Now is your turn Florence! I’m finally updating the travel photos of my previous travel to Florence, Italy. Following the introduction of this beautiful city of Tuscany last post, here is another snapshot that I took in Florence.

Some EXIF info: Photo taken with my Nikon D60 and my old Tamron SP10-24mm  Ultra Wide Angle lens. Shutter speed 1/320s and Aperture F9.0. Focus distance was set to 10mm (with both sides being cropped). ISO 100. Auto White Balance. No flash fired and no exposure being compensated with Matrix metering.

What captured in the photo was the main entrance door arch of the Duomo, the highest structure being constructed in Florence, which shows the height of the entrance. It also demonstrates the brilliant craftsmanship of ancient Roman civilisation during the Renaissance era.

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Apart from Venice, the next Italian city that I found myself falling for is the art, historical and cultural capital of Italy, Florence. One of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, Florence is the capital city of Tuscany region in the central Italy, and it is much adorable than and a far cry from the rest of Italian cities with its rich historical and cultural heritage. Florence is known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance with its strong influence in ancient Italian art and architecture. Two of the greatest sculptors in Renaissance era, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vince, were born in here.

Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world with River Arno splits Florence into new and historic sections of the city. Spending at least a few days and staying in one of the luxury villa in Florence is surely a great idea to enjoy your vacation here. When we first arrived at its main rail station of Santa Maria Novella (SMN), and walked out from the station, we were already in the heart of historic Florence. All within walking distance, city attractions could be easily explored one after another. Among them, the Duomo Cathedral is definitely the dominant icon, being the highest building in Florence. Climbing up its 460 steps of spiral staircase to the tower top, we had the best panoramic view of the Florence cityscape. Next up would be the Accademia Gallery. I was more than willing to queue up for 45 minute just to get in there. Why? Because the original David, the greatest sculpture done by my favorite sculptor Michelangelo, was housed inside there!

By sitting at one of the many open air cafes at Piazza Della Signoria, not far from the Duomo, travelers not only could see many of those famous sculptures around the square, they can also do some people watching (which was in fact a local culture). A replica statue of David could also be found here.

For my wife who loves leather bags and wallets, San Lorenzo open market is a ‘must-go’ market. We spent hours in there to buy some of those high quality local leather products such as shoes, bags, wallet that preciously made in Firenze.

In the evening, we walked along the River Arno, the main river of florence and Tuscany. We came to the Vecchio Bridge, the oldest and most famous bridge that spanning across the River Arno. There are shops selling jewelries, arts and souvenirs. In the evening under the setting sun, it just looked marvelous in yellow colour.

When the night fell, we took a bus up to the hill top at Piazzale Michelangelo. It is the best viewpoint to Florence city skyline. I set up my DSLR onto a tripod and shot endlessly! Another replica of the David statue could also be found at the Piazzale. Check out other the frugal ways to explore Florence during weekend.

Florence is also the starting location for visiting other highland cities of Tuscany, such as Sienna and wine producing area such as Chianti for the Chianti Classico wine. If you are a wine lover like me, staying in one of the Tuscany villa and hopping the vineyard after vineyard for some wine tasting can surely let your hair down.

In fact, Florence offers much more than that. The local foods always make my mouth water! I couldn’t help but to try the local cow stripes, gelato, as well as the local Florence steak dinner, with a glass of Italian Chianti Classico wine as well as some breads with local Extra Virgin Olive Oil. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel guide to Italy

This is the second chapter of my mini guide on how to plan your travel to Europe. In chapter one, we have learned how to find the best time to visit Europe. For this chapter, we will continue to discuss on how to fix the length of Europe travel. To successfully plan an Europe vacation trip, fixing an optimum period of time traveling in Europe is as important as choosing the best time to fly. It is the second element of our travel plan to Europe, after timing.

Europe is a huge continent. It consists of 50 countries, 27 of which are member states of the European Union, and covers an area of approximately 10 Million Km²! If travelers were to explore the whole Europe with hundreds of cities of interest, they will need years to do so! Eventhough not all cities in Europe are tourist frequented destinations, travelers will still need at least a year or four seasons to cover them all at one time! However, this is not advisable for a budget traveler, since traveling Europe is expensive and time consuming. Likewise, there are other factors limiting your holiday period in Europe, such as the following few.

