Meeting The Friendly French – We Kid You Not!

Paris Greeters, a volunteer organization of amiable Parisians who look forward to welcoming visitors to their city are changing the impression that Paris is a less than friendly city, one tour at a time, every day.

As Linda and I make our away across the city from the broad perfumed boulevards of the Champs Elysee to the gritty, lyrical lanes of the Left Bank,  we are giddy with anticipation.  We are about to meet a new friend that we met a few weeks ago online thanks to the Paris Greeters organization.  Our Paris Greeter / guide, Laurent, has volunteered to show us his city on this particular Saturday afternoon.  We’ve been in touch by email to set a time and place to meet, discussed our mutual interests, and exchanged photos so we can recognize each other outside the Metro station.

Within minutes of meeting we are talking, laughing and already appreciating the nuances of Left Bank neighborhoods and seeing French culture through new eyes.  Beyond a litany of Louis’ and their royal accomplishments (how DO they keep 18 Louis straight?) we stroll by a Pierre Herme´ pastry shrine  (you really can’t call it a bake shop when there are 50 people waiting in line to get in the door!); then on to Gelati D’Alberto where the iced delights look like rose blossoms, and  of course we can’t resist ogling the decadent cheeses and fragrant produce at an open market.  Oh to be a Parisian on market day! Laurent schools us on choosing restaurants to dine in, “NEVER enter a restaurant that has ‘French Cuisine’ on the sign or menu”, he admonishes,  “they are just for poor unsuspecting tourist!” Read more

Kids Fly Free To The Fiji Islands – Go Play On The Coral Coast

The Fiji Islands are calling with a fabulous family vacation deal – Kids Fly Free to Fiji! South Pacific specialist, Travel2.com, is offering flights on South Pacific Air from  LAX to NAN from $679 each way per adult with two kids under the age of 12 flying along for free with two paying adults.  So for the cost of two flights, a family of four can fly off to experience the 300 gorgeous islands and  dazzling lagoons that make up the island nation of Fiji.

A South Pacific island probably hasn’t been the first destination that comes to mind when thinking about a family vacation – but on second thought – why not???  The Fijian islands are a wonderland for every water based activity imaginable, and the Fijian people are some of the friendliest folks on earth.  And as the Aussies know, (Fiji is a popular vacation destination for Australians) many of the resorts have extensive kids programs and offer amenities that will make your family feel right at home.  Couple all this with an incredibly great exchange rate (1 USD =2 FJD), and you have the makings of a great vacation opportunity.  We traveled with our kids to Fiji, staying at the Fijian Shangri La Hotel, and had a fabulous time snorkeling on the Coral Coast, playing Golf on their 9 hole course, lawn bowling, windsurfing – you name it!

You can save even more money by booking one of  Travel2′s family vacation packages – here’s a sampling:

• Sonaisali Island Family Vacation, 8 Days from $419 per person, which includes 7 nights lodging, a jungle cruise, breakfast daily, airport transfers, and a village tour…. PLUS, Kids under 12 eat free!
• Sofitel Family Vacation for 8 Days from $449 per person, including 7 nights at the Sofitel Resort and Spa, breakfast daily, and kids under 12 eat dinner and breakfast free.
• 7 Day Fiji Island Cruise Vacation from $649 per person, including 2 nights at the Sofitel Resort and Spa with breakfast daily and a 4 night Northern Yasawa Islands cruise with all meals included.

BULA, go learn to hula!!!

Flying with Class – Open Skies Airlines

Someone finally did it! – Created an airline focused on customer service – hooray. We’ve just returned from a trip to Paris on Open Skies Airways which is an all business class airlines with two classes of service;  Business Beds and Business Seats. The business bed seats are positioned facing each other with a fan divider running between for privacy.  A British Air subsidiary, Open Skies flies out of Washington Dulles and Newark to Orly Airport in Paris, and is a wonderful way to fly to Europe.Everything was first class from the ticket purchasing, to the boarding, to the flight. We felt we were boarding a private jet to wing us to our destination, maybe because there were only 60 passengers (80 max) thus making the experience intimate and very customer centric.

We arrived at Washington Dulles and were able to check in at the British Airways lounge.  Graciously greeted and welcomed (what a novel idea of thanking the customer), we relaxed while waiting to board our flight to Paris. You are welcome to participate in pre-boarding dinning, cocktails, or simply to snack and use the business center. The lounge service was A+, and since they notify you when it’s time to board your flight. you to can relax in comfy seats and enjoy the view. Read more

Paris Pickpockets – Latest Tricks for 2010

Linda and I are just back from Paris and are pleased to report that the number of gypsies and shady characters lurking about tourist attractions seem to be on the decline this year.  But it pays to be ever vigilant!  Here are the tricks we experienced on our trip:

#1, A young person approaches you saying, “Do you speak English?”, while holding out a large index card.  As you focus on the writing on the card (which is a jumble of gibberish), you are in fact blocking your field of vision to your purse and pockets.  Don’t accept the card – keep your hands and field of vision clear!

#2, While walking down the sidewalk someone will reach down to pick up a piece of gold jewelry saying loudly, “Oh am I lucky!!”, while holding up the gold for all to see.  When you come closer to look at the lucky find, they find an excuse why they cannot use the piece (Oh darn my ears aren’t pierced, or Oh no this ring is too big for me) at which point they will offer the gold piece to you.  If you take it, they will ask for some money in return – because after all you are getting the gold for free and it’s worth a lot of money.  Of course the jewelry is actually a fake piece of junk.  (We encountered this trick twice in 3 days!)

Our advise is to keep your valuables protected inside your clothing and always be suspicious if someone who enters your zone of  ‘personal’ space – assume they are going to try to rob you.

