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EVA Air and Hello Kitty. How about that for an unlikely cooperation? Or isn’t it? The companies actually complement each other in ways you won’t believe. EVA Air supplies the aircrafts and the crew. Hello Kitty takes care of pretty much anything else. The result? Air Hello Kitty. Pretty priceless. 5 out of the airline’s 46 passenger jets have been painted in Hello Kitty themes. I was unaware of this until I boarded two of them between Seoul and Taipei and onwards to Guam. The themed planes may calm down younger passengers before flying, but it didn’t exactly reassure me. Pink overdose, and not the artist “Does that thing fly?” My first reaction. Followed by laughter. Slightly nervous laughter. Male travellers that are looking for a masculine boost should definitely stay far, far away. Because Hello Kitty hasn’t only made her mark on the outside, Hello Kitty products are everywhere in the plane too. And most of them are pink. The airline claims that there are over 100 Hello Kitty products on the inside. The boarding cards, the plastic cutlery, the toothpics, the pillows, the napkins, the cups, the trays, the headrest covers, the toiletries, the cabin crew’s aprons, the welcome video on the personal screens, the ice cream, the special ice cream spoon and the stirring pin to mix the sugar into your tea with. They are all Hello Kitty. Even a piece of fruit in the salad is shaped as Hello Kitty, not to mention the theme of the instructions on how to evacuate the aircraft in case of an emergency. Had enough yet? Well, you will then probably be pleased to know that the throw-up bags come with Hello Kitty on them. Help yourself. The special Hello Kitty boarding passes are especially popular, as collecting them enable you to win prizes. Hello Kitty products, of course. Allegedly “exclusive Eva Air Hello Kitty gifts” even. Fois gras K.W. Chang, who is Chairman of EVA Air, claims that their Hello Kitty Jets are much-loved. And judged by the number of passengers on the two flights I flew, he is right. Even business class, or Royal Laurel Class, was full. No surprise, of course, if you read about the benefits in EVA Air’s inflight magazine. It says: “Premium Laurel Class passengers can look forward to Hello Kitty-inspired fois gras […]” Does that mean cat liver, or is it just pink? So, is EVA Air some strange non-serious airline? Not at all, it has a history that goes back 20 years, and it will join Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline alliance, in June 2013. The collaboration is actually between EVA Air and the Japanese company Sanrio which owns Hello Kitty. It isn’t new is new, but they have been at it once before a few years ago. The “second generation” of Hello Kitty jets have received brand new names, though. Magic Jet, Apple Jet, Global Jet, Hello Kitty Happy Music Theme and Speed Puff Jet are ready to take you to the skies. You want to read more? Check out their website. Just remember to turn down the volume before visiting. Turning down the volume is something you cannot do on board the plane. The welcome video is very cute. Once. But it runs on repeat. And the music is not very cute the 17th time you hear it. You may end up hurting your fellow passengers. With a pink Hello Kitty knife, of course. Only one question remain. When are we going to see a similar cooperation between Delta and Disney? The latter company has even got a flying crew member on board, already. Dumbo is at your service. More photos below.

I feel sort of sad, sort of excited, sort of happy. I am about to finish my slightly manic travel project, to visit all 198 countries of the world. I have been to 191 of them, only seven remain. They are all small island nations, six of them are in Oceania, one is in Africa. If everything goes according to plan, I will visit the six countries in the Pacific Ocean during an extended Easter holiday. The trip there will break my record for plane marathons. It will take me eight flights and 37 hours to get from Berlin to Majuro. It’s a good thing I like plane food, don’t do jetlag and easily fall asleep in the air. I have some training too, having travelled by plane over a thousand times. Which is why I was asked to test online flight ticket booking engines for NRKbeta (in Norwegian). The current travel project is set to finish in Cape Verde the second weekend of May with a small celebration. I will then be the youngest person in the world to have visited all 198 countries as a hobby. I have never taken any time off work or studies to travel, nor made any money from it. An expensive hobby? Definitely. But without wives, kids, dogs or cars and with an apartment I purchased relatively cheap 13 years ago, it has still been possible. Just about. The memories, experiences and friends I have gained after all the trips have made it all worthwhile. What I will do when I have finished? Probably go on holiday. After all, I have then finally concluded my research of where I would like to go next. Of course, I don’t have many vacation days left, but I travel fast and usually see a lot over a weekend. See which countries remain below. To find out what will happen on the last two trips, follow @garfors on Twitter. Marshall Islands – 68,000 people on 181 km². Capital: Majuro. (Check. Visited March 20.) The former US territory was unfortunate enough to have to pay for being under North American wings by being Washington’s favourite nuclear testing grounds in the 40s, 50s and 60s. The country used to be called the ‘world’s fishiest place’ but also offers a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The 33 atolls are supposed to be fantastic for snorkling and diving. 