Cruises

Throwing a Halloween party, but at a loss for spooky drinks and tasty treats? Want to find a haunted house in your neighborhood? Thinking about skipping town with a Halloween travel deal? Or are you just looking for a few good Halloween iPhone apps?

No matter what Halloween advice or entertainment you seek, we’ve got you covered — from scary books and Halloween drinks to costumed animals and face paint facts.

Halloween Party Ideas: Drinks, Treats, and Decorations

If you’ve procrastinated on planning your Halloween party, don’t worry. It’s not too late. These tips will get you pointed in the right direction.

Green Your Halloween Party

Halloween Drinks (includes beverages with names like Vampire’s Elixir and Red Zombie)

Top 10 Tasty Vegan Halloween Treats

Halloween decorations kids can make (video — watch for the eco-friendly ones)

Entertainment: From Haunted Houses to Creepy Books

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker or a Halloween homebody, there is no shortage of entertainment for you this Halloween.

Halloween treat: Find haunted houses and events with MapQuest

7 Scariest Films to Watch on Halloween

Five Scary Books for Halloween

Halloween Travel Deals: Get Out of Town for Fright Night

Want to get away for this holiday? Take the kids to Tarrytown, NY or Missouri for a Halloween they’ll never forget.

Travel Deals: Halloween Getaways

JetBlue says Happy Halloween with fares on Oct. 31

image source: auroaborealis

Costume Tips: Scary and Creative Last-Minute Costume Ideas

Ah, costumes. They always sound so fun to make until it’s October 28th and you have no idea what you’re going to be. Check out these resources for some quick and creative ideas.

Still not sure what to be for Halloween?

Ellen’s (Hilarious) Ideas For Kids Halloween Costumes

Fast and Simple Costumes: Last-Minute Halloween Costumes You Can Make

Toxins Make Halloween Face Paints Scary

Spooky (and Cute) Animals

I was tempted to make a Halloween costume for my 6 month old puppy, so I can’t judge those people who dress up their pets. But I still do a little bit.

Nature’s Halloween Horrors: 20 Scary Animals

Halloween Goes To The Dogs: Weird & Wacky Pet Costumes

Just for Fun: Halloween Games and Apps

Get in the Halloween spirit with a spooky new iPhone app and monster mash-up.

GhostCam App: Add a Little Flare to Your Ghost-Free Travel Photos

Top 7 iPhone Apps for Halloween

Make Your Own Monster Mash-Up Musical

And don’t forget to check out our Top 7 Green Halloween Tips for ways to make your Halloween more environmentally-friendly.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Ultimate Guide to Halloween 2009: Spooky Drinks, Haunted Houses, and iPhone Apps

A few weeks back I received an email from a consumer who was booking a one-way flight with Thomas Cook Airlines and wanted to take a surfboard. The information on the airline’s website clearly states that it is £40 for the return trip for carrying this type of sports equipment.

Sporting equipment extra fee’s

When the customer contacted the airline and asked if it would be a £20 fee because it a single journey they confirmed that it would still be £40. Thinking that this was a little unfair I contacted Thomas Cook via Twitter to see if they could shed some light on it.

Customer confusion with wording

While the support was excellent (speedy!) the response back was the same, that it was a set fee, regardless of it being a one way flight. I think the website is not very clear and needs changing to remove the word ‘return’ with ‘set fee’ as I think this could cause some confusion.

I am interested to hear if you have been affected by sporting equipment extra fee’s with airlines.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

Airline sports equipment fees confusion

I have seen a few holiday rental companies and owners write lately, why consumers should rent a holiday home rather than staying in a hotel. All valid reasons; the space, home from home etc, but you know me, I cannot let this opportunity pass to highlight the negative sides of renting a holiday home.

Following on from five things I hate about hotels are five reasons not to rent a holiday home.

No on-site support

It’s 9pm the washing machine has burst a leak, the kitchen is flooded and no one is on hand to be able to deal with your issue. The owner lives a few miles away, and they are not answering the phone. This could quite quickly turn a relaxing holiday in the sun to a nightmare holiday.

Remote locations

While I am not suggesting that all holiday homes are in the middle of no where, most of them are. So, if you do not drive a car, or are not comfortable driving abroad then you could find yourself stranded to the accommodation.

Let’s not forget that car hire is not cheap, especially in places like Spain which has had issues this year.

Lack of financial protection

There is a severe lack of financial protection for holidaymakers who decide to DIY their holiday, to be fair this isn’t just holiday homes. The added concern is will the property exist when you get there. Look at the Moirara villa issue as one recent example. Very few holiday rental sites offer a financial guarantee.

