News About and From AirTreks

Agreein' with the Aegean

Nico Crisafulli — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:56:00 +0000

If you've ever taken an excursion to the Greek Islands you know just how amazing the Aegean Sea can be. The wine dark waters, tiny whitewashed towns speckling the horizon, the salt and olive oil air. It's simply like no other place.

If you've never been but are considering exploring this stunning region, good for you! Getting around the islands isn't difficult and absolutely worth every penny spent hopping islands. For the average traveler there are a few different ways to do it, the most common being with the Greek Ferry system.

You can get to most inhabited islands utilizing the national ferries. These giant ships, replete with restaurants, sleeping cabins and entertainment areas leave from Piraeus, a port town about 5 miles southwest of central Athens and is accessible by train. The schedules have the ferries departing either early (around 7am) or in the evening. Evening departures often involve overnighting on board and can include the added option of a sleeping berth. Ferry tickets are moderately priced, running between $20 and $40 each depending on which seat (or bed) type you want and where you're going. You can get the tickets at any travel agency in Athens or in the towns on the islands visited. You can also get them in advance at the Greek Ferries website. This site has gotten a lot better over the last few years now has the option prebook actual tickets, get schedules and read reviews.

Another method of wandering the islands could be more memorable. Chartering a sailboat will get you to any island you choose and at the pace you, not the government, decides upon. You can charter a sailboat in 3 different ways:

Bareboat: you have your own boat on which to hit the high seas. Obviously this is the most private and adventurous option but you'll need to prove your experience before they give you a hundred thousand dollar sailboat. Take along your sailing résumé as you'll need it to get on board. Please leave your pony at home.

Flotilla: it's like the bareboat charter but you'll travel with regatta of other sailboats to each island stop. If being out there on your own is a little riskier than you'd like, this is a great option.

Crewed: comes with an English-speaking skipper, a small crew to deal with the dirty work and private cabins to sleep in. The skippers are usually interesting characters and will let you try your novice hand behind the wheel if you want.

The charter option is an incredible way to part the waters and when factoring in the costs of buying ferry tickets, hotels and meals, the added expense is negligible. Charters are usually rented by the week and have a huge range of prices depending on the size of the sailboat, the number of cabins, the season and whether there's a crew. If you're interested in a crewed charters a 2-cabin vessel will run in the $2000 - $3000 neighborhood depending on how much luxury and enmities you want. Most include at least breakfast and lunch.

There are a few other minor charges to be dealt with as well: fuel (it's a sailboat but navigating harbors and the capricious meltemi winds requires an engine), tipping the crew and cleaning costs money. Ponies as well are extra.

The most dependable charter site is Greek Seas with a huge list of sailboats and routes available. For bareboat charters, the Yacht Charter Guide lists several companies for your researching pleasure.

For further info on sailing and sailboat chartering in the region read here.

If doing it on your own is not in the cards, there are also organized cruise ship options to choose from. You can also simply fly from Athens to the islands for a quick and easy relaxation rescue. Both Aegean Airlines and (the new) Olympic Air fly to the three airport locations in the islands: Mykonos, Santorini and Heraklion, Crete.

* photos courtesy of Wolfgang Staudt, Rui Ornelas & Fugue via Creative Commons

Demystifying the AirTreks Around the World Ticket

Nico Crisafulli — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:50:00 +0000

We here at AirTreks speak to a lot of people over the course of a day, many having lists of preconceived notions about what is and isn't possible with an around the world airplane ticket, its rules and how they must be used. Unfortunately a lot of what they've heard is for a type of ticket that AirTreks is simply not beholden to, namely because we're not the airlines.

I'm here to clear up the mysteries of these tickets vis-à-vis AirTreks, by clarifying some of the most common misconceptions:

They must start and end in the same place, and in the country from which they were issued:

Unlike any alliance RTW ticket, an AirTreks ticket can start anywhere, end anywhere and have any combination of flights in between, using any commercial airline of any alliance to get there. Because our tickets are not constrained to the strict rules of the alliances, they are fully customizable making the choices of where you can go and when veritably infinite and completely up to you.

