Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

7 Annoying Airlines Fees Actually Worth Paying This Holiday Travel Season
You’ll have a hard time convincing me that any additional fee is good to pay. Maybe the extra legroom on a long haul flight is worthwhile. But why would you pay extra to get OFF the flight first? I like to get on first when departing to make sure I can get my carry-on in an overhead bin near me.

What’s the No. 1 killer of U.S. travelers when they go abroad?

I always recommend NOT renting a car and driving in a foreign country. For most of us it is just not worth it. And while you may have dreams of driving through the French or English countryside or the Australian outback, why deal with the hassle of navigating new roads, driving on the ‘wrong’ side and deciphering signs in a foreign language?

Travel Video of the Week
Pilot Refuses Full-Body Scan

I don’t understand what his problem is. You refuse the full-body machine. Fine. But why refuse the pat-down? You have to do one or the other. I hate people who hide behind this whole “our rights are being taken away”. Everybody gets the full treatment. I guess this guy wants to lose his job. The TSA is not going to change policy for him.

Ethiopia enthralls with rich history abundant wildlife

One of those places off the radar that is on no one’s list, but one of the best stops on my round the world trip. Missed those posts? Here’s one. And other one. And one more.

The Tricks and Trials of Traveling While Fat

I love this author’s good nature and humor about his status as an overweight traveler being in a “normal” person’s world. I truly appreciate his situation and cringe at his being embarrassed, both accidentally and intentionally.

BUT…

Having been squeezed in transportation next to a large person, they should be required to buy two seats. Period. Being mashed against a window or arm rest because the person next to you overflows into your seat is not the way you want to spend a flight, bus or train trip.

How to avoid bedbugs when you’re in a hotel

Bedbugs are becoming the new four letter word of travel. Here in New York City, pricey hotels like the Waldorf are being accused of harboring the little buggers and they are showing up in retail stores like the big Niketown retail store off of 5th Avenue. The best you can do is have your own little inspection when you enter your accommodations. You may want to spray down your bedding if you’re really paranoid about it.

Q&A: New York City on a Tight Budget

NYC is my town. And I’d love for you to come by and visit. So use these tips and and drop by.

Just remember to stay to the right when you’re walking down the sidewalk and stay out of the way of New Yorkers who walk at warp speed.

Best Credit Cards for Travelers

A good analysis of credit cards that keep more money in your pocket, not take it out. There is alot to think about when you choose the plastic, so read on to get some ideas on what to look for.

It’s OK. Don’t feel guilty… How to AVOID Children While Traveling

This is one of those things people won’t say aloud but you’re thinking it. You see the little 3 year old run down the aisle of the plane screaming and you’re praying she and her family don’t sit near you. Or you’re walking to the hotel’s pool, see a family of five with the kids splashing around and you search for another pool where you can relax in peace. Don’t feel bad. Some of us love kids but don’t want to deal with them on vacation. Some of us are parents and don’t won’t to deal with other people’s kids on vacation!

50 secrets your pilot won’t tell you

Great read! Do you know what blue juice, landing lips, spinners and a “George” is? Find out the airline lingo and other things the pilots talk about in this interesting article.

Ditch the Guidebook: 8 Alternative Trip Planning Resources

Related to the discussion about guidebooks going the way of the dodo bird. If that’s the case then what are people using to plan their trips? The answer is heavily related to the Internet and our phones, in particular our smartphones. Blackberry, iPhones and Android are revolutionizing every thing they touch and that definitely includes travel.

8 Signs That You’re a Too Cheap Traveler

I saw this and thought about my post about my hotel in Cambodia and me getting annoyed over $1. Some of you thought it was good that I was standing up for myself, some of you thought I was a cheap bastard.

Best Travel Deals and News – October 26, 2010 – Pay The Airline Fees, How Not To Die When Traveling Abroad, Visit Ethiopia, Traveling While Fat is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

The last week or so has seen a number of blog posts written about being away from home for the holidays. In fact I recently saw the movie ‘Four Christmases’, about a couple that takes off every year to a new exotic locale for the holidays because they don’t want to be around their dysfunctional relatives.

I take the tack that being away one year or even multiple years is great.

