What Wouldn’t We Give For An Extra 2 Inches?

The Interpreter is a blog that I can’t recommend highly enough for anybody with an interest in Australian foreign policy, geo-politics and other non-geekery (I promise, it’s all really very interesting). One recent post may even be of interest to an audience beyond myself (and a group of middle men who just happen to live at home, wear anoraks and possess an unhealthy interest in train timetables).

What you see before you is no less than a new design for economy class / human cargo hold. The staggered design according to the glossy brochure allows passengers to recline without disturbing the person behind them, provides more leg space (2-inches more!) and increases the width of each individual seat to ‘rival the width of Business class seats, without affecting seat pitch, aisle width or overall capacity’. Today.com has some further details.

Depressingly, according to the manufacturer ‘these are valuable increases given the continued growth in average passenger size (particularly US nationals) and the remaining lifespan of the current generation of aircraft’.

Delta is planning on installing the Cozy Suite in its Boeing 777 and 767 economy class aircraft by 2010, so don’t hold your breath until you get to enjoy the feeling of a child kicking the back of one of these beauties. But just perhaps there’s some hope for those of us marooned down the arse end of the plane.

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BA Jet Lag Calculator

BA’s website has a useful little jet-lag calculator which recommends when to seek or avoid light at your destination to minimise jet-lag. Simply enter the time you usually wake, the local time and the time at your destination.

Apparently, if holing yourself up in a pitch black room isn’t an option just wearing dark glasses will help.

If you are desperate to know more they also offer Dr Sleep Podcasts ‘a series of sleep advice podcasts from our resident sleep expert, Dr Chris Idzikowski’. So, that’s the insomnia cured.

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[Image via Kim Pierro]

Know the plane and airline you’re going to fly

Airfleets contains all the interesting (and geeky) statistics and information you could ever want about airlines and planes. Particularly useful are the average age of an airline’s fleet (even the date a specific plane was delivered) and accidents and fatalities by airline and country. Particularly useful you’re unsure about flying an airline you’re not familiar with (or perhaps in the case of Aeroflot or Air India too familiar with).

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[Photo kaysha via Flickr]

Loose Change – A round-up of recent travel tips from around the web (26th of April)

Travel Tips of the Week

Gadling: Big in Japan: 5 mistakes made by first-timers in Japan

In a country where using the word “no” displays ‘as much social grace as a bovine’ and “toilet slippers” should be kept out of the kitchen some cultural tips come in handy.

General

National Geographic has a list of the world’s top guided tours. Continki gets nary a mention.

Patronising quote of the week goes to Flight Centre’s marketing manager in The Age’s tips for using budget airlines to get around the place:

“We have people who have spent time on the internet to put their own itineraries together, and then come in to talk to our agents,” Bowman says. “That’s when the agent might say, ‘Are you aware that flight to London goes in to Luton and not Heathrow?’ The response is usually, ‘So what does that mean?’

“That’s when we need to explain all the details that the customer has not found on the internet.”

In our experience workaday wage slaves simply LOVE receiving bulk emails from you gloating about the simply wonderful time you’re having in exotic climes. If that hasn’t been you’re experience Traveler’s Notebook has some tips for writing emails the folks at home will actually want to read.

Intelligent Traveler has a guide to guides; five tips on how to pick a guidebook. Vagabondish goes one better with four alternatives to let you dispense with the darned things for good.

MSNBC makes taking children on a plane trip sound a marginally less complex operation than Dunkirk, while the Perrin Post has the Top Ten Toyless Ways to Occupy Kids on Planes without alcohol OR Prozac.

‘To have tasty and nutritious food on board, and be the envy of your fellow passengers, you need to bring your own. With advance planning, you can eat like a King or Queen on the plane.’ How to eat well at 30,000 feet via Beat of Hawaii featuring lots of Tupperware.

James Wysong has some tips for navigating customs: no fruit, no jokes, no phones and no porn are apparently the secret to avoiding being patted by down by your friendly neighbourhood customs officer. Hardly seems worth it.

Vagabondish has 12 clever and creative uses for a digital camera on the road.

The Americas

The Times recommends six destinations in the United States, while Intelligent Travel has an excellent guide to taking teens to NYC. 10 free things to do in LA from Frommer’s.

Toronto is oft-overlooked even by travellers to Canada. Peter Greenfield has an introduction to its lesser known attractions.

Get closer to nature with five gems for the eco-tourist in Costa Rica.

Europe

The New York Times spends 36 hours in Naples where incredible history, garbage and toxic mozzarella meet.

About.com has a list of the five worst wookie rookie France travel mistakes. You’ll feel like Captain Cook with PeterGreenberg’s secret spots in Paris and The Times Undiscovered France: Poitiers. Alexander Lobrano reckons it’s possible to eat well in Paris. We remain unconvinced.

The Guardian’s Blog by Blog section has some really interesting and unusual tips for things to do in London

The Telegraph has published a Madrid city guide, and claims to have a list of Madrid’s best budget hotels (£44+). To get there the Independent has some tips on tourist trains in Spain.

Eurocheapo has five free things to do in Krakow.

Whether or not to get a Eurorail pass can be a difficult business, here are some tips as to when it is likely to represent a decent deal.

Asia

Business Week (of all places) has a list of India’s top five yoga centres.

Seth Mydans has some tips for Singapore hawker fare, street food heaven.

Viator has some tips for Kuala Lumpur.

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[Contiki image via Glenn Ross on Flickr, Toronto image via Photofusion on Flickr, Krakow image via astilly on Flickr, yoga image via premasagar on Flickr]

Spectacular images of Boeing’s Dreamliner

Fortune Magazine has some spectacular photos of the global manufacturing process behind Boeing’s new 787 ‘Dreamliner’.

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