You can't go over a maximum or under a minimum number of stops:

AirTreks has no maximum but a minimum number of 3 stops. To go further, there is no fixed or standard pricing per stop. In general, the largest factor in the price of your tickets is the total distance you fly. Some destinations may add more cost than others because they add more length to your route, because they are served by fewer or more expensive airlines, or simply because the airlines price the routes higher. Your personal travel consultant can advise you on which best destinations to drop in order to achieve your airfare budget.

You must always travel in one direction:

One of the many things that sets AirTreks apart from your average airline alliance ticket is our flexibility. Backtracking, the act of reversing the general direction of travel around the globe, is typically prohibited on many alliance round-the-world tickets. AirTreks allows this. As a matter of fact, you can arrange your ticket using any number of combinations, directions and routings, with a fully customizable city list and overland travel options.

One thing to remember however is that your AirTrek typically increases in price with the amount of distance traveled, and backtracking can have a drastic effect on overall mileage, hence price. To keep the final fare as low as possible, we encourage people to try to travel in the most direct line across the planet.

Dates and routes are set in stone:

Using AirTreks, you can change your route and destinations for free up until the time you pay for your tickets. Once tickets are paid for and issued, routing changes generally require buying additional or replacement tickets, but dates can be changed, usually with a fee, as long as you stick to the originally ticketed airline and stop sequence. This is fairly standard industry practice.

You can only travel for a year:

The misconception is that you can't travel for more than a year. The truth is that you cannot purchase tickets more than a year away.

Airline computers are fickle, most likely because they have a lot to do. The sheer amount of data their central computer has to contend with is simply mind-boggling. To limit the glut of stored info, a maximum is imposed on how long in advance they can set their schedules and number their seat inventory. That limit is 330 days—right around 11 months from the current date, not, as is commonly believed, the first date of the trip. No airline computer can make reservations outside this window.

It's true that AirTreks cannot issue tickets more than 11 months away, normally designating the maximum length of our trips.

So you ask, what if I want to travel for more than 11 months? How do I purchase all the tickets for my trip? Well, it's a great question and one we're asked a lot.

If you intend to travel beyond the 11-month threshold, you'll need to buy tickets for the remainder of the trip at a later date, buying the complete trip in two or more stages. AirTreks would arrange tickets for the portion of your travel to be completed before 11 months and then the balance of tickets later. (We can and often do arrange to send tickets to our clients as they travel.)

As a legal aside, we are required to pay for all tickets within 3 business days of receipt of payment, and since airlines do not accept payment before we issue tickets, we are unable to take payment for tickets that would be issued later. We also cannot hold payment for tickets our clients intend to buy.

It's possible to book open travel dates:

This is actually true, but AirTreks does not currently have a policy to sell open tickets and strongly recommends having confirmed reservations for all flights before you make your final payment. While there technically is such a thing as an open ticket, you have no reservations in place and no guarantee that space will be available when you want to travel. You may have to wait days or weeks to go if flights are fully booked, which happens all too often.

Either way, the "open ticket" moniker hides a multitude of drawbacks: infrequent or inconvenient schedules, lack of availability, low priority seating on oversold flights and a generally unpredictable nature to plan around.

Open tickets are almost never necessary and should be avoided whenever possible. Any ticket that can be issued with an "open" date can be issued cheaper on a flight where space is actually available, along with the option to change dates any number of times. Having confirmed but changeable reservations gives you the best of both worlds.

AirTreks strongly recommends travelers insist on having confirmed reservations for all flights before buying any tickets from us or anyone. It's just easier that way.

Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion about the complicated world of around the world tickets. Of course, if you still have questions, or new questions as the case may be, feel free to call up one of our well-informed Trip Consultants. They'll be able to demystify any remaining confusion you simply can't shake. They can be reached at 1-800-AIRTREKS.

Or if you want to jump right in and get on with it already, click on the banner below and launch your very own Trip Planner session. Let's go traveling!

* images by anyjazz65, contraption & tiffa130 respecitively, courtesy of Creative Commons

Airlines in the News: Etihad

Nico Crisafulli — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:04:00 +0000

A lot of news has come out of the gulf region's airline industry of late. In the past ten years, four separate high-quality airlines have come out of that part of the world and are all vying for the title of number one. While Emirates has a business model that pretty much puts the others to shame, there's several national carriers that are headquartered in that area doing what they do very well.

