Articles from 2009
Stonehenge, England
"In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what th...
Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
Quick! What is home to over 12,000 ocean animals, has more than 500 species in 19 major habitats, and has over 30 exhibits? If you said The Aquarium ...
Key Largo Pirates Fest, Florida
If you find yourself in Key Largo, Florida, around the end of October, keep a weather eye on the sea and your gold, for that is when the Pirates desc...
The Tulip Museum, Amsterdam
Mention the country of Holland and nine times out of ten most people would associate it with tulips. So it is more than fitting the the Tulip Museum...
Merry Christmas 2009
To all readers of eyeflare.com, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It's been a good year around here, with traffic numbers increa...
Superstition Mountain Museum, Arizona
Hey, did you hear the one about the group of people fleeing from a devastating flood and became so scared they literally turned into stone?
Well ...
Millennium Park, Chicago
Millennium Park lies in the heart of downtown Chicago, creating a peaceful, green oasis amid the hustle and bustle of a vibrant city. The park is spre...
The "High Line" Park, New York City
Look up in the sky “It's a bird, it's a plane.” Ok, the High Line Park in New York, isn’t that high, but it is something to marvel a...
Air Train from JFK airport to Jamaica Station, New York City
The Air Train from JFK airport to Jamaica Station is an above ground train that transports people from the Jamaica Center city subway station (Sutphin...
No Fun festival, Brooklyn, New York
The No Fun Festival in Brooklyn, New York has a history of being amazing. It is a weekend musical festival organized by musician Carlos Giffoni that f...
British Airways Xmas strike ever more likely
It looks more likely than ever that British Airways staff will cause horrible holiday misery for many thousands of British and other vacationers this ...
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
If you are considering a trip to Cambodia, first of all good for you! And second, you probably have heard of Angkor Wat, or Angkor Vat, a Khmer tem...
St Mark's Square, Venice
There are few places in the world with a view as panoramic, historic, and artistic as the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. St. Mark’s Squa...
Hyde Park, London
Much like Central Park is to New York in the United States, so to is Hyde Park to London. The 350 acre park is located in the center of the city, i...
Covent Garden, London
If you want to experience London at its finest, a trip to the famed Covent Garden should be on your travel to do list! London's Covent Garden has a no...
Holocaust Museum, Washington D.C.
There are many sad periods in world history and one which is still in living memory for many of the older generation is the Holocaust. It is important...
National Portrait Gallery, London
If you find yourself in London on a rainy afternoon, instead of wandering aimlessly down Drury Lane, perhaps a visit to The National Portrait Gallery ...
Forbidden City - The Imperial Palace, Beijing
When traveling to Beijing, China, a great time can be had by venturing to the Forbidden City also known as the Imperial Palace or the Palace Museum...
Chicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library has it roots in an abandoned water tower, where it was founded more than a century ago in 1873. From these relatively humb...
Visa Electron no more, new free payment option for Ryanair
As Visa is phasing out the Visa Electron cards, Ryanair will stop accepting them from January 2010. This means that the previous only way to pay for R...
UK travelers get more flights to Turkey
With Turkey really having made it onto the mass travel market radar this year, especially for Europeans, Pegasus Airlines is expanding their routes be...
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
“See! The Cliffs of Insanity!” so says Vizzini in the movie The Princess Bride. He was actually referring to the Aillte an Mhothair, Cl...
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
London is one of the most beautiful and well known cities in the world, and many tourists travel there every year. There are many, many attractions th...
City Art Gallery, York, England
City Art Gallery, York, also well-known as York Art Gallery, is one the better art galleries in England. The gallery displays a large collection of w...
Jackson Park, Chicago
When you want to head for the beach in the middle of the big city, go to Jackson Park in Chicago. You can have all the arts and culture of the urban ...
Osaka Garden, Jackson Park, Chicago
Did you know that in Chicago there is a hidden Japanese garden? Right behind the Museum of Science and Industry in Jackson Park, a wonderful Japane...
Irish Budget Travel goes bankrupt
Budget Travel, the Irish travel company which sold one out of three vacations in Ireland, suddenly went bankrupt this week. Travel experts see this as...
Cemetery of St. Sebastian, Salzburg
Residents of Salzburg, Austria have an unusual and morbid fascination with death. So much so that many citizens keep a separate bank account that will...
More European destinations from easyJet
easyJet is launching 10 new routes in 2010, 3 of which are from the UK to Malta, Helsinki, and Cagliari. This means easyJet now serves 449 routes via ...
Ryanair expands Norwegian flights March 2010
Ryanair will open a new base at Oslo Rygge airport in March 2010, the airline's 37th destination. The company will base 3 airplanes in Oslo, and the $...
