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Offering free entry and priority access to 55 major attractions, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Churchill War Rooms, “The London Pass” costs £40 (near $59) plus shipping for one day up to £90 for six days. It comes with a city map and a guide showing how to best use the pass. The website lists all attractions.
Walking distance from the Colosseum, the exhibit “3D Rewind” (Via Capo d’Africa 5, Rome, Italy; phone +39 0 6 77076627) centers on a video tour of ancient Rome with 3-D renderings.
There also is the exhibit “Wearing a toga,” a bronze shop reproducing ancient daily objects and the opportunity to take photos in period costume. Entry, €15 ($18) adult or, purchased online, €13.50.
Through Dec. 31, 2010, people 66 years of age or older from any country can ride Irish Rail-operated trains in Ireland (but not Northern Ireland) for free with the “Golden Trekker” pass. Each pass is good for four days, and visitors may apply for up to three passes each (all at once, if desired).
As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 31 destinations: Afghanistan, Nigeria, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Mexico, Georgia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines, Algeria, Lebanon, Iran, Kenya, Haiti, Colombia, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Nepal, Guinea, Israel/West Bank/Gaza and Uzbekistan.
For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html.
The Peace Corps announced on May 11 it intends to send about 20 volunteers back to Colombia in fall 2010, citing improved security there.
The Peace Corps stopped its Colombia projects in 1981 partly due to Richard Starr’s kidnapping by FARC guerrillas in 1977 and FARC’s later declaration that volunteers would be considered military targets.
The US Department of State canceled the Travel Warning for Sri Lanka on May 26 due to improvements in safety and security conditions throughout the country.
The government of Sri Lanka declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on May 18, 2009, and the LTTE has not mounted any attacks in Sri Lanka since then.
In Kathmandu, Nepal, beginning on May 2, streets were blocked and businesses were forced to close in a six-day anti-government strike by Maoist protestors calling for Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to step down. Visitors in Pokhara were evacuated by authorities.
Though the general strike was called off, the Maoists, who have the largest party in Nepal’s current government, continue their protests.
In Uganda, there has been a political struggle between the civil government and members of the Buganda traditional kingdom. In mid-March, a suspicious fire gutted the 128-year-old royal mausoleum of the kings of Buganda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kampala. Days later, when the president visited the site, protesters rioted and at least two people were killed. Reconstruction of the Kasubi tombs is planned.
In the past, Burundi has experienced violence throughout campaign seasons and in the weeks following election results. Nationwide elections are scheduled from May to September 2010.
In general, what poses the highest risk for visitors to both Bujumbura and Burundi is crime (muggings, burglaries, robberies and car-jackings), often committed by groups of armed bandits or street children.
The Department of State warns against all travel in northern Niger due to continued kidnapping threats against Westerners. On April 20, a French citizen was kidnapped west of Agadez by a terrorist group.