24 of them are populated. A glimpse of Marshall Islands, after having visited. Samoa – 194,320 people on 2,831 km². Capital: Apia. (Check. Visited March 22.) The islands were made up by countless volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. Vegetation now covers the islands and make them almost all green. Visitors are encouraged to see lava fields, beaches, villages and national parks, some with 100 meter high waterfalls. Not to forget the ‘blow holes’, small vertical tubes though the lava which sea water is being forced through to create geysir effects. My blog post on Samoa. Tonga – 103,036 people on 748 km². Capital: Nuku’alofa. (Check. Visited March 25.) This country actually sees a fair amount of tourists, thanks to direct flights from Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. People come to enjoy watersports of all kinds and to endulge in great food allegedly offered from a surprisingly wide range of of good restaurants. Do not leave without tasting the lobster. My thoughts on Tonga after having visited. Fiji – 849,000 people on 18,274 km². Capital: Suva. (Check. Visited March 25.) This is the country on the list that most people have actually heard about. I am generally not a big fan of touristy places, but Fiji is by far the largest remaining country and has a lot of areas unspoilt by tourism. You won’t find me in any of the resorts. I will actually have to visit Fiji three times though, as most flights in the area go via Suva or Nadi. Tuvalu – 10,544 people on 26 km². Capital: Funafuti. (Check. Visited March 26.) The smallest country on this list is also one of the least visited in the world. No more than 1,200 tourists visit every year, only two countries have fewer visitors. Tuvalu is also one of the first countries that will disappear should sea levels increase, so you may not have to much time to see this unique nation. Read more on the ‘sinking’ country. Kiribati – 103,500 people on 811 km². Capital: South Tarawa. (Check. Visited April 1.) This is the fourth least visited country in the world, although having 4 times as many visitors as Tuvalu. Despite boasting a very famous island; Christmas Island. The country is very poor and especially the capital is densely populated. The islands also experienced some of the heaviest fighting of World War II, wreck diving comes recommended. On the country without the letter ‘s.’ Cape Verde – 523,568 people on 4,033 km². Capital: Praia. The last new country I may ever visit is the one geographically nearest to Norway of the final seven. That is to enable friends to easier join in for the party in May. Cape Verde is famous for good food, blue marlin fishing and whatever you would ever want to do from a beach. The passion for travelling have resulted in other strange trips. Last year I visited five continents in one day, a world record which is being made into a television documentary. I am often asked about which country I like the best. An impossible question to answer truthfully. The world is amazing and every new place and country impress me in some way or another. Being able to eat, drink, smile and chat with people from so many countries have to a certain degree satisfied my curiosity and contributed making me into an often smiling person. A bloody restless one, though. I was recently interviewed by FBI, the Norwegian television program airing every Wednesday on NRK1, about travelling and airplane tickets. Watch the package which was filmed on an ice covered beach outside Oslo in NRKs web tv. It starts after 19 minutes and 12 seconds. Why there are 198 countries? There are 193 UN countries, 2 UN observers (the Vatican and Palestine) and 3 other countries (Kosovo, Taiwan and Western Sahara) that are recognized by a number of UN countries.

Gå hit for testen av flybillettbestillingsnettstader eg skreiv på oppdrag frå NRKbeta. Intervjuet som tok utganspunkt i artikkelen vart vist på FBI på NRK1 onsdag 13. mars klokka 19:45. Sjå programmet i opptak i NRK sin avspelar, nrk.no/tv. Innslaget startar etter 17 minutt og 55 sekund. I was interviewed on travelling by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s program called FBI which aired on NRK1 on March 13. Watch it in NRK’s web-tv (in Norwegian, no subtitles). The package on travel starts after 17 minutes 55 seconds.

Neelie Kroes, the EU Commissioner for Digital Agenda and Vice-Presidents of the European Commission, spoke at the last meeting of Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) in Brussels on February 20. Her speech was titled “Thinking European, and winning the wireless race.” For the first time, she clearly acknowledges the need for a combination of the internet and broadcasting. “I don’t see this as a win-lose exercise. And nor do I listen to those who argue that the internet will end broadcasting. Not only does the consumer need both industries, they both need each other, and increasingly overlap. The internet gives a new platform, a new chance for broadcasters to offer higher-quality services – on-demand and interactive. While watching that online content is an increasingly significant driver of broadband demand, including wireless. These are sectors whose future lies together. We need to understand how they will evolve, understand how much spectrum they will need, and find the right way forward.” Her three page long speech didn’t start very out of the ordinary, though. She calls for cooperation and encourages industries that have been known for competition to come together in order to boost Europe’s presence and importance within the wireless economies. “I am delighted to be here with the real spectrum experts. Spectrum matters. Already it supports over a quarter of a trillion euros of economic activity a year; and ever-growing in its uses.” She signalled a worry that 8 of the top 10 mobile phones are made outside Europe and that some of them do not support “important European spectrum bands.” Kroes calls for better dialogue and cooperation with both the mobile and broadcasting industries in order to help Europe regain a leading position within wireless. She mentions both the UHF and the VHF bands and shares her plan to set up “a High-Level Group from industry, dealing with both political and technical aspects.” She also talks about the importance of looking at the growing convergence of services and following consumer trends and platform competition in order to be successful by delivering “the single market jackpot,” and to be heard internationally. She seems to understands the urgency and states that “the sooner we do it, the sooner all the sectors involved can start planning for the future.” The EU Commissioner signals a clear, clever and aggressive strategy. The internet is usually looked upon as young and trendy and has so far stolen the spotlight more often than not. By clearly stating that broadcasting is a part of the future, that consumers need both and that the industries need and can benefit from each other, Kroes proves her ability to change course when needed and before it is too late. Storms get tough unexpectedly and without much warning. Courageousness delivered. Thank you, Kroes! I have earlier written about why the internet won’t solve everything and commented on that the EBU recommends an FM switch-off.

