“Kiwis Might Fly” by Polly Evans (2007, Bantam Dell. ISBN 13978038533994 0 — 309 pp., $13).
In her second book, following her witty and engaging tale of cycling through Spain, “It’s Not About the Tapas,” Evans takes on New Zealand, this time from the back of a 650cc motorcycle.
In the Misty Mountains south of Cairns, over 80 miles of walking tracks take walkers through a high-altitude rainforest and past waterfalls. Walks range from easy (7.4 kilometers round trip) to bushwalker difficult (23.4 km one way).
You don’t need a car to reach the trails; the Bally Knob Trailhead is a short walk from the township of Ravenshoe, and there are accommodations in Mission Beach, Tully, Ravenshoe, Malanda and Millaa Millaa.
The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, a 20-minute drive from Copenhagen, Denmark, offers interactive programs, demonstrations and exhibitions, including five original 11th-century Viking ships excavated from Roskilde Fjord. Visitors also can explore Museum Island, which has a boatyard where period vessels are reconstructed.
The museum is open daily year-round, and admission ranges from DKK55 to DKK95 (near $11-$19) per adult, depending on the season. Visit http://vikingeskibsmuseet.dk.
The 28th Great Christmas Pudding Race will be run in the West Piazza of London’s Covent Garden Market on Dec. 6, 2008, at 11 a.m.
Over 150 contestants in teams, all wearing outrageous costumes, each balance a Christmas pudding on a flimsy paper plate while navigating around safety cones, under limbo poles and down courses with flour balloons and jets of foam. The race raises money for Cancer Research UK.
Call the Pudding Race Hotline at +44 0 0870 402 9899 or visit www.xmaspuddingrace.org.uk.
Visitors to Wales can stay in any of 18 renovated cottages, farmhouses and unique historic buildings year-round through Under the Thatch, an organization dedicated to rescuing historic buildings.
For example, a 2-night midweek stay in a Gypsy caravan (wagon sleeping two) runs £125-£169, depending on the season.
Contact Under the Thatch (Felin Brithdir, Rhydlewis, Llandysul, Ceredigion, SA44 5SN, Wales, U.K.; phone +44 1239 851 410 or visit www.underthethatch.co.uk).
Public displays of affection, high fives and the word “awesome” really aren’t very British. To find out what is, visit the website www.visitbritain.com/us, where people living all over Great Britain share their personal experiences. Visitors can read their posts, ask them questions online and find out about the best things to do in specific areas of England, Scotland and Wales.
Every year on the Friday after Guy Fawkes Day, the city of Bridgwater, Somerset, England, hosts a nighttime carnival with brightly lit floats and a “squibbing display” down the main street. Squibs are fireworks that are mounted on poles and held aloft by volunteers lining the road.
The event will be held in 2008 on Nov. 7 (and in 2009 on Nov. 6) starting at 7 p.m., with the fireworks at 10. Contact the Bridgewater Carnival Committee (phone +44 0 1278 421 795, www.bridgwatercarnival.co.uk).
As of July 26, 2008, under guidelines set by the European Union’s Equality & Human Rights Commission, or EHRC (in England, phone 0845 604 6610, www.equalityhumanrights.com), mobility-impaired or otherwise disabled passengers who are citizens of EU countries and travel by air to, from or within the EU have greater rights to access and assistance.
Priority Pass (800/352-2834, www.prioritypass.com), an independent airport lounge access program, provides frequent travelers with access to over 500 airport lounges in more than 275 cities worldwide, regardless of the traveler’s class of travel, the airline flown or existing membership in another frequent-flyer program.
Several membership levels are available, ranging from $99 per year (plus a $27-per-visit fee) to $399 per year (affording unlimited, free access).
Beginning in June 2009, any traveler entering the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda will be required to show a document proving both citizenship and identity. A U.S. passport will suffice, but many travelers living in border communities who frequently cross the land borders are signing up for “passport cards.”
Issued by the State Department after application and verification, the credit-card-sized card has a photo and ID information printed on it and encoded in a chip.