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Travel abroad and SkyMall fascinates, entertains travelers
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CaSandra Minichiello, 37, said getting away from her home in Clarkston, Georgia, is difficult to imagine when international flights -- nearly identical to those she booked in recent years -- are hundreds of dollars more expensive."In 2008, I went to Rome for about $1,200, but those prices have grown by about $500 for the same time frame," she said. "I'm disappointed, a bit angry. I understand that economic factors cause a lot of price increases, but it just seems like regardless, people want to travel and will usually fork up the extra costs. It's almost like the airlines are taking advantage of that.""The cost of refining oil has doubled in the past two or three months," said FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney. [Read the full article]
And while most travelers try to avoid the mysterious debris left by passengers past, SkyMall has been a welcome addition to the seatback catchalls since the 1990s."I found that it was one of those things that anyone who had traveled in the United States kind of knew about," said Mike Barish, a freelance travel writer who reviews SkyMall products for the travel site Gadling. "Some people are in business class; some people are in economy ... some people like to travel, and some people hate it. But everybody knows SkyMall."The catalog's merchandising team receives hundreds of inquiries every week from vendors, manufacturers and retailers who want their items to be featured, said Joey O'Donnell, customer experience manager for SkyMall."We're looking for really special items," O'Donnell said. "We have to look at it and say, 'this solves a problem, and this is so unique. [Read the full article]
(CNN) -- Cairo is currently the center of the world's attention as the site of historic protests that have already had huge repercussions in the region.But what is the story of this ancient, mighty city, the most populous in the Arab world? And what is everyday life like for the millions who live there?Cairo residents complain about pollution, perpetual traffic jams and Cairo's struggle to accommodate an ever-expanding population -- but they are fiercely proud of their city.Maria Golia, author of "Cairo: City of Sand," has called Cairo home for the last 25 years. Golia has lived in New Jersey, Rome and Paris, among other cities, but says Cairo is the safest place she has ever lived, with the greatest sense of camaraderie and neighborliness.Built on a thin strip of fertile land around the Nile and surrounded by desert, the city proper is home to some seven million people, with up to 18 million living in the Greater Cairo sprawl. [Read the full article]
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