Bun tower a hit in Hong Kong

A DOZEN people in Hong Kong scrambled up a steel tower covered in buns today, reviving a religious ritual banned 26 years ago when the former British colonial Government declared it too dangerous. A similar tower constructed out of bamboo...

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Shed More Than Just Your Cares at Naturist Camps This Summer

By Carrie Havranek The idea of attending a nudist camp feels so risqué, vaguely European and possibly outdated. But according to the results of a recent opinion survey, one out of seven people say they're interested in au natural recreation....

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AIRBORNE PET DEATHS

THE WASHINGTON POST; Michael J. Reilly Starting in July, consumers will have access to information on how many pets traveling in the baggage holds of U.S. commercial aircraft are killed, lost or injured while in each airline's care. The new...

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Discount airline carrier Jetsgo tells Montreal court it's bankrupt

Karine Fortin Canadian Press MONTREAL (CP) - Discount airline Jetsgo declared formal bankruptcy Friday, setting the stage for the sale of the carrier's remaining assets, including 10 Fokker-100 aircraft. Jetsgo, which stranded thousands of irate passengers when it abruptly ceased...

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World's 10 best airports and lounges

The United States lags far behind Asia in a ranking of the best airports and airline lounges. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Ever waited out a snowstorm at O'Hare? Tried to change terminals at Dallas-Ft. Worth? Stood in the international arrivals...

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Remote beach town of Jericoacoara has a laid-back rhythm all its own

By Steven Mark JERICOACOARA, Brazil — The ritual begins an hour or so before sunset. As the tropical Brazilian sun beats down still at this hour, a few trekkers begin to climb a sand dune that overlooks a remote, windswept...

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Monks, myrrh & mystery

In a land of biblical characters and stunning churches, it's easy to see the influence of angels in Ethiopia, writes Maria Visconti. Ethiopia, more commonly associated with famine and the remains of Lucy, one of the world's earliest hominids, must...

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Not Just Gyan...Nepal falls off Indian tourist's map

KATHMANDU: Women with tell-tale chudas and men dressed in shiny wedding suits used to swarm Nepal-bound planes. Now, discounted rates of just Rs 3,500 for a round trip find few takers among honeymoon couples. Kathmandu’s streets are no longer teeming...

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Iran to issue tourist visa at airports

LONDON, May 10 (IranMania) - Iran will issue seven day visa at its airports to tourists visiting Iran, Iran's Foreign Ministry said. It said that the decision has been made with an aim of facilitating travel of foreign tourists to...

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Malaria Risk Increases as Travel Trends Change

LONDON, ENGLAND – (CCNMatthews – May. 10, 2005) – Thousands more travellers are being exposed to the threat of malaria each year as visitor numbers continue to increase to risk areas. Over five million people travelled to high risk malarious...

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What's orange and floats? That's easy...

Day one of Easycruise's inaugural voyage, and on deck Stelios is showing off his new ship. 'What do you think? Do you like the colour? I think the hot tub is going to be a lot of fun, don't you?'...

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Boutique airline a jumbo success

By Shalini Seth DUBAI — Airlines are either budget or the biggies, right? Not quite. This year at the Arabian Travel Mart (ATM), customers are being acquainted with Bangkok Airways, which is one of the world’s few boutique airlines. It...

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Zanzibar tells travelers not to kiss

STONETOWN, Zanzibar (Reuters) -- Islamist groups in Zanzibar are worried by what they see as increasingly inappropriate behavior by Western tourists, saying their actions offend the Indian Ocean islands' conservative Muslim culture. Zanzibar tells travelers not to kiss, continued...

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Where Does the Dollar Do Best? Frommers.com Global Price Index for May

By Maureen Clarke Getting from here to there is only part of the travel calculus now. In the face of the dollar's declining value abroad, expenses on the ground can be a shock to some. To demonstrate where you'll get...

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Pirate Radio Effects Passenger Jet Landing

Police moved swiftly to shut down a pirate radio station in Birmingham after pilots complained that dance music was drowning out instructions from air traffic controllers as they landed at a nearby Birmingham airport. The pilots landing passenger jets reported...

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Virgin Atlantic launches `Flying Paws`

Virgin Atlantic`s furry passengers are now able to earn gifts for themselves and frequent flyer points for their owner after the new `Flying Paws` reward scheme is launched on 1 May 2005. The scheme not only caters for posh pooches...

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PALIN SLAMS REPORTS HE'S QUITTING TRAVEL SHOWS

Former MONTY PYTHON star MICHAEL PALIN has slammed reports he's refused to make any more hit TV travel shows - insisting he can't contemplate a life without globe-trotting. PALIN SLAMS REPORTS HE'S QUITTING TRAVEL SHOWS, continued...

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Full Skunk Train trips finally back on track

It has gone through bankruptcy and ownership change, but after a two-year absence the popular Skunk Train will resume its excursions between Fort Bragg and Willits starting Memorial Day weekend. Acquired by the Sierra Railroad in December 2003 after previous...

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Leisure travel, vacation homes fly high

NEW YORK -- A new poll suggests that vacations and leisure travel are increasingly important to Americans, with more advance planning, longer vacations and less focus on work. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said they like to spend their leisure...

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Cycling back into fashion

HANOI, Vietnam (Reuters) -- They banned them. They even banned a film about them. But now the humble cyclo is back on the streets of communist Vietnam, striking a retro note as the country celebrates the 30th anniversary of its...

