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Tagged With "luxury train"

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Re: Trains in Cuba

Wilbur's Travels ·
Thanks for the info. I too love Mark's site. I will try my damnedest to do a train journey if I can so I can send you details. Wilbur.
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Re: Suggestions wanted: Andalusia

PortMoresby ·
Will you have a car? I ask, because if you will, you might consider stopping at one or more of the White Towns between Seville & Granada. I stayed a week in a house just outside Iznajar, a lovely little place, and visited a bigger town, Antequera, worth a stop. For a brief stop I'd recommend the smaller town, one of a number in the area, millions of olive trees everywhere. There is no train there although Antequera has a station, but outside the town. Below the town of Iznajar, beside...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Travel Rob ·
Hi Hank, I've actually found the UK a pretty reasonable destination in recent years, especially outside of London.(My budget was way under yours for a month long trip to Europe last June.)A lot of museums are free. Transportation costs within the country can be reasonable too.Not only do they have advance cheap train tickets but they have bus and budget air choices.And of course there are some good budget hotel chains as well, such as Travelodge and the Tune Hotel Have fun and keep watching...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
Starting to get things planned now Hank ! You have the choice of flying into Edinburgh in Scotland. Manchester in the North of England. Or Gatwick / Heathrow which both serve the London area in the South of England. You can get a Train to Paris to end your tour with a few days of Culture in a foreign language ! Fly back to the US from Paris will save you hundreds of Dollars because you wont pay the UK "Departure Tax" but not vital ! Liverpool is less than an hour on the Train from...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Wow, this is turning into a real education!! I checked with my uncle and yes, I can fly Chicago to Manchester and return from either London or Paris to Chicago. The ticket is free to him and he said he would cover any fees as a "graduation gift to me" (he's a pretty cool dude!), but I don't want to burden him with a heavy departure fee, so maybe Paris would be the way to go. I'd like to leave about Friday, May 9th and return 4 weeks later, June 6th. A few days later and returning a few days...
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Re: Spring Honeymoon Help

DrFumblefinger ·
Congratulations SueZee! We're delighted in your marriage, and you've picked a great country in which to honeymoon. May is not too early to go to Italy, although pack a light jacket just in case. The crowds won't be there yet and you'll save some money when compared to the peak summer season. Where to go is very much a matter of taste. Most definitely you need to go to Venice and I'd say spend at least 5 days here, maybe with a day trip or two (such as to the glass making island of Murano or...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
That's helpful too, Rob. So with your guys advice, I'm thinking of the following plan, which still has holes I need to fill. I actually like the idea of Paris more than Scotland for this trip, plus I worry about the cost of travel to Scotland back so unless I can get a really cheap plane ticket or train ticket to Edinburgh, I think I'll drop that and focus on eastern UK and then on to Paris. So this is where I'm at now: 1) Arrive in Manchester. Maybe ??2 days 2) Travel Liverpool. 3 days 3)...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
Hank, While you're in London you can get a Coach (Bus) Tour that will show you Stonehenge and Bath and The Cotswold Villages - very pretty and very old. Leeds Castle (not in Leeds, close to London). Stonehenge is not an overnight stop - remember what I said about distances in the UK being smaller? If you need to fill a gap take the Train (or Bus) to York. Very old - lots of History and a Museum that will take you back 150 years walking the streets of Victorian England. Go into Old Shops and...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
England is only as big as Florida ! I haven't seen a Guide book that sub-divides us! Wales is full of Castles, Mountains and Lakes. Tourists often divide England between the North and South. The North is often cooler and wetter than further South. But your Dollar will go twice as far up here in the North! And we're much friendlier. Have a look at places you'd like to visit. York (the old one) will keep you busy for 2 days. Train or Bus from Liverpool. Or a day or two in Europe from Liverpool...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Hi Everyone! Hope you had a good Christmas. I spent mine with my parents, which was nice. I've been busy planning this trip that you've helped me with and I think I'm making good progress. Largely starting to arrange places to stay and developing a list of "must see" things for myself. Using the hostels and airB&B I've been able to get decent looking and affordable places for me. I still need to find something for London and Paris, but the rest of the trip is mostly worked out. Might...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
Hi Hank. If you enjoy hiking and the weathers fair then you can go up to the Snow line and above. Take the Train up, then continue on foot to the peak. Train from Llandudno Junction on the North Wales coast Plenty of info here: http://www.nationalparks.gov.u...arks/travelsnowdonia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utjPQZVpOiY for the Mountain Railway .
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Re: Minneapolis in the winter