Paying for pool heat

For me paying for pool heat is like paying for a warm shower. While I realise this charge is not inflicted on all consumers, it is used as an additional extra in many of the villas in Florida. I do not think you should have to pay for pool heat, and you don’t at a hotel.

Worrying about the damage deposit

Little Timmy, slides on the polished floor into the stand and the television falls and smashes. There goes your £200 damage deposit. While I understand the need for this type of fee, the deposits vary and can be quite high, so the added worry will mean parents are continuously reminding their children to be careful.

Feel free to add your comments or thoughts about what you do not like about renting a holiday home.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

Five reasons not to rent a holiday home

Between the candy wrappers, the thrown away decorations, and plastic treat bags, Halloween has the potential to be one of the most wasteful holidays of the year. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Take these seven easy steps to green your Halloween.

1. Create a Recycled Halloween Costume

Skip the Halloween aisle at Target and opt for creating a costume from items you have at home. Get the kids involved for a fun weekend activity. If you can’t find the materials you need at home, visit a thrift store. They can be Halloween costume gold mines. Not sure where to start? About.com has you covered with lots of creative costume ideas.

2. Rethink Candy and Treats

Instead of buying the big-brand candy bags, hand out fair trade and/or organic chocolates. Sound too expensive? Skip the candy and make or buy a reusable treat. Green Halloween has some great green treat ideas to get you started.

3. Reconsider Face Paint

What did they have to put in that face paint to make it neon yellow? Whatever it is, it can’t be good for your health or the environment. And it’s probably not something you want to stay on your kids’ — or your own — face for 5 hours. Think about skipping face paint altogether. But if you absolutely must use face paint for your costume, read these safe face painting tips first.

photo credit: cristeenq

4. Go Natural with Green Halloween Decorations

Don’t buy decorations from retail stores. Who needs all of that extra plastic and paper lying around, anyway? Instead, make your own reusable decorations from natural materials like pumpkins and leaves, and supplement with handmade decorations. If you can’t live without a festive plastic candy bowl, visit thrift stores and garage sales for second-hand decorations. Best Green Home Tips has some fun green halloween decoration ideas.

5. Green Your Halloween Party

If you’re having a Halloween part, apply the above decoration tips and think creatively about what you serve your guests. Instead of giving your guests non-sustainable candy in paper wrappers, hand out homemade cookies or cupcakes. Skip the paper plates and plastic cups and utensils and opt for reusable ones instead. Encourage guests to create green costumes by having a “create your own costume from scratch” theme party.

6. Walk the Trick or Treat Route

Some parents drop their kids off a few blocks away so they can trick-or-treat their way home. Others drive around behind their kids while the kids walk the neighborhood. Don’t do this. Unless it’s 10 degrees outside, there’s no need to involve a car in trick-or-treating. Walk with your kids around your neighborhood. They don’t want to be seen with you? Gotta love that age! Trail them by foot; keep a distance of 1-2 houses between you and your kids. The kids get to look cool and dependent, you get to make sure they’re safe. Everybody wins.

7. Find a Reusable Candy Vessel

Halloween is all about seeing who can collect the most (and best) candy. With that focus, the most important quality of the vessel that carries kids’ treasure is that it can hold a lot of candy. So be creative. Skip the plastic bags (yes, even if they’re decorated with cute pumpkins) and grab a reusable cloth bag, or even a pillowcase.

For more environmentally-friendly Halloween ideas check out:

• Planet Green’s Top Green Halloween Tips
• The Daily Green’s Top 10 Ways to Go Green This Halloween
• Divine Caroline’s Go Green on Halloween

Do you have green Halloween tips that we missed? Share them in the comments. Happy Halloween!

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Go Green on Halloween: Top 7 Green Halloween Tips

Earlier this year I was sued for libel, not through my own writing I hasten to add, but, it made me make some changes that with hindsight should have been made when the blog became popular. So, you can imagine my alarm when I read an article that said that travellers could be sued for leaving hotel reviews.

Travellers could be sued

The article says that travellers who post scathing reviews or comments about hotels could be exposing themselves to long and costly legal battles. It also mentions that hotel review sites could have terms and conditions that ask you to indemnify them from any libel cases.

Read the terms of use

Many of these sites do have this buried away in their terms of use page which is usually full of legal speak and I suspect that the majority of travellers would not read this. I know I have left a good number of reviews in the past, both positive and negative and I have never read the terms of use page.

I think more could be done to bring this to traveller’s attention.

Backing up your hotel review

Nowadays hotel review sites are authorities in travel, people make their booking decisions based on those reviews, and so, hotels are protective about what people are saying about them. It seems to me that the libel laws are outdated and some hotels will take advantage of this.

