Tag: travel
India-Thailand road trip on cards
September 4 (TravelAndy): Thailand will only be a road trip away for Indian tourists in a few months with the first 26 kilometres of Asian Highway 1 (AH1) being inaugurated in Thailand recently.
Once complete, AH1 will connect Moreh in India’s Manipur state and Mae Sot in western Thailand via Myanmar. Construction of the highway began in 2012.
The Indian government wants to get the entire 3,200km stretch of AH1 operational by November, reports said. Continue reading India-Thailand road trip on cards
Why I fell in love with Darjeeling
Dipuda.
DiPuDa.
Digha. Puri. Darjeeling.
While Digha is a beach town in the southern part of West Bengal state in India, Puri is another popular beach/pilgrim town in Odisha, the state south of West Bengal. Darjeeling is a hill station in the Himalaya mountains in northern West Bengal.
These three are staple in the Bengali travel diet and Dipuda, consequently, is a joke on the quintessential Bengali bhodrolok (gentleman) who is a frequent visitor to these places. Continue reading Why I fell in love with Darjeeling
Airbnb, Booking.com feel Barcelona heat
August 27 (TravelAndy): Barcelona mayor Ada Colau has warned home rental websites against marketing of apartments for tourists without a number showing that they are on the Catalan tourism register.
She also wanted websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com to share information on the property owners with the authorities.
“Everybody must comply with the same game rules,” Colau told Reuters, adding that there were thousands of apartments in the city that did not pay the Catalan tourist tax of EUR0.65 per person, per night. Continue reading Airbnb, Booking.com feel Barcelona heat
For India, Thailand holidays are on
August 23 (TravelAndy): Travel agents have found that there have hardly been any cancellations from Indian tourists on holiday bookings in Bangkok in the wake of the deadly bombing in the Thai capital on August 17 that killed 20 people and wounded around 130, The Times of India reported.
“Thailand still remains a popular destination for Indian travellers. The Bangkok blasts have not fuelled major security concerns among travellers, but they are definitely cautious now,” said Ranjeet Oak, chief business officer – holidays, of MakeMyTrip.com. Continue reading For India, Thailand holidays are on
Bangkok tourism feels blast heat
August 21 (TravelAndy): The tourism industry in Bangkok is feeling the heat in the wake of the deadly bombing in the Thai capital on August 17 that killed 20 people and wounded around 130.
Security has been tightened in the city which has started to see a large number of booking cancellations by jittery tourists.
Tour and hotel room bookings are down by five per cent, reported Bangkok Post, but people associated with the tourism industry say the real impact will be clear over the next week or two. Continue reading Bangkok tourism feels blast heat
Taj on Lonely Planet ‘ultimate’ list
August 19 (TravelAndy): Taj Mahal features at number five in an ultimate travel list brought out by Lonely Planet.
“How do you achieve architectural perfection? Start with acres of shimmering white marble. Add a few thousand semi- precious stones, carved and inlaid in intricate Islamic patterns. Take a sublime setting by a sacred river, in jewel-like formal gardens. Apply a little perfect symmetry, and tie up the whole package in an outlandish story of timeless love. And there you have the Taj Mahal,” Lonely Planet says. Continue reading Taj on Lonely Planet ‘ultimate’ list
Sleep cheap in a New York taxi
August 16 (TravelAndy): Are you looking for a place to crash in central New York but don’t have much cash to spare? Consider sleeping in a taxi for around USD39.
Jonathan Powley has been renting out a taxi, van and campervan since April on Airbnb.
The rent starts from USD22 a night, reports quoted him as saying.
These vehicles have been converted to house a large bed and a fan. They are parked in the Long Island City neighbourhood of Queens, just across the East River from Manhattan. Continue reading Sleep cheap in a New York taxi
Taj Mahal debuts on Twitter
August 15 (TravelAndy): Taj Mahal made its debut on Twitter on the occasion of India’s Independence Day on Saturday.
The handle — @TajMahal — calls itself the official Twitter handle of the “world’s most loved monument” and displays a link to the Uttar Pradesh tourism website.
It already has close to 5,000 followers. Continue reading Taj Mahal debuts on Twitter
Airbnb worry for hotels
August 15 (TravelAndy): Airbnb is giving sleepless nights to hotels in most parts of the world but the the place where hoteliers are feeling the most heat is probably Paris.
The site, which is a place for people to rent, find and list lodging, claims to have 1.5 million listings in 190 countries.
It has 50,000 of them in Paris alone.
“The Paris market is going to get very difficult,” Didier le Calvez, managing director of the Bristol Hotel told Reuters. Continue reading Airbnb worry for hotels
Kyoto’s list of don’ts for visitors
August 13 (TravelAndy): Japan’s former capital and popular tourist destination Kyoto has released a list of don’ts for tourists visiting the city.
The guideline is called ‘Akimahen’, the Japanese word meaning ‘don’ts’.
This list includes some basic civic manners as well as Japanese traditions that visitors are expected to adhere to.
It is absolutely forbidden to smoke in a public place in Kyoto and the offence invites a a fine of JPY1,000. Continue reading Kyoto’s list of don’ts for visitors
How to glide through airport security check
A lot of people I know are uncomfortable about security check at airports.
It’s not really as complicated and tiresome as it seems, you know! If you keep a few things in mind, you can sail through security check pretty smoothly.
The thing to understand is the fact that these rules are in place for the safety of passengers, and you are one of them. So, before you become biased in thinking of how you may be discriminated against and how you are being treated like a criminal, think of this basic fact.
Here are some pointers that will help you sail smoothly through airport security. Continue reading How to glide through airport security check
Come September, says England
This is a guest post by Jayeeta Ghorai
England is studded with wonderful gardens and buildings, both ancient and new. But most of these are either closed to the public, as they are private properties, or extract a heavy entrance fee.
However, once a year, tourists from all over the world get entry to these landmarks – for free!
Heritage Open Days is a four-day, England-wide celebration of architecture and culture. This multi-event festival includes free guided heritage tours, talks and heritage trail walks, besides access to buildings and private gardens. Nationally coordinated by English Heritage (the same governing body which looks after Stonehenge, Westbury White Horse, Hadrian’s Wall and other well-known monuments), a horde of dedicated local volunteers and private owners join in to run this popular tourist event across the country. Continue reading Come September, says England