Icelandair Features Gay Couple In New Ad Spot

While Southwest Airlines has a few snags to work out in the way they deal with LGBTs, Icelandair's new commercial makes it clear how important inclusive values are to the carrier.

The airline's latest spot features a gay couple enjoying the culture and nature of the Nordic nation.

From the Iceland Monitor:

“Icelandair’s customers are as diverse as they are many. We think it’s only natural to reflect that in our marketing material and therefore aim for a marketing approach that reaches certain groups and is suitable for certain media,” explains Jón Skafti Kristjánsson, brand manager at Icelandair.

He says this ad is not aimed specifically at queer people. “We just think it’s natural and normal for advertisement to portray diversity. LGBTI+ people enjoy travelling just as much as others, of course. In fact, they might have a slightly higher frequency in traveling than other groups.”

Watch the ad below.

Funny: Actual Complaints From Dissatisfied Travel Agency Customers

Via Facebook, these are actual complaints received by Thomas Cook Vacations from dissatisfied customers:

1. "They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax."

2. "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food."

3. "We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish."

4. "We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price."

5. "The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room."

6. "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white but it was more yellow."

7. "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallartato close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time -- this should be banned."

8. "No-one told us there would be fish in the water. The children were scared."

9. "Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers."

10. "I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts."

11. "The roads were uneven and bumpy, so we could not read the local guide book during the bus ride to the resort. Because of this, we were unaware of many things that would have made our holiday more fun."

12. "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England. It took the Americans only three hours to get home. This seems unfair."

13. "I compared the size of our one-bedroom suite to our friends' three-bedroom and ours was significantly smaller."

14. "The brochure stated: 'No hairdressers at the resort.' We're trainee hairdressers and we think they knew and made us wait longer for service."

15. "When we were in Spain, there were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us that there would be so many foreigners."

16. "We had to line up outside to catch the boat and there was no air-conditioning."

17. "It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel."

18. "I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitoes."

19. "My fiancée and I requested twin-beds when we booked, but instead we were placed in a room with a king bed. We now hold you responsible and want to be re-reimbursed for the fact that I became pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."

On The Road - Again

On the road this morning heading home to Sin City from the City of Angels on Easter.

How appropriate...

Two men find a way to work around excess baggage fees on airline

So - crazy or genius?

Two men flying from Singapore to Sydney were stopped at the airport check-in counter and told their luggage was over-weight and they would have to pay a $130 fee to check the bag.

"Totes no prob" the guys said.

The two stepped to the side of the counter and began putting on as much of the excess clothing as they could. From Yahoo Travel:

Piece by piece, the men started taking items out of their bag and putting them on.

In the end, the boys were wearing multiple layers of underwear, sweaters, jackets, and hats.

Our favorite part is the pair of shoes tucked into one mans pants.

After all was said and worn, their bag was lighter, and they were spared the extra baggage fee.

After their shenanigans, an airline staff member warned the pair and was overheard saying, “I am going to come to the gate and make sure you are still wearing everything.”

Cute Hotwire ad features gay couple

The travel website Hotwire has a cute spot that features a gay couple going on vacation for some much needed rest.

(h/t Boy Culture)

Alex Chacon's epic 360° "selfie" from over 36 countries in 600 days

World traveler Alex Chacon

36 countries, 600 days, 5 motorcycles, and 125,946 miles.  That's the basis for the most epic travel "selfie" compiled by hottie Alex Chacon.

The footage, taken with a GoPro camera and a stick, is gorgeous.  The three minute video  opens a window to what must have been an amazing adventure.

From the YouTube description: Alex Chacon is on a Modern Motorcycle Diaries driving his motorcycle over 200,000+ Km crossing 75+ borders around the world to the most remote and undiscovered places on earth on this charitable expedition.

Find more about Alex and his travels at www.ModernMotoDiaries.com

Miami Beach says 'Hey!'

Hubby Michael and I on Miami Beach for a moment.  Merry, merry everyone!

Only found about 20 minutes to enjoy the actual 'beach' at Miami Beach this trip, but it was beautiful weather.

Nice company, too.

Watching the snow in Chicago now on layover as United Airlines pulls a light bulb from a plane so we can take off and get home.  Delayed two hours so far.

More wine!

Miami: View of the day

View from my hotel today in Miami Beach

So, the travel continues as I've tagged along on another trip with husband Michael. This time down to Miami Beach.

The world-famous Chippendales will be opening a new company here at The Mansion in Miami Beach in January 2014, and some of the guys are here for press events which will also include open auditions tomorrow to be attended by local media.

I'm here for a little warm weather after the past week in NYC, and to look at the very, very pretty people.

More wine!

Man hilariously live-tweets feud with annoying passenger on delayed Thanksgiving flight

FAA to drop guidelines banning use of electronic devices during take-off and landing

After years of saying electronic devices made for unsafe travel, the FAA announced today that fliers WILL be allowed to use smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices during take-off and landings.

Huffington Post has the details:

"Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions," the agency wrote in a release.

Previously, passengers needed to turn off all electronics before a plane could take off, and only power them back up again above 10,000 feet. When the plane dipped back below 10,000 feet as it descended to land, devices needed to be shut off again.

Knowing that modern fliers bristled at the ban, the FAA will now allow those flying on qualified airlines to keep devices on during all stages of flight. Electronics will need to be placed in the seat back pocket during takeoff and landing.