Factors deciding the maximum period of your holiday travel to Europe

1. Different season, different climate. If you have decided in Chapter 1, the best time of year for you to travel Europe, it will mean that you are looking at visiting Europe in certain season of the year, which last for only 3 months. Europe is a continent with 4 distinct seasons in a year (with temperature varies as much as 30°c between Summer and Winter). That said, if you travel to Europe for more than 3 months, it will encompass 2 seasons of a year, and you will need extra sets of clothing to cope with that 2 different climate, extra burden and extra cost to your luggage. We call it uneconomical. So it would always be better to travel to different parts of Europe in a few year but in the same season of year. For instance, I traveled to Central Europe last Spring and then Western, Eastern and Northen Europe this Spring, since Spring is my favourite time to see lush greenery and colourful flowers in Europe.
2. Visa validity. There are 39 countries whose nationals do not need a visa to stay in Europe for up to 3 months, which include US, Japan, Australia and others. Other nationals will need to apply for a visa before flying to Europe. Validity of Visa is normally 3 months, albeit some are 6 months. So, it is advisable to plan your Europe trip for a period of not exceeding 3 months, in order to avoid hassle in extending your visa or of being blocked in entry border.
3. Annual leave. Generally, annual leaves for employees are around 2 weeks, or 14 days. Taking leaves for more than 2 weeks will need either cumulative leaves brought forward from previous years or, to apply for unpaid leaves. If you are traveling every year, with no leave being accumulated from previous years, the safest traveling period to Europe is 2 weeks or 14 days.
4. Health condition. Exploring historic sites after sites in European cities by walking is absolutely possible and advisable since most of the travel attractions are within walking distance in any European city. Having said that, a considerably fit and healthy body is still required to do that much walking on Europe trip. How far and long one traveler could go depends on how fit he or she is. Traveling Europe with walking for 20 days can be quite tiring, mind you. Even if you are fit for that long period of traveling time, accidents do happen. Travel Insurance could cover any emergency medication in overseas. However, you need to pay much higher premium for longer travel. Check with your insurance agent to see if there is maximum period of travel.

So, we know the maximum period for traveling Europe hassle free should be 3 months (or one season), but for how long would be the optimum?

Let’s answer this question: “How many days should we stay in each city?”

In general, I would suggest 3 to 7 days. For small cities, we need at least 1 day to get ourselves into the city environment, another day at least for sight seeing, and 1 remaining day to explore further and deeper into the city. The larger the city, the more days we need, normally up to 7 days per city. Since we are traveling Europe in a budget style, we try to plan our itinerary perfectly to have sufficient time to explore each city we are going, but not wasting anymore time in doing nothing, except for relaxation after a long trip.

It is not economical staying too short in a city either, since transportation cost carries a substantial percentage in our total cost of Europe travel, and it’s a fixed cost, means we must spend such money to travel from one city to another. Let’s elaborate briefly with sample equations below (more detail budget planning will be discussed in next chapter), with some assumption on fixed transportation (T), variable foods (F) and accommodations (A) costs:

1) Travel 5 cities in 5 days (1x): €625.00 (T) + €350.00 = €975.00 (1x)

2) Travel 5 cities in 15 days (3x): €625.00 (T) + €1,050.00 = €1675.00 (1.7x)

3) Travel 5 cities in 30 days (5x): €625.00 (T) + €2,100.00 = €2,725.00 (2.8x)

The above result clearly shows that with transportation a fixed cost, the longer you stay in a city, the lower average daily cost you would need to allow for each day.

So you should have your own answer for the above question by now.

