Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Voucher to Travel
By Linda Tancs
You may have heard that Delta Airlines is offering travel vouchers for lost flights. The interesting detail is that the vouchers are obtained as a result of bidding for compensation on a bumped flight. Undoubtedly, compensation for bumped flights costs airlines a bundle. The current scheme saves Delta money, particularly considering that the remuneration consists of a voucher for the value of a bid for the bumped flight. Cash is undoubtedly king–but a voucher? Consider your options. The same applies to travel insurance plans offered by tour operators. Be sure that a cancellation without cause policy results in a cash refund for the full value of the tour and not simply vouchers for a future tour in a time frame of one year or less. It’s your money. Spend it wisely.
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Mountain Do
By Linda Tancs
The largest ski resort in the world is Les 3 Vallées in France, boasting resort areas Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Meribel and Courchevel. With an enviable 600 km of skiable area, you might expect the luxe destination to be largely off-limits to the uninitiated. Au contraire. Out of the area’s 330 runs, practically half are easy and half are for experts. And all are superbly accessible thanks to one of the most efficient and modern ski lift networks in the world. Eighty piste grooming machines guarantee snow cover from the beginning of December to the end of April over the entire ski area. That gives you plenty of time to plan your stay.
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The Crags Deliver
By Linda Tancs
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is known as much for its signature tram ride as for its skiing. Emblazoned with the Wyoming Cowboys logo, the newly-refurbished fire engine red tram cars haul visitors over 4000 feet to the summit. Once there, you better “know the code” as they say and observe all safety requirements as you descend the pistes. Jackson Hole boasts 2500 in-bound acres and even more backcountry awaiting snowcat skiers, helicopter skiers, and snowboarders. At the Nordic Center you can find instruction on cross country skiing, skate skiing and snowshoe tours.
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Fun in the Sun Valley
By Linda Tancs
Sun Valley, Idaho is considered by many to be the birthplace of the U.S. ski resort industry. Now in its 75th season, the resort destination has had plenty of time to perfect its ski-town image. Located in central Idaho, this wealthy enclave has something for every level of skier. Those willing to test their mettle should head on over to Bald Mountain, or Baldy, where the vertical drop is over 3000 feet. For the more faint of heart, stick to the treeless Dollar Mountain where the vertical drop is a mere 600 feet. Cross country skiers will love the 25 miles of groomed and marked trails that begin at the Nordic and Snowshoe Center. If you need to brush up on your technique, you’ll find the area’s largest Nordic ski school in Sun Valley. This location may also be familiar to you as the site of ice skating shows presented by the world’s best skaters. Sun Valley Ice Rink continues to draw the biggest talent, and ice shows begin at dusk for a fabulous celestial experience.
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Life on Ice
By Linda Tancs
Over 15,000 icebergs are formed in the Arctic each year, and you can see them in places like Disko Bay in the Labrador Sea in western Greenland. The native Inuit spend their winter months hunting for polar bear, seals, and walrus to feed and clothe their families. Consider a visit to their local archeological sites.
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Mythic Kiev
By Linda Tancs
Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, known as much for the abundance of historic architectural monuments as for the shady horse chestnut trees lining the city from end to end. There’s almost a Parisian flair to this distinctive Slavic city—after all, the Dnieper River divides the city into two banks, left and right—just like its sister city to the west. Learn more at Travelrific Radio.
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A Helping Hand for Travelers
By Linda Tancs
Uncertain weather and other circumstances can leave travelers feeling pretty stranded. Just ask any of the folks throughout U.S. airports feeling the effects of the recent blizzard in the Northeast. During such trying times, it’s nice to know that there are volunteers at transportation hubs willing to lend a hand. That’s the idea behind the volunteer organization Travelers Aid, a network of individuals providing transportation assistance for those in crisis at airports as well as bus and train stations. Serving over six million people last year, volunteers are always welcome. Check your locale for the network nearest you.
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Cash and Carry
By Linda Tancs
One crucial point to keep in mind about credit and debit cards is the usage in Europe, Canada, Latin America and other parts of the world of what’s known as “chip and PIN” credit and debit cards. These cards have a computer chip embedded in them, technology increasingly adopted internationally to combat credit and debit card fraud. The use of the card is effectuated by verifying a PIN (personal identification number). It does not appear that any U.S. credit and debit cards (characterized by magnetic stripe readers) currently possess this “chip and PIN” technology for use abroad. So what do you do if your card is rejected by a vendor? In some cases, the situation can be resolved by reminding a vendor that he or she has the option to type the card number into a credit card machine. Now there’s another option. Money exchange company Travelex is debuting the Cash Passport, a card pre-loaded with your desired currency. The more you buy, the better the exchange rate. This option is particularly attractive for automated transactions where a magnetic stripe card might be rejected.
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The Fourth Test in Melbourne
By Linda Tancs
Playwright George Bernard Shaw once remarked that baseball has the great advantage over cricket of being sooner ended. No doubt it can’t end soon enough for the Aussies, currently entrenched in a two-month battle with the English known as The Ashes. The annual cricket match between England and Australia is playing out the fourth of five Tests in Melbourne this year until 30 December. The next and final Test is scheduled for 3 to 7 January in Sydney. Will the championship urn return Down Under?
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Pets and the Holidays
By Linda Tancs
Do pets make good gifts? Not always. But the folks at North Shore Animal League, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, would love for you to consider adoption of one of their many companion animals–or else assist with their rescue efforts, healing or sponsorship programs. Visit their campus at 25 Davis Avenue in Port Washington, New York. Happy holidays to all.
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