International Travel News

Travel Briefs

January 2014 issue | Appears on page 76

Single-passenger UK cab

Cab4one (phone 01279 815 807) is an ecofriendly taxi service that takes passengers from/to all of London’s major airports and other places in the area. Each chauffeured cab, a Smart ForTwo Passion Cdi, transports a single passenger up to 6'4" in height plus a large suitcase. The vehicles have A/C and offer free WiFi.

On the website, you can calculate the fare, generally a third less than a conventional taxi’s, and prebook your trip. Example — a 31-mile, 45-minute journey from...

January 2014 issue | Appears on page 76

Spinlister bike-sharing app

Spinlister is a bike-sharing network in more than 40 countries, including the US and Canada.

Either using the website or a free app (download from iTunes), the user inputs the location where he wants to rent a bike. Spinlister directs him to a page with a photo and price plus details (such as suggested height of rider) for each bike listed. A click on the bike owner’s name brings up his contact information. Payment, either by credit card or PayPal, is managed through Spinlister....

January 2014 issue | Appears on page 77

Get My Boat rentals

The new company Get My Boat (San Francisco, CA; 415/365-6383) lists a selection of boats around the world to rent, either from companies or individuals. 10,500 boats in over 1,000 cities in 70 countries are listed. Some come with a skipper.

Prices vary from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per day, depending on the size of the boat, and some rentals require a deposit. Example — a 38-foot sailboat that sleeps seven is available for rent in Marseille, France, for $294 per day or...

January 2014 issue | Appears on page 77

Truffle-hunting in Provence

In southeastern France, the organic Provençal farm Les Pastras (Les Pastras, 84160 Cadenet, Provence; phone 06 26 05 30 49) offers truffle-hunting tours.

Professionals teach guests how to identify the mushrooms. The hunt is followed by a sampling of truffle hors d’oeuvres and champagne.

Tours last two hours, take four to twelve people and are available May to September and mid-November to mid-March. They start in winter at 4 p.m., in summer at 6 p.m. and on weekends by...

January 2014 issue | Appears on page 77

Chariot races in Jordan

In the restored hippodrome of Jerash, Jordan, reenactments of Roman battles, gladiator contests (not to the death) and chariot races are staged twice a day at the Hippodrome, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday-Thursday. JOD12 (near $17) adult and JOD2 child.

Roman Army & Chariot Experience, or RACE (Jerash Heritage Co., Ltd., P.O. Box 1074, Jerash 26111, Jordan; phone +962 2 634 2471, fax +962 2 634 2481).

December 2013 issue | Appears on page 4

Southwest tightens policy

The domestic airline Southwest Airlines (800/435-9792) announced in September a change to its “no show” policy.

Previously, a customer who missed a flight could use the full value of his ticket toward a replacement flight or accept a voucher for a future ticket. Now if he is a “no show” at the gate and has not contacted the airline at least 10 minutes before departure to change or cancel a nonrefundable- fare ticket, he will lose the value of the entire ticket, including the value of...

December 2013 issue | Appears on page 4

Costa Concordia salvage

In September 2013, the cruise ship Costa Concordia was pried loose from the rocks near Giglio island on which it had run aground off the coast of Italy on Jan. 13, 2012.

Using pulleys and counterweight systems, it took about 18 hours to rotate the ship upright, though it’s not floating yet. The plan is to, in spring 2014, refloat the ship using welded-on flotation devices filled with air and tow it to a scrap yard to disassemble it.

Thirty-two people lost their lives in the...

December 2013 issue | Appears on page 4

Duck boats dry-docked

Two of the amphibious DUKW (Duck)boats used for land-and-water tours in London and Liverpool have been temporarily banned after accidents put passengers at risk during the boating part of the excursion.

No passengers or crew were injured when one of the Liverpool boats sank or when another caught fire in London. Investigations pointed to problems with the foam used to improve buoyancy.

London Duck Tours is cooperating with investigators and has contracted the water portion of...