December 30, 2016: Time Square is the cliche travel destination to celebrate the new year — and while it might be something worth doing once, the densely overcrowded streets of New York aren’t as glamorous as they seem. For a more unique and create destination to celebrate the new year, check out some of these locations recommended by Lonely Planet, from New Orleans to Sydney, Australia.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/where-to-expand-your-horizons-this-new-years-eve
December 21, 2016: It’s official — Alaska has fully taken over Virgin America! The combined operation is now the 5th largest US carrier with over 1,200 daily departures to 118 destinations that include the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. The newly combined carrier has more daily non-stops from the West Coast than any other carrier. Yet to be “clarified” — will the Virgin America name disappear?
December 19, 2016: According to a recent New York times feature, hotels are paying more attention to online reviews on sites like Yelp, Travelocity, Trip Advisor and others. Sometimes negative reviewers even receive a phone call from the offending property asking how they can make things better. Be aware though, most sites tend to refuse to run really negative reviews and sites keep track of “repeat negative” reviewers. Trip Advisor says they have over 300 people in seven countries who monitor negative reviews.
December 16. 2016: Uber is back in the news — and telling riders “don’t have sex” when using their service! According to Uber, “No sexual contact with drivers or fellow riders — no matter what”. Seems to be contrary to one of their mantra’s that says “Uber is a fun and new way to get people from place to place.”
December 10, 2016: San Francisco based Uber can now be used worldwide in over 400 cities in 72 countries. They have yet to be profitable — they say they will make a profit when they lead the way in the coming self drive (cars and trucks) markets! We’ll see?
December 8, 2016: Based on a recent international survey — that included lifestyle, budget, cost of living, healthcare and buying or renting, here’s “where in the world” to retire (top five destinations): Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Malaysia.
