I Fly Nonstop

Relaxing in Tokyo

Kelsey — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:58:41 +0000

Oedo Onsen Monogatari opened in 2003 as Tokyo’s first onsen (hot springs) theme park. Yes, you read that right–it’s a bathing theme park. Guests can enjoy traditional, Edo era open air baths under the stars–there’s even a Japanese garden with a 50m long foot bath. The minerals-rich spring waters are thought to be effective in relieving nerve, muscle and joint pain.

Visitors also enjoy massage, dining, fortunetelling, games, and park events. Can’t get enough of the experience? They also offer overnight accommodations.

Have you been to Oedo Onsen Monogatari? We’d love to see your photos!

Photo credits: Ikusuki via Flickr; dimitris.argyris via Flickr

Photo of the Week: Created Crooked

Kelsey — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:02:52 +0000

This is the famous Hundertwasser House in Vienna. Its crooked, playful architecture makes it seem a little more like a fairy tale than an apartment complex. Since 1985, it’s become one of the most visited buildings in Austria.

It’s the result of a collaboration between painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser and architects Joseph Krawina and Peter Pelikan. While its creation was a bit quarrelsome, the result is anything but. With trees growing within the building (and limbs reaching out!), a living roof of earth and grass, and undulating floors, the Hundertwasser House and its museum are definitely worth a visit.

Photo credit: Hundertwasserhaus, Lopezia/Sorokin

Three More Great Apps for Travel Photos

Kelsey — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:03:11 +0000

Back in October, we shared four photo apps to bring along as you travel. We’ve recently discovered three more must-have photography apps which are all under $2.00 Warning: These may have you leaving your digital camera behind for good!

Pro HDR

With this app, you don’t have to choose between a dark foreground or a blown-out sky. Pro HDR senses the brightest and the darkest parts of the scene and then takes multiple photos and combines them. The results of this $1.99 app are spectacular: detailed skies, vivid foregrounds, and more true-to-life contrasting.

Photogene²

This is one of the best photo editing apps available for iPhone. Beyond the common crop, filter, and “enhance” editing tools, this app also includes tools to straighten, sharpen, de-noise, and retouch (yes — as in dodge, burn, and heal). Our favorite tool? The undo/redo button. (Admission: Our last plane ride back to PDX was spent editing vacation photos so we could upload them as soon as we landed.)

360 Panorama

A 360-degree panorama of Tokyo or Amsterdam might be our favorite travel memento yet. After panning your device around you, the app stiches the images together into a 360 degree view that can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, or in email — and they can be viewed on any computer or device (no app required!).

A special Queen’s Day for Holland

Kelsey — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:04:58 +0000

Nothing makes you feel part of a culture quite like a nationwide party. Fortunately, it’s almost time for Holland’s biggest celebration of the year.

On April 30th, the Dutch commemorate the Queen’s birthday with Queen’s Day. Everyone goes orange — a nod to the royal family’s namesake, the House of Orange — and celebrates from the night before, continuing into the next day with song, dance, food and a nation-wide flea market.

If you’re lucky enough to attend this year, you probably know that 2013’s festivities are much more significant than usual. Queen Beatrix has announced that she would abdicate on Queen’s Day, leading to the inauguration of the new king of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander. That’s a pretty special occasion to accompany what’s already a huge event!

This also means that there won’t be another Queen’s Day for quite some time—but don’t fret if you’re going to miss it! Next year’s King’s Day will be the same giant party, just with a different name and date.

Have you celebrated Queen’s Day? If so, we’d love to see your photos!

Photo credits: letizia.barbi, Matthias Wille, anneh632, Martijn.Munneke

Travel Photo of the Week: One Fish, Two Fish

Kelsey — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:00:38 +0000

Have you ever wanted to stare a shark (or any kind of fish, for that matter) in the eye? Get up close and personal with creatures from the depths of the “Kuroshio Sea,” the second largest aquarium tank in the world.

The main attraction at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, the tank holds more than 1,981,290 gallons of water and measures a whopping 27 by 74 feet. With large sea creatures like whale sharks and manta rays, this is one attraction that under the sea aficionados shouldn’t miss!

Photo credit: Kuroshio Sea – 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world; jonrawlinson

Make Memories in Europe

Kelsey — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:00:30 +0000

Craving Dutch Oliebollen, authentic Italian lasagna or a Parisian baguette? (Maybe you weren’t before, but we bet you are now!) These hankerings are hard to ignore, but nothing is quite as tempting as travel. If you’re ready to sate your appetite for adventure, may we suggest heading to Europe this year – on us?

Let your imagination take you on a stroll beneath the Eiffel tower, across the London Bridge or up a path to one of Germany’s fairytale castles, then let your browser take you to our I Fly Nonstop Facebook page for your chance to make your own memories in Europe!

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of Delta Air Line’s nonstop flights from PDX, we’re giving away two round-trip tickets from the Portland International Airport to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Play our memory game on Facebook and pair up the European destination images, and then enter to win the trip!

The sweepstakes runs from April 2 to April 30, 2013. Make sure you read up on the Official Rules here.

Best of luck!

Outtakes from Delta’s new in-flight safety video

Kelsey — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:54 +0000

Delta takes on-board safety seriously, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lighter side. From bunny slippers to topping Jenga and a fumbling robot, the blooper reel from Delta’s new in-flight video serves up safety with a smile!

Please put up your tray tables and enjoy this short video: Safety Video Outtakes!

What’s your favorite outtake?

Views from Cruising Speed

Kelsey — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:00:06 +0000

There’s nothing like the view from the window seat! Put up your tray table and enjoy these lofty travel photos from 50,000 feet.

Photo credit: sunset from airplane, tiffa130; Ohmishima Island, Hyougushi; Desembocadura del Arno, Monica Arellano-Ongpin; Going home, simonov; Photo_012407_001.jpg, grittycitygirl; Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia, Atiqah Aekman W.; Returning home, Stig Nygaard; Cloud and sea from airplane, yukihiro.m

Symmetry in Dali, China

Kelsey — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:00:13 +0000

A city straddling tradition and modernity, Dali City shows off its personalities with stunning symmetry. Located in the Yunnan province of China, Dali City is both an ancient capital and modern town, both of which attract travelers. Swing through this city to celebrate and take in its beautiful juxtapositions!

From building foundations to peaks, look for repeating angles, patterns and shapes.

Ornamental decorations and patterns around the city also shine with bright colors that show off contrasting styles and rich culture.

At the center of the city, the Three Pagodas stretch toward the sky, setting the tone for the whole town.

Photo credit: Old Dali town, Alexander Savin; Three pagodas, Alexander Savin; Ornaments, Alexander Savin;

Photo of the Week: The Equinox in Japan

Kelsey — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:50:46 +0000

Winter is fading and the buds are beginning to bloom. What better way to welcome spring than by saying “Konnichiwa!” in Japan?

This year on March 20, Japan will celebrate the vernal equinox, known there as Shunbun no Hi. Welcoming in the new season and new colors, the country looks back on seasons past and holds special holiday services and events. Bringing food and other items of sustenance, many Japanese visit temples and the graves of loved ones to honor them as a new season unfolds.

The vernal equinox marks the onset of warmer weather in Tokyo and Japan and the blooming of country’s unforgettable cherry blossom tress.

Fly nonstop from PDX to Tokyo and ditch your winter blues for a pair of rose-colored glasses (sunglasses, of course)!

Photo credit: cherry blossoms V, Focx Photography