Spotted by Mac: this is a useful source of information to plan your travel. See: RTW Travel Planner
Category Archives: enewsletter
Mac Meets Royalty!
We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel reminiscences.
It’s true, back in November, Mac met Prince Charles and his consort, Camilla aka Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. The British Embassy sent a van to pick up some of us World War II retirees for a wreath laying ceremony by Prince Charles at the WWII monument here in Washington DC. 
I told the lady that was trying to get me to go that I did not feel well enough to go but she said “You don’t have to feel well” Ha. I did go and am glad I did. They gave us front row seats and the British military from embassy visited with us and then after Prince Charles presented wreath he walked around the perimeter to have the memorial explained and he came down the line to shake our hands.
His wife Camilla followed and then the British Ambassador, his wife and various British VIPs. I had heard you were not to speak to royalty until spoken to but the Prince put out his hand and I explained that the man next to me was 94 years old. He remarked how well he looked, thanked me for my service. Then Camilla put out her hand and told me her father had been in the military. Her face and appearance looked better than I had expected and afterwards I wondered if it had been her. The Prince incidentally was not as tall as I expected. I almost felt like I should apologize to Camilla for the remarks press made about how she dressed. A buddy of mine, wanting to be nice, said to her, “You have a nice hat.” What made this so funny to me is that I don’t think this friend pays any attention to how women dress. It does make us seem kind shallow to criticize how one dresses.
As for myself I like polyester clothes. They are comfortable to me but some look down on those that wear such. I am the world’s worst dresser. At 8l plus I dress for comfort and for survival. I wear a small backpack for medical stuff and survival stuff (granola candy bars etc) and always have too much in my pockets. People often ask me if I am going hiking. I say “No, just to the White House (joking) I recall some made fun of how Kruchev’s wife dressed when she was here. I thought that was impolite that time too. Ha! I do think it is unkind for the press and comedians to make fun of the way she dresses such as remarks she brought with her 57 frumpy dresses. I thought she was dressed appropriately besides she was nice to me. I told the British Ambassador and his wife about the Chelsea Pensioners (British equivalent to our Old Soldiers Home) visiting us and that I had visited them many, many years ago on my own. Everyone was very nice. Lets all be nice to each other!
I got the impression that they wanted Americans to like them. 
After the wreath ceremony at WW2 memorial, I looked at the wreath they laid. It had something about thanking WW2 veterans and was simply signed Charlie and Camilla. Or maybe it was Charles and Camilla. No title given and since the wreath was small it occurred to me that later visitors might wonder who this Charles and Camilla were. Ha! Who was this couple that spent their good money to honour WWII veterans??
Our group were impressed with how friendly and down to earth they seemed. You did not feel like you were speaking to royalty and they did not seem to mind that we spoke to them before they spoke to us. A friend said he told Prince Charles that he had visited the Chelsea pensioners in London and had gone out to Sandhurst (their West Point) for passing out ceremony (they refer to graduation as passing out). The Prince asked if he had a good time and remarked that his son was going to Sandhurst. (I thought they usually went into the Navy) To get back to the Charlie and Camilla we were all impressed with how much time they spent going down the line to greet us and how friendly they were. They won us over in their democratic behaviour rather than royal behaviour. Maybe they act differently in England where maybe Royal behaviour is expected.
If you would like to contact Mac, he can be e-mailed on: macsan400@yahoo.com
Trip Advisor Poll
Trip Advisor, the US based travel organisation recently conducted a survey of over 3,000 travellers. Their findings are that the top three most desirable travel destinations in the next year, if money were no object, are Australia, Italy and Hawaii.
The top three airlines, according to respondents, are British Airways, American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Surprisingly, American was also one of the three least favourite airlines, and British Airways was overwhelmingly least favourite among travellers from the U.K.
Delta was the least favourite airline and yet nearly 40 percent of those who chose Delta as least favourite participate in the Delta Skymiles program. US Airways and American tied for second least favourite airline but 36 percent of those who chose them are still enrolled in US Airways’ Dividend Miles and American’s Advantage programs, respectively.
Top considerations for choosing their favourite airline were friendly and helpful staff, sticking to schedules, and best fares and comfortable seating tied for the third.
Air Asia Bargains
My reason for belonging to Globetrotters is to share ideas and information about travel. Because of this I wanted to share the following info with all it’s members before it is too late.
My friend in Jakarta sent me the following link because he knew I was going to be travelling in Asia this summer. I bought 5 regional flights and only paid $65 for tax/airport fees.
I believe that any other member going there before Oct. 2006 would appreciate knowing about it. However, booking is required before Dec. 28, 2005. So, please view the sight ASAP and determine if this is something you can share with all the members so they have the chance to take advantage of this. Air Aisa’s page opens with a banner stating there are still 1,500,000 free seats. Booking Period: 7 – 28 December 2005 Travel Period: 7 February – 10 October 2006 Available for online & mobile booking only.
