One of the joys of wandering the streets of a foreign land, is taking in the unique architecture and I have endless photos of beautiful doors from our travels. I could do a whole series just from the beautiful doors in our little white village in Spain where we wintered for four years. Europe is especially rich with beautiful doors, but weve also loved them in Asia and almost every country and continent we have visited. Perhaps because we have built a house with beautiful hand-made doors or because DaVinci just had a dream about doors, this photo caught my eye. Read full post…

You crave it when you wake up in the morning, throughout the day and before you fall asleep at night. The more you do it, the more you want it, and theres no such thing as too much. Its travel. We here at Independent Traveler have heard some crazy stories of travel addiction from friends and relatives, and of course weve got a few of our own. But now its your turn.

Do you spend so much time at the airport that you know the TSA officers by name? Do you have more bottles of free hotel shampoo than you do pairs of underwear? If so, we want you to finish this sentence: You know youre addicted to travel when ____.

Leave your submission in the comments below. Well gather your ideas, take the best of the best and craziest of the craziest, and compile them into a list that will have you seeking the nearest 12-step program. And, as an incentive, everyone who provides a submission will be entered to win a set of two shoe bags, perfect for keeping those nasty hiking boots or running shoes away from the rest of your wardrobe while traveling. Well choose a winner at random on Friday, January 13. (Be sure to include a valid e-mail address so we can contact you in case you win.)

Coach travel could be a cost-effective and convenient alternative to other holiday transport.

The travel chaos that resulted from the volcanic ash cloud that grounded hundreds of UK flights in 2010 may have prompted holidaymakers to consider a different type of break.One option is coach travel and John Gilbert, managing director of Europe-wide scheduled coach operator Eurolines UK, suggests this could be an increasingly attractive choice.He says it is still a challenge to inform travel insurance policyholders and others about the truth to the industry and dispel the many myths that exist.Some of the benefits to this method of transport include modern vehicles that have air conditioning, a fair amount of legroom and sometimes even free wifi.”The 2010 ash cloud was a platform to showcase the flexibility of coach travel and weve seen passenger numbers increase steadily since, to the extent that were now carrying more passengers than during the peak of the volcanic eruption,” Mr Gilbert notes.He also offers some suggestions for those wishing to take a last-minute break during the August bank holiday.The expert says low-cost fares are available to take tourists around a variety of spots in Europe and Ireland, such as a trip to Paris costing £74 and the same price for a break in Bruges.All prices include luggage allowance and booking fees, which may appeal to those who want to stay away from hidden charges used by certain airlines.Price is one of the key attractions for those choosing coach holidays, as well as the convenience of such a trip.Mr Gilbert explains services go direct from city to city, meaning there are no waiting times or transfer costs to worry about.By Dennis Clarke  

What better way to celebrate French independence then booking a trip to Paris? In celebration of Bastille Day, the members-only travel flash sale site Voyage Privé is offering a set of unbeatable deals.

Book a Business Class seat at a savings of up to 50% on OpenSkies from Newark and Washington DC to the City of Lights. This unique Business Class-only airline features chic interiors and has four redesigned Boeing 757s in the fleet, including the option of booking a Biz Bed, the only business class cabin to convert to completely flat beds.

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The age of wisdom brings many rewards and a few disadvantages for travellers. I was reminded of one of the key rewards by reader John Bowring, who wrote to us about his cost-saving tips on a trip to Naples. John is 79 and in his list of expenditure he pointed out that, since he was over 65, he was entitled to free entry to many key sights — including Pompeii and Herculaneum.

This was no mean saving. The standard cost of an entry ticket, which includes both sites (and the nearby Roman villas), is €20 a head. You could multiply that figure by four or five over the course of a holiday in many European countries.

The problem is that the age limits and discounts offered on the Continent vary and it can be hard to get reliable information about what is on offer. B

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