Vol. 28 No. 4 May 2010 - The Travel Society

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airline news Air Transat will have a non-stop, weekly, seasonal servicefrom Edmonton to Frankfurt between 15 June and 28September this year. Departures from Edmonton everyThuesday, returning every Wednesday. For details of thisand Air Transat's many other destinations and vacation packagesto Europe visit www.airtransat.ca Porter Airlines has already introduced a Sudbury toToronto daily service. More new services are coming,among them: from Ottawa and Toronto to Moncton, NewBrunswick, starting June 25 and non-stop service betweenMontreal and Halifax, with connecting flights to St. John's,also commencing 25 June. All details at www.flyporter.com WestJet has unveiled its long-delayed credit card andfrequent-flyer programmes. Customers can earn “WestJetdollars” for purchases they make on a new Royal BankMasterCard, that then may be used for flights or vacationpackages. The dollars earned may also be put toward seatsales and will not be subject to blackouts or seat restrictions.(In case you think you've heard this before, the programmewas intitially to be introduced last June, but was put on holduntil kinks in the airline's new reservation system could beworked out.) One programme offers rewards of 1.5% inWestJet dollars, as well as travel insurance, hotel discountsand upgrades, for an annual fee of $79; while the other earnscardholders 1% back in WestJet dollars for an annual fee of$39. Visit www.westjet.com and click on 'WestJet CreditCard' for full information.Safety in MexicoIn tackling the question of tourist safely in Mexico,the Department of Foreign Affairs, Canada(www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=184000)and the U.S. StateDepartment (http://travel.state.gov) are pointing outthat the areas of concern are not the beach resorts orhistorical cities most Canadians and Americans visit,but rather the border towns, specifically Tijuana,Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterreyand Matamoros.Too often in the past, these types of governmentalerts have taken a broad-brush approach, simplyadvising against travel to a country as a whole. What'sdifferent about the recent warnings are their levels ofdetail, and the way they rightly target only townswhere drug-related violence has been rampant. Ifyou're planning a vacation soon, study the above websitesand heed the governments' advice: avoid theabove towns and elsewhere use common-sense precautionssuch as visiting only legitimate business andtourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areaswhere drug dealing might occur.Earlier Editor's LetterBefore I left for England, I'd prepared this letter for this edition. As we all know, the volcano remained in the news and I,and perhaps you, felt the impact of it. But my earlier letter remains relevant, so I thought I'd publish it as well. Here it is:The stories we brought you last month on Israel and Iceland could be described as "bad timing" on mypart. There was trouble in Jerusalem as the Israelis unveiled some unpopular building plans and then, whowould have thought, the Eyjafjalla volcano erupted in Iceland for the first time since 1823.But, as you may have read, Eyjafjalla has created great tourism interest in Iceland. Special tours arebeing offered, including a nearby restaurant offering "dinner with a view" and there's a trip out ofReykjavik that leaves in the afternoon, stops along the coast for dinner, allows the participants to see thevolcano in the hours of darkness and then returns them to Reykjavik at 2 a.m.I was all set to give more details in this edition, since it all sounded rather exciting. But then I openedThe Globe and Mail on Saturday, 3 April, to find a large photograph of spectators watching the volcanobut with a far less benign story attached. The article was headed "From Iceland's depths, an ancient perilerupts into the midst of a modern crisis." Apparently this relatively minor volcanic activity may be heraldingthe eruption of a much more violent and dangerous volcano in the region. On the three occasions thatEyjafjalla has erupted in the last thousand years, neighbouring volcano Katla has followed with an eruptionof its own, with catastrophic consequences. The article quoted Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at theUniversity of Iceland, who said, "Katla is a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage."So, dear readers, please be cautious if Iceland is in your plans. And if you'd like to read the completearticle here's the link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/from-icelands-depths-anancient-peril-erupts-into-the-midst-of-a-modern-crisis/article1521587/It's a sobering read indeed.AW20 www.thetravelsociety.com
