Boeing has its hands full with the final works on the 787 orders but they still have some time to show the public the latest version of the 747 which is the 747-8 Intercontinental that took the spotlights last weekend. The capacity of the new member of their fleet can go from 400 through 500 depending on the seat configuration of the coach seats. To date, the 747-8 is the biggest of the commercial airplanes built by Boeing.

The framework for the design of the jumbo airplane is more than four decades but vintage is not any where accurate to define the new 747 version. The jumbo jet shares DNA with its 787 sibling which means new engines, new body, new design, and new technologies in placed and implemented. The new features of the plane will improve its fuel efficiency and also reduce its emissions. The ride will also be a lot more spacious compared to the older versions.

The airplane that was unveiled is ready for testing with the interiors giving way for testing instruments. The company announced that it may be ready before the end of the year. Boeing is still knocking on the doors of the big airliners but it is most likely that Lufthansa will be the one to get the big guy in its hangar.

A bit of trivia: the 747-8 on display last weekend will not be for commercial use. It must have been really convincing that a private individual bought it.

InterContinental Hotels plans to restructure the Crowne Plaza hotel brand and come up with a new chain of hotels in China after their revenues jumped by 6% last year. The hotel industry was able to recover post recession after leisure and business travels went up.

In China, the earnings for every available room also improved by as much as 25.8%. In Shanghai, this indicator of the hotel industry jumped by 55.9% brought about by the World Expo last year.

InterContinental plans to position its new chain of hotels just between their luxury line InterContinental and the Crowne Plaza. The company plans to increase its operations in China, the Middle East, and India through the next decade. Back in 2010, they opened more than 20 hotels in China.

Across the globe, InterContinental plans to rework the Crowne Plaza brand and close down the old hotels to give way to around 100 more hotels.

InterContinental Hotels also announced that it is giving their New York Barclay Hotel. The company is leaning towards being focused on their franchise model; managing the hotels with their owners.

InterContinental is the biggest hotelier in the globe with 2010 revenues posted at $1.6 Billion and a pre-taxes earnings of around $397 million.

If you are going for a short escape from city life, travelling with just a hand luggage can save you a lot of time and money. Instead of checking in your luggage, you will be able to stretch your budget and get better value of your dollars.

Here are some benefits when you just bring a hand luggage during short travels:

Cheaper – save some money since you will not need to check in any bags.

Quicker – Save some minutes of your time lining up on the check in for your luggage. After the trip, you do not have to await by the bags carousel since you do not have any. Going to the taxi queue will also not be a hassle because you will be ahead of the rest of passengers. Less lines in airports translates to lesser amount of stress you subject yourself to.

Safer – Ever been to another city or country and you find yourself clueless where your bag ended up? This will not happen if you travel with your hand luggage. Your bag is always with you and you are sure it will get off the airplane with you.

Practical tips when bringing a hand luggage

Get the right bag

Do not get a hand carry bag that is too big or too small. Invest in a good one because you will be using this for the next few years. Make sure the quality of zippers, materials, and handles are excellent. You also have to make sure that the bag is lightweight or it totally defeats your purpose of travellign light.

Bag limits

Make sure that you know the restricitions of the flights you are taking. If you are using another carrier on your return trip, call them ahead of time to find out of any restricitions. The regulations with regard to hand luggage may differ for every carrier.

Some airlines will not have a limit with the bags as long as you can carry them but some will limit it to a few pounds or kilos. Some also restrict hand luggage to just one bag. A number of airlines will allow one bag plus a duty free shopping bag. Some airports are also a bit lenient when you buy duty free goods, some will not add their weight to your luggage so you do not have to worry about limits. When you are over the limit, prepare for some hefty fees unless you will decide to throw away some of your stuff.

If you are travelling with a group, do not entertain the thought that you can pool your hand luggages. Make sure each bag is not overweight to avoid any hassle.

Only bring what’s necessary

During short trips, remember that you will only be gone for a few days and not for a month. You do not have to bring your whole wardrobe and your whole shoerack and your month’s supply of favorite cologne or deodorant. Put in mind that your goal is just bring as little as you can and buy what you can buy where ever you are going.

How to pack

There are several options when packing using small bags. You can budle stuff together. You can fold things in squares. Or you can put things around an item in the middle of the bag.

Clothes

Wear your coat, your jeans, your belt, and bulky shoes. In short, wear the heaviest of the things that you want to bring with you. If you do not like that idea, bring clothing that will basically go well together. A number of shirts that will pair nice with your only pair of pants perhaps. There is a big room for creativity so you can have a number of outfits with a fewer number of clothes.

Bring clothes that are lightweight and if possible wrinkle free. Aside from being easy on the airport weighing scale, these clothes can easily be washed and worn if you need to.

Pockets

Your pockets may come handy when you are planning to travel light. Use them for some small heavy items like your camera, phone charger, some toiletries, or your pocketbook. Once on board, you can transfer them to your bag. Also have your travel documents, money, ID, tickets, or travel insurance in your pocket so you can easily reach for them.

Toiletries

Regulations nowadays only allow a few millimeters of liquid. You have to place them in small bottles and use ziplock bag to carry them. Or you can just buy the stuff you need when you get to your destination. Most hotels or apartels will also provide guests shamppo, soap, toothpaste and other basic toiletries.

Gadget

Will it be your laptop or your notebook? If you really have to bring one, then just go for the netbook. Also avoid bringing a number of gadgets since you will not really need them during your short trip. These small items will also weigh much when put together.

A Hawaii holiday will expose you to a wide spectrum of great sceneries, culture, and flavors. Hawaii is considered a melting pot due to the different peoples from all over the globe that make up its population. Aside from tons of pictures you will bring home, you will also have a ton of memory because of the gastronomic experience after your Hawaii travel.

This article focuses on the great local finds in Honolulu, Hawaii:

Best seafoods

Hawaii offers the freshest of freshest when it comes to seafoods. Try the poke which is usually made from ahi tuna and can be served either spicy or limu. In case you want your fish cooked, you can go for grilled tuna, steamed onaga, or maybe pan-seared name-we-have-it fish. If you are a sushi lover, Honolulu will be heaven! There are a ton of izakayas and sushi bars in town.

One of the best places you can go to is Nico’s Pier 38 along N. Nimitz Highway. A must try is their Furikake pan-seared Ahi but they also have their Catch of the Day which is the best pick of the chef.

Traditional Hawaiian

The best place to try the local food is the Ono Hawaiian Food in Kapahulu. The restaurant will let you into an experience of how the locals enjoy their great local dishes. In case you get an invite for first birthday party, cancel everything and attend the baby party! The first luau is an all out dining party which may come with lau lau, kalua pig, haupia, salmon, poi, and a whole cast of luau food.

Regional Cuisine

The Indigo Restaurant along the Nuuanu Avenue is in the Chinatown part of Honolulu. They serve great Eurasian cuisine using the best seafoods and locally grown veggies. They are also popular with the younger crowd because of their creative cocktails and drinks.

Another extraordinary stop is the restaurant of Chef Mavro. This restaurant is not only a favorite of locals and tourists but have been awarded as one of the best seafood restaurants. Aside from great food, you will have a great dining experience as the dishes are paired with a good collection of wines. You will not really choose from a list of wines but the chef will send you the best match for whatever food you order. You can go for the tasting menu which is served in six courses (and of course, six glasses of the best wines). If you have diet restrictions, the chef will prepare a good course that is adapted to your preferences. If you are celebrating an important occasion, Chef Mavro is a must.

Alan Wong’s resto is just a few meters from Chef Mavro is considered as among the best restaurants in Honolulu. Like Mavro, Alan Wong is also one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. If you want to dine at this Honolulu restaurant, you must call and reserve seats in advance especially if you are travelling during peak seasons. The chef is famous for the Farmer Series menu for dinner which is his way of supoprting the local ranchers and farmers.

Shrimps

If you are craving for some shrimps, drive to the North Shore of Oahu. Ask locals how you can find the Original White Shrimp Truck of Giovanni. Bring your camera since you will catch beautiful sceneries on the way to your best shrimp experience in Honolulu. Order a plate of shrimp scampi and ask for a hot sauce if you want it on the spicy. You can also ask for extra slices of lemon.

Noodles

Locals of Hawaii love noodles and you have a wide variety of noodles to choose from. Try Pho if you love Vietnamese, pancit if you want to try Filipino food, chap chae for a Korean version, or a rice noodles of the Chinese.

Mixed plate lunch

The traditional Hawaiian lunch comes as a mixed plate with rice, potato or macaroni salad, and choice from a long list of entrees. You can go for a burger steak, chicken katsu, mochiko chicken, shoyu chicken, or maybe Spam. The servings are bigger than usual and only cost $7 to $9. It may not be the healthiest but it will be a fill you up quite good.

Some of the common destinations for a good plate of lunch are Rainbow Drive Inn, Zippy’s, Diamond Head Grill and Market, and the Kakaako Kitchen.

Sweets

If you have a craving for something sweet, ask the locals where you can find Leonard’s Bakery. This bakery sells the best Malasadas in all of Hawaii. Malasadas is a ball of bread that is deep fried and had a good roll on a plate of sugar. The best part is that you are getting them freshly baked and still hot. Malasadas is a good excuse to say that your diet restrictions are suspended for a day. Or two maybe.

End your day with a cone of shaved ice or the local version of sno cone. On a hot day, the best place for this will be Islan Snow or Matsumoto’s.

You can also get tropical fruits of the season from local farmers’ markets. The mangoes of Hawaii are good or you can also try longan, dragon fruit, lychee, persimmons, or cherimoya.