The city walls of York, England
The town of York, England, first started building walls to at the time of the Roman invasion during the first century AD. The Roman soldiers built ...
Tower Bridge, London
The Tower Bridge in London, England, not to be confused with the Tower of London, is probably one of the most famous bridges in the world. It is in...
Spilled coffee makes map of the world
Stumbled over this photo manipulation today, and thought it worth sharing:
Quite a travel-inspired and very well done Photoshop job. Would love to kn...
Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
A San Francisco attraction for over a century, the Conservatory of Flowers has seen many ups and downs throughout its history. Originally built in ...
The Jewish History Museum, Amsterdam
The Jewish History Museum in Amsterdam is located in Nieuwe Amstelstraat quite close to the Rembrandt House Museum and the Hermitage Amsterdam Museum....
Chicago Cultural Center
If you are planning a visit to Chicago, the first stop on your trip should definitely be to the Chicago Cultural Center for a couple of reasons, fir...
Busiest airports for Thanksgiving 2009
Thanksgiving weekend is coming up this Thursday 26 November 2009 already. Thanksgiving is the busiest travel period in the United States and anyone on...
Wookey Hole Caves, Somerset, England
If you visit Somerset and are looking for a fantastic day out then look no further than Wookey Hole. It will provide you with a day of mystery and ...
California Science Center, Los Angeles
The California Science Center is the place to go for hands-on learning. The largest of its kind on the west coast, the center is the perfect place t...
Newseum, Washington D.C.
The Newseum is a clever take on news and museum. It is the brainchild of Al Neuharth, the founder of USA TODAY. Opened in April 2008, this museum is a...
The Eden Project, Cornwall, England
If there is one thing that I wish I hadn’t missed when I was in Cornwall, it is the Eden Project. I heard so many people rave about this place...
Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana, California
It all started over sixty years ago with an unusual request made by Joseph Prentice. He would bequeath land to the city of Santa Ana for a zoo as long...
The Fjords in Norway
The amazing beauty and immense majesty of the Norwegian fjords is a natural site that is practically unparalleled in natural formations. Imagine imm...
Skattkammaren (the Royal Treasury), Stockholm
The country of Sweden has been one among the few monarchies that has lasted for over a millennium, with over 1000 years in the practice of monarchy. A...
Angeles National Forest, California
Established in 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison and expanded in the many years since, Angeles National Forest lies less than half-an-hour north o...
Get a car rental deal in Hawaii
Looking into a Hawaii trip, I asked around about car rental deals for it and got pinged the Hawaii Drive O car rental company. Hawaii Drive O is a loc...
Statens Museum for Kunst (National Art Gallery), Copenhagen
The national art museum of Denmark, the Statens Museum is a must see when visiting the capital city of Copenhagen. While focusing on the collection a...
2 months of free WiFi at American airports
Google is powering up free WiFi in 47 American airports from now until 15 January 2010. The only 'drawback' is that search is locked into Google. A sm...
St Paul's Cathedral, London
St Paul's Cathedral in London, England is the place to visit if you are interested in classical architecture or in the history of the British Monarchy...
The Native American Museum, New York City
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is organized by the Smithsonian Institution. There are two places where Native Indian art and cultur...
Ryanair to raise boarding pass fee to 100 Euros
Ryanair, masters of fees as they are, is set to raise the fee for issuing a boarding pass at the airport to Euro 100. Currently, forgetful travelers a...
Tivoli amusement park, Copenhagen
Somehow it seems quite fitting that the delightful Tivoli Gardens is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, a city known for its magnificent palaces, beautif...
Goombay Festival, Key West, Florida
Take one part Caribbean pride, add a splash of colorful costume, stir in a steel drum or two, sprinkle liberally with delicious food, exotic drinks, s...
St. Magnus Festival, Orkney
The annual St. Magnus Festival held in the Orkney Islands of northern Scotland and is known primary in the United Kingdom as one of the top venues, pr...
The Colosseum in Rome
A must-see when you're in Rome is the Colosseum. It's right near the Forum, so you can get a real feel for ancient Rome by staying right in this ar...
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is comprised of two institutions: the School and the Museum. While both are worth the visit, you do not want to miss the...
Cambridge Folk Festival
Folk music is not rigidly defined, but a commonly accepted definition is that it is the music of the people, much of it not attributable to any one ar...
Gamla Stan, Stockholm
A favorite with travelers the world over, Sweden's capital Stockholm is a blend of old and new. At over 700 years old the city prides itself on ma...
Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
If you are ever in Chicago, you must go to the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a great show, but also a nice piece of history. Opening in 1926, it actuall...
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace. It's on most every tourist's list while visiting London. Many people torment the guards, and watch the changing of the guards at 11...
