Hello Travelers!

Here is an interesting concept. Have a reliable friend at home that you can call or text at any time to get information that you need. True, this power could be used for a number of things including getting stats about your favorite players, learning the score of the game, finding out who won the Apprentice, settling a bar bet or argument about an actor’s original name, but as iKangaroo is a travel website we will focus in how ChaCha can be used to make your life easier when you are on the road.

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Bummer!  It would have been good if they would have been able to make it fly, but Skybus- the Columbus, Ohio budget carrier in business since May 22, 2007 -has just posted this announcement on their website:

Skybus Airlines will cease all operations effective Saturday, April 5.

Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment. These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier.

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A new strike by Berlin public transport workers has been canceled at the last minute.

In a high-level meeting just after midnight early morning April 2 Berlin transportation leaders (BVG) and public worker’s union Verdi agreed to talk in a long-running wage dispute and agreed there would be no strikes during this round of negotiation.

BVG, which employs some 12,000 workers, announced the cancellation immediately. Service is expected to be uninterrupted on April 2, 2008.

By Dan

San Francisco– I flew into San Francisco where I hung out for a few days to do all the touristy things like Alcatraz (the boat ride out was cool, and on a clear day you can get some great photos looking back at the city but really not worth the queueing and cost), clam chowder in a sourdough bread roll from Boudin Sourdough Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf (awesome!) and hiring a bicycle from Blazing Saddles to tour around the city (take their suggestion and head across the bridge, remember that this is the second “hilliest” city in the world, at one stage the road was so steep that I was lifting the front wheel off the ground just trying to pedal!). Nighttimes were spent enjoying my first ever Dirty Martini (martini with olive juice, sublime) which was cheap ($5 for the whole shaker) and served in a friendly atmosphere at The Buena Vista Cafe and exploring the street art/graffiti in Haight Street, where Timothy Leary and his Electric Kool Aid Gang used to hang out. There are plenty of cool little bars and restaurants, one of my favorites was Noc Noc Club (please, if you go to San Francisco make sure you check this place out, it has a great subterranean feel and always has a cool artist exhibiting in the bar).

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Press release– Deepdale Backpackers and Camping, at Deepdale Farm on the beautiful north Norfolk coast, is an eco friendly backpackers hostel and campsite.

On Earth Day 2008, 22nd April, Deepdale Backpackers and Camping will be hosting a whole range of eco friendly organizations for an Earth Day exhibition about the environment, including environmental technology installers, advisors, pressure groups and other related organizations.

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Chances are that you have never heard of the small Italian towns called Qualiano, Giugliano, Marigliano, Pianura or Acerra, however you have probably seen them on the news buried under a pile of garbage. While each of these cities is between 10 and 23 kilometers outside Naples, a lot of the media reporting about the garbage crisis are lumping all of them under a common name, Naples. For over a year the media have pumped pictures, videos and stories about Naples and its rubbish problem, but now some of the city’s hoteliers want you to know that the problem is outside of Naples.

Not since the Grand Tour (1660s -1840s) has Naples been on the radar of most travelers other then serving as a base for exploring Pompei or a place to catch the ferry to Capri. So when it is not clarified exactly where the garbage is stacking up, tourists seem to be assuming that Naples proper is buried, so they are giving the city a miss which is having a negative impact on the emerging tourist community. Click through for map.

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Berlin’s transportation strike has been suspended for the Easter weekend.  According to Andreas Splanmann, the spokesman for Ver.di (the labor union which represents the strikers), the strike will continue after the holiday.  Nevertheless, even though transportation will be running at approximately 85% this respite in the strike will allow things to run more smoothly over the weekend.

Press release– TripAdvisor Survey Reveals Best and Worst of Europe: On March 11, 2008 TripAdvisor announced the results of its annual European travel survey of more than 1,400 travelers worldwide. Sixty-five percent of respondents are planning to travel to/within Europe in the next 12 months, nearly equal to last year. Despite the weak dollar, exactly half of U.S. respondents intend to visit Europe this year, the same amount as one year ago.

September appears to be the busiest month for travel in Europe this year, as 20 percent of respondents intend to visit at that time. Thirty percent of travelers said they are most likely to save money on their excursion to or within Europe by going off-peak. Forty-two percent of travelers (and 51 percent of Americans) expect to spend more money on this year’s trip to Europe than on their previous trip there.  Click through for comprehensive list.

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It’s crawfish season! That time of the year when the Louisiana mud bugs are boiled and served up with corn, sausage and potatoes. To people not familiar with the peel-it, pinch-it, suck-it ritual involved with this Spring (ish) delicacy the food can seem unappetizing, but, these tiny freshwater lobsters are delicious. In fact, people are so enthusiastic about this finger food that it’s common to eat them until they literally can’t peel anymore- thumbs can get pretty raw and cut up with all the shell ripping.

Here are 6 places to check out the boiled crawfish if you are in NOLA for the season and one place to try if you can’t make it to the Big Easy.

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The Berlin strike has entered its eighth day on Wednesday, March 12th as the Ver.di labor union warns that the stoppage could last through Easter, March 23rd. To those not used to European strikes the mere thought of a transport shutdown in a city that you are about to visit can create a freak out, however, in Berlin tourists now have the opportunity to “see more of the city than they normally would”, according to Barry of Fat Tire Bike Tours.

The reason for the strike is worker compensation- the Ver.di labor union is asking for a 12% bump in salaries for their members who work for Berlin’s public transportation system (BVG). The main inconvenience seems to be to commuters, tourists and of course workers. Why? Because financially, Berlin is saving about €500,000 ($750,000) per day for what it normally subsidizes the BVG while the BVG, according to Berlin daily newspaper Die Tageszeitung, the revenue loss of €1,300,000 ($1,900,000) is offset by savings on salary, electricity and fuel. Let’s hope they can resolve this issue so the workers can get back to work and Berlin can start to shine as the fantastic city that it is.

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