What can you take with you on a plane?

The items that TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will allow you to take onboard a plane in the U.S. are constantly changing. So, what are the prohibited and permitted items?

Consult the TSA website - Permitted and Prohibited items page commonly used by travelers before your next plane flight, but be aware that TSA is constantly changing their list of permitted and prohibited items.

Although this is not a European website, travellers in Europe can stick more or less to the same guidelines

Visiting Bratislava

We went to Bratislava in February. It is the capital city of Slovakia, a city located on the river Danube, some 60 km from Vienna, Austria. Some people like to divide it in two; the old city and the new, modern part (which people seemed to suggest that it is has a cold atmosphere)…however we went to the old city, full of interesting history, and with some artifacts of communism still showing.

From the airport we caught a bus to the tram station, and then got a tram to Obchodna Street. We travelled mainly on foot, as the city is quite small.

Bratislava looked to shed the greyness of the Communist era; many buildings were repainted and even restructured. In an attempt to enliven the city centre, a few quirky statues were installed. Their popularity with tourists led to new statues, filling the centre of Bratislava.

The Paparazi is a good example of how local companies participate at the center beautification. He leans against the corner of a building, where a new restaurant, The Paparazi, has just opened.

Schöne Nazi is a legendary figue in Bratislava. Always courteous, always a gentleman, he was a welcome sign to everybody who went to the old town.

Napoleon simply leans on a bench, only a few feet away from a wall there cannon balls that his army shot at Bratislava are still stuck in the wall. This bench became a very popular place for taking pictures.

Cumil is one of the funniest statues around. He stares and laughs at everybody from a pothole on the street.

One place surely not to miss is the Bratislava Castle, looking over the historic core of the capital of the Slovak Republic, is a landmark of this town and a National Cultural Monument that attracts the looks not only the inhabitants of Bratislava, but also the large amount of visitors from all over the world.

The Castle of Bratislava, the dominant characteristic feature of the town, has a long and eventful history of its own. The history of Bratislava Castle goes back to a long bygone past.

You can also shop on Obchodna Street; one may find trade mark shops like Bershka, Gas, Zara and also bazaar like shops and even a Chinese market. We were actually staying in a hostel on this street, which makes it a perfect location for tourists to stay, as it is very central and trams are constantly passing.

The Dubliner's Irish Pub, in the heart of the old city, is very popular with tourists and serves Irish, as well as Slovak beers, along with pub food.

The New Bridge is the world's seventh largest suspension bridge and was declared the construction of the 20th century in Slovakia. It was built between 1967 and 1972 and a large part of the Bratislava Old Town had to give way to this symbol of Communist modernity.

The entry fee for the UFO sightseeing deck is SKK 100 (EUR 2.97) but is waived for guests with a reservation at the Taste Restaurant. The UFO sightseeing deck dubbed Watch is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The flying saucer-shape is the ‘UFO’ Taste Restaurant; a very chic and exclusive venue, located some 95 metres above ground. It serves Mediterranean fare - a fusion of Mediterranean and Asian cuisines, an extensive international selection of wines and cocktails.
UFO Groove, a stylish nightclub, is only open on selected nights, mainly for parties.

I would highly recommend the city as a destination for other travellers, especially couples. The city is clean, friendly, inexpensive & very picturesque. We only stayed for three nights, but as the city is quite small it was perfect for a weekend trip. Others use it as a base for travelling to Vienna which is only one hour away by train.

Foreign currency

Before travelling to another country, ALWAYS check what currency is used there. Some countries (especially Eastern European)use currencies which are not always readily available at the bank, and so you would need to order them if you intend to exchange money before flying to your destination.

However you can go fly in the country with a common currency such as EURO, Sterling or Dollar and exchange it in the country you will be visiting. Always be a bit wary when exchanging at the airport. Normally the exchange rate used there would not be that favourable. Best thing is to exchange just enough to get you by for the first night/day, and then exchange more later.

Important to note: It is ALWAYS wise to 'shop' around for foreign exchange bureaus to always choose the most favourable rates for you. Always ask whether you are going to be charged a commission fee. Most do not...but some charge it as a hidden cost, and you'd end up with less money in you wallet than you hoped for.

Sometimes (especially if the holiday is short e.g. a weekend break) it might be easier to use a credit card and avoid the hassles of having to exchange money at the beginning of the holiday and changing them back at the end (unless you intend to return to that country in the near future). However keep in mind, that you would always need to exchange some money, as certain shops do not accept credit cards for small purchases (e.g. groceries or take-out food)

A few words on Malta...

I am from Malta, so it is only fair that I spend a couple words on my country.

Malta is a small (24km x 16 km) island in the heart of the Mediterranean sea.

A tourist would be would be able to manage to see alot of places in a week.. including maybe a day in our sister island Gozo...(just a 20 min ferry crossing) and also Comino which is just a 10 minute ferry crossing.

In Malta be sure to go to Valletta - the capital city, Mdina - the old city, Hypogeum - an underground temple; Hagar Qim and Mnajdra - amongst the oldest temples in the world, dating from 3200-3500BC and 3600-3200BC respectively.

Other places of interest would be the Mosta dome - to see the 3rd largest dome in the world.

Then for the young and young at heart, there is Paceville (St. Julians) and Bugibba - to go out at night.

This is very brief and I will update more on this later on

However, one can go to www.visitmalta.com to find a bit about Malta.

You can search for hotels in Malta in the Hotel section in the right hand side.