May 2004 Travel Newsletter

The Great Pack-It® System Cash Rebate Ending Soon!
The summer travel season is nearly here and we want you to be ready!  For only a little while longer, purchase any combination of at least $25 of Eagle Creek Pack-It® System products to help you pack more into your bags with less wrinkles, and you can pad your wallet with a $5, $10 or $25 cash rebate from Eagle Creek.  The Pack-It® System is a complete line of packing accessories (including cubes, sacs, folders, compressor sacs, and toiletry bags) to maximize space and stay organized with any kind of luggage.  Click here to read more details about the “Great Pack-It® System Cash Rebate”.
Seeing Stars?
Deciding on a hotel for your upcoming summer vacation can leave you seeing stars, rating stars.  You want to be sure that if you’re making reservations at a four or five-star hotel, you will really be getting service and accomodations of that quality.  But what do the ratings actually mean and how do different ratings compare?  The answers vary with who is providing the ratings.

The two well-established publishers of American hotel ratings are the Mobil guides and the Automobile Association of America (AAA).  Mobil uses stars while the AAA uses diamonds, but both profess to a two-part evaluation: a criteria checklist of various services and quality, and a visit from an incognito inspector.  Higher end hotels receive a much closer evaluation.  Michelin guides provide the similar standard for European hotel ratings.

Most travel guidebooks and travel reservation websites also provide hotel ratings.  Some utilize the Mobil or AAA ratings.  Others use their own rating system, usually based on a list of amenities required to qualify for a particular rating.  These ratings are provided as a visual, quick and easy method of comparing hotels for the traveler.

But, don’t worry too much about the stars.  It should all comes down to what you look for in a hotel in which you’ll be staying.  Check the website or guidebook for a description of the rating levels and system used.  Then, make reservations at the hotel that provides you with the location, amenities, price and services that will enhance your travel experience.  The stars will still come out at night, whichever hotel you choose.
Product Spotlight
The May 2004 issue of Real Simple magazine listed Baggallini’s Zip-Out Tote Bag as a bag “tailor-made for weekend trips and beyond”.  The review stated:  “Whether you’re planning a short visit or a long stay, it will help make your trip (at least the packing and unpacking parts) effortless.”  “It’s about the size of a CD case when folded, but expands to a full-size (18” by 15” by 6”) nylon tote bag.”  It is available in several colors and is easily packable for use as an extra bag.
Upcoming Travel Programs
Tuesday, May 4th (7:30pm) - Belize! & The Mayan Ruins Of Tikal, Guatemala
Belize it or not!  We’re traveling to the laid back island of Ambergris Caye tonight!  Bicycle the island, snorkel, sea kayak, and discover the local hangouts in San Pedro.  We’ll also visit the island of Caye Caulker and enjoy a pina colada or two in this Caribbean paradise of coral reefs and tropical islands.  Then, we’re off to Tikal in Guatemala to visit the Mayan ruins in the jungle.  Join us for a magical getaway to Belize.  It’s truly un-Belizeable!!
Tuesday, May 11th (7:30pm) - Brazil
Brazil is truly a country that ignites the traveler's imagination!  From the vastness of the Amazon and the world's largest tropical rainforest to the Pantanal, a vast wetland and home to a myriad of birds and wildlife (such as macaws, parrots, toucans, anacondas, capybaras, and rare jaguar...to name just a few!), Brazil is an adventurer's paradise.  Visit dazzling Iguacu Falls, the historical colonial city and baroque architecture of Ouro Preto, and one of the world's greatest cities, Rio de Janeiro!  Great beaches, samba dances, churrasco meat dinners, and Copacabana are some of the many highlights of our visit.  We end in the wonderful city of Recife, "the Venice of Brazil".
Tuesday, May 18th (7:30pm) - Balkan Travels
The Balkans, Europe's forgotten rear door, has been in and out of the news for years.  It's a region of the world that few Americans know much about; and to which even fewer have traveled.  Yet it's influence has been felt for hundreds of years.  Join Bill & Judy Korstad as they recount their 10-week journey as USAID volunteers through Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia.  They will describe the countries and the people of the region who are adjusting themselves to the new way of life after years of hardship and domination, with hope of eventually joining the European Union.
Tuesday,May 25th - Travel Light Packing Clinic
The summer travel season is nearly here, so our focus tonight is packing light for your next international vacation!  We'll present the latest travel tips for easy packing.  Learn the secrets of traveling light and avoiding the hassles of over-packing.  You'll discover how to be an organized traveler by packing efficiently for overseas travel.  YOU can be the experienced traveler who zooms through airport security checks and who has everything you need on your next trip.  Join us for a fun night.  Specials and prizes tonight only!
Suggested Reading
“Danziger’s Travels, Beyond Forbidden Frontiers” by Nick Danziger, 1987, published by Vintage Books.  Here is the account of the author’s epic adventures during an 18-month beyond forbidden frontiers in Asia.  Traveling along ancient trade routes, with minimal gear, mostly clandestinely, without visas and in disguise as an itinerant Muslim, he encounters Iranian fundamentalists, Afghan mujahedeen, Uighur peasants, Tibetan lamas and Chinese Communist Party members.  It is an exciting read and an exceptional travel book.
Just For Fun
On a flight a while back, it was mealtime and I watched as the flight attendants approached my row with the meal cart.
“Would you like dinner?” the flight attendant asked the man sitting in front of me.
He replied with his own question, “What are my choices?”
The flight attendant smiled and said “Yes or no.”
Newsletter Subscriptions
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"It is good to have an end to journey towards,
but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
    - Ursala K. LeGuin
Happy Travels!
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