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Loo of the Year Awards

Entries are now being received for the 2005 Loo of the Year Awards – the annual competition to find the best places to ‘go’ throughout the UK and, for the first time this year, the Republic of Ireland. The competition...

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Russian tourist sub tests waters in San Diego

By BILL VIRGIN One of our submarines is missing. The Russian Foxtrot-class submarine that had been moored at Pier 48 in Seattle as a tourist attraction was last seen being towed out of Elliott Bay recently. The black, 300-foot-long sub,...

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New Yosemite Falls approach improves popular tourist draw

By Kim Curtis YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – Buses belching exhaust as they waited for space in the packed parking lot. Stinky restrooms with lines snaking around a dilapidated building. Cracked and crumbling trails. The old approach to the 2,425-foot upper...

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easyCruiseOne: Learn all the basics on cruising's newest still-at-the-shipyard vessels.

If you prefer hostels to hotels, exercise tight control over your finances and would rather see a new destination every day than chill out at sea, the first ship in the easyCruise fleet just might be for you. The former...

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Australia: Jewels stolen passing airport security

A passenger was carrying the large quantity of jewellery in a blue laptop case as hand luggage when he put it through security screening yesterday in the domestic terminal, police said. The bag was taken from the security conveyor belt...

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Qantas adds security cameras

Qantas will install closed-circuit TV surveillance equipment in baggage handling areas at its terminals in response to security concerns. The move follows an incident in which an airline employee was seen wearing a camel's head costume that belonged in a...

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From backpack to business class

By Orietta Guerrera Lonely Planet co-founder Maureen Wheeler makes no apologies for flying business class on long flights with husband Tony, or for enjoying the occasional stay at architecturally splendid hotels. "I'm 55 years old, I've been working at Lonely...

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China lifts lid on filthy toilets

SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) -- China is coming clean about its filthy toilets, first hosting a world toilet summit and now about to hold its first ever toilet exhibition which will lift the lid on new technology. The World Toilet Expo...

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Scratch a flea and find a bargain

Paris flea markets are brimming with life and colour, Jane Paech reports. The Paris flea markets originated in the 18th century when chiffoniers or rag-and-bone men resold goods and clothing found in aristocrats' rubbish bins, setting up just outside the...

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Your next holiday in.... Iran?

IRAN, which long castigated the United States as the 'Great Satan', is to promote its tourist potential on America's CNN television station and Britain's BBC, the country's vice-president for tourism Hossein Marachi has revealed. Your next holiday in.... Iran?,...

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IT'S AN ODD, ODD WORLD

THE world's most celebrated museums are bastions of artistic, scientific and historical artifacts and information - but are they big on giggles and gasps? The Guggenheim has Gauguin and the Smithsonian has Apollo 11 survival equipment, but neither one has...

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Mystery of missing Brit in Cambodia

By Guy De Launey Cambodia is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday destination for backpackers and gap-year students who are interested in the low cost of living that makes for a cheap long-term stay. But although Cambodia has been at...

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Introducing 'callable' flights, better for the airline - and for you

Suppose that some weeks ago you booked a flight to Rome for a return fare of £100. Imagine you had been offered, at the point of purchase, the following interesting proposition by the airline: You, the traveller, give us, the...

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Hop on the Tube to find London's cheap thrills

By Carol Pucci LONDON — The math isn't pretty. London has always been expensive. Now with the exchange rate at $1.88 to the pound, the shocker is looking at the price of anything and knowing that it's roughly double that...

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Can Boeing Make Light work of jet-lag?

By Dr Richard Dawood Boeing is to introduce innovative light-control technology on its aircraft to help improve the wellbeing of long-haul passengers. The company claims that the lighting on the cabin ceiling will be tuned to your "inner clock", changing...

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Travelling in the days before dot.com

ROGER CRUTCHLEY Just about any place you go in Thailand these days there's an Internet cafe lurking around the corner. And on Khao San Road, home to thousands of low-budget travellers there are dozens of places to email and surf...

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Coal shortage derails toy train

By Subir Bhaumik The famous toy train that ferries tourists in India's tea country in Darjeeling has run out of steam. The steam engines of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a Unesco World Heritage treasure, have suffered an acute shortage of...

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Hay fever

For 50 weeks of the year Hay-on-Wye is a bibliophile's dream, stuffed as it is with bookshop after bookshop (39 at the last count) and blessed with a multitude of cafes and pubs in which to perch and enjoy the...

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Return to San Serriffe

When the world first heard of San Serriffe in April 1977, the tiny state was a sleepy island paradise under the authoritarian leadership of an unpopular general. Visiting the archipelago 22 years on, Berlin Sans discovers a vibrant nation transformed...

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Don't overlook travel scholarships

CLARKSTON, Mich. -- Do you know of a student who can't afford to participate in a school or group trip? The School Youth Travel Association Foundation is offering $1,000 "Road" Scholarships for students under age 26 toward the cost of...

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Inspectors close warehouse for airline snacks

By Tom Rybarczyk Tribune staff reporter A warehouse that stores snack food for airline passengers remained closed at O'Hare International Airport early today after city inspectors found hundreds of rat droppings in the storage facility this week. Inspectors close warehouse...

