Tagged featured

 THE NEW 2014 BEST AT SEA AWARDS  We take pleasure in presenting our 2014 ‘BEST AT SEA AWARDS’ in the “4-5-Star Inclusive Category”. These ratings are based on evaluations from the most respected industry and consumer media sources, our own personal Churchill & Turen Ltd. ship evaluations, and written evaluation reports from more than 1500…

POOR COUNTRIES WILL NOT STAY POOR BEYOND 2035 SAYS GATES

Bill and Melinda Gates, who have devoted their current lives to eradicating worldwide starvation and preventable childhood diseases, are predicting that most of the currently underdeveloped world where poverty and starvation currently exist, will rise up to middle class status by 2035. By this date, the Gates believe “there will be almost no poor countries…

MAY IS THE NEW SEPTEMBER IN EUROPE

There has been a shift in responses to the question “What is the best time to visit Europe?” The response in years past was the summer months. But June through mid-September has seen serious heat inversions in portions of Italy, France, and Spain, along with crowds of students and school’s out backpackers, using the best…

WE’VE JUST WITNESSED THE LARGEST HUMAN MASS EXODUS IN HISTORY

The Chinese have just set a world record – more than 100 million Chinese citizens traveled per day during the busiest period of the week long “Chunyun” or Spring Festival. The festival was celebrated on January 31st this year. Trains alone carried 6.8 million passengers per day as the Chinese left the major urban areas…

THE TOP THREE AIRPORTS IN EUROPE FOR CONNECTIONS

In order to make your next trip to Europe as pleasant as possible when using connecting flights, we are pleased to present the awards for Europe’s Top Three Airports for Connecting Flights. The rankings are: # 1 – Amsterdam’s Schiphol (Home of KLM) # 2 – Zurich’s Flughafen Zurich (Home of Swiss Air) # 3…

SWEDEN PROUD OF THE FACT THAT A BIG MAC IS ONLY $9.08

While the world sits by idly, concentrating on frivolities such as which Soshi snowboarder is 3 seconds faster than his challengers, a new war has broken out along the Norwegian and Swedish border. Known as “The Big Mac Attack” , McDonald’s has put up a large billboard on the border reminding Norwegians that at $9.08,…

LOOK – UP IN THE SKY – IT’S NORWEGIAN AIRLINES!

There is a new low-cost airline that has everyone in the industry talking. Norwegian Air is now the second largest airline in Scandinavia and the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe, carrying over 20 million passengers last year. But what has everyone talking is the fact that both Airline Ratings and the respected Sky Trax…

HOW FLYING WILL CHANGE IN THE NEXT DECADE

A panel of airline industry experts has outlined the way we will be flying in the coming decade. The Future Travel Experience Think Tank Panel sees the following vision in store for travelers: Passengers will already be check-in when they arrive at the airport Their bags  will be pre-tagged at home and passengers will go through…

JOIN ANGELA AND RICHARD IN ROME, SICILY, NAPLES, AND THE AMALFI COAST

CHURCHILL AND TUREN LTD. TAKES PRIDE IN ANNOUNCING Our Newest 2014 Signature Culinary Tour “IN SEARCH OF SOUTHERN ITALY’S BEST PIZZA AND REGIONAL DISHES:  A CULINARY LIFESTYLE TOUR OF ROME, SICILY, NAPLES, AND THE AMALFI COAST”  BEGINNING IN ROME MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER 22ND – ENDING IN ROME MID-DAY, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4TH 2014 OUR CONCEPT This will be…

AUSSIE’S CONSIDER BOYCOTT OF US

The senseless killing of a Melbourne  college student and baseball player in a drive-by in Duncan, Oklahoma has aroused the passion of the Australian press and renewed calls for a boycott of travel to the United States. Australia’s former deputy Prime Minister helped introduce tight gun laws in the country in the 1990’s. He is…

THE TOP TEN SECRETS TO REMAINING HEALTHY WHEN TRAVELING ABROAD

Travel agents are not doctors and doctors are not travel medicine specialists and travel medicine specialists can barely keep up with a constantly changing medical landscape. Between tracking cheap flights, researching your destination, and making reservations, a lot of planning goes into travel. Add diabetes management on top of that and preparing for a trip…

THE SAVVY TRAVELER MUST NOW BE ON SPICE ALERT

The Food and Drug Administration dropped a spicy bombshell this week when it announced that of 20,000 shipments of imported spices to the United States, 7% of the shipments were found to be contaminated with Salmonella which can result in death if the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream where it can then attack organs….

