1.  World Customs App – iPhone

Especially if you’re a business traveler, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the local cultures and customs. The World Customs App provides a breakdown of key cultural tips right at your fingertips. And the best part? It’s free!

2.  Trip Journal – Android and iPhone

What was that great restaurant you went to that one night in that one place? In order to share your very best travel stories with your friends, it’s good to remember names and locations of the places you visited. The Trip Journal allows you to very easily document the names of locations, route your trip and share photos and tips with your friends and family.

3.  Gate Guru – iPhone

We’ve all been there. You barely make it through security with enough time to grab a bagel and get on the plane, but where do you go? If you’re not familiar with an airport, finding the perfect morning snack or quick dinner can try your patience, but happily Gate Guru removes the guessing game and keeps your patience (and blood pressure) in check. This location aware app will show you all the restaurants, clothing/tech/duty free stores and other amenities conveniently located in your departure terminal. So hold on to that patience and use the security line to find your next preferred foodie station.

4.  Zagat – Android, Blackberry and iPhone

One of the most trusted restaurant guides is not only available on iPhone and Blackberry but is making its way to Android this year as well. Zagat shares location, cost, ambiance, and reviews – a prized feature for dining in your foreign destination.

5.  Currency Converter – Palm

Not all of us are math whizzes who can easily calculate the exact conversion rate from dollars to euros, yen or rubles. Happily the Currency Converter is a quick solution, leaving you more time to decide between those two designer bags you’ve been eying.

6.  Transclick – Blackberry

With 16 languages programmed into Transclick, you’ll have a convenient translator right in your pocket or purse. Can’t find the proper train station? Break out that blackberry, submit your phrase and in minutes you’ll be one your way to your destination of choice.

7. Sit or Squat – iPhone

Laugh if you must that this made it to our top 7 list, but when you have to go, you have to go and it’s best to not stress when you’re looking for relief. This app not only informs you of the closest restrooms, but gives reviews of each location. Whether you’re looking for a quick solution or swank decor, Sit or Squat will help get you there.

Every year, the Dutch dress in their finest orange paraphernalia – the royal family colors – to celebrate the queen with song, dance, food, boating down the canals and local vendors. We’ve collected some favorite photos of the event and wonder: do you have your own photos or videos to share?

Photo credits: has_s, FaceMePLS, flabbergast_ed, has_s, has_s, ComunicaTI, Quantz, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Michell Zappa

I could spend this whole post sharing impressive statistics with you — for example, the tourism industry provides more than 28,000 jobs in the Portland metro area, and overnight visitors contribute approximately $265 million annually to the Portland economy — but I think I’ll leave it up to our local business owners to share their perspectives on how international tourism impacts them.

Charles Froelick, owner of Froelick Gallery and president of the Portland Art Dealers Association, talks about how his business is directly supported by international tourism.

When you visit Portland, the food cart experience must be on your “to-eat” list. These local foodie icons have been featured in national and international culinary publications, drawing in business for cart owners such as Nong Poonsukwattana.

The hotel industry provides a great service not only to leisure and business travelers, but also to the local job market. Pedro Melendez is the Director of Engineering at the Doubletree Hotel Portland and came to Portland to build the American dream for his family.

Jeff Miller
President and CEO
Travel Portland

Photo credits: Courtesy of Travel Portland

From Monday the 1st till Sunday the 7th of March high class restaurants will serve a special three course dinner for a fixed price of 25* euro and a three course lunch for 20* euro.

*Restarants awarded with a Michelin Star can ask an additional fee of €10,- per awarded Star.

Photo credits: Oysters, kthread; Portland food cart, spinnerin; custard-filled pancakes, Charles Haynes

1. Punctuality is gold. Make sure to arrive a little early to your dinner engagement

2. Wait to be seated. Seating may be prearranged for the dinner, so wait to be seated. It is good to note that any guest of honor will be placed at the center of the table furthest away from the door (word to the wise: don’t to sit there… unless you’re the guest of honor).

3. Practice your Japanese. No, you don’t have to be fluent to express your thanks for a meal, but a few phrases won’t hurt. Start the meal by saying “Itadaki-masu”, which is the equivalent of “good appetite” or “ready to eat, thank you” and end the meal with “Gochisou-sama”.

4. Chopsticks are your friends. Impress your clients by showing that you’ve taken the time to learn how to use chopsticks properly (that means no stabbing your food). For assistance in this effort, consult this helpful video.

5. Wait to eat. Allow the guest of honor to start eating first, then you’re free to enjoy your meal.

6. Enjoy your meal. Often times the Japanese will not engage in lengthy conversation at the dinner table. Take the time to enjoy the savory cuisine, and engage in conversation once everyone has had a chance to eat.

7. Slurp to your heart’s content. Slurping is a very common practice while drinking soup or noodles, so join in on the custom.

