As you may know, last month there was a fire in the Channel Tunnel (”Chunnel”) involving a train carrying vehicles and other goods. Thankfully, there were no passenger trains in the tunnel at that time.

What you need to know if you will be using the Eurostar in the near future:

• Eurostar is currently operating at 93% capacity, meaning that some schedules have changed.
• Tickets issued before October 1, 2008 have the incorrect train number and/or travel times and will need to be re-issued.
• A manual check-in process is being enforced, and it is recommended that passengers arrive one hour prior to their departure time.
• The changes have resulted in slightly longer travel times. (2 hours 43 minutes from London-Paris, 2 hours 21 minutes from London-Brussels.)

More information can be found on the Eurostar website.

For more information or to book Eurostar tickets, go here.

Thursday, October 9, 2008 | getting there, travel resources | No Comments

It’s a tad overdue, but here is the link to the winners from our ISE Model Contest. The grand prize winner, Sabrina Bricker, won a round-trip airline ticket and three other winners each received a $100 gift card to Amazon.com.

Thanks everyone for entering! The next contest will be launched here on the blog. If you have not subscribed to the RSS, now would be a good time to do so.

Monday, October 6, 2008 | contest | No Comments

I suppose it is time for a proper introduction. My name is Cammi and I will be your host here at “On the Road”. This blog is sponsored by ISE Cards, a company dedicated to helping students and young people experience the world. For the last 12 years, I have worked for ISE Cards. I’ve done it all: booked flights for individuals and groups of students, spent hours and hours on the phone with young people needing help arranging their rail pass travel, negotiated discounts for students, talked to students after their travels to get feedback, and more.

I’ve also spent those years traveling myself, to places like Australia, Korea, England, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Travel is one of my greatest passions, and I’m thrilled to be able to share with you what I have learned and to introduce the world of student discounts that is at your fingertips. Whether your dream is to study abroad, volunteer, work abroad, backpack around another country, or anything else, I hope you will find information that is helpful to you and that will inspire you to explore this amazing world we live in.

I will be holding regular contests here with great prizes that will help you reach your goals of traveling abroad. Also, I would love to hear about anything you would like to see featured here. What keeps you from traveling abroad? What is your dream destination? If you have traveled abroad before, what was your favorite thing about your trip? Stay tuned, and feel free to contact me anytime at cammi@isecard.com.

Thursday, September 4, 2008 | general | No Comments

By the way, time is up on the contest. I’ve gotta say, that was a lot of fun! The three winners will be announced on Monday, September 8th. Now for the judging … we’ve got some tough choices to make. The main prize winner will get a free round-trip airline ticket, and the other two winners will each get a $100 gift card.

 The next contest will take place here on the blog. We will have some regular contests here with some great prizes, so you might want to subscribe to our RSS, and be notified when those contests are announced.

Thursday, September 4, 2008 | general | No Comments

Hi There,

Cammi here. I wanted to let everyone know that we have a contest running on Facebook. All you have to do is upload a photo of yourself. Prizes up for grab include a round-trip airline ticket, and two $100 gift cards. You can get more details here. Or go directly to our Facebook Group. Good luck!

Monday, August 25, 2008 | general | No Comments

Do you have any travel tips for a cycling holiday in Denmark? - Mex

No, I don’t; I’ve never done something that cool! After a quick Google search, though, this is what I’ve come up with:

Bike Denmark - 7 Great Bike Tours. The tour includes a good 7 speed bicycle, accommodation at hotels or inns and luggage transport.

A comprehensive list of available bike tours - this looked pretty helpful.

Ooh! And this one!

And as always, I’m going to let the commenters chime in - they always know more than I do about this kind of stuff.

Thursday, July 10, 2008 | general | 1 Comment

Dear Heather,

My boyfriend and I have decided on Hawaii’s Big Island for our September vacation. While I enjoy doing nothing, he likes activities, so we’re doing a bit of both. Other than the major (and expensive!) stuff (Mauna Kea observatory, Kilauea volcano), what local activities would be cool to check out?

XOXOXOXO!! Ahem, I mean, sincerely,
Rachel

You lucky dogs! I went to Hawaii once, but I was 11 and remember splitting my time between being painfully sunburned and being irritated at my siblings. Let’s see if we can’t send you off to a better time.

Readers, feel free to chime in while I get going on a little research. Check back tomorrow, Rach!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 | general | 9 Comments

1. Eat where the locals eat. And shop where the locals shop. Skips the glitzy tourist traps and head to outdoor markets. You’ll save cash and get a great taste for the local flavor. Buy snacks from the grocery store to take along in your day pack.

2. Stay at hostels that include breakfast. Hostel Archi Rossi in Florence was a big winner for this reason - I loaded up every morning and coasted until late afternoon.

3. If your travels take you to urban areas, take advantage of the subway or bus system. Personally, I like to hoof it. Which costs free dollars.

4. Take photos instead of buying crap. Er, I mean, souvenirs. I sent photos to friends that I took specifically for them - which cost me a lot less than the tourist crud I’d otherwise have picked up. And it was more personal.

5. Know the exchange rate. This might sound like a no-brainer, but understanding what you’re really spending will help you keep costs low.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 | advice | 1 Comment

Gah! Sheenu! I wrote this days ago, thought I hit “publish” but I’d hit “save.” I know, I know, the dog ate my homework, but it’s true!

Hi Heather,

I am thinking of traveling to Italy in sept. I haven’t done too many holidays my own and this would be the first biggie solo one. I’m also not keen on staying in hostels unless I could get a private room. The b&b’s i looked at are proving quite expensive! I’m thinking of visiting Rome, Florence, Venice and Cinque Terra over 15 days or so. could you offer any tips/advice on where to stay and what to do etc.?

Thanks a lot.

sheenu

Well, that sure is a loaded question! My first piece of advice would be to pick up a travel book on Italy. I liked my Let’s Go Italy. The comments on the above-linked post will also be helpful.

How strong are your objections to sharing a room at a hostel? I don’t know if you have budget limitations, but shared rooms at hostels are so much more economical (especially over B&Bs!), and you meet the coolest people that way. I actually resented the private room I had in Florence, because I was missing out on all the fun. For recommendations beyond my own, please check out the comments on this post.

My experiences:
Florence.
Venice where I stayed at the Residenza Santa Croce.
Rome… well, I’ve put together a WHOLE other post for you on Rome because it’s such a complex, wonderful city. Look for it tomorrow! I stayed at the Beehive, which was so wonderful. But again, you’d have to share a room, or pay for a double.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | general | 3 Comments

Just saw this article on CNN.

“Volunteer vacations are one of the biggest trends in travel. If you’ve never really considered going on one, these volunteers’ stories might just change your mind.”

Thursday, June 5, 2008 | general | 1 Comment