Obviously your comment must be based on true facts but it’s often hard to prove truth so you have to be careful. Let’s say you said that the room had cockroaches, and it did, but if you do not have video or photography evidence, how can you prove that.

Dangers of leaving hotel reviews

As a traveller you do not want to be stood up in front of a court just for leaving a review so that other travellers are aware of the issues that you have had with a hotel. These hotel review sites want to hook us in to leave reviews but travellers need to be made aware of the dangers.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

Travellers could be sued for leaving negative hotel reviews

I love the hustle and bustle of cities; in fact most of my recent travels have been to cities like London, Berlin and Venice. In the past I have stayed in hotels, slap bang, in the city centre. Cities like Sydney and Paris spring to mind.

Early morning wake up call

This week I have been in Manchester and for me this is one of the noisiest cities that I have stayed in. I’m talking about the noise at 3am. It takes some noise to wake me up, the continuous chanting from drunken people, police sirens, and people listening to loud music from their cars.

Noisiest cities you’ve stayed in

I know I sound like an old whinger, maybe I should just buy some ear plugs but it was an incredible continuous buzz of noise throughout the night. This got me wondering what other cities are noisy and have kept you awake all night long.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

The noisiest cities you have stayed in

The theme of this year’s Blog Action Day is climate change — a subject near and dear to our hearts here at Go Green Travel Green.

Our philosophy is to focus on easy step you can take to live a greener, healthier lifestyle. So here are 6 steps you can take today (or any day) to reduce your environmental impact, just about anywhere in the world.

1. Walk

It’s harder to get motivated to pass on driving and, instead, walk to your destination in the winter. But fear not — you can face the cold in moderation. Instead of walking everywhere, decide you’re going to walk to one destination every week instead of taking the car.

2. Opt for Public Transportation

For those days when it’s just too cold or rainy to walk, take the bus or train. If you don’t have access to public transportation, carpool.

3. Cut Back on Electricity

Unplug appliances when you’re not using them and turn off the lights when you leave a room. It will save money and resources.

4. Buy Local, Seasonal Food

Support your local farmers by getting food from nearby farms, and look for organic produce and dairy. Food tastes better when it’s fresh and doesn’t have to travel 2,000 mile to land on your dinner plate.

5. Support Sustainable Businesses

Pass up Starbucks and head to that coffee shop in your neighborhood that composts leftovers. Don’t know of such a coffee shop? Check local directories, or ask the restaurants in your neighborhood if they’ve thought about composting. If they realize there’s consumer demand, they might start being more sustainable.

6. Spread the Word

One of the best ways to fight climate change is to encourage more people to take little steps to reduce their impact. Tell your friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family what you’re doing to make a difference. Your story just might encourage them to do the same.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

6 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Reduce Your Impact: Blog Action Day 2009

Yesterday, I read an article that highlights the things that people do not like about flying on CNN Go. I love flying but it is usually flight delays, cancellations, rude staff, lost luggage or a fellow passenger, that puts me into ranting mode.

Seat kickers and loud music

You are sat on a long haul flight, you want to relax, sleep, watch a movie and sat behind you is a child who loves kicking your seat. Then they are those passengers that want to listen to their music so loud through their headphones that the rest of the airplane can hear every the lyrics.

Passengers with weak bladders

Let’s not forget those passengers that have a weak bladder and spend most of the time walking down the aisle to the toilet – that itself is not annoying but the constant elbowing in your head is as they walk by is. It’s not like you can move to another carriage and sit in another seat.

In-flight messages

One thing that annoys me is the continuous sales messages on the low cost flights; buy our scratch cards, buy our perfume for him and her, we are now selling our soggy sandwiches and watery tea. You know what I mean. Some airlines are worse than others.

Now it is your turn. What annoys you about flying or passengers.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

The most annoying types of airline passengers

This article is by Dan Harrison who writes about all kinds of eco gadgets for EnviroGadget.com. Dan is particularly interested in energy saving gadgets so that he can do his bit for the environment as well as saving money on increasingly expensive energy bills!

Eco gadgets are most definitely a growth market now. Sure there are lots of gadgets that are a waste of time and money, but there are also some gadgets that are genuinely useful. In this article, Dan talks about 10 of his favourite eco-friendly gadgets that are designed with the green traveler in mind.

1. Wind up Torch

If we’re going camping or anywhere else where there’s likely to be a lack of lighting when night falls, then we need a torch. Conventional torches eat through lots of batteries, so something rechargeable would be great. Rather than use standard rechargable batteries, why not have a wind up torch? I have two of these torches myself, and they’re fantastic! Just a minute or so of winding up and you get around 30 minutes of torch light. In practice, the light dims after a few minutes, so you just top it up again. You never need to worry about finding some batteries ever again!

