Hrönn Traustadóttir's photo shows the ash plume that grounded flights across Europe.

It would take just one natural disaster or a medical emergency to ruin my run of luck. But so far, I’ve traveled through four continents without a hitch.

Sure, I’ve had a few flight delays. But I’ve never been stranded, sick or injured to any real degree. And many of my friends have been just as lucky, though with some close calls: A couple I know was in the air headed to New Zealand when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake tore into Christchurch.

And you might remember the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland that brought air traffic all over Europe to a standstill.

These situation make me give some serious thought to worldwide travel insurance. Seriously – I go camping in the Icelandic highlands. I encounter salt-water crocs and venomous snakes. I eat weird foods from just about any dubious roadside stand. I guess that makes me high-risk!

A few of my other traveling friends bought travel insurance as piece of mind that covered flight delays, medical care and 24-hour assistance (I also wonder if there’s any coverage for lost travel documentation – misplaced passports are usually at the heart of my travel scares).

I’d really like to hear from travelers who have run into some bad luck during their travels. Have you ever needed travel insurance to bail you out of a disaster? Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve thought “I should’ve bought that travel insurance package …”? How did the travel insurance help?

Tell me your stories for a future post on wanderingjustin.com.

This post is featured by MoneySupermarket.com, which offers comparison shopping on an array of financial services … including cheap holiday insurance.

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Ranting about the Transportation Security Administration has become a cottage industry for some bloggers. It’s pretty easy to demonize the organization, its management and the rank-and-file officers. But isn’t it time we found some middle ground?

I think so – and that’s why I wrote my 4 Tips to Get Through a TSA Pat-Down Smoothly for Yahoo! Voices. Check it out!

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This great photo by Dave Dunford shows the majesty of Pen Y Fan.

It never fails – before the afterglow of my latest trip wears off, someone asks me “where are you going next?”

My official answer? “Hey, give me a chance to savor Korea and Japan … if not the flavor of the boiled silkworms.”

The truth is, I’ve already thought about my next trip. I’ve never been anywhere in the UK before, and as a soccer fan it’s definitely on my list. But where to go? Yes, London is the obvious choice … which means it doesn’t really suit me.

But Scotland intrigues me. I can picture swinging further north and checking out some Glasgow hotels. There, I could take in Celtic versus Rangers if I timed it right. And I could finally bring my five-year quest to eat haggis to a final and successful conclusion (really, all my failed attempts to eat haggis are worth a post of their own).

What else might Scotland have for me? Well, the scenery looks spectacular. I’ve seen photos in FourFourTwo that really made me want to visit Scotland. Oh, and let’s not forget BrewDog, the crazy craft brewery that does insane things like release limited-edition beers stuffed into a squirrel carcass. Oh, and a little break from Arizona’s angry sun would be nice. Sometimes I forget that clouds and greenery occur naturally in other places.

Glasgow looks like a nice city for some strolling - with a warm jacket!

I could also head an entirely different direction … Wales. Word is that it’s an up-and-coming destination with castles and hiking drawing visitors in. I’m sure I’d satisfy my itch to hear interesting new languages. I’ve heard bits of Welsh and really enjoyed its sounds and cadence.

And Pen y Fan looks like some incredible hiking. Better yet, the Pen Y Fan race in mid-July takes runners straight to the 2,907-foot summit in just 3.5 miles. A cool t-shirt or medal for finishing would put this right on the list with the Hi Seoul Marathon or the Miđnæturhlaup in Reykjavik.

No matter where in Cardiff I’d stay, it would be pretty easy to get to a Swansea City match to check out some Premier League action. And there’s still Cardiff City in the League Championship. Either way, I’m bound to catch some enthusiastic fans in a great atmosphere. Of all the hotels in Cardiff, though, I’ll admit the St. David’s Hotel & Spa wins some points for having the word “spa” in the name.

So, U.K., I might be headed your way soon. Save me some haggis and lobscows!