The World Travel Awards, a distinguished industry moderator, have tallied up the votes for this year's World's Best Airline category, and the title goes to, bum bum bum: Etihad Airlines of the UAE.

Etihad was established in 2003 and is currently ranked 4 stars by Skytrax, the world's most renowned airline rating system. They hub in Abu Dhabi and have a very impressive route map, flying to 57 destinations in 48 countries on 4 separate continents. Another notable accomplishment of theirs, which is certainly something to keep in mind: no specific incidents or accidents since their inception.

The World Travel Awards ranks many facets of travel industry, such as hotels, tour companies and airline quality using votes mainly from travel agents worldwide but also executives in the travel and tourism industry and only this past year, the traveling public (whose votes are relegated to half-value). 2009 is the 16th edition of the WTA and going strong. The ceremony was held on November 8th at the 5-star Grosvenor House in London's Mayfair neighborhood.

If you happen to be taking a multi-stop trip and wish to sample a trip with Etihad, or any airline, feel free to submit your trip at the link below and discuss your plans with one of our travel consultants.

Safety Video from Thomson Airways

Nico Crisafulli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:15:00 +0000

I came across this great video created by the team at Thomson Airways, a relatively new charter airline service based out of the UK.

The video is subject matter we've all come to regard as necessary but irritating and if you travel a lot, completely redundant. Fortuntately Thomson Airways has taken a novel approach to the safety video genre and made it just about as adorable as you can get. Definitely worthwhile to watch the whole way through. These kids are so cute!

Thanks to No Debt World Travel for discovering this little gem.

Enjoy!

Building the Itinerary You Want

Nico Crisafulli — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Planning a big around the world trip is never easy. When you're putting together something that digs so deep into your savings and includes places you've wanted to visit since time immemorial, the whole process can seem a bit overwhelming. You might as well be battling the Mongol hordes.

So where do you start?

Deciding where to go – You've already determined how long the trip will be. This should be your next step. The distance traveled, number of stops and route will determine how much the thing will cost. Start a Trip Planner session to see prices for random trip ideas. For the most part, price is a key ingredient so that decision is an important one.

How do you decide?

First, make a list of the cities or regions you've always yearned for and/or heard great things about. These places will give you the most satisfaction upon seeing for the first time. Always wanted to see the Great Pyramids or the Taj Mahal? Add them in. If these won't fill a complete trip, read on.

Books and magazines: Flipping through guidebooks and travel magazines inspires travel wishes very quickly. Chances are you've already decided upon your world regions so you can get more site specific with articles and images. Personally, I like the new Afar magazine. It takes a more modern, eco-friendly approach to traveling and has great suggestions. Plus they'll send you a free copy!

The Interwebs: there's a veritable cornucopia of helpful sites out there that can assist in the decision making process. Start with Tripbase, Trazzler and 101 Holidays. Each are intuitive, informative and will point you in good directions.

Blogs: like planning websites, there's also travel blogs aplenty. Take it from me, I'm one of them. Of course some are better than others. I like World Hum and Boots 'n All. These guys do what they do with style and talent and are tireless professionals to boot.

Feel free to glance over this previous blog post about turning to the web for assistance in your planning process.

Twitter: regardless of your opinion about this web debutante, there are thousands of great Twitter feeds that will key you into what's hot, what's cheap and with an ocean of 140-character blurbs and tidbits you may not have known about. The main obstacle is narrowing down the noise. The best bet is to make a list of your fave travel Tweeters and sort through what they give you. I recommend starting out with a few then branching out:

Oh, and don't forget to follow AirTreks too!

Friends and neighbors: have a dinner party to get them all together in your livingroom. Ask them about their prior trips and where they'd like to go back to. People are usually insanely happy to talk about their travels, often to the point of nausea, but you can glean what you want for inspiration.

Message boards are great resources. Specifically, Lonely Planet has a part of their site devoted purely to message board questions. Using Thorn Tree Forum, you can visit your selected world region in search of the questions others have asked before you. There will likely be an answer to your personal question logged on the forum somewhere. WorldBackpackers.net also has some great budget minded advice.

