Travel Notes – Travel Blog – Page 5 – ► Blogging About Travel

December 2, 2015February 15, 2016

2016 Royal Calendar

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, will be ninety in 2016.

To celebrate this occassion I’ve put together a special Royal Collection of images from my travel photography collection.

2016 Royal Calendar

Her Majesty The Queen studies the horses before the race.

Racing Queen — Prints Available at http://tnot.es/Prints

At the age of 25, Princess Elizabeth became Queen when her father passed away, while she was staying in a remote part of Kenya; on Wednesday, 6th February 1952.

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June, 1953.

Click on an image to see the larger version.

All photographs copyright Michel Guntern (Travel Pics).

Fine Art America might not offer calendars for sale but some of my wall calendar photos are available as museum-quality prints or beautiful throw pillows.

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November 26, 2015

Happy Holidays

Christmas Morn painted by W.C. Bauer is a rural snow-covered scene with couple in horse-drawn sled; bridge in foreground; church in background.

The last Thursday in November is known as Thanksgiving Day and traditionally kicks off the ‘holiday season’ in the United States.

Thanks for Visiting.

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November 15, 2015December 4, 2016

Win Free Hosting For Your Travel Photos

Win free hosting for your travel images in our 2016 Travel Photographer of the Year contest. https://t.co/jUm8cPGkNT pic.twitter.com/p9a3vq7puf

— Michel Travel Notes™ (@TravelTweet) November 15, 2015

Yes folks, that’s the prize up for grabs at the end of 2016 in our Travel Photographer of the Year contest; and it’s free to enter!

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015

Driving through Baden-Baden, a spa town in south-western Germany’s Black Forest region, in the early hours of Halloween, the morning mist gently lifts as the sun picks out the autumnal colours of the leaves decorating the trees in the famous Kurgarten.

Nature presented the perfect photo opportunity in the spa garden before the crowds of morning shoppers arrived.

If you’re looking for colourful reminder of Autumn for your wall this could be the ideal image for you.

Autumn is a great time to hit the road with your camera and share the results of your leaf-peeping with a worldwide audience.

Show us where you’ve been lately and what inspired you to click the shutter and capture the colours of Autumn in our free-to-enter, Autumn Travel Photography contest.

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October 19, 2015October 19, 2015

The Best of Expo 2015 in Milan

The theme for Expo 2015 was ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life‘ and included a number of food related clusters where visitors could learn more about food production and the countries providing the natural resources for our tables; seasoned with a large portion of tourist promotion.

There was something of a protest in Milan at the opening of Expo 2015, by a group of anti-austerity activists on May 1st; but then there were the annual May Day protests in Switzerland’s banking centre of Zurich as well, so nothing drastic.

When we visited on a warm, sunny day later that month, everything ran smoothly.

We chose to stay at the Novotel Malpensa; driving there early in the morning from Zurich.

Checked in and parked up, we caught the shuttle bus to Malpensa Airport; for the Malpensa Express, in to Milan.

Getting to the Expo Site from Malpensa, with Trenord, couldn’t be easier; we just followed the signs on the floor when changing at Milano Porta Garibaldi, for Rho Fiera.

Some people started with a plan of which country pavilions they wanted to visit and used the Expo Map to get to where they wanted to go as fast as possible.

Other individuals were happy to explore at a leisurely pace, tasting a little here and a little there, while snapping away on mobile devices and thoughly enjoying their day in the sun.

Then there were those who seemed to join the longest queues and waste away their hours in lines; not really knowing what to make of it all.

‘Of all the gifts with which God has blessed us, water is the greatest. It must be cherished and husbanded’
– His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman.

Expo Milano 2015: (May 1st to October 31st)
View the photo gallery of country pavilions if you don’t have time to visit yourself.

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March 13, 2015March 13, 2015

Best Travel Photography Contest

Submit your best three travel photographs in our free-to-enter travel photography competition.

