52 ~ Sunday, November 22, 1987 - North Shore News . PROBLEMS ARISE WITH MEALS are of some hote! packa: VD LIKE to caution travellers about certain hotel packages that are often featured in European hotels. These are generally middle _price-range lodgings, with dining rooms of course, since the pro- blem arises with meals. One reader wrote: Dear Barbara: We pre-booked a hotel in Sor- rento last full from a booking of- fice in Nice. Not only did we pay nearly twice the price of other guests but we found that we had been charged for two meals a day to be eaten in the hotel. First, we found the food boring, and second, we found that we didn’t have to take the meal package, but could have booked room-only as many other guests did. Unfortunately, the agency in Nice didn’t bother to tell us of this saving, probably because it would reduce their commission. Answer: I’ve run into a very similar pro- blem myself — in Venice. Although we hadn’t pre-booked the hotel, the desk clerk pushed and pushed for us to take the meal package, but I was adamant and he finally gave in. It saved us about $80, and by the look of the meals I saw proba- bly saved us quite a bit of indiges- tion as well. °. - But the last iaugh was on us. The clerk didn’t bother to tell us that all breakfasts were included in the basic rate and that | had just refused the dinner. So, we paid twice for breakfast every morning of the ‘‘bargain’’ priced cruises over one of the more well-known lines such as Frincess or Royal Viking? Aliso, what should we expect by way of other expenses? Answer: There are no pat answers to any travel wise by Barbara McCreadie — once in the hotel and once down the street. The moral is: Ask plenty of Questions. Dear Barbara: - T went to a travel agent last week intending to book a Caribbean cruise for this spring. I came away with enough brochures to paper the den wall and no booking! The variety of cruises available is sim- ply mind-boggling. . Would you answer some ques- tions please? How tong is the ideal cruise? Would you recommend one UNSUSPECTED DANGERS Tips for healthy holidays TRAVEL AGENTS can plan a dream vacation, but health unit professionals can help prevent it from becoming a nightmare. “Exotic vacations can expose travellers to unsuspected dangers,” said Judy Kelly, of Simon Fraser University health services. — “Everyone is familiar with some version of ‘traveller’s tummy’. But often its cause is not a local ‘bug’ but a sudden change in lifestyle: increased drinking, unfamiliar food items, too much sun or exer- tion, and less sleep than usual,’’ says Kelly. . ‘When water supplies. are suspect, it is prudent te use bottled water or carbonated beverages, rather than taking chances.’” If medical problems do develop, Kelly recommends contacting a physician belonging to IAMAT — an international association offer- ing medical assistance to travellers. An, information booklet is available on request from: IAMAT, 188 Nicklin Road, Guelph, Ont. NIH 7L5. “International medicine is a whole new area. The problem is not just finding a doctor who speaks English, but in finding one who knows how different ethnic groups can react to medication.”’ Kelly cites a case involving a Canadian travelling in Italy, who was given a common European pain-killer to cope with a migraine headache. Although safe for Latins, the drug destroys white blood cells in some Anglo-Saxons and Scandina- vians, and the ‘traveller became seriously ill after taking it. A Ca- nadian-trained doctor was called at that point and recognized the pro- blem. Continuing the medication could have had fatal results. “{JAMAT has English-speaking doctors. in over. 140 countries, trained in international medicine, who have agreed to care for travel- lers in their country, at set fees,’ Kelly says. Fees are usually lower than those charged by private practitioners in most Western countries. “TIAMAT also provides excellent immunization and climate charts,’ Kelly says. ‘‘These tell travellers precisely what immunization they ‘of your questions, but here’s a bit of a guide that may help you decide: © Length: Carittbean cruises are offered in various lengths, usually three to four-day, seven-day, 10- day and 14-day (such as the Car- ibbean-trans-Canal cruise). Any cruise less than a week long is just too short — you'll feel cheated to have to leave. I’ve taken one 10- day package and one 14-day and both were marvellous. _-©@ Cost: If there’s a vast dif- ference in cost you'll know that something’s going to have to be j need, what foods should be treated with caution, and what should be avoided .”” While smallpox has been eradicated worldwide, there has been an alarming increase in ma- laria. “We have information about malaria in various areas and about medication to protect travellers against malaria. - , “There is an equally great pro- blem with adults who overlook the less-dramatic diseases that were once such a problem here.. Most adults have had shots against typhoid, tetanus. and polio, but forget that immunization loses ef- fectiveness and booster shots are required. “Tetanus, in particular, is very important for travellers.’’ cut so that the cruise line doesn’t go broke. It’s proably the food, lodging and service. Watch for special rates on the established lines. For example, Canadian money is sometimes taken at par with U.S. © Hidden expenses: Your tost up front includes food, lodging, cruis- ing, entertainment and often air fare. Other than that you’ pay for liquor, laundry, shore excursions, tips and miscellaneous shopping. The good news is that drink prices are far lower than ashore. Many ships feature gambling so you can add that too. What a lot of travellers don’t realize is that cruising isn’t any more expensive than a land holiday considering the high cost of hotels, meals and transportation. wk Dear Barbara: We're going to Europe this spr- ing and are considering a rail pass as an alternative to flying to various cities. Our problem is that we don’t have as much time as we'd like and feel that we might be able to make better use of our time by going by air. We don’t have much idea of the distances involved, speed of the train, frequency, etc. Answer: As you know, all trains don’t 7ES behave the same. Some are milk runs that stop at every hamlet while others go like a bat out of hell, hardly stopping at all. To give you some idea of distance, an express train run be- tween Genoa and Rome takes about six hours.From Genoa to Basel, Switzerland is abcut eight and another eight from Basel to Amsterdam. It can take equally long to get to those same places by air. Consider the time it takes to commute to and from the airports, waiting time for check-in plus almost inevitable flight delays. Also, the cost of in- ter-city travel by air in Europe is very expensive. I feel you would be better taking the train — just be sure to book the fast ones. x ae A reader has written to tell me that a review | wrote for a restau- rant, Eggbert’s in Kauai, is still plastered all over the place down there. The problem is that the thing was written about six years ago. She and her husband visited recently and were anything but please? with the service they received. Restaurant reviews really can come back to haunt! na NOP ere Careers in Travel # © Day and Evening Courses * Airline Computer. Training In Classroom © Travel Counseiling m © Agency Practicum . B TRAVEL TRAINING CENTRE A Ste. 2-1583 Pemberton Ave., fB a North Vancouver 986-2221 (FLYER SCHEDU Now you cen plan your__~ } shopping ahead, and If you miss any ese call the North Shore News Distribution Department save miore in the S The following Myers will be arriving this coming week In the North Shore News. All loaded with ‘ Savings. 30 you can be where the values are, when they happen. ‘ th fiyers, 986-1337) FIRST IN FLYERS ON THE NORTH SHORE ats a ra nent fan re mer emt tart A eR ANePE Aiea tears LLIN PTAA Anette ' 2 ‘ me mcrae A rk ENN RELA i ate AL pra EE pee ME te engin ES REE ate eee Comm ete tLe OnE AMEN R CEPA tL AR Mi aan Sento ate tact Bt entender neni peri, cae