July 14th, 2011

— You think of yourself as a reasonably hip, attractive person. You wear the latest styles and present your best side to the world. But then you open your passport and there it is on Page 2: A blast from the past staring back at you.

Maybe you were just recovering from a tragic haircut when that fateful picture was taken. Perhaps you were at the height of your facial hair experiment phase. Maybe the Goth look seemed like the coolest thing ever at the time.

Now, it’s an image that makes your friends giggle. Worse, you fear it could force Border Patrol agents to do a double-take at the airport when they see the real you.

So what happens when you don’t resemble your passport photo anymore?

“I feel like if I go through customs, they’re maybe going to look at me and be like, ‘Are we sure this is the same person?’ Because I do look drastically different,” said iReporter Brian Wilson, a student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

His passport photo — taken in 2007 when he was a college freshman — shows a mass of curls surrounding his face à la Robert Plant.

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July 14th, 2011

Diamond Head and the Waikiki coastline are a welcome sight to sailors who are now approaching the Hawaii finish line of the Transpacific Yacht Race. The biennial race brings boats of many sizes and sailors of many ages across 2,225 miles of open ocean.

Local Oahu yacht clubs host each of the boats so that they arrive to a big party. The captain of the boat that our group hosts has posted regular updates on their trip.

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Tags: Hawaii | Posted in Travel Deals |
July 14th, 2011

Airline baggage fees have not changed Derry Jeanette McCurdy’s travel habits. 
 “I travel pretty heavy,” the diversity manager in civilian personnel at Wright-Patterson Air For Base said with a smile. “It’s two of three suitcases.”

With their children grown, the Dayton native and her sister Barbara Frost embraced the travel bug a decade ago. They’ve taken several cruisers and other trips, including excursions to St. Thomas, the Bahamas and Brazil for Carnival.

All that traveling has required lots of wardrobe changes.

“I am probably more of a jacket person. You can mix and match and get more outfits when you travel,” the 65-year-old said. “I like small boutiques. Whenever my sister and I travel we stop at small boutiques.”

One of five children, McCurdy says her mother pulled her first name out of a newspaper.

She learned to

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July 14th, 2011

Booking travellers on to long-haul flights from regional airports rather than major hubs is a growing trend. Gary Noakes reports on the benefits and the shortcomings for travel managers…

There was a time when flying from major airports such as Heathrow had something of a cachet attached. The business traveller departing from a big hub had the notion, in their own mind at least, that in the corporate world, they’d really arrived. Many got into their cars and drove past their local airport on their way to one of the major London terminals and with good reason – most of these regional airports offered few connecting flights and even fewer direct services, and had poor facilities for corporate travellers.

Today, things are very different. The

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July 13th, 2011


Travellers hiring cars abroad have been warned to stick to speed limits to avoid large on-the-spot fines.

The AA pointed out that penalties for speeding can be tough and instant in many countries, so it’s important to take heed of them.

Often police will request that fines be paid upfront, and vehicles may be impounded for those who can’t settle there and then.

‘There are reciprocal arrangements between the UK and most other EU countries for motoring offences, such as from an enforcement camera, so the fine will follow you home and will be recovered by a UK court,’ the motoring group added.

‘Take note that some motorways as well as urban highways measure average speed between cameras.’

Furthermore, speed limits can vary according to weather conditions. Read more…

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Tags: Abroad, Speed Limits | Posted in Travel Tips |