The Trip

Be realistic with your plan (ie, don’t try to do too much). Trying to get to 25 cities in two months will not make you more informed about the world—it will only make you tired. Countries, cities and towns around the world are inherently rich and merit time to delve deeper into their cultural fabric. Sure, some cities don't require the same time commitment as others but no country is understood after three days of bouncing from one tourist site to the next. You've paid handily for the right to see the world, make the most of it and give each land the time it needs. If you don't know how long to stay in each city, our consultants can tell you more. But generally speaking, the thicker the section in the guidebook, the longer you should spend there.

To enliven the places you're going even more you can visit during an event or festival. Joobili is a great website to find out what's going on where so you can plan your itinerary around it.

Give yourself a full travel day between destinations when accounting for days on the travel calendar. Acclimation is an important part of getting into the swing of a new place, and airport transfers/hotel check ins can be time (and energy) consuming.

One rule of thumb is the more time you to allow between activities and traveling the better chance you have of seeing it in a relaxed and open way. No one wants to be smoothing their feathers from the taxi ride from Athens airport when contemplating the pillars of the Acropolis. Take a day or two in between. And relax. It's a holiday!

Think about your itinerary as if you were traveling on it. Removing the transit between London Heathrow and Gatwick is worth the extra $50 or $100. Money is well-spent when you're saving yourself a giant hassle. In other words, keep in mind logistics. Are you going to have to recheck your bags? Will you need to take a taxi, a train, a bus to the city center? Do you even know where the stations are? How does Jell-o really happen? How come 747s don't fall out of the sky? All great things to consider.

Finally, understand that there is no "perfect itinerary". The variables in travel are as unpredictable as Oprah Winfrey's hairstyle. Things can change on a whim and as soon as you think you have it all worked out, that's when you need to return home to nail that surprise dream job interview. The main thing to remember is to roll with whatever the trip throws at you. And undoubtedly, it will lob some meatballs. Take them in stride because if it doesn't kill you, you're probably doing okay.

* images by Tony Crider, Hamed Saber & andyket

Photo Friday

Nico Crisafulli — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Last week we brought you photos from the lush and tropical South Pacific taken by AirTreks' dynamic exploring duo Daniel and Sara, perhaps to get you ready for the upcoming winter.

In that same spirit, and for the Southern Hemisphere's approaching winter, this week's selections highlight the Patagonia region of southern Chile and Argentina, again from Daniel and Sara.

Enjoy!

Emus on Parade

Torres del Paine

Magallanes Region, Chile

Bridge to Over There

In Parque Nacional Queulat

Near Chaitén, Chile

They Talk To The Sky

Torres del Paine

Sealions and Gulls

Near Ushuaia, Argentina

Reflecting Simply

Cucao, Chile

There Is No X-box Here

Punta Arenas, Chile

Lonely, Ready

Lighthouse in Beagle Channel

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Don't forget about our photo contest going on now! We're giving away a $50 Amazon.com gift card to someone who adds their travel photos to our Flickr group.

The drawing is December 1st, so don't wait!

Buying Travel Online? Better do some research

Nico Crisafulli — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:00 +0000

You can't be too safe with your online identity. Bots, hackers, spiders, phishers, spammers, generally unsavory characters more savvy than you—they're all lurking just across the computer screen. And they want you, but not in a good way. Trust me, identity theft happens.

Hence, booking travel and dropping your credit card number on any random website is precarious decision to say the least. The general rule of thumb is if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't just untrue, it's also dangerous to your online security and potentially sets you up for credit card fraud down the road.

AirTreks fully recommends spending some time researching the back-type of the company with whom you're going to do business. It can save you an infinite amount of hassle. Knowing what you're getting into before you lay down your money averts the crisis before it happens – the viability of your trip and your best interests are at stake (ie, putting them in the hands of a company you know only from an adbox on Google simply may not be the best idea).

If you look at the history of AirTreks and you'll see some great references: an A+ rating with the BBB, a 22-year company history, thousands upon thousands of satisfied customers, unsolicited testimonials, reviews and we're friendly to boot.

This is one web purchase you can feel comfortable with. Do the research, take a look, give us a call, but first of all... relax. We're on your side.