This post is featured by eurobookings.com, which helps travelers find hotels in Europe – at the lowest rate possible. Browse more than 140,000 hotels in thousands of locations in Europe and across the globe until you find the hotel that is right for you.

Comments

• January 11, 2012, Nichole L. Reber writes: Alrighty then, where's the post on haggis? Bangers & mash? Blood pudding? Sweet meats? Yikes! I'm envious you're going to the UK next. I'd totally dig seeing Wales, and while like you as a contrarian traveler, I'm a city girl so I'd simply have to do London.
• January 11, 2012, WanderingJustin writes: Ah, I keep forgetting to write that haggis post! I just created a file to get it started. Thanks for the reminder!

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Do airlines set policies to skew their baggage-handling stats? It seems like it from the customers' view.

Every few months, just about every newspaper served by a major airline runs a story on the latest on-time and baggage-handling stats for their hometown carrier. And yes, we all know to take the on-time numbers with a boulder of salt.

But watch out for those baggage-handling stats: I discovered first-hand tonight how airlines can fudge them – and deprive their employees the chance to look like superheroes in front of afflicted fliers in the process.

Here’s my story: I bought my tickets on Asiana Airlines, a Star Alliance buddy of US Airways. I took US Airways to and from Los Angeles International Airport. The entire trip went smoothly until I arrived back in Phoenix (after starting my day in Tokyo, followed by a layover at the spectacular Incheon International Airport just outside Seoul). My backpack, which carries the bulk of my clothes, wound up at Terminal 2 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport rather than Terminal 4. I discovered this with the help of US Airways customer service employee Robbin. I figured “no worries – they’ll just bring it over from T2.”

Nope. Robbin told me that I could either go to Terminal 2 via the shuttle bus or have her “open a case” and have my pack delivered to my house.

First, it’s ridiculous that I should have to do anything to recover my bag. I didn’t send it to the wrong terminal: A US Airways employee sent it astray, and that means US Airways should fix the problem.

Second, it’s clear that Robbin was trying to save herself some paperwork.

Finally, not only would it save her paperwork, but I suspect it would prevent the baggage mishap from becoming official record and affecting the airline’s baggage-handling stats.

And I was not gonna play that game. Not after a 90-minute subway ride, a 2-hour flight, a 10-hour flight, a 1-hour flight and a long wait for my never-to-arrive backpack.

I would guess, US Airways doesn’t stack the deck in the favor of front-line people like Robbin who deal with customers. My suspicion? It pressures them to keep baggage mishandling unofficial, which then makes it impossible for them to perform simple but meaningful acts that would make the airline look good to the customer. Imagine if Robbin was empowered to handle this problem: I’d get my bag within minutes, and they could keep the incident off the record. Everyone would be happy. Instead, it seems US Airways leans on its employees to deflect the responsibility and put the onus on customers for its mistakes.

I’m not going to get huffy here and say I’ll never fly US Airways again. But it’s exactly this sort of missed opportunity that makes me a grudging “what else can I do?” customer rather than an enthusiastic supporter who feels great about flying the hometown airline.

Comments

• November 11, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: Ironically you've just discovered a way of creating new jobs: have people properly deliver missing bags. The airline is failing to glean PR paradise via positive testimonials. We travelers talk.

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IcelandAir's "Surtsey" pulls into Gate 2 at JFK's Terminal 7, ready to take another load to Iceland.

It’s about to get easier for outdoor enthusiasts in the western United States to get to Iceland. Next spring, IcelandAir will connect Denver International Airport to Keflavik International Airport. Just to clarify the Denver Post article, the flights don’t actually go to Reykjavik; Keflavik, an airport/city about an hour south of Iceland’s capitol, is where most international flights land.

Something Cool to Know About IcelandAir The fleet is named after Icelandic volcanoes. You’ll fly on planes with names like Hekla, Krafla, Surtsey and Eldborg. I have a message in to IcelandAir to see which volcano’s namesake will make the Denver run.

