The ninth annual Extremadura Birdwatching Fair will take place in Monfragüe National Park, a 2½-mile drive east of Madrid, Spain, Feb. 28-March 2, 2014. The program will be announced on the fair’s website, but in past years it has included talks on rare species, walks with photography experts, and guided explorations of the park’s wildlife.
Virgin Galactic hopes to be the first company to offer commercial space flights.
Upward of 500 people have paid deposits of $250,000 each to be one of the first space tourists.
No date is set for the first launch, but the company’s future astronauts have access to a variety of events held by the company, including G-force training and attendance at test flights.
Guests may book online or contact one of the Space Agents listed on the website.
The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail (phone +64 27 477 4412) is a 240-mile self-drive touring route which traverses the major wine-producing areas of both the South Island and North Island, including Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Marlborough.
A map of the route is available online, along with sample 6- and 7-day itineraries with suggestions for dining, sightseeing, winery visits and other activities. The trail organizers also list various package tours which visit the route.
At Balhousie Castle in Perth, Scotland, the Black Watch Museum reopened on June 25 following a one-year, £3.5-million renovation and expansion,
One of the most famous regiments in Scotland, the Black Watch was formed in 1715 to calm the troubles in the Highlands, and it has fought in many of the biggest conflicts of the past 300 years, including the American Revolution and both World Wars and, more recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cunard Line, beginning in spring 2014, will ban smoking on cabin balconies aboard the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.
Disney Cruise Line, as of Nov. 15, 2013, no longer will allow smoking on stateroom verandas, and violators will be charged $250 to cover cleaning and maintenance costs. Smoking is banned in all interior spaces and allowed only at specified outdoor deck locations, which vary from ship to ship.
In Leicester’s city center, just steps away from where the king’s bones were found buried in a car park in August 2012, a new Richard III Visitor Centre (St. Martins Place) will open in March 2014 with the exhibition “Richard III: Dynasty, Death & Discovery.” Richard (1452-1485) was the last king of the House of York.
Offa’s Dyke, a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wales, was damaged in August when someone with a bulldozer carved out a 50-yard section and used the dirt to fill in a road nearby. It is a criminal offense to disrupt or damage protected monuments, and the authorities are investigating.
A popular walking trail for visitors, the 1,200-year-old monument is a long earthwork stretching about 80 miles from the Wye Valley to Wrexham. The dike is thought to have been built in the eighth century by King Offa of Mercia.
Auto Europe (888/223-5555) now allows travelers to rent motorcyles in Cancún, Mexico; Spain, and France. Models available include Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Honda and BMW. Rates vary by country, make and model but typically run $300 to $1,000 per day, including insurance.
Bookings must be made by phone; info is not on the website. A US motorcycle driver’s license is required to make a reservation. There is no upper age limit. Some bikes come with a “saddlebag” for a backpack or small duffel.
There is now a free emergency phone number to provide assistance to people visiting Nicaragua. Travelers may dial “101” if they need attention because of an accident, loss of travel documents or any other situation that requires an immediate response.
The hotline is manned 24 hours a day and will be answered by a bilingual police officer, who will assess the situation and contact either the local police department or the Nicaraguan Tourism Board.
For bird-watchers, the third International Hula Valley Bird Festival, organized by the Israel Ornithological Center, takes place Nov. 10-17, 2013. Visitors to the valley, which is a 2½-hour drive north of Jerusalem, have logged over 200 different bird species.
A festival package costs $2,165 per person (sharing) and includes seven nights at the Pastoral Hotel, breakfasts, dinners, guided birding tours, evening lectures and all transportation within Israel. Visit the website.