The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

Everyone at the Globetrotters Club would like to pass their
condolences and sympathies to all those affected by the
tsunami on Boxing Day.

If you are thinking of going to Thailand, here is some up to
date news on various resorts. The people in Thailand
still need the support of the visiting tourists and are
hoping that everyone will not stop coming to their country in
their time of need.

"http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#SAMUI">Koh
Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Samed, "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#PATTAYA">Pattaya
and all other resorts in the Gulf of Thailand have been
unaffected, and tourists are being routed there instead of
visiting the West coast.

"http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KOHNGAI">Koh
Ngai has escaped unscathed.

Karon and Kata beaches are not badly affected. Along Karon
beach you can hardly see any sign of damage, and the beach is
full of people.

Patong beach will probably only take a couple of weeks to get
back to normal.

If you are a diver, there are live aboard boats out in the href=
"http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#SIMILANS">Similan
Islands area.

Ao Nang and "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KRABI">Krabi
only slightly affected.

"http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KHAOLAK">Khao
Lak and "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KOHPHIPHI">
Koh Phi Phi totally levelled - thousands dead.

"http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KOHLANTA">Koh
Lanta damaged but not as badly as "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#SIMILANS_PHUKET">
Phuket, "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KHAOLAK">Khao
Lak and "http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/thailand/thaiop.html#KOHPHIPHI">
Koh Phi Phi.

Did you know, you can change the format of this e-newsletter?
This e-newsletter is available in 4 formats:

1. This format with 2 columns.

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

3. The text only version, if you'd like your e-newsletter
in plain text format, just send a blank email to "mailto:text-enews@globetrotters.co.uk?subject=Text+Enews">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 "mailto:text-enews@globetrotters.co.uk?subject=Link+Enews">The
Globetrotters Webmaster with “Link+Enews” as
the subject

Yes, you can now renew your membership or join the
Globetrotters Club on-line.

It is secure and you can pay by all major credit, debit or
charge cards. Transactions will be in Pounds Sterling and
your bank will convert this to your local currency for you.

(If you are not familiar with British Pounds you can find a
rough exchange in your local currency on the payment page.)

Membership costs are as follows:

UK Subscriptions

• 1 year £15.00 (€24.00)
• 2 year £28.00 (€45.00)
• 3 year £39.00 (€63.00)

Worldwide Subscriptions (USD $/Euro €)

• 1 year £18.00 ($29/€24)
• 2 year £34.00 ($54.00/€45)
• 3 year £48.00 ($75.00/€63)

Join now with our no-risk guarantee . If you find that
Globetrotters does not offer the advice and information you
need, let us know within 14 days of receiving your first
issue of Globe and we will refund your subscription fee in
full (there is no need to return the magazine).

Join
today-Just Click Here!

As a member, you will be a part of the oldest travel network
in existence and have the opportunity to make new friends who
share your interest in travel. Once you are a member, you
will receive our annual membership that lists all
Globetrotters members around the world.

You can contact fellow Globies and even stay with some of
them or offer to put fellow Globetrotters from around the
world up yourself!

So, just "http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/join/join.php">click here to
join and become a Globetrotter!

This is what the UK "http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618385558">
Foreign & Commonwealth Office say about travel to Sri
Lanka: Information for families affected by the tsunami can
be found at "http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1101399420847&a=KArticle&aid=1101399420847">
Sri Lanka: Information for Families.

We advise against all but essential travel to the north or
east (other than Trincomalee, Nilaveli and Arugam Bay, but
travellers should be aware that most hotels in these areas
are closed because of damage from the tsunami). Much of the
north and east of Sri Lanka remains heavily mined,
particularly around the A9 road to Jaffna.

The recent tsunami resulted in extensive damage and large
numbers of casualties on the south-western, southern and
eastern coasts of Sri Lanka. A number of hotels and resorts
on the southern and south-western coasts have now reopened.
Anyone planning to travel to these areas should check with
their tour operators and/or hotel before departing to ensure
their hotel is operating normally. Most hotels in the eastern
towns of Trincomalee, Nilaveli and Arugam Bay have yet to
reopen. (For further details please refer to the Natural
Disasters section of this Travel Advice).

There is a threat from domestic terrorism in Sri Lanka.

