Send real letters from the Internet to anywhere in the world.
# Thursday, 06 September 2007
The first Eurostar train to use the new St Pancras terminal has broken the Paris to London record after a trip of two hours, three minutes and 39 seconds. The train travels at around 192mph. The quicker time should help to drive up passenger number and allow Eurostar to compete with budget airlines.

posted on Thursday, 06 September 2007 15:55:33 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Nepal’s state run airline has an interesting approach to fixing problems. Faced with a technical problem with one of its two Boeing 757 aircraft they decided to sacrifice two goats to help solve the problem. Personally I feel better if they had called an engineer, but what do I know? The goat sacrifice did appear to work and the problem with the plane has been resolved.

posted on Wednesday, 05 September 2007 18:00:21 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Monday, 03 September 2007
There has been a 69% rise in the number of typhoid cases reported in the UK. This rise is put down to the fact that many tourists do not get the proper vaccinations before going to exotic locations. A rise in low cost flights and the fact that more people are holidaying in locations such as south-east Asia and Africa means that more people are bringing infectious diseases with them. There were 248 cases of typhoid reported in the UK in 2006, 122 of which were picked up overseas.

posted on Monday, 03 September 2007 18:09:18 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Sunday, 02 September 2007

blogoftheweek This weeks travel blog is My Several Worlds A global mind in Asia. The blog is about the experiences of Carrie Marshall and her fiancé and their experiences in Asia. The couple are currently living and teaching in Taipei in Taiwan. One interesting article is a photo journal of Cambodia. The article shows the inhabitants of a small village and shows a number of pictures of the local children and of fishermen bringing home their catch.

 A slightly more humorous article entitled Vehicles of Burden shows some of the overloaded vehicles they have come across crossing from Cambodia into Thailand. Among the photographs are a man driving a motorcycle overloaded with grass and a picture of a dozen people crammed into the back of a truck. They are currently planning a trip to Tokyo, which should make an interesting read judging by all the things on their itinerary.

posted on Sunday, 02 September 2007 18:17:04 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Friday, 31 August 2007
HSBC has been criticised over a TV advert that suggests they do not charge customers for withdrawing cash abroad. The bank does charge a 2.75% exchange rate adjustment which covers the cost of processing and handling. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this fee amounted to a transaction charge and that the company was in breach of advertising rules. They are not allowed to repeat the TV advert until changes have been made to it.

posted on Friday, 31 August 2007 11:21:10 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Thursday, 30 August 2007
I found this interesting vacation rentals website. It allows the owners of vacation rentals to list their properties on the website. You as the traveller can then contact them directly to book your holiday rental. They cover a number of destinations worldwide including Paris vacation rentals and London vacation rentals.

I always think that a holiday rental is nicer than staying in a hotel, due to the fact you have a lot more privacy. Often it can work out a lot cheaper as well, so can be good for people travelling on a budget. For example I found a vacation rental in Oxford which starts from just £30 a night.

posted on Thursday, 30 August 2007 10:32:56 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Wednesday, 29 August 2007
A second Portuguese Man-o’-War jellyfish has been found in Cornwall. The jellyfish was washed up at St Ives, near where the last one was found, a few days ago. People are urged to be cautious when visiting the area. Anyone stung should immediately remove any tentacles and immerse the affected area in either hot or iced water for 20 minutes.

posted on Wednesday, 29 August 2007 09:36:50 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
I came across this website the other day that offers short term rentals in Vilnius, Lithuania. The idea is that instead of booking a hotel you can book one of their rental properties. They are available for anything from a few days to a few weeks and can often work out cheaper than staying in a hotel. They also offer a lot more space and privacy than you would have if you stayed at a hotel. Another reason to go for a short term rental is that you can be a bit more flexible, not having to be back at a certain time for meals, as you would have to be at a hotel. This website specialises in rental in the Old Town which are within walking distance of the cities restaurants and shops. All the apartments are fully furnished and many also have internet access which is always useful.

posted on Wednesday, 29 August 2007 08:10:31 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback
# Tuesday, 28 August 2007
The World Health Organisation has warned that people are more at risk of contracting an infectious disease because of cheap air travel. Their report says that new strains of diseases such as influenza, malaria and tuberculosis are thriving and that more drug resistant mutations are becoming common. The problem is that it can be hard to confine a disease to one geographical area, due to the fact that people travel so frequently. The article highlights a case where an American lawyer who was believed to have tuberculosis. He had travelled around Europe and could have infected another 127 people with the disease. Although it was later confirmed the man has a less serious form of the disease, it still shows how a disease could spread very quickly.

posted on Tuesday, 28 August 2007 11:46:58 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Trackback