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F1X2, © 2013 TravelBloggers.ca, Gail Shankland

Formula One Two-Seater – F1X2 … Thrill of a Lifetime!

(Including Exclusive Interviews with Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Stoddart, Zsolt Baumgartner, Patrick Friesacher and Claire Bourdais)

By Gail Shankland

Ride of a lifetime … we’ve heard that expression used before with previous generations of Formula 1, Champ Car and IndyCar two-seaters, and to me it always sounded so cliché – so when I was asked to help promote the F1X2 (Formula 1 times 2) two-seater program (for the ChampCar World Series) I promised myself that I would find a more apt description for the experience. Unfortunately I have to admit that there really is no better way to sum it up … it is a thrill of a lifetime … every race junkie’s dream … something you’ll never forget.

The Formula One Minardi team is the worlds’ only regularly running two-seater program being operated on a commercial basis. Before the Champ Car World Series (CCWS) and IndyCar merged, Team Minardi brought several of these machines to North American tracks in order to give fans an opportunity that they would never otherwise have had. CCWS didn’t hide the fact that this was indeed a full-blown Formula One car by calling the programme the Champ Car F1X2.

The F1X2 is the only car in existence capable of carrying two people, while providing the most realistic sense of what Formula 1 driver’s experience. With its F1-specification 700hp, V10 engine – it has the power, down-force and manoeuvrability necessary to provide real-to-life Formula One speeds, cornering and braking

While at the beautiful race track at Mont Tremblant in Quebec, ex-Formula One drivers Zsolt Baumgartner and Patrick Friesacher were reaching top speeds of 185mph with passengers on board, and in some instances even practiced their over-taking manoeuvres!

Passengers of the Champ Car F1X2 were clocking laps at an average of 1min 20sec – just 3 seconds off the fastest race lap clocked by Sebastien Bourdais at 1:17.327 at Mont Tremblant! Really, there is no better evidence for why the Minardi F1X2 is the car for the job.

Australian Tourism Website – Questions From Visitors And Answers (Funny)

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Smile For The Day..

Tangiers Group Launches Medical Insurance For Workers, Travellers & Volunteers Living Or Visiting Dangerous Places

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Tangiers forms new international private medical insurance underwriter

SLIEMA, Malta, April 23, 2013 /CNW/ – Tangiers Group announce the formation of a product development and insurance underwriting subsidiary called Tangiers Global.

The company’s goal is to provide creative insurance solutions for workers, travellers, and volunteers living in or visiting dangerous places. With the support of Lloyd’s of London, Tangiers Global have launched battleface™, an individual travel medical insurance plan, and International Employee Defence™, (IED), a comprehensive group healthcare plan.

“We’ve been managing difficult medical cases for some of the largest international insurance companies since 2006,” said Tangiers Group CEO Christopher Catrambone. “It made sense for us to include product development and insurance underwriting as an extension of the great work our claims department is doing. We’re excited about the team we’ve assembled to carry out this mission.”

Proposed U.S. Border Fee For Canadians Ruffles Feathers

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

The United States government wants Canadians to pay to enter the United States to help ease their desperate financial situation.

TORONTO, April 21, 2013 /CNW/ – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget requests a study to determine the feasibility of collecting a fee from pedestrians and passenger vehicles crossing between the United States and Canada by land.

Whether this fee would focus on those entering or exiting the United States, or both, and how much each crossing might cost has yet to be determined.

“While we appreciate the fiscal challenges faced by our friends in the United States we would prefer the U.S. government focus on ways to reduce obstacles at the border that hinder trade and tourism,” MacKenzie said.

The Canada-U.S. economic relationship is one of the largest in the world. Trade in goods and services between the two countries totaled $645 billion in 2010—more than $1.7 billion in goods and services each day.

Fees for many commercial goods and agricultural inspections are already charged at the U.S. – Canada border.

Airline passengers in both countries already pay significant security fees on top of their ticket prices.

