Smiley Earth blog

Whether you plan strategically to travel where the pound is still strong, or decide to splash out anyway, Northern France is my next wish lists this 2009.

Even if the pound falls to parity with the euro, the cost of hotels and cottages and eating out in northern France will still be roughly on a par with prices in Britain. Ferry fares are also much better value than they were a decade ago, so a beach holiday on the coast of Normandy or Brittany looks as though it will offer the best value for families who want to go overseas this summer.

Two hour’s drive north of Paris, this charming medieval town is the perfect introduction to Northern France. Founded by the Romans in the first century, this little walled city has an epic history. A stroll through its ancient streets reveals a treasure of medieval architectural gems, including the Cathedral Notre Dame de Laon, which served as a model for Chartres Cathedral, and the Chapelle des Templiers (the Knights Templar Chapel), reminders of this village’s storied past.

How will you track your holiday flight this season?

You or someone you care about is probably boarding an airplane this holiday season, so arm yourself with the best flight tracking tools available before you head to the airport.

Google Search
If you're at a computer (or have a schmancy phone with a Google search box readily available), just type the airline and flight number and hit the search button.



AT&T
For a quick mobile lookup of when a flight's supposed to land while you're on the go, send a text message to either Google (466453) or 4INFO (44636) with the airline and flight number to get the status texted back to you immediately.



Aeroseek
To see exactly where a plane in-flight is right now, check out a real-time flight tracker tool. For example, the Aeroseek tool will give you an auto-updating map that shows you the plane's current location as it moves toward its destination.



These are just a few of dozens of ways to track flights online. What's your preferred method of making sure you get to the airport on time to pick up your loved ones? Post it up in the comments.

For the traveler who wishes to fly to Barcelona it has never been easier, as the city is served by two major airports, Barcelona Girona Airport (also called Girona Costa Brava Airport) in the North, which is approximately 103 kilometers from the city and Barcelona International airport, 13 kilometers from the city centre.

Both airports are served by an excellent bus shuttle service and travel times are 40 minutes from the international airport and around 1 hour and 10 minutes from Girona Airport, there is a train service from the International airport that takes you to the very heart of the city and that runs every 30 minutes and it takes only 15 minutes, unfortunately if you wish to travel by train from Girona you will first have to go to the city station in Girona which will actually lengthen your journey time.

Of course, the other option is taxi, which is much more convenient, especially if traveling with a lot of luggage, but it can also be on the pricey side, especially if traveling from Girona, where you can expect to pay in the region of 120 euros for a one way trip. My advice would be to travel by bus from Girona and train or taxi from the International airport.



Once in Barcelona the easiest, quickest and safest way to get around the city is the excellent metro system, revamped and improved before the olympics, that were held in the city in 1992.

You can purchase tickets that allow you unlimited travel throughout the city very cheaply. If you prefer to stay above ground there are many open top bus services that follow regular site seeing routes. These are excellent as all the operators run circular routes meaning that the next bus is never more than forty minutes away, they are a bit more expensive than using the metro but you will be able to top up your tan whilst traveling around the city. You can purchase a one, two or three day tickets that offer a  jump on jump off service allowing you to be as spontaneous or as organized as you want with regards to visiting the cites many attractions.

If you are considering driving, the uninitiated should expect to have nothing short of minor heart or panic attacks on a regular basis as the city streets are extremely busy with traffic that seems to travel at frighteningly quick speeds when the flow allows (city traffic jams are a regular occurrence) and the average barca driver has no, or at least, very little patience with dithering tourists as a constant barrage of horns gives the city the characteristic backdrop of sound, often associated with major Spanish cities.

Whichever way you decide to travel to and around Barcelona, this beautiful and bustling city will always leave you wanting to come back to visit again and again.

A Saudi officer looks at Muslims pilgrims while they pray at the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed at the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. More than two million Muslims head to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage. All fit and financially able Muslims are expected to perform the Hajj at least once in their life.

(UPI Photo/Mohammad Kheirkhah)

Travel the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser.

Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others.

Overall, Google Earth is a lot of fun. Many of the interface elements are being incorporated into Google Maps, so it may not be necessary for every user to download it. It’s fantastic as an educational tool to let children explore the world. It has a fantastic community, and it makes planning road trips fun. If you like taking mini virtual vacations at your desktop, Google Earth is definitely for you.