Insta Travel

The huge backlog on issuing passports has forced the Senate Appropriations Committee to suspend the new passport rules until mid-2009. Now U.S. travelers entering the United States by land or sea from Canada and other neighboring countries can make do without a passport until then. Many people have been forced to cancel their travel plans because of the backlog in the passport office. Congressional offices have been busy by calls from constituents whose passport requests were caught up in a backlog as U.S. citizens scrambled to get passports. The new passport requirement for land and sea travel, which would also mean Canadians traveling into the country would have to show passports or high-tech identification that could be scanned at borders, was supposed to begin on Jan. 1, 2008. Since then the passport distribution program began creaking under the weight of unprecedented demand, sputtered, slowed and then ground to a halt. An estimated six million more Americans will require passports for air travel, according to U.S. government estimates, but when requirements are brought in at land border crossings, that demand will rise more than fourfold, to about 27 million passports over five years. The government should have fulfilled the job of compiling the passports before strongly enforcing such border policies. Security concerns should not necessitate such discomfort for the local people. The policy is obviously dysfunctional. Source: Msnbc
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Riga, the vibrant, coastal capital of Latvia in Northern Europe is fast becoming notoriously popular as ‘Baltic Bangkok’ much to the dismay of the local populace. Its budding number of pubs, clubs and strip bars has raised a concern over a growing sex industry. The city is becoming more and more popular with stag men parties who come here for the cheap wine and one night stands with girls. The city is alive with booming sound systems for die-hard clubbers and cheesy discos for stag nights in Riga. To put a brake to the same Alfa Centrs, is leading a Stop Sex Terrorism campaign in the country. Organizers of the campaign, are worried that the local and international media often name Riga as the destination for sex-tourism and low-class nightlife entertainment. The image has been strengthened by the entrance of low-cost airlines, which have provided a considerable increase in the number of foreign tourists coming to Latvia. The campaign is aimed at local girls, showing them the dangers of getting involved with tourists. They want them to consider whether one free drink is worth a one-night stand. The campaign is likely to raise awareness through shows on television and radio broadcasts aimed at changing the indifference towards sex tourism. Source: Stuff

Kurt Repanshek launched the National Parks weblog back in August 2005. This has become a great medium to share news, views and thoughts on National Parks. Although Repanshek claims the blog not to be a travel log, the blog is still a sort of travel log. Recently, the NPT website got revamped. The latest website does have cooler stuff in it. But, the bottomline remains the same. The main objective of the website is to share news, views, and educate the public on America’s National Parks. The 2.0 version of the NPT was released in collaboration with ParkRemark. I think this is a good deal for like minded individuals to share stuff about parks online. What’s new ? Those who have been visiting NPT website on a regular basis must be aware that the site was pretty overloaded until recently. The home page alone has been updated until recently in order to accommodate more posts.This is great.Earlier the user would have to figure out the location of the scattered posts. Looks like the featured article box will stay in a new area so that it’s easy to find important stories. Currently, there’s a visitor center. However, this will get further updated as time goes by. Eventually this will be a show off for National Parks photography. There’s also the photo of the week section. Obviously, here the best photo will be displayed along with a story. As of now the Devil’s tower picture is highlighted. This site is a great asset for outdoor lovers like climbers, bikers, hikers and campers. So, the hosts of this site are welcome to comments, suggestion and advices from the users. Image Links: Blogsmithmedia and NPT