Below is the language as it appears in the Department of Homeland Security’s budget proposal:

SEC. 544. (a) The Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection shall:
(1) conduct a study assessing the feasibility and cost relating to establishing and collecting a land border crossing fee for both land border pedestrians and passenger vehicles along the northern and southwest borders of the United States; the study should include:
(A) the feasibility of collecting from existing operators on the land border such as bridge commissions, toll operators, commercial passenger bus, and commercial passenger rail;
(B) requirements to collect at land ports of entry where existing capability is not present; and
(C) any legal and regulatory impediments to establishing and collecting a land border crossing fee; and
(2) complete the study within 9 months of enactment of this Act.

The Canadian Snowbird Association is a 70,000 member, non-profit, non-partisan organization representing Canadian travellers from across the country. The CSA works in partnership with government and business to educate and advocate on behalf of all travelling Canadians, helping to ensure access to safe, healthy travel with no restrictions on freedom of movement.

SOURCE: Canadian Snowbird Association

Watkins Glen , 2- Seater Indy Racing Experience Gail Shankland, Iain Shankland © 2013 TravelBloggers.ca

A Two-Seater IndyCar Ride – The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Clothes On!

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Suited up and ready for the ride of his life!

As a race fan going back to when I could barely walk – just being able to say I’ve “been there” is a thrill and an honour. To have been driven around the track in an IndyCar 2-seater is without a doubt a dream-come-true and something I’ll never forget.

Although this article isn’t ‘brand-new’ it is new to this site and it’s something I thought would be of interest to our readers because the IndyCar Series will be offering 2-seater rides at all 2013 events.

On the Thursday prior to race weekend (Friday-Sunday) a select few of us from the media had the privilege to experience the thrill of two laps of the Glen. I had the honour of doing my laps with Davey Hamilton in the 2-seater IndyCar and it was a very big day for me … because, I got to cross two things off my list of “things I’ve always wanted to do, but never dreamed I’d have the chance” AKA: my Bucket List. 1) Going to a race weekend at the Mecca also know as Watkins Glen; and 2) Getting a ride in the back of a 2-seater IndyCar!

The whole experience was so much more than I ever could have imagined, and it gave me a completely new respect for race car drivers. The speeds, braking and cornering were so much more extreme than I thought they’d be … they seemed unnaturally exaggerated … bigger than life!

TravelBloggers.ca,albatros-africa.com, Going On Vacation,

The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) Says Canadian Travellers Are Paying Excessive Taxes And Fees

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OTTAWA, April 18, 2013 /CNW/ – The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) welcomed a federal government report supporting its position that air travellers are being unduly penalized by excessive taxes and fees that are making air travel more costly for Canadians.

The report, One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Future Growth and Competitiveness of Canadian Air Travel by the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, builds on earlier work of the committee that concluded taxes and fees imposed on travellers and airlines are making Canada’s aviation industry uncompetitive.

The senate report includes the following key findings and recommendations:

Canada needs a single, cohesive National Air Travel Strategy to chart a new course to ensure competitive air travel in Canada.
The Government of Canada must stop treating the aviation sector as a source of public revenue and start recognizing the sector’s ability to create jobs.
Airport rent should be eliminated.
Canadians continue to drive to U.S. airports to take advantage of lower airfares at an alarming rate.
The rules governing the use of foreign pilots should be strengthened.

“We note that the Senate Committee continues to be convinced of the urgent need to stop using the aviation industry to fill public coffers and start treating it as an engine that creates jobs and drives Canada’s economy, trade and tourism. Our member airlines are proud of their contributions to the economy but there is so much potential to do more. While the economic benefits of air transportation are significant and the sector supports over 400,000 Canadian jobs, the benefits could be much greater,” said George Petsikas, President of the NACC.

Canada’s aviation sector faces serious challenges as the downloading of government taxes, fees and other charges on the aviation industry has resulted in Canada having the dubious distinction of being one of the least competitive jurisdictions in the world for air travel.

