Girl on Bali beach, image Getty Images.

As of Jan 25, the Indonesian Law and Human Rights Ministry announced that they were scrapping the visa-on-arrival scheme, which permitted non-ASEAN citizens to pay US$10 at certain Indonesian points of entry for up to seven days. Visitors who enter Indonesia would have to pay US$25 for a 30-day single entry visa.

Not surprisingly, people are teed off. Reports the Straits Times of Singapore:

Mr Andrew Dixon, one of the owners of the Nikoi Island resort off Bintan, pointed out that many visitors went to the islands with a view to only a day of golf. "It will increase the cost of a visit to Bintan for a family of four by US$60," he told The Sunday Times. "The weekend travel market is already price-sensitive as it competes with Malaysia."

Indonesian officials, on the other hand, have been quick to extol the bright sect of the change. “Tourists could now stay longer to care for more of the country, as their 30-day stay could then be extended by some other month without them having to leave the country,” reports the Straits Times.

Read more…

Getting broody and looking for the perfect place to procreate? Check out these beautiful destinations bursting with new life and happiness.

As Winter turns to Spring the animal kingdom is preparing itself for the mating season.

As thoughts turn to fluffy bunnies, skipping lambs and flower blossoms, it’s the perfect time to start/grow a family.

Check out these stunning places across the world, ideal for baby-making!

1. Yoshino, Japan

ruins’n’c

THE number one destination in Japan to catch sight of the annual cherry blossoms. A dreamy destination to contemplate the cycle of life.

2. Breacon Becons, Wales, UK

Alan Stanton

Young lambs galloping across lush, rolling hills. A Spring mating paradise.

3. Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Danny Nicholson

Water: a beautiful symbol of life. A stunning spot to reflect on the new life you’re here and there to create.

4.

Read more…

I love ostriches and luckily, when you’re on safari, you won’t have much difficulty seeing them. Wild ostriches live throughout Africa, mostly in the drier areas and at low elevations. There are 4 living sub-species and they all inhabit different parts of the continent.

The ostrich is the world’s largest bird and it won’t surprise you that it can’t fly. But boy, can it run. It’s large powerful legs can propel this huge beast to speeds of up to 45 miles (70km) an hour. Those powerful legs can also kick like a mule and kill a man, so it’s best not to corner an ostrich. Just in case you do anger it, keep in mind that ostriches can only kick forward, not backwards.

The fact that the ostrich can run like the wind has made ostrich racing a popular sport, especially in South Africa. Riding an ostrich is on my list of chief 50 things to do before I die. If I can’t make it to Oudtshoorn, in the Karoo (the ostrich capital of the world), I could try my hazard in Phoenix, Arizona at the Ostrich Festival that’s held every March.

It’s my unscientific opinion that the ostrich must be one of the most versatile animals in the cosmos. Ostrich farms are very popular, you can find them as far afield as Texas, Israel and Namibia. Read more…

There are a lot of elements that go into the price of a flight, from staff costs to government fees to landing gate charges at airports. One big variable—and the ones most airlines use to warrant completely kinds of add-ons and extras—is the price of fuel. Well how much does it really cost to carry each passenger a thousand miles through the air?

Spirit Air is doing its best to figure that out and share it by its customers. It has published a handy dandy chart showing how much it costs them in fuel to go a certain range of distance. You can see the full breakdown at this link, but here are a few examples:

• A short hop of 400 to 599 miles costs them $21.67 at current fuel rates
• Going 800 to 999 miles is a shade over $30
• Their longest hauls of 2000+ miles costs $78 per passenger in fuel

So to put that in real terms, for Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun, fuel is only around $22. Flying totally the way to Lima from there, fuel is more than $78 per passenger. All these rates assume an 80% load factor, so if the flight is jammed full the actual cost per person would be a bit in a less degree. I’m not sure how lading is figured in.

Read more…

The Eurostar train at St Pancras Station. Photo by garybembridge.

By Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries—

Some arrivals are just too good to miss. Dropping down out of the skies to go on shore at some of Europe’s trickier airports be possible to be challenging for even the most experienced pilots. And, even from the passenger cabin, the steep lapse down into the airstrips at Innsbruck (Austria) or Lugano (Switzerland) can be very impressive. Funchal airport in Madeira is also fun, with passengers often alarmed that their plane is landing on the Atlantic waves—the runway extends over the ocean, supported by concrete pillars.

Whether you’re traveling by boat, train, or rail, the eager expectance at arriving to a new destination in Europe often makes us miss the best bit of the entire journey—the moment of arrival.

Arriving by dint of. boat

Some of Europe’s finest arrivals are by sea. There may be no great drama in arriving in Iceland on the Smyril Line ship Norröna from Denmark. Instead, there is the sheer beauty of the lonely eastern fjords and the knowledge that this is how the first settlers arrived on the island over a many years ago.

And Venice is really at her best arriving on a summer morning after a long ferry journey up the Adriatic. Read more…

Joshua Lott/Reuters An airplane departs Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.

It used to be so simple. You wanted to go to Paris, so you called a travel agency, gave them your dates and bag, and with any luck, you soon had in your hands a real paper ticket through a real dollar value. Even in the at the opening of lifetime days of the Internet, it was easier. You went to one of the few booking sites — Travelocity or Expedia, most likely — searched for your route, paid with a credit card and that was it. Maybe you even got a paper ticket in the mail. Those were the days!

Today, however, booking a flight is a total mess. Travelocity and Expedia have been joined by Bing and Orbitz and Dohop and Vayama and CheapTickets and CheapOair and Kayak and SideStep and Mobissimo and and and … I could go on and list every single Web site out there, but I won’t. There are just too many. Instead, I’ll lead you through the steps I make when I’m booking a flight myself.

I’ve covered this territory a bit before — here and here — but today I’ll try to go into more detail.

Read more…

Ryanair, everyone’s favourite European airline (tongue-in-cheek) has decided that they will go ahead with plans to charge £1 to appliance the toilets in flight. Civil Aviation Authorities here in the UK have ruled the change in policy isn’t against the law. Ryanair have already been criticised for additional fees and charges such as the £5 per person per flight payment admin fee (unless you pay through Mastercard prepaid debit card) and the £5 per person by flight online check in fee (not charged upon the body some promotional fares). But really, isn’t charging for use of toilets all going a little too far?

For me, I really prefer to pay my fare and know that my costs are covered – but this whole business of charging for every little service or convenience has gone too far. Hell, even American Airlines is charging $8 for a blanket as as you’ll see from the commentary, their blankets aren’familiarily even that nice anyway!

I’ve personally had enough. My Europe travel tip is to book with an airline who can offer a reasonably priced fare that includes a fair range of amenities without having to swipe your credit card just to get out of your seat in flight.

Read more…