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When the tummy growls

Free airline meals are rare If you're flying to New York or San Francisco, can you expect a free hot meal aloft? Probably so, if you're in first class. Otherwise, it's unlikely (with Houston-based Continental as an exception). Here's an...

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Mountain guides, porters face unemployment as tourists shun Nepal

Nepal's mountain guides and porters face widespread unemployment because of an expected sharp drop in trekker arrivals and mountain climbing expeditions linked to the royal takeover and ongoing Maoist rebellion. Tourists arriving by plane in the landlocked Hindu kingdom fell...

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Backpacker Army Rebuilds Thailand's 'Beach'

By Ed Cropley KOH PHI PHI, Thailand (Reuters) - To the strains of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, a backpacker army of anybody from Australian computer boffins to Irish plasterers is rebuilding the tsunami-devastated Thai paradise of Koh Phi Phi....

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Tourist army program to expand

The Defense Ministry has decided to expand the popular Marva program where tourists volunteer for eight weeks of military training with the Israeli army. Tourist army program to expand, continued...

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Non-Euro Europe

How do you make your painfully weak dollars go further? Take them to a euro-free zone. By Gary Lee There's a smart way for U.S. travelers to Europe to cope with the pinch on the pocketbook caused by the euro:...

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London Eye Brits’ top tourist spot

By Arifa Akbar For a structure dismissed by planners as "rubbish", it is amazing that the London Eye ever made it to tower over the British capital’s skyline. But five years on, the giant ferris wheel has earned its place...

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In Cancún, Girls Gone Mild

By MAUREEN DOWD My spring break experiences were grisly. One year I went to San Juan, where a young Puerto Rican businessman I met at a cockfight tried to insist that I give him sexual favors because he once dated...

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Fliers Find Buying Onboard Food Hard to Digest

By Keith L. Alexander Whenever Sandra Wilson has a flight of more than two hours out of Reagan National, she races to California Pizza Kitchen inside the terminal for a small cheese pizza to take aboard. The Fairfax-based attorney pays...

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Little extras lift JetBlue to top of customer polls

Is JetBlue the next Southwest? The 5-year-old New York-based airline has been the talk of the industry of late, landing atop customer-satisfaction surveys, including one released last week, and creating buzz enough to influence an industry full of rivals many...

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Gay travel industry on the rise

South Lake Tahoe - Under blue skies at Heavenly ski resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Steve Rowelo tromped through the slushy snow sporting a blond, curly wig, black fish-net stockings and a red and black can-can dress. Behind him,...

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Travel Tip: Some hotels tack on daily gratuities to bill

By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY After Regis Philbin tipped a bellman at Florida's ritzy Boca Raton Resort & Club last weekend, the talk-show host got a check-in surprise. The bellhop said that $9 covering his services would automatically be...

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British Firm Breaks Ground in Surveillance Science

By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent MALVERN, England (Reuters) - The "suicide bomber" clips a shrapnel-filled belt around his waist and buttons up his jacket to conceal it. As he turns back and forth in front of a semi-circular white...

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What made an Airbus rudder snap in mid-air?

At 35 000 feet above the Caribbean, Air Transat flight 961 was heading home to Quebec with 270 passengers and crew. At 3.45pm last Sunday, the pilot noticed something very unusual. His Airbus A310's rudder -- a structure over 8m...

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Airline cabin air 'no risk'

FEARS that the confined space of commercial airliners and recycled air in aircraft cabins help spread flu and other respiratory diseases among passengers are largely unfounded, according to a new study. Airline cabin air 'no risk', continued...

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Buy tickets, sell shoes, eat cheap at Khao San Road

Cash, tickets, bargain sleeps, late-night fun -- Bangkok's backpacker district is a place to be. BY CHRISTINA HOAG BANGKOK, Thailand - If you're in Bangkok with your worldly goods stuffed in a backpack, Thais know exactly where you're headed. ''Where...

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Goldman Sachs flirts with Japan's love hotels

By William Sparrow Japan's booming love-hotel industry is rumored to have attracted the attention of Goldman Sachs, the US-based heavyweight investment bank, brokerage and financial management house. Word on the street, according to CBS MarketWatch, is that Goldman may be...

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Residents' fury over backpacker hostel plan

By Hannah Edwards Plans to build a 242-bed backpacker hostel at Bondi Beach have been met with angry protests from local residents. Waverley Council has received 49 objections from residents enraged at the size of the proposed Jacques Avenue development,...

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Gap students 'learn little' about world

by Angie Brown GAP year students hang around with other Britons and spend a lot of time on the phone to their parents rather than immersing themselves in the culture of foreign climes, a three-year survey has revealed. Rather than...

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The new travel discounts

London, Tokyo, Berlin offer deals to counter dollar's decline David Armstrong, Chronicle Staff Writer The reeling dollar, battered by the strong euro, yen and pound, is making travel in the developed world more costly for Americans this year. This is...

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Cutbacks squeeze airline workers

Lifestyles change and wages suffer as carriers trim costs in effort to stay aloft. By Adam Geller Associated Press February 27, 2005 DES PLAINES, Ill. -- The phone line in Dave Meyers' third-floor walkup has been turned off to save...

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NW Airlink pilots "having fun" before crash

This is a TV report of an air disaster. You will need a fast connection to play this. NW Airlink pilots "having fun" before crash...

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Is London the new Japan?

The scariest thing about being an American in London right now — other than continued snow showers in the forecast (ah, the joys of off-season travel) is looking at the price of anything in pounds and knowing that it's roughly...

