Sep 25th, 2009 at 9:00AM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/London_loses_most_expensive_city_title'; For years, London dominated the top spot in almost every "most expensive city in the world" lineup. The city also took top spots with its expensive hotels and even expensive food.
That dubious honor is starting to crumble - the city is slowly turning into a budget destination instead of a luxury destination.
...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
UnitedKingdom posts
London loses top spot in "most expensive city" lineup
Sep 25th, 2009 at 9:00AM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/London_loses_most_expensive_city_title'; For years, London dominated the top spot in almost every "most expensive city in the world" lineup. The city also took top spots with its expensive hotels and even expensive food.
That dubious honor is starting to crumble - the city is slowly turning into a budget destination instead of a luxury destination.
...Hadrian's Wall Day Six: reaching the coast
Sep 8th, 2009 at 3:30PM:
It's the last day of my hike and I wake up excited. I have only fifteen miles to go to finish walking across the country! Sure, I've been going along one of the narrowest parts of England, but it still feels good. I'll be staying at the same hotel in Carlisle, the Brooklyn House, again tonight, and that means I can finish up my hike with only a day pack. Back in Roman times Carlisle was called ...Hadrian's Wall Day Five: across the lowlands
Sep 7th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Getting up early I take a last look at the crags that I crossed yesterday before heading west and towards Carlisle. I'm now in the lowlands and after scrabbling over steep rock for the past two days it's very easy going. Add the fact that it's sunny and I only have eleven miles to walk today, and I have an easy ramble ahead of me. The countryside is more populated here, and I pass by hedges, ...Hiking Hadrian's Wall: Day Four--over the crags
Sep 6th, 2009 at 3:30PM: I set out from Twice Brewed having hiked halfway across England without discovering any problems in what is now officially my middle-aged body. In fact, I feel pretty damn good. The central portion of the Hadrian's Wall Path is dominated by a series of crags. The Wall goes right up and over them. It would have been easier to build around, but the Romans wanted to take advantage of the natural ...Dim Sum Dialogues: HKSAR Establishment Day
Jul 2nd, 2009 at 7:00PM: Growing up in America, I've been accustomed to celebrating the 4th of July with the typical afternoon barbecues, long days at the beach, and nights of firework displays. When I found out that July 1st was Hong Kong's equivalent holiday, I guess I imagined similar celebrations - with seafood replacing the dogs & burgers and maybe a few more firecrackers set off in the streets. I was wrong. I ...Going to the UK? Check your change
Jun 30th, 2009 at 11:30AM: If you're planning a holiday in the United Kingdom this year, check your coins. The Royal Mint at Llantrisant in Wales churned out tens of thousands of 20 pence coins with no date on them, the BBC reported. The mix up happened because on the new design for the 20p coin the date was switched from the tails to the heads, but when the coins were made, the mint used the new tails die and the old heads ...Travel Bookshelf: Cheeky Guides
May 15th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Let's face it--most guidebooks are boring. Sure, they're informative, but they either read like a postgraduate thesis (Blue Guides) or are filled with snotty, uninformed opinions (take your pick)
The Cheeky Guides come as a breath of fresh air, or rather a gust of lager-laden belches from some local lush leaning against the bar at a seedy pub. These guides to Oxford and Brighton, two of England's ...2/3 of Brit pubs to increase beer prices
May 4th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Nearly a fifth of British pub owners are increasing beer prices now, taking the national average above the current level of ₤3 a pint. Ten percent are looking to pop an extra 15 pence on every glass, with two-thirds looking to push prices higher by 5 pence to 10 pence. The price of a beer has tripled over the past 20 years, obviously making it a better investment than that Enron stock you're ...Continental's Restaurant Week could increase revenue
May 1st, 2009 at 8:00AM:
On its face, Continental Airlines' participation in International Restaurant Week seems like just another promotion. Think harder, though, and you'll see that it's really a way for the airline to bring in a little extra cash. Since passengers with a bit of extra girth may be charged for an extra seat, it only makes sense to fatten up fliers and reap the rewards.
