Need to convert currency?

Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter — get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet — create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.

Globetrotter Tracey asked the Beetle to pass on the following information about the change in visa/passport for travel to the USA. She says: “I’m sure most Globies will know this but a lot of folks have been asking me about it and are quite confused by what they’ve heard in the press. So thought this would be a good thing to put in the newsletter with the relevant websites”.

The increased awareness and perception in the US of the terrorist threat has led to new security rules – causing a flurry of recent press coverage. Potential problems for travellers will not arise until 26 October this year. From that date travellers with passports issued on or after the 26th October 2004 who were previously eligible to enter the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) will require a visa.

The exception WOULD be those individuals holding a Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) containing ‘biometric identification data’ but these will not become available until at least June 2005 in the UK.

It is therefore recommended that anyone who is likely to need a new passport in that period of time i.e. between this October and the middle to end of 2005 – should apply for a new passport before October this year. The UK authorities are willing to do this for anyone who has up to nine month’s validity on their existing passport. And, this would be less challenging than having to apply for a US Visa. ABTA is suggesting this course as being easier and cheaper than applying for a US visa. Full details about Visa requirements are contained on the US Embassy web site – US Visa Requirements

Visas are expensive; £65 and individuals have to apply in person, to either the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London or Belfast. You can make an appointment by writing in or phoning a premium phone line. The American Authorities are being particularly selective, as they have always been, about whom they accept. Anyone who has ever been arrested will not be accepted – without a letter from the Police explaining why, and for any reasons to then be considered acceptable.

Delta will start two flights from JFK to Denver and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April, to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in June, and to San Diego in July. In addition, Delta will start new commuter service to Charleston, Savannah and Greensboro and increase frequencies to some other Midwest cities. The regional flights will be operated by Chautauqua Airlines under the Delta Connection brand.

Delta, which has some of the highest costs in the industry, launched a low-fare subsidiary, Song, last year to compete with lower-cost rivals. Song will start two flights from JFK to Fort Myers, Florida, in May.

WIZZ Air, the Anglo-Hungarian latest addition to Europe’s growing fleet of low cost airlines, plans to start operations in May 2004, to coincide with EU accession. It will start flying from its base in Katowice, southern Poland, but also plans to fly out of Budapest later in May. WIZZ will operate on a multibase principle and will focus on Central and Eastern European markets, expanding rapidly to five bases.

Thai Airway International’s own low cost airline, Nok Air said on Thursday it would launch in June, heating up competition in Thailand’s low-cost market. Nok Air — Nok means “bird” in the Thai language — would initially fly to six destinations in Thailand. “The pie is very big. There’s 65 million people in Thailand and only five million fly” said an official. Two other discount airlines, Thai Air Asia and One-Two-Go, are currently operating in Thailand with cut-price fares at roughly a third of regular prices.

Singapore Airlines plans to set up a low cost airline, Tiger Airways, with the people we just love to hate, Ryanair. ValuAir also plans to launch a similar carrier this year.

Uk budget airline easyJet have announced that they are to add seven new routes, including three to Hungary, the CzechRepublic and Slovenia, bringing its total to 135 routes. The latest expansion follows confirmation last November of a new base in Berlin, from which it would fly to six countries. Passengers will be able to fly to Basel in Switzerland and Ljubljana airport in Slovenia from Stansted in Essex. LutonAirport in Bedfordshire is to offer new flights to Budapest in Hungary. Other new routes, to Naples, Ibiza, Faro and Prague will depart from Gatwick.

Giant holiday company Thomson is to start a new low-fare airline operating from Coventry airport at the end of March 2004. The new carrier, to be called Thomsonfly.com, will fly to 10 European destinations: Palma, Valencia, Rome, Naples, Nice, Malaga, Venice, Pisa, Ibiza, Marseilles and Jersey. Prices will start from £3.99 one way. Visit www.thomsonfly.com for more information.

Southwest Airlines has launched a service that allows some passengers to print their own boarding passes via the Internet before heading to the airport. The service is aimed at increasing efficiency for the carrier and convenience for customers while cutting down on the work load of gate agents. Southwest customers with an electronic, ticketless reservation can print their boarding pass for the first leg of travel on the day of travel. Once at the airport, those without bags to check who printed their own boarding passes can go directly to security screening.

Silk Air, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, is ending flights to Bangladesh after less than two years of operation, a company official said on Thursday.

Pacific Blue Airlines, the New Zealand arm of discount Australian airline Virgin Blue, announced it would start flying between Wellington and Sydney from March 10.

Dragonair, Hong Kong’s second-largest airline, said it will begin flights to Tokyo in April, heating up competition with rival Cathay Pacific Airways.

