Sunday, September 30, 1990 - North Shore News - 43

TRAVEL

Christmas rush

It’s too late to book flights to Mexico Barbara

but seats are still available to Europe McCreadie

PLEASE DON’T think I’m trying to worry you, but if you
drop this paper and run to the nearest shopping mall,
you’ve got exactly 8514 shopping days until Christmas.

That isn’t going to bother those
who traditionally hit the shops at
4 p.m. on Christmas Eve with a
Visa card and a silly grin.

But, it might get those who
want to get away for the season
on the phone to their favorite
travel agent. For some destina-
tions, you should have booked
last May. You may suill ve lucky
by waitlisting. oat Chi:.imas is
one holiday tha you’d hike to give
Santa a little aivance warning on
your whereabouts.

Mexico, a relatively inexpensive
destination, is in the ‘‘forget it’
bracket. The (wo major carriers,
Mexicana and Delta are sold out
but might still be waitlisting. You
can get as far as Los Avzeles with
no problem but that's »» far as
you can go with any assurance.

For those wanting 10 do some-
thing right out of Dickens, travel
agents simply don’t have the in-
formation tO book you into a
quaint old English inn -- those
must be found on your own.

Since the British Tourist
Authority closed the local office
we have to work through Toronto
and you know what that entails.
However: 94 Cumberland St.,
Toronto MS5R 3N3 is the address,
phone is (416) 961-8124 and fax is
(416) 961-2175. They have
guidebooks available (at a cost)
that can get you on some sort of
track.

As for getting a flight, get busy.
Bookings at peak holiday periods
are always at a premium. One an-
noying complication is the ‘‘dou-
ble booking”’ that goes on. People
will waitlist with several airlines
when, obviously, they’ll grab the
first offer. Unfortunately, they
still keep their spot in line with

the others.

International bookings are
described to me as ‘thealthy.’” The
traveller needs to be ‘‘flexible’’ to
get the lowest available fare —
remember, not all seats on all
flights are the same price. The
good news is that you can still fly
to Europe for Christmas. That
picture could change tomorrow so
don’t wait.

Cruise bookings are still avail-
able but they, too, may not last
much longer. I've never cruised
over the Christmas season, for
very obvious reasons, but I’m told
that the spirit aboard is wonder-
ful. If I were ever faced with a
lonely Christmas, I'd book a
cruise.

Families with young children
might want to consider one of our
ski resort packages. You can get a
complete listing of these from
Tourism B.C. I’ve seen pictures of
many of the various resorts
garlanded for Christmas and
they’re wonderful. And, selfishly,
I enjoy a Christmas dinner a fot
more when someone else has to
wrestle with the bird.

Even the one Christmas we
spent in Hawaii [ cooked a
turkey, but that was a whole lot
easier than doing it here. Mind
you, the kids still remember it as
the year the Grinch stole
Christmas. Sand is no substitute
for snow, and they missed their
friends and our Christmas tree.

Somehow, Frosty the Snowman
sounded out of place in the
Honolulu airport. Anyway, |
remember it as the best Christmas
ever — no fuss, no muss, no
endless housecleaning, silver
polishing, entertaining and gift
shopping. We didn’t have to face
slippery streets and road blocks to

Bayside inn

Resort

THANKSGIVING
PACKAGE

Three Nights, Four Days

FROM $199.00 PER PERSON
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
$115.00/ADDITIONAL PERSON
$75.00 CHILDREN UNDER 12
SHARING PARENT'S ROOM

Enjc, four days on beautiful Parksville Bay. Package in-
cludes three night’s accommodation, tax, three buffet
breakfasts, two dinners including Traditional Thanksgiving
Dinner in Herons Dining Room, as well as unlimited use
of our Health Spa with indoor pool, jacuzzi, saunas, weight

room and tennis court.

