TRAVELS TOUR

They had warded off the French. Given the Americans a bloody nose. And is now taking an expansionist China head-on.

Does it ring a bell? Surely, yes.

It’s a hilly land with dense tropical forests — a country that once lent its name to a slogan that shook the streets of a city thousands of kilometres away in a different country.

Vietnam, situated on the eastern part of mainland Southeast Asia, is a land of stunning beauty but it was its politics of defiance — which had found resonance among communists in Kolkata — that got this writer hooked. So, when my childhood buddy, Chris, invited me over, I couldn’t say no and hopped on to the next flight out to explore the charms of his country, my first foreign trip since the pandemic shut the world down two years back.

The first impressions of a new visitor

The energy of a growing city is palpable, from the moment one lands at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese airports are chock-a-block with flyers, young and old, while the streets are packed with people sitting on tiny stools, enjoying Pho, the popular beef noodle soup served at roadside stalls and eateries across the country.

A bowl of Pho

The first impression for a new visitor is that of a bustling city. And then there is its name, Ho Chi Minh, that takes you back in time to the 1960s and the 1970s. A time when this city would reverberate with the slogan, “Tomar Naam, Amar Naam (your name, my name), Vietnam, Vietnam.” That sense of identification, which went beyond geographical boundaries, might not have happened without this man, Ho Chi Minh, one of the most influential communist leaders of

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TRAVELLING

Why there’s so much chaos at airports right now [Video]

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Traveling this summer has become a nightmare experience for millions of travelers in the U.S. and Europe.

Delays and cancellations are rampant, as are long lines and lost luggage. According to David Slotnick, senior aviation reporter at The Points Guy, there are a number of factors at play, but COVID is at the root of it.

“It all stems from the height of the pandemic, when companies — both airlines, airports, and their subcontractors — laid off or furloughed a lot of employees,” Slotnick said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “It’s been very difficult to staff up. We’ve obviously seen that here, too. But it’s been a difficult situation in Europe.”

Travelers push their luggages at the Terminal 2 of El Prat airport in Barcelona on July 12, 2022. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP)

Between April and June, European airline carriers had more than double the number of cancellations of U.S.-based ones, according to RadarBox.com. Lines at some airports in Europe have gotten so long that it has taken hours for some travelers to get through security and finally board their flights.

On Tuesday, John Holland-Kaye, CEO of London’s Heathrow Airport, went so far as to ask airlines to stop selling tickets until September.

“We recognize that this will mean some summer journeys will either be moved to another day, another airport, or canceled,” Holland-Kaye heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/14051″ data-ylk=”slk:wrote in a letter” class=”link “wrote in a letter to passengers. “And we apologize to those whose travel plans are affected.”

While no airlines have yet responded to the CEO’s request, many of these companies are aware of the problem at hand. Delta CEO Ed Bastian recently apologized to customers for the number of disruptions, though the airline has improved its reliability so far in July.

Delta Air Lines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, protest outside Terminal 4 at JFK International <a href=

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TOUR

Gettysburg among US towns with most tour and travel guides

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (STACKER) – Travelers are raring to hit the road and take in some of the best attractions in the United States. More than 30,980 tour and travel guides are ready to show them the way.

Bounce examined employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find which metropolitan areas employ the most tour and travel guides. In addition to the number of people employed in the industry, the data shows that the top 20 destinations that emerged from the study are located near metropolitan areas and state and national parks—destinations which have gained popularity since the pandemic.

Get traffic alerts from the abc27 mobile app for the latest local delays and road closures

Annual salaries were determined with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics—which showed a mean hourly wage of $15.96—and multiplying that by 40 hours a week for 52 weeks per year. Some things that can be deduced from this information include the length of the tourism season for certain destinations and the intricacies of tours.

Though California, Florida, and Colorado emerged as the states that employ the most tour guides, the top 20 tour destinations listed here only include one California destination. Read on to check out the top 20 destinations and some of the sights that await.

#20. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

– Tour guides per 1,000 jobs: 0.69
– Hourly median wage: $13.99
– Annual median wage: $29,100

Located in South Carolina Lowcountry, Hilton Head Island is known for its pristine beaches and lush natural habitats.

Receiving local insight on flora and fauna from naturalists and master birders at destinations like the Audubon Newhall Preserve and Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge enriches a visit. Staff of organizations like Sea Turtle Patrol and Turtle Trackers educate the public about loggerhead turtles

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HOTEL

High volume of 911 calls from local hotel links back to housing crisis

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Despite crime being down in the city of Fort Myers—Fort Myers Police are seeing a trend at a local hotel on U.S. 41.

Even though the snowbirds are out of town right now, FMPD said there is actually one area of town that’s remaining busy…for them.

Police told Fox 4 Investigates the Travelodge located on South Cleveland Avenue has more 911 calls than any other hotel in the area.