The Post story isn’t about travel – it’s about money. How much money will these international flights add to the Denver economy? How much is IcelandAir spending on marketing the service? It’s not exactly the stuff to set the pulse racing. But here’s the real question: What does this mean for travelers in the western U.S. states? It means you’ll soon have a great gateway to one of the world’s coolest destinations for hiking, camping and dining. I’ve written reams about Iceland on this site already. Start here with my second day in Iceland, and you’ll see why anyone who loves their hiking boots needs to get to Iceland.

A sample of Iceland's awesome backpacking and hiking.

This makes it a lot easier to get to Iceland. I had to fly to JFK for my international flight to Iceland – and I’d rather take the hop to Denver any day. The only other options are Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Orlando and Boston. I don’t consider Seattle a very good choice for someone in the Southwest. I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights, too … I’ve watched IcelandAir long enough to see some great fare and hotel specials for winter flights. I’ll be on the lookout for a good deal next winter. Icelanders will also love this. They enjoy their outdoor pursuits, too, and Colorado will blow their minds with all its activities. And I’m hoping for some Colorado microbrew culture to trickle over to Iceland. Takk takk, IcelandAir. Be sure to save me some skyrr and a spot at Iceland Fish & Chips. Do you tweet? Follow Iceland (@icelandair) and Wandering Justin (@wandering_j)! You can also read my review of flying on IcelandAir.

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Comments

• October 12, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: Since you're a tremendous fan of travel guide writers, I thought I'd send this link and ask for your response to what this Frommer's writer says about the metal birds. http://www.frommers.com/slideshow/?p=2&group=638&cat_cd=AIRFARE#slide

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Foreign money confuses me. It takes me some time to settle in and figure out what’s up with all the different coins and bills.

John from TechiXoft contacted me to say “dude, we have your back.” TechiXoft’s Currency Banknotes app for the iPhone aims to, among other things, get travelers familiar with the local currency. Before you even board your flight, you can learn to tell the difference between dollars and dông, shekels and shillings, yuan and yen. It also does the typical but handy jazz like currency conversion.

Since I roll with an Android-based Motorola Cliq XT, I can’t test the Currency Banknotes app. TechiXoft plans to unveil an Android version(it’s not just Apple devotees who travel abroad, ya know!), but not soon enough for my trip to South Korea. In the meantime, here’s John’s breakdown of some key features:

• Convert 150+ currencies from all over the world.
• View banknote or currency images.
• See colored images of paper bills from numerous countries worldwide.
• Zoom in and out of banknote images with ease, to see them in full detail.
• Instantly calculate the conversion rate of the top 10 currencies of the world.
• See pictures of RARE and HARD-TO-FIND banknotes or currency images.
• Get a glimpse of another county’s culture (people, architecture, etc) by means of their paper bills.

You can also check out the YouTube demo of Currency Banknotes. And you can like TechiXoft on Facebook, too.

Again, I can’t test this one yet. But it sure seems like clever thinking.

iPhone users – give this a try and let me know what you think. I’ll write another post with a roundup of your thoughts and experiences.

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Comments

• September 14, 2011, Currency Banknotes for iPhone Makes Waves in the App Store | About the Iphone writes: [...] popular travel blog WanderingJustin.com, also published a post featuring the app, and commended the “clever thinking” behind [...]

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An Asiana 777 takes to the sky. (ykanazawa1999 via Flickr)

UPDATE: I’ve posted a review of my 5 flights on Asiana Airlines.

I just booked tickets for my first trip to Asia. This fall, I’ll fly Asiana Airlines to Incheon and Tokyo. U.S. Airways, one of Asiana’s Star Alliance partners, will get us to LAX and from San Franciso International. The plan is to go first to Seoul, hit the countryside and then make a quick visit to take in the otherworldly craziness that is Tokyo.

So why Asiana, which isn’t one of the better-known names in the United States?

I'd love to fly on a Hawaiian A330. Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines.

