Travel Briefs

Saudi Arabia now requires visitors to declare jewelry, cash and any monetary instrument worth more than 60,000 riyals ($16,000). The move is to combat money laundering and the funding of terrorists.

You can get a free copy of Susan Foster’s book “Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler” when calling for a free catalog from Grand European Tours (Lake Oswego, OR; 888/522-3950, www.getours.com). The 248-page book details packing strategies for cruises, adventure trips and family travel.

The 176th Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Sept. 19-Oct. 4, 2009. Fourteen large tents from beer distributors across Germany will crowd the Theresienwiesen festival grounds.

Table reservations are arranged through each tent (on the website www.oktoberfest.de, see “Tents”) but may not be necessary for those arriving in the morning on weekends or before 2 p.m. on weekdays. No seat, no beer! At the previous festival, a liter of beer cost about €8 (near $11).

In 2009, among numerous festivals and exhibits commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the exhibit “Leipzig on the Path to Peaceful Revolution” will be held at the Stasi Museum in Berlin, Jan. 15-Dec. 31. An open-air exhibition will be held May 7-Nov. 9 on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. On Nov. 9, the date the Wall fell, there will be concerts and a street fair near the Brandenburg Gate.

The East Side Gallery, a one-kilometer stretch of the Wall painted by artists from around the world, is on Mühlenstraße on the banks of the Spree.

Leipzig is celebrating the 200th birthday of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy with a program, Aug. 21-Sept. 18, 2009, at the concert hall where the composer staged his works, Gewandhaus zu Leipziger (Augustusplatz 8, 04109 Leipzig, Germany; phone +49 341 12 70-0, www.gewandhaus.de). For schedule, prices and tickets, call the ticket hotline (+49 341 12 70 280) or fax (341 12 70-200).

The average taxi ride within Lisbon, Portugal, costs €8-€15 (near $14-$26.50) and from airport to city, €12-€18. Fares are capped with a Taxi Voucher Lisboa, sold at the Lisbon Tourism booth in the airport arrivals hall, at the Lisboa Welcome Center and at Palácio Foz.

Depending on day or night service, vouchers cost €12.07 (near $16.75) day/€14.49 night in Zone 1; €15.37 day/€18.44 night, Zone 2, or €20.96 day/€25.19 night, Zone 3, with fares to Estoril, Cascais or Sintra €38.42 day/€46.09 night.

Head back to the luggage store. Continental Airlines on Nov. 1 changed the size restriction for passenger carry-on bags from 51 linear inches down to 45 (22"x14"x9") on flights from virtually all locations. New “sizing” bins have been installed at domestic check-in counters.

This brings Continental in line with American Airlines, Delta and Northwest, which recently also reduced the accepted size of carry-on baggage. The 45-inch size is also the current standard size for most European airlines.

Travelers to Colombia now can request a refund of the VAT (Value Added Tax) added to purchases of the following items: clothing, shoes, leather goods, toys, CDs, food for human consumption, liquor, perfumes, crafts, jewelry and handmade Colombian emerald jewelry.

A visitor needs proof of his nationality and receipts in hand to process the application at a National Directorate of Taxes & Customs (DIAN) office in an international airport. Refunds are paid to the credit card used for purchase and should be posted within 90 days.

On Jan. 1, 2009, Argentina will begin collecting a reciprocity tourist fee from visitors of all (22) countries that charge Argentineans for visas. For Americans, the fee will be about $134. It will cover the visitor’s reentry for a 10-year period. 

The fee is in addition to any required visa. For Americans, a tourist visa currently costs $30 for processing and is good for 90 days.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the upcoming Secure Flight program, which will require airlines to collect each passenger’s full name, date of birth and gender when taking a reservation request. Prior to the flight, this information will be provided to the Transportation Security Administration to be checked against the terrorist watch list maintained by the US government. The DHS and TSA assert this is being done to reduce the number of misidentification issues.