Yes, such countries do actually exist. There are six of them, five of them are tiny and in Europe. Four of them are inside or very close to Italy. The other 192 countries of the world have at least one commercial airport each. The world’s most international airline flies to 106 of them. The six countries in question do however all have at least one heliport, so you can technically still fly to all of them given that you have easy access to a chopper. You want to guess which six countries? They follow beneath the photograph. Andorra, 85,082 inhabitants on 467.63 square kilometers The landlocked country between Spain and France has long been a heaven for shoppers looking to avoid paying taxes on their bargains. The country is by far big enough for an airport, but the mountains it is located in would make landing conditions rather challenging if one were to be built. There are three heliports in the little country in the Pyrenees. Andorra is the only one of these five European countries which is not within striking distance from Italy. Liechtenstein, 36,281 inhabitants on 160 square kilometers Liechtenstein is the only double landlocked country in the world without an airport. Then again, only one other double landlocked country exists; Uzbekistan. The nearest major airport is Zurich Airport, although a heliport in the town of Balzers makes a flying entry possible. Liechtenstein is located between Austria and Switzerlandm, yet only about 70 kilometers from Italy. Monaco, 36,371 inhabitants on 2.02 square kilometers This is one of the two airport free country that is not landlocked. The rich, famous, pretty, powerful and wannabe-all-of-the-above usually fly in to Nice in France and go by car, limo, bus, train or helicopter (budget and weather dependant) to what is the most densely populated country in the world. There is theoretically space for an airport in Monaco, but the 17,676 inhabitants per square kilometer would be rather reluctant to squeeze even tighter together to fit one in. One heliport will have to do. If worst comes to worst, an aircraft carrier or two can always make up a runway off the coast. Palestine 4,260,636 inhabitants on 6,220 square kilometers This is the only country of any size on the list. It is also the only non-European country without a functioning airport and the only country with a sizeable population. Yasser Arafat International Airport in the Gaza strip was operational until 2001, but closed down after being damaged by Israeli forces and then further damaged by locals using the gravel underneath the runway for building materials. All official traffic in and out of Palestine is being carefully monitored by Israel, and the likelyhood of any Palestinian airport opening anytime soon is limited. Palestine’s West Bank is landlocked, but not the Gaza strip. There is a heliport in Ramallah. Tel Aviv Ben Gurion in Israel is the nearest airport for most Palestinians, but they may not be allowed to fly from it. San Marino 32,404 inhabitants on 61.2 square kilometers One of the two countries fully surrounded by Italy is located only a few kilometers from Federico Fellini International Airport in Rimini, and doesn’t need its own. A little grass runway and a heliport can cater for tiny aircrafts and helicopters, but no commercial services. The Vatican, 836 inhabitants on 0.44 square kilometers The smallest country in the world with regards to both area and population has no airport. There isn’t room for one even if the Pope should command that St Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel were to be demolished to fit one in. The 0.44 square kilometers just won’t do. Mates of the Pope may still use the papal heliport in the Gardens of Vatican City to the very west of the country. You don’t know the Pope? Well, then you’re just going to have to fly into one of Rome’s airports. How many did you guess? Palestine is the one most people seem to forget.

You can measure the size of an airline in many ways. By number of passengers, number of planes, flown passenger kilometers or through comparing revenues. None of those lists will create huge surprises (see the lists at the bottom of this post). But the biggest airlines do not necessarily fly to the most countries. The most international airline is for example unlikely to be American. Why? There are only 35 countries in the Americas and the biggest of them, USA, is pretty far from countries on other continents. The location of an airline’s hub or hubs is essential. So is the home country’s economical, cultural, political and historic relations to other countries around the world. The most international airline is in other words not North Korean or Israeli. To find out how many countries each airline fly to isn’t a walk in the park. Schedules change rather often, and most airlines try to up their count by adding oversea territories, islands, etc. Most people who care agree that there are 198 countries in the world (193 UN countries, 2 UN observers plus Kosovo, Western Sahara and Taiwan). Hong Kong, Bermuda, Curacao, Tahiti, etc. are not own countries, despite being counted as such by some airlines that try to inflate own figures. My bet is that you will not guess which airline flies to the most countries in the world, a staggering 106 of them. I’ll list the top ten, based on figures taken from the websites of the airlines in question and Wikipedia. Biggest airlines, by number of countries served 10. United, United States, 60 countries United is due to merge with US Airways in 2013, something that will make it the biggest airline in the world. It still only just about makes it onto this list and US Airways will not add a lot of new countries. 8. (tie) KLM, Netherlands, 66 countries The Flying Dutchman is regularly seen around the world. KLM was among the founding members of the Skyteam alliance. It is based on Schipol, the world’s 15 busiest airport in number of passengers. 8. Egyptair, Egypt, 66 countries Possibly a surprise on this list, although Egypt’s location with Africa, Asia and Europe all nearby does it a few favors. The airline’s hub is Cairo, an airport where you are more likely than not to be bused to and from the aircrafts. Annoying? Certainly, although not as annoying as the taxi drivers who try their best to rip you off even before you leave the terminal building. 7. Emirates, United Arab Emirates, 70 countries Dubai, the hub of the airline is very well located between Oceania, Europe, Africa and Asia and is the 11th busiest airport in the world. Most of Emirates’ flights are long-haul. It claims to have the best entertainment selection of any airline and boasts excellent and very professional cabin crew. Just don’t call them trolley pushers. 6. Delta, United States, 71 countries The biggest airline in the world, measured by number of passengers, is not even among the top five airlines here. It is still the most international airline based in the United States, which is a claim to fame. Sort of. Delta is based in Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport with over 88 million passengers every year. It is, on a personal note, the only airline on this list that I have not travelled by. 5. Qatar Airways, Qatar, 73 countries How can an airline of a country with less than 2 million inhabitants fly to so many countries? It has built itself as the transit airline and calls itself “World’s 5-star Airline.” Its hub, Doha, has a a similar location as Dubai and the town centre is well worth a visit if you like skyscrapers, shopping centres or art. 3. (tie) Air France, France, 78 countries Paris is the most visited place in the world, and Air France certainly contributes to that from countries on the five continents you can easily visit in just one day. The French airline is however just about beaten by it’s archrival from a neighbouring country. 