1 Beauté Parksville Bay

Toil Free Reservations
1-800-663-4232

248-8333

240 Dogwood St.
Parksville, B.C.

attend a number of parties — |
tove the partics but worry before
and during about traffic condi-
tions.

kek

One of the things that triggered
this early Christmas columin was a
call from a reader who wanted to
buy Firchall cookbooks for her
daughters for Christmas presents.
Save-On isn’t carrying them any
more but you can still call the
author at the UBC Firehall: John
Pentland, 224-8282.

TRAVELWISE

date. Direct it to the Cookbook

wae Committee.

Another cookbook that I «xe

ordered a couple of years ago for
my three daughters for Christmas
is a good one:

From Metate to Microwave,
published by the Heard Museum
Guild, 22 E. Monte Vista Rd.,
Phoenix, Arizona 85004. The
books were $7.95 then, plus $1.50
handling but they may have gone
up. This is one outfit that I
wouldn't hesitate to send a letter
with my Visa number and expiry

My thanks to a reader who sent
me a comparison shopping list for
smal electrical hardware items
both in Canada and the U.S.
There is a myth that everything
costs less south of the border. My
friend Walt, from California shot
that down last week after he
comparison-shopped Save-On-
Foods with me. He concluded that
he could live better and cheaper
here.

YOU COULD LOSE YOUR
DREAMS

o. a,

ss

aN oe a

if you can afford a
vacation
You can afford a

crulse vacation

For more detaiis cat!
985-7447 (SHIP)
1823 Capilano Rd.

IF YOU DRINK AND DRIVE

CRUISE MASTERS
Invite You
to a
GALA CRUISE NIGHT
featuring
MEDITERRANEAN

HIGHLIGHTS

Sailing Sept. 21, 1991 on the magnificent
“Crown Odyssey” from Venice, visiting
Dubrovnik, Corfu, Messina, Rome, Nice,
Malaga to Lisbon
Join us on Thursday, Oct. 11,
7:30 p.m. in the lower activity room of
St. David’s Church, Upper Levels &
Taylor Way, West Vancouver

Dot Fes RS.VP.
ac 4344

Admission $3.00
! (refundable on n booking)
| _ Line -

C ru Hise |

But some things are certainly
worth buying in the U.S., as my
reader points out.

He found the same brands or
equivalents both in Canada at the
lowest ‘ton sale’ price and in the
US.
© Sensor Floodlight: CDN $29.99,
U.S. $12.98.
© Six Landscape Light Kit:
$74.99, U.S. $26.99.
Makita Reciprocating Saw:
CDN $199, U.S. $129.
sone Zig Saw: CDN $84.99, U.S.
49.

CDN

My guess is that none of these
products is manufactured in either
Canada or -the U.S. Who is get-
ting the profits the Canadian sell-
ers are reaping? Why is the same
product, probably imported from
Taiwan, often costing more than
double up here?

Another Christmas thought —
if you're doing any travelling in
the next couple of months, keep
an eve on the local newspapers for
news of any pre-Christmas fairs,
craft shows and art exhibits.

There is usually a huge annual
one in the early part of December
in Phoenix and readers have told
me that the products displayed are
unique.

Watch, also, for smaller bazaars
at schools and churches for hand-
icrafts — you may find some real
treasures.

NORTH

wort VENTURE TRAVEL

SPECIAL ON
AIRFARES

Return Airfares from
VANCOUVER
LONDON 5599
7 AMSTERDAM $655 J
FRANKFURT 5685 3
| LISBON 5760
MADRID 5810
MANCHESTER = °599 §
| MUNICH $770 |
ZURICH 5770 §
| ATHENS 51029
SYDNEY $1099 §
f MELBOURNE ‘1099 §
AUCKLAND 5879 §
5 Fil $1070 |
HONGKONG = *1065 §
SINGAPORE = *1225 |
+ BANGKOK $4155
BOMBAY 54400 §
DELHI 51400 §
| NAIROBI 51700
JOHANNESBURG ‘1930

FLY ON MAJOR
INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Above prices are based on
low season dates.

Subject to availability
§ Subject lo change

906-1977

110 East 14th St.
(at Lonsdale}
8 North Vancouver