Travel Briefs
Rome’s Terminal 5
Leonardo da Vinci Airport (www.adr.it), at Rome, Italy, opened its new Terminal 5 in May solely to screen passengers of airlines with more stringent security rules.
Free Kyoto tours
In Kyoto, Japan, the 80-member Good Samaritan Club (www.geocities.jp/kyoto_samaritan) provides free day tours in English. Comprised of college students studying international communication, the club was established in 1961.
Zambia visas
In Zambia, the visa requirements no longer will be waived for tourists traveling with a tour group, and visa costs have increased.
Cell phones, Kuwait
Talking on cell phones while driving in Kuwait became illegal as of May 1. Violators will be fined 15 dinars (near $56). The law does not apply to people using hands-free calling equipment. A law passed earlier prohibits eating or drinking while behind the wheel.
TSA ‘Diamond’ lanes
To reduce the overall delays at security gates, the Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov) has started a system of Diamond Self-Select security screening lanes at select U.S. airports.
Princess in Panama
Princess Cruises (800/774-6237, www.princess.com) has announced that all 2009-2010 Panama Canal transits of 15 days or longer will include a second day at port in Fuerte Amador. The stopover allows travelers to visit Panama City, the Panama Canal Railway and the Soberania National Park rainforest.
Australia railpass
In Australia, the Oz Tracks Pass allows six months of travel on the trains The Ghan, Indian Pacific and The Overland. Costing AU$690 (near US$606), the pass can be used to explore cities such as Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin and Melbourne.
Laos highway
The last link on a cross-border road system leading from Singapore to Beijing, a new all-weather highway, Route 3, opened in Laos in March 2008 between China’s Yunnan province and northern Thailand. The previous highway was closed for four months each year during the rainy season.
Bike Thai vineyards
On a 2-day/one-night “low-intensity” bike tour in Thailand, ride in Khao Yai Park (with a short jungle trek) and through Asoke Valley to two wineries for tastings. Day two, bike to a restaurant, then back to the resort for a swim before the 2-hour drive back to Bangkok.
Helsinki Helpers
Twenty-four specially schooled Helsinki Helpers will be available to assist visitors to Helsinki, Finland, in up to 20 languages, including English, Japanese and Croatian. From mid-May to early September, they can be found from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily in key tourist areas of the city center. Services are free.
‘2009 British Open by Sea’
The 105-passenger MS Andrea is being chartered by PerryGolf for a “2009 British Open by Sea Cruise,” July 11-20.
Marco Polo changes hands
The Marco Polo has been sold by Norwegian Cruise Line to Global Cruise Lines and will be operated under charter by Transocean (in UK, phone 0845 4300274, www.transoceancruises.co.uk, or see a travel agent). She will keep her name.
Flying Companions
Allowing mo-bility-impaired travelers to stay independent, the company Flying Companions (645 Greystone Park, Atlanta, GA 30324; 888/350-8886, www.flyingcompanions.com) provides experienced and insured companions to accompany them through airports and on national or international flights.
Beer in Berlin
The Berlin International Beer Festival is held on a 2.2-kilometer stretch of Berlin’s Karl-Marx-Allee. Along with live music on 18 stages, more than 240 breweries from 80 countries will present 1,750 brands of beer, Aug. 1-3, 2008, and Aug. 8-10, 2009.
Antarctica discounts
Hurtigruten (405 Park Ave., Ste. 904, New York, NY 10022; 866/257-6071, www.hurtigruten.us) is offering savings of $1,000-$3,600 per person on five 13- to 22-day Antarctic sailings in 2008 and 2009.
Copenhagen CPH Card
In Copenhagen, holders of the CPH Card get free admission to 60 museums and attractions; free transport by train, bus and metro (including airport routes), and discounts at participating restaurants, car rental agencies and attractions.
Fly DC-3 in Berlin
Air Service Berlin (Berlin-Schönefeld Airport, Building G 005, D-12521 Berlin, Germany; phone +49 030 60 91 37 30, fax 60 91 37 31, www.air-service-berlin.de) offers a 35-minute flight on a restored DC-3, the plane the Allies used to supply West Berlin with food, coal and medicine during the
Astronauts at sea
Two of the 12 people to have set foot on the moon’s surface, NASA astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Charles Duke, will be aboard the 700-guest Seven Seas Voyager on the final segment of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Feb. 1-May 8, 2009, world cruise.