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'Loch Ness' eel frightens tourist

A monster eel, which is believed to have taken up residence at a Warburton trout farm, east of Melbourne, has reportedly been sighted this morning. The eel, which is said to be at least three metres long with a head...

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Frankfurt: It could be wurst

Instead of just passing through, Kendall Hill thought he'd stop in Frankfurt. He made a mistake. Given Frankfurt is Europe's busiest airport hub, it seemed reasonable to drop by and investigate what it has to offer the stopover traveller. Surely...

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Using Old DC-9s Pays Off for Northwest

By JOSHUA FREED AP Business Writer Each day, a little piece of aviation history takes off in Columbus, Ohio. And in Buffalo, N.Y., and dozens of other cities where Northwest flies DC-9s that average 34 years old. Some of them...

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Ask the pilot: What are the safest airlines? Why is that a dumb question?

Feb. 18, 2005 | Appearing below are Ask the Pilot's Quarter-Century Safety Achievers -- a list of airlines that have gone fatality-free over the past 25 years (compiled using data mostly from Airsafe.com). Certain small companies are omitted, though I've...

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What? No planes?

A lack of aircraft spells uncertainty for Lao Airlines DON ROSS Ultimately, birds are to blame for Laos' short two-year experiment with an Airbus A320. That's how Lao Airlines executives describe the disappearance of the only wide-bodied jet to ever...

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The pagoda trail

Vietnam is emerging as a family holiday favourite. Jo Chandler discovers why. In a clearing beyond the mysterious piles of greenery and strange fruit that inhabit every Vietnamese marketplace, the piglets are being pulled from their baskets. The scales are...

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Catch of the day in the Cuyahoga?

John C. Kuehner Plain Dealer Reporter Would you fish in the Cuyahoga River? The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says you can. For the first time since the infamous river fire in 1969, the state is touting two places along...

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65 Rolls-Royce cars arrive in Kuching for tour of Borneo

KUCHING: Sixty-five gleaming Rolls-Royce cars worth a total of £5mil (RM35.5mil) arrived at Senari Port here for a 20-day tour of Borneo. They included exclusive models ranging from the 1912 Silver Ghost to the latest 2004 Phantom saloon and were...

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HOTEL NOT-SO-GRAND

The Grand Hotel in Scarborough used to be one of the best in Europe. Inside Out goes undercover to investigate a hotel which could be bad for your health. For nearly 150 years, the Grand Hotel has towered over Scarborough's...

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Affordable Back-packing Routes to dive Africa

by Sara Lise-Haith Many divers have been hesitant to travel to South Africa or other African destinations to dive due to the rising costs of hotels, and the distance between the popular diving destinations is large. Backpack Africa online offer...

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Mostar For Independent Travellers

The Balkans are once again back on the tourist trail an area once loved for its the charm and mystery so what is it that is so special. One of the most prominent symbols that proves things are returning to...

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Taming the Ox: Infamous Canadian bar to soon serve coffee, not beer

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - A bar that was once considered to be among the toughest in western Canada for fights will soon serve coffee and juice instead of beer and booze. The new owner of the New Occidental Hotel says he...

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Beasts of burden lighten the load

By Anna Selby When the author Robert Louis Stevenson decided to walk through the wild and desolate Cevennes in southern France with only a donkey for company, arguing that it would be more sure-footed and less flighty than a horse,...

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Stray Backpackers Board NZ's Only Backpacker Bus

Stray, New Zealand's fastest growing backpacker bus network , today (4th February 2005), unveiled the first of its brand new purpose built buses, tailored specifically for the New Zealand backpacker market. The new backpacker friendly buses, built in New Zealand...

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Women Buy More Travel Online Than Men

By Rob McGann | January 31, 2005 Women convert from researching a specific online travel product more frequently than men, according to a survey by BURST MEDIA. The study polled 3,500 BURST! Media network visitors ages 18 and older who...

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Is Bigger Really Best?

These are the days when smaller is better - as in iPods, BlackBerrys and tiny phones that take pictures - but for European leaders bruised by Washington of late, the unveiling of the hulking new A380 jumbo jet was a...

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Water on Airlines Crap 17% of Time

The Oregonian reports that the water on airlines is worse than thought. I coulda told you that without the experiments....

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Trouble at airlines imperils flier miles

By Jennifer Heldt Powell Tuesday, January 4, 2005 If you've been saving your frequent-flier miles for a big vacation or emergency trip, you might want to use them before you lose them, air travel experts say. With five airlines in...

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Starving islanders kidnap officials

Luke Harding in Port Blair, on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands A desperate group of starving survivors in one of the tsunami-hit Nicobar islands kidnapped the island's top civilian official and its police chief in protest at the inadequate relief...

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Tsunami relief isn't about us

Danny Westneat / Times staff columnist It's been five days since the tsunami, yet the voices from Indonesia sound as desperate as ever. "There is no food or water," writes Luci Ferrero, a liaison in the quake-stricken, waves-ravaged country who...

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Japan to lend PDAs to tourist

The Japanese transport ministry has announced plans to start lending to personal digital assistants (PDAs) with travel information and translation services to foreign visitors. The pilot program is part of a government drive to find ways to make Japan more...

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Da Vinci Code spawns tourist trade

The next time the Pope addresses crowds in St Peter's Square, he may see tourists with paperbacks by the blockbuster conspiracy novelist Dan Brown, rather than Catholic pilgrims with Bibles or guidebooks. The first "official Angels and Demons tour", organised...

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Armchair Traveler

By RICHARD B. WOODWARD Travel writers have to be optimistic about the places they've visited. If they aren't we won't follow. Pity then the authors of the new Bradt guides to Kabul and Baghdad, who must walk on the sunny...

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Unrest in the South bites into tourism business

To win back visitor confidence, TAT sends paper birds to restore peace in the region The ongoing unrest has driven tourists from the three southern provinces of Thailand and it seems nothing can done to stop their exodus. Tourists from...

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Dangling Skier To Ski Again

(CBS) A 12-year-old skier had a chair lift ride he'll never forget on Saturday in Park City, Utah. Anthony Trabert was about to get off when his backpack straps got caught on the safety bar. The lift kept going, and...

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Travel Nightmares: The World's Worst Airlines

Morning Edition, December 3, 2004 · Frustrated with holiday travel? It could be worse. Robert Young Pelton discusses some of the world's worst airlines, and the dangers that come with flying them. Pelton is the author of The World's Most...

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Finding their rhythm on a Highway 1 tandem trip

by Steve Rubenstein It is possible to ride a bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles wearing a single pair of bike shorts. It might even be a world record. My teenage son and I did it. Seven days and...

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25 Ways to Make Your Next Flight Easier

Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page P01 Remember when flying was fun? Neither do we. Between delayed and canceled flights, understaffed ticket counters, long lines, intrusive security procedures, lost luggage, no meals, surly passengers, stressed-out flight attendants and the specter of...

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Gear to go

By Donald D. Groff For The Inquirer If you love to travel - or love someone who does - here are some ideas for your holiday list. It's just about this time of year that many travelers start making out...

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Unfriendly skies (David Shuster)

It’s here... the worst travel day of the year. And this day is going to be particularly nasty because of weather delays, overcrowded airplanes, stringent security measures, and the increasingly miserable “customer service” from many of our airline carriers. Over...

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Tourist attractions focus on winning, spending money

by CAROL MCALICE CURRIE November 23, 2004 It's pathetic, it is. A survey of state attractions solicited by the Oregon Tourism Commission shows that 2002 annual attendance was up at manmade Meccas such as Spirit Mountain Casino and Woodburn Company...

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Women in 20s, 30s Groped on Japan Trains

Associated Press TOKYO - Nearly 64 percent of Japanese women in their 20s and 30s participating in a survey said they've been groped on trains, subways or at transit stations in Tokyo, according to a news report Tuesday. Groping has...

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Stowaway mouse costs airline $100,000

A mouse that stowed away on a Chinese passenger jet in Singapore ended up costing the airline $100,000, a news report said on Monday. The mouse sneaked on board the China Eastern Airlines jet while it was preparing to fly...

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Condoms, chloroquine and a car rally

GUWAHATI: Health officials Monday warned drivers in the first India-ASEAN car rally to be on guard against mosquitoes and show maximum discretion as the rally route is a high risk HIV/AIDS zone. "A stretch in northeast India, the Shan province...

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Prepare for emergencies

Do you know what to do if you are stung by a jellyfish? Or how to reduce your chances of contracting malaria? Ann Noon had no idea until she went on a travel medicine course It was day two of...

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Consumers Union Says: Shop Abroad for Foreign Airfares

November 18, 2004 -- If you're reading this, you probably know to shop around for airfare. As a smart shopper, you compare Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, SideStep, major airline sites and low-fare airlines. Maybe you even dip into Priceline or Hotwire...

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PHAIC TAN – SUNSTROKE ON A SHOESTRING

For too long now Phaic Tan has been closed off from the outside world, a country visited each year by just a handful of hardy travellers, aid agency workers and hostage negotiators. But now, thanks to this fully up-dated Jetlag...

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Travel Sentry Celebrates First Anniversary with New Product Launch - 500,000 Travel Sentry Travel Totes to be given away in Seven Airports

When Travel Sentry™ Certified locks were first introduced one year ago, on November 12, 2003, it was lauded as a step forward in marrying security with convenience as well as a key to cooperation between private enterprise and government. These...

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Are You Registered, Traveler?

by Jeff Milchen and Jeffrey Kaplan published by TomPaine.com Are You Registered, Traveler? If you’re a frequent flier, you might soon enjoy a choice other than “window” or “aisle" upon check-in at several U.S. airports. How about fingerprinting, a retina...

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'Da Vinci Code' Tourist Letdowns

(CBS) The success of the best-selling thriller "The Da Vinci Code" has inspired people to travel to Europe to see the artwork and architecture that the characters see in the novel. In a report on The Early Show, CBS News...

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A journey on the road more traveled

Here's a little-known Zen puzzle for numskulls: Which vacation would you choose? A trip to Guam at 50,000 yen per person, including the 3 1/2-hour round-trip flight, four nights at a beachfront hotel and free breakfasts? Or a two-hour train...

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Getting Off a Security Watch List Is the Hard Part

Having your name added to the Transportation Security Administration's watch list, a register of airline passengers the government wants to screen more rigorously, is easy. Just ask Harold Smith, who works for a specialty surgical-equipment distributor in Fort Worth. One...

