The Sterling Travel Times - July 2006
Your Source for Travel Information

Surviving Summer Air Travel

If you will travel by air this summer, get ready for crowds at the airports and few empty seats on the planes. Nearly 207 million passengers are expected to board airplanes in the U.S. from Memorial Day until Labor Day, up from 205 million in the same period last year.

The crowds, along with unpredictable summer weather, are likely to result in some long lines and unavoidable travel delays. Here are some simple tips to help you keep your cool during summer air travel:

• Arrive at the airport early . Plan for long lines at parking ramps, ticket counters and security stations. Arrive at the airport at least an hour before your flight; two hours before flight time if you are flying out of a major metropolitan airport; and three hours before an international flight.
  
  
• Use self-service kiosks to check in . Some airlines provide computerized kiosks that will verify your identity by scanning a major credit card, then print your boarding documents. If there is a wait for self-check in, it's usually significantly less than the wait to check in at a ticket counter. Most airlines also enable you to check in online and print your own boarding passes within 24 hours of your flight - you can access your reservation by either including your confirmation or frequent flyer number.
  
  
• Be ready for security screening . When you get in line for screening, remove your cell phone and coins from your pockets and put them in your carry-on bag. Put metal jewelry and belts with metal buckles in your bag as well. If you are carrying a laptop computer, remove it from its case, ready to place in a dedicated bin for its own trip through the screening machine. Be prepared to remove your jacket and shoes and place them in bins as well. Keep your boarding pass in your hand to show to security personnel as you pass through the metal detector.
  
  
• Prepare for delays . Pack a few items in your carry-on bag that can help you cope with a wait in the airport, in the air or on the tarmac. These may include a healthy snack, a bottle of water, a deck of cards, a book, medication, your cell phone and a movie to watch on your laptop computer.
  
  
• Ask us for help. We can schedule flights to avoid the busiest days of the week and the busiest times of day; suggest alternate routings to take advantage of smaller, less crowded airports; and make hotel and rental car arrangements that minimize time spent traveling to or waiting in an airport.

While your summer air travel may go off without a hitch, it's best to be prepared. Talk withus for more advice and ideas for low-stress summer flights.

How to Combine Vacationing and Volunteering

Vacations provide valuable opportunities to relax and take a break from the daily routine of life. However, some travelers want to use their vacation time to make a positive difference in the world: to combine a vacation with meaningful volunteer work. To meet this demand, some tour companies are offering "volunteer tourism" packages.

For example, General Tours' "Make a Difference" program takes travelers to Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru or Russia, where they spend a week immersed in local culture while working on a community project. Participants might teach English to children at a Brazilian orphanage; organize games and crafts for Russian children in a homeless shelter; or plant a garden for senior citizens in Costa Rica. Each experience is based on the needs of the community and the interests of the traveler. Participants stay in comfortable lodging and volunteer every morning, enjoying cultural activities or quiet time in the afternoon. The Make a Difference program even provides on-site medical insurance and information on taking the cost of a tour as a tax deduction.

Travelers who would like to combine vacation and volunteer work within the U.S. might consider helping to rebuild New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast that were devastated during the 2005 hurricane season.

Talk with one of our travel professionals to find out more about combining vacation time with volunteer work for a rewarding travel experience.

Get a Kick out of Germany

As host of the 2006 World Cup soccer championship, Germany readied 12 cities around the country to welcome throngs of international fans. The preparation for the World Cup has made these interesting, welcoming cities even more attractive to travelers with a taste for European culture.

Here's a look at three of the major cities that recently hosted World Cup matches:

·Berlin, Germany's capital of government, culture and commerce, is full of significant buildings, restaurants, boutiques, theaters and parks. The major landmark is the Brandenburg Gate, topped by a four-horse chariot that carries the goddess of victory. Unter der Linden Boulevard, which runs from the Brandenburg Gate to Berlin Cathedral, is lined with impressive buildings such as the Crown Prince's Palace and the State Opera: many of the buildings were restored after being heavily damaged in World War II. Charlottenburg Palace is a 300-year-old former summer retreat of German royalty; the Jewish Museum Berlin presents 2,000 years of Jewish history. Those interested in the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Berlin from the early 1961 until 1989, can visit some remnants of the wall's remains still scattered throughout the city or Checkpoint Charlie, an old border crossing.

·Hamburg, founded in the year 811 at the junction of three rivers, has been an important trading port ever since. The city's canals, bridges and lakes give it a romantic flair, and the skyline is dominated by the copper-clad spires of five major churches. The Rathaus, or town hall, is often the backdrop for open-air concerts, fair and festivals. Visit the elephants at the Hagenbeck Zoo, who will accept paper money that they deposit in their keepers' pockets.

·Munich , Bavaria's capital, is noted for its white sausage with sweet mustard, fresh pretzels and foaming pale ales. Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Summer Olympics, is now the venue for many sport and recreational events, including music and art festivals. Landmarks include Nymphenburg, which includes the baroque Nymphenburg Palace and several museums; Residenz, home to Bavaria's rulers for 500 years; and the Frauenkirch (Cathedral of Our Lady). Visitors from around the world converge on Munich in late September for the annual Oktoberfest, which has been held since 1810.

Other World Cup cities include Kaiserslautern , a charming city in the midst of a forest; Leipzig, an ancient city that played an important role in the reunification of East and West Germany; and Cologne (or Koln), the oldest major city in Germany with its majestic, giant cathedral just a few short steps away from the central train station. Talk with your travel professional about more options for a vacation to post-World Cup Germany.

