilität wie sonst nirgendwo. Links to the city pages:

• Las Vegas Touren & Freizeittipps, Grand Canyon Hubschrauberrundflüge
• New York City Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten
• Barcelona Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten
• Rom Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten
• San Francisco Touren, Tagesausflüge & Aktivitäten

What's next? Polish? Chinese? Stay tuned.

Fellow Holy Rollers: Tours to the Vatican?

Do you believe in God? Wow, that's an interesting way to open a blog post. Religion, politics, bring it on! I ask because God (the one with a capital "G") is such strange thing. Does "H"e really have a beard? Does he really live in the Vatican? Does he really speak Italian? Odds are that "H"e does not. And yet, "H"is agent on Earth -- aka the Pope, Papa, Man with Funny Hat -- does live in Italy. In Rome. In the Vatican. And in fact, you can even take Vatican tours if you like and meet the man. What do you say to God's agent on earth? I'd start with something light, something to break the ice. Maybe a little joke. How about, "A priest, a rabbi and an immam walk into a bar..."

Stonehenge tours, now that we know the answer

You know they -- who is 'they'?, save it for a different day -- have discovered the answer of Stonehenge's mystery. What, you didn't know there was a riddle at Stonehenge, have you been living under a monolith? Sheesh. Yes, there's been a heated debated over the origins of Stonehenge. Who built it, why did they build it, what purpose, that sort of thing. Now after years of study, some smart scientists have an answer. Apparently it's a cemetery. That's right, a cemetery. Likely for some well-to-do people. The rocks at Stonehenge are aligned in such a way as to honor the dead. I think. For sure it's a cemetery. Trust me on that one. Maybe it's time for a Stonehenge tour now that the mystery is solved. Maybe.

Dubai Tours & Things to Do

Just read a nice post about things to do in Dubai over on the Viator blog. I must admit, I've never thought about going to Dubai. Truth be told, I've never thought much about Dubai, full stop. It's always struck me as an oil-rich emirate without much to do. But I'm man enough to admit when I am wrong. Did the photo of Dubai's 'creek' (that's what they call their river, they need some tourism marketing help, clearly) did catch my eye. As did the Dubai desert safari shot. OK, maybe I'm not going to rush out and sign up for a Dubai tour. But sure, I'll add Dubai to my travel wishlist. And really, what's the point of traveling if you don't have a wishlist?

Killerstartups.com

Killer Startups? In 2007? Hard to believe, but true. There are still plenty of tech / web / internet start-ups out there. All of them have either survived the last year or two with little or no funding. Or they've been around for a few years while reinventing themselves on the fly. Interesting. I thought all of this went south in the 2001 crash. Shows you what I know. Some links that caught my eye:

• Cash for broken electronics. That's an idea that works for me.
• Hawaii shirts. Online. Are you kidding me??
• Digital Taxi Ads. Yes, you can buy one for yourself.
• Viator Tours. There they are again.

Singapore Tours, Day Tours, Escape!

Here's my question for this week: Is there anything truly exciting to do or see in Singapore? Such a mixed bag of feedback on the place. Too strict, too sterile, and yet... great food, shopping (if you're into that, I am not), and easy access to the rest of Asia. So what's the story? Please discuss.

What was British Airways Thinking

Seems like people should slow down before making big decisions. Case in point. British Airways mucked it up royally last week (read about it here and here) when then banned surfboards on ALL their flights. All of them. Have you ever seen an angry surfer? It's not a pretty sight. It will be interesting to see if BA backs down.

Lonely Planet and the Beeb

On the theme of independent travel, on why we travel, on the whole meaning of travel, here's an interesting bit of news about Lonely Planet selling itself to the BBC. A good thing? Hard to know. But I agree with the blogger about the "end of independent travel." What does it mean anymore to be "independent"? I struggle with this. A decade ago, it meant you did things on the cheap. It meant you did things on your own. It meant you went places that few other people went. Today, that's a lot harder to do. First of all, there are many more travellers on the road today. There are more airports. There are more low-cost airlines. More people are traveling today then 10 or 15 years ago, it's a simple fact of life. So independence is hard to maintain. Moreover, it's hard to be alone anymore. The internet, mobile phones, community websites, travel sites -- there is so much more information available now, and so many networks of people sharing travel tips and suggestions. The world is less lonely today, for sure. Finally, travel is no longer 'cheap', or let me put that a different way -- it's harder to be cheap these days. Even the hostels cost $15 or $20 a night now. So yes, independent travel is going the way of steamship trampers and rail-car riders. Cool ideas, but a bit old fashioned.

Why we travel, part 3

Read an interesting article today. It's from USA Today about 25 pivotal changes in why we travel. Basically the mainstream media think we travel because you can book things online (reason #1), airports now are more like malls (#7) and because the TSA are dunces and make you take off shoes. Sure, this is how the travel landscape has changed. But really, all 25 "pivotal changes" sited by USA Today miss the point. Travel has always been a challenge, always had things that make it easy / hard depending on the current state of world affairs. But it's a little sad that this article missed the truly important 'pivotal change' over the past 25 years. Why do we travel? Because people crave to discover new culture. Make new connections. To discover the world, and more about themselves, in the process. USA Today has identified the effects. The causes, it has completely missed. The most pivotal element of travel over the last 25 years is the thing that hasn't changed at all. Not one bit. People remain curious, and keen to connect. That's the true #1 thing about travel that is pivotal. Same as it ever was.

Why we travel, part 2

Why do we travel? Sometimes I wonder, what's the real motivation for people to travel? Not weekend getaways. Not seven day holidays. I mean long-term travel, 2 months stints or longer. Seems to me, there's a mix between internal desires (to escape, to be self sufficient, test yourself, to prove that you can do this) and external ones (see new things, eat different foods, meet new people). Strange that the external motivations are 'new and different', and the internal ones really having nothing to do with tavelling, about where you are, only about who you are.