King's Cross and St. Pancras stations, London
King's Cross and St. Pancras train stations sit across the street from each other and serve as the major hub for rail travel throughout England and ...
Tatra National Park, Poland
You may not think of mountains when you think of Poland, but there's a beautiful national park there set in a picturesque alpine area. It's the mos...
Shopping at Florida Mall, Orlando
Everyone, either through necessity or enjoyment, has to shop on occasion and if you are in Orlando a perfect place to do this is the Florida Mall. The...
More expensive airfare for Brits from this Sunday
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK's tax on flights leaving UK airports and it's set to increase by 10-50% from Sunday 1 November 2009. This is a quit...
Thermae Bath Spa in Bath
Bath in England is a beautiful city, which was built in an area where hot springs were common. As such Bath has been famous for its spas for many year...
Travel Promotion Act will reduce travel to America
Congress is soon set to approve the Travel 'Promotion' Act (inverted commas very much added and intentional), which sets out to promote the U.S. as a ...
Eating Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes)
When you find yourself in any big city or town in Japan, you may not find many pizza parlors but you will find Okonomiyaki cafés. Okonomiyaki ...
The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
A visit to San Jose, California, would be incomplete without a visit to the Winchester Mystery House. It is so named after the owner who had it cons...
The Bridge of Sighs, Venice
“I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs,
A palace and a prison on each hand;
I saw from out the wave her structures rise
As from the...
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, Millennium Park, Chicago
If you're looking for a marvelous open space to visit while you're in Chicago, check out the 24 1/2 acre Millennium Park, amid features such as fount...
The Pyramids at Giza, Egypt
Probably one of the awe inspiring sights one can have is your first glimpse or the Pyramids at Giza, Cairo Egypt. The last remaining seven wonders ...
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is an ideal place to take children for an interesting and educational day out in Chicago, although adults will certa...
Lincoln Park, Chicago
Lincoln Park in Chicago is a large stretch of land in the north side of the city, overlooking Lake Michigan. The park has over 1000 acres of land wa...
Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago
For residents of Chicago and people visiting the city who enjoy the attractions of nature and wildlife, Lincoln Park Zoo provides an excellent day...
Travel between Venice and Treviso
Almost 2 million travel from Treviso to Venice each year after taking a flight with Ryanair, Germanwings, Transavia, or Wizz Air. Here's how you ge...
English Heritage receives £10 million for Stonehenge project
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ben Bradshaw, confirmed today (16 October) that the Government is to invest £10 million in a new ...
Visit Britain - 'Be a part of it' - video
Visit Britain, the national tourism agency, has launched a new video that highlights the different events, sights, cultural heritage, food, nature, et...
Great reads #24
United (hearts) luggage
Or rather, frequent travelers who need to check luggage. United Airlines just launched a service called the Premier Baggage...
Website review: Travelgrove
In my ongoing quest to find the best travel search engine, it's now time to review new-ish meta travel search engine Travelgrove.com. Working like Orb...
Early warning: Tube strikes likely over Christmas 2009
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has rejected a pay increase of 1.5% and will be voting on striking over Christmas 2009. If the strikes ha...
Early warning: BA may strike during Christmas 2009
British Airways (BA) travelers could end up with some major disruptions of their travel plans over Christmas if strike threats by the cabin crews' uni...
The chip and pin dilemma
Chip and PIN, a security feature used on all European credit cards, as well as Mexico, Brazil, and Japan, continue to cause trouble for American trave...
New York City: The Real Deal Fall
NYCGo.com, New York's official tourism website, just launched a massive package of nearly 150 discounts and deals running from now through autumn in...
More Mexico flights for Frontier Airlines
In some more positive news about air travel, rather than the cuts and route closures of late, Frontier Airlines announced seasonal increases in its f...
Capturing silhouettes: A great travel photo technique
Coming away with good photos is always a challenge when traveling. After all, you can't really come back when the light is fantastic, not every time, ...
Zeev's map of Paris
Paris lovers should take a look at the amazing map of Paris that Zeev Ben-Nahum has created after realizing that information about great spots in Pari...
Amrit, budget Indian restaurant in Berlin
Amrit is a cheap restaurant in Berlin with branches in Berlin's Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Schöneberg districts. The restaurant manages to be both superb v...
Ice skating in London
London's gifted with a number of great ice rinks during the winter. During the 2009/10 winter season, a few of the rinks that we're open during 2008/9...
ESTA explained
ESTA, or the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is a new requirement from the United States government for travelers using the Visa Waiver Pr...
The Everything Everywhere blog carnival Sept. 2009
Liz over at Everything Everywhere posted the September blog carnival a couple of days ago, and my piece on the copper mine in Falun, Sweden, is in...