8. Separate but equal. Americans are accustomed to mixing food together, but in Japan it is customary to keep each food serving separate.

9. I can’t eat/drink anymore. If you’re done with your beverage, leave your glass partly full. If your glass is empty, it will continue to be filled. The opposite is true for rice. If you want no more rice, make sure to eat every last grain.

10. Do not tip. While it is not considered rude, tipping is not a common practice and is therefore unnecessary after a meal.

Photo/Video credit: Sushi, star5112; How to Use Chopsticks, Howcast

What to See and Do?

Amsterdam’s reputation as a cultural and artistic center precedes itself, but there’s more to this city’s artistic expression than traditional art housed at the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum. Fashion-focused visitors can appreciate wearable art from some of Amsterdam’s most eco-conscious designers’, including Studio Jux, Van Markoviec, and Brennels. Each of these designers sets the latest fashion trends using sustainable products such as organic cotton, linen, bamboo and even stinging nettles. In recognition of their green fashion efforts, Studio Jux, Van Markoviec, Brennels and six other Dutch designers were recently celebrated during Dutch National Sustainability Day.

Where to eat?

“You reap what you sow” claims new meaning at Amsterdam’s De Kas Restaurant. Each day executive chef Ronald Kunis and head chef Meindert Heijer carefully select the menu from the restaurant’s local garden and greenhouse. If they require ingredients outside of what their nursery provides, Kunis and Heijer select only the finest produce from other local, environmentally conscious farmers. Choosing to farm and shop locally keeps de Kas’s transportation and emissions rates down, while helping their fellow business partners to thrive. The restaurant’s unique dining experience promises to keep its customers on their toes with fresh, local ingredients, a constantly changing menu, and a mission of sustainability.

Where to play?

We know you can dance (or at least try to) and after spending a day grazing off of Amsterdam’s sustainable restaurants, it might be time to consider burning off a few of those vacation calories. Dancing can burn up to 350 calories per hour, but did you know that it can also produce 50 watts of electricity per hour? Named in honor of the energy it produces, Watts Dance Club in Rotterdam uses sensors in the dance floor to collect dancers’ vibrations and produce electricity, which is then used to power the club’s lighting schemes. Rotterdam-based innovator Enviu created the Sustainable Dance Club concept in 2006, and has shared its dance-inspired technology with clubs like Watts across the globe.

Where to Stay?

Some might say luxury must be sacrificed for the environment’s sake, but in Amsterdam you can have the best of both worlds. Whether you’re interested in budget-friendly or high-end luxury, Amsterdam has a hotel that will both fit your interests and provide green service with a smile.

For a low-budget, high quality hotel experience, consider a stay at the Bicycle Hotel. This hotel is a “green” model citizen with its bicycle rentals, recycling and solar powered electricity. Known for its friendly staff, accessibility to the city’s historical sites and recommendations for great biking routes, the Bicycle Hotel is a perfectly affordable solution for your hotel needs.

Kicking your luxury experience up a notch doesn’t have to come at Mother Nature’s expense.  At the Hotel de l’Europe, you can have a world class lodging experience with eco-friendly frills. The hotel’s chain, Leading Hotels of the World, was the first hospitality entity to offer patrons a completely carbon-neutral experience through their environmentally responsible practices as well as an additional financial carbon offset program.

Now that you’re geared up with a few green Amsterdam itinerary tips, we want to hear from you! What recommendations do you have for a more environmentally-friendly travel experience?

Photo/video credit: Bikes in Amsterdam, liber; Studio Jux, Teska Overbeeke; De Kas Restaurant, Magnusdigity; Sustainable Dance Club, panxut; Hotel de L’Europe, Mark & Danielle Parris

One of the things most people don’t realize about nonstop service from Portland direct to Tokyo or Amsterdam is the precious cargo that is carried underneath.  Farmers in Oregon use this service to transport perishable fresh goods such as cherries and blueberries to these markets.  The nonstop service makes this possible and allows others around the world to enjoy our wonderful food as much as we do.

When visiting Tokyo or Amsterdam, the two sites I highly recommend are the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo and the Aalsmeer Flower Auction outside of Amsterdam.  Both can boast being the largest in the world, and the sights and sounds are absolutely amazing.  Yes, you do have to get up early in the morning to see these incredible auctions, but the experience is well worth it.

I would encourage any traveler planning a trip to Tokyo or Amsterdam to make sure you use the Delta nonstop service.  Maintaining this gateway in Portland is critical to all of Oregon’s economy including agriculture.

Katy Coba
Director
Oregon Department of Agriculture

Photo credits: Aalsmeer Flower Market, Jeaneeem; Tsujiki Fish Market, Gin_e; Katy Coba, Courtesy of Oregon Department of Agriculture