Vacation time is the new value

The new value is vacation time: "Take as much as you want" said Richard Branson to the Virgin Group employees. While you may think this is a revolutionary idea, Sir Richard himself pointed out that he got the idea from Netflix which has been doing this since 2003. Many more companies have been doing it in one form or another, including a few who have been doing it for more than fifty years! The implications for tourism are significant. If people change the way they think about vacations, they also change the way they plan for it and what they look forward to may be different than that of people on a more traditional annual schedule of two or three weeks vacation at the same time each year.

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Airline food is looking better!

Denigrated, ridiculed, yet eagerly anticipated! Airline food is a paradox of expectations, where one looks forward to a meal that one would never consider in a restaurant. It is a popular subject: Google "Airline food" and you get thousands of results! There are dedicated websites showing hundreds of meal pictures sorted out by airline, class of service, special meals and even historical with meal pictures from the 50's and 60's (makes you appreciate today's offering!).

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How to avoid tourist restaurants!

There is a world of difference between "tourist" restaurants and restaurants catering to tourists. That difference is often lost on review sites like TripAdvisor where the common tourist critic "This is a tourist restaurant ..." immediately sets a negative view of the restaurant and makes you click to the next choice. I wish it were that simple!

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Dreaming of a resort vacation?

It is easy to overlook the obvious when browsing through wonderful presentations of enticing destinations. Searching for a resort is unlike that of searching for a hotel, as you will be spending most of your time within the resort. So, facilities, amenities, and services are more important than location. After you have looked at the pretty pictures and read the glorious descriptions, get down to business, go through your checklist of expectations and minimum requirements, and consider the following five points:

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Comfortable Barcelona airport

I love Barcelona's airport; Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, named in 2019, in honor of the first president of the Generalitat of Catalonia in exile. The first thing you notice coming off the plane is the big, bright, and airy space. Even on a busy time of the day, it never feels crowded or oppressive.

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