You’ll have plenty of timeto explore Buenos Aires;you’ll fly to the wineries of Mendoza; you’ll take an excursion toTupungato Mountain and Silver Range in the heart of the Andesthen travel on to Chile and explore Santiago; you’ll visit theColchagua Valley (one of the most fertile in Chile and dedicatedmostly to wine production) and be taken to the coast – observingthe spectacular, ever-changing landscape and vegetation – for a tourof Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. But that’s just the outline of theNEW!AIR-INCLUSIVE PRICES departing:Vancouver:$6,849 pp/dbl.Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa: $6,535 pp/dbl.Calgary:$6,849 pp/dbl.Single supplement:$2,199 pp/dbl.~ tours for members and their friends.South Africa - the ShongololoGood Hope TourDeparting: 23 Oct 2010 and26 Feb & 29 Oct 2011Come with The Travel Society on a great adventure: the Shongololo Good Hope Adventure train trip … a wonderful tour ofthe highlights of South Africa in luxurious comfort. Johnnesburg, Pretoria, Kruger National Park, Durban, Swaziland,Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay and Cape Town are all on the itinerary yet you only have to unpack once! And you'llhave a wide choice of exciting activities to enjoy. And most programmes are included when you travel with The Travel Society.So whether this is your first or fifth visit to South Africa, you can be sure of experiencing something new. And every night youwill return to the comfort of your train.'Nature & Wildlife' experiences include safari trips, hikes, cave visits, whale watching and more. The 'Culture & People'excursions include city tours of the country's major cities as well as trips into Swaziland, Shakaland and Zululand. The'Highlights and Leisure' component offers relaxing days on the train or the beach, enjoying the spectacular scenery in comfort… the perfect choice for those who love to travel but are not as mobile as they once were. And the 'Special Activities' are forthe truly adventurous: caves, shark cage diving, balloon rides and helicopter flights over Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula.On these extraordinary train journeys you can choose to do as much or as little as you like. Contact us for the full itineraryand list of options and create the trip of a lifetime!Pre-tour -Victoria Falls, Chobe Nat. Park & Botswana - 5 days$2,796 pp/dbl inc ALL Air & additional hotelPRICES INCLUDING ALL AIR AND TAXESToronto $9,324 pp/dbl Ottawa $9,474 pp/dblMontreal $9,324 pp/dbl Vancouver $9,574 pp/dblCalgary $9,574 pp/dbl Winnipeg $9,574 pp/dblHalifax$9,694 pp/dblSingle from $8,432 pp/snglPrices are subject to confirmationTHE WINESOF CHILE ANDARGENTINAPrices are available from all major citiesPrices are subject to confirmation19 days!Prices includE ALL Air and THE SHONGOLOLOplus Package with choiceof included land excursionsDeparting: 28 May, 18 June & 17 July 2010and Spring & Fall 2011tour! Of course you’ll tour a variety of vineyards and enjoy winetastings; but you’ll also enjoy a tango evening and see Eva Peron’sgrave; you’ll visit soaring cathedrals, adobe style buildings andmuseums large and small, including renowned Colchagua Museum.You’ll cross the Inca Bridge on your way to Las Cuevas, the lastvillage in Argentina close to the border, where soars the 4,000 m.statue of Christ the Redeemer, symbol of friendship between thetwo countries. Every day will hold a new delight … as well as fineaccommodations and delicious food. This is a wonderful tour ofthese two fascinating countries.Your tour includes:- All air and land transportation.- All transfers and baggage handling.- All accommodation and meals as per the itinerary.- All specified tours and excursions with English-speaking guides.- ALL TAXESPlease call1 877 926 2500 x25 or 416 926 2500 x25 for the full details. All our tours are speciallypriced for Travel Society members and are only available at these prices through our office.#1280649Call1 877 926 2500for the complete itineraryPrices include …- Return international airfare on British Airways- Canadian airfare (when necessary)- Pre-Day in Johannesburg included- On-board train accommodation throughout- Meals: breakfast and dinner, lunch available- Luxury a/c Mercedes coaches- A free choice of available land excursions- Experienced SA Tourism-accredited tour guides- Special Travel Society experiences- Airport transfers with full luggage service- ALL TAXESCall1 877 926 2500for the complete itineraryMay 201021
Page 1 and 2: Vol. 28, No. 4 May 2010MagazineIn K
Page 3 and 4: eaders’lettersWWoofing(and chasin
Page 5 and 6: Chartwell HouseCanadian Connections
Page 9 and 10: TheRugged GreatBarrier Island,New Z
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Page 17 and 18: A Day Out of Londonsuggestions from
Page 19: Ten Vacation IdeasEarly every sprin
Page 23 and 24: ~ tours for members and their frien

Vol. 28 No. 4 May 2010 - The Travel Society

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