Because you come back and appreciate your family and friends when you get back.

Take me for example. This time last year, I was on the other side of the planet…

Tokyo for Election Night 2008

On a plane to Hong Kong on Thanksgiving

In Macau for my birthday

Ethiopia for Christmas

London for New Year’s and

Paris for the Obama inauguration

Were there times I got lonely on the trip? I can’t say I did. I was too engrossed with the trip and experiencing everything that I didn’t notice that I wasn’t with my relatives. But I still had ways to be connected with others on these special days.

I remember heading to the phone shacks of Addis Ababa to call my parents on Christmas.

I was with my aunt, uncle and cousins in London. In Paris I connected with ex-pats watching the inauguration. Same during Election Night ’08 in Tokyo. Spending huge bucks in Macau was fun when I had cool people to hang out with. So you find a way to enjoy yourself, just like you would/should ANY OTHER DAY when traveling.

Being home this year, I take more joy in being with my family since I wasn’t with them last year. Mom’s sweet potato pie tastes better. Watching football on Thanksgiving – priceless. You remember what you had before and glad to be home to experience it again.

Best Gift You Can Give – Is To Not Be There?!?! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

This is the place where I got the most Scooby Doo “HUH?” looks when I told people I was going there.

When you hear the word ETHIOPIA, what do you think of?

Flies buzzing around the faces of starving people. Famine. Disease.

As someone told me when I was there, “We appreciated ‘We Are the World’. But now that’s what everyone thinks of us.”

I went to Ethiopia because I knew there was a side I had not seen, beyond all the television images. Don’t get me wrong. There is definitely poverty and hunger there. But that does not make up the entire country. Or even the majority of the country for that matter.

Addis Ababa looks like any other large city. Lots of cafes and restaurants. And they are full of people enjoying a snack and some coffee. You’ll see donkeys walking the streets, mud paths that serve as roads, and other signs that this is still a developing nation. I hate the phrase “third world”.

But what pictures don’t portray are the culture of a nation. More importantly the pride and respect that people carry themselves with. Even with poverty prevalent, violent crime is very low.

Never take the images on TV at face value. There is ALWAYS another side you don’t see. Matter of fact, there are MULTIPLE sides you don’t see. It’s up to you to decide to go seek it out.

Second, to those of us who are citizens of the West, especially to my fellow Americans…

As much as we like to down and criticize our country, we are STILL the dream to many in the rest of the world.

No Uncle Sam, they want you more than you want them…trust me, I know

No matter how many images of American flag burnings and hanging presidents in effigy you see, there are 10 more people dying to get to American shores. Some quite literally dying before they get there.

The most important thing I carry with me when I travel: My American citizenship

Doors open. Service becomes better. The weight of United States of America is behind you. You become instant marriage material…

Bonus for me: My President-elect looks like me.

Never take that for granted at home or abroad.

I know I never will again.

As for Sarena, I love this photo of us, right before I left Addis Ababa. It’s fun, it’s serious, it’s cute, it’s stylish. If anyone from Calvin Klein, GQ, or Vogue is reading, contact me. I’m sure she’s up for a photo shoot.

We could be a couple just starting out…
Or sent back by Skynet to find John Connor!

Do you realize I’ve been in London almost two weeks and I’ve hardly talked about it? That changes with the next blog post. I’ve got loyal readers to shout out.

Wrapping Up Ethiopia is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

You know how this works:

I announce postcards are going out.

People anxiously wait by their mailboxes, rubbing their hands together, anticipating the next postcard from my recent visit.

And so it goes.

So if you’re new to the blog or been reading for months, known me for years or don’t know me, and want something for nothing, here’s what you do…

Click the link at the top of the blog “GET A *REAL* POSTCARD”, send me your physical address and you’ll get a postcard from merry (and at the moment cold) England and any future stops.

The next few people will also get cards from South Africa and Ethiopia too as I have extras. Don’t wait around, get on board as the nodebtworldtravel.com Express keeps going and going…better than the Energizer bunny, I promise.

Postcard Update – United Kingdom is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Saturday Sarena was nowhere to be found, but don’t worry…

Alem takes to me to the Merkato, where everything possible product can be bought and sold in Addis Ababa. Fruits, vegetables, meat, toiletries, basically one giant Wal-Mart with different stalls covering a square mile or two.

