Monday 29 September 2014

Layover Ideas: Oslo

Oslo's Parliament buildings
Have a layover coming up in Oslo? Wondering what you could do with your time? Here's a little inspiration.

We've gathered the following resources - tips, stories and layover ideas - to help you get the most out of your time here... [read more].


Want more layover ideas?
• Read more stories on the LayoverIdeas Blog
• Explore cities worldwide on LayoverIdeas.com

Related resources
Mugging: are you a target? 10 resources
Spot the deadly fake taxi on your international travels!
Dealing with taxi drivers
Dealing with touts
Airport arrival advice

Saturday 27 September 2014

Renting diesel in North America

By Todd Romaine
A cheaper alternative when renting cars in North America is….DIESEL!

The Diesel engine and fuel were invented by the
German mechanical engineer Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913).
Read about his mysterious disappearance and death.
When most of us think of diesel vehicles, we think of large pick-up trucks with Albertan or Texan license plates rolling down the highway making a lot of noise. The driver possibly wearing a white tank top, goatee and those cheap white framed sunglasses with a Calvin & Hobbs sticker on the back window.

Let’s be honest here, most of us only have limited experiences with diesel. Admittedly, my only experience was when I accidentally filled up my car with diesel at a local gas station. A hundred dollars later at the service station and the issue was embarrassingly rectified.

My short lived conviction at the time that combining gas with diesel resulted in a ‘super fuel’ was short-lived. Not many people in North America drive diesel vehicles, though they are on the increase. Many of us have been deterred by getting such a vehicle because naturally we are worried about the lack of readily available businesses offering diesel fuel. That being aside, people are becoming increasingly cost conscious when it comes to vehicles and especially car rental agencies.

Hertz Car Rental in the United States has been testing out the consumer market to see if people would consider renting a diesel car that has better fuel mileage than a traditional gasoline one. The other selling feature, arguably, is that using a diesel vehicle is better for the environment (using less fuel to get from A to B than a gas guzzler).


If you can't see the Hertz Green Traveler Collection video above, click here to view it on YouTube.

So far, so good, with Hertz locations offering diesel expanding in the USA, and into Canada as well. Hertz markets these cars as part of its Green Traveler Collection.

If you decide to rent from Hertz, and are interested in their diesel fleet, make sure you inquire about their Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Anticipate other rental car agencies to follow suit if there is sustained interest from the cost conscious public.

If you go down this path, make sure you avoid my mistake of turning your brain off at a gas station and assuming gas and diesel are interchangeable!

Related resources

Sunday 14 September 2014

Layover Ideas: San Juan

Old San Juan
Old San Juan oozes charm
Creative Commons image bz3rk on Flickr
Have a layover coming up in historic San Juan? Wondering what you could do with your time? Here's a little inspiration.

We've gathered the following resources - tips, stories and layover ideas - to help you get the most out of your time here... [read more].


Want more layover ideas?
• Read more stories on the LayoverIdeas Blog
• Explore cities worldwide on LayoverIdeas.com

Related resources
Mugging: are you a target? 10 resources
Spot the deadly fake taxi on your international travels!
Dealing with taxi drivers
Dealing with touts
Airport arrival advice

Saturday 13 September 2014

You can't plan to visit Midway Atoll Airport

Midway Atoll Airport is more important than you might guess
Where, exactly, IS Midway Atoll Airport?

Midway Atoll, an unincorporated territory of the United States, is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly equidistant between North America and Asia. Longitudinally, the atoll lies almost halfway around the world from Greenwich, UNited Kingdom. Midway Atoll is situated 259 kilometres (161 miles) east of the International Date Line.

Not to be confused with Chicago's Midway Airport (MDW), Midway Atoll Airport (MDY) is located on Sand Island, the largest of the two biggest islands in the atoll. TtIt's not an airport you should expect to ever visit.

MDY airport plays an important role as an emergency diversion point for what is referred to as Extended range Twin Operations, or ETOPS. In layman's terms, ETOPS diversion points provide a safe place to land an aircraft experiencing difficulties while flying over vast oceans.

It is occassionally used, as recently as July 2014.

It happened when a Guam-bound United Airlines Boeing 777 from Honolulu began experiencing electrical problems. The incident began with the smell of electrical smoke. Shortly after, the radar failed and smoke began to fill the cockpit. Thankfully, the pilot was able to make a safe emergency landing at Midway Atoll. The passengers departed, flying back to Hawaii just a few hous later, on a replacement plane [read the story].

In another recent incident, in July 2011, a Delta Boeing 747-400, enroute from Honolulu to Osaka, made an emergency landing at Midway Atoll when the cockpit's windshield cracked. Although the plane hit a couple of birds on its approach, the pilot made a safe landing.While the runway could handle the aircraft, the tiny airport was not equipped to handle a 747, and did not have roll-up stairs that would reach the doors! While the passengers waited onboard for a replacement aircraft to arrive, the resourceful workers quickly built some wooden stairs on top of existing stairs to literally fill the gap. Less than 24 hours later, the airport was quiet again, the passengers arriving at their destination 16 hours late on the replacement plane, and the original plane had also departed [read the full story].
MDY is next to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

More interesting facts:
  • Midway was the focal point of the Battle of Midway, one of the most important battles of the Pacific Campaign in World War II
  • The Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 590,991.50 acres (239,165.77 ha) of land and water (mostly water)
  • The refuge and most of its surrounding area are part of the larger Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
  • Midway Atoll NWR is the world's largest nesting albatross colony  
For more on Midway Atoll Airport (aka Henderson Field), visit our Midway Atoll Airport (MDY) guide.

Related resources

Monday 8 September 2014

Layover Ideas: Montreal

Old Montreal (2)
Vieux-Montréal, or Old Montreal
Have a layover coming up in the great city of Montreal? Wondering what you could do with your time? Here's a little inspiration.

We've gathered the following resources - tips, stories and layover ideas - to help you get the most out of your time here... [read more].


Want more layover ideas?
• Read more stories on the LayoverIdeas Blog
• Explore cities worldwide on LayoverIdeas.com

Related resources
Mugging: are you a target? 10 resources
Spot the deadly fake taxi on your international travels!
Dealing with taxi drivers
Dealing with touts
Airport arrival advice