“Will that be cash.or ?”
Whatever, it’s going to cost
. you money! But, please,
heed a bit of advice from an

“experienced traveller”.
Carry your cash in travellers’
cheques and a charge card

for emergencies! ©
The following — story
doesn’t classify as an

emergency. But, by having a
credit card, I have paid for
my next trip to Rome!

In 1974, Mom, daughter
Lori and I were in the
Vatican. Along with feeding
the pigeons in the square and
admiting the Pieta, we
stopped in the small souvenir
stand near the gates.

“Signora: This gold coin is
the first and only one to
portray two of the Popes. It
is unique. For only $125.”

By this time, my cash
reserves had sunk to less
than that — and every cent

was needed to feed us for the

next 10 days. -

There was. something
about that coin that told me,
“BUY!”

The owner of the shop
assured me the coin would
do nothing but incréase in
value. “Signora, I can almost
guarantee that the purchase
of this coin will pay for your
return ticket to Rome.”

In a fit of fancy, I hauled
out my credit card and
bought the thing! Then, for
the next ten days, I agonized

over the scene | expected.

when Brian found out that
I'd been so foolish.

To my surprise,
plauded my taste and filed
my “Two Popes” in the
safety deposit box. I paid-off
the card in dribs and dabs.

BUT: Today, that small
gold coin is worth about
$700. I can't wait to ex-
change it for a return ticket
to Italy!

eee

Friends and readers laugh
about my dislike of shop-

bet

he ap- .

by Barbara
McCreadie

ping. Given any choice at
all, Vit order things by
phone. It’s not that I'm
“cheap” but crowds in stores
and munching around
through a sea of mer-
chandise leaves me colder
than a discarded mistress.

The promise of a “shopping
trip” gives me a chance to

exercise my best excuses to

Pass it up, such as:

“I'm expecting a _ long-
distance telephone call from
Margaret Thatcher.”

The cat isn’t looking well.
I'm making a dose of
chicken soup.” ”

Or, my “if all else fails”
routine, “I must write a
column. The editor is getting
edgy.”

eee
~

DEAR BARBARA: I read

with a great deal of interest
your letter from a reader
who had back luck with her
doctor. She was 45 and
wanted information on VD,
should she happen to
contract the disease while
playing around on a holiday.

You were right! Any
doctor today who won't give
adequate information to a
woman who needs it should

be bypassed. I'm glad you.

mentioned the possibility of

Bleak year ahead for Pacific tourism

HONOLULU (UPI) - For
thousands of North
Americans, dreams of a
South Seas holiday this year
may sadly remain just that -
dreams.

The trip itself, which used
to be “half the fun of going
there”, now is more than half
the cost of any vacation in
the South Pacific because of
the long distances between
where the tourists come
from and where they want to

go.

Pacific travel sources say
vacationers are traveling
shorter distances and using
the savings on transportation
for longer stays at their
destinations.

Finding a ship or plane
serving the far away places
with the strange soutnding

names of Papecte, Pago
Pago, Apia, Suva and
Tuvalu) has become a
problem.

Every airline serving the
Central and South Pacific -
including Hawaii - has cut

schedules and curtailed
service while increasing
fares.

Two airhnes = previously
offered scheduled = service
between Honolulu” and
Tahiti. Now there is none

WAIKIKI $369

6 Mays 7 Mighta Av 8 Hote:

WAIKIKI $459

15 Baye 14 Mights Av & Hote!

LAS VEGAS $179

Baya 4 Mignts. Ai 8 Hore:

RENO $229

6 Daya. 7 Rights Ay 8 Hote:

RENO $199

& Baye 4 Signe Av 4 Note!

DISNEYLAND $199

An 8 U-Orvo

EUROPE $439

The only direct service to

the Tahitian capital for
Americans is from
California.

Nor is there any regular
passenger ship service
between the mainiand of the
United States and Hawaii.
Cruise ships which once
were a regular scene at
Honolulu harbor are now a
rarity.

Robert MacGregor, a
board member of the Hawaii
Visitors Bureau, summed up
the future” picture. of
Hawaiian tourism by saying:
“It's not rosy. The demand
just hasn't been there.”

The bureau said the winter
outlook is bleak. Industry
officials predict a 10 to 14
percent drop in the number
of tourists coming to the
50th U.S. state this winter.
One tour operator said there
has been a decline of about
25 percent in room _ reser-

vations compared to the
same time last year.
Tourism is Hawaii's

biggest industry and reaps a
dollar harvest far larger than

$1199.00

Spring Break
in Portugal

March 28th April 11th

Algarve FE storil tusbon

‘‘Portugal

A combination of excitement and tranquility

sugar and pineapple com-
bined.

It was hard hit by the
United Airlines strike and
the grounding of the DC-10’s
although the picture im-
proved during the summer
months. But October's with a
1.7 percent decrease in
visitors from the mainland
and Canada.

Officials said the increases
were in visitors from Asia
and the Pacific who nor-
mally don’t stay as long as
North American tourists, or
spend as much. Thus hotel
occupancy rates were
slightly lower than normal
during this time.

Ed Donehower of the
Visitors Bureau said there
was also an increase in the
number of hotel rooms
available in Hawaii - 5,000
more than last winter - and a
drop in convention business.
All this, Donehower said,
has led to gloomy forecasts
for 1980.

One airline official, long

associated with the travel
industry, said his company

Escorted by Sally | Watson

9°?

Quaint

fishing villages. elegant hotels, miles of beaches
and charming people
t xpenience the flavour of a unique Portugese
Holiday

e@aneeaneae

Spend an evening with us in Portugal
2d

Januar y

International Plaza Hotel

for tc kets and further information call 922-4131

FP LAWSON TRAVEL

the holidaymakers

Park Royal - North Mall

expects a serious drop in
tourism in the coming
months. The official, who
asked not to be identified,
said every airline serving
Hawaii and the Pacific area
will be forced to increase
fares because of oil pices and
other inflationary factors.

The bulk of Hawaii's
tourist travel is charter and
group fare travel with big
discounts. The airlines have
repeatedly denied they
intend to eliminate these
cheaper travel fares and
make everybody coming to
Hawaii pay the same basic
one-person one-seat fare,
but the rumors persist.

TRAVEL

INFORMATION
GORDON HANNA

supported

pregnancy. tt has happened
too often to.older women,
with tragic consequences.

I don’t blame your writer
one bit — Pd do the same if I
had the chance. It seems to
me that.the kids have all the
fun and we adults do all the
work. Nuts!

ANSWER: I don’t pretend to
be Ann Landers and very
few of my readers send
letters along this line. But,
when they do, I do my best
to help.

DEAR BARBARA: I met a
wonderful couple while
vacationing in Mexico. We
exchanged addresses and |
wrote to them when I
returned. They didn’t an-
swer. You wrote about the
joys of writing letters. Now
what do I do?

ANSWER: Some people can
talk a lot and be good

company, but faced with a
sheet of blank paper, they go

- numb. Holiday friendships

don’t always last. It has
something to do with the fact
that we “escape”- to a
holiday, but meet ourselves
as we teally are, when we
return home.

If you want to hear from

these people again, write to

them, imcluding your
telephone number and ask
for theirs. If they reply,
spend the $ and call them. If
they don't reply, remember
that they have your number
and can call you if they wish.
Leave it at that.

Passport

ph

ofoes

while you wait
North Shore Darkroom

1527 Lonsdale 988-9813

CRUISE NIGHT

You are invited to attend
A SPECIAL CRUISE PRESENTATION NIGHT ORGANIZED BY

PAVLIK SPECIALIZED TOURS LTD.
ON SATURDAY FEB. 2nd 1980 AT 7:30P.M.
AT THE DEEP COVE YACHT CLUB

COME AND SEE YOUR FAVORITE DESTINATIONS -
ALASKA, MEDITERRANEAN, CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH
PACIFIC. CRUISES. THERE WILL BE FILMS, BROCHURES,
CRUISE INFORMATION AND REFRESHMENTS.

PHONE OR WRITE FoR Your FREE invitation

2221 PANORAMA DRIVE
N. VANCOUVER

929-7911

+ PRINCESS CRUISES @ROYAL VIKING LINE - C_P. CRUISES - STRAND CRUISES -
NEW HORIZON HOLIDAYS - NORWEGIAN CARIBBEAN. LINES PARTICIPATING

Kick off to England
a Grand Soccer Holiday - departing

March 28th,

returning April 5th, 1980.

Via Air Canada

For Brochure
& information

Capilano Travel Ltd.

1759 Capilano Rd.

North Van.

986-1525

Thanks ...

The North Shore Community Credit Union ex-
tends sincere thanks to our members and others who

The North Vancouver Christmas Bureau donations
at our branches

Our support of this worthwhile program began
with Christmas 1979 and in 1980 we look forward (to
helping more North Vancouver families

North Shore
Community

Credit Union

Lonsdale Branch L.
1100 Lonaiiale Ave
906-4321

mn vaney
1247 Rom

Hranch

oad

Marine Drive Branch
1080 Marine Dr
986-1116

Jidt Rad
985-822

The Village Branch
mont Biva

The Dotar Branch

3 Dollanon Highway North
in the Dollar Shopping Contre
Q7TO-ALlt