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iPod-crazed youths invade London station

It's 6:45 pm on a drizzly Wednesday evening at Waterloo Station. The main concourse is crowded more than usual due to train delays. Anxious faces stare at blue screens hoping for their cue to sprint to a platform in the...

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Hot bites in Chiang Mai

A Thai cooking school allows travellers to savour the region's complex, spicy flavours CHIANG MAI, THAILAND -- Given the growing popularity of Thai cuisine around the world, it's not surprising that cooking schools for foreign visitors are proliferating throughout Thailand....

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Are you a Flashpackers? Time to bust the budget and go backpacking in style

As anyone who’s done it will tell you, backpacking is a great way to travel. Take a change of clothes, a passport and an independent spirit, and head off on your own, with no fixed itinerary to tie you down...

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Bangkok's prison a tourist attraction

BANGKOK, Thailand — With its stark concrete walls, armed guards and electric fences, Bang Kwang maximum-security prison hardly looks like a tourist destination. But it has become an attraction to travelers wanting to experience something different — and at the...

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Chocolate? Motorcycles? NASCAR? Antiques? Name your interest and there's a cruise for it

Love chocolate? Imagine sailing to the Caribbean while sipping chocolate drinks, devouring chocolate desserts and listening to pastry chefs espouse the emotional and health benefits that come from eating chocolate. You're not in some kind of chocolate delirium. Radisson Seven...

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Chinese tourists swamp historic sites

Get on the bus, go to sleep. Get off the bus, go to pee Get to the site, snap photos. Get back home and it's all forgotten. — Chinese saying about sightseeing LIJIANG—It's tea time and the tourists are steaming....

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Our Man in Laos

By Thomas Swick Travel Editor The cafe sat on the main street, across from an elementary school, and from my sidewalk table I watched the children playing in the schoolyard. The traditional Lao skirts -- long and narrow, with an...

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Airport community aids a marooned traveler

Like the character in the movie "The Terminal" a Montagnard tribesman is unable to return to his homeland in Vietnam. Linguistic difficulties and a lack of papers are holding him at LAX. By Kristin S. Agostoni Daily Breeze Inside a...

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BA cabin crew 'fail breath test'

Two air stewardesses were prevented from boarding a British Airways flight from Helsinki to London, after allegedly failing a breath test. BA confirmed two cabin crew members were taken to the airport police station in the Finnish capital on Saturday....

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Report Cites Major Security Lapses At Newark Airport

NEWARK, N.J. -- Baggage screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport missed one out of every four fake bombs or weapons inspectors tried to sneak past checkpoints in tests this summer, according to confidential inspection reports obtained by The Star-Ledger of...

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Poll: France world's sexiest nation

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- France is well positioned as the world's sexiest nation, according to a global survey of lovemaking published on Tuesday. In a poll of more than 350,000 people, condom maker Durex found that lovers across the globe...

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Park's Korean tour of duty in "M*A*S*H"

One glance at the hills, and I start looking for helicopters. Instinctively, I duck to avoid spinning blades, just as I've seen Hawkeye and Hot Lips do hundreds of times. A few miles from the celebrated beaches of Malibu, I've...

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See New York City by subway

During a brisk morning ride on the New York City subway, the average commuter heading to work might not even bother looking out of the train window. But the nonchalant commuter's loss is the savvy tourist's gain. You can have...

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Modesty skin deep in Russian banya

Bath house rituals melt prudishness Birch twig flaying part of experience CAROL PEREHUDOFF SPECIAL TO THE STAR ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA—Being naked and beaten with birch branches is not a situation I could have imagined myself in a month ago, but...

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Blitz is on to lure visitors back

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is responding to its stormravaged image with e-mail blasts and radio and TV spots and plans for a major ad campaign. Fort Lauderdale is putting an edge in its ads, with navels,...

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If Town Clears Out, It Must Be Squirrel Season

VILLE PLATTE, La., Oct. 2 - Before 7 a.m. Saturday, Jason Cary, 10, walked into an oak and palmetto forest with his father. Within 10 minutes, a fox squirrel began to bark and skitter from branch to branch. "Dad, look,...

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Toilets in tourist spots pushed

To make the city more attractive to both local and foreign tourists, a suggestion has been made to build public restrooms and washrooms in tourism areas. In a proposed resolution, city councilor Arsenio Pacaña said the toilets can be built...

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A family holiday to Syria? You cannot be serious

A backpacking trip around Syria with young children may seem daunting but Esther Selsdon and family found a warm welcome in this ancient land In a stone-vaulted souk in the shadow of the ancient citadel of Aleppo, five-year-old Edie was...

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For Social Slips, Anti-Skid Books

HE adage "when in Rome" has always been good advice for foreign travelers. But finding out what, exactly, the Romans do - let alone how to emulate them without making a fool of yourself - is not always easy. Lately,...

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NOW IT'S COOL TO CARAVAN

THE number of caravans and motor homes on Britain's roads has hit the half-million mark. Celebrities and young sporty types with retro-style VW camper vans are helping boost the image. Touring now accounts for nearly one in five holidays taken...

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18-hour journey a Tube travel record

TWO British men have set a new record for visiting all 275 stations on the London Underground railway network, shaving 43 minutes off the previous fastest time. It took Geoff Marshall, 32, and Neil Blake, 31, a total of 18...