A dozen New York restaurants ...On Horseback From Beijing to London
Apr 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Last weekend, a 65-year old retired British teacher named Megan Lewis, and her two Chinese companions, Li Jing and Peng Wenchao, climbed into the saddles of their horses, and set off on an epic ride. Over the next three years, they'll cover more than 5000 miles, on two continents, as they travel from Beijing to London completely on horseback. The plan is to deliver a message of good will from ...Brits continue to self-congratulate on cleanliness
Apr 19th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Brits are the best-behaved hotel guests, according to a survey by TripAdvisor. More than 3,000 participated in the study, and the results are certain to reinforce stereotypes. Forty-three percent of hotel guests from the UK make their own beds every morning ... which is nothing compared to the 79 percent who put their clothes neatly in the closets.
But, tidiness comes with a price. Travelers from ...Brit cops delete photos, fight terrorism
Apr 18th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Two Austrian tourists ran afoul of local police when they took pictures of the city's famous double-decker buses. Klaus Matzka and his son, Loris, were clicking away on the streets of London while on vacation. Shots of a bus station in Walthamstow (in east London), however, got the cops interested.
The tourists were told by local police that they were not allowed to photograph anything related ...News from Sugar not sweet: Pay up front
Apr 14th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Brits interested in chartering jets may have to crack out the checkbook up front from now on. Sir Alan Sugar, owner of luxury charter service Amsair, says credit won't cut it, as he tries to whittle down his company's bad debts. For some, being given the choice to pay up front is fortunate ... others are just being turned away. In what can only be described as a "no shit" moment, Sugar explains to ...Record influx of visitors to U.S. in 2008
Mar 26th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Last year, 58 million international visitors came to the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That's an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2007. To sweeten it up a bit, 13 of the top 25 arrivals markets saw new records set. In the last month of the year, nearly 4 million people came here from abroad – down 7 percent. The fourth quarter was down 6 percent ...Amazing Destinations That Can't Be Reached By Car
Mar 25th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Modern transportation has made it extremely easy for travelers to get to just about any place in the world. Each day there are international flights that can take us to the four corners of the globe and modern roads and trains will deliver us to the best sights and monuments to be found at our destination, before whisking us back to a comfy hotel, complete with hot and cold running water, room ...Ten Must See Monuments
Mar 21st, 2009 at 8:30AM: BootsnAll brings us another excellent list, with the intention of adding yet more destinations to our ever expanding "life lists". This time it's their selection of ten magnificent monuments, amazing structures from around the globe, that inspire us to travel thousands of miles just so we can take them in ourselves. Some of the selections on the list are centuries old, such as the Nubian monuments ...400 strip for Aer Lingus tickets, some of them hotties
Mar 17th, 2009 at 4:00PM:
Remember that stunt we covered last week ... where an anonymous airline was giving away free flights to people who would flash as a flash mob? Well, it was Aer Lingus, and there were only 400 winners. Fortunately, they all seem to be attractive. I'm guessing we didn't want to see the other 600 anyway.
The strip site, which was kept secret until the last minute, was Jubilee Gardens in London. ...Bare butt (flight) bargains in Britain
Mar 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: You'll do anything for a free flight, right? You'll stand at the counter and yell and scream at some gate agent for half an hour while a line that stretches back to the next terminal wait with looks of increasing contempt. You'll get up in the middle of the night to enter every online contest you can find first. But, would you strip to your skin – in the company of 998 other non-professional ...UK Airports to face penalties when they screw up your trip
Mar 10th, 2009 at 2:00PM: The UK has a bit of a history when it comes to airports getting in the way of your vacation plans. London Heathrow airport is where I've spent many a night waiting for air traffic to get back to normal while they attempt to fix whatever was interfering with my plans. Last year was undoubtedly the worst period in the history of UK airport screw ups - the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 was nothing ...Heathrow annoying, Americans rude according to some social network
Feb 22nd, 2009 at 5:00PM: The members of social network Where Are you Now? have spoken! Heathrow is the worst airport in the world, according to voters, thanks to passport control lines and baggage problems. The Brits don't get all the glory, though. JFK in New York and Los Angeles picked up spots #2 and #3, respectively. The good news, for Heathrow and JFK, at least, is that both were at the top of the list for security. ...