The FCC Takes The Mystery Out of Phoning Home From A Foreign Country

The Federal Communication Commission today announced a new initiative to help US travelers find the most up-to-date information on how to make phone calls from foreign countries at the most economical rates. The FCC has created a new web portal at http://www.fcc.gov/worldtravel that will serve as a directory of information to help travelers phone home from foreign countries, whether it be by phone, smart phone, text, calling card, or voice over internet.

Each year over 60 million Americans travel to foreign countries for business and leisure.  Until now it has been a cumbersome process to gather information on the least expensive and most reliable ways to maintain communications while traveling.  We’ve all read horror stories of vacationers returning home only to find an enormous bill from their cell phone carrier because they ‘misunderstood’ the terms of their calling plan.  The FCC is hoping to help US travelers avoid this very situation.

This first week of summer has been deemed “Wireless World Travel Week” at the FCC.  Each day of the week the FCC will post helpful articles to their website:
Tuesday: Getting Ready for Your International Trip
Wednesday: Calling Options from Overseas
Thursday: VoIP – Calling Over the Internet
Friday: Back at Home – Checking Your Invoices

We say BRAVO to the FCC for simplifying the communication challenges for travelers.  Linda and I just went through this exercise before we flew off the Paris last week, and appreciate what a land-mine of choices are out there.  We’ll be digesting the FCC’s recommendations all week and will bring you the highlights.  In the meantime, be sure to bookmark their site so it will be a click away for the next time you’ll be traveling out of the country.

Visiting Versailles On Your Own Is A Cinch – Tips You Need To Know

Why sign up for a pricey group tour to visit the Palace of Versailles when you can easily venture out on your own? It’s easy to plan a visit to Versailles from the city of Paris.  Recently Linda and I decided to tackle a Versailles visit on our own, and we are happy to report it was easily done and saved us lots of time and money.  Here’s our tips for planning a great day trip to Versailles:

#1 Tickets to Versailles -  Purchase tickets in advance if at all possible. Tickets are available on the Versailles website, and as an extra convenience, you can order your train ticket at the same time.  Each area of the Palace is priced separately unless you purchase the One Day Passport, which we highly recommend  (18 €).  The Passport gives you access to the chateau, the gardens, the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and recently re-opened, Marie Antionette’s farm village – all worth visiting.  If you purchased a Paris Pass for your trip, entry to all of the Versailles’ venues are included. Read more

The Green Grass Of Wimbledon Comes To New York City – Play For Free!

Here’s a great New York City sightseeing tip for everyone visiting in June.  The British Bank, HSBC, is sharing a bit of Wimbledon excitement with New York City this month as it presents “Wimbledon at Rockefeller Center” from Monday June 21st through Friday June 25, 2010. The best part about this tennis packed week-long celebration is all the festivities are FREE! Whether you want to tap into the excitement of the simulcast Wimbledon matches, take advantage of a pro tennis clinic, or simply indulge in the Wimbledon tradition of eating strawberries and cream, you’ll find it all in Rockefeller Center during opening week of Wimbledon.

No longer do you have fly to England to join in the excitement of the most acclaimed tennis tournament in the world.  For 133 years Wimbledon has attracted the elite of the tennis world to compete on it’s grassy courts.  Now, thanks to HSBC, you too can test your volley skills on a replica grass tennis court in the heart of New York City.  Beginning on Monday, June 21, 2010 from 7am until 7pm (and continuing through the week), spectators can reserve court time on the replica grass court, take a clinic with pros from Prince, request a racket restringing, play Wii Grand Slam Tennis thanks to EA Sports, and even pose with a virtual Wimbledon Trophy.  To kick off the celebration, tennis greats Jim Courier and Monica Seles will play with selected fans on June 21st from 12:00 – 1pm.

The venue is in Rockefeller Center between 50th & 51st Street, between 5th & 6th Avenue.  You can reserve singles court time by calling 212-525-2367, or take advantage of walk-in tennis clinics by Prince on June 22-25 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm, and 4:30 – 6:00 pm.  Get a schedule of all the clinics and activity times  by visiting HSBC/tennis.

Luxury Caribbean Island Adopts Restaurant Week Concept All Summer Long

We all look forward to Restaurant Weeks to temp us to experience new places at great prices.  Now the alluring Caribbean island of Anguilla is hoping you’ll be tempted to visit them and take advantage of their Prix Fixe Summer promotion.  Not only are the island restaurants offering Prix Fixe menus, but the hotels, inns and villas are offering enticing discounts as well.

The Prix Fixe promotion began on May 15th and will continuing through the summer season (with no end date yet announced).  Top-tier restaurants like Blanchards, the CuisinArt Resort and The Old Caribe will off three course menus at $45.  Mid-tier establishments will charge $40 and casual eateries will offer 3 course dinners for just $35.

Most all hotels, inns and villa complexes have special pricing as well.  Many will be offering a ‘Stay 5 Nights, Get 2 Free’ promotion.  These packages are typically available from May through to mid November.  Among the resorts offering 7 nights for the price of 5 are:  Bird of Paradise, Carimar Beach Club, CuisinArt Resort and Spa, Ku Resort, Sirena Resort & Villas, Spyglass Hill Villa, and Sur La Plage Villas.

For those not familiar with Anguilla, it is a warm and welcoming stretch of white sand located just to the east of San Juan and to the north of St. Martin.  Many visitors fly into St. Martin and then ferry over to the island.  This is a very pristine, laid-back beach paradise with 33 beaches, one more inviting than the next.  If you love an island with miles and miles of white sand beach bordered by clear translucent water, this my be the tropical paradise you’ve been looking for.

For complete details about the Prix Fixe promotion visit Anguilla-Vacations.com