* photo by visualpanic

Airlines in the News - Continental Joins Star Alliance

Nico Crisafulli — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:16:00 +0000

On Sept 13th Continental Airlines made a major shift in their allegiance and became the 25th member of the Star Alliance network of airlines.

This marks the first time a major airline has moved from one alliance to another. Continental was a compliant member of Sky Team (the alliance that brings you Delta, Air France and Northwest) for over five years before officially leaving on Oct 24th.

You may not know it but Continental Airlines has been around since 1931, beginning their service as Varney Speed Lines, named after Walter T. Varney, also the founder of United Airlines.

So what does this mean to you, the average, non-industry layman? It means that you can now accrue Star Alliance miles on flights with Continental and redeem Alliance miles for Continental flights as well. You will also start seeing Continental codeshares with Star Alliance members flight on United, Lufthansa Air Canada and BMI.

According to Larry Kellner, chairman and CEO of Continental, the new arrangement is worth $100 million per year to the airline.

Other major airlines in the Star Alliance list are United, Lufthansa Air New Zealand, South African, Thai, US Air, ANA and Singapore Airlines.

Start planning your around the world trip with one these or any airline with Trip Planner now!

The Dreaded Airport Layover

Nico Crisafulli — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:55:00 +0000

Not every multi-stop itinerary can be as smooth as a peanut butter sandwich. With airlines having uncompromising schedules and the world simply being an imperfect place, your weary butt sometimes will get caught in the middle of a long layover. It's a fact of travel life. Since airports are not always known for their scintillating entertainment, what you do can turn that shockingly long wait from excruciating to exceptional.

Here are some suggestions on how to make the most of your itinerary hiccup:

Get some sleep: It's not an easy proposition but if you're stuck in an airport the best way to cheaply pass the time is to catch some zees. But as you know, terminal seating can be medieval at best. Fortunately for us, others have come before: here's a website specifically devoted to the practice of sleeping airport-style.

Take a city tour: if you have a half-day or more why not get out there and tour the city? It makes a great opportunity to see more of the world you didn't originally expect to see. Information booths can give you the lowdown on how to get to the city center and also what organized tours are available.

A few countries require at least a transit visa to exit the airport even for short periods of time, so check ahead if you're planning on doing some sightseeing.

Here's a quick list of airports that offer inexpensive half-day city tours that leave from the airport:

Los Angeles

Seoul

Singapore

Amsterdam

Peruse an art gallery: oftentimes airports have spaces set aside for art browsing. If you know you're going to be stuck somewhere, search the airport's website, find the map and see if yours has something going on.

Wi-Fi: If you happen to be traveling with a laptop or netbook computer, an increasing number of major airports now offer free Wi-Fi service throughout their terminal.

Here are two great airport guides showing a complete list of wi-fi information:

Domestic: http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx
International: http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-international.aspx

Shopping: International airports have a wealth of first-class shopping. While not always cheap, browsing is a sure-fire time killer.

Some of the best world airports for shopping:

Hong Kong: Skymart is a bright shining shopping jewel
Dubai: never closes!
Singapore: 160 shops
Paris: pick up one last handbag before you leave
London Heathrow: Terminal 5!

Make friends: If the airport has trapped you, inevitably there will be others trapped right along with you. Why not pass the time and talk to a stranger? Plus the friends you make may eventually become quite valuable.

Meditate: if you're new to this practice it might feel odd to do in an airport, but it's an amazing way to recharge and shoulder off the stress of the situation you're in. You can easily test its powers of rejuvenation.

Find yourself a halfway secluded spot, empty gates work well, perhaps facing a window so you don't feel exposed. Sit up straight in a chair with your feet on the floor or sit cross-legged with a straight back. Put your hands in your lap, partially close your eyes, relax your body and empty your mind. You can excavate all your wayward thoughts by concentrating on your breathing. Your mind will drift but bring it back by listening to your breaths. After 15 or 20 minutes you'll feel more relaxed than you did before you started and will be able to take a new mental approach to your layover situation.

Here's a great how-to on meditation and information about its benefits.

The main thing to remember is that while these seemingly unfortunate situations put a kink in an otherwise fluid itinerary, you can use them to your advantage and perhaps get a good experience to go along with it.

