International Travel News articles from July 2002

International Travel News archives from July 2002

Boarding pass.(Editorial)
July 1, 2002... Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 317th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. Marilyn Chandler of Chesterfield, MO, sent in the picture shown above with the following note: "This signpost was made for me by my husband, Bob....

Report cards: on-the-spot reports from around the globe.
July 1, 2002... The following is a sampling of reports received from ITN readers around the globe. ITN invites you to join our corps of reporters -- just drop a card in the mail while your travel impressions are fresh in your mind. To obtain your ITN Report...

The best of two worlds: India's wildlife and cultural heritage.
July 1, 2002... When you think of a wildlife safari, Africa immediately comes to mind, but Rare Earth Explorations introduced me to an entirely new wildlife experience -- in India. After our arrival in Delhi from New York via London on Air-India our group...

Hotel tax in Korea.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Korea National Tourism Organization has waived the hotel bed tax on all tourist hotels for the duration of 2002. Formerly, visitors were required to pay a 10% hotel tax and then an additional 10% service charge. Visitors are still required...

Travelers' intercom: readers' opinions, tips & recommendations.
July 1, 2002... Salvaging TWA frequent-flyer miles I was cleaning out my files of frequent-flyer accounts and realized that the TWA. account still had over 20,000 miles in it. I was not aware that it was to transfer TWA frequent-flyer mileage to my American...

Funniest thing.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S. Canada or Mexico.) The ITN staff will choose each month's...

India and Pakistan travel warnings. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Department of State warns American citizens to defer travel to India as well as Pakistan. Tensions. between the two countries have risen to serious levels, and the risk of intensified. military hostilities cannot be ruled Out. Virtually all...

Venezuela overview. (News Watch).(dangers for American travelers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Following the April 11-14 attempt to remove President Chavez from power, the political situation remains fluid in Venezuela, but there has been some improvement in the political and security situation, according to the State Department. In...

Zimbabwe tensions. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... U.S. citizens in Zimbabwe should be aware of continuing conditions that could adversely affect their personal security. Following the March 2002 presidential election, the political, social, economic and security situation in Zimbabwe...

Bikinis banned in Malaysia. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Terengganu state government in Malaysia. has banned holidaymakers from wearing bikinis. It now also Segregates men from women at swimming poois and in hotels. Malaysia's tourism minister, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, said that he was...

Great British Heritage Pass. (Travel Briefs).(offers free access to nearly 600 historic structures)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... What do the triumphal Wellington Arch (at London's Hyde Park Corner), mighty Pembroke Castle (in South Wales) and Birdoswald (one of the best-preserved forts on the Roman Hadrian's Wall) have in common? They are three of eight historic...

Speed through passport control in the blink of an eye. (Travel Briefs).(JetStream iris recognition processing to be tested at Heathrow)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... At London Heathrow Airport, during a 5-month trial period, select airline passengers are being expedited through passport control using JetStream[TM] iris recognition-based travel processing. Run in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic,...

Eclipse party in South Australia. (Travel Briefs).(www.ceduna.net)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A Solarbration by the Sea will be held in Ceduna, South Australia, on Dec. 4, 2002, when, the solar eclipse briefly darkens this Eyre Peninsula town. The main street will be closed for a street party, food stalls and entertainment. The...

Paris' Ile St. Louis -- the piece de resistance.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Copper-colored threads of caramelized sugar arched up over the white, crusted meringue like fireworks, forming a fine mesh net above the exquisite dessert. It seemed sacrilege to destroy such a work of art by eating it. I devoured it anyway....

Antarctica -- the ultimate adventure: in February my husband, Joe and I were two of the approximately 12,000 fortunate travelers to visit Antarctica this year.(Quark Expeditions)
July 1, 2002... We boarded the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn in Ushuaia, Argentina. The eight staff members of Quark Expeditions were from the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand and were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They kept us informed with...

"Hidden Britain".(brochure from British Tourist Authority)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... "Hidden Britain" is a lavishly illustrated, 36-page brochure featuring more than a dozen off-the-beaten-path itineraries in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Identified are market towns, historic houses, beautiful gardens and...

Beijing City Guide for Palm PDAs.(Traders Hotel, Beijing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Traders Hotel, Beijing offers the Beijing City Guide for Palm PDAs (handheld organizers). Available at the hotel's business center, the downloadable Beijing guide by RedBANG features zoomable maps and 1,000 printable taxi cards (with both...

Alexandria's new library.(Bibliotheca Alexandrina)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Considered the greatest library of ancient times, the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, was established by Ptolemy I at the beginning of the third century B.C. It is estimated that it contained over 700,000 scrolls and that, in its role as keeper...

Accommodations worldwide.(lodging information from ITN readers)(Directory)
July 1, 2002... Hotels * B&Bs * Homestays * Apartments The following is a listing of some of the hotels, B&Bs, etc., in which ITN readers have stayed over the past year or so plus restaurants or sights nearby. Prices are those paid at the time of the...

Malta: a Mediterranean crossroad packed with history and romance.
July 1, 2002... As our plane swept over the coast of Malta following a brief one-hour flight from Rome, the entire country was visible below us. After all, the densely populated main island of Malta is only about 12 miles long and eight miles wide while its...

Tours in review: candid appraisals of group tours.(submitted by ITN readers)
July 1, 2002... The following are candid appraisals of some of the tours ITN readers have taken in the last year or so. Where possible, for comparison's sake, different readers' appraisals of a particular tour company are presented in tandem. When...

Independent travel to Southern England and Iceland.
July 1, 2002... After my husband and I chose January as a convenient time to visit our son and daughter-in law in southern England, we learned that flying on Icelandair would allow us to take advantage of the "Take-A-Break In Iceland" program and we did not...

Viewfinders: share your travel photos.(tourists share their trip to China)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... China We were interested in seeing parts of China rarely visited by Westerners. Orient Odyssey International Travel Service (1385 Gulf Rd., Ste. 203, Point Roberts, WA 98281-9005; phone 800/637-5778, fax 800/564-8893 or visit...

All aboard!(Visit Brussels Line services tourists in Brussels, Belgium)
July 1, 2002... Visit Brussels Line Brussels finally has a hop-on/hop-off bus. The Visit Brussels Line (log on to www.stib.irisnet.be/FR/54000.htm) takes you in a circle through the Belgian capital from Central Train Station (Care Centrale/Centraal...

Cruise cavalcade: upcoming ocean, sea, river or canal cruises.(cruise offerings from Peter Deilmann Cruises, Norwegian Coastal Voyage Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Norway Upside Down Norwegian Coastal Voyage (NCV) is introducing "Antarctica and the Chilean Fjords," a soft-adventure expedition cruise on the MS Nordnorge, which has eight summer-season departures scheduled from Nov. 6, 2002, to Feb. 12,...

Tours: a selection of escorted tours.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Terry Seligman, owner of Terry Tours, with tour members at site commemorating "The man who passed through walls" -- Montmartre, Paris. "PARIS 101 FOR LADIES" 7-day walking tour, Oct. 6-12, '02, includes plenty of free time for...

"Let's Go: Western Europe, 2001". (Reviewers' Corner).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... "Let's Go: Western Europe, 2001" (St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. ISBN 0-312-26961-7 -- 976 pp., $22.99). "Let's Go: Europe" has been the bible of backpackers and youth travelers since a group of Harvard students...

Focal point: capturing travel images.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Digital progress and the traveler In October. 1999, ITN published an. article of mine on shooting exclusively with a digital camera. I outlined some of the pros and cons of abandoning conventional film. A lot has changed since then. My...

Croatia: a jewel of natural beauty. (The Discerning Traveler).
July 1, 2002... (Second of three parts) Last month I related our visits to the islands of Krk and Losinj in Croatia. In this issue, I will continue with our travels in this country. Osor From what we had read in the Lonely Planet guide, we...

Around the caribbean.(marketing promotions from hotels, diving vessels)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... gourmet Hotels of St. Barths For those who appreciate unadulterated traditional French fare, eight of St. Barths' premier resorts have joined together to form Gourmet Hotels of St. Barths. Guests who book five nights or more at any of...

BritRail passes for hosts. (Brit Bits).(British Tourist Authority offers BritRail Pass promotion)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Have a friend in Britain? BritRail, in conjunction with the British Tourist Authority (BTA), is offering a unique opportunity for your Brit-buddy to purchase a BritRail Pass, which is not available for sale in Britain. Anytime during 2002,...

Luxury train tour. (Brit Bits).
July 1, 2002... Orient-Express Trains & Cruises has announced "The Grand Tour of Great Britain," a 7-day/6-night itinerary of England, Scotland and Wales on a luxury private train. Monthly departures take place until Oct. 4, 2002. The tours, on the...

125-year-old railway. (Brit Bits).("The Settle Line, Two-Way Guide" by James Wood)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A new pocket guide marks the 125th anniversary of one of England's most scenic railways. The railway from Leeds in Yorkshire to Settle and Car lisle, part of the Midland Railway's England-Scotland main line, took 30 years to construct and...

Cheers to Munich's Oktoberfest. (Europe).
July 1, 2002... When King Ludwig I had a marriage party in 1810, it was such a success that they made it an annual bash. These days, Oktoberfest lasts 16 days (Sept. 21-Oct. 6 in 2002; log on to www.oktoberfest.de), ending on the first full weekend in October....

Cruising to Viking sites in Norway. (Focus on Archaeology).
July 1, 2002... Their longships sailed, the seas of their times. From what is today Norway, Sweden and Denmark they sailed east to Russia, south to England, Ireland, France and beyond, and west to Iceland, Greenland and the tip of North America. They were the...

Valparaiso/Vina del Mar plus. (Far Horizons).(Chile)
July 1, 2002... (Part of 4 on Chile) Many North Americans visiting Chile experience only the country's central coast twin attractions of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar on a day trip from Santiago, 11/2 hours by road to the east. This is because the region is...

Meeting Russians. (Adventure Travel for the Mildly Adventuresome).
July 1, 2002... (Part 4 of 4 on a Volga cruise) Personal experiences As you well know, people on the same trip anywhere sometimes have greatly varying personal experiences and/or pleasures or problems, along the way. Following are several of my...

You're the skipper on the canals of Europe. (Kilroy Was Here!).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... I'm having another fantasy. Not unusual.. When I was a boy I saw elves. My current whimsical caprice revolves around jumping on board a self-drive cruiser and put-putting through the calm. Waters of Europe's canals; The folks at Crown Blue...

Trace your Scottish roots from Gleneagles. (Travel Briefs).
July 1, 2002... The premier resort Gleneagles, a private 850-acre estate less than an hour's drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow, has designed a program to enable visitors to locate ancestral family in Scotland. The "Roots & Routes" program includes three...

"007's Great Escape". (Travel Briefs).
July 1, 2002... It was 1964 when James Bond (Sean Connery) teed up against Goldfinger at Stoke Park Club, finally defeating him on the club's 18th and prompting Oddjob to decapitate a statue with his flying bowler hat! Now you can follow, in 007's footsteps at...

Painting classes at Hotel Cipriani. (Travel Briefs).
July 1, 2002... Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Italy, is offering several enticing classes for its guests, including classes on cooking, golf and health and beauty. One course offered is the "Botanical & Flower Painting Master Class" with Jenny Phillips, Oct....

Off-road in Korea. (Travel Briefs).
July 1, 2002... For two years, TrekKorea has been coordinating unique sightseeing alternatives for visitors wishing to experience the untouched beauty of "hidden" Korea. Loosely categorized into nature, culture and adventure trips, the programs range from two...

Korea's sight-seeing and cultural exchanges. (Travel Briefs).(International Outdoor Club's cross cultural events)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... English-speaking visitors looking for unique sightseeing opportunities in Korea may join the English-speaking members of Korea's International Outdoor Club for any of a variety of cross-cultural events. These monthly events include mountain...

Global refund offers assistance. (Travel Briefs).(value-added tax)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Value-added tax (VAT) is automatically charged on most goods bought in more than 100 countries, but it is refundable on goods leaving a country when a few simple procedures are followed. In Europe, VAT ranges from 7% to 20%. Each country...

Airline consolidators chart. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Airline consolidators can slash airfare costs significantly as they buy blocks of tickets on scheduled airlines. Some travelers find consolidators especially useful when there is no time to buy a 7- to 21-day advance-purchase ticket or when...

Berlin by boat. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... With more bridges by boat than Venice and more waterways than any other European city, Berlin can very comfortably be explored from a boat deck. Several boat companies offer a variety of cruises, including bridge and city tours that offer fresh...

'Candy Bomber' flight over Berlin. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Visitors interested in a unique aerial view of Berlin are now able to book a sightseeing flight aboard an authentic, completely restored "Candy Bomber" supply aircraft. The DC-3 resembles the planes used by U.S. Forces to transport 1.8 million...

Adapt-A-Lap. (Travel Briefs).(portable desk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Developed to help people with limited use of their arms to read more easily, positioning the book up close, Adapt-A-Lap, a light, portable desk, also helps travelers, using a laptop computer and typists in need of a copy. holder. The desktop...

Table Tote portable workspace. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Designed for the business traveler, student or anyone who can use a portable workstation for laptop use, writing or even eating a meal, Table Tote is a stable collapsible table that can be used in airports or hotel lobbies or even on park...

Keep cool with Magicool. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Magicool, a safe, atomized, instant-cooling spray, has been described as an "air-conditioner in a can." A British invention, it not only cools the body and face but also can be used to cool the surrounding hot air and surfaces when entering...

Person to person.
July 1, 2002... -- Reader-to-reader info exchange -- Planning a trip overseas and need specific info? Let your fellow ITN readers provide the answers. Send your question to Person to Person, c/o ITN, 2120 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818. Please...

Lebanon travel warning. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... During the recent increase in tensions in the Middle East, there have been a number of anti-U.S. demonstrations in Lebanon, some of them violent. Hizballah and Palestinian militants have also become more active along Lebanon's southern border....

Westminster open during recess. (Brit Bits).(Palace of Westminster tours)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The Palace of Westminster, home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, will open for one-hour guided tours during the summer recess. Tours will operate daily, except Sundays, in August and September. Visitors will see both...