Flying Economy on American Airlines

First time flying American Airlines, economy, London to Miami on-route to Santiago. I was hoping to fly the 'new' American Airlines from adverts I've seen, but it wasn't to be.

I wasn't fortunate enough to experience the updated interiors and entertainment, inflight wifi and in seat power, instead I flew on a 777-200 with many unoccupied seats and was disappointed by expectations.



Sure there was back of seat screens for watching movies, but not on demand. Two and a half hours into the flight have been served lunch, in plastic trays, forks and knife, cellophane enclosing a simple salad, chicken and broken bits of spaghetti, though edible, it's presentation fell well below what you might get at a fast food outlet. Alcohol is available for purchase onboard, no cash accepted.

Midway through flight cheese flavoured crackers and drinks were offered and about one and a half hours before landing a hot deep dish pizza was served.

It all started right, from check-in to lounge and boarding, the service has been attentive and polite. American Airlines is pushing the 'new' a lot in its ads and online, what I experienced was mediocre.

Oh well, there is still the return flight to be had. Will I be so lucky?

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A post by Joe Mendonca

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AA Admirals Lounge Heathrow

This is the first time I'm flying American Airlines, and being a member of OneWorld alliance with elite status am lucky enough to get access to its flagship lounge at Heathrow Airport, the Admirals Lounge.



Beige interiors with open areas and private out of the way seating areas, the selection of drinks range from coffee and tea to beer, wine and spirits.

What the lounge lacks is a selection of snacks like crisps (chips to some of us), sandwiches, fruit or salads, compared to the BA Galleries which offers champaign (on request).

Overall it is comfortable and is a good way to relax before a flight, so far the service has been polite and attentive.

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A post by Joe Mendonca

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Addicted to travel: Dromomania

I have always wanted to define my passion for escaping and wandering, an urge to travel and explore this world of ours. Finally, after investigating and much research I came across this this thing called dromomania, for those with an insatiable urge to travel. At last my condition has a name and something I can understand better.

Dromomania, is an uncontrollable psychological urge to wander or travel. People with this condition spontaneously depart from their routine, travel long distances (and sometimes take up different identities and occupations). The term comes from the Greek: dromos (running) and mania (insanity). The term is sometimes used to describe people who have a strong emotional or even physical need to be constantly traveling and experiencing new places.

I've been called worse things, and besides, there are worse conditions to have, but I can safely make a self diagnoses  and officially call myself a dromomaniac.

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A post by Joe Mendonca

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Tickets to Macchu Picchu, the easy way to book in advance

Visitor numbers to Machu Picchu are restricted to 2500 people per day, even less if you want to explore Huaynapicchu or Machu Mountain with only 400 per day. Planning ahead and booking tickets is a complicated process as the official tickets are issued by the Peru Ministry of Culture only. The official website struggles to function, only reservations can be made online, and payment is due within 6 hours, something that cannot be completed on the official website, only locally through registered banks and tourist offices. After 6 hours the reservations are released.

I wanted to do both Macchu Picchu and Huaynapicchu I didn't want to wait for a last chance opportunity to visit. After many tries and research I found an excellent online service, Ticket-Machupicchu.com, that will buy the tickets on your behalf (for a small surcharge). Your required to provide the date your visiting along with your passport name and number, as this will be checked upon entry onto Machu Picchu. In fact, you need a entry ticket just to buy a ticket for the bus up to the site.

The booking process is easy and professional, they even have an online chat should you have any queries about ordering. Payment can be made online and you will be sent an email to track your order. It takes approximately 30 days to issue, but you will be informed by email along with a link to print your pass/entry - this can also be confirmed by checking your ticket with the official government website.

Relief. I'm going to Macchu Picchu and Huaynapicchu with a 7am time slot. Planning ahead ensures my entry. If your struggling to buy tickets Ticket-Machupicchu.com is the easy way to book your ticket in advance.

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Ticket-Machupicchu.com
Peru Ministry of Culture - Machu Picchu Official Reservations System Online

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Hetero Friendly Axel Hotel Berlin Review

After the success of Barcelona and Buenos Aires, Axel Hotel, the world's first heterofriendly hotel chain opened the third location in the heart of the gay district of Berlin, a niche upmarket intimate hotel serving mostly gay clientele, and definitely one of the most unique hotel experiences I've had.

Dark and stylish, floor to ceiling mirrors, black painted walls in corridors, bedrooms balanced by white cotton and red accents with upward lighting. The real difference is discovering the room layout has an open plan bathroom where shower and sink area are exposed (except toilet). Immediately when you walk in to your room a red tinted glass reveals the jacuzzi tub and shower behind it, opposite a wall with floor to ceiling mirror, means all is visible to watch whoever may be in the shower or bath. If your traveling with someone you have to be comfortable in your own skin, and not afraid for others to watch.

The spa area on the 6th floor had fitness equipment as well as a wet and dry sauna, with a jacuzzi outside overlooking the city. The whole spa area is glass windows to watch the world outside. The spa is open till 2am.

Rooms have a luxurious and sexy appeal, but there are some things that score low to make this a repeat experience. The wifi signal and network was difficult and unreliable, connecting on a mobile practically impossible, and the iPad struggled to stay connected. Not included in the room rate is standard TV channels, instead of opting to pay for selected movies Axel Hotel Berlin charges extra to activate even common TV, which in my book should be standard.

Axel Hotel Berlin is in a class of its own and very different from conventional hotels. It is an experience and a destination in itself. This is not a place for the conservative individual but rather one who is willing to be more exhibitionist for a change. It is sexy with upmarket appeal, cosmopolitan design with high standards and specs. No sleaze here, rather sophisticated kink.

