Tag: travel
Safe selfie awareness drive in Maharashtra
May 4 (TravelAndy): Stay safe while taking selfies. That’s what the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is trying to teach people visiting tourist spots in the west Indian state.
The move comes following incidents of people getting injured or even killed while taking selfies.
Some months ago, a teenaged girl was swept away while taking a selfie at Bandra in Mumbai and a man who jumped in to save her drowned as well. Again, a group of youngsters nearly died while taking a selfie on a cliff in the Sahyadris. Continue reading Safe selfie awareness drive in Maharashtra
Iceland woos Indian visitors
April 16 (TravelAndy): Iceland is looking to woo more Indian tourists, following the popularity of the song Gerua from the Bollywood movie Dilwale, that was picturised in the country.
The video of the song features the hit Bollywood pair of superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol and the interest of Indian travelers to visit Iceland has climbed since the song became popular in the subcontinent. Continue reading Iceland woos Indian visitors
Festival keeps Goa abuzz with tourists
March 30 (TravelAndy): Goa is already buzzing with its biggest Spring festival, the Shigmo fest, and it is all set to host the Goa food and culture festival from April 6.
The Shigmo festival, which is celebrated as part of Holi, the festival of colours, began on March 24 and will conclude on April 7.
The major highlights of Shigmo include the traditional folk dance and portrayal of various mythological scenes through colourful parades that take place across the state. Continue reading Festival keeps Goa abuzz with tourists
World celebrates Holi, the fest of colours
March 24 (TravelAndy): Millions of people around the world are today celebrating Holi, the festival of colours.
Though the festival has Hindu origins, this festival, which is associated with the arrival of Spring, has in recent times transcended religious and political boundaries and is celebrated by people in many countries of the world.
In India, the festival is mainly associated with people colouring each other up with coloured powder (gulal) and water-based colours. Many also associate the festival with the drinking of bhang, an intoxicant that is typically mixed with milk shakes. Continue reading World celebrates Holi, the fest of colours
Robots guide visitors at Berlin’s travel fair
March 12 (TravelAndy): Two robots are welcoming visitors to the International Tourism Trade fair in Berlin (ITB).
Chihira Kanae, the robot, is extending warm welcome to the tourists. She is also guiding them to the right direction. She has been joined by her male counterpart, Mario, who is also functioning as a guide to the visitors.
The robots have become one of the prime attraction of ITB fair in Germany’s capital. Continue reading Robots guide visitors at Berlin’s travel fair
Why you should do an Aurora tour in Tromsø
Whether or not to do a northern lights tour was one of the major questions I had in mind ahead of my visit to Tromsø, an university town in northern Norway situated some 2,200km from the North Pole. From what I gathered, a trip was worth it.
So, on an early March evening, I got into a little bus with a group of around fifteen people, most of them with fancy cameras, to try and see the Aurora Borealis. My camera wasn’t so fancy but then, I was no professional photographer. I was just going to check the northern lights off my bucket list.
Trine, the friendly guide from Tromsø Friluftsenter, the northern lights tour company we were travelling with, drove us south of the city to find a place with clear skies and no artificial lights so that we could have the best views. We drove quite some distance until we found a clearing by the road. Continue reading Why you should do an Aurora tour in Tromsø
IRCTC ties up with OYO rooms
February 24 (TravelAndy): Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with standard budget accommodation aggregator OYO rooms.
Rooms listed on OYO are now available for booking on the IRCTC website.
The IRCTC-OYO partnership will offer 45,000 hotel rooms across 170 cities in India. Continue reading IRCTC ties up with OYO rooms
You are fortunate if you are able to travel
Someone I know keeps a lot of birds as pets at home. He was recently jesting about how many animal-lovers complain about people keeping birds in cages.
“But you do realise it restricts the movement and freedom of the birds, don’t you?” I said.
“But it’s a huge cage,” he argued.
“Certainly not as big as the open skies,” I said.
This conversation got me thinking. Continue reading You are fortunate if you are able to travel
How loyal you should be to an airline
I believe every flier should become part of the rewards programme of the airline they fly most often. And that applies even if you fly only once or twice a year.
This is because, first, enrolment is free and second, some day it could save you money for doing nearly nothing out of your way.
That being said, it is also true that being too faithful to one airline has its price and this I found out the hard way. But then, I kind of went out of my way to be faithful. Continue reading How loyal you should be to an airline
Less walking for Mansarovar pilgrims
February 6 (TravelAndy): A Jeep service has been introduced for the 82km stretch between Garbyang and Nabhidang for pilgrims heading to Mansarovar, TOI said.
Introduction of four Jeeps would be decrease the walking distance by 27Km each way.
“We have got four Thar vehicles as per the decision by the state government of and had already sent a letter to the Union ministry of external affairs requesting airlifng of the vehicles from Dharchula to Garbyang, ” Trilok Singh Martolia, an official told TOI. Continue reading Less walking for Mansarovar pilgrims
New airline to link Iqaluit, Ottawa & Halifax
February 3 (TravelAndy): New Canadian budget airline FlySarvaq intends to begin flights on May 6.
The airline will connect Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, the northernmost and largest territory of Canada, to Ottawa and Helifax.
FlySarvaq plans to depart Ottawa for Iqaluit early on Mondays and Fridays and return to Ottawa from Iqaluit early in the evening. Continue reading New airline to link Iqaluit, Ottawa & Halifax
NewLeaf fails to keep Feb 12 flight date
January 20 (TravelAndy): Canadian low-cost carrier, NewLeaf has suspended its plan to start flights following a licence issue raised by Canadian Transportation Agency.
According to reports, the airline has decided to refund all credit card transaction for tickets booked to avail the flight service, which was initially scheduled to begin from February 12.
The airline hopes to be able to begin official services from spring, this year. Continue reading NewLeaf fails to keep Feb 12 flight date