International Travel News

Travel Briefs

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 91

Eurail pass extras

Purchase it before the end of November 2008, and the 15-day Eurail Global Pass (good in 21 countries) will extend to 21 days and the 21-day pass will be good for a month, while the Eurail Select Pass (three countries) will be valid for six or eight days’ train travel within two months (two extra travel days). Travel can start March 1 and must be completed by May 31, 2009.

Visit www.eurail-acprail.com; www.eurail.com; www.flightcentre.com; www.octopustravel.com; www.statravel.com or...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 91

Händel cruise with Deilmann

Marking the 250th anniversary of the death of composer Georg Friedrich Händel, a 13-night “Baroque Music Festival” cruise is being offered by Peter Deilmann Cruises (Alexandria, VA; 800/348-8287, www.deilmann-cruises.com/theme), May 21-June 3, 2009.

Enjoying on-board concerts, MS Deutschland passengers will sail from/to Hamburg and visit London, Aberdeen, Ullapool, Dublin, Cobh and Brugge.

Fares run $5,965-$16,815 per person, double, including a $125 port charge. International...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 92

Hapag-Lloyd bilingual cruises

Hapag-Lloyd is offering bilingual cruises in 2009 on which travel documents, daily programs, entertainment, shore excursions, announcements, safety drills and menus will be in English as well as German. The crew also will speak English.

The Europa will offer seven bilingual cruises, and the two expedition ships Hanseatic and Bremen will offer a total of 15. Itineraries are available for Arctic, Antarctic, South America, South Seas, Asia and Europe cruises.

Example — a 20-day...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 92

TourCrafters’ Paris

TourCrafters (Libertyville, IL; 800/482-5995, www.tourcrafters.com) has a 5-day/4-night “Paris City Break” package from $575 per person, double, out of New York.

Valid Nov. 1-March 31, 2009 (except second half of December), and subject to availability, it includes airfare, hotel, buffet breakfasts, service charges and taxes but excludes airport taxes of $112 and fuel surcharges. Restrictions apply.

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 92

Lonely Planet on Nokia

People with phones that run Nokia Maps now can download Lonely Planet guides directly to their phone.

From inside Nokia Maps 2.0, select “Extras,” “Guides” and then “Download more Guides” to browse the catalog of city guides. If you’re already in your target country, local guides will appear in the list. If not, click on “Options” and “More Destinations” to browse the 56 countries for which guides are available.

Example — the Berlin guide includes the locations of embassies and...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 92

Vienna Christmas markets

These are the locations of some of the Christmas markets operating in Vienna, Austria, in 2008.

• Vienna City Hall, Nov. 15-Dec. 24 — in the park facing City Hall. Held annually for 700 years.

• Schönbrunn Palace, Nov. 22-Dec. 26 — handicrafts and gifts. Choirs, brass bands and ensembles perform. On weekends, games for children plus decorating of cookies and gingerbread in the Imperial Bakery of Café Residenz Schönbrunn.

• Belvedere Palace, Nov. 21-Dec. 24 — Visit the...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 102

Bathe an elephant

In Ayutthaya, Thailand, you can ride, feed and bathe an elephant at the Royal Elephant Kraal & Village, about an hour away from Bangkok, where the Elephantstay (Royal Elephant Kraal & Village, 74/1 M.3 Tumbol Suanpik, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, 13000, Thailand; phone [66] 80668 7727, www.elephantstay.com) program is involved in the research, rescue and rehabilitation of elephants.

Package prices (cash only, on arrival), available year round, range from 4,000 baht (near $118)...

November 2008 issue | Appears on page 104

‘She’an Nights,’ Jordan

Beit She’an National Park, located in the Jordan Valley, has a multimedia “She’an Nights” tour. Visitors hear stories, song and music and see presentations projected onto dozens of screens as they stroll through the streets of the excavated Roman-Byzantine-era city of Scythopolis. They’ll meet “local characters” and “experience” the earthquake that destroyed the city in AD 749.

The show starts every 15 minutes and lasts an hour. Reserved tickets are required; call +1 972 4 6481122....