Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for tourism
Travel Promotion Laws
By Linda Tancs
Few people may realize that in 2007 yet another pass was made in Congress to create an advertising fund to promote travel to the U.S. The Travel Promotion Act of 2007 intended to address declining travel to the U.S. by earmarking $100 million generated by private industry and overseas visitors’ entry fees to facilitate understanding of America’s entry system and promote U.S. travel. These activities would be undertaken by a non-profit corporation to be known as the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Even fewer folks may recall that in 2002 a similar initiative fell flat. Of course, the circumstances differ surrounding the introduction of a travel promotion bill in each of these years. In 2002, the primary concern in developing the legislation was to allocate funds from a $100 million proposed reserve to the states to prop up tourism following 9/11. In 2007, the bill’s sponsors blamed harsh border control and entry requirements for a drop in tourism despite a weak dollar. There is certainly support for that position. Just consider this portrayal of travel to the U.S. by travel columnist Matt Rudd from January’s Sunday Times in London: “Nowhere else can a visitor expect such a spirit-crushingly frosty reception. A preflight e-interrogation, epic queues at immigration, thin-lipped questioning from aggressive border guards, and an outside chance of a rubber-gloved rectal rummage are all part of the fun.” Ouch. On the other hand, a recent report from the Federal Reserve claims that the one bright spot in America’s economy at the present time is–drum roll, please–foreign tourism! So perhaps the bottom line is that, so long as schizophrenic assessments pop up among bureaucrats, any proposal to bring America’s promotional spend in line with that committed by our chief competitors will surely be doomed.
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Cell Phone Use Made Simple
By Linda Tancs
The limping U.S. dollar may not have you thinking about traveling abroad any time soon, but if you do, you might be wondering about using your cell phone internationally. You may very well have a phone that is capable of working in most countries–the key word is “capable.” Will the frequency used in your target destination jibe with your phone? Do you need to “unlock” your phone from home before traveling? Should you rent a phone internationally or replace the SIM card? A good place to start looking for answers is with your service provider, of course. Some sites also attempt to provide you with some basic information to get you started, like http://www.cellularabroad.com/cellinfo.html.
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Vatican City
By Linda Tancs
Vatican City, led by the Pope, is one of the holiest sites in Christendom and houses some of the most magnificent displays of art in the world. Explore the wonders of the world’s smallest country at www.travelrificradio.com.
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Exploring Climate Change
By Linda Tancs
All this chat about climate change in recent years no doubt got the city elders of Bremerhaven, Germany thinking. Why not create a place for individuals to experience climate change for themselves–to learn about the complex interaction between man and climate in an entertaining way. And so, beginning in March 2009, Bremerhaven will host Climate House, a science-based theme park in the shape of a giant dill pickle. The attraction promises to educate and entertain on the subject of world climate, even offering visitors the opportunity to create their own weather forecasts in addition to “visiting” world climates along the eighth degree line of longitude. This building is but one of many changes coming to the inner city, among them a hotel whose exterior is reminiscent of Dubai’s Hotel Burj al-Arab and a shopping complex dubbed Mediterraneo. As they say in Bremerhaven, “future ahoy!”
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Serenity Now
By Linda Tancs
Cruise travelers seeking their inner Zulu will find it aboard every ship in Princess’s line by 2010, thanks to the success of Sanctuary on the Crown Princess. For the uninitiated, Sanctuary is an adults-only designated area offering spa-like amenities served up by your Serenity Steward (or stewardess?). So the next time those teens and tweens take over the hot tub, don’t sweat it. Your refuge is at hand.
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Stretching the Dollar
By Linda Tancs
Between rising fuel costs, exchange rate woes and failing airlines, you know your travel dollars will be stretched to the limit. So where can you get the most bang for your buck? The Portimão area of Portugal looks pretty good. You’ve got 5 beaches, 4 golf facilities, and the tourist mecca of Alvor, together with room rates as low as 83 euros through May. Hire a boat from Alvor to Ria de Alvor, an estuary giving sanctuary to a number of migrating birds and flowering plants amidst the sand dunes, mud flats, and freshwater and saltwater marshes. Top off your adventure with the local specialty of grilled sardine. Did you know that the Portguese eat more fish than any other Europeans? Now grab and bag and start packing. Desejo-lhe umas boas férias!
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Viticultural Areas Abound in U.S.
By Linda Tancs
So what is a viticultural area, you ask? It’s a wine grape-growing region with distinctive geographic features, similar to (but distinguishable from) an appellation of origin. The U.S. has over 180 American Viticultural Areas. As you might suspect, a great majority of these are in California. You might be surprised at some of the other locations on the list, places like the Ozarks in Arkansas, the Mississippi Delta, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Texas High Plains, and southeastern New England (Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island). So move over beaujolais and make room for the home-grown varietals.
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Power Napping At a Pod Near You
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard of yellow cabs. Now meet YeloCab in New York City, a suite of cabins with adjustable lighting and reflexology designed to invigorate you during your busy day. Now you can catch some zzz’s in style. Learn more at www.yelonyc.com.
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Travel May Affect Insurance–Part Two
By Linda Tancs
In follow up to our 26 February post, New Jersey has now passed a law forbidding life insurance companies from adjusting premiums based on the travel predilections of policy owners–for the most part, that is. Exclusion is made for the application of sound actuarial principles or past experience. You can read the new law at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A2000/1586_I1.HTM.
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The Luxury of Monaco
By Linda Tancs
Monaco is synonymous with luxury, from its five-star hotels and famous casino to the slew of Rolls-Royces, Aston Martins and Bentleys that cascade around the tree-lined streets and boulevards. Experience the grandeur at www.travelrificradio.com.