3. British Airways, Great Britain, 78 countries The Commonwealth may have lost a lot of its power and influence, but British Airways still connects most of the countries via London. The British capital has a staggering six commercial airports. Among them is Heathrow, the third busiest in the world. Terminal 5 is the newest and almost exclusively used by British Airways. 2. Lufthansa, Germany, 83 countries The German giant is well known for serving sauerkraut and pringles on board whenever Oktoberfest is on in Munich. The orange, blue and white planes can certainly be seen on most continents, barred Oceania. Lufthansa is the world’s biggest airline, judging by revenue, but it is severely beaten by an airline that is a less than a sixth of its size, revenue wise. 1. Turkish Airlines, Turkey, 106 countries Turkish Airlines is tiny compared to the airline giants of the world, but it beats everyone else on the number of countries it flies to. By far. Even its slogan matches perfectly; “Globally Yours.” That it is number one of this list surprises more people than me, despite of Istanbul’s proximity to “the rest of the world.” In 2013 it even becomes the airline that serves the most countries in Africa by offering flights to 29 of the continent’s 55 countries. Istanbul’s location makes Turkish Airlines very well suited to “own” this position. Turkey is one of a very few countries on two continents, it has a big population and well established economical and political ties with a large number of countries. The Ottoman empire was big for a reason. Continents Fair enough, so Turkish Airlines is the most international airline in the world. Or is it? Well, it only covers countries on five out of the six inhabited continents of the world, so if you want to play devil’s advocate, help yourself. Only nine airlines can claim to have at least one destination on each of all these six continents. Those are British Airways, Delta, Emirates, Korean Air, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and United. Biggest airlines, by annual number of passengers* Airlines based in the US dominate this list with Delta topping it. American Airlines will however merge with US Airways in 2013 and challenge Delta as the airline doing safety demonstrations to the most people. The merged airline is estimated to fly 187 million people every year. 1. Delta: 161,379,000 2. United: 141,799,000 3. Southwest Airlines: 135,274,464 4. American Airlines: 106,013,737 5. Lufthansa Group: 100,602,000 (includes Swiss, Austrian) 6. China Southern Airlines: 80,674,800 7. Ryanair: 76,400,000 (based on sold tickets, not actual passengers) 8. Air France-KLM: 75,780,000 (the two airlines combined) 9. China Eastern Airlines: 68,724,960 10. US Airways: 60,854,368 Biggest airlines, by number of planes* The merger of American Airlines and US Airways in 2013 will affect this list as well. The new airline will have almost a thousand planes. 1. SkyWest: 740 2. Delta: 722 3. United: 702 4. Lufthansa: 696 5. Southwest Airlines: 692 6. Air France-KLM: 621 7. American Airlines: 617 8. China Southern Airlines: 420 9. Air Canada: 362 10. US Airways: 338 Biggest airlines, by flown passenger kilometers* 1. United: 291,853 (combined with Continental after their merger) 2. Delta: 269,724 3. American Airlines: 203,485 4. Emirates: 153,264 5. Lufthansa: 140,972 6. Air Canada: 134,918 7. Air France: 133,035 (excluding KLM) 8. China Southern Airlines: 121,944 9. British Airways: 116,864 Biggest airlines, by revenue in million dollars Flight Global lists the world’s airlines by revenues. The figures from 2010 gives Lufthansa a narrow lead, but the North American competitors are not far away. The merger of American Airlines and US Airways will make changes on this list as well, but it is not enough to pass Lufthansa, based on 2010 combined revenues of 34,078 million dollars. 1. Lufthansa: 36,067 2. United: 34,013 3. Delta: 31,755 4. Air France-KLM: 31,276 5. FedEx Express (cargo): 24,581 6. American Airlines: 22,170 7. Japan Airlines: 16,018 8. ANA: 15,963 9. Emirates: 14,807 10. Air China: 12,203 *2011 figures from Wikipedia.

Sierra Leone translates as the land of the mountain lion. It sounds beautiful and it is. It sounds scary, but it isn’t. Unless you have a fear of boats. You will have to board one to get from the only international airport to the capital Freetown or the nearest resort. But first, is this West African country even worth considering as a tourist destination? Definately! Sierra Leone boasts incredible scenery and the 402 kilometer long coastline includes some of the best and most unspoiled beaches in the world with white sand and blue waters. The climate is friendly to Europeans as you will rarely see temperatures outside the 24-30 degree range. The country has however long been seen as a no go area for tourists. Understandably enough thanks to a decade long civil war which ended in 2002, cholera outbreaks and an infrastructure unable to cope with tourist expectations. Recent investments by the government and private companies are good news for tourists. What to do? Sierra Leone is simply put a fantastic country with locals that do know the meaning of hospitality. An added bonus is their language. They speak English after their years as a British colony. That also explains some area names. Waterloo, Hastings, Man of War Bay, Pirate Bay, White Man’s Bay, New England and Destruction Bay can all be found around Freetown. The city offers a huge street market and is a great spot to get visas to neighboring countries as the embassies are scattered around a relatively small area. Lumley beach comes with restaurants, nightclubs, bars, hotels and a golf course. There are no familiar chains, although Hilton will open a brand new hotel there in 2014. And when Hilton moves in, others follow. Of course Sierra Leone is a lot more than Freetown, just be prepared for a trip way off the beaten track where what you usually take for granted is not. Not up for such holidays? Then there’s always paradise, or Banana Islands as it is called in Sierra Leone. There you’ll find a couple of hotels that will arrange for private transport from the airport. In 2010 only 39,000 tourists visited the country. Numbers are increasing, but it will still take many years for it to become a mass market destination. So if the most impressive listing on your travel CV is Paris or Ibiza, you may want to think twice of going there. Some issues Electricity is scarce outside the capital, petty crime is not uncommon, many roads are in poor shape, there are few hospitals and many towns and villages do not even have hotels. The latter problem is usually solved by talking to the chief and asking for a guest house. You may technically get to stay there for free as they don’t charge for such, but you should pay a few dollars or so to show respect to the chief and the person or family who puts you up. There will also be begging, but in a more stylish manner than what I have seen elsewhere. A seven year old boy I met has picked up on the art of it. “I like the way you walk,” he told me, expecting a reward for his compliment. Another hurdle to some may be the above mentioned boat trip from Lungi International Airport (FNE) to Freetown. The two are separated by a Tagrin, a rather large bay. You can in theory drive around it, but this will set you back 6-7 hours, and is in reality not done. That leaves four means of crossing the bay, all