Video: The rappin' Southwest flight attendant
Southwest Airlines flight attendant David Holmes has become an Internet hit thanks to travelers posting cell-phone camera videos of his performances—and then CNN caught on to the story.
Holmes has turned the pre-flight boarding announcement into a rap song. It's one of three different rhymes he does, depending on the flight. But he promises not to do this on a 6 a.m. flight.
This weekend: Charleston opens 150 lovely historic homes
Charlestonians are used to being gracious hosts—the charming, old-fashioned city sees more than a million visitors a year. But they truly open their doors in spring, with the annual Festival of Houses and Gardens. Starting this weekend and lasting a month, the festival will showcase 150 historic homes in 11 colonial and antebellum neighborhoods. More than a dozen different three-hour tours hit eight to 10 properties, each of which often span several decades of design. There are two new tours this year: Architectural Gems, which will feature six homes, and Secret Gardens of the French Quarter, with guest lecturers. The very popular Glorious Gardens tour takes you through some of the most impressive gardens in town, with a specialized guide in each (March and April are peak blooming season, so the colors will be popping). The Historic Charleston Foundation puts on the show with the help of 650 community volunteers; this is its 62nd year. The foundation, started in 1947, protects buildings and landscapes important to Charleston's heritage. The tour cost might seem steep ($45 per person for each tour), but all that goes into education, advocacy, and maintaining and restoring the old houses. The foundation also leads two-hour morning walking tours of Charleston's Historic District. Although you won't see inside any private homes on these tours, you will get a good sense of the area and its traditions at a price that might fit your budget better ($20 each for adults). Tours sell out fast—last year, the festival attracted more than 12,000 guests. Tickets available at historiccharleston.org or 843/722-3405. PREVIOUSLY 25 Reasons We Love Charleston Trip Coach: A Girls' Getaway in Charleston & Savannah BT Upgrade: Exclusive Tour of Wentworth Mansion
Great (but not yet free) fares to Australia
Looks like those normally laid-back Australians are worried about one thing—the downtrodden global economy's effect on tourism. As The Age reported last week (and travel blog Jaunted picked up), the Australian government is mulling over a plan to pay for tourists' flights, as long as the tourists spend a certain amount of dough once they land (it would be something like $3,200). There's no guarantee that plan will pass—but it's already possible to get yourself to Australia cheaply these days. Qantas, the country's national carrier, just cut one-way fares from L.A. and San Francisco to several cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Flights start at $299 each way, or $598 round-trip, before taxes (which we saw running about $120.) The deadline to book is by Friday—so act fast. Travel is through Oct. 24. United Airlines has a competing sale, with rates from L.A. to Melbourne and Sydney starting at $299 each way before taxes (also around $120). Book by Monday for travel through June 15. Remember that the more flexible your dates, the more likely you are to get a deal (travel on weekends will almost always be more expensive). You can get more info on Australia's official tourism site and even plan a One Week Walkabout package. (Need to get inspired? Try watching the epic Australia; it's now out on DVD. Read what we said about it the 2008 edition of Movie Quest.)
Not like home at all: Crazy tourist complaints
The Telegraph has pulled together a slide show illustrating "20 ridiculous complaints made by holidaymakers." Many of those who took the time to complain to the travel agents and tour operators Thomas Cook and the ABTA were most annoyed by nature and its hassles. For instance: The parent who said "no one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled." Or this observation, which I can kind of get behind: "We had to queue outside with no air conditioning." And then there's the guy who felt that a male elephant made him feel…inadequate. That one just made me confused. And uneasy. Of course, there are lots of reasons that destinations turn out to be a lot different than what's in brochures, and most of those reasons aren't nearly as odd as the ones on this list. But what about other goofy complaints? Ever overheard any completely off-base whines from fellow vacationers?