Travel organizers keep your stuff handy
Tickets, print outs, passport, keys, money... A traveler's pockets can fill up pretty quick and it gets quite difficult to find anything. I'm a recent...
The EU plans to monitor lost luggage
European Union regulators vowed to seek tougher oversight of airlines and airports for lost luggage as part of a campaign to bolster passenger right...
7 ideas for avoiding checked baggage fees
In a time far far away, before the year 2000 or so, airlines used to let you bring checked baggage for free when patronizing their airline. That tim...
More compensation for lost luggage
Airlines lose 640,000 bags each year and ‘mishandle over 31 million more. While tracking systems have got a lot better, all those lost bags mean los...
Airlines to cut emissions in half by 2050?
The Guardian is running a travel article today about the airlines' new agreement to cut carbon emissions by 50% before 2050. I believe this is greenwa...
Hotel room rates lower than 5 years ago
Credit crunch. Recession. Lay offs. No, not just manufacturing but also travel is suffering heavily from the poor economy. And while that means many c...
Fee could be levied on ESTA travel to the U.S. by 2010
Travelers to the U.S. could soon have a fee levied on them when applying for Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) clearance beginning at ...
Museum Day 26 September 2009
If you're looking for something to do on September 26, the Museum Day sponsored by Smithsonian magazine is a great, educational, and hopefully fun opt...
Tour around five family friendly Leeds parks
While the summer may have come and gone, there’s still plenty of time to organise a family day-out at one of the many parks in and around Leed...
easyJet cuts Luton flights and closes East Midlands hub
easyJet will be cutting 20% of the airlines' flights out of London Luton airport and will be closing the East Midlands airport hub by 2010. This is fo...
Sky Europe goes bust
Now there's one less budget airline in Europe, after Sky Europe filed for bankruptcy on 1 September. The failed airline has also suspended all flights...
Travel between Florence and Pisa, Italy
Huge numbers of travelers need to move between Pisa and Florence on their vacation. Here are the transport options if you need to get the 60 miles fro...
The Mining Museum in Falun
This intriguing Mining Museum, like Falu Koppargruva (Falun Copper Mine), is awarded two stars in the Guide Michelin. The collection of portraits of ...
The most common travel fears
Travel can be a fearful business, even if you've scored the best travel insurance policy there is. Things can go wrong all the time, from the airplane...
New York City CityPass
Looking to visit New York City this winter? Then you can use a CityPass to get cheaper entrance to a range of New York City popular attractions for u...
Falun Copper Mine
The lift drops visitors 176ft down solid bedrock to the tunnels of this medieval mine. Excitedly, visitors step out and guided through the narrow pass...
Långshyttan Moose Park
If you've ever been interested in seeing moose (known as 'elk' in Europe) up close and personal I recommend a visit to the Långshyttan Moose Park. Her...
Secure Flight expansion takes effect today
From today, most air travelers will be asked their birth dates and genders when making airline reservations. With the new and quite public expansion o...
Ryanair to start new Edinburgh flights in October 2009Ryanair is starting eight new routes from Edinburgh to mainland Europe plus the Canaries for its winter season – bringing its services from th...
TripAdvisor censors negative reviews?
This may be too good to be true, that is if you're a TripAdvisor critic, but interesting for anyone visiting the massive hotel reviews site.
Arthur F...
Greyhound arrives in the UK
FirstGroup today unveiled the first Greyhound coaches which will introduce the iconic brand to the UK. Greyhound UK will launch on September 1...
Ryanair and Manchester airport no longer an item
Ryanair is axing all but one of its 10 routes from Manchester Airport in a drive to cut costs after the hub refused to reduce its charges.
The...
Open House London 2009
Open House London is an annual event that gives Londoners and visitors the opportunity to visit, for free, a huge range of architecturally interestin...
Back from Sweden
The last five days I've spent in Sweden together with my wife, visiting family and friends.
That, as always, means no updates on eyeflare.com for the...
August 2009 means free gigs in Los Angeles
During this August, L.A. celebrates the warm weather with loads of free concerts all over the city. During August 2009, here's what's on:
UCLA Hammer...
Stop wasting money in UK restaurants
Faced with a recession, British restaurants are resorting in droves to money-off vouchers to attract new customers. Before eating out, savvy Brits sea...
5 scary vacation money pits
Your vacation time is when you'd prefer to forget about bills, budgets, and anything else money related and just get on with the task of chilling out....
100s stuck at Stansted after Ryanair debacle
David Dimbleby, the host of BBC Question Time, was one of many hundreds of travelers stuck at Stansted the other day because Ryanair only opened 11 ch...