Summer in Canada

If you haven't yet made travel plans for the summer but are longing to get away, consider Canada. Summer is a wonderful time to visit this country, which offers an incredible variety of landscapes, attractions and outdoor activities. Some of the best can be found in the eastern province of Québec and the western province of British Columbia.

Québec, a former colony of France, has retained its French lifestyle, culture and language. The vast province extends from the arctic region of Nunavik in the north to the St. Lawrence River valley in the south, ringed by the ancient Laurentian Mountains and the northern reaches of the Appalachians. The French flavor of Québec is especially apparent in its major cities, including Montréal, Canada's second-largest city, and Québec City, the provincial capital. Québec City is the only North American city still fortified by its original city walls. The old part of the city includes Lower Town, where charming shops and galleries line the narrow streets; and Upper Town, which has impressive buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

British Columbia is bordered by the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, with abundant natural beauty in between. This province offers excellent hiking, biking, hunting, fishing and sailing. Visitors to Whistler can preview the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics while enjoying the area's spectacular mountain scenery. With all of its outdoor attractions, British Columbia also has cosmopolitan cities, including Vancouver, beautifully situated between ocean and mountains. Vancouver's arts community is very active in summer, with film, music and theater festivals. Visitors can dine on fresh seafood, then stroll through quaint Gastown, the oldest part of the city and the adjacent Chinatown. The city's mammoth Stanley Park, adjacent to the city center, provides stunning vistas of the harbor and surrounding mountains.

For help in planning an international summer vacation that's still close to home, talk with one of our travel professionals.

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The Seven Seas Mariner is your ship for the Pacific Crossing November 30th to December 18th, 2006. This is truly a voyage through paradise! Seven Seas Mariner is the world's first all-suite, all-balcony ship, as well as the first to offer dining by the famed Le Cordon Bleu® of Paris in Signatures, one of four single, open-seating restaurants. Catering to only 700 guests, she is one of the most spacious cruise ships afloat, and, her staff to guest ratio of 1 to 1.6 provides the highest level of personal service in the six-star tradition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

The Paul Gauguin is your ship for exploring Tahiti and the Society Islands November 4th to 11th, 2006. On board you'll see why Regent Seven Seas is rated six-star. You'll savor world class dining in L'Etoile and Verandas. Indulge yourself with a spa treatment in the unmatched Carita of Paris spa, and spend your day windsurfing, kayaking, waterskiing or SCUBA diving all from the convenient water sports platform on ship! These are the journeys you've been waiting for.

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From Megan's Beach and Trunk Bay to the Baths of Virgin Gorda and Holland America's own number-one rated island, Half Moon Cay, the Eastern Caribbean is waiting for you on this Spence and Bob hosted cruise.

Defining the future of cruising, the ms Westerdam offers you more of everything you desire on a cruise ship: more staterooms with private verandahs, more dining choices, more exotic destinations, and the very best in cruise activities and cruise entertainment.

This is your chance to visit some of the most enchanting destinations in the world. You will visit them from the comfort of a new, five-star premium cruise ship and with many friends from past KVTA cruises.

Call Donna or Bunny in our office at 800-777-6540. They are both certified Holland America Line cruise specialists. They will answer all your questions and give you all the information you need about this incredible cruise experience.

Business Travel

Is Your Boarding Pass Your Identity?

In a May 3, 2006 article in the a U.K. newspaper The Guardian, writer Steve Boggan explained how he was able to learn a random traveler's name, frequent flyer number, address, passport number, date of birth, educational background, nationality, employment status, and even the cost of the traveler's house. Boggan obtained all of this information by starting with a bit of trash - a boarding pass stub taken from a garbage can on a train that provides express service from Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport in London.

The traveler's name and frequent flyer number, along with his flight and seat information, were on the boarding pass stub itself. However, with the help of a computer expert, the writer found the rest of the information in about 15 minutes of Internet use.

The ease with which the writer obtained so much information was due to a flaw in the design of an airline Web site, which has since been fixed. However, the article brought travelers' attention to the fact that a carelessly discarded boarding pass could start a chain of events that might lead to identity theft.

Many frequent business travelers don't think twice about what happens to their boarding pass stubs. Some are used as impromptu bookmarks or scratch paper; others are crumpled and tossed in the trash; and still others are left in seatback pockets on the last flight of the day.
While the chances of anyone stealing your identity from a boarding pass may be extremely small, it's always best to do whatever you can to protect your personal information while traveling. On your next trip, keep your used boarding passes in a safe place until you can shred them.
However, there is no need to take the same precaution with hotel key cards. A rumor circulating for several years holds that credit-card style hotel room keys are imprinted with the guest's credit card number and other personal information, making them favorite tools of identity thieves.

Computerworld, an information technology industry trade publication, recently sought to conclusively prove or disprove the rumor. The publication challenged a manufacturer of magnetic card readers to extract personal data from 100 hotel key cards collected by staff members on their travels.

The manufacturer found that the cards were not imprinted with credit card numbers or other personal information, but only with the combination for a room lock; an expiration time; and, sometimes, a hotel-assigned account number or room number that allows a guest to bill food or other hotel charges to his or her room.

So, take good care of your personal information while on the road; but don't worry about leaving your hotel key card behind in your room.