Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Thursday, 16 January 2014

Where the world’s biggest coffee drinkers live

Posted by Unknown on 09:34:00 3 Comments

Not all coffee drinkers are made equal. By Roberto A. Ferdman @robferdman January 15, 2014

America might be famous for running on coffee, but it doesn’t run on much. Not compared to a handful of other countries, anyway. When it comes to actual coffee consumption per person, the US doesn’t even crack the top 15.

For much of Europe, and especially Scandinavia, the story is quite different. In a review in 2010 about Stieg Larsson’s hit Swedish trilogy, the New York Times wrote incredulously about how the books’ scenes seemed to always revolve around endless servings of coffee:

…everyone works fervidly into the night and swills tons of coffee; hardly a page goes by without someone “switching on the coffee machine,” ordering “coffee and a sandwich” or responding affirmatively to the offer “Coffee?”

But as it turns out—and as the Times soon thereafter learned—the coffee obsession has much less to do with Larsson than it does with Sweden. Or really, with all of Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, and bits of Eastern Europe. The Netherlands’ per-capita consumption of 2.4 cups a day is almost the same as those of the US, UK, Spain, and France combined.

10 Visa Free Destinations for Indian Citizen

Posted by Unknown on 09:53:00 Be The First To Comment

Indian travellers may rule the declining rupee but there are other perks to being an Indian citizen. Holders of Indian passports have visa-free and visa-on-arrival access to about 52 countries and territories around the world. At least 28 of these nations allow Indian passport holders to visit without a

pre-issued visa.

In many cases, an Indian citizen's country of residence determines the degree of access to other countries. Indian citizens holding permanent resident (Green Card) status in the United States do not require visas to visit Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean islands. Indians of particular professions with a residency in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are exempt from visas to enter the United Arab Emirates. Indian citizens do not, similarly, need a visa to enter Nepal or Bhutan.

1. BHUTAN

Bhutan, the happiest little nation in the world, is among the most sought-after Himalayan destinations for tourists but the Himalayan mountain kingdom is very conservative when it comes to tourism. Travel writer Pico Iyer mentioned it in his book, Falling off the Map, as one of the world's remotest places. Until recently, Bhutan restricted tourist numbers. Though that has changed.

2. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Most Indians need to look up the British Virgin Islands on a map. They lie in the Caribbean Sea, and include over 60 islands and keys, of which about 43 are uninhabited. Indian citizens are granted a 31-day visa-free stay in the British Virgin Islands for tourism purposes. One of the best ways to visit the islands is by cruise ship, as many cruises operate from the United States to the nearby US Virgin Islands. There are no direct flights between India and the British Virgin Islands.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,60,000 (via Paris and Saint Maarten)

3.COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands lie in Polynesia, off the coast of New Zealand. They are named after Captain James Cook, who discovered them for the western world in 1770. Since 1965, the islands have been self-governed with free association to the government of New Zealand, which controls the islands' defence,Rarotonga International Airport, the main port of entry to the Cook Islands, is connected to Auckland via daily flights and weekly flights from Sydney, Fiji and Los Angeles.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,60,000 (via Singapore and Auckland).

4. DOMINICA

Not to be confused with the Caribbean nation known as the Dominican Republic, the island of Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by the British. It has beautiful hiking trails, rainforests and beaches with great opportunities for snorkelling. Indian citizens are allowed to stay for 22 months without a visa.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 2,00,000 (via Paris and Saint Maarten)

5. EL SALVADOR

El Salvador, the most densely populated country in Central America, lies between Guatemala and the Honduras. Volcanoes, mountains and cloud forests offer plenty of nature discovery and hiking opportunities. Old colonial towns and UNESCO World Heritage Sites beckon heritage tourists. Indian nationals are permitted to stay for a maximum of three months without a visa.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,44,000 (via Paris and Miami)

6. GRENADA

The beautiful Caribbean islands of Grenada offer much to tourists in the form of beaches, waterfalls, historic forts and spice gardens. Indian tourists can travel visa-free in Grenada for up to 90, but must show proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of their travel.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1.60,000 (via London and Miami).

7. HAITI

Haiti is off the travel map for most tourists owing to the devastation left by the 2010 earthquake. One of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere, its current political situation and concerns over the safety of tourists has prompted many countries to issue strict travel advisories. That said, Indian tourists are welcome without a visa for a maximum stay of three months.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: INR 1,52,000 (via Dubai and New York)

8. JAMAICA

Jamaica is the most populous of the English-speaking Caribbean countries and its easygoing culture, cuisine and music, besides its many beaches, are attractive to tourists. Indian tourists can stay without a visa on producing a passport valid for six months and sufficient proof of funds and onward travel.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 1,53,000 (via Dubai and New York/ Toronto)

9.MONTSERRAT

Not to be confused with the Spanish region of the same name, Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean southeast of Puerto Rico and once a popular resort. Since 1989, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions forced its closure but the island is slowly limping back. Indian citizens must show proof of citizenship but can travel visa-free on furnishing proof of onward travel and adequate funds.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 1,30,000 (to Antigua, via London) and a 15-minute air-hop from Antigua to Montserrat (about INR 5,000)

10. MICRONESIA

The far-flung Federated States of Micronesia are a group of 607 islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, comprising the states of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It is considered one of the most remote and beautiful places in the world, with pristine coral reefs, quaint cultures, exotic food and picturesque islands. Indian citizens can travel visa-free for 30 days upon producing proof of sufficient funds, onward travel and accommodation.