Ottoman ·
Hi Theodore! I am a Mall of America fan. You can easily spend an entire weekend (or many evenings) at the Mall of America. First of all, the mall is very easy to get to by train from downtown (CICAK did a wonderful job explaining that), and fares are quite cheap (fares go for about $1.75 to $2.25 one way depending on what time of day you ride). As CICAK also mentioned, there is something for everybody at the mall. If you just want to find a warm dry place to walk and people watch, I believe...
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Re: Cheapest airfare to Portugal and Spain

Paul Heymont ·
Can't speak too much about SEA-TAC strategies, but I'm sure you'll have to change planes at least once! Try to avoid any that change at London, because of the British Air Passenger Duty on the way home, and the huge hassle of Heathrow. I did a little random searching for next July, using an open-jaw plan: Fly to Lisbon, train to Porto, fly to Barcelona, fly home, and found fares around $1600 on offer. Lisbon is not that competitive a city, so one strategy would be to keep an eye out for...
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Re: London- multiple questions

Paul Heymont ·
I can only help with one of the questions...but GarryRF, one of the TG Gurus, lives in Liverpool and can certainly help with that part. For Stonehenge without a car, there are really two main options. There are a number of tour operators who run coach tours from London to the site; or you can take a train from London to Salisbury and take a bus from the station to the Stonehenge visitor center. The visitor center is new since I was there; it's about 10 minutes by shuttle from the stones...
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Re: London- multiple questions

GarryRF ·
Hi Chickpea. The train from London to Liverpool will take 2 and a half hours each way. You can check out the times and which trains are direct - no changing - at www.thetrainline.com It's always cheaper to book well in advance ! It's over 400 miles round trip. And it's expensive at peak times. Around £200 return. So if you get the 09:40 from Euston Station (London) to Lime St. Station Liverpool its only £39 with a change at Crewe. 20 minute change time. And return at 19:48 Liv - Lon - Direct...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?

Paul Heymont ·
There's certainly a lot of variation, as I also noted above. And sometimes the planners don't help much either, as is the case with all three of our New York airports, where the whole AirTrain concept is completely botched. At Kennedy, the AirTrain's stations are not in, but sort of near, the terminals. That means you have to drag your stuff outside, across the roadways, and then up stairs or elevator to the train. And then, you have a choice of going to the commuter rail station (about 3...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?

TravelGirlJenn ·
Originally Posted by PHeymont You just have to conclude that all this planning is done by people who have chauffeurs or helicopters to get them to the plane on time... Or progress is blocked by some politician or lobbyist... ;-) I did just get a chance to read the blog you linked. While I agree that public transportation is much more available in Europe, and perhaps Asia, however with the few examples he sites, there really are few cities that have that 15-20 minute from "airport to...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?

PortMoresby ·
Heathrow Express MAY take 15 minutes. The only time it was convenient for me and I decided to give it try, it stopped part-way to Heathrow and we just sat there. I'd have gotten to the airport faster and paid quite a bit less to take the slower train from Paddington, the Heathrow Connect. Since then I make a point to stay along the Piccadilly Line of the London tube and pay the least of all.
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Re: How do you use the internet while traveling?