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIRLINE MILEAGE CREDIT CARDS

Collecting credit card issued complimentary airline miles is a serious science. Here are three important things to know to help you choose the best airline mileage credit card for your needs: 01 – Be patient and wait for an offer that may be unadvertised and offered on a Frequent Flyer Blog or through the mail….

STRIKING A BLOW AGAINST THE MAFIA AT FIUMICINO

Traveler’s passing through Rome’s Fiumicino Airport can now order a cannoli or a cassata sicliana and feel they have struck a blow at the Mafia. Although most Americans know the term “mafia”, Italy is home to more than one major crime group. The Cosa Nostra controls much of Sicily, Calabria’s main crime group is the…

DO WE HAVE DIMISHED MENTAL CAPACITY ABOARD AIRCRAFT?

That would appear to be affirmative. In fact, changes in cabin air pressure may affect the brain to the degree that making decisions or even properly responding to e-mails when the brain has less oxygen at 40,000 feet is not a good idea. The good Professor David Gradwell of King’s College London is Britain’s first Professor…

WINDSTAR BUYS THREE SEABOURN SMALL SHIP ‘SISTERS”

Windstar Cruises, a line that operates three unique small cruise ships with computerized sails, has suddenly become the largest of the small ship (under 300 guests) operators with the announcement that it has purchased the three smaller and older Seabourn ships, the Pride, the Legend, and the Spirit. The delivery of the 208 passenger ships…

THE FOREPLAY IS OVER; AMERICAN AIRLINES AND US AIRWAYS TIE THE FINANCIAL KNOT

American Airlines and US Airways have consummated their stormy merger prenuptials, and we are expecting Justice Department approval of a deal worth an estimated $11 billion to be finalized this Fall. The new carrier will be known as American Airlines with headquarters remaining in Ft. Worth. After all is said and done, the stockholders in…

THE TRAVEL GLITCH OF THE YEAR

BOEING’S NEW 787 DREAMLINER TAKEN OFF THE TARMAC The mostly eagerly anticipated aircraft of the decade has been taken out of service worldwide because of fire-inducing issues with the new lithium ion batteries unique to the 787. ANA and Japan Airlines have already taken delivery of 28 of the planes. Air India has has 6….

THE BEST AT THE AIRPORT “AM I EVER GONNA TAKE OFF APP”

If you want to know more about pending airport delays then the airline’s reservations people are telling you – well, now there’s an app for that. FAAwait, which can be downloaded for Android and iPhones, gives you access to the current FAA status reports on airports throughout the country including current delay times.  This App…

THE WORLD’S WORST HOTEL WON’T TAKE RESERVATIONS ANYTIME SOON

Lots of hotel properties unknowingly compete for the “World’s Worst Hotel” title among travel mavens, but there seems to be real consensus that North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel is the clear winner. This is somewhat amazing given that the 105 story property was never completed despite being started in 1987. It is not as if funding…

The Three Biggest Cruise Myths and Legends

WHY IT “AIN’T NECESSARILY SO” Now that almost 10% of the adult population has taken a cruise, more and more “experts” seem to be popping up in online in chat rooms,  in your local community, and on the telephone as part-time practitioners of the travel craft attempt to show off their knowledge of cruising. Some…

COSTA CONCORDIA WINS AWARD

The oldest continuously publishing Maritime Journal, Lloyd’s List, has given its annual “Seafarer of the Year” Award to the crew of the Costa Concordia which partially sank off the coast of the small island of Giglio on January 13th this year. In an unusual move, the award was given to the Concordia’s entire crew in…

ANNOUNCING OUR 2013 SIGNATURE CRUISE FROM ICELAND TO THE COASTAL VILLAGES OF NORWAY

SPECIAL PREVIEW ANNOUNCEMENT: We are very pleased to announce our annual Signature trip, June 12-24, 2013 from Reykjavik to Copenhagen aboard the five-star rated, all-suite, all-inclusive, Regent Seven Seas Voyager. This cruise will be personally escorted by Angela and Richard Turen. There is no better way to cool off this summer than “Chilling with the…

THE LATEST EUROPEAN RIVER BOAT RATINGS

You’ve seen the ads, you’ve heard the buzz, and now neighbors are returning from Europe’s growing number of river boat cruise options. So does all of the hype match the quality of the experience. Since we know boats are really popular and there are even celebrations around this such as the Newport Beach Christmas Boat…