It’s online booking actually works … unlike those of ANA, Korean Airlines and JAL. I considered those heavy hitters (hoping that ANA might have a 787 Dreamliner flying by then). Too bad their online booking is clunky to the point of non-functional. The online booking experience is a flyer’s introduction to an airline. It needs to work flawlessly every time. Asiana’s does. You’ll notice I don’t mention the big American carrier’s That’s because I have yet to see evidence that any U.S. carrier outside of Hawaiian Airlines provides the level of service of its overseas counterparts. More on them below.

It’s prices are the most reasonable I could find. A good chunk includes taxes and fees, though. Out of curiosity, I set up the same flights on Continental.com, also a Star Alliance member. Tack on another 10 percent. Not egregious, but not worth rolling the dice – American-based carriers just don’t have a reputation for good service, and mediocrity can make a long flight hell. Oh, and some of the flights are operated by United on its older 747-400s.

It has a great reputation for service. It’s the SkyTrax  Airline of the Year Award winner for 2010 … the same year Global Travelers magazine named its in-flight service the world’s best. And its online booking actually works (I’m sure you read that somewhere recently …)

It has a very shiny new fleet. That’s always a plus, as is its reputation for rigorous maintenance. I’m looking forward to my first flight on a Boeing 777, which I’ve heard is a sweet ride for people who actually like commercial air travel.

Why Asiana Isn’t Quite Perfect

• No direct flights from Tokyo to the United States during the times I searched. We have to go back to Incheon. That costs a bit of time. But hey, it’s another ride on a 767, one of my favorites.
• An Asiana 747 freighter just crashed. There’s word that the flight disappeared after reporting a fire onboard. I can’t think of the last time an airline has last two aircraft very quickly, so that puts stats in my favor! And freight versus commercial service. I have no cause to worry.

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Hangin' out with the kids.

Today, I have something a little different for you: Tom from the HeadingThere UK website is here with a guest post about his trip to Sierra Leone. Enjoy his tales and his great photos! -Wandering Justin

As the doors opened, a smell started to fill the plane. Not unpleasant, but sweet and hot with a hint of spice. It was unfamiliar and exciting, the smell of Africa. I felt beads of sweat forming on my brow as the temperature rose. We didn’t know what to expect from Sierra Leone.

That's one sweet beach ... Imagine what Rico the Air New Zealand mascot would say!

Once we got over our trepidation at visiting such an unusual destination, the thing that really struck us was what a fantastic holiday destination the country is. Sierra Leone beaches, for example, are some of the best in Africa. We were lucky enough to get the chance to have a beach barbecue while we were in Freetown. We got chatting to one of the lads who sold beads outside our hotel, he was friends with a chef and told me that they sometimes organised barbecues on the beach for tourists. He asked if we were interested and I thought, “why not?”

That's a spectacular sunset.

I’m so glad we did. as it was one of the highlights of our visit. We ate delicious fresh fish as we watched the sun go down, and then enjoyed a few cold beers by the light of a bonfire. Remarkably, the Sierra Leone national dance troupe also performed at our BBQ!

Our friend the bead seller clearly had connections all over Freetown – he was also friends with one of the dancers. For a small fee they came along and sang and danced for us; the music and drumming was amazing. They sang us a song of welcome to open their show and the noise drew attention from a lot of locals who had been passing by. One lady enjoyed it so much she joined in, dancing past singing “Welcome to Freetown!”

More nice scenery on the water.

I found out later that when Prince Charles visited Sierra Leone he was also welcomed by the national dance troupe.  It really is a testament to how relaxed things are in Sierra Leone. Can you imagine having the Royal Shakespeare Company coming to perform at your picnic if you visited London?!
For the bulk of our visit we travelled south to the beaches of the Freetown Peninsula. They are absolutely stunning, and our experience of staying in a small eco-village in John Obey was amazing.

Beach lover? Then put Sierra Leone on your short list.

Sierra Leone is one of the most exciting places I have ever been, so don’t let shocked looks from your friend’s put you off visiting! Flights to Freetown are quite straightforward to organise from the UK, there are flights via several major European cities. If you are travelling from the United States, it can be hard to find flights when you search for the whole journey. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it, though: We met lots of Americans in Sierra Leone. Try looking at flights separately. Think about flying Delta (as they work with Air France, who fly to Freetown from Paris) or any of the Star Alliance airlines. If you are flying Star Alliance you could change in London to BMI or in Brussels to Brussels Airlines.