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a branch,
whether it is in Aberdeen or Zanzibar, please see our FAQ or
contact our Branch Liaison Officer via our Website
at "http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/meet_faq.html">Meeting
FAQ.

E-newsletter reader Chip writes in to tell us about "http://www.alaskapass.com/">alaskapass.com/ He says the
Alaska Ferry opened for booking (summer season 2005) Nov. 15.
Cabins aboard the ferry sell out quickly.

In December 2004 Virgin Atlantic introduced 20 limited
edition sickbags designed by artists from around the globe on
its first flight from Hong Kong to Sydney. The sickbags will
be in the seatbacks of all Virgin Atlantic flights for up to
six months with a potential audience of over two million
people. Co-collaborator Oz Dean started the 'Design
for Chunks' project four years ago inviting talented
designers to produce artwork for sick bags and submit them to
the 'Design for Chunks' annual competition. The
competition has been running for the past four years online
at "_blank">www.designforchunks.com

Lysette Gauna, Head of Media for Virgin Atlantic, commented,
'We felt that the ubiquitous sickbag was long overdue a
makeover and when we came across 'Design for Chunks'
it was the perfect opportunity. Sickbags are a mandatory
requirement but rarely get used - so we thought we would
brighten them up and turn them into a talking point.
We're really excited about bringing art from around the
world to such a huge number of people via our sickbags.
It's a first in the industry and we're sure these
bags will soon become a collectors' item.'

India has decided to open Srinagar airport in disputed
Kashmir to international flights to entice more tourists to
the Himalayan region. Kashmir has been involved in a 15
year dispute involving soldiers and Muslim militants who
don’t want Indian rule in the region. Estimates
say that around 360,000 people visited Kashmir last year,
most of the them Indians, up from 191,000 in the previous
year, although the figure was small compared with the
millions who travelled to the region before the revolt in
1989. Israelis topped the list of foreign tourists
visiting the Muslim-majority region last year followed by
Chinese.

Be careful of a new online travel scam that involves bargain
flights advertised on internet auction sites. The
con-men advertise an amazing deal on an auction site, telling
potential bidders that they do not need to pay until they
have received their tickets. The winning bidder - and,
usually, all the other bidders, are contacted under the
pretence that the winner has dropped out for their names.
The fraudster then buys the tickets from the airline in
the names of each ‘winner’, but uses someone
else's stolen credit card details. According to an
internet fraud agency, these details are readily available
and sold for as little as 30p a time. The winner also
pays up once they’ve received the tickets. Most
airlines are ok about issuing tickets to someone other than
the cardholder, so the ‘winners’ receive their
tickets, pay the fraudster and look forward to their holiday,
sometimes even flying out and enjoying it. When the
airline's bank tries to claim the money from the credit
cardholder, however, the fraud is uncovered - and the airline
will not let the ticket-holder travel.

Paul writes in with another piece of advice about travelling
in Spain.

Another word of warning to novice travellers in Spain; be
careful at the big hypermarkets as thieves operate in the car
parks targeting small hire cars (easily identified as they
silly sods always put the hire company name on the vehicle
registration plates).

We got caught this way on our first trip and my girlfriend
lost most of her clothes and a new digital camera, clothes
weren't too much of a problem as we were on a naturist
holiday but the rigmarole involved in getting a police report
is mind blowing. I also had my passport stolen and getting
that replaced was even worse !!. Silly to hide our stuff in
the car I guess but a lesson well learned and often mentioned
to fellow travellers as a word of warning.

Couldn't rob our car or cheat us out of fuel last trip
cos we rode all the way down on my motorcycle.

A group of training lifeguards swimming off New Zealand were
protected from a great white shark by dolphins. The
lifeguards were training at a beach near Whangarei on the
North Island when they were menaced by a 3-metre shark,
before the dolphins raced in to help. The dolphins
surrounded the swimmers for 40 minutes before they were able
to make it safely back to the beach.

Marine biologists say such altruistic behaviour is not
uncommon in dolphins. One lifeguard said that it was an
uncomfortable experience, as they were circled by a great
white shark, which came within a couple of metres, but the
dolphins suddenly appeared and herded the swimmers
together. The dolphins then swam in tight circles to
create a defensive barrier as the great white swam beneath
the surface. The swimmers said the dolphins were
extremely agitated and repeatedly slapped the water with
their tails, presumably to try to deter the predator as it
cruised nearby.