Travel Rob ·
One problem I had was the places I stayed at had no Wi-Fi , so I noticed the lack of public wi-fi a lot more than on other trips. In Japan, besides the airports, Starbucks and 7-11, I had rarely could find Wi-fi and they blocked my VOIP phone, which I don't remember from previous trips. In Europe it wasn't much better and even some major train stations were lacking Wifi. I talked to a lot people in Europe and heard the same feedback about lack of Wi-Fi .
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Re: Best Ways To Reach Heathrow Airport Quickly In London

Dan Carter ·
I just noticed this morning in TravelGumbo News that Heathrow Express is cutting its fares because of competiton with train service that wasn't mentioned here. That's what used to be called Heathrow Connect, and is now called TfL Rail, and will soon be called the Elizabeth Line. It's only 15 minutes slower than the Express, and the price is the same as the Tube. Both of those go only to Paddington Station in London, way in the West End, but once TfL Rail is connected to the new Crossrail...
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Re: How do you buy your travel?

HistoryDigger ·
I use booking.com the most for hotels and apartments because I can cancel. Sometimes I can't decide what part of town I want to be in, so I book more than one and keep researching until I have found the right spot. (I don't hold extra reservations long...just sayin'.) I love that booking.com now shows apartments and houses via villa.com because I always refer having a kitchen when I travel. I, too, use OTAs to see prices and schedules, and then I go to the airline's web page for booking.
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Re: How do you buy your travel?

Paul Heymont ·
Few more thoughts, following HistoryDigger and DrFumblefinger... 1. Definitely check all your affiliations on car rental; after years of getting better price through AAA than any other way I knew, I recently found that going to the same vendors through USAA (my car insurance) gets me even better. 2. Not only does Priceline have good pricing on cars, I've often found I can get 30-40% lower through their blind-bidding (Name Your Own Price) service. 3. RailEurope is something of a red flag for...
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Re: How do you buy your travel?

PortMoresby ·
There's been no mention, that I noticed, of consolidators for multi-segment air travel. I've had great success over the years using Airtreks and now, after a number of bookings, have a "relationship" with an agent there. The only job of a consolidator is to find their clients the cheapest fares point to point and string them together to make a unique personalized trip. They use airlines with which they have contracts for the lowest fares so, short of a spectacular sale, will, as far as I can...
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Re: Tough Trains

DrFumblefinger ·
You might find yourself the only pale-skinned person in one of the trains to remote towns in Sri Lanka or India. Trains between Colombo and Kandy will be well-touristed. But trains running into the hills much less so so far as Sri Lanka goes. While you would blend in with the locals, I would imagine the same is true of the UK. Train travel between smaller towns, especially in the north, would have few tourists.
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Re: Tough Trains

DrFumblefinger ·
In contrast to "Tough Trains", Fodors just put out a slide-show of some of the greatest train rides in the world. How many have you been on? Here's that link .
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Re: Is a stopover in Iceland worthwhile

Paul Heymont ·
Well, I said so much about Iceland, I decided to leave the rest for another post. Getting from Barcelona (or Madrid) to Lisbon: the only practical way is to fly. Train takes too long for this one, and costs more! From Barcelona to Lisbon, flights on Vueling, Iberia, TAP, etc. run from $35 one-way to about $80 before you hit the high-priced ones. I just looked in May; Vueling and Iberia have $68 in the morning and $35 at 7:30 pm. Madrid-Lisbon, there's a $40 mid-day flight, but most other...
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Re: Tips on Traveling with Parents

artsnletters ·
I traveled with my mom when she was around that age, and in much the same way - I was the tour guide and she was along for the ride. I did all the work - ALL of it - and she paid for both of us, so I considered it an excellent deal. She did have some ideas where to go - "I haven't seen Italy, Austria, or Switzerland." But we also went to Amsterdam, Bruges, and Paris (she had been to Paris before but wanted to get up close and personal with the Eiffel Tower). I got to pick where to take her...
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Re: Weekend getaways. Where's your favorite spot

Dan Carter ·
Haven't gotten into West Coast stuff yet, but back east I had a few favorites I'd suggest to anyone. One is Lancaster County, PA. I know it's overflowing with fake Amish stuff and all, but behind that there's a real local history and culture (and some real Amish culture as well)...and the Strasburg Rail Road, a steam road that's an afternoon's fun...and the Pennsylvania State Railroad museum...and the National Toy Train Museum (which could take up a whole day if your companions share your...
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Re: Need help planning Morocco trip