2. Wind Up Walkie Talkies

On the theme of wind up gadgets, there’s a great way to keep in touch with your party, or kids, or anyone really, and that’s with a walkie talkie. However, we hit the same issues with batteries, so how about some wind up walkie talkies? For a minute of winding, you get 2 minutes of talking time and 10 minutes of standby time. Perfect for emergencies, and you don’t need to worry about mobile phone reception either.

3. Wind up 2-Way FM/AM Radio

If you want to go a little more advanced, then the 2-Way AM/FM/NOAA Emergency Crank Radio gives you a more bulky version of a walkie talkie, but you also get FM and AM radio. This means you can listen to local radio stations whilst you’re out traveling. Again, no need to worry about batteries, as you just crank it up for more hours of musical enjoyment.

4. Freeloader Solar Charger

f you are taking a mobile phone, games console or an MP3 player, you’ll only get a few hours use out of them on a single charge. If you’re out traveling somewhere sunny, then you can enjoy your gadgets for much longer with a Freeloader Solar Charger. In sunny conditions, the Freeloader charges up its internal battery in about 7 to 9 hours. When you want to charge up your gadget, just hook it up to the Freeloader charger.

5. 2C Solar Cap

When you’re walking about at night, you’ll need a torch to see what you’re doing, and you could use the wind up torch mentioned above. However, if you need both hands free to read maps, then the 2C Solar Cap is really useful. I’ve tried it myself and the bright white LEDs are at the perfect angle to light the path in front of you as you’re walking. You only need to charge the cap up in sunlight for a couple of hours to get a few hours of light for night hiking.

6. SteriPEN Water Sterilization Pen

Right, time for a drink, but you’ve run out of drinking water. How do you know the locally available water is safe to drink? There’s no need to worry with a SteriPEN. The SteriPEN uses ultraviolet light to sterilise clear drinking water (i.e. filtered water) to kill any nasty bacteria that remain in the water. The SteriPEN comes in a range of sizes, including a very portable traveler size. A single set of AA batteries is capable of sterilizing up to 100 litres of water, and even then you can use rechargeable batteries.

7. Solar Pocket Shower

It’s been a long days walk and you need a shower, thankfully you set up a Solar Pocket Shower in the morning and filled it up with 10 litres of cold water. Thanks to the sun’s energy, the water in the black PVC-free bag heated up, meaning you can have a nice warm shower in

8. Popup Shelter with Solar Shower

Stripping in the middle of a field may not be great for your modesty, so if you’d like to be a little more discrete, consider the popup shelter with a solar shelter. Basically its the same solar shower, but in a tall tent-like cubicle to allow you to shower and change in comfort.

9. Sh*t Box

Nature calls, so where’s the nearest bush? Well save the bush the trauma and try the cardboard toilet instead! The rather oddly name device contains disposable liners, which can be buried when you’re done. The bags are biodegradable, so they do no harm to the environment.

10. Solar-powered Backpack

Finally we need something to keep all of our gadgets in! The Blackhills Solar Backpacks are designed to top up all your mobile phone, PDA, games console, MP3 gadgets, etc. Thanks to a whole collection of charging adaptors, you’ll easily be able to charge up pretty much any gadget you can throw at it. There’s even a headphone socket so that you can keep your music gadgets dry inside the backpack.

So there you go, 10 eco gadgets for your next adventure. Got any eco gadgets you recommend for travelling?

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

10 Useful Eco Gadgets for the Green Traveler

Regular readers will know that I am a Yorkshireman and we have a reputation for being a little tight with our money. Obviously that’s not true, but, it annoys the hell out of me when companies take advantage and the cost and quality of hotel WiFi access is something that rubs me up the wrong way.

Greedy hotel chains

Hotels have a reputation of ripping off customers when you want to make a phone call and I suspect with the increase of people owning a mobile phone, very few of us actually use a phone in the hotel room. So, instead they charge customers a fortune for internet access.

Inflated price for internet access

It costs anything from £7 a month to have internet access at home, but earlier in the year I paid £16 for 24 hours at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool. Okay, I know I was mad to pay this and I shouldn’t have but I needed access to email and prepare for my talk at the ITB PhoCusWright Bloggers Summit the next day.

Hotel internet rant

Earlier today I was reading a post on the Media Week website from Mel Carson about an experience he had while staying at his hotel during the Travel Convention in Barcelona. A lot of his rant is around the price and the quality of the internet connection.

Your experiences using Hotel WiFi internet

What is the most you have paid for internet in a hotel, or do you simply refuse to pay it. I am interested to hear your experiences with hotel WiFi internet. Why do you think that hotels charge so much for internet when the ISPs are offering the internet cheap at the moment.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Blog.

Hotels expensive and bad connection WiFi internet access