The contest is open to anyone with photos hosted on Fine Art America. If you’re not a member, create your own artist website (for free).

Click on the image to print it.

The image(s) you submit to Best Travel Photography may not be altered within a photo editing software program; although cropping is allowed.

That means no cloning anything out of the original image, nor adding anything in; and no HDR enhancements.

We’re looking for travel photographers who know what makes a great shot, not talented photo editors who’ve learned how to digitally manipulate images that didn’t work once the shutter was released.

Our Best Travel Photography contest is sponsored by the Top Travel Pics group.

Voting will be open to the general public but there may be a special prize for an ‘Editor’s Choice’ winner. Details to be announced in the Top Travel Pics discussions.

To win the Editor’s Choice, your pictures should make the viewer want to travel there, or at least convey an emotion about a place you visited.

Why did you choose to go where you did? What made you press the shutter when you did? Is it really your best shot? Could you have done better?

Submissions End and Voting Begins: Tuesday, March 24th, 2015 – 8:05 AM
Voting Ends and Prizes Awarded: Tuesday, March 31st, 2015 – 8:05 AM
Times (Eastern United States)

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March 3, 2015March 3, 2015

Selling Your Travel Photography Online

Are you looking for a way to sell your travel photography online and find SmugMug getting a little too expensive? Join the club.

I’ve decided to move from SmugMug and think I’ve found the ideal alternative.

Let me know if you sign up to transform your images into a flourishing online business.

Michel’s Travel Pics – Contact Form.

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February 20, 2015

Meta-Travel 2015 Membership Levels

It’s taken a little longer than expected but we’ve finally added our new Meta-Travel membership levels.

I’ll outline the basic details below and will create separate posts later, to cover the actions allowed for each level, and link to them from here.

Standard Membership:
Can create a member profile for free; join a group; add comments and rate content. 5% Commission.

Promotion:
Members with a completed profile, including personal profile picture (not logo), a nice Cover image, and who are already active in a group may receive a ‘Promotion’ level for greater posting freedom. 6% Commission.

Tourist: 45 days – $5 (2,500 Points); 100 days – $10 (5,000 Points).
Tourists earn a short-term upgrade and can enter travel contests. 8% commission.

Verified Member: 180 days – $16 (8,000 Points); 360 days – $24 (12,000 Points).
Add a website and exchange community points for Meta-Travel credits + earn 10% commission.

Travel Blogger: 420 days – $32 (16,000 Points).
Travel bloggers and photographers showcase their work, for extra community points. 12% commission.

Travel Critic: 480 days – $40 (20,000 Points).
Travel critics savour life in hotels and restaurants; the proof is in the pudding. 14% commission.

Tour Guide: 520 days – $50 (25,000 points).
The tour guide waxes lyrical about the places to visit and things to do there. 16% commission.

Travel PR: 560 days – $70. (35,000 Points).
Public relations is good for business and these folk know how to travel right. 18% commission.

Travel Scribe: 620 days – $100 (50,000 points).
It’s all about crafting the written word; travel scribes live for the thrill of the quill. 19% commission.

Travel Editor: 710 days – $140 (70,000 points).
Travel Editors are highly respected members of the Meta-Travel community. 20% commission.

Social Log-in:
We’ve also added a Facebook Connect button and may be offering other social media log-in options soon; if there’s a call for them.

Your comments are appreciated. If you don’t want to post them in the open, feel free to use our Contact Form.

If you’re not a Meta-Travel member, Join Now.

Michel – Travel Marketing Made Simple.

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February 18, 2015

International Tourism Continues to Grow by 3% to 4%

A report by the World Tourism Organization – at the end of January, 2015 – claimed that ‘International tourist arrivals reached 1,138 million in 2014’. UNWTO forecasts for the year ahead remain positive, with another 3% to 4% increase predicted.

As Europe strengthens its ‘most visited region in the world’ status, with visitors from China increasing faster than Japan and South Korea, this trend is especially good for those employed in European Tourism.