with a slight risk of your stomach contents becoming fish feed. The waves from the Atlantic Ocean can make the crossing pretty rough. How to get from the airport The fastest and most comfortable way is to use Hovercraft that will take you to Aberdeen, the pretty side of the capital, in 20 minutes. Do not expect African prices, though. A ticket will set you back 40USD, the same as your second fastest option, Sea Coach. Both of them include a short minibus ride from the airport to the seaside, going through tiny villages on unpaved roads. Sea Coach, is basically what it says. The plastic boat carries 12-15 passengers, depending on the amount of luggage. The two outboard engines each boasting 250 horsepowers will take you across in just over 30 minutes. You will be required to wear a life vest, and the atmosphere may be a little tense, depending on the weather and your fellow passengers. It doesn’t help that one of their boats is named “Good luck.” Sea Coach will also take you to Aberdeen, although a little closer to the centre of Freetown than Hovercraft. The most expensive boat crossing is to hire a boat taxi. There will not be any official ones, but if you ask around someone will always be ready to take you across. This is not recommended, as the quality of the boats on offer is questionable and the fact that you will most likely be overcharged. Sometimes you are out of options, though, especially on your way back to the airport. The last and only cheap boat option is the local car ferry which will cost you less than a dollar. There are some caveats though. Firstly, it will not leave until full, as is the case with most regular transport in Africa. That may take 1-7 hours. Secondly, it leaves from the ferry terminal which is 15 kilometers from the airport. A bus, taxi, shared taxi or motorcycle taxi will get you there. The car ferry will take you into downtown Freetown, so it is another 12-15 kilometers to go to Aberdeen, where most of the decent hotels are. (5. If you have a rich uncle, there is actually also a helicopter stationed at the airport, but it only runs charter trips and will set you back a substantial amount of money if it is even available. A boat-free option, nevertheless.) This Is Africa “T.I.A.” You may want to learn the phrase before even stepping on the continent. T.I.A. stands for “This Is Africa” and you will benefit from repeating it to yourself whenever something doesn’t go according to plan. Which means often. Just being able to say “T.I.A.” somehow has a therapeutic effect as it reassures you that the problems you may encounter are normal and not necessarily caused by you. Do note that the acronym occasionally comes with several exclamation marks. Both Hovercraft and Sea Coach may stop scheduled crossings with no or very little notice. As I found out the hard way. T.I.A. You may want to call or visit the ferry companies way in advance as the official schedules are not necessarily correct. They were not when I was to return, something that left me in a poor bargaining position. I had to cross, the boat owner knew. He asked 200USD, I managed to haggle it down to 130. That was nearer to the value of the boat taking me across the bay than the value of the service. T.I.A. The vessel was not built for such a crossing, but it did the job. I arrived on the other side reasonably dry 45 minutes later, but I was helped ashore 15 kilometers from the airports. A motorcycle taxi transported me the last stretch. T.I.A. Tourism is an area of high priority. Sierra Leone National Tourist Board (www.welcometosierraleone.sl) is working on a seven year plan until 2017 to improve facilities, to enhance sustainable tourism, to market their tourist attractions and to generally improve the image of Sierra Leone as a preferred tourist destination. They are definitely on the right track, but they do still have a long way to go and a lot of ground to cover before Sierra Leone is mentioned in the same sentence as Dominican Republic or Mauritius. That being said, few countries can offer a more unique scenery with everything from mountains and lakes to waterfalls and beaches but you must as a tourist be prepared to go back to basic. Traditional luxury is rare. Breathtaking nature experiences and some peace and quiet still go a long way. How to get there British Airways, Air France and Brussel Airlines will take you there on direct flights from the respective three European capitals. You can also travel from neighbouring countries by less known air carriers such as ASKY, Fly540 or Arik Air.

European Broadcasting Union recommends that European countries switch off FM. The announcement was made during EBU Digital Radio Summit in Geneva last week. Norway has already announced an FM switch off. DAB coverage in Norway is now at 84%, but will be increased to 90% by the end of the year and to 99.5% by the end of 2014. The EBU is impressed by Norway, and now recommends other countries to do the same; To switch off FM and replace it by DAB+. This became clear in new technical recommendations that was presented in Geneva on February 13 by Javier Sánchez Perez who is Chair of the EBU’s Strategic Programme on Digital Radio Platforms. The recommendations, titled Digital Radio Distribution in Europe (document R138), read: The EBU recommends that, 1. The needs of all radio services in a country be considered when making plans for the digitisation of radio, including future service expansion, the available spectrum, and the cost effectiveness of different standards for different services; 2. Immediate deployment be done using DAB transmission as defined in ETSI EN 300 401 with DAB+ services as defined in ETSI TS 102 563 for digital radio broadcasting in VHF Band III; 3. When DAB coverage is not possible, to use DRM as defined in ETSI ES 201 980 for digital radio broadcasting in the frequency bands currently used for analogue radio broadcasting; 4. Digitisation is accompanied by the deployment of enhanced features, such as text, images and programme guides to keep radio relevant in the digital age; 5. Hybrid radio services are deployed with digital broadcasting systems (for example using RadioDNS); 6. Harmonisation in the timetable for deployment of digital radio across Europe, including a target date for the switch-off of analogue radio, would create a greater momentum and market take-up. The last point is a very strong signal. DAB+ is the clear recommendation of choice. DRM, or digital AM, is also mentioned, but only when DAB coverage is not possible, and only in the frequency bands currently used for analogue radio broadcasting (Band I and Band II that are used for FM). And DRM is rather costly. Radio is of vital importance R138 is the first agreement among EBU Members on digital radio distribution. It was approved by the EBU Technical Committee two weeks ago. The EBU also notes that ‘FM radio is constrained by a lack of available spectrum in all developed markets,’ and pinpoints the following: Radio is of vital cultural importance throughout Europe; Radio is consumed by the vast majority of Europeans every week; Radio is consumed at home, at work and on the move; Terrestrial broadcast delivery is the only free-to-air and cost-effective method for truly mobile reception, particularly in cars. This is a good and clear message from the EBU, which emphasizes their so called Euro-Chip concept. The name of that initiative is however awful, as I have argued earlier. But isn’t all of this just nonsens? FM works just fine. Or does it? Read this blog post which contains links to yet another 18 blog posts that show why FM isn’t all what it is cracked up to be.

