The Breakaway Travel Blog
Share Your Thoughts With the TSA
Got something to say – good or bad – about the Transportation Security Administration? Check out their blog at
www.tsa.gov/blog, which started Jan. 30, and let them know your thoughts.
According to a New York Times
article, Kip Hawley, TSA director, started the blog titled Evolution of Security, “to harness the amount of energy that’s out there, and our need to get the passenger and us on the same side.”
And it’s not a bunch of promotional talk, either. They allow real back and forth, including plenty of complaints, between Hawley and his readers. On the blog, you’ll also find the latest news and updates about the TSA and its procedures, as well as links to other independent bloggers, personal blogs by five TSA employees and news reports.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll even encourage change. Says the New York Times: “Last week, readers scored a point after some complained about a security procedure. At some airports, screeners had been ordering passengers to remove all electronics from their bags, rather than just laptops. There is no such rule. ‘We learned that this exercise was set up by local T.S.A. officers,’ the agency reported back on the blog. By Monday afternoon, the word had gone out to T.S.A. screeners nationally: BlackBerrys, iPods and other electronics stay in bags.”
Labels: air travel
New Date for Provence Coastal Walk
Have you been dreaming of a trip through the lavender fields of Provence? Apparently, you’re not alone! The guided
Provence Coastal Walk has been one of our most popular trips this year with many dates already sold out. So to meet demand, we’ve decided to add another departure date on May 18, which is a great time of year to see the exotic Mediterranean flora.
So why has it proven to be such a hit? You’ll get to wander through quiet coves, sheltered creeks, coastal paths and lush hill valleys with orange trees, peaches, almonds, corks and Aleppo pines. You'll also visit traditional Provencal villages, have the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean and walk in the glamorous Cote d'Azur. To finish off the week, there's an unforgettable champagne lunch on a private sailing yacht around millionaire’s bay!
If that sounds right up your alley, call soon, as each tour is limited to eight people.
Labels: france walking
Continental Goes High Tech
If it’s entertainment you’re looking for on your next flight, then you should consider booking with Continental. The Houston-based airlines just announced that beginning in January 2009, it will offer in-flight satellite television and Wi-Fi Internet access through an agreement with LiveTV LLC, a unit of JetBlue Airways Corp.
The new features will be available on US flights at every seat on next generation aircraft. Satellite television will be free in first-class, and will be available for $6 to economy-class customers. They are also working with LiveTV, testing Wi-Fi connectivity services that will allow access to e-mail and instant messaging while onboard. Imagine the work you could get done!
Click
here for more details.
Labels: air travel
New Tours for '08
Planning your vacation for 2008? Now is the time! And we’ve got lots of new tours you can choose from.
New for this year include more than 20 tours from Africa to Portugal. We won’t go through them all (you can visit our Web site to see the complete list), but some of the highlights include:
- Back Roads of Provence Cycling – A self-guided cycling tour that takes you past the Gothic Popes’ Palace in Medieval Avignon, the Greco -Roman Arles, as well as forests, vineyards and olive groves.
- Wicklow Way (Ireland) – Stroll along the Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest way marked trail that goes from Marlay Park in Dublin to Clonegal on the borders of Wicklow and Carlow, covering a distance of 127 kilometres.
- Hills of Hungary Walk – An independent walking tour through Baroque towns and past Ottoman ruins, castles, caverns and war graves with optional extra nights in Budapest.
Our new 2008 brochures are also available. If you’d like one, send us your information here and one will be on its way to you very soon.
Labels: France, Hungary, Ireland, New, tours
Know Before You Go
When you travel, it’s always better to do a little research on what’s going on at your destination. From the weather to the current exchange rate and even what’s going on in the news, you should be prepared for what might come your way when traveling. Of course, at Breakaway Adventures, we’re always here to answer any questions you might have about your destination and what to expect.
Here are a few of our favorite links that offer a variety of helpful travel information:
Let us know if you have other suggestions!
Lighting up Abroad
Gone are the days of enjoying a delicious croissant, cup of coffee and cigarette at sidewalk cafés in France. As of Jan. 1, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs joined a nationwide ban on smoking, just 11 months after smoking was banned in workplaces, schools, hospitals and shops throughout the country. Even though the country is trying to become more health conscious, it’s going to be a difficult habit to break for France’s estimated 13.5 million smokers. But with a hefty fine, 450 euros (about $645 dollars), the French will have to find a way to quit.
This ban comes six months after Great Britain decided to make its pubs smoke-free and four years after Ireland banned smoking in public spaces, the first to take such a stance in Europe.
Read the full
article.
Labels: France, Great Britain, smoking