Singapore Airlines are set to enter the record books with the world’s longest non-stop service when it flies to Los Angeles on February 3. Both the New York service and the 16-hour flight to Los Angeles are targeted at business travellers and will cut up to six hours from its current flight time, and up to two hours for Los Angeles.

Karrimor are pleased to announce to all Globetrotters Club members (please note, club members only) a 25% discount through their factory shop (– not available on sales goods). They offer a mail order service and all products can be found on their website www.karrimor.com

Further details of this and all other discounts avalible to members are available in Globe or our online member’s area.

A 2 km long oil spill, blamed on sabotage is threatening Milford Sound’s nature reserve. Milford Sound, one of New Zealand’s most spectacular fjords is home to a number of dolphins, seals and penguins Most of the oil spill is expected to disperse naturally, but some will line the nearby harbour and shores. Teams of people are involved in trying to clean up the area.

The United States recently disclosed that it may soon allow US citizens to visit Libya using American passports and to spend money there, reflecting Libya’s decision to give up weapons of mass destruction.

The International Maritime Bureau says that more than 20 sailors were killed by pirates in 2003 – twice as many as the previous year. Seventy are missing, presumed dead. The Malaysian based organisation says piracy is increasingly becoming an Asian problem, with Indonesia the most dangerous area.

South and East Asia recorded twice as many as the rest of the world put together. More than a quarter of the world’s piracy took place in Indonesian waters, and without action from the Indonesian Government, the figures will not drop, the board said. Bangladesh is also a piracy hot spot where incidents almost doubled last year over 2002. Nigeria, Vietnam and India all have serious problems.

Other trends are also emerging: ships are now less likely to be hijacked for their cargo; attackers, possibly from militant groups, are seizing ships and ransoming their crew. Another concern is that oil tankers have become a common target and security experts fear a tanker could be used as a floating bomb to attack a city.

An eagle eyed Globetrotter wrote in to say: I just found out that starting March 1st, US citizens will be required to have a passport to enter Barbados. Perhaps this will set a precedence for other Caribbean islands.

Cuba has received the first group of Chinese tourists since China designated the Western Hemisphere’s only communist nation as one of its tourism destinations last year. A group of 20 tourists from Beijing arrived in Havana for a four-day stay and planned to visit the beach resort of Varadero.

Tourism has become Cuba’s main source of hard currency since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Havana is hoping to draw increasing numbers of the 16 million Chinese who travel abroad each year, Cuban officials said.

An American tourist from Pennsylvania was prevented from entering Brazil because he poured water over a baby that had been crying during his flight from the US to Brazil. His bad behaviour started in the US and caused him to be refused boarding access on his flight from Miami to Sao Paulo, and again he was kicked off a flight from Brazil (after having spent a day in police custody in Brazil) back to Miami. Police said later that he was drunk.

This is the second incident involving a US citizen at Sao Paulo Airport in January 2004. Two weeks ago, an American Airlines pilot was arrested and fined almost $13,000 after making an obscene gesture while being photographed by immigration officials.

icelandexpress.com/ is a low cost airline that flies to Iceland, and goodness knows, Iceland is expensive, so the more you can save by getting there cheaply, the more there is to spend.

Around 400 air passengers are thought to have been stranded abroad after Irish low-cost airline Jetmagic announced it is to cease trading. Jetmagic launched in April 2003 and flew to destinations throughout Europe including Alicante, Barcelona, Nice, Nantes and Milan. It has reportedly lost £7.5 million and more than 100 workers are facing redundancy. On the company’s website www.jetmagic.com all booking facilities have been replaced with a statement explaining that the company is no longer in operation.

Travellers who have booked tickets with Jetmagic can obtain a refund from:
Jetmagic
Refunds Department
5100 Airport Business Park
Cork Ireland.

Under 30? A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

The first passenger train linking the Adelaide and Darwin in Australia made its debut at the beginning of February. The journey will stretches 1,420 kilometres (882 miles), and cuts through Australia’s outback. The 43 carriage train is called the “Ghan”. named after Afghan camel drivers who traditionally ran the route after European colonisation. The 400 or so people on board included invited guests, the media and regular passengers. Adult fares start at A$440 (US$334). The Ghan has been travelling between Adelaide and Alice Springs since 1929 and it was always the intention to extend the line to Darwin in the north.

UK travel companies have cut the prices of Spanish package holidays, Britain’s most popular package holiday choice by an average £150 as fewer British families book holidays in the country.

The price cuts are being seen as an attempt by travel giants to win back custom from low-cost airlines. There is also evidence that families are getting fed up with what they see as profiteering by Spanish hoteliers where they have increased prices by more than local inflation. In addition, the rise in the value of the euro against the pound means the cost of visiting Spain and mainland Europe will be higher this Summer.