Somehow is seems that ‘bad apples’ are overrepresented among taxi drivers based in airports. How can you avoid being ripped off by them when going downtown from the airport? I visited some 60 countries last year and cannot afford being ripped off every single time. Below are ten little tips that could prove useful on your next trip. I have learned my lesson the hard way by taking taxis in way too many countries on six continents. I will most likely be ripped off again in the future, but hopefully in new and creative new ways. 1. Get accurate information on what a taxi ride from your particular airport should cost. Wikivoyage and other travel websites can usually give you a reasonably fair idea. To in advance ask your hotel, friends, Twitter contacts or relatives based in your destination is another good way. It is important to find relatively updated info. You may also ask at the airport or tourist information desk, but sometimes at least one taxi driver will linger around you while you ask, something that puts pressure on the information staff to indicate a higher price than what you ought to pay. If you suggest a way too low price, any taxi driver will laugh in your face. This happened to me in Eritrea. I later realized that my cost figures were from 2007. Being in a stubborn mood, I ended up walking the 6 kilometers to town only to discovered my research error in the next Wi-Fi spot. 2. Check the map before you go. Leaving this until after arrival may cost you a lot more than your taxi ride in phone roaming charges. That is, if you are even able to get a data connection. There may also be an internet cafe in the airport or even free Wi-Fi, but don’t count on it. It will anyhow slow your journey down. You want to find out how far the airport is from town, where your hotel or meeting place is and which route that seems like the best to travel. 3. Track the driver. If you have a smartphone with a built-in GPS (or a standalone navigation device), do download the map of the city in advance (so that it is stored on your phone) and follow the route you are being driven. This will not cost anything as long as you remember to switch off the data traffic roaming option on your phone. Yet, it will show you where the driver is taking you and whether it makes sense to go this particular route. 4. Do agree on a price in advance. In some countries, the drivers will still insist on using the meter. In such cases I usually get a second opinion from another driver. Meters are easy to manipulate and speed up. If yours run suspiciously fast ask the driver to stop and find another taxi, alternatively continue to your destination and pay only what is fair. When he (it’s usually a he) gets upset, call the police or just leave. In some countries, meters are well controlled or regularly monitored by the authorities. In such cases you should be safe, although it will still often benefit you to agree on a price in advance. In Oslo, for instance, running the meter may cost you 1500-2000 NOK, while agreeing to their special airport fare will set you back “only” 890 NOK. 5. Double check that there are no “hidden” costs. Some drivers will add a price per piece of luggage upon arriving your destination, even though you have agreed on a price in advance. Others will add an extra fee for every additional passenger, let you pay extra as it’s late, early, Easter or whichever other creative reason they can come up with. 6. Do not be afraid to leave one taxi driver to ask for a second opinion or to ride with someone else than you first intended. You may for instance not like the driver’s attitude, the standard of the car or the smell of smoke inside. You are paying for a service and you are entitled to choose your service provider. Exercise this right even if the driver will do anything to make you feel bad about doing so. To mention the family back home or even threaten that you will have to pay a penalty for wasting his time are well known methods. 7. Order a taxi before flying. You will then be picked up by someone with your name on a sign. This will give your arrival a VIP feel to it. Do certainly do this if travelling with that someone special that you may want to impress. Do still follow the points above when picking a taxi company and agreeing on a price. Some hotels also offer such services. 8. Talk to fellow passengers on your plane or while waiting for your bags. Ask them to organize a taxi for you. Most people will be happy to do this, and you will avoid most pitfalls. They know what they should pay and which companies to use. You don’t. 9. In any case, use only licensed companies and do avoid the sharks lingering outside the arrival zone. 10. If the taxi driver tries to fool you or takes you on a detour which you notifies him that you have noticed, his knowledge of English (or whichever other language you seemed to share before the journey started) will mysteriously disappear. If this happens, don’t pay but go to your hotel, friend or colleague and complain. They can support you and help translate. Realising that you have local contacts will usually calm the driver down and usually end up in your favour. Are there even alternatives? Still not happy? Go for public transport. There are such options at most airports, although sometimes not at night. Some airports are also so close to town that you can walk. You may however not know this unless you have checked the map in advance. Examples of such airports are Florø (FRO) in Norway, Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS) in the US, E.T. Joshua (SVD) in St. Vincent, George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) in St. Lucia, Eilat (ETH) in Israel. Do expect some weird looks though. Except for to or from the latter which may be the most central airport in the world. Getting a taxi to the airport is normally much easier. You will normally already have experiences with the city, you have met people and you can always ask a local to order the taxi for you.

