Tennis Spectating Do's and Dont's

The summer tennis season is upon us, which will see thousands of spectators flock to Europe to see the two of the most popular tennis Grand Slams of the year – the French Open at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. For first timers, the experience can be both magical and overwhelming, as there seems to be a never-ending list of etiquettes to follow, thousands of people, and long queues to navigate. These simple do’s and don’ts will help you get the most out of your tennis experience.

DO get there early 

The queues just to get in both Roland Garros and Wimbledon can become ridiculously long, and it could take you hours to get inside the grounds. To avoid wasting time sweating in the summer heat, aim to get there as early as possible. Chances are you will still have to stand in a queue, but for half the time. As the tournaments reach their final stages, the queues can quadruple in size – so plan on arriving at least a couple of hours before game-play, even if you already have a ticket.

DON’T talk on your phone during game-play

It doesn’t matter if you are seated at centre court or standing and watching the youngsters play on Court 18, having your mobile go off during game play, and then talking on it, is one of the biggest faux pas you could make. Not only will you get the ‘stink-eye’ from everyone around you, but you could get called out by the umpire or even the players themselves. Naturally, you will be removed from the Court and possibly the grounds themselves. This is a mistake you do not want to make.

DO get involved

Just make sure you do it at the right time. When the Umpire asks for silence, he truly means it. There can be nothing more distracting for players to have fans screaming at them as they are about to make their match-point serve, or any serve for that matter. It can also be quite disrupting for those sitting around you. When that excellent return is made, and that point won, go ahead and cheer, and enjoy that magical moment with the crowd around you.

DON’T walk around during game play

Picture this: You’re sitting in the cinema, or you’re watching a play at the theatre, when suddenly a person in your row decides they need to leave. Imagine how irritating that can be. That is the exact reason you should not be moving around after game-play has started. There is nothing more frustrating for your fellow spectators than to have their view suddenly blocked at that critical moment. If you do need to leave the court, wait until the end of a game, and then leave quickly and quietly.

DO enjoy the atmosphere

Just walking around the grounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon can be quite an experience. Everyone is in high spirits and discussing the results, the upcoming games and their predictions. They’ll also most definitely be indulging in some of the tasty treats associated with the location. At Roland Garros you'll have to try their delectable macaroon and champagne (‘Ace’ instead of champers for minors) combination, and a day at Wimbledon wouldn’t be complete without having a taste of strawberries and cream.

DON’T forget to explore the city

You may have come to Paris or London just to watch the tennis, but both of these cities have so much to offer it would be a shame not to set some time aside to go exploring. Take a day and visit the incredible art museums of Paris, and be sure to take a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower and take in the spectacular panoramic views of the city. A visit to London is not complete without paying a visit to the Tower of London, where the rich and dark history of the city is shared. Nor is it quite complete without a walk through its marvellous gardens and parks which connect Buckingham Palace to Kensington Palace – homes to the current Royal Family. Download the FREE Tourism Radio Paris and London  Mobile Guides to accompany on your explorations.

 

London and Paris City Guides – Hummba is all you need

London and Paris are undoubtedly two of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Millions of people visit the cities each year, and many them will travel half way across the globe to do so.

The two cities share a few similarities in that they are both modern capitals, and have long been considered the centres of culture, fashion, entertainment and industry for their respective countries. They are also travel hubs, and are often used as stopover points for people travelling even further afield. Another point to note is that the two cities are relatively close to one another, and one can easily travel between the London and Paris by simply hopping on a high-speed train (a trip that takes just two hours) or budget airline. That being said, the two cities couldn’t be any more different.

Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, while London has Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Piccadilly Circus. Paris is known as the City of Light and is unofficially regarded as one of the most romantic cities in the world. London however claims the title as being one of the most commercially successful places in the world; the city to go if you’re looking to make it.

