| Madeira cake from France and Tenerife in | | | | Travel destination ignorance is not just |
| Bulgaria | | | | a British thing. An air stewardess once |
| The other day, I was sitting at my | | | | told me a story about an American couple |
| favourite restaurant when I overheard a | | | | visiting their parents country of |
| conversation that went something like | | | | origin, Bulgaria, one February. |
| this: | | | | They had used a travel agent in New York |
| First Person: "I think I am going to | | | | to plan their journey and book the two |
| have a slice of Madeira cake" | | | | flights that were involved. The first |
| Her Friend: "That's a good idea, I ll | | | | flight took them to London where they |
| join you. Not that Ive got a clue why | | | | boarded the ongoing flight to complete |
| they call it Madeira cake, have you?" | | | | their journey. When this flight landed |
| First Person: "I think its named after | | | | at Reina Sofia airport the couple looked |
| some place in France." | | | | a little flustered and hesitated at the |
| I am not sure why that sort of ignorance | | | | top of the flight steps, turning to the |
| about places makes me feel so | | | | stewardess to ask why everywhere looked |
| frustrated. After all, why should | | | | so sub tropical and sunny, and adding |
| everyone be as fascinated by travel and | | | | that their parents had always told them |
| far away places as I am? Whatever the | | | | that Bulgaria was cold in February. At |
| reason, I just could not help myself | | | | first, the stewardess was at a loss to |
| interrupting the two women as soon as | | | | think of anything that could possibly |
| they had ordered their cake to inform | | | | explain how someone trying to get to |
| them that Madeira is a Portuguese island | | | | Bulgaria in Eastern Europe could end up |
| about four hundred miles off of the | | | | on a flight to Tenerife in the Canary |
| north African coast in the Atlantic | | | | Islands. Then she realized that the |
| ocean. I added that it makes a fabulous | | | | name of Bulgarias capital city is Sofia. |
| holiday destination but did bother to | | | | She asked the couple whether they |
| tell them that it is actually not one | | | | thought they had boarded a flight to |
| island but an archipelago and actually | | | | Sofia, Bulgaria. The answer was yes and |
| an autonomous region of Portugal. | | | | it turned out that their travel agent |
| Just as well - their expressions told me | | | | had probably just typed Sofia Flights |
| that I had already said more than they | | | | into her computer and accepted the |
| were interested in knowing. | | | | results that the query gave without |
| This attitude of having little or no | | | | questioning any further! |
| interest in travel destinations is | | | | Best travel tips and holiday destination |
| actually very common and it is not | | | | information |
| confined to people who are generally | | | | Travel destination ignorance rubs me up |
| under educated. Frequent examples can be | | | | the wrong way because I am so passionate |
| seen on television quiz shows when | | | | about travel and that is also the reason |
| contestants who are obviously well | | | | that I started up a website dedicated to |
| educated stumble on simple questions | | | | providing information, articles and |
| like; | | | | travel tips, about holiday or vacation |
| Which of the following is not a | | | | destinations worldwide. As well as |
| Caribbean island (A) Jamaica (B)Cuba (C) | | | | wanting to help people to make the right |
| Majorca (D) Barbados | | | | decisions when planning their vacations, |
| Even more incredible are the people you | | | | I hope the travel articles will fire |
| sometimes overhear in a travel agent, | | | | peoples imaginations so that they can |
| booking holidays to resorts without | | | | enjoy dreaming about places they have |
| having any interest as their location as | | | | never been to, even if they never get |
| long as its warm and sunny with cheap | | | | around to visiting them. |
| booze available. | | | | |