American Airlines to raise checked baggage fees
American Airlines, looking to bump up revenue in a recessionary environment, plans to raise checked-bag fees on U.S. domestic itineraries by $5.
A...
Ryanair now flies to Canary Islands during winter
Irish budget airline Ryanair announced a major shifting of its winter routes Wednesday to capitalize on Europeans' love affair with Canary Islands sun...
United drops airmiles ticket booking fee
United Airlines’ Mileage Plus frequent flyer members may now take the easy way out of town and enjoy a last-minute trip to New York, Paris or Sh...
Ryanair now offers same day bookings
For those with last minute travel plans, Ryanair has improved their booking process so that you can fly on the same day as you book. On the website ...
Heritage Open Days 2009 event directory available
Clavell Tower, Dorset Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties th...
AAA for cheap car rentals
If you're hunting for a cheap car rental deal this summer, but not having any luck, you can also see what the Automobile Association of America (AAA)...
Bad breath and body odor
Over a thousand people took part in Skyscanner's poll, which asked the question: “Who do you hate sitting next to most on the plane?”
...
Funny airplane announcements
Now and then, airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight safety presentation and their other announcements a bit more entertaining. Her...
5 further free things to do in London
Summer in London is full of activities. Most expensive, but plenty for the perfect price of free which you can do. Yesterday and the day before, we pr...
Catastrophy looming for Tijuana tourism businesses
Tijuana merchants who cater to tourists are worried Mexico's plan to screen all cars headed south into Tijuana will be another blow to their busin...
5 more free things to do in London
Summer in London is full of activities. Most expensive, but plenty for the perfect price of free which you can do. Yesterday, we presented 5 free thin...
Customers down and complaints up for airlines
Customer complaints about the airline industry have risen by 11% year-on-year, according to new figures released by The Air Transport Users Council ...
The hidden charges of so-called budget airlines
A recent survey carried out by Continental Research (July 2009) found that budget airlines are failing to live up to passenger expectations with man...
5 free things to do in London
Summer in London is full of activities. Most expensive, but plenty for the perfect price of free which you can do. Today, we're presenting 5 great one...
Eyeflare.com's 500th post!
This is the 500th post on eyeflare.com. Since 2001, when I published the first post on this site, I've now put up 499 posts before now.
It's a mi...
Secure Flight to enhance air travel safety
Secure Flight, an airline security program being implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), aims to enhance watch list matching ...
Secret U.S. attractions - Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah
TripAdvisor presented a list of 5 top attractions according to travelers which are mostly unknown. Near the beautiful Angel Canyon in Utah, we can vis...
Festival of History 2009
From Beatles to bagpipes and Baroque to brass bands the line up for the Festival of History music stage is confirmed. Music lovers of all ages are set...
Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California
TripAdvisor presented a list of 5 top attractions according to travelers which are mostly unknown. Today we're firmly on the West Coast but looking mu...
JetAmerica won't fly after all
JetAmerica officially will not get off the ground in August. Or, it seems, at all. The airline announced in a press release this afternoon that it is...
Secret U.S. attractions - Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island
TripAdvisor presented a list of 5 top attractions according to travelers which are mostly unknown. Newport's lovely three-and-a-half mile scenic Clif...
Use pre-paid credit cards for safer travels
Lugging around a big wad of cash is not advisable when traveling. If you're robbed, or your stuff's rifled through, you stand to lose most of your tra...
Hotel booking fee cuts have been extended
In April this year, Orbitz discontinued their booking fees for hotel rooms as competition heated up between them and other online agencies. Back then,...
Secret U.S. attractions - Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
TripAdvisor presented a list of 5 top attractions according to travelers which are mostly unknown. Today's destination is further out west, in Colorad...
Secret U.S. attractions - Mallory Square, Key West
TripAdvisor presented a list of 5 top attractions according to travelers which are mostly unknown. Today, we go to Key West's Mallory Square.
Local...
Tips to find cheap car rental deals
There are plenty of cheap airfare deals going around but this summer car rental deals are hard to find. In fact, there are none around this summer. Du...
Buy the right travel insurance
Travel insurance lets you minimize the financial risks of travel gone wrong. And there's so much that can go wrong: missed flights, accidents, sicknes...
Australia to ban climbing Ayer's Rock
Ayer's Rock, also known as Uluru, is to become off limits to tourists climbing all over it due to erosion concerns and safety issues. The rock is subj...
Ex Officio travel sweater for women
My wife and I really like the Ex Officio clothing range both for travel and otherwise. They're always easy to clean, long lasting, and packs without a...
Armed Forces Vacation Club
Members of the U.S. military or direct relatives can take advantage of the Armed Forces Vacation Club to get some fantastic deals on condo rentals all...
