The Internet can provide a great wealth of information to us about destinations around the globe. All you need to do is log onto any travel oriented website to find reviews, photos, videos, guides and advice all at your finger tips. But is this preconceived knowledge ruining the excitement of travel in the 21^st century? We seem to be so caught up in having a good holiday that we are forget the best experiences and surprises can happen when we least expect it.

Many people I talk to speak of “the surprising delight factor”. These can best be described as unexpected events which enhance your overall holiday experience. This could be visiting a city while a festival or a movie premier is in town, or seeing a natural event such a volcano erupting or a meteor shower. These events can really make holidays and leave you feeling like you have got real value from your trip because you saw something special that people generally do not see. I wonder if we did not plan our visits so severely or do so much research beforehand, could we encounter more “surprising delight factors”?

Well in theory yes. Most holiday destinations have many things to see and do all year round so there is a good chance of turning up and there being an event you did not predict, but going on holiday unprepared is certainly not in the mindset of most holiday makers. Holiday makers generally plan their trips around what is going on at the destination or the time of the year. Our lifestyles are probably to blame because the average family will only go on one major holiday a year due to school holidays, budgets and time constraints, and therefore getting the one escape right is rather crucial.

I think backpackers are the most likely to encounter the “surprising delight factor” because they tend to travel on whims, change directions and be more spontaneous. They travel with a more liberal mindset and tend not to do so much planning in advance which is why it can be such a rewarding to travel. When I was travelling the world as a backpacker I encountered a traditional Japanese wedding while visiting a shrine in Tokyo, and saw baby koalas in Sydney Zoo and felt I had experienced a “surprising delight factor” of my own.

Perhaps in the future holidays will become redundant as our technological experiences become richer and more life like. Why would someone need to visit the rainforest or Niagara Falls if they could sample the sights, smells and signs online from their living room via the Internet. It is unclear how technology will shape travel in the future and the impact the web will ultimately have, but for now I suggest travelling the open road and taking each experience as it comes. Let me know what you think the future holds.

Last night it began to snow hard. Within 10 minutes we had a couple of centimetres in London and it was only set to get worse overnight and into the next day. Night came and went and upon getting up for work, I was met with close on a foot of snow; the worst it has been for 18 years. Whilst eating my cereal it was announced that my mum’s school was shut, parts of the M25 were closed along with other major roads, the whole of the underground train system was suspended stopped an there was not a single London bus in operation. For me, this was great as it meant a day off from work but it really highlights how things grind to a halt when there is significant snowfall in the UK. Internationally it is also an embarrassment as flights into and out of Gatwick, Heathrow and London City Airport are all disrupted.

If you go to the northern states of America or continental Europe, when snow is predicted there will be a fleet of gritters on the roads preparing the motorways and also snow ploughs clearing the snow as it falls. In the UK, we simply are not prepared for a significant snow event like this. With no transport in London, many businesses and services simply will not run today and possibly tomorrow depending on the snow fall in the next few hours.

Many people coming to London as tourists this week will suffer serious disruptions to their plans, but many Londoners will be enjoying a glimpse of what a real English winter used to be like 20 years ago. Grab your sledge, build a snowman make the most of it while it lasts!!

I was having a think about my top 5 airline annoyances. These are the things that really grate on my nerves when it comes to air travel.

Trolley in the aisle

Airplanes were clearly not designed for trolleys. The aisles are narrow enough as it is without someone having the bright idea of getting a trolley to plug the gap. Everyone has been in the position where the drinks trolley has just passed your seat and the loo is inconveniently positioned at the other end of the plane to you. You then have the moral dilemma of asking the stewardesses to pull the trolley out of the aisle and irritate the remaining passengers or taking one for the team and waiting 15 minutes for the blockage to clear. Which person are you?

The domino effect

Ever been on a plane journey where as soon as the seat belt light goes off the chair in front of you falls right back into your face? I have. The problem is that it creates a dominos effect of seats all down the plane to compensate. One after one the seats falls back until you get to the back row where the poor blighter has to suffer on an 11 hour journey from the UK to Japan without being able to recline their seat more than two inches. I have been this guy too. Serves me right for checking in late.

Shoulder snoozers

Dribble on the shoulder is pretty grim but even more so when it is from the fat guy sitting next to you. You can sit there for hours conscious that the guy may lean on you as he teases you with his sleepy head bob motion. Why do attractive ladies never fall asleep on your shoulder? The world is just never that kind.

TVs in the aisle

I think this rant may be outdated now on many long haul flights but still exists in strength on budget and short flights. If you have a window seat under on a row with a TV your are officially in the worst position to view the onboard “entertainment”. You have to peer over the seat in front to try and get a glimpse of the 15 inch monitor that is behind the air stewardesses’ head. Things we do you a bit of TV.

Kids and the loo

The toilet really does create the most tension on flights. If there is a child in the window seat you know from the word go you will be having to stand up one hundred times for the kid to empty his or hers bladder. Its like go before you left!! Making sure you are the person asking others to let you out for the loo. That way you never get disturbed and this is the key to a good flight.

For those of you who do not know I embarked upon a round the world trip in the latter end of 2007 and took 7 international and 13 internal flights. When you visit that many airports in a relatively short period of time you begin to realise how much time is actually wasted queuing in airports and passing through check points.

For international flights you are always advised to arrive at the airport 2 hours before take off and you need to allow enough time to get to the airport which in my experience is always on the outskirts of the city and can take ages without a Metro system. Once at the terminal, you need to queue to check in, queue to go through security, queue at the gate, queue on the runway and that is if there are no delays and is just for the outbound leg. There is still baggage collection, customs and security when you land! So this started me thinking. “I wonder if I could drive from my home in London to a hotel in Paris quicker than a plane doing the exact same route.” I did some research on the internet into distances and times and used my own experience of travelling to Paris.

I will start with driving. The metrics have been calculated assuming the car is travelling at 110 kph roughly 70 mph (UK speed limit). I have factored in some traffic but I would be leaving after rush hour so would expect no hold ups, and also check in times at the channel tunnel.

By Car

London to Dover: 102km = 1 hour 12
Channel tunnel: 1 hour
Calais to Paris centre: 293km = 2 hours 49

Total: 5 hr 01

For flying I have assumed the car is parked at Gatwick and not in an out of area long term car park, and the transfer from the airport in Paris is by Metro.

By Air

Home to Gatwick airport: 60km = 1 hour
Airport time (UK) = 2 hours
Flight time = 1 hour
Airport Time = 1 hour
Transfer Time = 30 minutes

Total: 5 hr 30

As I suspected flying London to Paris is only 1 hour in the air but is also 5 hours of waiting around and transfers to and from the airport. This is an exceptional circumstance because there are not many other countries I would even consider driving to, but the main point of the article was to highlight the amount of time spent messing around at airports especially now security is much tighter. Flying is clearly the quickest and only option for long haul flights but I would like to see airport time significantly reduced for intercontinental flights and domestic. I can only dream.