Here at Hummba, we believe both cities are fantastic destinations in their own rite. Each is a veritable cornucopia of tourist attractions, and one can easily get lost in either for days on end. That’s why we’re put together our comprehensive City Guides to London and Paris.

The London City Guide features more than three hours of quality audio travel content and a total of 634 points of interest, while the Paris City Guide contains 549 points of interest, and also has more than three hours of audio.

You can download the guides onto your iPhone or Android mobile. Or download them from the iStore and Android Marketplace: just search for “Tourism Radio London City Guide” or “Tourism Radio Paris City Guide”.

Happy travels!

South African tech start-up Tourism Radio® partners with Frommer’s® Unlimited to provide local travel information in mobile audio guides

(Cape Town, South Africa / Hoboken, NJ, USA) South African travel technology company Tourism Radio has teamed up with Frommer’s® Unlimited in a move that is set to revolutionise the world of mobile travel guides.

Frommer’s has been a trusted travel resource for more than 50 years, and the partnership with the iconic travel brand will firmly establish Tourism Radio in the mobile space with the next generation of travel guides. Tourism Radio’s unique mobile technology seamlessly blends Frommer’s text content with Tourism Radio audio clips, which automatically play as travellers enter their location.

The initial partnership launch will entail the release of audio and text travel guides to a number of popular travel destinations around the world. This includes comprehensive guides to the top tourist cities of New York, London and Paris. The guides can be downloaded as standalone applications for Android and iPhone, or accessed through the Tourism Radio travel application, Hummba.

Hummba.com was included in the listings for the Top 20 Startups in Africa in Forbes magazine in February this year.

Tourism Radio founder and CEO Mark Allewell says, “We like to think of our partnership with Frommer’s as serendipity on steroids. Travellers will now be able to easily access an unprecedented amount of quality travel information, directly from their mobile phones. We’re also delighted to partner with one of the world’s oldest and most respected travel companies, and we look forward to producing guides that cater for every traveller’s needs.”

The Frommer’s Unlimited team is optimistic about the partnership’s potential in the travel landscape. "Offering Frommer's travel information through Tourism Radio's intelligent mobile audio guides is an exciting new way for travelers to access our expert travel advice at the right time in the right place,” said Craig Schickler, Director of E-Business Development, Wiley. “We are happy to be working with Tourism Radio and together helping shape memorable experiences for travelers around the globe."

From launch until the 1st of May, the audio travel guides from across the globe will be free for download, after which, they will range in price from US$ 0.99 to US$4.99, depending on the amount of travel content they contain. A selection of free, ‘lite’ guides, to several popular destinations around the world, will also be available for download. These give travellers the opportunity to sample the content before committing to the purchase of a full guide.

About Frommer’s® Unlimited

For over 50 years, Frommer's travel guides have been the trusted choice to help travelers explore destinations the way the locals do. Frommer’s Unlimited enables businesses to create high-value propositions for their customers by leveraging Frommer’s travel expertise, rich content resources and technical capabilities.

Products and services provided by Frommer’s Unlimited include global destination and events content, private label Websites, mobile applications and custom publishing. Whether your customers are venturing close to home or across the globe, whether your budget is limited or limitless, Frommer’s Unlimited delivers the most candid and reliable travel and event information, anywhere and anytime. Frommer’s is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Frommer’s is a branded imprint of Wiley.

About Tourism Radio®

Founded in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2005, Tourism Radio is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Mark Allewell. Tourism Radio provides location-based technology and travel content, and currently has offices in South Africa, New Zealand and Spain. Tourism Radio’s mobile phone application, Hummba, is a traveller’s community and travel guide shop where users can buy travel guides, create travel routes, upload picture postcards and share their travel experiences with fellow travellers.

Intelligent audio guide for London now available on the Android Marketplace

Millions of people visit London every year, making the city the one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The thriving metropolis on the River Thames captivates inquisitive travellers with its distinctly British appeal, as well as its numerous attractions and well known landmarks.