From thirty thousand feet in the air when the KLM airbus was passing over the Lake Baikal, I wondered how it is down there. Baikal is a place of Wonder. It’s a place where you get mountains, forests, cheerful and hospitable people and some wild roaring rivers. But, even before I get into the details, first question is: Why go to Baikal? You are probably wondering what does Baikal offer to visitors? First off, Russia’s Lake Baikal hold the natural treasures. It is a picturesque area of immense beauty. So if you are thinking about fishing in the deepest and almost bottomless lake of the world, do it here in Lake Baikal. Only 50 species of the fishes available in Baikal are suitable for eating. Second, you can check out the Icy river. An unique fact is that this river is frozen most of the winter due to a climatic oddity. Third, this is a mecca for eco tourism. You can go on a horseback ride, hike around in the hills or check out the wildlife in the nearby forests. Ecotourism will not solve all the problems concerning Baikal. But it is a great opportunity for hundreds of people to survive and to save the unique nature of sacred Siberian Sea. The Cape Cheremshany is also an unique place to check out. This is basically a landing spot after visiting the Icy river. Back in the day, the natives used to light campfires to attract the members of the opposite tribe and opposite sex from across the shore. Well, now that you have enough reasons to visit Lake Baikal, I am sure you are wondering how expensive it will be to visit here? Aeroflot and Delta operates flights to Moscow. Fares start around $1080 i.e. if you book your tickets online. Round trip fares are obviously cheaper. They will still cost you about 400 USD. The lake can be reached by bus from Irkutsk. The bus charges 70 rubles. The cab will charge you 1000 to 1700 rubles. I would stay off the taxi if I were you. Originally an English teacher Leonid Batorov, now runs a boat rental service in Lake Baikal. You can check out his website at www.baikalex.com . Leonid also runs a guided tour service along with this ‘ferry service’. It’s clear from this that Lake Baikal supports the livelihood of the people living in the region. If you are still planning your next vacation, I suggest you book that Aeroflot flight down to Russia. You will never forget the memorable vacation in Lake Baikal. It will be a time well spent. Image Credits: Nytimes, ABC NT ,and Studyrussian

Your absent passport might lead to a summer vacation limbo. There seems to be a massive passport backlog that is jeopardizing the travel industry. New federal rules aimed at increasing Homeland Security now require travelers to Canada and Mexico to have a valid passport. The Houston passport office is behind by about 700,000 expedited passports. The white house has stepped in and suspended its rule requiring U.S. air travelers to produce the travel document when flying to and from Canada. However, the same is not applicable to the Canadian tourists who will still be required to carry passports when flying to the U.S. A clause that is likely to increase bilateral tensions. The departments of homeland security and state will make a joint announcement confirming a six-month suspension of the air rule. Under the changes, Americans will be still allowed to fly to and from Canada if they can show border officials a receipt proving they have applied for a passport. Since the passport requirement for air travel came into effect, U.S. border officials have provided leeway to many Canadian travelers without passports, allowing them to enter with only a driver’s license or birth certificate during an extended grace period. However, it is unlikely that the leniency will continue. Critics said the decision to relax the passport rule for Americans proves the program is dysfunctional. Some have come out against the plan saying it threatens national security. Well in case your airline travel plans are ruined, there still are cruises, since cruise travel does not require passports till 2008. Image credit Source: The Vancouver Sun

The wait is over and the results are announced. The new Seven Wonders of the World are here to stand tall, giving you the most spectacular of sight as they take you for a journey back through the time line. The competition, which was the brainchild of a Swiss man, Bernard Weber, generated a huge response and the results were announced in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007. More than 100 million people voted via SMS, internet and telephone to select the new Seven Wonders of the World that would represent global heritage throughout history. Here are the new Seven Wonders of the World: The Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: The last, and the greatest, pyramid of all Mayan temples, representing the ancient civilization of Mayan dynasty. Christ Redeemer, Rio De Janerio, Brazil: A 38 metre tall statue of Jesus Christ that stands atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro, welcoming visitors with open arms. It was designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski. A symbol of the Brazilian city. The Roman Colosseum, Rome, Italy: A symbol of joy and suffering, the grand Colosseum of Rome stands out for its architectural excellence and represents the glory of the Roman Empire. A place where gladiators once fought for their pride. The Great Wall of China, China: The largest man-made monument ever built and the only one visible from space. This colossal structure was built to keep the invading Mongol tribes out of China. Obviously, a symbol of perseverance and protection! Machu Picchu, Peru: The remains of an ancient Inca city built by Emperor Pachac�tec 2,430m (8,000ft) up a mountain slope in the 15th century. It is believed that the Incas abandoned the city because of a smallpox outbreak, and after the Spanish defeated the Incans. The city remained ‘lost’ for more than three centuries until it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Petra, Jordan: The famed Rose City of Jordan stands witness to the amazing Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). A great symbol of engineering and an impressive example of Middle Eastern culture. The Taj Mahal, Agra, India: A symbol of love and passion, this mausoleum was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved late wife Mumtaz Mahal. The structure is built out of white marble and stands on the southern bank of the Yamuna River, outside Agra. Lets celebrate the new Seven Wonders of the World! Source. Read more.

