Point of Views & News – Travel Belles

The Pros And Cons Of Flying Ryanair

If you’ve traveled to Europe on a budget, chances are, you’ve flown Ryanair. For over a decade, the airline has reigned as the continent’s king of cheap flights.

Confessions And Revelations Of A Bag Lady

My theory has long been that if you can’t sort things into bags, you likely don’t need them. The task was to figure out which bags were essential for a month-long trip – November 30 to December 30, 2011 – through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos. Then, at the end of December, I would … Read more

3 Reasons to Fight the Urge to Avoid Las Vegas

When I ask people why they don’t like Las Vegas, the answer is usually some variation on the many stereotypes that rise from the commercialization and publicity of Sin City. People who haven’t visited Las Vegas for themselves seem to assume that the streets are paved with slot machines, beer comes out of the water faucets, beautiful 20-somethings rule the city and that money is torn up and thrown into the wind.

4 Ways a Luxury Safari Can Change Your Life

Today we welcome Rose of The Luxury Safari Company as a supporter of Travel Belles. Luxury safaris are on many people’s bucket lists – and for those this article will certainly seem like we’re preaching to the converted, but we (The Luxury Safari Company) would like to try and inspire those who don’t have Africa … Read more

7 Steps to Brilliant, Non-Boring Business Travel

A conference in Coventry might sound about as appealing as having a tooth removed, but the bonus of business travel is that you get to see places you might never otherwise have visited. For ‘free’. For some workers, business travel is a chore. Being away from family and friends can be tough, especially if you’re … Read more

Lack of Airplane Etiquette

Although nothing recent can quite top the instance of seat back wars I wrote about last summer, it seems that every time I fly these days there is a small tale of woe, mostly of the social studies kind, worth sharing. So can everyone buckle their seat belts? Please? Airplane Etiquette Gone Awry Without meaning to … Read more

Ways to Learn a Language before you Fly

Excitement is building. After thumbing your way through armfuls of travel magazines and tour brochures, and scouring the web, you’ve chosen your next destination. Now is when the trip really begins. Preparation is an unavoidable part of travelling and sometimes requires skillful planning. So, there’s always a never-ending list of things to do – booking … Read more

Wearing Henna Art in Morocco

The body becomes the canvas for rich, henna art in Morocco “Khadijah wants to henna your hands,“ Aziz translated for me. It was a caught in the headlights moment, as getting my hands hennaed was only slightly above being held captive in Western Sahara for my last few days in Morocco. Once glance at Khadijah, … Read more

Minding Your Muslim Manners | Muslim Etiquette 101

Editor’s note: Jody Hanson lived in Nigeria for two years, spent 18 months in Morocco (See our beautiful photo essay of Marrakech) and has travelled in a number of Muslim countries. Along the way, she committed more faux pas than she can remember—all good learning experiences in Muslim etiquette, of course, in her effort to … Read more

Complete Guide to Flying with Children from a Travel Belle Mom

“Single mothers or those traveling alone with small children: please come to the front of the line for immediate boarding.” What was that? Did the voice coming through the speakers just say “single mothers?” The two of us, toddler and I hobble along, boarding passes clenched between teeth and stuffed, life-size Labrador Retriever tucked underarm. … Read more