New York Restaurant Week 2009
It's that time of year again, when New York restaurants do their absolute best to bring in new customers with discounted menus. Yep, it's Restaurant W...
getaroom.com, new booking site from the founders of hotels.com
Internet veterans Bob Diener and David Litman have launched new hotel rooms booking site www.getaroom.com which promises some outstanding savings on r...
JetAmerica - will it ever fly?
JetAmerica is the budget airline that doesn't seem to take to the air. Based in Clearwater, FL, the airline aims to serve mid-sized U.S. cities that t...
Eating out in France just got cheaper
French restaurants have been beleaugured by chains selling take away food and sandwiches for some time, as eating out became very expensive in France...
Statue of Liberty crown re-opens today 4th July
Shut since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, the crown of America's most known symbol of freedom opens for visitors again today. Don't go chasing f...
Utah can finally say "Bottoms up!"
Residents and visitors to Utah who are fond of a drink or two just got some good news: There's no longer a need to be a member of a 'private club' to ...
Pride London 2009
This weekend is London's Pride 2009, adding to the LGBT festivities in London which now include 3 events: Pride London, Soho Pride, and Brighton Pride...
New York train photo fan arrested
Following on another photographer being arrested for taking photos of New York City trains, Robert Taylor, an employee of the Metropolitan Transportat...
Great reads #23
Time to share some of my recent travel article finds in another roundup. Here's what I've been reading and liking really a lot lately:
Starting out w...
Fireworks for a real 4th July Independence Day 2009
With President Obama in the Oval Office and the previously very frosty foreign relations, and America's standing in the world, thawing up, it's time t...
ESTA a success for visa free travel to USA
Electronic System of Travel Authorization, or ESTA, has now processed 8 million applications for visa free travel to USA under the Visa Waiver Program...
Budget cuts means California State Parks shutting
California's State Parks are outdoor gyms, nature reserves, leisure parks, class rooms, and even wedding chapels for millions of Americans and tourist...
Construction begins at Spaceport America - videos
Spaceport America, the future New Mexico private space launch site for Virgin Galactic, Rocket Racing, and XCOR Aerospace, broke ground for construct...
Stupid airplane toilet trick - video
This is a seriously silly video. Mark Malkoff, from Mark on Airtran, tries out what happens when you put one end of a toilet roll into an airplane wc,...
How not to eco-travel in 10 easy points
Responsible Travel just published a list of 10 points from a reader poll about the worst things that tourists do. These 10 are so easy to avoid, and m...
TripAdvisor now warns their reviews may be faked
This was long overdue, but TripAdvisor now puts warnings on some pages where they believe the reviews may be unduly influenced by someone associated w...
9 airport rip offs to avoid this summer
Traveling is expensive enough as it is, but some airports are making the pain worse by ripping off the travelers passing through. As the recession bit...
7 must-sees in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a very compact city, but offers a world class range of things to do. There are cultural and outdoor attractions plenty, but often it's th...
The clever Spider Holster for your digital camera
One of the more clever camera accessories I've seen recently is the soon-to-be-launched Spider Holster from photographer Shai Eynav. Basically, instea...
What to do before you’re ‘walked’ from your hotel
Recently, not only have hotels begun to overbook more rooms when they can, they've also begun to short change some travelers when too many guests show...
New American border entry rules from 1 June 2009
American and Canadian citizens will need to follow new documentation requirements to come into the US or Canada from abroad. The Western Hemisphere Tr...
Great reads #22
My infrequent collection of travel-related links returns after a 10 month break. I'm not promising that this will be a very frequent feature from now ...
Concierge's tips for packing your suitcase - video
Brilliant video from Times Travel. Ginny McGrath goes head to head with Fraser Russell in packing a carry-on suitcase in the best and quickest way:
...
Anywhere, Everywhere Travel Carnival
Liz over at Travelogged included my Parks in Berlin post in the latest Anywhere, Everywhere Travel Blog Carnival. Some other posts in this carnival t...
Hawaii's Big Island's eco-tourism website
Anyone looking for eco-travel resources for Hawaii's Big Island would do well to click over to BigIsland.org/Ecotourism. The website showcases all the...
English Heritage saves popular Heritage Open Days
After the organizers of the Heritage Open Days, the Civic Trust, went bankrupt, it looked like the very popular events may not take place this year. B...
American Airlines introduces One-Way Flex Awards
In what's probably the best thing to happen for mileage award travel, American Airlines has effectively made their awards ticket one-way tickets. With...
Parks in Berlin
Berlin is a very green city, with green spaces dotted all over it. Berlin parks range from tiny green oasis around fountain on street corners to massi...
