Remote African nation saves rare giraffes from extinction originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Man's new best friend could be a robot originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When most people think of a "safari" they think of hiking through the bush of South Africa or trekking through the jungles of Costa Rica in search of exotic animals native to the region.

But here in the US we have plenty of our own wild animals to see and going "on safari" here doesn't have to mean doing one of those drive-though "wild animal" parks where non-native animals like zebras and giraffes flock to your car for the food they know you're going to throw at them through your open window.

For a more upscale safari trip in the United States, check out American Safari Cruises, which offers small-group ultra-luxury all-inclusive sailings around North America. There's aren't your typical mega-cruises. The vessels are yatchs and are limited to 12, 22 or 36 guests. All meals, airport transfers, alcoholic drinks and shores excursions are included in the price. And according to the company's website, they institute green and sustainable practices, and give back to the communities they visit on each safari.

Some of the safaris offered include spotting whales, black bears, grizzly bears, bald eagles, mountain goats and wolves in Alaska, birdwatching and snorkeling with sea turtles and exotic fish in Hawaii, and looking for whales, sea lions, seals, black bears and deer in the Pacific Northwest.

Cruises range from 7 to 14 nights and rates start at about $5000 per person.

Plan a luxury safari in the US with American Safari Cruises originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the great draws of visiting a National Park like Yosemite in California is that you can get very close to nature and see animals in their own habitat. But there is a limit to just how close you want to get to certain animals, especially black bears, which can be dangerous to both humans and cars as they look for food.

There are several ways to reduce your risk of having an unpleasant encounter with a black bear, and as it turns out, not driving a mini van may be one of them.

A study done by the Journal Mammology over a 7 year period in Yosemite has shown that black bears in the region seem to prefer minivans as their vehicle of choice when looking for a snack. But, the study reveals, it's not actually the car style and size the bears are attracted to (and no, they don't care about the car's crash safety ratings either), it's more about fuel efficiency. And by "fuel efficiency", they mean which cars provide the most food for the bears.

It seems that minivan drivers are more likely to be traveling with a family and toting around small children - children who inevitably leave open snack containers in the car or who leave a trail of chips and cookies behind them.

Continue reading Going to Yosemite? Don't take the minivan!

Going to Yosemite? Don't take the minivan! originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Extra fees charged by airlines, the "new normal," are so popular that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has gotten into the game. And, bitching about these fees is equally popular, prompting the European Parliament to sound off like its members are Ryanair passengers with full bladders and no coin for the slot.

At issue is a planned $10 charge for Europeans coming to the United States. The European Parliament calls the charge unfair, saying it amounts to a new visa restriction. Enrst Strasser, a lawmaker from Austria, says that the requirements for entry under the Obama administration are even harder than they were under the previous (U.S.) government and that for us is a contradiction that we in the European Parliament cannot accept," Austrian lawmaker Ernst Strasser told Napolitano during a special hearing with her. "We really have to insist on our European values, that European data protection laws and European civil liberties also have to be taken account of."

Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, calls the fee reasonable, since the United States doesn't have an agency for travel and tourism, "unlike many of your countries," she said of the European states. The $10 fee would be used to "fund and help tourists and travelers who wish to come to the United States." Since budgets are constrained at both federal and local levels, Napolitano feels this is a reasonable move.

Continue reading Europeans complain about U.S. travel fees

Europeans complain about U.S. travel fees originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This is a what NOT to do story if you're ever in a Pilatus PC-7 Mk II. Do not, I repeat, do not, use the black and yellow handle located between your legs to steady yourself. Not even if you're pretending to be Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun. Pull on that handle and you'll find yourself out of the plane before you can say, "Ooops, I shouldn't have done that."

That handle is what the pilots and passengers can use to activate the ejector seat in order to shoot out from the plane in case of an emergency.

In the case of this recent mishap, the passenger was on a joy ride with an expert pilot of South Africa's Silver Falcons air display team when he pulled the lever during one of the maneuvers.

And whoosh!, there he went--the two rockets attached to the back of his chair catapulting him right out of the plane 100m up into the wide open sky.

Luckily, the ejector seat is designed to release a parachute so the man safely floated back to solid ground near the Langebaanweg airfield not far from Cape Town, South Africa.

If one could be assured that you'd land as safely as this guy did, you have to admit this does sound like it would be a blast in more ways than one.

