Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Scariest Places in the World

During Halloween season, many are looking to get their scare on. If scary haunted places are your thing, you might want to check out these, most haunted places in the world:

Catacombs in Paris, France. Long ago, as the city of Paris grew, it became necessary to provide more space for the living. To do so, city engineers and planners decided to move the dead. Millions of dead Parisians were quietly disinterred in one of the largest engineering feats in history and their remains were deposited along the walls of the chilly, dank passageways lying beneath the City of Light. They lie there to this day. A million visitors a year are said to visit the infamous Paris Catacombs.

New Orleans, Louisiana is considered by locals, visitors and paranormal investigators world wide as by far the most haunted city in the United States. With 200 years of ghostly legends involving Voodoo curses, Spanish moss draped oak encircled duels, cold-blooded murders, stories of Revolutionary War Pirates and Civil War soldiers, and Jazz, New Orleans has earned a serious reputation as Haunted New Orleans.

Aokigahara Forest, Japan. Also known as the Sea of Trees, Aokigahara is a forest that lies at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. It has been claimed by locals and visitors that these woods are host to a great amount of paranormal phenomena. It is an old ancient forest reportedly haunted by many urban historical legends of strange beasts, monsters, ghosts, and goblins, which add to its serious and sinister reputation.

The Underground Vaults in Edinburgh, Scotland were discovered in the mid-80’s, after being abandoned for nearly 200 years. Lying beneath the South Bridge, a major Edinburgh passage, the vaults were used as cellars, workshops and even as residences by the business owners that plied their trade on the busy bridge above. They were abandoned soon after they were built due to excessive water and moisture. The vaults still remain unaltered, never illuminated by the light of day. In recent years, many visitors have been attacked by the unseen and left with bruises, cuts, and scratches. Others have been knocked unconscious and overcome by debilitating nausea and vomiting. Recently visited by the crew from England’s “Most Haunted,” the vaults maintained their reputation as the spookiest place in Edinburgh – no member of the team would voluntarily return there.

The Coliseum, Rome, Italy. In the pits beneath the Coliseum, gladiators waited to fight, prisoners waited to die, and average Romans placed bets on the outcomes of myriad competitions. Such a fabric of life can’t help but wrap itself around the pillars and posts that make up the foundation of this ancient charnel house. It is no surprise that many reports of ghostly activity have been associated with the Coliseum over the years. Visitors and tour guides alike have reported cold spots, being touched or pushed, and hearing indiscernible words whispered into their ears. Security guards with the unenviable task of securing the ancient Coliseum have reported hearing the sounds of swords clashing, and, oddly enough, the sound of ghostly animal noises such as the roars of lions and elephants.

To get started booking your next haunted vacation, contact a Professional Travel Agent today!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

American Airlines Announces New Routes

American Airlines announced this week that the company will be adding service to more destinations around the world, including Asia, Europe and Latin America.

American is focusing almost all of its flights out of five U.S. cities and using bankruptcy protection to cut costs and outsource more flights and also use different aircraft. A new daily flight is planned beginning in April 2013 between Chicago and Düsseldorf, where One World partner Air Berlin operates a regional hub and most of its own flights to North America. Deutsche Lufthansa currently flies the route. American currently routes much of its traffic to and from the continent through the London Heathrow hub of alliance partner British Airways, and will include the new flight in the deal it has with BA and Spain's Iberia to share revenues and profits on trans-Atlantic flights. It is also adding a flight from New York JFK to Dublin. In May, a daily flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Seoul will be launched in partnership with Japan Airlines, another One World member. American is also starting flight services between Dallas and Lima, Peru in April, in partnership with an affiliate of One World member Lan Airlines.

Contact a Professional Travel Agent today to book your next international vacation!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

China's Plans for Mega-Airport

Beijing recently revealed plans to build a mega-airport that is set to the best and the biggest in the country.  When it opens in late 2017, the Beijing Daxing International Airport will have space for 130 million passengers a year, that is 23 million more than London's Heathrow and New York's JFK airports combined!

It is planned to be 55 square kilometers, which is slightly larger than the island of Bermuda.  The airport will feature eight commercial runways and the design aims to limit the distance and time it takes the planes to taxi to and from the gates. Passengers will be able to take a high-speed train that will take them from the airport to Beijing in less than 30 minutes.

Contact a Professional Travel Consultant today to book your next Asia Vacation!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Design Plans for the New Titanic

The design plans for Titanic II will be announced at a black-tie dinner party that is going to be held in New York City in early December.  The Australian, Clive Palmer will launch the design and engineering plans for the building of a full size replica of the Titanic, which will be called Titanic II.

The dinner will be held aboard the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, now home to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, at Pier 86. The menu will be the same as the dinner menu was aboard the Titanic. Auctions will be held for answerthecall.org that raises money for the New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. A full-scale version of the original ship is being designed by the Finnish-based naval architecture and engineering firm Deltamarin.  Palmer announced this week the appointment of Titanic historian Steve Hall as the design consultant to the Titanic II project. Clive Palmer is one of Australia's wealthiest men.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

San Jose, Costa Rica Gets First Street Signs

It is hard to believe that the city of San Jose has had no street signs until now. Last week residents got their first look at the new signs. Now they won't have to cite local landmarks when giving directions.

Municipal workers will install about 22,000 signs and plaques on street corners in the city where the current informal system is tolerated by residents, but creates headaches for visitors and the post office. Many streets will be named after illustrious political and intellectual figures from Costa Rican history. Costa Rica embarked on a street-naming crusade about 30 years ago, but the signposts were never installed. This time funding from two different banks made the $1 million project possible.

Contact a Professional Travel Agent today to book your Costa Rica vacation!