American Airlines and US Airways merge

Well, so American Airlines y US Airways merge. I do not know whether this is is good or bad news. Let's wait and see how this affects aviation. 

Now US Airways will be friends with British Airlines and Iberia, as American belongs to Oneworld. 

KLM to charge for checked-in luggage

Great news today: KLM  will charge for checked-in luggage from April. Isn't it great? :(

15€ per lugagge if you book in advance and 30€ at the airport for shorthaul. They say this will help them reduce the price of the tickets.

Flying Blue holders and longhaul passengers will go free.

Honestly, what is going to be next? KLM prices are not so cheap as low cost, do they really need to charge? Don't forget they also charge for the seat selection.

The worst? How long is going to take for BA, Air France, Iberia and the rest to follow their example?

Picture of the week

London Eye- London (UK)

Beachy Head- Eastbourne (UK)

There is something about the English's countryside that moves me. Maybe it's the fact that it remembers me to Galicia with the green and damp fields, full of trees, harvest and cows. The climate also helps, of course. So when I proposed my boyfriend doing a weekend trip and he said it was ok, but I had to drive, I did not mind at all. I love driving and I even love it more if there is countryside.

One of our stops were the imponent cliffs of what I have read and seen wonders: Beachy Head.

Surrounded of green pastures full of grazing white sheeps that look at humans with curiosity, this cape is an amazing white giant that surges from the sea. Not less than 162 metres at some points, turning it into the highest chalk cliff in UK.

I haven't been able to find the total lenght of this beauty, it must be around the 3.5 kms of the walk along the coast for the adventurous ones. But you only have to look at this picture in Wikipedia to realise how this giant shines from the coast.

Panorama: Iguazu Falls

One of my pending trips is Brazil. And although Iguazu Falls belong more to Argentina (80%) than Brazil (20%), I have no doubts that in the next three years they won't appear in my bucket list anmymore. I promise it.

Please press Read more to see the interactive video. It is not in the main page because there is audio and it's really annoying, For me too! You can silence it once you are on it. Do not miss it, because it is worth it.

False myths about being a travel agent

Some people believe being a travel agent is a very glamorous world. But it's not true. It is a very demanding job and you have to be really passionate about it and be qualified. I will be removing myths of being a travel agent.

• We know all the destinations. There is nothing more exciting for a travel agent than travelling. And there is nothing better than being able to say: I have been there and you shouldn't miss... but unfortunately, it is not always like that. Although we have never being to let's say, Boston, that does not mean we haven't got the tools for suggesting the hotel that best fits your necesities and requests. Experience is all.
• We get a good salary. Hahahahaha... When I started 9 years ago, I was living in Barcelona and was paid 980€, do your own calculations. With almost disapeared commissions (ie: almost any airlines gives any percentage of a ticket agencies sell), lower fees and internet's competition, salaries are reduced more and more. And if you allow me to say it, there are even less of us left.
• It's an easy job. No, it's not. Doesn't matter if you work in leisure or business travel. There is a lot of pressure. This is a very demanding job, requires a lot of concentration, dedication and constant training. The stress of waking up at night trying to remember if you issued the ticket for Mr Smith leaving at 7 am tomorrow, is quite usual. For being a travel agent you need vocation.

• We travel for free. That is one of the biggest lies. When I tell people what I do for a living, they always say: oh, you must get great discounts. Well, not! When we buy a ticket, we have to pay the same amount you would pay. Yes, we do not have to pay the service fee, imagine we had to pay to issue our own ticket! Veterans say that 20-30 years ago you got 2-3 holidays per year for free. Things have changed completely.
• We get great advantages when travelling. Yes, we get some advantages, I am not going to deny sometimes we get freebies, and I will explain in a new post things I have got for free. But as I was saying in the previous point, advantages are limited.
• Our friends travel for free. Again, no. If we do not get it, neither our friends do. 
• We do not care if people says rubbish about us. The worse thing that could happen is that someone accuses you of destroying their vacations. Even though you know you have given 100% of a quality service, nothing avoids that errors could happen or even though you told the client to consider another option, he has not listen to you and went to visit the Norwegian Fjords even though he was after a beach destination.

Heavy snowfall in Dusseldorf and Frankfurt

This is the information from Lufthansa:

Snowfall in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf AirportDue to snowfalls in Frankfurt (FRA) and Düsseldorf (DUS) flight operations are affected.
Please check the status of your flight to and from Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.Preparations for winter weather.We will do our utmost to bring you to your destination. However, should our flight operations be disrupted due to weather conditions or a strike we would like to be able to contact you in case of flight changes.

Please always check the current status of your flight prior to departure.

All western Germany is affected. And this situation will last until tomorrow.

Iberia strike

Iberia Workers to go on 5-day strike later in February

Workers at Spanish carrier Iberia will hold five straight days of strike action in the second half of February after failing to come to an agreement with management over job cuts. Unions representing Iberia's ground and cabin crews rejected a fresh proposal by management on job and salary cuts on Thursday and said they planned to strike.

Countries where you can't kiss your partner in public... if you are gay (or not)

Whenever we travel, we need to consider many aspects apart from the appealing of the destination or its beautiful beaches. We should also consider the culture we are travelling to and try not to be offensive. But in the cases of gay people, this is even worse. It is not a fact of how other people see their relationship, (sadly, if you let me tell you) is that they can put themselves into trouble and end in jail the same as if you were a drug dealer or killed someone. Unbelievable we are in 2013, uh?

I have found this useful list in Metro today and I think it is worth sharing it. Places you won't be really welcomed if you express your love for your partner in public. And I must warn you: in some of these places you have to behave if you are an heterosexual couple too!

Below are just a few nations that have laws that severely punish anyone engaging in same-sex activity:
Antigua and Barbuda: 15 years in jail
Barbados: Life in prison
Dominica: Ten years or sectioning
Grenada: Ten years for men
Guyana: Life in prison
Jamaica: Ten years’ hard labour for men
Kenya: 14 years
Malaysia: 20 years
Mauritius: Five years
Morocco: Three years
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Ten years for men
St Lucia: Ten years for men

Vincent and the Grenadines: Ten years

Seychelles: 14 years
Solomon Islands: 14 years
Singapore: Two years
Trinidad and Tobago: 25 years
Tunisia: Three years
United Arab Emirates: Deportation or death penalty in extreme cases

 I am pretty sure there are a few more, feel free to add them in the comments.

So if you are travelling to any of these destinations, remember what you can and you can't do for having lovely memories of your trip.

Picture of the week

Water in Es Trenc- Majorca (Spain)