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Axel Hotel Berlin - Booking.com
Axel Hotel Berlin - Tripadvisor
Axel Hotel Berlin

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Tegel: from gate to taxi in less than 60 seconds

The quickest exit ever, from the plane to entering my booked airport transfer in less than 60 seconds. Über efficient!

As soon as I landed I was notified my driver and car was waiting via an email, along with the drivers name and contact number, but it wasn't long after we arrived at the gate and got off the plane, passed passport control, exited, find my driver and get on my way - all in less than 60 seconds.

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Airport transfer from Berlin Tegel airport with Blacklane Limousines. Book your car with chauffeur on their website, smartphone app or by phone at a binding fixed price. Billing is handled automatically using your preferred cashless payment method.

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Travel Trends: 100 Most Visited Cities

Figures released from Euromonitor International Top City Destinations Ranking, covering 100 of the world's leading and most dynamic cities in terms of international tourist arrivals have just been released for 2011. Report shows emerging city destinations located in Asia Pacific saw an increase due to a strong economic environment.

While many cities remained in the same rank, Vietnam showed a particularly strong performance with Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi experiencing 40% growth for the second consecutive year, with future demand is likely to be driven by other Vietnamese cities including Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc emerging as international tourists look to discover more new places.

Uncertainty in the global economy still exists, especially in the US and Europe, future growth will be driven by Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Top City Destinations Ranking 2011
Country	City	Rank	2011 Growth (%)
Hong Kong, China	Hong Kong	1	8.8
Singapore	Singapore	2	8.7
United Kingdom	London	3	2.7
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	4	16.0
China	Macau	5	8.4
Thailand	Bangkok	6	12.5
Turkey	Antalya	7	13.3
China	Shenzhen	8	6.8
USA	New York City	9	3.5
Turkey	Istanbul	10	20.2
China	Guangzhou	11	8.9
France	Paris	12	3.5
United Arab Emirates	Dubai	13	-0.1
China	Shanghai	14	-5.8
USA	Miami	15	7.1
Saudi Arabia	Mecca	16	4.7
Thailand	Pattaya	17	10.5
Italy	Rome	18	4.5
USA	Las Vegas	19	4.2
Spain	Barcelona	20	4.0
Taiwan	Taipei	21	51.3
China	Beijing	22	5.1
USA	Los Angeles	23	8.1
Thailand	Phuket	24	9.5
Hungary	Budapest	25	8.5
Netherlands	Amsterdam	26	12.8
Russia	Moscow	27	11.5
USA	Orlando	28	4.1
Czech Republic	Prague	29	0.0
Germany	Berlin	30	7.5
Austria	Vienna	31	4.8
Turkey	Mugla	32	11.9
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh	33	45.1
Spain	Madrid	34	0.8
Ukraine	Kiev	35	6.6
Poland	Warsaw	36	35.0
Ireland	Dublin	37	-6.7
Egypt	Cairo	38	-35.0
Turkey	Edirne	39	9.3
China	Zhuhai	40	-2.2
India	Chennai	41	14.0
China	Hangzhou	42	14.2
Argentina	Buenos Aires	43	9.2
USA	San Francisco	44	2.9
Russia	St Petersburg	45	16.0
South Korea	Seoul	46	1.7
Mexico	Mexico City	47	3.7
Japan	Tokyo	48	-28.0
Canada	Toronto	49	0.3
India	Delhi	50	15.0
Australia	Sydney	51	0.2
Indonesia	Denpasar	52	0.5
Mexico	Cancún	53	9.1
Peru	Lima	54	30.0
China	Suzhou	55	14.0
Romania	Bucharest	56	10.0
India	Mumbai	57	7.0
Belgium	Brussels	58	2.1
Dominican Republic	Punta Cana	59	11.0
South Africa	Johannesburg	60	8.4
Germany	Munich	61	4.0
France	Nice	62	2.6
New Zealand	Auckland	63	7.7
Portugal	Lisbon	64	5.4
India	Agra	65	15.0
Italy	Milan	66	4.8
India	Jaipur	67	16.0
Morocco	Marrakech	68	1.2
Egypt	Sharm el Sheikh	69	-21.6
Saudi Arabia	East Province	70	6.4
Syria	Damascus	71	-18.4
Canada	Vancouver	72	-6.6
Indonesia	Jakarta	73	0.3
Bulgaria	Burgas	74	7.7
Syria	Aleppo	75	-12.3
Italy	Venice	76	4.7
Philippines	Manila	77	23.0
Italy	Florence	78	4.5
Bulgaria	Varna	79	7.4
Kenya	Nairobi	80	40.3
USA	Honolulu	81	2.8
Greece	Athens	82	2.0
Vietnam	Hanoi	83	41.5
New Zealand	Christchurch	84	-0.5
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	85	6.3
Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	86	7.0
China	Guilin	87	14.3
Australia	Melbourne	88	14.4
Brazil	São Paulo	89	3.0
Thailand	Chiang Mai	90	6.3
USA	Washington DC	91	2.6
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	92	6.5
Azerbaijan	Baku	93	8.6
Turkey	Izmir	94	27.1
China	Nanjing	95	14.4
Bulgaria	Sofia-City & Greater Area	96	9.7
Kyrgyzstan	Issyk-Kulskaya Oblast	97	57.6
Belarus	Minsk	98	2.8
India	Kolkatta	99	9.0
Switzerland	Zurich	100	3.3

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Source: Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations Ranking (2001 Results)