While the annual tourist numbers look impressive, they are still expected to go up even more this year, as London will host the 2012 Olympic Games. Tens of thousands of tourists are set to arrive from the rest of the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, and even further afield. The city will certainly be gearing up for this surge in visitors in the coming months.

There’s so much to see and do in London, and a trip to the city can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned traveller. That’s why Hummba decided to put together an intelligent audio travel guide to the city, available for download on the Android Marketplace.

The guide uses smartphone GPS technology to provide you with information about points of interest near your location. You can find out all about Buckingham Palace for example, while you watch the changing of the guard. Hummba’s intelligent audio guides will help you discover places to see and things to do that you might otherwise have missed. It’s like having your own personal tour guide.

Some of the attractions featured in the guide include Piccadilly Circus, which is lined with hundreds of restaurants, bars and shops, and has long been a favourite meeting place for locals and tourists alike. London’s famous Hyde Park, which serves as the venue for spectacular outdoor music concerts and festivals is also featured. For the more culturally inclined, this guide offers you all the information you need about London’s many museums and theatres, including a detailed look at the famous West End theatre district.

The intelligent audio guide to London is available on the Android Marketplace for $5.99 and can be downloaded directly onto your smartphone here. For more information about Hummba or about our intelligent guides that speak to you, visit www.hummba.com.

Hummba launches intelligent audio guides onto the Android Marketplace

London, Paris and New York are three of the most well-known cities in the world, each with its own distinct feel and personality. All three are incredibly popular tourist destinations and play host to millions of visitors every year. The one thing the trio have in common is that a traveller can spend days there and still not get the chance to experience everything on offer.

With Hummba’s intelligent audio guides however, you can now get the most of your visit to London, Paris or New York. The guides are available on the Android Marketplace and contain audio information about numerous tourist attractions in each of the three cities.

Explore Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park in London, or take a trip to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in the heart of Paris. You could even use our guide to accompany you on a walking tour of Midtown Manhattan, taking in the sights of the Big Apple.

Our intelligent audio guides use smartphone GPS technology to provide you with information about points of interest near to your location. Discover places to see and things to do that you might otherwise have missed. No more searching through cumbersome guide books. It’s like having your own personal tour guide, right there on your Andoid phone!

The guides also provide offline maps, which mean you won’t be running up your data bill while you’re looking for the next exciting place to visit.

The guides are available for $5.99 each, and can be downloaded directly onto your Android phone: London, Paris and New York. For more information about Hummba or about our intelligent guides that speak to you, visit www.hummba.com.

It's going to be a big year for London...

Few people will argue that London is not the place to be in 2012. The London Olympics are expected to be some of the most watched sporting events in history and Queen Elizabeth II’s upcoming Diamond Jubilee has already got the entire country in the mood for a party.

Celebrations in honour of the Jubilee are set to begin already on the 6th of February. This will mark the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth’s ascension to the British throne. The real show however is only scheduled to kick off in June, just a few weeks before the Summer Olympics.

Britons will be graced with a four-day holiday and a Diamond Jubilee concert produced by Gary Barlow (one of the head judges on the X-Factor reality television show). A maritime parade of more than 1,000 boats will make its way up the River Thames and the Queen herself is expected to join the flotilla atop a golden barge. Events have also been organised in several Commonwealth countries around the world, including Australia and Canada.

London hosted the Olympics back in 1908 and 1948, and with this year’s event it will become the first city to host the modern Games on three occasions. Kicking off on the 27th of July and running until the 12th of August, the London Olympics will be a big tourist draw card for the entire United Kingdom. Music lovers will also be pleased to hear that English rock legends Pink Floyd are expected to reunite to perform at the Olympics and Sir Paul McCartney will also make an appearance at the Games.

If you’re looking to experience one of 2012’s hottest holiday destinations, London really should be at the top of your list. Download our free audio travel guides to help you discover more about the must-see attractions of London, or let us guide you on a walking tour of the city.