Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
Air Pricing Rule Provides Transparency
By Linda Tancs
Under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recently adopted consumer rule that enhances protections for air travelers, carriers and ticket agents have been required to include all government taxes and fees in every advertised fare since 26 January. The airline price advertising rules apply to both U.S. and foreign carriers as well as ticket agents. Agents must ensure that airfares quoted to customers include all applicable taxes and fees, including transaction fees, when first communicating the price of the desired itinerary. The following mandates apply directly to airlines:
- Baggage allowances/fees that apply at beginning of customers’ itineraries must apply throughout their entire journey.
- Airlines must allow reservations to be held at the quoted fare without payment or cancelled after purchase without penalty for at least 24 hours after the reservations are made.
- Once full payments are made, airlines are not allowed to increase mandatory fees (baggage, fuel surcharge, etc.).
- On all e-ticket confirmations, one of the following must be included: (i)standard free baggage allowances and/or fees for carry-on, first and second checked bags, along with a note stating that additional discounts may apply depending on flyer-specific factors (e.g., frequent flyer status, military, credit card used, etc.); or (ii) a direct link to the applicable airline’s baggage allowance and fee information.
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A Dickens of a Celebration
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Britain’s beloved author Charles Dickens. To mark the event, a wreath laying ceremony will take place in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, at 11 a.m. Dickens is buried in the South Transept of the Abbey. The ceremony will include readings from his novels and his other writings by actor and director Ralph Fiennes, author Claire Tomalin and two of Dickens’ descendants. Events will take place throughout the year. Don’t miss the re-opening of the Charles Dickens Museum, based at his only surviving London home. The Museum of London is also hosting an exhibition, complete with the desk and chair where Dickens wrote some of his greatest works. The best of times await you.
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Looking Up in Fargo
By Linda Tancs
Education, preservation and restoration are the goals at the Fargo Air Museum in North Dakota. Their flyable aircraft exhibits include the F4-U Corsair, L 39 Jet, TBM Avenger, P 51 Mustang, Bell Helicopter and Duggy DC 3. Plans are underway to build a second wing to house restoration projects complete with rivet stations, audio WWII vignettes, welding and aviation basics. To raise funds for the new wing, the museum is raffling a 1964 Cessna Skylane. Tickets are available for $50 each, and no more than 2,500 tickets will be sold. The winner will be drawn on 30 June 2012. Things will definitely be looking up for one lucky flyer. Buy your ticket today.
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Fabergé Debuts in Palm Beach
By Linda Tancs
The iconic Fabergé egg is the highlight of this year’s fine arts fair in Palm Beach, Florida. Now in its 16th year, the American International Fine Art Fair is the premier art, antique and jewelry fair in the United States, returning to the Palm Beach County Convention Center from 4 to 12 February. Fabergé will present a special exhibition and lecture series – Faberge: The Rebirth of an Icon-by Geza von Habsburg. Paying homage to the legendary Imperial eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Romanov family, Fabergé has designed a collection of one-of-a-kind egg pendants, Les Fameux de Fabergé. Each design illustrates a traditional Russian proverb. Now if that doesn’t egg you on to attend, nothing will.
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A Celtic Celebration
By Linda Tancs
The Festival of Imbolc is an ancient Celtic tradition celebrated with fire, commemorating the holy day of Brigid, the goddess of fire, healing and fertility. The fire symbolizes the increasing power of the light over the darkened winter months. Other world festivals likewise celebrate the coming of the change in seasons (albeit a bit later), like Las Fallas in Valencia, Spain. It’s a time of purification–so think about that spring cleaning!
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Europe’s Largest Fire Festival
By Linda Tancs
Since the 1880s the folks in Lerwick, Shetland have celebrated Up Helly Aa, Europe’s largest fire festival. Taking place on the last Tuesday in January each year, the event involves a series of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch-lit procession, the burning of a galley and dancing in various halls throughout Lerwick. At least 11 halls will host revelers until the wee hours of Wednesday morning, a public holiday. Thank goodness.
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A Haven of Peace
By Linda Tancs
Amongst the hustle and bustle of cruise ships negotiating exotic ports of call in Tanzania, it’s easy to forget that its largest city, Dar es Salaam, means “haven of peace.” You’ll likely experience that in the city centre at the botanical gardens. Or perhaps during a stroll through the adjacent National Museum, home to antique tribal artefacts and World War One memorabilia. And what better time to go than January and February, the short dry season. Your haven is waiting.
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Oldest Botanic Gardens in Western Hemisphere
By Linda Tancs
One hundred miles west of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean lies a chain of 32 islands and cays making up St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Some of the most fertile soil in the world can be found there, but perhaps its biggest claim to fame are the botanic gardens, the oldest in the Western Hemisphere founded in 1763. Among its many distinctions is the sucker from one of the 630 breadfruit plants brought to St. Vincent in 1793 by Captain Bligh. Perhaps not surprisingly, roasted breadfruit (along with fried jackfish) is the country’s national dish.
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British Invasion in Vegas
By Linda Tancs
The Beatles aren’t the only British import lighting up Vegas. Queen Victoria is alive and well on the Strip, too. That is, the Queen Victoria Pub, located inside the Riviera Hotel and Casino. The only British-owned and operated establishment boasts 24 draught beers and over 40 bottled varieties from around the world. Needless to say, you can savor such island favorites as toad in the hole, shepherds pie and fish and chips. Cheers!
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The Year of Klimt
By Linda Tancs
2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Klimt, an Austrian painter and illustrator. Ten Viennese museums will herald the event with special exhibitions throughout the year, featuring his paintings, drawings and designs. The Belvedere has the world’s largest collection of Klimt paintings, where a special exhibition is already underway highlighting his collaboration with Josef Hoffmann. Later, in May, don’t miss the first public viewing of the Wien Museum’s collection of 400 Klimt drawings. In the meanwhile, don’t miss the Art History Museum event beginning next month, or the spectacular events scheduled for Albertina, the Theatre Museum, Kuenstlerhaus, Folklore Museum, Leopold or the Museum of Applied Art.
