The Best Comments Of The Month: December 2008

Every insightful comment you leave on a post enhances foXnoMad more than I could with even the best travel article. I appreciate every comment, hope you’ll leave more, and encourage you to do so if you never have.

In case you don’t get a chance to follow the latest comments in the sidebar, or read through a viewer, here are some of the best comments of the month.

• Luis warns Stina that donkeys can be very dangerous.
• Sound advice from Priyank that terrorism must be dealt with at the source, not the destination.
• Like most of us, Deniz didn’t realize that airline pillows and blankets are not washed.
• Despite the dropping British pound, Marta’s hoping Thailand is still a good deal.
• Andy is on his way from Panajachel, Guatemala to Antigua this week.
• Cuckoo says I look more Indian than Turkish and translates some Hindi for me.
• Although Kim was wrong, I’m glad that these two predictions of his were off.

There were plenty of new commenters this month chiming in especially on the Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest. Thank you to all of you who left a comment this month. If you’ve never left a comment or it’s been a long time, drop a comment on this post and tell everyone hello, we’d love to hear from you

CheapTravelInsurance.com

The traveler’s insurance company, Cheap Travel Insurance, has been offering its services to backpackers and travelers of all ages since 2000. The company, which is currently available to UK residents only has a variety of policies for individuals, couples, and families for trips ranging from a few days to several months. Cheap Travel Insurance’s policies cover a large range of physical and financial hardships you may face while away from home.

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World Map Of Air Travel Over 24 Hours

A representation of air traffic patterns across the world during a typical 24 hours span using data from delay predictor FlightStats.

It seems as though most flights flow from the US to Europe, then back again. FlightStats is a great way to predict potential delays in advance. If you’re traveling in the US, you can use the the FAA status map or Google hack to find out about current delays and find out how long you’ll be waiting in security lines from the TSA.

[via: Upgrade: Travel Better]

A Look Back On My Travel Predictions For 2008

Rising airfare prices, airline mergers, and an increase in foreigners being targeted by extremists are just some of the predictions I made for 2008 earlier this year. With the year drawing to a close I’d like to look back with you at my predictions and see how each of them turned out.

1. Airline Prices Will Continue To Rise – “The major air carriers, especially US companies, have been poor to adjust to their competition and the needs of travelers in general. Expect airlines to raise fares.“

Outcome: Correct. According to Rick Seaney in 2007 there were 17 total base airfare hikes. Compare that to 2008, where airlines have increase prices on standard routes 15 times – from January to August. United and Delta were the main culprits using fuel surcharges to increase base fees by $10-20 an average of every other week.

• 2.  Alternative Modes Of 
  Travel Will Become Less Popular – “The use of trains, buses, and other modes of  transportation have and will continue to decline in ridership as people look to the skies to get around quicker.“

Outcome: Inconclusive. Air travel continues to rise slightly at approximately 1-2% from the United States and at similar rates globally. While land travel is decreasing, more people are traveling by boat.

• 3. Green Travel Vacations Will Become Available – “Vacation packages for eco-friendly globe roamers are out there but will hit the mainstream over the course of 2008.“

Outcome: Wrong. Let’s put it this way, talk of green travel has increased over the course of 2008 as marketers try to appeal to the consciousness of every traveler. Aside from the Germans taking staycations more people are visiting emerging nations on the tourism scene. Many of these places are third world counties whose lavish accommodations wreak havoc on the local ecology. Here are 33 ways to green your travels no matter where you go.

• Read more

Where Are You Traveling Over The Next Week?

I’ll be taking this week off, trying to enjoy some traveling without thinking about travel writing! I know that many of you will be traveling over the next week for Christmas or just to enjoy the time off (in the US and most of the ‘Western’ world).

So tell me in the comments, where are you traveling to over the next week?

I’d like to hear from you – even if you’re not going anywhere! I’ll be recharging my travel battery over the next week and resume regular posting about places to travel, the best ways to get there, and of course, how to travel smarter on Monday, December 27.

Post Highlights: [12/20/2008]

Post Highlights are a selection of the best and most popular posts from the past two weeks updated every other Saturday. Another great way to get the best of foXnoMad is to subscribe to my RSS feed (what is RSS?).

Sunset At Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore India

Here is the first picture from my most recent trip to Bangalore, which I’ll be posting about more this week.

Cabin Cuddler Review

As shown in the photo to the right, the
Cabin Cuddler is a 100% polyester
travel blanket that wraps around your body and feet.

Why Making Hotel Terrorism Saftey Plans Are A Waste of Time

The statistics don’t support it, a single plan only protects you from a specific threat, and you’d need to be a damn good psychic in order to be successful.

Interview With Cabin Cuddler Creator Jim Levings

Jim is a fascinating fellow who was kind enough to let me ask him a few questions about his product the Cabin Cuddler, how he found out that airplane blankets aren’t washed, and his career as a pilot.

Shiva Temple – Bangalore, India

You can see the rest of my pictures from this Shiva Temple, with impressive statues of the deity here.

Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest Results

The voting for the top prize in the Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest went down to the very end last night.

Receive email updates:

The Dog Days of Cubbon Park in Bangalore

About the most interesting thing at this large but quiet park. Cubbon Park has nice greenery for local residents to stroll though, but the fuss being made about it didn’t warrant a stop on my latest trip.

Final Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest Prize Awarded

Dawoud W. was the subscriber who was randomly selected to win a copy of Long Way Down. Dawoud, thanks for being a member of the foXnoMad blog network and hope you enjoy the book.

Will Flying Separately Save Your Family In A Plane Crash?

The other day I heard the morbid logic from a (non) frequent flier that he takes separate flights with one child and his wife with their other two. They do this so that in case of a plane crash, their family and one of the children will survive. This is not the first time I’ve heard people bring this up – some parents take separate flights when they leave the kids behind with relatives for this very reason.

As odd as it sounds, the idea intrigues me, does flying separately really reduce the chances of losing your entire family in a plane crash?

The Numbers

According to Plane Crash Info, the odds of you dying in a commuter plane crash are 1 per every 140,000 flight hours. Americans are at slightly higher risk, they have about a 1 in 20,000 chance of dying in a plane accident and frequent flier are more likely to die in a crash.

Two Flights, Better Odds?

Taking two flights (since plane crashes are random events) doesn’t reduce your chances of dying to 1 in 40,000. It just gives each passenger (if you’re family is taking two planes) a 1 in 20,000 chance of dying in a crash. So, even if the plane goes down you may still survive depending on where you sit and the type of crash.

Read more

Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest Results

The voting for the top prize in the Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest went down to the very end last night. Casey Gayman (”Dusk in the Moroccan Sahara“) finished with 4 more votes ahead of Yasser (”Sphinx, the Great Pyramids Guardian“) who won $75 as the second prize.

You can see the final contest results below:

Congratulations Deniz you belly danced your way to the third prize! I’m also currently waiting for the 4th prize winner (a randomly selected subscriber) to claim their prize. I’ll let you know when they do.

I personally enjoyed all of the pictures but would have liked to see Mara’s picture gain some more traction in the voting. I’ll be posting a recap and my post-contest thoughts next week, but I’d like to hear your opinions and comments on the results. Did your favorite picture make the top 3 or would you have liked to see more votes for Noura, Jessica, or Stina?

Thank you all for enriching us with you fantastic photos. I run several smaller contests throughout the year and two big ones biannually. The next ‘big’ contest will be announced in mid-April.

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