MORE: See Part One of this report

Since May, police have responded to this hotel for an armed robbery, a shooting, a resident of the hotel who was accused of animal abuse across the street, and many other calls for service. This prompted FOX 4 to look deeper into the activity at the hotel.

When you combine low hotel rates with the affordable housing crisis that’s squeezing people across the area, you get a larger number of people with nowhere else to turn. That included an 18-year-old who lived at the hotel with her mother when they couldn’t afford rent.

“I felt like the first week I was there, it [the hotel] didn’t have much of an issue. But then a month or two later, everything started to go downhill,” the teenager said.

This 18-year-old did not want to risk her safety by going on camera, so we’re going to refer to her as Jane. A homeless advocate who partners with Fort Myers Police introduced us to Jane as a former customer of the hotel.

“There are a lot of negative things that go on over there… Violence, people have guns, not respecting the hotel policies, not caring and a lot of times it ends with cops,” Jane said.

Some of the things Jane claims to have seen showed up in 5 years of calls for service records Fox 4 Investigates

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ADVENTURE

Your Romantic Partner Shouldn’t Be Your Only Adventure Partner

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

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In the summer of 2018, Adam, my boyfriend at the time, was my main adventure partner. I realized this was an issue halfway up the first pitch of a climb in Squamish, British Columbia. My heart was racing as I held my breath and tried over and over again to jam my hand in an overhanging, fist-wide crack. As I dangled on the rope out of Adam’s line of sight, I burst into tears, cursing him for choosing a climb that was just too hard for me. “You got this,” he encouraged me from the first anchor. What seemed like an hour later, I fumbled my way up the last 30 feet, frustrated, panicked, and unable to put a smile back on my face. “You should’ve known this would be too hard for me,” I yelled at him as I clipped in, tears welling up at the bottom of my eyes. He apologized, unsure how to react to my volatility. We abandoned our goal and rappeled to the ground.

Adam and I had moved to Bellingham, Washington, together a few years prior to this incident. He was freshly recovered from hip surgery and we were both stoked to add skills like alpine climbing and glacier travel to our repertoire. We loved all the same activities and had similar adventure goals, so other friendships took the back seat while we were together. But when our relationship eventually faded, I was left to relearn how to be independent—in the outdoors and in my personal life.

After Adam, I dated Alex. Where Adam was compassionate and supportive in the mountains, Alex was more logic-driven. When I started to learn his sports (skiing and mountain biking), Alex took on the role of teacher. He was eager to help, but the mutual hard-headedness that

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VACATION

Here are some options for your next family vacation

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

When planning a family vacation, it can be a challenge to narrow the voluminous options.
Here are five categories to consider.

Make road trip memories

Explore along the historic Route 66, where your family will marvel at the wide-open spaces, the changing landscape and the rich history discovered as you follow the path of the original Mother Road. Plan for a stop in the small town of Oatman, Ariz., where it’s said there are more wild burros than people. The burros are the offspring of the original critters that worked alongside gold miners back in the day.

Some shops even sell carrots that can be fed to the four-legged creatures. The colorful town might have faded into history were it not for the resurgence of interest in the Mother Road. And the burros, of course.

Today, visitors channel the Wild West history (be on the lookout for staged shootouts on Main Street), stroll along wide-planked wooden sidewalks, and hike in the adjacent wilderness areas.

For more: www.VisitArizona.com

Theme park thrills in Carlsbad, Calif.

Pair a little SoCal sunshine with some theme park fun during a visit to Legoland California, where more than 60 rides, shows and attractions beckon children ages 2 to 12. (Note some rides have height restrictions.) Youngsters will enjoy testing their skills in the Junior Driving School and will get a thrill out of the Coastersaurus.

Later, they can cool off in the on-site water park. Don’t miss the chance to build, test and race your own Ferrari in the new attraction’s “garage,” also home to a life-size, bright red Ferrari F40 model crafted from more than 350,000 LEGO elements.

For more: www.Legoland.com

Saddle up with the clan

With an authentic and scenic setting as the backdrop, you and your family can enjoy beautiful places and learn

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TRAVELLING

Why is travel so hard, and what could make it better?

July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

By Harry Enten, CNN

(CNN) — I haven’t been on a vacation in 10 years. Part of the reason, admittedly, is I’m a workaholic. The other part is I hate flying. I despise the lines, the cramped seats, the security — all of it feels like a giant waste of time.

Usually, I keep these feelings to myself. (Who needs to hear me complain more than I already do?)

But then I read a statistic that sort of blew my mind. Despite all the incessant coverage about air travel, pre-pandemic polling showed that a majority of Americans don’t fly every year. Now, even fewer people fly.

Some of them probably hate to fly like me. This got me thinking — is there a better way to travel?

I decided to explore solutions in the latest episode of my podcast, “Margins of Error.”