Congratulations to Viator
The voting for the Chapeau Blog Awards ended a few days ago and the results are in. The winner in the travel blogs category is the Viator Travel Blog,...
Book a hotel, then get it even cheaper. Maybe...
Orbitz has launched a new service they call the Hotel Price Assurance. This is meant to assure you as a traveler that the pre-paid price you pay at O...
Cheap eats in Berlin
Berlin food isn't all currywurst, a bratwurst covered in ketchup and curry powder. While you'll find those on every streetcorner of Berlin, there are ...
Pilots and control towers, some real life exchanges
What follows are some real life transcriptions of the occasionally funny exchanges between the air traffic controllers and pilots. Make up your own mi...
Carnival of Cities 22 April 2009
Welcome to the 22 April issue of the Carnival of Cities, on visit to eyeflare.com from its spiritual home at Family Travel Guide.
Cities in Europe
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The districts of Berlin
Berlin has more than one downtown. The city's many districts, called Bezirke, each of which has it's own individual feel to it. There are 16 main dist...
London police force tourist to delete photos of bus stationAn Austrian architecture fan was stopped by Metropolitan police for taking photos of London's Vauxhall bus station which he appreciated as a work of m...
Where to buy goods confiscated by the TSA
The TSA doesn't just throw out the items confiscated at security checkpoints. Some are donated to non-profit organizations, most metal is recycled as ...
Shameless request for voting love
Voting in the Chapeau Blog Awards! began yesterday and eyeflare.com needs your voting love to come out ahead of day-tour juggernaut Viator's diehard f...
Activity holidays another UK credit crunch victim
I've written before about green travel options getting crunched and now there's signs another type of vacation is on the decline in the UK.
Not only...
Chilango Fresh Mexican Kitchen
If you're in the mood for a good bite of Mexican food while in London, you could do (much) worse than Chilango. Chilango is a small chain of Mexican f...
Carnival of Cities coming up 22 AprilThe Carnival of Cities is visiting eyeflare.com again on 22 April. This blog carnival is now a bi-monthly carnival, and its spiritual home is Sheila S...
No fees means cheaper flights for you
The latest travel booking sites to drop their fees are Orbitz and CheapTickets. The good news is that the booking fees they used to add is now no mor...
Find an internet café anywhere in the world
Cybercafes.com is a great resource for finding internet access in nearly any country in the world. With 4,208 cafés in 141 countries, the datab...
The PERFECT travel accessory
While some of you may prefer the sleek utilitarianism of a Leatherman tool, I prefer to bring every tool possible along in a 'swelte' 4 lbs package ...
Website tip: Eurocom's world powerplug map
Anyone that travels abroad with a laptop computer or other electronic gadgets soon find out that power outlets are different all over the world. The w...
Live in the UK? Get your European Health Insurance Card today
For anyone living in the UK, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will get you lower cost or free medical care in any of the EU countries as well a...
Kayak launches new low airfare finding tools
On the heels of me stating that the current airfare sales won't last, Kayak.com launches 3 new improvements in their search tools to help you get a lo...
Massive flight fare sales won't last long
With the air travel industry in turmoil and running scared from the global recession, the airlines have launched massive air fare sales across the boa...
Finalist in the Chapeau Blog Awards 2009
Eyeflare.com made it into the finals for best travel blog in the Chapeau Blog Awards this year. We're up against the very good Viator blog, which shou...
Travel blog Wordles and their meanings
After finding Wordle.net and making my own Wordle, I thought to ask other travel bloggers to send in theirs to help show what a range of topics there ...
How to work the easyJet credit card for easyJet MileseasyJet launched their airmiles credit card together with Citibank back in February last year. It's a normal MasterCard, except that you'll collect ea...
Perpignan, France
Perpignan is a small Catalan town near the border to Spain. With charming regional influences in architecture, cuisine, and stunning local weather, it...
Pack a travel towel when packing light
When traveling, especially backpacking or packing light, there are times when there’s not a nice fresh towel around where you’re staying. ...
Eyeflare.com in a word cloud
Here's a bit of fun. Wordle.net is a service that will take your web page or RSS feed and make a word cloud out of it. Here's what I got today from my...
New design for eyeflare.com
I've just made the new design live on eyeflare.com, so if you haven't viewed the site outside of our RSS feed in a while, come take a look.
The attem...
I've joined Twitter
Usually late to the party, I've finally succumbed and joined Twitter, the micro-blogging service. I'll try to stick to travel-related tweets, but maki...
Bus travel around the world
Bus travel is economical, eco-friendly, and sometimes much faster than other options. In Mexico and Brazil for example, it's the cheapest way to get a...
English travelers will stay in England this summer
It's another sign that travelers are chosing nearer destinations this summer; car rental company Auto Europe is getting slammed for bookings in the En...