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Rare burgers served with legal waiver to diners at five-star London hotel

Diners at a five-star hotel who ordered a rare or medium rare burger from the restaurant menu were asked to sign a legal disclaimer waiving the establishment's responsibilities if they suffered food poisoning. The chef on duty at the Curve...

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Patagonia: Acting sheepish

Sheep are the movers and shakers in Patagonia. Indigenous tribes and gauchos have been massacred to make space for them; beautiful wild mammals such as guanacos and pumas have been enclosed to free up the grasses; and you can even...

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All aboard the cattle-truck for a transatlantic flight to forget

DOES anyone remember when air travel was considered glamorous? I do, vaguely. Not exactly the flying boats and BOAC or the heyday of Pan Am, but I do remember my first flight - from Edinburgh (or maybe it was Glasgow)...

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Tourists to Ladakh Enjoy Hiking Challenges and Spiritual Explorations

L E H, India, Sept. 27, 2004 — They are trekkers and seekers, backpackers and Buddhist followers, and they come here for both spiritual sustenance and for rugged hikes amid ancient monasteries and snowcapped mountains. This northern region of India,...

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Dry Tourist Town Aims to Undo Booze Ban

ROCKPORT, Mass. (AP) - Residents of this tourist village where alcohol has been banned for nearly 150 years have asked the Legislature to take the first step toward allowing some sales of booze. Except for a brief period after Prohibition,...

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Grandma's gone to see Afghanistan

HERAT, Afghanistan -- Car bombs, chaotic airports, and the prospect of evening tea with a warlord might make most tourists a little queasy. Not Gertrude Lysinger. ''It's been interesting," said the 84-year-old grandmother from Philadelphia as her tour bus whizzed...

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Rampaging sheep invited back for a second run

Having trouble fitting in a trip to Pamplona, Spain, for the running of the bulls? Now there's a closer-to-home alternative: the running of the sheep in San Angelo, Texas. Laugh if you must, but this has become a big hit...

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Prostitute soccer girls banned

A GUATEMALA soccer team made up of prostitutes cried foul after being ejected from a tournament because of their profession. "Just for being prostitutes, society marginalises us, and we want to exercise our rights as women and as mothers," said...

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Mozzarella's Moment (Move Over, Tomatoes)

ROME -- THE restaurant's name is written on glass doors in red brush strokes that evoke Japanese characters. When chefs plunge their hands into water tanks to grab dinner for fashionable people around the bar, you almost expect something live...

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In Belarus, traveler finds tones of home

By the time the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, Belarus, opens in the morning, there is often a line of a hundred Belarusian youths, sometimes more. They are willing to sacrifice most of the upcoming day for the complex process of...

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New movie to check out

The Motorcycle Diaries Clickity-click up there and watch the trailer....

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Ask the pilot

How confirmed airliner geeks express their terminal love of travel in a world of "destinations," but no borders. Sept. 24, 2004 | "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is...

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Dining in the dark in Paris

PARIS, France (AP) -- They tasted like tomatoes, but in the pitch black it was hard to tell. A couple at the next table was obviously struggling with eating blind, too. "I don't know what it is," came a man's...

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Gun-toting armadillo detained

AN armadillo kitted out with a toy pistol holster, cowboy hat and sheriff's badge has been detained by Customs officials enroute from Texas to Adelaide. The stuffed animal, which was mounted on its hind legs on a timber board, was...

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Confessions of an Elephant Polo Groupie

Tailgating in Thailand with the ladyboys. By Cynthia Barnes HUA HIN, THAILAND—"Ping! Ping! Fight! Never give up!" The cheerleader has a light beard and waves pink Mylar pom-pons. He screams at a transsexual who's whacking a black-and-orange polo ball with...

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The world's most dangerous road

In the course of dropping nearly 12,000 feet in less than 40 miles, Bolivia's "Road of Death" poses a number of challenging questions to mountain bikers. Here's a sample: A Nissan pickup unexpectedly rounds a blind curve 20 feet ahead...

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Southeast Asia: More bang for your buck than Europe

HANOI, Vietnam — When planning months or even a year ahead for "the next big trip," money is inevitably one of the top deciding factors. For Americans with a taste for overseas destinations, cheapie off-season flights to Europe and bargain...

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Madonna: Israel Is Safe, Ignore US Travel Warnings

Jerusalem----September 20.....Madonna came, saw and conquered Israel in a five day Rosh Hashana holiday visit. A trek that many Israelis will never forget. The famed singer and actress arrived Wednesday night to celebrate the Jewish New Year and study Kabala...

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London launches charm offensive

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The travel industry is hoping a new charm offensive will attract more sophisticated tourists and high-spending business travelers to the British capital. London is looking to import U.S. and European levels of hospitality in a bid...

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One-stop travel shop-without shopping

Holiday-makers these days prefer organizing their own agendas when they go away, rather than wasting time on trips planned by tour operators which often include forced shopping trips that they have no interest in going on. The only problem is...

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Teacher Arrested After Bookmark Called Concealed Weapon

TAMPA, Fla. -- A weight may soon be lifted off a Maryland woman charged with carrying a concealed weapon in an airport. It wasn't a gun or a knife. It was a weighted bookmark. Kathryn Harrington was flying home from...

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Transportation Department Fails to Protect Traveler Privacy

In a blow to the privacy of air travelers, the Department of Transportation has dismissed a complaint against Northwest Airlines. The complaint alleged that Northwest airlines, by giving three months' worth of passenger data to NASA for research into passenger...