I started by looking at the way we board an airplane. We spend so much time doing it. Most airlines use something called block boarding, which means boarding front to back or back to front. There is also the window, middle, aisle method. Southwest Airlines, on the other hand, reportedly has the fastest boarding process of any major airline by allowing people to claim the first available seat.

It turns out, however, that there is a faster way. It’s called the steffen-perfect-airplane-boarding-cgp-grey/”Steffen Method, named after its creator, Jason Steffen, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas physics professor.

He came up with a model that accounts for how and where we stow our baggage when finding a seat.

“You want adjacent passengers in line to have their seat assignments spread all throughout the airplane so that when one person comes to stop at their row, the next person behind them is able

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TOUR

Everything you need to know before you go

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

With balmy beaches spread across 9,350 km of coastline, rich culture and history, beautifully preserved colonial towns, warm hospitality and mouthwatering cuisine, it’s no wonder that Mexico is one of the most visited destinations in the world.

The multifaceted country is bursting with life, flavour and diversity. Whether you crave nightlife, fun in the sun or spiritual solitude; jungle, mountain, ocean or desert; mellowing out in a charming pueblito; or going full throttle in one of the greatest cities in the world: prepare to be astonished.

Current travel restrictions and entry requirements

There are no test or vaccination requirements for entry into Mexico.

Mask requirements vary by city and state. Currently, masks are no longer required in open spaces but are still mandatory on public transport, including in airports and airplanes.

Best time to go

There are good reasons to visit year round. Generally, the best time is dry season (approximately November to April), when temperatures are at their coolest and there is little chance of rain. This is also the high tourist season, however: meaning elevated prices, busy resorts and the need to book in advance. Avoid beaches during Easter’s Semana Santa (Holy Week), when Mexicans head en masse to the coast.

Rainy season is June to October. If you can handle the humidity, the landscape is lush and there are low season bargains to be snapped up. Summer is also the best time for surfing.

September and October are the wettest, stormiest months. Flooding can occur and it’s the most active period for hurricanes. November is the sweet spot, before the crowds arrive. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated nationwide on 1 and 2 November; the most famous celebrations are in Oaxaca and Janitzio Island in Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Top

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HOTEL

How to save money on travel? Five tips for cheaper flights and hotels

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

1. Finding cheaper flights

Those who are strategic about saving spend 23% less on flights than those who aren’t, according to a survey of budget travelers by the booking site VacationRenter.

Top strategies include booking with a budget carrier (52%), sticking to one carry-on bag (48%), using credit card points or rewards (39%) and tracking ticket prices (28%), it said.

One in three respondents said they use apps to save money on flights. One such app, Skyscanner, lets users set price alerts, search flexible flight dates and nearby airports, and mix and match airlines to find the best rates, according to its website.

Fewer are willing to sacrifice comfort and convenience by booking “red-eye” flights (25%) or choosing an airport that is farther away (16%).

Price alerts on apps like Skyscanner check fares so travelers don’t have to, notifying them when fares go up or down.

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images

Having flexible travel dates is one of the top ways to score a flight deal, according to the travel app Hopper, which said departing on a Wednesday instead of a Friday saves around $35 on average.

The same tactic works for hotel stays, says Hopper. Checking into a hotel for a two-night stay on a Thursday, rather than a Friday or Saturday, can shave an average of $60 off the bill, it said.

Another tactic is to watch for new routes or new airline services that enter local airports. When an airline adds a new route, competition among carriers can cause airfares to fall, according to Hopper. Airlines often launch promotions to get the word out too, it said.

That’s what happened when Frontier Airlines started services from Chicago Midway International Airport this summer, said Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist.

“Airfare from Chicago to Tampa

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ADVENTURE

The Bookseller – Rights – Everything with Words lands historical middle-grade adventure

July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Everything with Words has scooped Sweet Skies, a middle-grade historical adventure from Robin Scott-Elliot.

Editor-at-large Mikka Haugaard acquired world rights to the novel directly from the author.

Sweet Skies is set during the 1948 Berlin Airlift, the first significant confrontation of the Cold War. It will be published in 2023, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the event. Part of the inspiration stemmed from Scott-Elliot family’s experiences in post-war Berlin.

“The scene is the shattered German capital, the main characters children battling to survive in a desperate war-torn city,” the synopsis states. “To survive you have to be prepared to run risks that sometimes involve not just your own life but those of others, and the voyage of self-discovery is rocky.”

The author said: “As a child, my mum lived in Berlin in the early ’50s – my grandad was part of the British occupation army. They were given a large house to live in which had belonged to the Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. My mum has some vivid memories of the house and life in Berlin. She remembers the housekeeper’s husband coming home from nearly 10 years in a Russian prison camp. I’ve used some of her experiences in the book – and based a character on her, although I’ve not told her that yet.”

Haugaard added: “This is an exceptionally well-told thriller— I was captivated by the story, by Robin’s insight into how people work and by his sense of irony. There’s a touch of Graham Greene here.”

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