* photos by Vimages and Joe Shlabotnik

Shopping On The Road - Getting The Most From Your Retail Therapy

AirTreks — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:39:00 +0000

Shopping can be a real dilemma for people traveling on long trips, especially if you already have a weakness for hitting the rack. Retail therapy is an extremely satisfying passtime on a blue day at home, but on the road it can ruin a perfectly good pack-job, as well as your back if you have to carry that stuff around.

I've put together a few ideas on how to decide what and what not to buy when you're traveling in foreign countries:

The idea is to purchase things that will contribute to your trip in some way. While that antique Nepalese lock might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it will be extremely difficult to put to good use on the remainder of your trip, unless of course you'll be needing to weigh some papers down when in India.And once you break the large-item seal, you can't go back.

Think practical—you'll just need to carry it. Pick up clothing items, pocket-sized souvenirs, food or travel gear. In clothing, you can find immediate gratification, and it gives you something fun to wear when the trip is over. With cheap, lightweight souvenirs, you won't lose too much space in your bags and their value increases exponentially after you get home. Food is a delicious reminder of where you were but sadly, a fleeting delight. Make sure it's a non-perishable food item lest you wake up to a great stench. Travel gear provides you with something practical, such as a flash drive picked up on the cheap in a Taipei mall.

This goes without saying but try not to buy fragile items or paper products. They will be destroyed, no matter how hard you try to keep it from happening.

If you simply must have a larger, heavier or delicate item, you can always ship it back to your home address. Be advised though, shipping costs can make this prohibitively expensive, and, if the thing is of any value to the local small town postmaster, it may never make it to its destination.

Buy from shops and markets, not the gangs of hawkers on the streets: the guys roaming around at major tourist sites selling plastic toys and tiny Eiffel Towers. They're not genuine businesses and only hurt the local community. Plus they'll inevitably rip you off. Patronizing them encourages this and only contributes to the problem. Not to mention leaving genuine businesspeople struggling for the same dollar.

What to bring back for those at home

You may be tempted to bring gifts back for loved ones at home. I'm a major advocate of gift giving! While the tchotchkes sold in tourist shops may be super cheap, many times they aren't made in the city or even country you're visiting. Buy small handmade items from locals to get the best karmic payback. You also may even be able to grab a photo of the craftsperson to go along with those fancy hand-knit gloves.

Bartering

You can get the amazing deal you've always heard about if you're willing to haggle a little. It's almost expected in marketplaces around the world and also the reason the prices seem so high at first glance. The common idea is that if you're willing the pay the asking price, you deserve to pay too much.

There's a couple of rules of thumb for haggling that should be remembered if you're interested in shopping like a seasoned pro.

Set your ceiling and stick with it – once you go above that, it's a slippery slope to full price.

Know your product – it's hard to set a realistic price goal if you don't know the item's true value. If you know what you want, do a little research before you get there, or check around in various shops for similar items. Carpets in Turkey for example are worth researching before you even walk into the rug-seller's shop. Prices can vary wildly depending on what you look like.

Be willing to walk away – chances are you can live without that camel-skin wallet. If the seller isn't budging on the price, turn and head out the door, they may even shout that perfect final offer before you're gone for good. If he doesn't deal and the item just won't stop nagging at you, you can always go back and pick up where you left off.

Be reasonable – it's okay not getting the rock bottom, insanely cheap deal you wanted. Really. Most likely the extra few dollars you'll spend will be worth more to the seller than to you.

Use a smaller shop – large operations usually equal immovable proprietors. A little shop may give you a unique cultural experience and perhaps a cool deal too.

Double up – you may be able to get that discount if you buy more than one item from the same shop. If they've got any sense the sellers should be willing to come down to get rid of more items from the stock.

Bartering can be an exhausting proposition, especially if you've been at it all day. But don't give in. It's satisfying to get what you think is a great deal, even if the price on your 50%-off piece was marked up 200%. Locals definitely expect bartering to take place and most likely enjoy it, even if you don't. Don't forget, a cultural experience waits for you at every purchase.

Also, some countries are less interested in the haggle. If the proprietor isn't budging, don't push it. Shops owners are less likely to haggle than market booths and in some under-developed countries, haggling is just not the order of the day.

* images by clurr, Ed Yourdon and dynamosquito