Columns

(First of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3)

South African game reserves

Everything you ever wanted to know about South African game reserves but didn’t know what to ask!

by Julie Skurdenis

In last month’s issue I introduced myself and invited readers to submit travel questions. The deadline for this month came along before anyone had a chance to respond, so, rather than answer the kind I get every day, like “How far in advance should I check in at the airport?”, “What’s my baggage limit?” or “Will I need a visa for thus and such country?”, I asked myself, “What question would I most likely not get?”

ITN reader Donna Judd asked for tips on getting good shots in Antarctica and Alaska. In this column I’ll discuss Antarctica, as most visitors go there in the Austral summer, November to March, and many of the techniques apply to both destinations.

The President recently made an alarming statement that if Avian Influenza, or bird flu, reached our shores, infected Americans would be quarantined and, if necessary, military troops would be used to enforce this. Naturally, this has scared people, even panicked them, and quite unnecessarily.

The tragic death of popular cruiser, explorer and businessman Stephen Glyn Thomas in a hiking accident in Antarctica has fueled debate about the future of cruising and tourism in that region.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 359th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

Recently, I was a delegate to the 2005 TravelMart Latin America. It is one of the most important business events for the tourism sector in Latin America. This year, Peru was the host country.

Most know that Hollywood made Cleopatra famous with movies of her romantic trysts with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, but historians generally view Arab Queen Zenobia as having greater beauty, chastity and valor than her Egyptian ancestor. But who was Zenobia?

During the third century A.D., Rome was challenged by Persia (Iran). As Roman Palmyra, in Syria’s eastern desert, had twice defeated Persia, Rome permitted Palmyra to gradually change from a merchant republic, governed by a senate, to a kingdom.