7 Days; 7 Travel Stories

1. Traveling With Kids

Nearly 8 percent of U.S. outbound passengers consist of adults flying with children, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. But there is serious debate among parents about what age is the right age for children to start traveling internationally. Maureen Wheeler, co-founder of the Lonely Planet guidebook company, recommends waiting until kids are 3, "when they're out of diapers, when they can eat food, when they can talk." If you're planning once-in-a-lifetime trips, "then maybe you don't start traveling with your children until the age of 7 to 10," she adds.

Pauline Frommer, the travel guidebook writer and daughter of Arthur Frommer, started traveling with her parents when she was just a few months old. She said her father thinks international travel is wasted on small children because they don't remember much, but she's not so sure. Elisa Bernick, author of "The Family Sabbatical Handbook: The Budget Guide to Living Abroad With Your Family," said traveling with children has advantages for grown-ups. Her family lived in Mexico for 18 months, starting when her kids were 2 and 7.

"One of the primary benefits was that they were the best little diplomats," she said. She acknowledged that "if they're 4 or under, they might not remember seeing the Mona Lisa and feel the significance of that in the same way that an older child will. But a 4-year-old or 2-year-old will remember the sense of adventure, excitement, and the growing curiosity all tied to the sense of travel. AP

2. Fractionals

The current economics and capital market environments for the vacation ownership and fractional markets have moderated but are generally favorable, according to a resort market expert. The US timeshare business paints a picture of an industry with generally steady growth, according to a study conducted by Ernst & Young. Sales have increased 81 percent over a five year period ending in 2006.

“Timeshare is the most widely owned real estate product today other than a second home,” noted one expert. “Timeshare’s direct impact to the economy measured in direct spending by owners including purchases, maintenance fees and vacation expenses is at $22.6 billion.”As of December 31, 2006, there are 1,615 timeshare resorts in the United States making up a total of 176,232 units, with an average size of 109 rooms. In 2006, sales volume for timeshare peaked at $10.1 billion, growing 16 percent over 2005. There were nearly 538,000 timeshare intervals sold for an average price of $18,502. This cost is 14 percent higher than the price of an interval in 2005. Average cost for weekly intervals was $18,329; for points-equivalents, it was $18,570.

The total number of weekly equivalent intervals owned was approximately 6.1 million. These were owned by 4.4 million owner households — approximately 1.4 intervals owned per owner. The penetration rate for timeshare ownership is just under 4 percent of US households.
Florida continues to have the most resorts. Pacific resorts are the most expensive and have the highest occupancy. ETN

3. Carbon Hyperboles

Experts in the UK believe that consumers actually think that aircraft cause far more carbon dioxide emissions than they do. Carbon dioxide emissions due to aircraft (both freight and leisure) make up around five per cent of the UK’s emissions and just one–two per cent of global emissions, according to the study. However, 71 per cent of consumers think that aircrafts emit between three and twelve times this figure. Incredibly, nearly ten per cent of consumers think aircrafts make up about 60 per cent of CO2 emissions.

Tourism’s impact on climate change can be attributed to three major revolutions of our times, says one expert: technology and the internet, low-cost flying, and sustainability. At the forthcoming World Travel Market (WTM) London, global warming and related issues will be covered at the United Nations World Tourism Organization Ministers' Summit on Tourism and Climate Change. Government representatives will be asked to consider and ratify a declaration recommended by environmental experts at the UNWTO Summit on Climate Change that is being held in Davos, Switzerland later this month. ETN

4. Air Upgrade Strategies

http://www.flightbliss.com/ offers ticketing and upgrade strategies to help fliers get the most out of their frequent flier programs. Regular blog topics include booking first and business class fares at coach rates, and selecting the most comfortable seats. NY Times

5. Jet Setters

Introducing some of the new low-fare airlines. Oasis Hong Kong employs three 747s and flies nonstop daily between Hong Kong and Gatwick, offering one-way coach and business class seats starting at $230 and $980, respectively. The airline hopes to expand service to San Francisco, Chicago, Italy and Germany.

AirAsia, based in Malaysia, is developing a long-haul spin off called Air Asia X, which will begin flights on November 2between its Kuala Lumpur hub and Gold Coast Airport in eastern Australia, with hopes to expand to China, Europe, India Japan, the Middle East and South Korea.

Virgin America began service between the West and East Coasts to London in August. Zoom Airlines, based in Ottawa, now offers discount flights between NY and Gatwick as well as between Canadian cities and several British cities and Paris. On-Zoom one way tickets between NY and London start at $199; Virgin Atlantic at $129.

Insider Report: Low-cost long haul operators try to keep planes in the air longer than do full-fare carriers—up to 17 or 18 hours a day. They typically fly only a few airplane models. And like short-haul airlines, many of the new carriers use secondary airports. And, while the lure is a discount fare, nearly all of the new carriers offer a higher priced business class that is still cheaper than their full service competitors. NY Times

6. WorldViews

Foreign tourists in India often find themselves paying higher entry fees than local people at historical monuments and shelling out exorbitant amounts for curios and food. A native Indian pays Rs 10 and a foreigner Rs 250 to enter World Heritage Monuments like the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra and the Qutab Minar. One German tourist said she had to shell out Rs 30 for a samosa but found out that the snack was available for as little as Rs 5 in most places. Some shopkeepers justify the high prices saying in terms of dollars or euros, it does not amount to much for a foreign tourist. But the fact remains that there is discrimination.

Segway scooters are becoming increasingly popular to take a guided tour in Washington D.C. and other cities across the U.S.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) spent more than $825,000 in the first six months of 2007 to lobby the federal government on U.S. visa, travel and customs inspection policies, crew and passenger health, waste management and garbage landing ashore, protection of the marine environment and numerous other issues.

7. Green Rushes

Hoteliers trying to meet consumer demand for greener operations while keeping costs down can benefit from Sustainable Travel International’s two newest programs: TravelGreen and the Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP).TravelGreen allows hoteliers to support climate-friendly travel through the sale of small amounts of clean renewable energy. Participating hotels sell TravelGreen Mini-Green Tags to guests for $1. The Mini-Green Tag is equal to offsetting 33.6 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, represents 24 kilowatt hours of electricity supplied by new wind and solar power, and equates to 100 percent of the energy consumption of one night in an average hotel.

For hoteliers ready to make comprehensive changes to the way they operate, STI also offers a global eco-certification program, in partnership with NSF International. Applicable to tourism businesses of all sizes, STEP is designed to help hoteliers around the world support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development. The program is educational in nature and practical as a measurement, management and marketing tool. Hoteliers who participate in STEP will save money through energy efficiency and waste management while expanding their marketing reach.

Learn more at: http://www.travel-green.org/or http://www.ecocertification.org./

STI is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help travelers and travel-related companies protect the environmental, socio-cultural and economic needs of the places they visit, and the planet at large (http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/).


Rich’s Weekend Reader is published by AndTyler222 Communications. All rights reserved. Information taken from many sources and mostly rewritten. andtyler222@verizon.net