Yearly Archives: 2020

ICE Travel in Germany – Exploring Germany by fast train

ICE Travel through Germany - Travel for a Living

Although I hold a driving license and I used to drive regularly (whilst still living in Germany it was unavoidable), nowadays I am not too keen on driving for hours anymore, especially if it involves getting myself a rental car. So, when I am out and about during my business trips I will either try and hitch a ride with my clients or I might opt for the train. Well, provided I get a decent connection, nothing worse than an endless journey through Germany. In terms of trains, ICE travel in Germany is my favourite, as it is usually the quickest way to get from A to B.

Germany has a decent network of high-speed trains, called ICE (nope, not ‘In Case of Emergency’, ICE stands for Inter City Express), connecting all major cities in Germany. 

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Visiting New York on a budget – 14 Things to do in New York for free or little money

Exploring New York for free - Travel for a Living

New York for free? Sounds too good to be true. I mean, we all know that city trips cost a fortune. And New York is no exception. What if I told you there are heaps of things to do in New York that cost little to no money? Perfect, if you are visiting New York on a budget. Or if you want to keep some spare change for that shopping spree

OK, without further ado, let’s dive straight into it. I’ll share with you 14 things that you can do in New York for free or for very little money. Yes, some might require a little planning. Surely that’s a little price to pay to get the most out of your trip when visiting New York on a budget. 

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Is the Vessel Hudson Yards worth a visit?

Is the Vessel worth a visit? - Travel for a Living

People keep asking me if we don’t get bored visiting New York over and over again. Since we’ve seen it all already. And you know what? No, we don’t (obviously, otherwise we wouldn’t go back). New York City, same as any other major city really, has the beauty of constantly changing. New things to do and places to see are popping up. One thing on my To Do List for our last trip to New York City was visiting the Vessel in Hudson Yards. After all, last time we walked the High Line, this part wasn’t finished and not yet open to the public. Having seen loads of pictures of the Vessel all over the net and Instagram, I was eager to see it for myself. But is the Vessel worth a visit? Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that. 

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Inside the British Airways Lounge at JFK Airport

As you might know, I am a frequent flyer on British Airways. And one of the perks of my silver status is access to the airport lounge, whenever I fly. So, travelling back from New York was no exception obviously. We’ve been to the lounge at JFK a couple of times before and it didn’t really make my Top 5 if I am honest. However, they have recently undergone a massive refurbishment. Meaning I was quite excited to check it out as we headed back to London after our recent week in New York. And what can I say. The new BA lounge is way better than the old one. Curious? Let me take you inside the British Airways Lounge at JFK airport for a quick nose around.

Saying the old lounge was no good is moaning at a very high level. There wasn’t anything really wrong with it. It was just a bit knackered. But not the worst BA lounge I’ve ever been in. 

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Movie Location Tour New York City for free

Movie Locations Tour New York City - Travel for a Living

As Alicia Keys sings in her song Empire State of Mind: ‘a town that is famous as a place of movie scenes’. Even if you’ve never been to New York in real life (although, if you haven’t, I’d absolutely urge you to go. It is just such a wonderful place), I am certain you have a whole bunch of pictures flick through your mind when you think of New York. The city has been the setting of so many movies and TV series over the years, that we all feel familiar with certain corners (whether or not they actually exist like this in real life is a different matter). So, as we headed back to New York for yet another week, I thought it was finally time to head out on a movie location tour through New York City. 

Well, to be honest, there are loads of ready-made movie location tours available in New York, it could be rather difficult to choose just one. So instead, I decided to have a bit of all and create my very own self-guided movie location walking tour through New York. Intrigued? Let me tell you all about the movie locations we visited. And the good thing? My movie location tour is completely for free. See, not everything in New York needs to cost a fortune (in fact, there are heaps of things you can do in New York for free or very little money).

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You’ve got Mail Movie Locations Tour NYC

You've got Mail Movie Locations - Travel for a Living

Shall I share a big secret with you? You’ve got Mail is one of the all-time favourite movies of Mr T and me. We must have watched it at least a hundred times. Cuddled up on the sofa and You’ve got Mail on the tele is pretty much my idea of a perfect Sunday. So, during our recent trip to New York, we decided to finally check out those You’ve got Mail movie locations once and for all.

Over the years, some of those locations have obviously changed. After all, the movie is over 20 years old. But you can still find loads of them. 

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What you should know about the New York Destination Fee Scam

What you need to know about the New York Destination Fee - Travel for a Living

Have you ever come across the New York Destination fee? Or New York amenity fee? Or resort fee? No? Well, me neither. Until our recent NYC trip. Seems this kid has many names. And is common practice in quite a few US cities (Las Vegas being a really notorious one apparently). Until about two years ago, this wasn’t a big topic in New York. But things change. To save you the same nasty surprise we had checking in, let me tell all you need to know about the New York destination fee. What you get for it (or not), how much it is per night and if there is a way to avoid it.

Read more What you should know about the New York Destination Fee Scam

Secret Gardens in London – Exploring London’s hidden gems

I love London. And I love exploring London. Even after years of living in London (ok, near London nowadays) it never gets old. There are still heaps of places to discover. So, going on a tour to discover some of the secret gardens in London was the perfect Saturday activity.

London has plenty of parks and I am sure you know (or have heard of) quite a few of them: Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Green Park would probably be the ones most tourists would come past during their endeavours in London. But these are not all. There are loads of lesser knows small gardens and parks dotted all around London. In fact, almost half of London is green space (a whopping 47%).

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British Airways Executive Club worth signing up for?

Is the British Airways Executive Club worth signing up for? - Travel for a Living

Let’s talk travel perks a little. There are lots of frequent traveller programmes out there and I will shortly publish another post about all the programmes I use. But for now, I want to focus on the loyalty programme of British Airways. And the question whether or not the British Airways Executive Club is worth signing up for.

If you are a regular to my blog, you are probably well aware, that I have Silver Status in the British Airways Executive Club, the BA frequent traveller programme. But what does this mean? And how did I get there?

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Things to know when eating out in Paris

Eating out in Paris - what you need to know - Travel for a Living

If there is one thing the French are famous for, it sure is their cuisine. Eating in general, but more specifically eating out is a huge part of the French way of life. Should you be heading to Paris anytime soon, let me tell you all about the dining etiquette in Paris. Including all the essentials you need to know when eating out in Paris. From ordering water to how much to tip and everything in-between.

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