PortMoresby ·
If you're passing through Europe and plan to go directly on to Marrakech, keep in mind that the low fare carriers more often than not use secondary airports which will add to your travel time if go straight on. For instance, if you fly into London's Heathrow airport a low fare airline will likely use either Luton or Stansted. I believe British Airways has flights from Heathrow so check on the variables and you may find that with time and costs involved to change airports a bit more expensive...
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Travel Luver ·
That's very helpful. I'll give them a look and see what I find that suites me. Also, for getting around Portugal and spain, should I take the train? Bus? local planes? Any idea which works best (cost and efficiency both matter, but so does easy connections)
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Paul Heymont ·
Portugal's rail system feels a bit worn in places, and some trains look terrible from outside...but the interiors are clean and the system seems to work. Not a terribly large country, so that time between the two largest cities (Lisbon and Porto) is about 3.5 hours. If you add in getting to the airport early and getting in from the airport at the other end, it's probably faster than flying. Other significant points in Portugal also have reasonable rail service, including Coimbra, the...
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Re: Help with Provence Itinerary

Paul Heymont ·
Good point, and sent me scurrying back to the Airbnb details page—and fortunately, there's on-premise parking. That's good, because we're picking up the car at Avignon TGV at about 8:40. An earlier train would be more expensive and less pleasant... We're staying at a hotel in Marseille that's just at Gare St-Charles, and considered picking the car up there...but decided that leaving central Marseille in the rush hour might not be our favorite thing...and also adds about 54€ to the rental for...
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Re: Tips on Getting FF Seats.

Paul Heymont ·
That's good advice in her column! I've often had success calling back when I didn't get the "right" answer the first time helps...and the night shift often has the most experienced agents. Other useful tips, aside from being the most pleasant if sadly disappointed customer they've had all day: Plan early, book early. If you really want to fly to Paris in late July on the cheapest FF tickets, your best bet is late August: the airlines generally open seats 330 days ahead, and if you can be...
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Is a stopover in Iceland worthwhile

Travel Luver ·
A number of you have helped me plan a trip to Portugal and Barcelona.  I've decided to go on this trip next May when I'll have a few more days of vacation. Checking out different airline websites, I came across Icelandair, which flies...
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Are you a chatty seat-mate?

DrFumblefinger ·
Modern travel often makes complete strangers sit in close proximity for hours at a time.  This has the potential to be a very pleasant possibility, or very annoying.     So how likely are you to have a chatty seatmate?  Not very it...
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Need Suggestions For a Short Stay in Norway

Travel Rob ·
I'll be flying to Oslo with my son (mid 20's) in late May and staying 5 days before heading off. I'd like to see a small town nearby with some historical architecture . We will probably rent a car . We are open to train travel as well.  Any...
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Tough Trains

PortMoresby ·
  It's Sunday afternoon, I actually accomplished something midday, then turned on the telly for a break, just in time for Globe Trekker on PBS.  Sometimes I'm interested, occasionally not, but I hit the jackpot today.  Tough Trains! A...
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Airbnb's Cool Model Train Commercial

Travel Rob ·
Airbnb is so happy with their complex Model Train commercial ,they are going to translate it  into multiple languages and publish it worldwide. The set of this commercial took 30 people five weeks to build. The filming took 85 takes to get...
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Vienna to Padua Questions

rbciao ·
This July we will be making our/my annual pilgrimage to Italy by way of Vienna. At first we thought to fly from Vienna to Venice and then a bus to Padua, but the discount airlines fly at ugly times and the major carriers are hugely expensive. So, we...
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October - A perfect month to explore Udaipur and nearby sites

Pratap Singh ·
Udaipur, which is also known as the lake city of India, is a beautiful and romantic tourist destination, in the state of Rajasthan (INDIA). Udaipur has been the home of the Mewar Kingdom, which has built a strong empire from 11th to 20th century and has not surrender to major empires in India like the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal, etc. Now as said in the title, October is the best month for a couple (or family traveler) to explore Udaipur, as the weather is quite good (not hot or too cold). And...
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Now this is how you explore the sites of New Delhi