After lunch we then went to a lounge where they use a hookah and chew chat (qat) . The hookah is not used to smoke tobacco but sweet smelling herbs. Chat is almost like chewing tobacco, without being tobacco. I didn’t indulge in either because that is not my thing. But the mellow vibe was great. Just 8 folks on a Saturday night in Addis Ababa, intermittently talking about life, Obama, politics, the world economy, the USA, Ethiopia.

Woinitu shows up at the lounge, we start talking and within 10 minutes she decides to take me dancing. Me, I had no plans for the night and Alem is still on duty so we jump in the taxi and drive.

No marriage proposals from Woinitu

We end up first at a restaurant with a live band. We eat enjera of course, have a few drinks and dance for a little bit there.

Then Woinitu takes us to a club called Harlem Jazz – on Reggae night! So we dance the night away until about 3am.

From a guy who had no plans for the evening I sure had a full one.

Since we didn’t leave the club until late I call Alem to meet me at 1PM on Sunday. I run downstairs to talk to Elham and take some pictures.

As I’m getting my camera I run into one of the workers at the hotel.

You’re leaving!? Oh we’ll miss you!

Ok I’ll take your pictures too.

And so that how I hung out with them for an hour, getting an impromptu Ethiopian coffee ceremony, taking more pictures and getting more marriage proposals.

Seems that all the girls were talking about me. Some wanted to go to Las Vegas, Canada. One offered jokingly said that she was small enough to fit in a suitcase. No need to buy a ticket.

At least I THINK she was joking…Nope she wasn’t joking…

Elham (in black) and the lovely women of Addis Guest House

The coffee ceremony involves drinking 3 cups of coffee. Sometimes music, sometimes snack with it. Ethiopian coffee is so nice I learned to drink it black, no sugar, no cream.

Pretty smiles all around!

Who Loves Ya Baby? Apparently…Everyone. is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

The second day with Alem he said his friend was going to join us. I’m thinking OK, I like meeting new people. Let’s see who shows up..

Sarena does not speak much English, but has a big smile on her face. I had the postcards in my hand to mail out. She looks thru them and comments on them. We head over to the post office to mail them.

We are in the taxi about 5 minutes on the way to the post office, Sarena is in the back seat. She says something to Alem, who proceeds to bust up laughing.

ME: What did she say?
ALEM: She says she is going to marry YOU!

Hold that thought and flashback a day with me…

When I first got to Addis Guest House, remember Elham, the receptionist?

When she was showing me the room I was going to stay in we were talking…

ME: Elham, have you ever been to New York?
ELHAM: No.
ME: You should go, you would like it.
ELHAM: Well if you sent me a green card I could go.

In case you didn’t realize, the only way to get a green card if you are not already related, get married.

At that moment I thought it was a chick in a half empty hotel flirting with the American to get a sale and I laughed. Elham you are funny! You got jokes…

But now I know. It was way more serious than joke!

Back to Sarena, she spent the whole day with us. We did a tour in Toto, another historical Christian church on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

We had a lunch of enjera, which is the national dish in Ethiopia. It is a large, flat ‘pancake’ made of cornmeal, flour that is about the size of large pizza pie. On top you have beef, chicken, lamb, goat. You eat with your hands. No knives, spoons or forks. You pull a piece of the enjera and then grab a piece of meat with the enjera and then pop it in your mouth. Very good and quite filling.

Later that night Alem takes Sarena (oh yeah, she’s still with me) and I to a traditional Ethiopian cultural restaurant.

They serve enjera and perform traditional Ethiopian dances and plays. The place was packed on a Friday night and we had a great time eating and watching the performance. You don’t always understand what’s going on, but you can appreciate the passion they bring every time the performers retell stories of their culture.

Alem dropped myself and Sarena home. And tomorrow a whole new person would shape my time in Addis…

Meeting New Friends…And Marriage Proposals! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

So I messed up my reservation in Addis and could not stay where I originally planned. I spent the night there and then a taxi cab driver drove me to a few hostels/hotels I had fortunately written down back in Cape Town.

