Travel news you can use
By Judy Newell, May 11, 2007

Paris Museum Pass

Summer isn’t here yet and already there are lines at many of the major attractions in Paris. Since this situation is not going to improve with the coming of summer, it’s a good idea to get a Paris Museum pass in advance of your travel. It will save you money and allow you to miss the long lines at the ticket booths. Two-day, four-day and six-day passes are available and they provide unlimited admission to some 60 different institutions. The pass includes every major museum and monument in the city. For more information visit www.parismuseumpass.fr. 

Brussels Card

A new value-added Brussels Card gives visitors free access to 25 museums, discounts on restaurants, shops and tourist attractions, and unlimited public transit travel. The cards are available for 24, 48 or 72 hours for 20, 28 and 33 euros respectively. They’re available online at www.brusselscard.be. The pass gives you a 25 percent discount on entry to tourist attractions, cultural institutions, shops, restaurants and bars and a 5 percent discount in designer boutiques. A guide goes with the card.

Ireland Garden Festival

Ireland will launch its first International Garden Festival this summer. It will be held at Emo Court Mansion, about an hour’s drive from Dublin, from June 29 through September 23. It will showcase 15 very different contemporary gardens.

Innovative and original garden/landscape designers from around the world were invited to submit plans for the festival. The theme for this year is “Roots—Gardens that Evoke a Sense of Belonging.” The gardens will be open daily 10am to 6pm and the cost is approximately US$20 for adults, US$17 for seniors and US$10 for children. For more information go to www.igf.ie. 

New Air Service US/Liverpool

Flyglobespan, a Scotland-based low-cost carrier, will start a new service between New York’s JFK and Liverpool’s John Lennon airports. The airline will fly a 757-200 ER with three classes of daily service from May 25 through October 31. Fares will be around US$300 one way. Liverpool is a growing hub for low-fare airlines that fly to dozens of European destinations.

Fees for Trees

On June 1, Delta Air Lines will become the first US carrier to give passengers the option of doing something to counterbalance the global-warming effects of flying. Every time someone buys a flight, he or she will be given the option of donating an additional US$5.50 per domestic round-trip as a “carbon offset.” The money goes directly to The Conservation Fund, which plants trees to offset carbon emission from flights.

US reissues public announcement on Mexico

The US State Department issued a Public Announcement on security situations in Mexico that supersedes previous announcements and expires on Oct. 16, 2007. The announcement advises that Americans traveling in Mexico should “exercise caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Violence by criminal elements affects many parts of the country, urban and rural, including border areas.”

The announcement acknowledges “there is no evidence that US citizens are specifically targeted, (though) Mexican and foreign bystanders have been injured or killed in some violent attacks demonstrating the heightened risk in public places.” Visit www.travel.state.gov . 

Cancun International Gay Festival

Mexico is fast becoming a popular gay destination and Cancun is the place to be May 10-14 for the Cancun International Gay Festival. This five-day party offers a full slate of activities, including a Caribbean cruise, bar-hopping and a beach barbecue. Visitors can laze on the beach with a margarita, grab snorkels and cool off in the clear blue waters and end the night at the infamous Disco Karamba. Visitors are urged to stay an extra day or two to explore the archaeological ruins that are within easy driving distance.

Hawaii Superferry

The Hawaii Superferry, which will travel between Honolulu and Maui and Honolulu and Kauai, has cleared environmental hurdles and should start the inter-island service in July as planned. A second ferry that will service the Big Island will start operations in 2009. The ferry is expected to be competitive with inter-island airfares.

Sources: ARTA, Budget Travel, Kayak