This week on Tripwolf Blog we loved the news of the upcoming iPhone App that will allow users to bring Tripwolf everywhere on their mobile! Still it’s just a sneak peak, but I’m sure soon we’ll have more news.

Another great post was about the top ten islands in the world, as users are asked to vote which island of the world they think is the best!

During the summer Zurich offers numerous spots by the water such as cafés, restaurants and boathouses.

Lago Zürich, a boathouse, rents pedal boats, is available for organizing events and functions as a self-service café by the water; More properly put: ON the water. The spot is housed on a platform sitting on the eastern side of lake Zurich by the promenade known as Utoquai.

Lago Zürich is ideal for an outdoor drink during the late evening hours. It combines the beautiful view towards the sunset sky while offering relaxing distance from the crowds of Utoquai.

Most enjoyable is the mild swinging motion of the platform caused by the waves of the lake water. This motion is subtle: during the first visit one wonders weather the effect is real or illusory. But beware: the small waves are often caused by a mild breeze felt more intensely on the platform than along Utoquai. So even if T-shirt feels comfortable on the “mainland” a few meters away, a light jacket may be appreciated on the platform.

I like the setup with the sofas: they create a laid-back mood. There are also plastic chairs which can be moved or rotated “at will”. Guests can choose the desired orientation: facing the sunset sky above the Kongresshaus or the Alps towards the south or the illuminated church towers towards the north.

By Miltiadis Sarakinos from SpottedByLocals.com/zurich
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We all know that word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to find decent accommodation. Without it, we can search the internet to our heart’s content, looking for deals. But if all we have to go on is a webpage or advert without any reviews, we could be very (unpleasantly) surprised when the time comes to check in.

Darn Good Digs is a website featuring user-recommended accommodations around the world for under $150US/night.

For example, knowing that I’ll be in India shortly, I searched for local good digs on the site. In so doing, I discovered that the Inn Seventh Heaven has a great vibe, awesome food, I learned a little about the area, and I even read a few tips for booking the less expensive rooms by a user from Australia who has stayed there before.

User nominations are all screened by the website administrators, who research and elaborate on good digs nominations if not enough information is given by the user. Thus, the quality of each review is kept to a high standard and is consistent throughout the Site.

Darn Good Digs has even more reason for you to visit them now: they are having a contest, and are giving away a Brooklyn Industries Travel Bag to make it worth your while.

Contest entry is easy: Simply sign up for their newsletter, or for two entries, nominate your own fav digs for the Site.

Click here to enter the contest, which ends July 27, 2009.

Note: The author has no vested or affiliate interest in Darn Good Digs

Over and over again, I read travel writers saying that travelers should use travel agents for complicated or exotic trips, but that generally they can just book “simple trips” on their own online.

And as a travel agent, I can say honestly, that the service fees most agents get from domestic trips are often not what’s keeping us in business, so this isn’t a pitch for more sales. But actually, there are reasons travelers might consider an agent, even for “simple” trips.

The first reason is if the flight is delayed or canceled. Service cuts at the airports and all those check-in kiosks mean that the wait to speak to a human is longer than ever. Travelers with an agent can get on the phone and be rebooked before they get to the front of the line.

Also, if a trip is booked in advance the chance of schedule changes is high. Sometimes these schedule changes are trivial, other times they can result in a missed connection or hours waiting at an airport. An agent can get this resolved, even say, changing travel cities if a service cut means no good alternative.
For example, I have talked airlines into changing tickets from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, and San Jose to San Francisco recently. Which an individual can do too, but it make take a while.

Then there’s the issue of seat assignments. Lately, it seems as if, except for bookings made months in advance, there are no decent seat assignments left — sometimes even for elite mileage members. Most good travel agents, however, will keep checking back for seat assignments for their clients, and most of the time, something opens up. (And then there’s Northwest, in a class by themselves by only pre-assigning seats 90 days in advance.)

In addition, a few airlines, like British Airways and United Airlines, have special deals with some agents for seat assignment priority.

And finally, it’s another pair of eyes. I lose track of the number of requests I get for a flight say, on Monday May 17. Except that May 17 is a Sunday. It’s an easy mistake to make, getting day and date wrong, but the airlines are not terribly sympathetic. An agent is more likely to pick up these and other discrepancies, name issues, misspellings, etc., before a ticket is issued.

One of my favorite clients finally gave up booking online some years back after several airport problems. He likes to tell his co-workers, “You know, I am just thrilled when I have paid Janice her fee and she only had to do a few minutes work for it. Because it means everything went super smoothly. Unfortunately, with the airlines these days it happens a lot less often than I would like.”