Our Friends Ryanair
Webmaster Paul notes that Ryanair now have air sickness bags and you don’t need to ask for them! The catch they look like a film mailer which is what they are as they are “dual purpose” so don’t get them confused if you stick some film in one. 
The Belgian judiciary has accused Ryanair of forgery and fiscal fraud. Federal police in Charleroi have summoned two directors of the company, Michael Cawley and Bernard Berger, to answer questions about the allegations at the start of December. Ryanair is alleged to have used Wallonian government support to issue passengers with ‘free tickets’ in a promotional offer. The Wallonian region financed half of the ‘free’ ticket prices via the publicity firm Promocy, Francophone newspapers ‘La Meuse’ and ‘La Nouvelle Gazette’ reported on Wednesday. According to Wallonian Economy Minister Serge Kubla, the regional government’s contribution was half of the funding used to pay for advertising to promote the Charleroi Airport’s development.
Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary’s latest pronouncement is that he believes revenue from in-flight gaming and gambling could eventually replace the need to charge air fares. “Ultimately entertainment will be where the money is,” he told reporters, while answering questions about his plans to introduce gaming and gambling onboard, probably in 2007. “It would transform ancillary revenues and profits,” he said. “We’ll probably announce a gambling partner (company) in the next 2-3 months.” Ryanair gave away about a quarter of its seats last year and that figure could rise to between 50 and 100 percent depending on how ancillary revenues grow, O’Leary said
Destinations Travel Show
Discover the world in a day at Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show, the essential event for travel inspiration.
Get tips from the travel experts while experiencing Destinations Sensations, demonstrations of global culture, culinary delights and live entertainment on the World Entertainment Stage.
Meet the Expert Theatres feature inspirational talks to fuel your imagination, experts include John Simpson – BBC World Affairs Editor (London Show), Jake Meyer, the youngest Briton to climb Everest and Nick Middleton, presenter and writer of ‘Extremes Along the Silk Road’. Plus, participate in interactive sessions on topics from Travel Writing and Photography to Argentina: Beyond Buenos Aires.
- Destinations 2006 takes place at London Earl’s Court: 2nd-5th February 2006 Time: Thursday 10am – 8.30pm, Friday, Sat & Sun 10am – 5.30pm
- Birmingham’s NEC: 3rd – 5th March 2006 Time: 10am – 5pm
eNewsletter readers can buy tickets under a 2for1 ticket deal, just quote “Globetrotters email“when applying for tickets. Full Members of the Globetrotters Club are entitled to an improved offer, see your latest copy of Globe for details.�
Tickets cost: �8 in advance /�10 on the door and are available from the Destinations Hotline on 08701 200 332 or log onto www.DestinationsShow.com (Calls charged at national rate. Booking fee applies.)
Peru/Chile Cyber Spat
The Peruvian judiciary’s web page has been targeted by a suspected Chilean hacker. There have historically been disputes between Chile and Peru. Now they are embroiled in a diplomatic dispute over fishing waters in the Pacific Ocean. Peru is claiming a 37,900 sq km (14,600 sq miles) area that is currently under Chile’s control.�
In the past, Chileans and Peruvians have also argued over the rights to Pisco, an alcoholic drink which Peru claims as its own but is trademarked, produced and marketed in greater volume by Chile. They have even argued over whose seafood is better.�
The Peruvian authorities said the suspected Chilean hacker posted several anti-Peru messages on the country’s judiciary website. One read: “We fight for what is ours. The ocean and pisco are Chilean!” There were also insults directed at Peruvians in general.�
Media reports say that a cyber attacker has posted missives proclaiming: “We do as we like with our policy and our ocean” and “Nobody can match ceviche (citrus-cured fish) and pisco, or equal their quality”.
Being Careful: Vanuatu
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise all travel to the island of Ambae, where the Mount Manaro volcano is threatening a major eruption. The Government of Vanuatu has begun evacuating people from the centre of Ambae, and is considering a wider evacuation of the entire island.
We advise caution when considering travel to the islands of Tanna and Ambrym, which are also currently affected by volcanic activity (see Natural Disasters Section). The Government of Vanuatu issued a warning, advising people not to go near the crater of the Mount Yasur volcano on the island of Tanna.
Vanuatu is in an earthquake zone and suffers frequent tremors and shocks. Three earthquakes measuring between 6.2mw and 5.6mw hit Vanuatu on 25 and 26 September 2005. No serious injuries or damage were reported.
The British High Commission in Port Vila closed to the public on 21 October 2005. There is no longer any British consular representation in Port Vila. Routine consular services for British nationals will be provided by the New Zealand High Commission in Port Vila. The British High Commission in Fiji will be responsible for non-routine consular matters. Please see Travel Advice: Fiji for contact details.
Violent crime is increasing and you should avoid visiting isolated locations alone.
The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
Know Your Riyals from Your Kwatcha
Need to convert currency?
Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter – get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet – create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.
Globetrotters Travel Award
A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a �1,000 travel award?
Know someone who is? We have �1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?
Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!