The first one was the oldest hotel in Addis…and it showed. I could have gotten a private room for about $20US a night. Not bad, but I felt like checking out another place.

Which brought me to Addis Guest House. A newer looking hotel, the room rate was $40US a night. Kind of steep compared to what I’m used to paying. But it was centrally located, had free laundry service, free breakfast delivered to your room and…the hook for me…free Internet access in the room. They took $2 off so I paid $38 a night. I pulled my bag out the taxi and settled in.

The first day there I didn’t do much of anything. I stayed in my room and ordered in. Internet access was somewhere between nonexistant and poor the entire time I was there.

When I was ready to get out and meet Addis Ababa on Thursday the receptionist, Elham, had a cab driver that she trusted and would take me around when I ready to get going. More about Elham later…

Alem is the reason I had a great time in Addis. I hired his car for 400 birr ($40US) a day. He became my driver, translator and tour guide for the next 5 days. That is an incredible deal if you ask me.

The Lada was so old that when we went down a particularly steep hill, we had to stop and Alem had to get bottles of water to pour over the wheelbase to manually cool the brakes.

Alem spent almost 20 years in the US in DC and Arizona before returning to Africa. He’s actually from neighboring Eritrea, but settled in Ethiopia.

The reason I liked him immediately and trusted him: He would always reference old school hip hop. Since he was in the States in the late 80s, we would be driving along and he would suddenly bust out with:

“I’m the overweight lover HeavyD”
“I go to work, like a doctor…”

How can you not dig a cat who references HeavyD and the Boyz, Kool Moe Dee, and Public Enemy and other hip hop and R&B from the “golden age”. I knew I was going to have fun with him.

Since it was Christmas Day, he took me to one of the most famous Christian churches in all of Ethiopia, the Holy Trinity Cathedral. It was finished in 1931 under the direction of Haileselassie I, the ruler of Ethiopia at the time.

It is only fitting that since I was at a wedding in Siem Reap, that I would end up in the middle of a funeral in Addis. We were stuck in the parking lot for about an hour as the ceremony ended at the church and people got in their cars and drove away.

No two things are more universal across cultures than weddings and funerals. Celebration and laughter at weddings, sorrow and wails of grief at funerals…

The first day with Alem ended with me seeing a lot of Addis.

You won’t believe what happened next…trust me, it gets better…till the next post!

How to Find a Taxi Driver in Africa? Ask Him Who the Overweight Lover Is! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Ethiopia started out great, turned sour for a moment and then was fantastic the rest of the way.

While in Cape Town I made reservations at a place in Addis Ababa that was highly rated.

At least I THOUGHT I made reservations…

I was suppose to reply to the confirmation email I received. I glanced through the email and didn’t read it completely, thinking it was confirmed.

When I got to the airport, the guest house was suppose to pick me up. When they didn’t show I had to take a taxi there.

Where they were surprised to see me, because they gave my room away when I didn’t respond to the email.

Completely my fault. I didn’t read the whole email.

But it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me….

Ethiopia, From Worst to First is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Oh Ethiopia…

Crazy, crazy fun.

Back online everyone and wishing you Happy New Year in advance.

Got so much to report on Ethiopia and currently in London for New Year’s with family.

Ethiopia’s Internet connections were slow to begin with. Then I heard that there was a fiber cut somewhere, knocking out service.

Taking me out of my regular blog schedule. But it was good to not have to blog because it gave me time to think about where to go and what to post up on the blog.

Pics coming soon!

London, I Am Here is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

This is the first time in days I’ve had a decent Internet connection to update the blog…so I’M BACK!

Happy Belated Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa to everyone! I hope your holidays are going well.

While you were drinking egg nog (spiked hopefully) and carving up turkeys (moist and tender hopefully), I was traveling to Ethiopia. Yep, I’ve been in Addis Ababa since Christmas Eve.

South Africa was only a week-long excursion. Had I stayed longer I could have easily blown mounds of cash, so much to do. Wonderful people and cheap good food.

So if you don’t hear from me on the blog, everything is cool. I’ll be in London next week so I can get everything updated.

And the postcards from Ethiopia are going out as soon as this blog is posted. I know that’s what folks really want to hear about…

A Quick Note from East Africa is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel