I had to make the most of these cheap flights…especially on a very slim, college student’s budget. I got the chance to visit places like Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Weisbaden, Germany for less than $100 roundtrip on easyJet and Ryanair, respectively. You couldn’t beat that! Although that was over eight years ago, and in an extremely different economic climate (Dirt cheap flights are now up to £5 on Ryanair…darn inflation) , there are still some affordable flights departing from the U.K. that can be found. Like Travelocity and Expedia here in the U.S, Directline UK is a cool search engine to use to find great flight deals from numerous budget airlines in the U.K.

source: concreteloop

Tennis superstars, Serena and Venus Williams, attended the Sony Ericsson Women’s Tennis Association tour Pre-Wimbeldon party at Kensington Roof Gardens this Thursday.

Roof Gardens is owned by British mogul and Virgin president, Sir Richard Branson. Located in central London near Kensington High Street, the property maintains 1.5 acres of themed gardens and has remarkable views of London’s skyline. The roof gardens is also considered a historical site, and is open to the public for visitation, except when private events are held and on club nights. It is strongly recommended to check availability first.

Visit the gardens by day, then come back and party at the Roof Gardens’ nightclub later on.
Club hours: Fridays and Saturdays. 10pm - 3am.
Admission: October - April, Friday: £15 & Saturday: £20. May - September, Friday: £20 & Saturday: £25.

To avoid the queue (going back to my London days) on club nights, you can join the club at various membership levels such as: Fly Higher, High Flyer, Long Haul, and they even have a Jet Set level. My kind of club!

source: n.e.r.d blog

Super producer, artist, and clothing line designer, Pharrell and fellow members of his group N.E.R.D, held an instore Meet and Greet album signing at The Hideout clothing store this past Wednesday. The Hideout is located on Upper James Street between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.














Also on Wednesday, Will Smith and co-star, Charlize Theron, walked the red carpet at the premiere of their new movie, Hancock, in Leicester Square. Next time there’s a London premiere in Leicester Square, go red carpet watching with this web cam, or check out a movie yourself at the the Odeon cinema, where most UK movie premieres are held.

source:concreteloop

Because of language barriers, we travelers sometimes have to use our hands to help get our point across. The article Etiquette 101: Hand Gestures reveals which gestures will do just that…and which are sure to offend the person your communicating with. We don’t want that to happen, so keep on reading…

In the future, Two JetSet Divas plan to occasionally highlight gestures from a specific country (the good, the bad, and the ugly) or the meanings around the world for gestures we use here in the U.S.




We’ll start with some common gestures:

Thumbs Up

America - Generally means “Cool” or “That’s good!”. Tilt the hand a little and it could mean “hitchhiking”.
Nigeria, Greece, Southern Italy, and parts of Russia and the Middle East - Considered an obscene gesture.
Austria, France, Germany - Means the number one.
Japan - Means the number five. So, you might think you said “That’s good” and end up ordering five more!




Okay

America - Generally means “A-OK”.
France - Means “zero” or “nothing”.
Denmark and Italy - Could mean an insult.
Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala - Obscene gesture.

Peace sign

America - Generally means “peace”. If reversed (palm in), the gesture can mean “peace out” or “I’m gone”.
U.K. and Australia - If reversed (palm in), gesture is considered obscene.






Here’s a nice, yet complex chart of gestures from the Conde Nast article. The next time you trek around the globe, make sure you use your hands wisely.

source: Global Business Etiquette

Okay, I know our blog is supposed to showcase how to travel affordably and see the world without breaking the bank. But, a Diva can dream occasionally, right? I dream that some day my eight hour trek across the Atlantic won’t be cramped in the middle seat between Ms. Talk-a-lot and Mr. Snore-too-loud. SOME DAY I’ll have my very own ’section’ and be able to change my seat into a bed…an office… a movie theater…a lounge…whatever I want! Some day, I tell ya.

Although I have dreams of traveling with the first class treatment in the future, it’s a reality today for passengers who travel on Eos Airlines. In operation since 2005, Eos Airlines provides flights between New York’s JFK Airport and London’s Stansted Airport. With only 48 seats on the aircraft and each seat having 21 sq. ft of personal space, Eos boasts that it has 40% more room than traditional business class cabins. This personal space does come with a price tag, however. Ranging from $2950 for weekend travel to $6500 for last minute bookings, Eos Airlines isn’t for the average Joe (or Joanna), but its fares are considered to be quite reasonable for ‘Joe, CEO’.

More travelers will have the opportunity to fly with Eos as the airline is scheduled to add new routes in places such as Newark (this Spring) and Paris (this Fall). Also, Eos is offering a promotional package to those who book a flight by April 11, 2008. If you purchase a ticket with a fare of $4000 or more, you can receive your choice of an iPod Classic or frequent flyer points. Purchasing a ticket with a fare less than $4000 will give you an iPod nano or points. Question though….if you’re dishing out $4K for a plane ticket, are you really too strapped to buy an iPod in the first place?? I mean, really. But it’s nice for them to offer, I guess.






A roundtrip ticket on Eos Airlines may not fit this JetSet Diva’s budget right now, but it’s our duty to share cool travel stories with our reading community. If anyone has flown with Eos or ever gets the chance to…tell us about your experience. For now, I’ll just keep on dreamin’ and say, “That’s fly”…

Ever had an early morning flight out of London? Ever wished you could sleep near your gate without getting a backache from sitting all night in those horrible airport seats? Well, try out a stay at YOTEL.

Conveniently located inside the terminals of both Heathrow and Gatwick airports, YOTEL has all you need for a good night’s rest before your flight or a comfy nap during long layovers. For as low as £25 per hour, you can book a mini-sized “room” which includes a bed, bath, and even amenities such as wifi and flat-screen tvs.

YOTEL is a part of the YO! Company brand. I remember YO!Sushi and it’s conveyor belt concept from my London days back in 2000. Well, its appears that over the years the company expanded its brand in numerous areas, including hospitality. YO! Co. founder, Simon Woodroffe was inspired by the Japanese Capsule Hotel concept during a visit to the country in 2002. After a few years of planning, YOTEL opened in both London airports in 2007, and is scheduled to open this summer in the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.




I sure wish these babies were around when I was stranded at Gatwick for 24 hours. The Le Meridien (now The Sofitel) was connected to the airport, but put a real hurtin’ on this college girl’s wallet. Hey…Divas can’t deal with backaches! Next time…I think I’ll YOTEL it.