Travel News - Good Job, Railway Rollback, Cruise with Purpose, Runaway Flyer, Volunteer Vacations

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wineryThe “Best Job in the World” was awarded to an englishman this week, but a winery in Napa is offering a “A Really Good Job”:

A Really Good Job

Murphy-Goode Winery… is

offering you a “Really Goode Job” — a six-month job paying $10,000 a month plus accommodations!

We want to hire a social media whiz (your title will be “Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent”) who will report on the cool lifestyle of Sonoma County Wine Country and, of course, tell people what you’re learning about winemaking.

Rail Europe would like you to forget that it is 2009 and a year of economic upheaval and party like it was 1959.

Rail Europe turns back time for tickets

Rail Europe is celebrating half a century of its popular Eurail Pass and is inviting travelers on board with a special promotion. Beginning May 12, the company will offer its Eurail ticket at the 1959 rate: $125 for a five-day, three-country rail pass.

First “Cruise with Purpose” Shore Excursion

Juneau’s local tour operator Gastineau Guiding has created the first Cruise with Purpose shore excursion, in partnership with the Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program and the Alaska Marine Conservation Alliance.

This program was designed especially for Holland America Line. Guests board an exploration vessel out of Auke Bay to look for and help document individual humpback and orca whales.

How can you tell when an unaccompanied minor is really a runaway?

Florida runaway, 13, hops Southwest plane to San Jose to see mom

Someone thought it was odd that a 13-year-old boy was walking alone through San Jose’s airport at a time when he probably should have been safe at home doing schoolwork.

That someone was right.

The travel blog “Traveling the Green Way” had an interesting article about volunteer vacations:

Top 8 Volunteer Travel Trends

“Sixty-four percent (64%) of females are currently volunteering or have volunteered before, compared to only 51% of males.”

“The top overall volunteer travel destinations were Peru (23%) and Brazil (14%). For Americans, the top destinations were Peru (16%) and Costa Rica (15%).”

Other articles that I liked this week:

MS Volendam Cruise Ship Kitchen Tour

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How do you feed as many people as you will find on a large cruise ship like the MS Volendam from Holland America? The last time we were on the Voldendam we took a tour of the kitchens on the ship. An impressive number of people man the dining room and kitchen.

The dining room staff includes:

Dining Room Manager 1
Lido Manager 1
Assistant Dining Room Manager 2
Head Steward 7
Dining Room Steward 38
Assistant Dining Room Steward 31
Room Service Steward 8
Assistant Lido Steward 12
Doorman 2
Wine Steward 11

The kitchen staff includes:

Executive Chef 1
2nd Executive Chef 1
Pinnacle Grill Chef 1
Sous Chef 2
Demi Chefs 10
Bakery 4
Pastry 6
Butcher 2
Assistant Cook 20
Apprentice Cook 2
Pantry 16
Crew Kitchen 3
Chief Steward 1
Foreman Service Area 1
General Purpose Attendant 21

And during an average week the ship’s passenger’s will consume:

Meat and Meat Products 8,500 lbs
Poultry 4,000 lbs
Fish 2,000 lbs
Seafood 2,500 lbs
Butter and Margerine 1,100 lbs
Fresh Vegetables 12,000 lbs
Potatoes 4,500 lbs
Watermelon 1,800 lbs
Eggs 18,000
Dairy 4,000 quarts
Sugar 700 lbs
Sugar Packets 20,000
Rice for Crew 2,100 lbs
Caviar 20 lbs
Flour 2,900 lbs
Ice Cream 200 gallons

Other resources

Copyright 2009 by Chris Christensen