International Travel News articles from October 2002

International Travel News archives from October 2002

Boarding pass.(letters)
October 1, 2002... Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 320th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. The following letter has information that some travelers may find useful and important. We are printing it without mentioning the names of the...

Report cards.(letters)
October 1, 2002... On-the-spot reports from around the globe 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...

High on Thailand--modern, yet exotic.
October 1, 2002... Out of every five ITN subscribers, 2.28 have been to Thailand. Since only an economist could like figures such as "the average family has 1.73 children," we'll convert the portion of ITN travelers who have visited Thailand to 43.8%. I hope...

Travelers' Intercom.(latters)
October 1, 2002... Readers' opinions, tips & recommendations. * Send your travel appraisals--the good and bad of airlines, cruises, restaurants, auto rentals, etc., plus travel tips and warnings--to Travelers' Intercom, c/o ITN, 2120 28th St., Sacramento, CA...

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. (News Watch).(travel warning)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer travel to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Five Americans were killed and several Americans were injured as a result of the July 31 bombing of a cafeteria on the campus of Hebrew University...

Targeted in Pakistan. (News Watch).(travel warning)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... Several recent attacks on Christian facilities in Pakistan indicate that they are being targeted by terrorists. On Aug. 9, 2002, a Christian hospital in Taxila was attacked, with at least four killed and as many as 20 wounded, some seriously....

Civil war ends in Angola. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the potential danger of travel to the Republic of Angola. The April 2002 signing of a cease-fire agreement marked the end of 25 years of civil conflict. Nevertheless, crime, a severely deteriorated...

Burundi travel warning. (News Watch).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Burundi due to the uncertain security situation within that country and among the several states in the surrounding Great Lakes region. Burundi has been plagued by civil war...

Fighting in Somalia. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to Somalia. Interclan and interfactional fighting can flare up with little warning, and kidnapping, murder and other threats to U.S. citizens and other foreigners can occur...

Nigeria dangers. (News Watch).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the dangers of travel to Nigeria. Violent crime, committed by ordinary criminals as well as by persons in police and military uniforms, can occur throughout the country. Kidnapping for ransom of...

United eliminating paper tickets. (Travel Briefs).(United Airlines)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... United Airlines announced that it is moving toward full electronic ticketing and will stop issuing paper tickets within the U.S. by July 2003. The carrier plans to issue only electronic tickets for all eligible itineraries, at all...

Austrian Airlines business-class perk. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Austrian Airlines is extending its "Vienna on Us" program through the year 2003, offering a free overnight stay in a 5-star Vienna hotel for Grand Class (business class) passengers who are traveling via Vienna to a destination beyond Austria...

National park in Scotland. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Opening in April 2003 is Scotland's first national park, taking in the mountain and lake scenery of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Located an hour from Glasgow, a new orientation center, Lomond Shores, will serve as the southern gateway to the...

Amazon jungle villages contrast with European-influenced cities in So. America.(travel)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... Imagine people so wealthy that they sent their clothes from the heart of the Amazon Basin to Europe to be laundered, and built an opera house in the jungle just to show that they were cultivated. The world of the 19th-century rubber barons,...

Grandpa, grandsons & the Swiss Alps--an unforgettable combination.(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... If you've been looking for an opportunity to share your wanderlust with a grandchild while satisfying any qualms of the child's parents, I found the elixir. It all started when I received a brochure for an Aug. 12-20 trip, "Alumni College in...

The ultimate pre-trip 'to do' list.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... When ITN asked readers to submit their "master packing lists" recently, many included their "to do" lists as well: everything they needed to accomplish prior to taking a trip. ITN has compiled them into the following master checklist. Perhaps...

Accommodations worldwide.
October 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...

Exploring romantic Tahiti aboard the Paul Gauguin.(Radisson Seven Seas Cruises)
October 1, 2002... Two special men, the author James Michener ("Tales of the South Pacific") and French painter Paul Gauguin, among many others, have fired our imagination and fueled our unfulfilled wanderlust to "drop out" on a verdant South Pacific isle-if not...

Tours in review: candid appraisals of group tours.(Statistical Data Included)
October 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 writing...

UNESCO world heritage site.(Agrigento outside Palermo, Sicily)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A day trip out of Palermo, Sicily, took us to Agrigento, founded in 581 B.C. Here is found the Valley of the Temples, the most visited archaeological site in Sicily. These ruins are certainly equal to Greece itself. But Greece is chocka-block...

New ICE T Munich to Berlin. (All Aboard!).(train travel)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... (Part one of two) With tender tilts, ICE. No. 1610 Helene Weigel began to snake through the curves and hilly terrain of Germany's Frankenwald (forest) and it was then that I fully appreciated the advantages of the train's active tilt...

The Darien Jungle--in a dugout. (Cruise Cavalcade).(Cruise West tours of Panama's Darien National Park)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Panama's Darien National Park is 1,500 square miles of rainforest jungle. Although uncrossed by roads, the Darien is comfortably accessible via native dugout canoes (cayucos) that use the rivers as roads into jungle country otherwise beyond...

Seasonal bargains on Norway cruises. (Cruise Cavalcade).(Norwegian Coastal Voyage)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Norwegian Coastal Voyage is repeating its bargain rates for singles, seniors and other travelers in the shoulder and off-season when the. tourists have gone and cruise, hotel and airplane prices drop. The 11-ship fleet sails daily, year-round,...

"Famous Christmas Markets". (Tours).(Destination Europe Resources)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "AUSTRIAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS" -- 7-day/6-night tour to Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and. Munich, Nov. 30-Dec. 6, '02. $766 land only. "FAMOUS CHRISTMAS MARKETS" -- 7-day/6-night tour of GERMAN and AUSTRIAN Christmas markets in Munich, Innsbruck,...

"South & Sicily". (Tours).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "SOUTH & SICILY" -- 14-day tour of ITALY, through April 2, '03. Highlights: Palermo's cathedral/Agrigento/Taormina's beaches and shops/Syracuse, city of Greek antiquity/on Italian mainland, Sorrento, Pompeii, Naples and Rome. From...

"Winter Classic Turkey Tour". (Tours).(from Troy Tours)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "WINTER CLASSIC TURKEY TOUR" -- 14 days, with departures November '02-March '03. Highlights: Istanbul's Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapi Palace/Hittite artifacts in Ankara/rock churches, frescoes and underground city in Cappadocia/...

"Gods, Temples & Archaeology of Ancient India". (Tours).(tours by Far Horizons)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "GODS, TEMPLES & ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT INDIA" -- 19-day tour led by art historian Dr. Daniel Ehnbom, Dec. 27, '02-Jan. 13, '03. Highlights Cave shrines with exquisite artwork in Ajanta and Ellora/Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first...

"China Holiday Study Tour". (Tours).(Bensons' Customized Tours)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "CHINA HOLIDAY STUDY TOUR" -- 20-day/18-night educational adventure, June 25-July 14, '03. Presentations, lectures, friendship exchanges, cultural performances and guided sightseeing in eight Chinese cities, with departure from Hong Kong. ...

"Thailand & The Golden Triangle". (Tours).(Pacific Delight. Tours)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... "THAILAND & THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE" --18 days. Through March '03. Highlights: In Bangkok, temple of the Emerald' Buddha, Royal Grand Palace, Pantheon. of Kings and more/floating market in Damnersaduak/demonstrations of traditional dances,...

The World Outdoors. (Tours).
October 1, 2002... THE WORLD OUTDOORS specializes in the Americas and also offers trips in the Caribbean and Australia and New Zealand. Example active travel adventure follow: Ecuador-Galapagos Multi-Sport--13 days including snorkeling, hiking, biking,...

"Camping Europe". (Reviewers' Corner).
October 1, 2002... "Camping Europe" by Carol Mickelsen (2001, Affordable Travel Press, Box 3296, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019. ISBN 0917120183--350 pp., $19.95). From the very first time my wife and I set the stakes of our tiny tent in the soft grass of a Koln,...

"The Air Traveler's Survival Guide: The Plane Truth from 35,000 Feet". (New on the Bookshelf).
October 1, 2002... "The Air Traveler's Survival Guide: The Plane Truth from 35,000 Feet" by A. Frank Steward (2001, Impact Publications, 9104 Manassas Dr., Ste. N, Manassas Park, VA 20111-5211. ISBN 1570231710-232 pp., $14.95 paperback). Did you ever wonder...

Stay in touch while in Curacao. (Around the Caribbean).
October 1, 2002... A new cellular phone rental service is available to visitors to Curacao. Through Touracao Tourist Services, vacationers can rent a Nokia 3310 cellular phone equipped with text paging, voice dialing, alarm clock, currency converter and reminder...

'Best of Barbados'. (Around the Caribbean).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The package "Best of Barbados" offers savings in Barbados when a 7-night. hotel stay is booked (two persons per room). At all-inclusive hotels, the minimum stay is five nights. Travel must be completed by Dec. 14,2002. 'Subject to change,...

Tipping tactics for Europe. (Rick Steves' Europe).(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... Tipping in Europe isn't as automatic and generous as it is in the U.S. But, in most countries, tips for good service are appreciated, if not expected. Like here, the proper amount depends on your resources, your tipping philosophy and the...

Eclipse viewing off Africa. (Africa).(offered by Orient Lines)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... How about something exceptional when traveling to Africa: viewing the solar eclipse while in the comfort of a cruise? Orient Lines is offering a 20-day itinerary from Nairobi, Kenya, to Cape Town, South Africa, that combines a big-game...

La Antigua--one day is not enough. (Latin America).
October 1, 2002... (Part 3 of 5 on Guatemala) Magical, captivating, set in a fertile valley ringed by three volcanoes, Antigua is the most popular of Guatemala's tourist destinations. By virtue of its importance and its preservation as a city most...

The painted havelis of Rajasthan. (Focus on Archaeology).(Indian tourism)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... Twelve years ago I visited India for the first time. It was a whirlwind 3-week trip that introduced me to many of the country's major cities and sights. But it was Rajasthan, located in the northwest corner of India, that most captivated me....

The magic of Galapagos. (Far Horizons).(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... (First of two parts) The soaring trio of blue-footed booby suddenly broke in unison from search formation glide into free-fall attack dive from about 100 feet, slicing seamlessly into the azure sea below. This constant occurrence was but...

Hot and cold running Finns. (Kilroy was here!).(travel)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... The national pastime and passion of Finland is the sauna. Finns insist that you try it. Some visitors adore it. A woman from Wisconsin said, "As bad as you think it's going to be, the real thing is worse." Finns are certain that everybody...

'London Simply London'. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Through March 26, 2003 go-today.com offers a 6-night air-and-hotel "London Simply London Supersale" package from $349. It includes round-trip air to London on select carriers, six nights' hotel at select properties, Continental breakfast daily,...

London 'Winter Midweek Fling'. (Travel Briefs).(from Virgin Atlantic Vacations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... Virgin Vacations is offering the "Winter Mid-week Fling" to London for $399 per person (double occupancy). It includes round-trip economy air from JFK or Newark airport, round-trip rail transportation between London airport and city center,...

Australian Pacific. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Australian Pacific's Sight-see 'n' Save Pass has been reduced in price. For $176, the pass is good for up to four day tours and offers the flexibility to choose from over 70 full- and half-day tours in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold...

Qantas' Business-Class beds. (Travel Briefs).(Qantas Airways Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Qantas will invest $300 million to relaunch its International Business Class, which will feature new seats that convert to beds. Measuring 6'6" long and 25 inches wide when fully reclined, the custom-built seats will be of a "cocoon.style"...

The ITN Globetrotter Award.(International Trade News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Travelers have many different goals. Some are determined to set foot on every country on Earth; others want to visit all seven continents or all of the time zones. Then there are those who want to "take the time to smell the roses," in many...

Discover Adelaide Card. (Travel Briefs).(Australian tourism)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2002... The Discover Adelaide Card offers visitors the chance to visit a selection of 12 attractions in Adelaide, South Australia, for just $48. The card includes eight passes, which works out to $6 per pass, and visitors can choose which...

Cooking classes in Perugia. (Travel Briefs).(Italy)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Through Dec. 31, 2002, the historic Hotel Brufani Palace in Perugia, Italy, invites visitors to unlock the secrets of Umbrian cuisine, a region renowned for its salamis, cheeses and Baci Perugina chocolates. Two daily English-language...

Postal buses deliver Swiss sights. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Complementing the-trains, and boats of Switzerland's public transport system are postal buses, the nifty yellow buses with huge windows that ply the backroads and often also deliver mail to remote areas. Postbus drivers are specially trained to...

Vintage luxury trains in the UK. (Travel Briefs).(RailEurope Inc.)(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Travel in grand style in the UK on British Pullman trains. Originally created in the '20s and '30s, the carriages have been meticulously restored and extravagantly furnished with plush restaurant cars complete with crystal, fine china, gourmet...

Seabourn's 'Personal Valet' service. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Seabourn Cruise Line (800/929-9391) has teamed with DHL Worldwide Express to provide an optional service that allows cruise guests to ship their personal, luggage from their homes directly to a Seabourn yacht anywhere in the world. Dubbed...

Ship luggage via VirtualBellhop. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... VirtualBellhop can transport your luggage from, your doorstep to your destination and back home again. Among the service's select international destinations are London, Sydney, Amsterdam, Madrid and Barcelona, certain locations in South...

Your face on your luggage. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... You can make it less likely that a stranger will walk off with your luggage: attach a durable Face-It Luggage Tag to it. The laminated, waterproof tag displays your face and the phrase "This Luggage Belongs With This Face." To order, send...

City-supervised taxis in Seoul. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Operating under strict city management-and supervision, brand taxis were launched into service in Seoul, Korea, on Feb. 16, 2002. Each is equipped with a simultaneous interpretation machine, a receipt-issuance machine and a wireless data...

Rent a Jag in the UK. (Travel Briefs).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Avis now offers American renters a variety of high-end ragtops, e.g.., the Porsche Boxster 2.7, the Jaguar XK8 and the Mercedes SL500. All cars are under nine months old, with low mileage. They're kept in a mews in South Kensington and can...

Drive all-terrain semiamphious vehicle. (Travel Briefs).(Gleneagles resort in Scotland)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In Scotland's Highlands, Gleneagles resort has added the Argo 8x8-wheel-drive Conquest to its off-road fleet. The all-terrain weather, semiamphibious vehicles are used in steep, rocky or swampy areas unreachable by traditional means. The...

Following The Equator.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Taking the title from one of Mark Twain's books, ITN issues you the challenge of earning the Following The Equator Award. To receive it, you must have traveled to every country crossed by the equator. It is not necessary to have actually...

Person to person.(Brief Article)
October 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 indicate if...

The ITN 100 Nations Award.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... If you have been to 100 or more of the countries (other than your own) on the list below, you are eligible (for a 5-dollar processing and handling fee) to receive a special certificate suitable for framing: the official ITN 100 Nations Award....

Do you qualify for ITN's Traveled the Continents Award?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Have you been among the few to have visited all seven continents... or among the select travelers who have been to six? If so, you .deserve an award and ITN has one for you. For the seven-continent award, just tell us one date of visit to...

Nepal.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Caption: My wife, Patricia, and I took a trip to India and Nepal with smarTours (800/377-7773) in 1998. Flying into Katmandu from India, we saw the Himalayas in the distance. Some members of our group took the optional flight to view Everest,...