One holiday firm said: “Customers see they will get better value in the Dominican Republic and Turkey. If they don’t take this into account, Spanish hoteliers will get their comeuppance.” John Welsh, editor of the industry newspaper Travel Trade Gazette, said many families were creating their own trips by booking a cheap flight and arranging their own hotels and car hire.

This is a new company recommended by Padmassana specialising in Ashtanga yoga for all levels for busy people who want to get away for long weekends in beautiful surroundings to recharge their batteries.

Our first retreat is Spring Rites: Awakening on the spring full moon: Friday 5th – Sun 7th March 2004. The theme of this retreat is to get your body moving after the winter blues.

The centre has heated wooden floors so that the yoga takes place in a warm inviting atmosphere. Mysore self practice as well as a beginner’s Ashtanga class held each day for different levels of experience. Hot tubs will be on throughout the weekend for your relaxation.

Sacred Journeys: Sally Griffyn & Gail Sixsmith.

Venue: Earth Spirit 17th century farm conversion, Glastonbury with heated wooden floors, hot tubs, beautiful countryside and a large banquet hall. Massage will be on offer.

Cost: £265 includes 3 sumptuous vegetarian meals a day, accommodation based on shared twin, yoga classes, intention workshop, hot tubs and open fires. For more information, contact:

www.sacredjourneys.co.uk
sally@sacredjourneys.co.uk
Sally Griffyn 07866385366

A man who shipped himself across America in an air cargo crate to avoid paying a passenger fare was fined USD$1,500 and sentenced to 120 days of house arrest. Last September the man, aged 25, filled out an air freight order that charged his New York computer company for the shipping costs, stuffed himself in a crate and sent his 5-foot-8-inch (173 cm) body in a box that was 42 inches (107 cm) high, 36 inches (91 cm) wide and 15 inches deep (38 cm). It was sent, without insurance, on a two-day journey from the New York area to his parents’ home in a Dallas suburb. He was discovered by a delivery man who thought there was a corpse in the crate when he saw eyes staring at him through slats in the box when he dropped it off at McKinley’s parents’ home.

When the crate started to rattle and the apparent corpse came to life, the delivery man called police, according to a police report.

The USD$1,500 fine is more expensive than some airlines charge a first class ticket from New York to Dallas.

The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Haiti, and all British nationals in Haiti are advised to leave the country if they can do so safely. A highly volatile security situation prevails throughout the country, and rebels have taken up positions outside the capital, Port-au-Prince. The threat from terrorism is low.

The FCO website says: Kidnapping of foreign nationals (for ransom money) is increasingly common. Random shootings of civilians have become more common, robbery usually being the motive. Crime is widespread and often violent. Pickpockets and theft of valuables are commonplace. You are advised not to leave property in vehicles; travel with doors locked and windows up. Armed hold-ups of vehicles take place, even in daylight, in busy parts of Port-au-Prince.

Some areas of Port-au-Prince should be avoided at all times. Wherever possible you should avoid going out after dark in the capital and do not travel outside the city during the hours of darkness.

The political situation in Haiti is in turmoil. The government and opposition groups are still at loggerheads since the flawed May 2000 election. The security situation is unpredictable, particularly in Port-au-Prince and in the country’s other major towns. There was significant civil unrest in the latter part of 2003, with several large anti-government demonstrations taking place in Port au Prince and elsewhere in the country. These intensified either side of Haiti’s bicentennial celebrations at the beginning of January 2004, and are continuing. Several attacks on government facilities have been reported. The worsening economic situation is further complicating the security situation.

Wherever possible travel with a reliable guide. Avoid using public transport. You should only use rented cars with a local driver from a reliable agency (Dynamic Car Rentals, Budget, etc). Internal flights between the capital and some major provincial towns are available.

Did you know, you can change the format of this e-newsletter? This e-newsletter is available in 5 formats:

1. This format with 2 columns.

2. A single column print friendly version available online, see the link in every e-newsletter (or click here).

3. The text only version, if you’d like your e-newsletter in plain text format, just send a blank email to The Globetrotters Webmaster with “Text+Enews” as the subject

4. Have a link emailed to you pointing to the online version, just send a blank email to The Globetrotters Webmaster with “Link+Enews” as the subject

5. As an RSS News Feed that you can read using you favourite News Aggregator or News Aggregation site such as newsisfree.com. You can download the RSS file here

The winner of last month’s Frommer’s Guidebook on England guide is: Diana Lovelace – congratulations!

This month, win a Rother Walking Guide to the Azores. See www.rother.de for info on Rother.

Some people have said the quiz is difficult, we say do some research: try google.com or Ask Jeeves, if you need help with the answers.