How did you do at our little Beetle quiz based on
capital cities. See how many you got right!
0 out of 5 – you need to get out more!
1-3 – not bad
4 – Very good! You are a Globetrotter!
5 – Are you sure you didn’t sneak a
look?
If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell.
Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites”
section of the Website and share it with the world.
Bites
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on capital
cities. See how many you get right! Go on, have a
guess!
What is the capital city of the following countries:
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
Need to convert currency?
Take a look at
"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/converter.html">The
Globetrotters Currency Converter — get the
exchange rates for 164 currencies
"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/trav_cheatsheet.html">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 –
"http://www.usembassy.org.uk">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
"http://www.thomsonfly.com">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
"http://www.karrimor.com">www.karrimor.com
Further details of this and all other discounts avalible
to members are available in Globe or our online
"http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/members/discounts.html">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 Globetrotters eNewsletter