If you are a frequent traveler, you are probably used to the hotel provided toiletries kit or the one that the Transportation Security Administration provides. However, if you are a very classy person and can’t travel without the toiletry bag while visiting places, you might consider this new toiletry product launched by Kiehl, a New York based company. With these products, weight should not be an issue. According to the company, they weigh less than three ounces. Also, these are pretty neat products to have. They are way better than the crappy drugstore type toiletries. No more using soggy tissues or other weird products. � The products are basically facewash, instant tooth gels, mouthwash, and shaving gels. � Each of these products costs about five to seven dollars a piece. � All of the products released by Kehl meet TSA specs and can be carried on board. So this way you don’t have to put up with the crappy toiletries. Also, you will know for sure that there won’t be any sort of allergic reaction to these products when you use your own. Thus, these Kehl’s products will make your next journey a little more comfortable and hassle free.

Image credit After France, Spain and the United States, China ranks fourth as the most popular travel destination. It has shown a remarkable growth of 0.3 percent compared with the last two years and accounts for 5.8 percent of the global tourism market. The number of overseas travelers to China has increased from 10.5 million in 1996 to 49 million in 2006. The Pacific and Asia Travel Association said inbound tourism to China will increase by 5 percent year-on-year between 2007 and 2009. Xu Jing, regional representative for Asia and the Pacific of UNWTO, speaking at the the 2007 China (Qingdao) International Olympics & Tourism Forum said: I am confident China will overtake the US next year. UNWTO forecast last year that China would become the most popular destination by the year 2020. At the beginning of this year, it revised its forecast to 2015. Xu said the forecast was revised because of the rapid development of the country’s tourism industry. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, will further boost China’s tourism market. Source: People daily

Spring, one of the most beautiful times of the year is hear. It’s the season of growth for the plants during which the plants and trees wake up from their long cold winter sleep, showing their joy with colors. Don’t you just love the beauty of outdoor gardens? Now you can enjoy beautiful photographic garden scenes where the flowers bloom right before your eyes! Over the next couple of months there will be many botanical attractions blooming around the country. Sakura Matsuri (April 28-29)-the annual Japanese-themed cherry blossom festival: Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York. Journey to Paradise (April 27-Sept 16): New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Daffodils Days run through April 29: Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, Bristol. Festival of Flowers lasting through May 20: Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C. Nantucket Annual Daffodil Festival Weekend (April 27-29): Nantucket Island, Mass. Annual tulip festival (April 30): Skagit Valley, Wash. Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage (April 23-29): Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Tenn. Wonderful spring flowers are there at these places and I assure that you won’t be disappointed. Source: USA Today

A new luxury train service, the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express has been launched by an English company, GW Travel Limited. British Prince Michael of Kent unveiled the train at a Moscow station. There are 12 new sleeping cars that are made up of Gold and Silver classes. The six Gold class has modern en-suite amenities including power showers and under-floor heating. Cabins are equipped with state-of the-art DVD/CD players, LCD TV screens, audio system, individual air conditioning, and wardrobe space. You can also travel in Silver class but they are equipped with smaller shower areas. The inaugural departure of the train is on 6 May, 2007. The train will leave from Moscow for the 14 night journey. It will travel more than 6,000 miles to its final destination, Vladivostok. A single ticket on the Golden Eagle will cost up to $NZ25, 800 for the 13 to 15-day journey. Source: stuff