Jul
01

Moorings Hotel Port Vila – Great For Young Visitors To Vanuatu

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Upon arrival into Vanuatu, we stayed for the first night at Moorings Hotel in Port Vila.

Moorings Hotel pool view onto Port Vila harbour in Vanuatu

Moorings Hotel pool view onto Port Vila harbour in Vanuatu

Moorings is promoted as a boutique waterfront hotel just a few minutes walk from downtown Port Vila, and only a short drive form theVanuatu International Airport.

The hotel comprises 30 rooms, including 4 family rooms. Moos Bar and Grill is adjacent to the private pool, and offers great food as well as a wide range of delicious cocktails and of course also offers Tuskers beer (the firm farorite in Vanuatu) on tap.

Moos Bar and Grill seats around 70 people, and offers a varied a-la-carte menu as well as a number of special fares on several days of the week,  including some dishes that really do highlight the variety of food choices available while you’re visiting Vanuatu.

Our group enjoyed a number of excellent tapas and other entrees, followed by a range of seafood and beef dishes. The service was excellent and the pricing was very good for such a facility in Vanuatu.

Our room was located directly adjacent to the pool. We would recommend these deluxe poolside rooms for younger travellers, since there is somewhat more sound from the bar floating through this area.

The people looking after us were very nice, friendly and helpful, and more than happy to offer that extra bit of service that is always appreciated. This seems to be typical of the interaction that we found all over Vanuatu.

In summary, Moorings is a great place for visitors to the capital of Vanuatu, either for a short overnight stay or for a longer period to truly enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of this delightful South Pacific country only a few short hours away from Australia’s east coast.

Categories : Accommodation, Destinations
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Apr
25

All Insurance Is Not The Same

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News feeds at the moment seem to be offering mixed messages about how insurers and airlines have been dealing with passengers claims as a result of recent travel disruptions.

It appears that many UK based passengers have reported problems in terms of claims for the additional costs incurred as a result of staying much longer on the continent than was originally planned.

EU air transport regulations do provide an obligation on airlines to provide a level of support for travelers as a result of delays in return travel. However, these obligations appear to be a little vague, and are based on “reasonable” expenses.

What is “reasonable” to an airline confronted with massive losses due to the recent volcanic ash events in Europe may not seem so reasonable to a stranded passenger.

Another issue that has become quite significant is that of relying upon limited forms of insurance. Many travelers make use of the travel insurance offered as part of the package for those with premium credit cards. Whilst this coverage certainly does offer a level of protection, you should still look at the fine print attached to this cover to ensure that it will meet your needs.

An example of this is that one well known credit card provider has a travel insurance policy that allows for “Travel Inconvenience Cover”, defined as cover for:  delayed flight departure, flight cancellation, denied flight boarding, missed flight connection. Unfortunately the limit for this coverage can be less than $US200.

Many travelers consider themselves to be covered if they purchase coverage that is offered at the time of purchase of a flight ticket.

Again, such policies have very limited coverage for flight disruption, since they are limited to a specific pricepoint and are primarily aimed to protect the purchaser against losses relating to the specific air travel components of the trip.

Travelers wishing to cross the English Channel did have a number of transport options available, including Eurostar, other train services and ferries. Unfortunately the options were not as great for those passengers wishing to travel to or from the Americas, Asia, Australia and other locations outside Europe.

The basic message here is that travel insurance is a matter that travelers should carefully consider the terms and conditions that are offered, and not simply jump in unprepared.

John Kumm, Author,

Discover more informative information relating to travel at http://onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Business, Odd Spots, Vacations
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Apr
24

A Great Example Of The Power Of Nature

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The ash cloud that disrupted European air traffic

The ash cloud that disrupted European air traffic - (Xinhua Reuters photo)

The recent worldwide travel chaos that resulted from the volcanic eruption in Iceland emphasizes just how fragile our technology hold over the forces of nature really are.

The amazing thing about this is that Iceland is fairly remote from most of the European airspace that was closed down for many long days.

It seems that the prevailing winds were at the time traveling in an unusual direction, and this resulted in the ash cloud’s spread over much of northern Europe, and in fact across well into Russia as well.

I seem to remember that this particular volcano’s last eruption was recorded from 1821 to 1823, with substantial explosive eruptions (similar to this year’s activities) happening between late June and Early August in 1823. Had such a string of eruptions occurred this month, then the skies may have been closed off to aircraft for 6 weeks or so.

It is perhaps a good thing that we didn’t have Jumbo Jets and other similar flying objects around in those days!

The result of an event resulting from “natural causes” cost many billions of dollars to the travel sector as well as resulting in massive disruption to the travel plans of many travelers.

Of course the other side issue of all of this that escapes attention in that of freight transport. Many businesses (particularly those with contracts to supply highly perishable goods like fresh seafood and cut flowers) suffered very heavy losses as a result of being unable to deliver their produce.

The flight disruption was also a timely reminder to all of us who travel to carefully read the wording on our travel insurance policy. Many of the people who were caught out this time found out (too late) that their policies had exclusions which prevented them from making a claim.