Photo “Too early to Check in – Sydney Airport” by Charlie Brower on Flickr

It is one of those waterfront spots. The Royal Danish Play House in Copenhagen is the newly inaugurated (2008) play scene of the Royal Danish Theatre and is located beautifully on the waterfront – just opposite the also fairly new opera.

Apart from the theatre itself, there is a restaurant and a café – both open for all.
If you want to dine somewhere out of the ordinary, I recommend the restaurant. Named after Ofelia, Hamlet’s lass, the restaurant is set in this huge, yet strangely intimate, industrial room with nothing but space, sky and the water. And white linen tablecloths. Definetely. The kitchen matches the unique setting with excellent offerings for brunch, lunch and dinner in seasonal menus.

The café is a café and serves good quality without being cosmic about it. Just very good with light meals, fine teas, quality beer and of course coffee to your heart’s content.

Outdoor serving season begins today, May 15th! Oh, and the rather competent cocktail bar moved outside as well. So you can sip manhattans and watch the Copenhagen skyline. Not too bad, really.

The place has free wireless internet (indoors – possibly reachable outside – didn’t check). I recommend the website with more details, i.e. wine, actual menues and so on.

By Morten Pors Nielsen from SpottedByLocals.com/copenhagen
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I toured China with a ballet in 1993. And back then, China was a steal, but I still spent thousands of dollars on the experience.

Now, you can see a good chunk of China for under $1,000, courtesy of Friendly Planet Travel.

I’m really impressed with this package. It includes return airfare from Los Angeles, all domestic flights, transfers, taxes, accommodation for the entire ten days, touring, most meals, and of course – the opportunity to see China with a knowledgeable tour guide.

For more information, check out their China deal (and many others) here.

Note: The author has no vested interest in Friendly Planet Travel

Photo “The Great Wall of China” from exfordy on Flickr

Another busy week just ended at Tripwolf headquarters!

On their blog you can read about the Spanish party they held to celebrate the launch of Tripwolf Spain!

It is worth to read also the ending of the bloggers’ competition, won by EdwardWisdom thanks to his colorful post on “How Crashing a Wedding in Laos Saved My Life“.
(more…)

Portobello Market started as a fresh-food market in the 19th Century, but expanded in the 1960s to include the renowned Saturday antiques market at the eastern end of the street, and an assortment of clothing and accessories stalls to the western end. It is of course more recently known for that Richard Curtis film, Notting Hill, and is also mentioned in many popular songs.

Take a walk down the length of the entire street to take in all the stalls; street food steams and bubbles in huge pots serving Ghanaian curry, Spanish paella, and grills of German chicken Schnitzel and sausages.
Have a browse through the antiques, it’s more than the usual furniture and china. I found a guy selling items of old navigational and military navigation pieces, clocks from old Russian MiG and US jets. A unique bedside clock for £200!

I tend to jump in the car with my friend and head down there every Saturday. If you’re visiting London and self-catering, I strongly recommend coming here to buy your fresh fruit and veg, the flavours are so much better.

Tomatoes are deep red and juicy, unlike the fluffy tasteless flesh of their irradiated cousins found in supermarkets. The fresh bread stall is a guilty pleasure, mostly for the mountains of sweet pastries, muffins and iced doughnuts that call at me from my childhood, or is that voice coming from a future cardiac surgeon? Who cares! At about 16:30, the prices are reduced to clear and you can pick-up three doughnuts for a quid or two!

So you have to pay a bit more than in the supermarket, but your money goes to a real small business and you’ll have experienced the theatre of street vendors, rather than the anonymous and sterile experience of a supermarket queue.

It’s a busy place so don’t necessarily expect to get a deep, personal conversation from a stall-holder, and if they look a bit grumpy, it’s mostly because they’ve been up since about 05:00, so give them a bit of conversation, a bit of humour and they soon open up. Love ‘em.

By Ben Pendrey from SpottedByLocals.com/london
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We’re a nation teetering on social burn-out. The multitude of devices designed to bind us together like links in a chain has made it difficult to go to the bathroom and be alone. Articles on efficiency are prolific: how to cut a minute off some task, make your morning shower more efficient, and speed up this or that. And yet I know more discontented people than ever. When the pundits start messing with your morning shower, who wouldn’t be unhappy? It all begs the point, if being continually connected to a large group of people and having your life maximized for efficiency can’t deliver happiness, what’s missing? Some solo time, my friends.

