Smart Traveller

In the next posts in our series about Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort, we’ll be taking a look at the Epcot theme park.

The name Epcot stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and the theme park, which opened in 1982, was originally designed to showcase the possible future development of technology. Although Epcot doesn’t look particularly futuristic today, it’s still a great place to visit. It covers a huge area and is packed with attractions, so ideally you should plan to spend at least a day, possibly two days there if you want to explore it properly.

Epcot is divided into two main sections: Future World and World Showcase. Future World is the first section of the park that you’ll see if you go into the park using the main entrance, and it is here that you will find the rides and attractions based on technology and science.

The Future World area of the park is divided into a number of “pavilions”, including the Mission: Space Pavilion, the Land Pavilion and the Spaceship Earth Pavilion (the large golf-ball style structure which dominates the park). Popular rides within the Future World section of Epcot include Mission: Space, Test Track, Soarin’ and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

The second part of Epcot, World Showcase, is set around the huge lake and features eleven “pavilions”, each of which is themed on a different country: the Mexico Pavilion, the Norway Pavilion, the China Pavilion, the Germany Pavilion, the Italy Pavilion, the American Adventure Pavilion, the Japan Pavilion, the Morocco Pavilion, the France Pavilion, the United Kingdom Pavilion and the Canada Pavilion. These pavilions feature restaurants, gift shops and attractions based on the culture of the countries upon which they are themed.

There is a large car park outside of the main entrance to Epcot, so if you are travelling by hire car, you can park there. If you are staying in one of the resort’s hotels, you can take a shuttle bus to the park and Epcot is also accessible by boat from several of the hotels, Disney’s BoardWalk and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, and by monorail from the Magic Kingdom. However, Disney transportation can be very busy during peak hours, so travelling by rental car may be the easiest option.

Make sure that you pick up a park map as you enter Epcot, as the theme park is huge and can be disorientating.

In the next post in this series, we will take a closer look at some of the attractions that you can see in the Future World section of Epcot.

Image: Quinn Norton

British Airways has announced that it is working with the Solena Group to try to set up the first sustainable jet fuel plant in Europe. The plant, which is likely to be sited in East London,  will be used to convert waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfill sites into low-carbon aviation fuel.

British Airways estimates that up to 16 million gallons of low-carbon fuel per year could be produced at the site and is planning to be using the fuel in some of its aircraft by 2014.

In a press release issued by British Airways on 15 February 2010, the airline’s Chief Executive, Willie Walsh, stated:

“This unique partnership with Solena will pave the way for realising our ambitious goal of reducing net carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050.  We believe it will lead to the production of a real sustainable alternative to jet kerosene.  We are absolutely determined to reduce our impact on climate change and are proud to lead the way on aviation’s environmental initiatives.”

The Australian Grand Prix is the second Grand Prix of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship season and is due to take place on the weekend of the 25^th to the 28^th of March 2010 at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. If you’re planning to head out to Australia to see the race, here is some information about Melbourne and some of the other things that you can see and do whilst you are there.

Melbourne Overview

Melbourne is situated in the south of Australia and is the capital of the state of Victoria. Famous as both a city of culture and a city of sports, Melbourne attracts visitors from around the world.

Getting to Melbourne

The city’s main airport, Melbourne Airport, is only 25 minutes’ drive from the city’s Central Business District and many international airlines provide flights to Melbourne from the UK and other countries.

Albert Park Circuit

The Albert Park Circuit is about 30 minutes’ drive from Melbourne Airport. If you’re planning to watch the 2010 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, it’s best to travel to the circuit using public transport as car parking spaces are limited.

The circuit is temporary, as it includes public roads, so the fencing and grandstands are erected each year and then taken down again after the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. The track circles the Albert Park Lake and is 5.3km long.

Melbourne Hotels

Melbourne has many hotels, guest houses and bed & breakfasts, as well as  self-catering accomodation. If you fancy splashing out, try The Langham Melbourne Hotel in the suburb of Southbank. This 5-star hotel overlooks the Yarra River and has a number of different types of rooms and suites: Classic Rooms, River View Rooms, Corner Deluxe Rooms, The Langham Club Rooms, The Langham Club Spa Suite and the Presidential Suite. The hotel’s facilities include a restaurant, a bar and lounge, a spa, a fitness centre and an outdoor heated swimming pool.

Other hotels in Melbourne include the Hilton on the Park Melbourne, The Westin Melbourne Hotel, The Hotel Windsor and the Novotel Melbourne on Collins.

Attractions in Melbourne

Melbourne is packed with attractions, so if you are planning to stay there for a week or two, you won’t be bored.

Melbourne grew into the important city that it is today as a result of the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, and you can see some of the important buildings from this time by walking the city’s Golden Mile Heritage Trail.  Melbourne also has some excellent museums and galleries, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Museum and the National Sports Museum.

Other popular attractions in Melbourne include the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Zoo and Melbourne Aquarium.

Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city and has excellent shops, restaurants, theatres and bars, so you should be able to find plenty to do there whatever your tastes.

Essential Information

The currency in Melbourne is the Australian Dollar and it is either 10 or 11 hours ahead of the U.K depending upon the time of year (+11 on the 2010 F1 Australian Grand Prix weekend).