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The struggle to calm Cairo's traffic

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) -- A cigarette dangling from his lips, driving instructor Ahmed Ramadan imparts a valuable lesson to a learner as he twists together the two frayed wires that choke his training car into life. "The first thing to...

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Bedbugs are back to bite

AUSTRALIANS are about to face a bedbug invasion as the small, linen-dwelling creatures begin moving into households on the back of increased tourism. The 5mm brown insects were all but booted from the bedroom in the late 1950s.Inventions like the...

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Explosives at airport bring traveler's arrest

NEW YORK — A government contractor brought highly explosive Soviet munitions on his trip home from Afghanistan that were not detected until he arrived at John F. Kennedy airport, federal officials said. Shaun Marshall, of Riverside, Calif., a medic for...

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Tourists give thumbs down to Delhi

NEW DELHI: Delhi may be a tourist's delight when it comes to historical significance, but for many who set foot here, they don't really get a good treatment. The harassment is worse for foreign tourists, who are faced with an...

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Etiquette book for foreign tourists?

BANGKOK, Thailand (Independent Online) -- Offended by a poster advertising a United States film that featured its director sitting on the head of a Buddha image,Thailand is drafting a Dos-and-Don'ts booklet for foreigners, officials said on Monday. But the government...

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Elderly tourists get lost in prison

IT WAS meant to be a pleasant drive in the country with a spot of lunch on the way. Instead, it ended up as a security nightmare for a group of 12 pensioners who mistakenly found their way into the...

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Snakes alive an airport surprise

CUSTOMS officers were suspicious when they saw a traveller arriving at Brisbane International Airport at the weekend wearing a bulky, long-sleeved jacket. But they did not suspect that he was concealing 19 pythons in his clothing. There is serpently more...

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Bad moos for outdoor sex

There's nothing quite like the presence of a hairy horned heifer to cool the ardour of the alfresco sex enthusiast. At least, that is the thinking of officials in the small Dutch town of Spaarnwoude who have drafted in a...

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Who said you could get off?

NEW YORK The weather is bad at your intended destination and your plane is diverted. Soon you find yourself on the ground closer to home than to the plane's original destination. Can you get off and make your way from...

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'The Da Vinci Code' sparks a mini-industry in travel

Dan Brown's mystical thriller has spawned a mini-industry in European travel, with readers touring the locations that figure in the plot to unravel its enigmas. By Angela Doland The Associated Press Originally published September 9, 2004, 4:35 PM EDT PARIS...

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How Low Can They Go?

Air Travelers Benefit From Brisk Competition That brother in Baltimore. That friend you haven't seen since college. That last-minute meeting you thought you couldn't make. If you've been putting it off, now's the time to travel. Americans who said airfares...

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Passengers Push Limit of Tasteful Attire

By Keith L. Alexander Tuesday, September 7, 2004; Page E01 Stephen H. Halloway remembers flying more than 40 years ago when airline travel was a social event and he and his family climbed aboard in their Sunday best. But those...

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All aboard the weirdest world tour

Ghostly pubs, ice hotels, naked bathing, dead buffaloes and a sex museum await the alternative world traveller, as Jason Volker has discovered. So what are you waiting for? WE'VE all heard of the Bermuda Triangle, Stonehenge and Easter Island. All...

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Latvian tourists get taste of Soviet-era slammer

LIEPAJA, Latvia -- After the ill-tempered guard clanged the cell door shut, the darkness was enveloping and complete. Then lights flashed and a voice barked: ''Face the wall! Hands behind your back!'' In the room, under pictures of Lenin and...

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Comforts of home: rock 'n' roll, ethnic food, plumbing

The music in the taxi was such a delight, such an unmitigated joy for the ears, that I was tempted to pay the cabbie to take another lap around the outskirts of Dubrovnik. After two weeks of TVs, radios, boom...

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Travel essay: With a cut finger, traveler takes the pulse of life on a Greek island

What it's like to live as a "native" in a foreign country? Sustain an injury that is not life-threatening but requires the services of the local health-care system and you'll get to know the country even better than you would...

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IKEA Regrets Fatal Stampede

JEDDAH, 3 September 2004 — The management of IKEA has expressed its sorrow for the fatal incident that took place during the opening of its new showroom in Jeddah on Wednesday morning. “The management of IKEA Saudi Arabia expresses deep...

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Turkish Man Squirts Milk From Eye 9.2 Feet

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Ilker Yilmaz might just hold one of the world's most bizarre world records. The Turkish construction worker on Wednesday poured milk into his hand, loudly snorted it up his nose and squirted it 9.2 feet out...

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Briton Tells of Croc Attack on Fellow Backpacker

As a massive crocodile dragged a German backpacker away her screams were thought to be a bad joke by her group, an Australian inquest was told today. British tourist Andrew Waters said the group would not have swum in the...

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Agents pushing tourists to J&K

NEW DELHI: Kashmir is the safest and most popular tourist destination in India, say agents and lure foreign tourists into visiting the state. One Turkish traveler, Arzu Khan, came to India to study yoga in Rishikesh. "They told me all...

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Unravelling the maze

Good value or a waste of money? Liza Power dissects round-the-world fares. Ten years ago round-the-world fares (RTWs) were more trouble than they were worth. They were expensive, restricted by limited flight paths, bad connections, days wasted in transit and...

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Cab r