However, a few activities will still not be allowed under the new rules. Passengers are still prohibited to make cell phone calls in the air. Connecting to the Internet, if a plane offers that service, will still be banned under 10,000 feet.

Airlines will need to pass testing on aircraft to make sure there will be no problem before allowing the use of the devices.

Heartbreak leads to world travel for Morgan Reynolds

What do you do when you find a long-term romance has ended?

Well, Morgan Reynolds took a musical trip around the world singing Barbra Streisand.

Watch Morgan as he hits five countries and 20 locations singing "Don't Rain On My Parade." I've gotta say, it's really well shot.  Some great angles and framing of the international landmarks he hit.

(via Towleroad)

Gaia Retreat and Spa 2013

So, my husband Michael has been "down under" in Australia helping handle press for the opening of the final phase of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.  You can see pics from those events here.

While there, since it's SOOO far away, he is taking a few days for R&R at Olivia's award-winning Gaia Retreat and Spa (World Luxury Spa Award, Conde Nast Traveller Award, Traveller's Choice Awards, featured on Oprah, many more).

I got to visit there last year and it's truly a beautiful place to disconnect, unwind and pamper yourself.  Located in the stunning hinterland region of Byron Bay, it's hard to imagine a place more perfect for realigning yourself. Gorgeous day spa with every service you could want; the food served at Kukura House is fantastic and fab for you; there's a gym; nearby beaches; name it, it's there to help you unwind.

Whether you get a massage, head to a local beach, walk and relax on the property grounds, work out in the gym or hang out at Kukura House (the main building for meals and checking in), it's not to be missed.

Here's just some of the pics Michael took on this trip. If you're ever in Australia looking to escape the stresses of daily life, make sure you check out what many call "magical" and "special."

Click on any of the pics below to enlarge.

Inside Kukura House

Inside Kukura House

Inside Kukura House

Coffee on the veranda at Kukura House

One of the 18 or so bungalows at Gaia. Not many rooms, so very private and tranquil.

Yes, you can buy Olivia's cookbook plus some healing music like "Grace and Gratitude" in the small boutique at Kukura House

This is an ad for a gay vacation website

How this relates to "vacations" I don't know. But the hunky men are cute.

Amanda Lepore...? I don't get. But Eliad Cohen can be in any commercial as far as I'm concerned.

The milk drinking bit may have "jumped the shark" a bit but who cares? It's Sunday.

(via Accidental Bear)

US issues global terrorism alert for American travelers

The State Department issued a global travel alert to warn Americans abroad of a potential terrorist attack before the end of August.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that "there's an awful lot of chatter out there" and he says it's "very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11."

Sen. Chambliss is describing "the chatter" detected by U.S. intelligence agencies that led the Obama administration to order the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world, and issue a global travel warning to Americans.



(via PBS)

Travel icon Arthur Frommer warns of danger for LGBT travelers in Russia

Travel guide guru Arthur Frommer has penned a lengthy warning of Russia's anti-gay laws, telling his readers of the oppressive laws harming LGBT folks there, and advising travelers and the tourism industry to take "appropriate action:"

Writes Frommer in a blog post:

Several gay authors of Frommer travel guides have already informed me that they will no longer risk travel to Russia as long as the "pro-gay propaganda" statute is in effect. Some among them are calling for a broader boycott of all travel to Russia by all Americans, gay or not, as a protest against this denial of human rights. They refer not only to the new legislation, but to several recent incidents of physical assaults by prejudiced young Russians against gay persons, none of which seemed to interest Russian police. And of course, officials and athletes preparing to participate in the winter Olympics are seriously concerned.

In the words of another Frommer author: "The new Russian law is extremely dangerous, borne of dark nationalism, and through its virulent ignorance, the stage is set for a witch hunt. History has shown only too clearly what can happen when a government provides for the systematic silencing and disenfranchisement of an unpopular minority".

(h/t Towleroad)

Chinese business man misses flight; trashes departure gate

Wow. I can't imagine behavior like this in the US with TSA.

From Towleroad: Yan Linkun, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC) from Shizong county, Yunnan Province, did not react well after he missed his plane last week. Yan had gone to have breakfast after purchasing his ticket but did not make it back in time to board.

He then destroyed everything in sight.

No sound, but the action gets going at the 1:30 mark. Really kind of amazing.

Henry Rollins encourages young people to travel the world

"I beg young people to travel. If you don't have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown, eat interesting food, dig some interesting people, have an adventure, be careful."

"Come back and you're going to see your country differently, you're going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You're going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It's not what Tom Friedman writes about, I'm sorry. You're going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water."

"And so, there are lessons that you can't get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people - Americans and Europeans - come back and go "ohhhhh."

"And the lightbulb goes on."

- Henry Rollins

Silly travel pics - San Francisco Airport

So while traveling, I plan on posting pics along the way that entertain me or make me laugh...

On a layover in San Francisco right now and I realize I haven't been in this airport in at least ten years - and it's fab!

The shopping is a much more "high-end" than what you see in most airports.  Or at least there are a LOT of high end stores here.  I love you can pick up something from Gucci while you wait for your plane:

And you can 'visit' the Golden Gate Bridge while walking to your gate:

OK - so it's not 'THE' Golden Gate Bridge, but we'll just pretend...

Off to Oz now.  Hoping to find a koala bear to pose with.  A real koala bear.  If not, you get a pic of me with a stuffed koala, and I'll ask you to squint :)