Ester Schaler Buchholz, PhD, an outspoken advocate for solitude, in her 1997 book The Call of Solitude writes: “We live in a society that worships independence yet deeply fears alienation. The earth’s population has doubled since the 1950s and in cities across the world, urban crowding and the new global economy have revolutionized social relationships. Cellular phones now extend the domain of the workplace into every part of our lives; religion no longer provides a place for quiet retreat but instead offers “megachurches” of social and secular amusement; and climbers on top of Mt. McKinley whip out hand-held radios to call home. We are heading toward a time when, according to the New York Times,” portable phones, pagers, and data transmission devices of every sort will keep us terminally in touch.” Yet in another more profound way, we are terminally out of touch. The need for genuine and constructive aloneness has gotten utterly lost, and in the process, so have we.”

Solo road trips (SRT) strike fear in the heart of many. Either the brain conjures up “solitary confinement” and goes downhill from there or the thought of a road trip disgorges memories of the family sedan and their Dad’s mission to see America at 55 mph. But it’s not about getting away, it’s about going somewhere….with yourself. I read an article on solo travel that recommended spending some time on a psychological sofa before heading out on a solo road trip. I beg to differ. The trip IS the psychological sofa. And there’s no astronomical hourly billing attached. Few things in our lives are as liberating, empowering, and rejuvenating as a solo road trip. Yet as good as that sounds, most people have NEVER taken one. Friends can face down a room of professionals in a board room, or the crush of orders coming in for burgers and fries at high noon, but they can’t face the prospect of being alone.

Let’s debunk a myth right off the bat about solo travel. There are those who believe the only experiences that really matter are those you share with someone else. Pifel! That’s my mother’s favorite exclamatory word and provides a more politically correct substitute for my favorite words: bullshit, crap, crapola, and whatacrock. If you asked these people in a question format “do you believe the only experiences that really matter are….” they would likely say “no.” But my SRTs have become a curiosity, and with that I’ve become a curiosity. So I hear feedback about them and I can tell you a lot of it is negative and without any ability to relate. Why? Because deep down they believe the myth and they can’t relate to those of us who don’t. Various friends and family members are so unable to relate to my road trips, they can’t talk about them. Upon my return last fall from 9 days on the open road, a best friend called and said “Okay, it’s just not right you wanting to have all that fun to yourself, and I demand to go with you on the next one.” Judy. Then it wouldn’t be a SOLO road trip. The concept is beyond her; fun should be shared. End of discussion. But it’s not the end. If it were, I’d have nothing else to write. And I’ve plenty to say, so stay tuned!

Photo “road trip” from wili_hybrid on Flickr

Barbados may be known as a celebrity hideout, with sky-high prices at five-star properties and private villas paired with a happening Zagat-rated restaurant scene. If you have cash to splash, there’s plenty to keep you happy on this vibrant Caribbean island. But, fortunately, it’s not only for the upscale traveler. Here are a few recommendations for things to do if you want to taste the local flavor and experience the island Bajan-style.

For starters, instead of staying on the pricier west coast, choose the rugged and less developed east coast of Barbados. Here, the charming fishing village of Bathsheba is a surfers’ mecca and home to the cozy Sea-U Guest House Hotel – the place to stay if you’re on a budget and seeking a less mainstream escape.

For entertainment, the Oistins Fish Market on a Friday night is a must, regardless of the fact it’s become a pretty touristy affair. It gets packed with locals and visitors who roam endless stalls selling Bajan treats such as fried flying fish, cou-cou (a cornmeal and okra dish) and macaroni cheese. A great place to grab a bottle of cold Banks beer and wander around, listening to live music and checking out old couples dance to ballroom tunes.

Visiting rum shops in Barbados is not to be missed. There are over 1600 of these picturesque shacks on the island – great spots to mingle with the local crowd, taste some rum and play a game of dominoes. On my recent trip, I ended up at Merten’s rum shop in the village of Half Moon Fort on a Friday night, listening to John, a fisherman born and raised in the area who has stories to weave that can easily last till sunrise. Across the road is St Elmo’s grocery and adjacent to it a karaoke bar, where the singing was some of the most earnest I had ever heard. If you’re hungry, there’s also a fish shack next door where Bajans like to grab a quick bite.

Many of Barbados’ restaurants require reservations and some even a dress code. If you want something low-key, head to Fisherman’s Pub in Speightstown, the island’s second largest town that in reality feels more like an oversized village. At this simple spot alongside the jetty, you’ll get lovely water views and cheap Bajan fare such as pepperpot (a spicy meat stew) and jug-jug (a mix of corn and green peas) as well as West Indian staples like chicken curry, rice & beans and plantains.

After you’ve done the eating and drinking, take one of the free hikes around the island, organized by the Barbados National Trust. These three-hour jaunts (morning and afternoon available) will take you through cane fields, tropical gullies, and rarely visited communities. Donations are welcome and go toward the work of the National Trust and Treading Lightly (an environmental education and conservation project).

Visit everthenomad.com for more by Anja Mutic