Tip #1: Kaymak. Eat it. It’s wonderful and delicious and similar to clotted cream. I think the best kaymak we had was at Karakoy Ozsut, which is right near the Karakoy tram stop. The owner is super friendly and talked to us about the herd of buffalos that he keeps and good farming practices. Tip…
Although very few locals seem to ever shop at the Spice Bazaar, I thought that going to the bazaar was one of the most fun things that we did in Istanbul, largely because the salespeople can be extraordinarily entertaining. To be clear, you’re almost assuredly not going to get a deal on buying anything at…
Going to a hamam (aka a Turkish bath) can incite a lot of apprehension in a lot of travelers: it’s not clear exactly what’s going to happen to you, there’s often a language barrier, you’re generally going to be naked, and the stories range from very positive to very negative about the experience. Or at…
In Toronto, I knew that I had access to the American Express Lounge (formerly known as the Plaza Premium Lounge?) in the international departures area of Terminal 1 (located upstairs near gate E77) through Priority Pass. Recently, though, this lounge can also be accessed if you’re an Amex Platinum cardholder, which is a better way…
Prior to visiting Turkey, I was nervous about the civil unrest that I had read about. Stories about police storming Taksim Square, several people dying, and tear gas in the streets stoked my fears. But having just spent 4 days in Istanbul, I don’t think there’s much for tourists to be afraid of, particularly if…
I am currently in Istanbul, having gotten here on Air Canada via Toronto in coach (I know, the horrors of coach). I’d never flown Air Canada before, and I was excited to try them out as they’re supposedly the highest-rated North American airline, at least according to the oh-so-reliable Skytrax. But at the very least,…
I’ve waxed rhapsodic about TSA PreCheck in the past (although maybe I shouldn’t praise something that’s just a reversion to what used to be commonplace…), but in the past, I’ve wondered if I’d be eligible for PreCheck flying a certain airline out of a given airport. The TSA does publish this information on their website (which…
As far as I know, there are no nonstop flights from the US to Bangkok, which is perhaps expected given the distance to Thailand from the US. Thai Airways used to fly nonstop from LAX to BKK, but that flight now has a stopover in Seoul. Luckily, there are numerous options to get to Bangkok…
Alaska Airlines has posted baggage and service fee changes to their website. The fees don’t go into effect until tickets purchased on or after October 30, 2013, which is plenty of notice. Much better than unannounced changes or changes that go into effect immediately. While baggage fees are increasing marginally for the first 2 bags…
There are now photos online of Singapore’s new first class and business class seats for the Boeing 777-300ER. These will also be the seats on the A350 and Boeing 787-10 once those get delivered. The new seats are supposed to premier on the London route starting in September. Check out Australian Business Traveller for more…