“A strange paradox arises when we consider that the World Economic Forum consistently ranks Canada first in the world when it comes to the quality of our air transport infrastructure, yet millions of Canadians do not use our airports because of government taxes and policies. Canada, unfortunately, is inhibiting significant job creation,” added Petsikas.

“Canada’s large air carriers are working to keep government and airport costs down and fares affordable for our customers. To that end, we are urging the government to adopt the Senate Committee’s recommendation to develop a cohesive National Air Travel Strategy that reflects the realities of the industry today.”

The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) is the trade association representing Canada’s largest national and international passenger air carriers: Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP and WestJet. The NACC promotes safe, sustainable and competitive air travel through the development of policies, regulations and legislation that foster a world-class transportation system. Collectively, our member airlines carry over 50 million passengers annually and directly employ 43,000 people.

TravelBloggers.ca Viewpoint: As much as we love to give Canadian airlines’ our business, we have – and will continue to – cross the border and fly from Buffalo, NY in order to save us money (and time). The taxes on a flight from Toronto can easily be double what we’d pay from Buffalo.

Icelandair And WestJet Join Forces To Open The Skies Between North America And Europe

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

QUINCY, Mass., April 17, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet and Icelandair have launched a new interline agreement opening up the skies for passengers connecting between the Americas and more than 20 Icelandair destinations throughout Europe.

Passengers can now book a single combined e-ticket for WestJet and Icelandair flights which includes the conveniences of single check-in for all flights and baggage sent through to the final destination.

When connecting in the Americas, Icelandair customers will enjoy WestJet’s fleet of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft serving more than 80 cities in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

WestJet expands code-share with American Airlines

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

New cities now available via American Airlines’ Dallas-Fort Worth hub

CALGARY, April 15, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet announced today it will begin code-sharing on American Airlines flights to 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth in conjunction with WestJet’s new, non-stop service between Calgary and Dallas-Fort Worth launching April 29, 2013. WestJet and American Airlines together will provide three round-trip flights per day between the two cities.

The WestJet code has now been added on American Airlines-operated routes connecting through Dallas-Fort Worth to Albuquerque, N.M., Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., Orlando, Fla., Miami, Fla., New Orleans, La., Oklahoma City, Okla., Raleigh-Durham, N.C., San Antonio, Texas, St. Louis, Mo., Tampa Bay, Fla., and Tulsa, Okla.

“Our airline partnership strategy continues to grow, offering guests additional opportunities to connect throughout WestJet’s world and beyond,” said Chris Avery, Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “The addition of 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth greatly increases connectivity for both WestJet and American Airlines guests, opening new markets for business travellers in particular.”

Self-Catering/DIY - Explore, TravelBloggers.ca

What’s Your Holiday Style? ❀ All-Inclusive ❀ Hotels & Restaurants ❀ Self-Catered ❀

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Iain is always quick to tell people that his Polish-Ukrainian wife is far more Scottish than he is … and yes, I’ll admit it … I’m frugal!

With that, I can tell you that only ONCE in our 21 married years have we ever gone on an all-inclusive vacation … and it was probably our least favorite (for more reasons than one, but we won’t get into that). I’m not sure if that really tells you anything, other than maybe I’d rather not sit still and be waited on? Though I’m sure Iain would disagree with that statement, but let’s not argue the details, let’s just talk about the options!Though we don’t have a gaggle of kids in tow when we travel we still tend to vacation on a budget, or even a shoe string where possible. For some reason we can’t get our heads wrapped around spending more money to stay ONE week in a hotel than we would for our monthly housing expenses at home. Call us crazy (we’re okay with that), but that’s just who we are.

If you’ve never considered a self-catered holiday, you really should … It’s a great option for saving money! Sure you may have to make a few meals and tidy up after yourself, but the plus-side (besides saving money) is that you have more freedom and privacy and you can keep your own schedule, not that of house-keeping or the breakfast buffet!