Approximate cost of round trip flight: 2,04,000 (via Hong Kong, Guam and Truk)

image credit :- http://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com

Fast and Furious Actor Paul Walker Dead at 40

Posted by Unknown on 20:22:00 Be The First To Comment

Paul Walker, an actor best known for his role as a fast-driving cop opposite bad-guy-gone-good Vin Diesel in the Fast and Furious movie series died on Saturday in a car crash in Santa Clarita, California, according to multiple sources. Walker was 40 years old.

News of the fatal crash spread first online after celebrity news site TMZ broke the story. Initially, most other news outlets and Twitter accounts picked it up as a report.

It was another hour before TMZ and then ABC News got confirmation from the actor's representatives.

TMZ's web site was inundated with traffic and, for a brief period of time, actually went down. When it returned, it appeared with this sentence added to the original story: "A rep for the actor confirms Paul died today in the crash after leaving a charity event."

According to the AP, Walker was a passenger in a friend's Porsche, which crashed into a light pole and tree before bursting into flames. Dramatic images of the wreckage soon spread on Twitter.

Top 5 Best Travel Apps

Posted by Unknown on 09:09:00 Be The First To Comment

image credit www.lifehacker.com

Whether you're hitting the road or taking to the skies this travel season, you could do with a digital companion to help you plan your itinerary, make sure your tickets and connections are all lined up, and that you have plenty of time to do everything you want (or need) to do while you're traveling. This week, we're looking at five of the best travel planning apps or services, based on your nominations.

1.Tripit

image credit http://www.independent.co.uk

This clever little app turns your smartphone into a pocket-sized PA. Just forward all your flight, hotel and car rental reservations to Tripit and it creates a digital itinerary for your trip that you can print out for yourself or share. A must download for business travellers.

IOS and Android, free

2. TouristEye

TouristEye is a little different; instead of helping you organize your trip or helping you find the best prices and options for your trip, it helps you build a "wishlist" of destinations where you'd like to travel and experiences you'd like to have. It doesn't have to be as fancy as a once-in-a-lifetime trip, either: the app is great for planning your annual family vacation (if you get to take one, that is), or if you want to just take a few day trips here or there. Of course, you can build your bucket-list of places you want to see before you die, and you can share that list with friends or family and collaborate with them on them. They can add waypoints and things to check out in the area, specific things to do when you're there, and together you can plan a trip together. Then, when you're on the road, you can look back over those plans with detailed information, links, maps, and more.

3. TripCase

Among the new features in TripCase Pro, a product from Sabre Holdings, is adding seat maps with available seats; turn-by-turn driving directions from locales within your itinerary; SMS flight alerts within the TripCase application; flight search up to one year in advance, and sharing of full travel itineraries with assigned recipients.

TripCase Pro is available for free through Oct. 31, and a fee will be charged thereafter. Pricing will be $9.99 per month or $69.99 for an annual subscription. Users can click the Go Pro option in the free TripCase apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Android to get more information. The introduction of TripCase Pro coincides with the release of TripCase 2.0. TripCase says enhancements to its latest version of its free app include the ability to select contacts to receive flight alerts, social networking functions, the ability to access all travel tools from one screen, and easier use of maps to plot locations and events in your itinerary. A TripCase spokesperson claims the free version of the app, which will still be available, offers certain features, such as flight alerts, that some competitors only make availble in their premium versions.

4. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and over 100 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

5.WorldMate

WorldMate, the popular travel planning and organizational service, has expanded its mobile reach onto the iPhone. The two different versions of the app, which were released late Tuesday night (one free, and a premium version that costs a hefty $19.99), give travelers tools to create and track travel itineraries including flights, hotel reservations, rental cars, and any appointments along the way.

The two versions of the app offer identical functionality for core parts of WorldMate's service, like a flight search tool, world clock list, currency conversion, and a heads-up display on what's on your schedule. However, the paid "gold" version comes without any kind of advertising. Feature-wise, it also adds niceties like an automatic flight status checker that, with the soon-to-be-released iPhone OS 3.0, will send you an alert if there's a delay or cancellation of your flight. It also plugs into Google Maps to tack together a rich map with all the places you're visiting on your trip.

Until it gets the live notifications, users of both versions will simply have to use the one-click "check flight status" link. This checks information against WorldMate's delay and cancellation tracker. It also lets you know about any last-minute gate changes.