Pratap Singh ·
Around 7 million travelers from all over the world visit India every year. Most of them land at New Delhi Airport (Indira Gandhi International Airport), and from here they hire cabs or catch a train to starts their holidays in India. Along with this many travelers also give a day or two in Delhi to explore the tourist monuments of the city and observe the life at India's capital. In this post, I've tried to present a typical tour itinerary on how a traveler can enjoy a fantastic week (or max...
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5 Things You Must Tell A Limo Service Company While Hiring Them

Ryan Holman ·
Using a limousine service adds a sense of class and luxury to the person who is sitting in its back seat. Traveling in a limousine is an experience most people can only dream about. Most people hire limousine services for important life events, and therefore one needs to be careful in choosing the service. No matter what the event is, whether you want a luxury limousine service , a corporate event, or a wedding, there are a few things you must check with a limousine service company when you...
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Looking For A Job In Digital Marketing? You need These Top 5 qualities

Mynext Opportunity ·
Digital marketing is the fastest growing career option in the world today. It was reported that over 85% of the world’s population spends over 65% of their time checking out information, knowledge, products and services on various digital touch-points like mobile, laptop, TV, or other digital devices. It is the responsibility of a digital marketing expert to match the client’s products and services to the domain specific audience through these touch-points and generate sales/build loyal...
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Edinburgh, Scotland for 2.5 days....help!

chickpea ·
Hi- we will be travelling to Scotland the end of September and I am trying to get my itinerary together for Edinburgh. We will only have 2.5 days here and I want to make the most of it. We are staying near the Waverly Train Station so I think we are close to a lot of the major sites. I need one thing Sunday afternoon when we get there before we get ready for dinner. Can anyone help? I was planning Monday and Tuesday being our "pound the pavement" days but not so much that we are overwhelmed.
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Looking for a multi-destination map program

Paul Heymont ·
I'm trying to find a program that will let me plot out, and eventually print, a map of upcoming trips. I've looked at a number, and each has a problem, the most common ones being limited number of destinations, and no ability to make one stretch off the route car/rail and another by air. For example, I will be arriving in Rome, flying to Palermo, driving around Sicily, taking a train to Naples and then flying to Nürnberg, and continuing onward with more stops. Obviously, Rome to Palermo and...
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Top 12 Attractions And Places to Visit in Ahmedabad

Shifa Travels ·
Ahmedabad, known as its historical and industrial identity, is also known as the 'heart of Gujarat'. The city is also known as Master Businessman in the world. Not only this, Gandhiji taught the lesson of Satyagraha and non-violence in this city. In this way, this city is a materialistic and self-sacrificial spirit city. Ahmedabad is full of sightseeing in terms of tourism. Tourists from all over India and abroad are visiting here. Ahmedabad is the economic capital of Gujarat. The city was...
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Things you should do in Singapore

khush ·
Singapore is a tiny island and may be smaller than many major cities around the world, but this country has succeeded to create a high level of discipline among its people and is today being looked up upon across the world. However, don’t let the country’s inclination for law frighten you. Singapore can promise can extraordinary vacation, as long as you follow certain simple tips that will make your tour much more enjoyable. 1. Throw your litter into the bin Though this is quite a basic...
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Your Dog-Friendly Guide to Santa Barbara

Jhon Issac ·
I recently got a puppy shortly after my graduation. Living alone without having anyone to give my endless love was starting to bother me. Plus, as far as the word goes- A dog is a man's best friend, it's very true. So I got myself some time off from work and decided to travel to Santa Barbara. But I was in a real pinch. I have a four-legged friend who needs constant attention and care. I didn't have anyone to leave him behind with, and I personally didn't want to. So I decided to embark on...
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EASY WAYS TO TRAVEL IN LONDON DURING PEAK HOURS

John ·
London, which is the English capital, has an incredible public transport network. An agency, called Transport for London (TfL), controls all kind of public transport such as London Underground, Overground, Buses, Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London River Services. Although London has an efficient transport system, travelling could become a little less convenient during peak hours as is the case with any major city in the world. Most people travel during these times which force...
 
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