I wonder if pilots will now post a sign front of the passenger seat saying, "DO NOT pull the yellow and black lever. DON"T EVEN TOUCH IT. Ever." [news.com.au]

*The Pilatus PC-7 in the photo is from the Royal Netherlands Air Force

Man accidently ejects himself from plane originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oprah says good-bye to Chicago originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Financial trouble at British Airways could lead to strike originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I suffer from serious anxiety while flying. I've tried learning about the mechanics of flight, popping Xanax, I've even taken a flight lesson in an effort to cure my fear. Sometimes I can stay calm, but on other flights, for apparently no reason, I'll suddenly have a panic attack. It's more than a small problem.

For people like me, Virgin Atlantic has created a new iPhone app based on their Flying without Fear class. According to a press release, their course has a 98% success rate for helping fearful flyers cope. The iPhone app takes elements of the course (which recently helped Whoopi Goldberg manage her fear) and offers a mobile solution for use during the flight. Passengers can watch a video explanation of how planes work, read answers to frequently asked questions, and follow along with deep breathing and relaxation techniques.

There's also a "fear attack" button for emergencies. The problem with that idea being, of course, that when I truly panic - shaking and hyperventilating - I don't really have the capacity to hit my fear button and read and process the information. I'm too busy trying not to cry. But perhaps reviewing the information beforehand might help if a moment of panic strikes.

The Flying without Fear course usually costs about $350; the iPhone app is $4.99 in the iTunes store. Even if the app only helps a little, it sounds like a sound investment to me.

New Virgin Atlantic iPhone app helps people with a fear of flying originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Christians protest transssexual Jesus originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In five to six years, Shanghai will have joined Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris as a city out of the U.S. with a Disney theme park. China may or may not need a Disney theme park, but Disney's aim is that the Shanghai location will help create a mighty want for Disney products among the country's population.

With 1.5 billion people in China, Disney is hoping that the big bucks it will cost to dazzle the multitudes will pay off in other avenues. As anyone who has ever been to a Disney property knows, the theme park is not just a way to be wowed for a day or two; it's a gateway into other Disney habits. The hope is that the wow moments are enough to make you crave more.

Continue reading Shanghai to get a Disney theme park: Does it need one?

Shanghai to get a Disney theme park: Does it need one? originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading 10 tips for traveling as a couple - and not breaking up

10 tips for traveling as a couple - and not breaking up originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Skiing, like polo and yachting, is a rich man's(or woman's) sport. The equipment is expensive, and in order to participate, you need to go to a specific place. In the case of skiing, this means paying ski lift fees and traveling to a pricey ski resort. The costs can add up and make it prohibitively expensive for less affluent ski enthusiasts.

But there are some less expensive ski resorts. Ski.com has put together a list of the top ten affordable ski spots in North America.

Keystone, near Denver, makes the list because of the many extras it offers, such as night skiing included with a lift ticket on the day of arrival, plus access to nearby resorts like Vail and Breckenridge. Steamboat in Colorado is on the list thanks to affordable ski-in/ski-out lodging and convenient shuttle services. And Winter Park, also in Colorado, is praised as catering to a "moderate demographic, no luxury properties."

Whistler-Blackcomb, near Vancouver, is normally a very pricey destination. But in an attempt to lure visitors before the Olympics, it is offering some fantastic deals right now. Airfare to Vancouver can be expensive, depending on where you fly from, but you can save money by flying into Seattle and taking a train to Vancouver.

Jackson Hole (Wyoming), Banff(Alberta, Canada), and Lake Tahoe round out the western top ten with plentiful deals, discounts, and special offers that help keep prices low. On the east coast, Stowe(Vermont) and Lake Placid in New York offer excellent mid-week prices.

The 10 most-affordable ski spots in North America originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Ten pilots you don't want in your cockpit

Two years in jail for pointing a laser at a plane originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To enter, just go to the contest webpage and send an email, explaining in 20 words or less, what you'd like to see in the next Lonely Planet email. Invite three friends to do the same and you might end up with the grand prize.

The contest ends January 13 and winners will be decided the next day. One judge will narrow down the entries to 20, and another will select the final winner based on creativity of the response. The winner will get a $9000 voucher that can be used on any STA products or services, plus an extra $1000 in spending money if her or she referred three friends at the time of entry. The voucher is valid for one year and can be used to book flights, tours, rail passes and travel insurance.

10 runners-up will receive iPods or a collection of Lonely Planet books.