Oooo, now we've got mountains, too!

For more information about life in Sierra Leone, why not read my article on the week I spent with Tribe Wanted?

If you are interested in Sierra Leone, you will also find more information in the HeadingThere guide.

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Landmannalaugar in all its unearthly glory.

Alright, so it’s nearly the end of the first month of 2011. And guess who hasn’t said jack about his Best of 2010? That’s right … this guy right here. That ends today. Here’s what I’ve got from this most awesome year of traveling, adventuring and blogging!

One of the advanced students moves through a kata (I believe this Craig)

One of these days, I'll be photogenic in a racing photo.

Best Race: The Midnaeturhlaup – This was a good year for racing, beginning with the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. But it’s the Reykjavik Midnaeturhlaup that takes top honors. Find out how awesome it is to run a 10K and then hang out in hot tubs with your fellow racers – all long after Jay Leno would’ve signed off!

Best Skiing: Breckenridge – I’ve fallen hard for Breckenridge. It’s big, pretty and filled with absolutely sweet runs. But it’s also got more for it. Find out all the cool things about skiing at Breckenridge – especially the crepes!

Hawaiian Airlines - Doing social media right.

Best Twitter Accounts: There’s more to succeeding with social media than just setting up a Twitter account and tweeting about your sales. ExOfficio, Hawaiian Airlines and First Ascent are three companies that get it. They interact with followers and make their companies seem fun and committed to what they do. I’ll give the best government twitter to Maricopa County Parks – talk about getting people fired up about local outdoor recreation!

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Comments

• January 31, 2011, Erica at ExOfficio writes: Thank you so much for the kudos!
• January 31, 2011, admin writes: You are welcome, Erica. A good social media presence really makes it a lot easier for me to support a company. Great source of info, of course, and a great way to build a relationship. ExOfficio is doing it right!

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I’m having a great laugh at the expense of The New York Times. Why? It’s article “The 41 places to Go in 2011.”

Why 41? Who knows?

What’s bad about the list? Each choice and its description is designed to make Americans go places and be Stereotypical American Tourists™: Go to Santiago so you can see the Lollapalooza music festival. Go to Iceland so you can listen to an orchestra. Go to Oahu for hula lessons. Go to Melbourne and eat at Gordon Ramsay’s (who is not Australian!) restaurant. Go to Budapest so you can drink in pubs. Visit Thailand and do yoga.

Please. How dull. Vacuous. Intellectually bankrupt. Incurious. Tame.

No wonder Americans don’t travel. From the descriptions, none of these places sound worth braving the ministrations on the Transportation Security Administration. This list exists to suck money from your pockets while doing exactly the same crap you would do in any major American city.

Even when I agree with the destination, I shake my head at the recommended activities. It irks me that The New York Times would recommend sending people halfway around the world to sit in bars. The list is shorn of any sense of adventure. I suspect it’s an article designed to get the well-heeled to book trips with advertisers, all for the purpose of saying at the next wine and canapes party “Well, when I was in Budapest …”

The description of Iceland, for instance, boiled down to this: “Hey, its economy crashed, so it’s cheaper than ever. And it’s getting more like New York – cultured and stuff! You can see an orchestra there!” It contains not one whiff of the drama and rawness of the scenery, the weirdness of a never-ending summer day, the cultural quirks. It patronizes the entire country with a paternal “aw, how cute … it’s growing up and becoming like us.” Nice.

Look, people … if you’re going to travel, get stuck in a little. Break out of your usual mold. DO NOT go to Starbucks unless you need to use the bathroom. Eat something that might upset your sensitive little tummy. Go somewhere off the main tourist drag – and hope you get lost.

And obviously, don’t get your travel ideas from The New York Times if you wish to have any fun on your trip.

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