It is often convenient to take a taxi to or from the airport. But there are in my opinion also reasons why you should rather pick public transport. At least eleven of them. 1. Taxis are almost always more expensive than public transport. That doesn’t necessarily mean that taxis are expensive. To take a taxi to or from Antananarivo from Ivato International (TNR) only costs 16 USD, but that is still 87.5 times more than the cheapest public transport option. To or from Newark outside New York, the difference is only 3.75 times. See more examples at the bottom of the article. 2. Public transport often actually saves you time. In many cities with dedicated train or tram lines, taxis are slower or much slower due to traffic and a longer travelling distance thanks to more turns and hills. The Maglev Train from Pudong International Airport in Shanghai has a top speed of 431 km/h. Unfortunately it stops a little outside the town centre, so you will in most cases have to take a taxi anyhow. Travelling that fast by train is still definitely worth it! The speedometer is visible from all seats, as a bonus and a photo op. 3. If you take a taxi, it is you and your driver. You will not meet anyone else. In a bus or a train you meet new people and get an early introduction to your destination and the culture there from your fellow travellers. If nothing else just by seeing them or overhearing conversations. But you can always be a little more adventurous and ask someone for recommendations. Most locals are more often than not eager to tell you about their area or country. 4. Public transport will rarely take you exactly where you are going, as opposed to taxis. You think that is a bad thing? I disagree as long as I am not in a rush. It gives you the possibility to explore a new area on your way to your accommodation, a great way to discover shops, cafes or restaurants that you may want to revisit later. Not to mention the excercise. Keep fit between all those trains, planes and automobiles. 5. Buses and trains in more and more locations offer free Wi-Fi zones on board to attract more passengers. That gives you a great opportunity to as early and cheaply as possible update your social media statuses or check on your mails. 6. Bus or train drivers won’t fool you by taking a detour or overcharging. They follow their schedules. 7. Taxis don’t offer refreshments. Some buses and trains do. 8. There are no toilets inside taxis. It may not usually matter, although it will certainly be essential if you have run into food poisoning on your journey. 9. Public transport is a greener alternative. Al Gore will be proud of you. 10. You can’t walk around in taxis. You can in metros, buses and trains. Unless it is rush hour in Tokyo, Asmara or Mexico, of course. Being able to move may be much wanted after 14 hours in a cramped economy seat. 11. The pressure to tip a taxi driver is much higher than to tip a bus driver. If you give in, the price goes up even more. If you don’t, expect a nasty look or a colourful oral reply. Still not convinced? At least make sure you are not ripped off by your taxi driver. Comparative costs I earlier mentioned comparative costs between taxis and public transport. So, what is the taxi – public transport price ratio, given that you travel alone? Examples follow below. Among them are Antananarivo in Madagascar where it costs almost 90 times more to go by taxi than to go by bus. That is the biggest difference that I have discovered, although it doesn’t mean that taxis are expensive. It only costs 16 USD, going by bus is just dirt cheap. And many of the taxis in Antananarivo are very cool and worth taking. Old Citroens or Renaults will take you back in time. Any better or worse examples from around the world? Please share your comments below. Ivato International Airport (TNR) – Antananarivo Taxi: 35,000 MGA Shuttle bus:14,000 MGA Bus: 400 MGA (requires you to walk 150 meters from the terminal) Ratio: 87.5 (times more expensive by taxi) Schipol (AMS) – Amsterdam Taxi: 48 EUR Train: 3.90 EUR Ratio: 12.3 London Heathrow (LHR) – London Taxi: 60 GBP The Tube (metro): 5.50 GBP Ratio: 10.9 Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) – Oslo Taxi: 890 NOK (if you use the right taxi company and ask for a fixed price in advance – otherwise you may pay double or even more) Airport express train: 170 NOK (half price for kids, students and the elderly) Airport bus: 150 NOK (80 NOK for kids, students and the elderly) Ratio: 5.9 Newark (EWR) – Manhattan Taxi: 60 USD Shuttle bus: 16 USD Ratio: 3.75 Any better or worse examples? Please share below.

Some companies are more cautious than others. Snow in United Arab Emirates is even rarer than sunshine is in Norway. Not to mention heavy snow.

Where would you not want to go on holiday? To war zones? They actually aren’t too bad. Considering. Less people are killed in armed conflict now than ever before in modern history. By: Gunnar Garfors. He travelled 5 continents in 1 day and visited every country. On Twitter: @garfors. Of the 526,000  people that die violently every year, ‘only’ 55,000 die in armed conflict or war. It is still a lot, yet half of what was the case in the 1990s, one third of the war deaths during the cold war and a hundreth of what they were during WWII, according to the magazine Foreign Policy. UNODC or United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime keep statistics on annual murder rates, or what they call ‘intentional homicide rate. Do note that numbers may be manipulated or underreported by governments.   The overview provided by Wikipedia is easier to follow. UNODC defines this as ‘unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person.’ So which countries should you avoid as a tourist? I have been unable to find statistics that isolate murdered tourists, so I am echoing the UNODC numbers. There are two ways of trying to approach the question; The total number of intentional homicides and the homicide rate per 100,000 people. I will go through both. You may also be interested in reading: The Airlines That Fly to the Most Countries The Least Visited Countries in the World Most dangerous countries, accumulated numbers 9 of the top 25 countries here are in Africa, 8 are in the Americas while are 7 in Asia. Russia is located in both Europe and Asia, and is the only European entry. There are armed conflicts or wars in 5 out of the 25 countries. The most surprising country on the list may be the United States which is the second most visited country in the world. 25. Cameroon 3,700 homicides (19.7 per 100,000) 24. Bangladesh 3,988 homicides (2.7 per 100,000) 23. El Salvador 4,308 homicides (69.2 per 100,000) 22. Myanmar (Burma) 4,800 homicides (10.2 per 100,000) 21. Philippines 4,947 homicides (5.4 per 100,000) 20. Guatemala 5,681 homicides (38.5 per 100,000) 19. Honduras 7,104 homicides (91.6 per 100,000) 18. Kenya 7,733 homicides (20.1 per 100,000) 17. Sudan 10,028 homicides (24.2 per 100,000) NB: Two armed conflicts in Sudan. 16. Tanzania 10,357 homicides (24.5 per 100,000) 15. Ivory Coast 10,801 homicides (56.9 per 100,000) 14. Venezuela 13,080 homicides (45.1 per 100,000) 13. China 13,410 homicides (1.0 per 100,000) 12. Democratic Republic of the Congo 13,558 homicides (21.7 per 100,000) 11. Pakistan 13,860 homicides (7.8 per 100,000) NB: War in North-West Pakistan. 10. Russia 14,574 homicides (10.2 per 100,000) 9. Colombia 14,670 homicides (31.0 per 100,000) NB: Civil war in Colombia. 8. United States 14,748 homicides (4.8 per 100,000) 7. South Africa 15,940 homicides (31.8 per 100,000) 6. Nigeria 18,422 homicides (12.2 per 100,000) 5. Indonesia 18,963 homicides (8.1 per 100,000) 4. Ethiopia 20,239 homicides (22.5 per 100,000) 3. Mexico 25,757 homicides (22.7 per 100,000) NB: War on drugs in Mexico. 2. India 40,752 homicides (3.4 per 100,000) NB: Insurgency in eastern parts. 1. Brazil 40,974 homicides (21.0 per 100,000) What happened to North Korea? It’s actually number 26 and just outside the list with its 3,658 murders (15,2 per 100,000). The most dangerous countries per 100,000 people This list is usually put forward in articles, and understandably so. It gives an overview of murders in percentages of the population. But St. Kitts and Nevis, a small country with 20 accumulated murders may still not seem to be very dangerous, despite being number 8 on the list with 38.2 homicides per 100,000 people. Only the Americas and Africa are represented on this list with 15 and 10 countries, respectively. The United States is understandably not here thanks to a population of 312 million people. Some cities would have been though, according to this article from January 22 in The Atlantic Cities. 25. Burundi 21.7 homicides per 100,000 (1,726) 24. Dominica 22.1 homicides per 100,000 (15) 23. Guinea 22.5 homicides per 100,000 (2,152) 22. Ethiopia 22.5 homicides per 100,000 (20,239) 21. Mexico 22.7 homicides per 100,000 (25,757) NB: War on drugs in Mexico. 20. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22.9 homicides per 100,000 (25) 19. Sudan 24.2 homicides per 100,000 (10,028) NB: Two armed conflicts. 18. Tanzania 24.5 homicides per 100,000 (10,357) 17. Dominican Republic 25.0 homicides per 100,000 (2,513) 16. Saint Lucia 25.2 homicides per 100,000 (44) 15. Bahamas 27.4 homicides per 100,000 (94) 14. Central African Republic 29.3 homicides per 100,000 (1,240) 13. Congo 30.8 homicides per 100,000 (1,180) 12. Colombia 31.0 homicides per 100,000 (14,670) NB: Civil war in Colombia. 11. South Africa 31.8 homicides per 100,000 (15,940) 10. Trinidad and Tobago 35.2 homicides per 100,000 (472) 9. Lesotho 35.2 homicides per 100,000 (764) 8. Saint Kitts and Nevis 38.2 homicides per 100,000 (20) 7. Guatemala 38.5 homicides per 100,000 (5,681) 6. Belize 41.4 homicides per 100,000 (129) 5. Venezuela 45.1 homicides per 100,000 (13,080) 4. Jamaica 52.2 homicides per 100,000 (1,430) 3. Ivory Coast 56.9 homicides per 100,000 (10,801) 2. El Salvador 69.2 homicides per 100,000 (4,308) 1. Honduras 91.6 homicides per 100,000 (7,104) The two lists are quite different, as it is unlikely that a small country will have a high accumulated number, even though the percentage is high. So, what is the most dangerous country? The combined list By combining the positions on the two lists, we will make a third one. Venezuela is for example placed 14 and 5. 14+5=19. We can assume that the lower the combined number, the more dangerous the country. Brazil has the most homicides, but is not among the top 25 on the deadliest per 100,000 people list, neither is the US. The worst ten from the two combined lists will then be: 10. Tanzania: 18+16=34 9. Guatemala: 7+20=27 8. Ethiopia=22+4=26 7. El Salvador: 2+23= 25 6. Mexico: 21+3=24 5. Colombia: 12+9=21 4. Honduras: 1+19=20 3. Venezuela: 5+14=19 2. South Africa: 11+7=18 1. Ivory Coast: 3+15=18 How about the more pleasant end of the list? Some of the least populated countries in the world are overrepresented here. Several of the world’s least visited countries also appear on both lists. Two countries have no homicides whatsoever. The 10 safest countries in accumulated numbers 1. Palau No homicides 1. Monaco No homicides 3. Iceland 1 homicide (0.3  per 100,000) 4. Federated States of Micronesia 1 homicide (0.9 per 100,000) 5. Tonga 1 homicide (1.0 per 100,000) 6. Andorra 1 homicide (1.3 per 100,000) 7. Liechtenstein 1 homicide (2.8 per 100,000) 8. Nauru 1 homicide (9.8 per 100,000) PS: The least visited country in the world. 9. Brunei 2 homicides (0.5 per 100,000) 10. Vanuatu 2 homicides (0.9) The 10 safest countries per 100,000 people 1. Palau No homicides 1. Monaco No homicides 3. Iceland 0.3 per 100,000 (1) 4. Singapore 0.3 per 100,000 (16) 5. Japan 0.4 per 100,000 (506) 6. Brunei0.5 per 100,000 (2) 7. Bahrain 0.6 per 100,000 (6) 8. Norway 0.6 per 100,000 (29) 9. Austria0.6 per 100,000 (56) 10. Slovenia 0.7 per 100,000 (15) Note that the Vatican, the world’s least populated country, is not on the list of UNODC. There are presumably no homicides in the homeland of the Pope, either.