Available only online from VisitBritain (phone +44 020 7482 1500), the Theatre Passport offers savings on ticket prices in London for the best-available seats at participating musicals and plays like “Chicago” and “The Woman in Black.”
The US Transportation Security Administration, in cooperation with air travel authorities in other countries, has implemented new security measures regarding electronics, citing intelligence that terrorist organizations have been attempting to create explosives that are harder to detect. There was no specific threat or incident to cause the increase in security.
On June 11 and 12, forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda exchanged gunfire near the towns of Buhumba and Kibumba on the DRC side of the border.
According to Congolese information minister Lambert Mende, the battle began when Rwandan soldiers crossed the border and kidnapped a corporal. Fighting renewed when the Congolese military learned that the corporal had been killed.
Reports from Rwanda claim that Congolese troops were killed when they crossed the border to steal cattle.
In northern Iraq, members of the Al-Qaeda-sponsored jihadist group Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, took control of Mosul, the country’s second-largest city, on June 10, then took Tikrit on June 11. More than 500,000 residents of Mosul left the city after the attack.
ISIS also gained control of the Iraqi cities of Tal Afar, Traybil and al-Qa’im and is contesting many others. Fighting has also been reported in Sāmarrā, only 68 miles north of Baghdad.
The US Department of State continues to strongly recommend deferring travel to Eritrea.
Avoid travel near the Eritrea-Ethiopia border and southern Red Sea region. Current tensions between the two countries have led to a buildup of military presence along their borders.
In February, the US and Chilean governments reached an agreement to ease travel between the two countries, and the US designated Chile a member of its Visa Waiver Program. As of May, Chilean nationals can travel to the US without a visa, and US travelers are no longer being charged a “reciprocity fee” of $160 to enter Chile.
It’s easy for committed world travelers like us to become a bit complacent about our international travel experiences. With many of us, friends and relatives show little interest in the details of our globetrotting adventures, even while acknowledging how important they know these are to us.
My husband, Al, and I arrived at Miami International Airport from Panama City on March 4, 2014, at 10:30 a.m., leaving plenty of time before our 1:30 p.m. flight aboard American Airlines to St. Louis, Missouri.
However, we encountered long lines and faced long walks. We went through security twice. We had to search for our luggage because it had been taken off the carousel immediately to make room for that of another incoming flight.
Jordan raised its entry visa fee in April from JOD20 (near $28) to JOD40 ($56).
The cost of an entry visa to Egypt was set to rise to $20 (from $15) on May 1. In October 2013, the cost to visit each archaeological site in Egypt was raised by 40%.