Ryanair fees up and service down - againNever a company to shy away from upsetting their passengers, Ryanair has upped fees and plan to lower service levels to less than you’d expect o...
Like food and travel? Hungry City Guides are for you
For anyone heading to the United States and who enjoys food, the Hungry City Guides will help zero in on those venues that’ll satisfy the palate...
City of Anaheim recovers underpaid tax from online travel agents
In a first, online travel agents (OTAs) have been sued and lost over the issue of transient occupancy taxes (per night tax charges in hotels) after ye...
Venice without the crowds
Venice is beautiful, stunning, and astoundingly crowded. If you rather avoid crowding yourself with snap-happy Japanese tourists, get up at the crack ...
Take photos of police in England and risk arrest
New legislation in the UK means anyone taking photos of the police will risk arrest and imprisonment under anti-terrorism law, the section 76 of the C...
Azul Airlines expands in Brazil
Not all airlines are shuttering services or laying off staff. Azul Airlines, Brazil's newest airline, will add more planes and increase the number of ...
Why advertise the best job in the world?
This is a guest post by Craig Martin of the Indie Travel Podcast.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the best job in the world.
Over 10,000...
Carnival of Cities 5 FebruaryCaitlin over at Roaming Tales hosted the Carnival of Cities: From marbles in Kansas City to snow in London this past week, and I thought to share a co...
Travelers to spend and travel less in 2009
From all indications, the travel sector is going to shrink during 2009 as the economy goes from bad to worse. Already, we’re seeing that travel ...
6 tips for arriving from frequent fliers
By planning ahead during the flight and before you arrive to your destination you can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your stay. Getting p...
Europe Travel Carnival for February ’09
Karen over at Europe A La Carte just published the Europe Travel Carnival 2 February 2009 post where my piece on Amsterdam’s Café Am&eacu...
Valentine’s Day in London
Bustling London is perfect to celebrate a romantic Valentine’s Day with a wife or girlfriend. Whether it’s making chocolate, going to a co...
Now book Venice tourism services online
Beginning 1 February, travelers will be able to book tourism services for Venice online and pick dates for travel when there are fewer tourists around...
Chinese New Year in London 2009
Start the Year of the Ox by celebrating Chinese New Year at London's Trafalgar Square. With traditional dances, cultural stalls, fireworks and stunn...
Valentine’s Day in New York City
Celebrating Valentine’s Day can be done in style in New York City. There’s an unending array of options for romantic activities during the...
Ryanair to fine passengers for bringing (extra) luggageIn what has to be a new low for an airline, European budget carrier Ryanair will now give fines to passengers with “excess” cabin luggage....
Eyeflare.com’s events calendar 2009 - Part 4
Welcome to the final installment of the eyeflare.com events calendar for 2009. We’re listing one special event each month for 2009 that you want...
2 great breakfasts spots in London
The first and most important meal of the day, breakfast becomes even more important when you're traveling. For some fantastic breakfast food, visit th...
Use your digital camera as a notepad
Digital compact cameras nowadays are really versatile; with stills and video, they already do double duty. But how about using it as a super-fast note...
New York’s Restaurant Week 2009
Anyone interested in eating very nice food for a bargain price should be in New York for this winter's Restaurant Week. This January, the food action ...
4 airport tips from frequent fliers
Navigating airports and the duty free shopping is an artform. It’s all to easy to leave frazzled, in debt, and even possibly without your luggag...
Green travel getting crunched?
With the credit crunch, it seems that ’green travel’ isn’t getting us to open up our wallets. Travelers aren’t taking the typi...
Poor service could mean end of English budget hotels
Britain isn’t known for the best service, and during this credit crunch, that could mean the end of a vast range of UK budget hotels and other t...
Americans, get your passports now
On June 1, 2009, everyone crossing the US border will need a passport, including American citizens.
Previously, Americans crossing the Mexican or Can...
Eyeflare.com’s events calendar 2009 – Part 3
Welcome to the 3rd installment of the eyeflare.com events calendar for 2009. We’re listing one special event each month for 2009 that you want t...
Visitors to USA need pre-clearance from January 12, 2009
Nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries (see list below) will still be eligible to travel without a visa but will have to obtain an approved tr...
5 packing tips from frequent fliers
Packing well for a trip may be one of the most difficult tasks for any infrequent traveler. However, this is one area where frequent fliers excel. Her...
10 most popular articles of 2008
Eyeflare travel advice and tips had a great 2008. We published quite a few travel articles in 2008 and had more visitors and commenters than ever. Her...
In the Nomadic Matt carnival
I've got an inclusion in Nomadic Matt's blog carnival a few days ago. See over at the carnival page....