The other aspect of this event is that the “blame game” has now begun. Passengers are complaining that their airline held up flights for longer than some others. In turn, airlines are tending to say that the national air travel regulators in many countries closed off their airspace too early and were overly cautious in the time that the airspace was re-opened. In their defence, regulators have claimed that the advice that they received from vulcanologists and meteorological bureax were not sufficiently detailed and accurate.

We can be sure that this is now an issue that has managed to come to the front of the queue for issues that need some better organized process of measurements and decision making, so that dangerous situations are avoided, whilst nevertheless reducing the level of disruption to an absolute minimum.

There will definitely be more to come on this issue. Stay tuned!

John Kumm, Author

For other interesting and informative travel related discussions, visit us at: http://www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Business, Destinations, Odd Spots, Vacations
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Apr
03

Passengers Entering The US Likely To Be Profiled

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It has been reported that the United States Department of Homeland Security is introducing a program that will begin profiling incoming passengers as a new initiative for air travel security.

The new measures to are planned for introduction in April 2010, and will replace the program of screening of all passengers from a number of Muslim countries that was introduced as a result of the “Christmas Day Bomber” event in Detroit.

These new security measures will apply to US citizens as well, and will apply a level of screening that will depend on how closely their personal characteristics of travelers matches intelligence information.

The Washington Post reported that these changes come after a three-month review of security protocols.

These changes should see a significant reduction in the number of passengers who are taken aside for additional screening, whilst concentrating on individuals that seem to match particular intelligence profiles.

Characteristics such as nationality, partial names, recently visited countries and the age of the traveler  will be taken into account.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano  is reported as saying: ”These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats” .

Categories : Air, Security
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Mar
20

Our New Book: “Get Packing – The Ultimate Travel Guide”

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Categories : Odd Spots
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Aug
25

Laptop computer battery confusion

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In the midst of a major recall of many Dell and Apple laptop computers following issues with overheating batteries causing fires in computers, a number of airlines are currently banning passengers from carrying on-board laptop computers with batteries fitted.

They claim that they are worried that should passengers plug the computer into an on-board power source, then a fire may break out whilst in flight.

It seems that the issue may be limited to only Dell and Apple computers, but you should check with your airline to ensure that you don’t get caught out at the check-in gate should you need to send the battery with your checked luggage.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Business, Technology
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Aug
14

Will Security Restrictions Last?

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This is a difficult issue to address now, but you should be prepared for the likelihood that many of the security guidelines that have recently been introduced will be maintained for at least some time into the future.

It is unlikely that some of the additional security requirements will ease until a heightening of security technologies is able to overcome the risks, and this will not happen overnight.

Many are already predicting that the security measures already in place in UK airports are likely to be increasingly seen in other airports around the world. Perhaps we can all look forward to having nothing to read but the airline magazine, and nothing to listen to but the in-flight entertainment offered by our chosen airline!

Posted by John Kumm, www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Security
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Aug
14

What do recent security changes mean for you?

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The issue of packing for either holiday or business travel must now be re-considered, since previous recommendations have specifically warned against including personal valuable items and liquids in your hold luggage. However, since you may no longer be able to carry these on board, then there may be no other alternative.

Issues to think about should include: more secure luggage, locks on zips, fasteners, etc, an external belt around the whole case.

In addition, all liquid or gel items should ideally be placed inside a sealable plastic bag to prevent leakage.

If you still feel comfortable about travelling by air, then we believe that you should continue to use this travel option. This helps to avoid any measure of success of the terrorism campaign, which of course is to cause disruption of travel plans at a very busy time of the year.

In terms of timing issues relating to your departure from airports affected by the new security guidelines, we cannot emphasise enough the need to allow significant extra time to go through check-in and security procedures. It is likely that carriers will need to schedule their departures as close as possible to the original time, and this could well result in passengers missing their flight if still caught in queues. You should maintain contact with the airport authorities and airline to ensure that you have allowed enough time.

Be prepared for lengthy delays and a higher than usual level of stress and anxiety amongst fellow passengers, airline and security personnel during this difficult time.

Posted by John Kumm, www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Air, Security, Vacations
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Aug
14

How to deal with duty free purchases post 10-Aug

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The situation regarding duty free goods, particularly perfumes and alcohol, is currently very confused. In the UK and USA, where passengers are prohibited from bringing and liquid or gel articles on board, the current situation is resulting in thousands of lost sales each day. Industry sources confirm that about one-third of duty-free sales are liquid, including $US 3.2 billion of sales in women’s fragrances and revenues from wine, beer and spirits, adding up to $US 4.75 billion.The CEO of the largest U.S. duty-free operator says the Transportation Security Administration is preventing his stores from selling any liquids at all, and that liquor and fragrances comprise three-quarters of his business.

A number of airports allow duty free purchases of perfumes and alcohol at the entry point, and this may possibly offer an alternative for those travelers hoping to carry some duty free goods in with them. More news as it becomes available!

Posted by John Kumm, www.onlinetravelconsultant.com


Categories : Air, Security, Vacations
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