Win up to $10,000 worth of travel from Lonely Planet and STA Travel originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and I love No Reservations. A show that combines travel to places both exotic and familiar, pure rockstar gluttony and classic Bourdain snark - how could it go wrong? So when I heard that Bourdain was creating an animated web series for the Travel Channel (relax, it will NOT be taking the place of No Reservations) I figured it couldn't be anything less than awesome.

Based on the sneak peak, the show looks like its going to have plenty of Bourdain's signature sense of humor. In the first episode, "Robo Chef," Bourdain laments how much effort it takes to create the perfect celebrity chef - all that work and then they go off and get their own talk show! - so he decides to make one himself. But when he accidentally puts in Rachel Ray's brain instead of Alton Brown's, things go awry.

According to Bourdain himself, future episodes won't be all about his issues with Food Network chefs. They're designed to be alternative versions of No Reservations - "representing things we never could have done on the actual show - or representing the way things should have gone on the show - or animated acknowledgments of what already went terribly wrong on the show."

One of the six webisodes will be posted on the Travel Channel website each month. The first will debut November 2nd.

Anthony Bourdain creates animated web series originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A British couple sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania was kidnapped by Somali pirates and is now being held for ransom.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, both in their late 50's, had been sailing since March on their 38-foot sailboat and keeping a blog about their journey. Last week family and friends alerted authorities that they had not heard from the couple in several days, and shortly after, their boat was found in the waters of the Indian Ocean off Somalia.

Pirates boarded the boat while the Chandlers slept and began demanding money. They took all the items of value off the boat and then forced the couple to onto a container shipp they'd seized earlier this month.

The pirates then called a British news station and allowed Chandler to make a statement saying that he and his wife had been kidnapped. So far the pirates have not asked for a ransom, but the assumption is that they will make their demands soon. Luckily, family members of the Chandlers have indicated that they will pay for the safe return of the couple.

With all the news about pirates attacking ships off the Somali coast, I was surprised that someone would sail a small craft through the area. Pirates usually go for bigger ships, but have attacked smaller boats and yachts as well. They assume the people on board will be wealthy and, as in this case, that their families will pay a ransom for them.

British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New family friendly blog aims to make travel much easier originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National Geographic Traveler has released the results of its 6th annual survey of authenticity and "destination stewardship". The survey, ranks 133 places on earth according to how well (or how poorly) the local governments, businesses and residents are protecting the area from degradation, along with other factors like risk of natural disasters.

437 panelists scored each destination according to: environmental and ecological quality, social and cultural integrity, condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites, aesthetic appeal, quality of tourism management, and outlook for the future.

The highest-rated place: the Fjords region of Norway, followed by locations like the South Island of New Zealand, Slovenia, Ancient Kyoto in Japan, the Bavarian Alps and Vermont. Other places listed as "doing well" include Tuscany, Cappadocia, Easter Island, South Africa's Kruger National Park, and Kentucky's Bluegrass Country.

There are some places "in the balance" that need work in multiple areas. Destinations such as Costa Rica, the Great Barrier Reef, Prague's Old Town, Petra and St. Lucia are included here. From there, it gets worse. Places with "troubles" include Ha Long Bay, Giza, Venice and Siem Reap.

The bottom of the barrel: Cabo San Lucas, the West Bank, and Spain's Costa del Sol.

More interesting than the rankings are the reasons behind them. For example, Costa del Sol rates so low because it's a "textbook example of mass tourism run amok", overdeveloped, unattractive and straining local water resources. And what makes the Fjords so great? Few visitors, environmental quality, and a tourism industry that benefits the local people yet allows them to preserve traditional ways of life.

National Geographic ranks 133 destinations originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Canadian singer-songwriter Dave Carroll flew United again, and it just didn't work out. Carroll made the headlines when he released a YouTube video explaining his experience with United, which broke his guitar when he changed planes at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

In his first song, Carroll said he wouldn't rule out flying United again, specifically, "To save the world, I probably would ... but that won't likely happen." Well, he did fly United again, simply because he needed a direct flight from Nova Scotia to Denver, and United had the only one available. This time, United didn't break his guitar, but it did lose his luggage.

When he arrived at Denver International Airport, Carroll learned that his luggage was delayed, and the United employees on hand told him to wait for it. Meanwhile, an airport official told him to leave the baggage claim area. Eventually he yielded -- a smart move, since his luggage didn't arrive until Wednesday. And, yet again, United is in the position of having to investigate a problem associated with quite possibly the nicest wronged customer in the history of the travel business.

Continue reading United just can't win with Canadian singer

United just can't win with Canadian singer originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.