Next, you can start fixing a period to travel Europe which is best suited you. Remember that what we have discussed here are merely for your reference, and I’m here to only guide you through the planning process. The final decision on the total number of days you are going to spend in Europe is all up to your needs and desire, albeit some of the following factors may justify your decision,

• Cost per city – We now know the average daily cost is getting lower when you travel longer period, but they still escalate along your stay in days until to a sum that you could afford to spend in each city, and that is the total cost per city for you;
• Time available – Check you office planner to decide how much time is possible for you to take leave off your work duty.
• Health and strength – Are you on periodic medications? Is your pregnant wife going to due soon? How long can you withstand the chilly weather in Winter? For how long could your travel insurance covers you?
• Number of cities of interest – Number of cities multiplied by number of days in that city and you will get the total period of your Europe trip. For example, you will need at least 15 days in Europe if you plan to visit 5 cities back to back.

With all the above information and tips, you should by now be able to fix a date to depart for Europe and fix a date to return back from Europe. Next chapter we will guide you to fix a budget. If you can’t decide a period just yet due to budget constraint, skip this chapter and jump to chapter 3 to fix your budget first. They are interrelated like a chicken and an egg. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate guide to Europe travel

AirAsia X low cost carrier is withdrawing its once popular flights to London and Paris starting from this April 2012! As part of its network re-aligning exercise to focus more on the profitable markets, Airasia X announced last week that a total of 4 flight routes including both the European cities, Delhi and Mumbai of India will soon be ceased from flying! Oh my god! I can’t believe the super duper cheap flights that have helped me to realise both of my Europe trips last 2 years will soon be dropped from Airasia X’s flight route map! I was still browsing through my photo albums of London and Paris to search for the best photos for Airasia Photo Contest last night!

According to the announcement, Airasia X decided to cease both the European flights mainly because of the high fuel cost, new going-to-be-imposed Emissions Trading Scheme and the escalating Air Passenger Duty taxes in UK, not due to its demand, knowing and witnessing myself that the recording load factors of over 80% from both flight routes in 2010.

This is in fact a real bad news of this new year 2012, remembering how Airasia X low cost carrier had inspired me to visit Europe twice in 2 years due to its cheap long haul flight option, and I’m actually planning to fly to Europe again end of this year (which was how I got to know this news). Could this be one of its move to eliminate those competing flight routes with MAS, after their merging exercise in the second half of last year? I don’t know, but it is a real sad news to me…

Budget travelers are filled with despair at the announcement and will need to work harder to fulfill their Europe travel dreams. I have to work even harder to complete my e-guide “From Travel To Photo” which help avid travelers to plan for their budget trip to Europe.

All passengers on the affected flights from the UK, France, and India will be given the option to cancel their reservation and opt for Refund/Credit Shell, re-route to any other AirAsia X destinations or transfer to an alternative airline subject to availability, without any additional cost to the passenger.

Here is the abstract of the Airasia X announcement:

AirAsia X, the long haul, low fare affiliate of AirAsia, today announced a realignment of its network with a focus on its core markets.
The move will see AirAsia X withdrawing services to India (Mumbai and Delhi) and Europe (Paris, London) from its Kuala Lumpur hub as follows:

• Mumbai- Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 January, 2012
• New Delhi- Daily services will be suspended with the last flight on 22 March, 2012. Flights in March will be reduced to four weekly services.
• London- Six weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 31 March, 2012
• Paris- Four weekly services will be suspended with the last flight on 30 March, 2012

Note: Further details on AirAsia X’s withdrawal of Europe and India destinations:

• Europe (London and Paris) -AirAsia X started flights to London in March 2009. At that time, oil prices were less than US$40/barrel, and have since tripled. With the Arab Spring unrest of 2011 spilling over to the unrests in Syria and Iranian oil embargo this year, oil prices are expected to remain high and crippling the economics of long-haul flights, where fuel represents over 50% of operating cost. Moreover, the European situation is also compounded by a very weak economy and depressed consumer demand, which has resulted in a reduction in the number of passengers from Europe on the flights over the past several months. Flights to Europe have also been burdened by exorbitant government taxes such as the UK Air Passenger Duty which will be increased to £92 per departing economy passenger and £184 per departing Premium passenger from 1 April 2012. From 1 January 2012, the European Governments have also imposed an additional carbon tax under their Emissions Trading Scheme, which further adds to an already high cost. The confluence of macro-factors, including high fuel prices, depressed European economy and exorbitant taxes have made it economically impossible to sustain these flights, despite AirAsia X recording load factors of over 80% for its London and Paris flights in 2011. Attempts to increase fares to reflect the higher operating cost recently have shown the price elasticity of travel, with demand falling down adversely.
• India (Mumbai and New Delhi) – AirAsia X launched flights to Mumbai and Delhi in 2010. Structural issues in the Indian aviation market have made it difficult to operate economically viable flights. The airport and handling costs in New Delhi and Mumbai are already more expensive than even airports in Australia, and the authorities have just approved a massive 280% increase in airport fees effective April 2012. The Indian routes have also been under-pressure when the Malaysian Government removed Visa-on-Arrival facilities in August 2010, soon after the routes were launched. This places Malaysia at a significant disadvantage versus Thailand and Singapore who offer Indian tourists convenient Visa-on-Arrival facilities.

Now I really need to search around for more affordable long haul flights to Europe, probably via Skyscanner, if I were to visit Europe again this year. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

Guest Post

If you are seeking a tranquil holiday idyll in Spain that offers a family friendly vacation in beautiful surroundings then there is no better way to enjoy a peaceful time away with loved ones than by booking one of the cheap villa holidays available on the magnificent island of Menorca.

The island

The first thing to examine before considering any holiday in Spain is your chosen destination and Menorca is sure to more than meet even the most demanding of expectations. While other Balearic Islands, such as Mallorca and Ibiza, have a reputation as being the playground for the young, the way of life on Menorca is very different.

The island is the second largest of the Balearic Islands and is situated just 21 miles from Mallorca.  Menorca has managed to retain that all-important balance between welcoming tourists to the island without sacrificing local traditions, customs or the Menorcan way of life. As a result, Menorca is not as bustling, crowded or noisy as many other popular Spanish resorts, but the island is all the better for it.

The north shore sees picturesque fishing villages punctuate the rocky bays and inlets around the wilder northern side of the island, whereas the south shore offers a sharp contrast. Over 100 sandy beaches (almost as many beaches as Ibiza and Mallorca combined) provide the perfect place for families to enjoy the fabulous surroundings; and with an array of places to go and fewer people, it is perfectly possible to enjoy a day in the sun without feeling overcrowded.

Additionally, there are plenty of family-friendly activities to choose from on the island, diving, snorkelling and fishing are all popular water-based activities, while you can explore the island in a little more detail either on foot or by renting a bicycle; the areas of Cap de Favaritx, Cap de Cavalleria and S’Albufera provide some of the best places to explore. The pretty capital Mahon hosts firework displays during the summer, while Aquarock, a water park in Cala’n Bosch, is always a hit.

Without doubt, the best base for any family break in Menorca is to hire one of the cheap villas available on the island. Hotel living can be fraught for families who try to live together in just one or two rooms and hiring your own villa alleviates this problem and provides you with the perfect place to relax, unwind and enjoy both the beauty of Menorca and some valuable time with each other.

The villa

So, other than having more living space available, what is it that makes villas in Spain, particularly those in Menorca, much more preferable to a hotel-based break? In truth, there is no simple answer; there are many different reasons why villa holidays are so popular.

A villa is not only a place to stay on holiday, but it becomes a home from home. In a villa, the accepted standards of family living are not compromised by being forced to eat at certain times, having little or no personal space, and sharing small bathroom facilities. A villa not only provides you with a luxurious holiday base, but also allows you to live as you would at home. You can cook and eat when and where you like or sunbathe by the pool without having to battle each day for a sun bed.

In short, a villa holiday offers holidaymakers much more flexibility. You get to have the holiday you want, rather than the holiday that your hotel is providing. You can still enjoy all the attractions you would get at a top hotel, but in a Menorca villa, you get to select when to enjoy them.

With so many outstanding villas now available in Menorca, selecting one that suits both the size of your party and the facilities you require is easier than ever and with prices now highly competitive, 2012 may be the perfect time to enjoy your own fabulous Menorca villa holiday. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe