C14 - Sunday, April 17, 1983 - North Shore News DEALS ON WHEELS “DEAR BARBARA,” started the brief letter. “How about doing a feature on car rentals abroad?” And, I must admit that in the six-or- so years I’ve been writing Travel-Wise, Ive barely touched on the subject. For starters; here are some questions you should ask yourself before you even consider renting abroad: 1. Can I afford it? In many countries, public transport- ation is so convenient (and cheap!) that car rentals are a luxury, considering the rental fee and the horren- dous price of gas. 2. Can I drive it safely? You could offer me a free car in London or Rome and Id smile sweetly. And refuse. Aside from traffic that makes every intersection look like a_ parking lot, there’s usually no place to leave the old car if you reach your destination. As _ for driving on the other side of the road -——-. 3. Will I get enough use from a car to justify renting on a y Barbara McCreadie weekly or monthly basis? Often a car is used only bnefly each day. Can you cram all your driving into a day or two and send it back between times? 4. Do I have the proper identification? This is the age of plastic and most ALL QUOTES PER WEEK, UNLIMITED MILEAGE. Denmark Fialand S AVIS $125US 1,590 Finmark wedes U.K. Masi $150US 125 $129 pounds ($169) BUDGET $95US $220US $125US $135US $80 ($90) HERTZ 1,078K. 1,092 TILDEN 1,495K. 1,238 (2,295) Finmark 22% 163% 1,092K Finmark 1.351K $224US 80.5 $139 _pounds _($169) $273 143 $9 ($329) pounds (auto Us : matic } ZIP 15% rental outfits want an im- print of your card in lieu of a certified cheque for $5,000, your wife’s wedding ring and your youngest child for security. Anywhere but Great Britain and the USA requires an_ International Driver’s Licence. You can run into a lot of static without one in Great Britain, even though you aren't “supposed” to require the document. Don't count on renting anything if you're under 21. 5. Can I get along without a car? That depends. I wouldn't consider being on Maui without a car. Or Kauai. Or Molokai. Or most American resort areas. But in Honolulu, cars are a nuisance, unless I want to take a day tnp around the island. 6. Assuming I want and need a car, how can I get the best deal? If you MUST have a car, you'd better reserve ahead through one of the international rental agen- cies. Don't expect a bargain but it beats standing in the rain at Kahului Airport trying to hitch a nde to Honokauai. Without a reservation you'll probably be OK, except in December, January and February. Should you want to take a chance you've got two options: 1. Dicker: (business might be slow!), 2. Try Rent- a-Wreck. Assuming that you want to guarantee a car, go on a comparison shopping tour by phone. I just did - and got quite an cye-opener! First, you'll save money - quite a lot, in some cases, if you Patients get new voice In the past, treatment for throat’ cancer often left victims speechless To save the sufferer'’s life, surgeons often have to remove the larynx. This operation, called laryngectomy, leaves about half the patcnts per manently mute. Dr John Fredenckson, a Toronto otolaryngologist (throat specialist), has designed an electronic device which can restore ther power of speech The device ts powered by a small battery pack, carned in the user's pocket, which ts connected to a wire Carrying an audio signal. This signal ts relayed through wires under the skin to a miniature loud speaker, about the size of a quarter, implanted in- the patents throat The patient shapes the sounds made by the loud speaker, using his mouth and fips, to form = words. The sounds produced by the loudspeaker vary shghtly to simulate the rising and falling pitch of normal specch Unhke other ara ficial votceboxes currently used. the “electrome voice” sounds closer to real speech because the wearer still uses his own tonguc, lps and teeth to produce the words Dr. Fredrickson’s artificial voicebox has been implanted in four test patients, who have given demonstration speeches to several medical groups Careers tn Travet We can open the door to the exciting word of travel lor YOU! DAY & E VENING COURSE S in TRAVEL COUNSELLING TOUR ESCORTING SALES & MARKE TING TRAVEL TRAINING CENTRE Ste 2-1583 Pemberton Ave North Vancouver 986-2221 FLYING TO LONDON THIS YEAR? CONSIDER A CHARTER HOLIDAY FROM LONDON TO SOUTHERN EUROPE FOR ONE OR TWO WEEKS MAJORCA SOUTHERN SPAIN trom PORTUGAL CORFUL RHODES from *427°° pp DBL *490” pp DBL trom *493°° pp DBL from *595° Pp Pp DBL from *623°° pp DBL Prices include return at tare from London England airport taxes hotots moan and transtercs Prices are in Canadian Gottans wi attect AprthOS to Oct 24 don tor British Airways and Ar Canada passangers Banairss VENTURE ) TRAVEL tH Tr avent Agent Act tay ait 4 OHS Bonun 2 free nights i lon Phone 086-1377 110 East 14th Street (at Lonsdale) North Vancouver drive standard shift. Some companies, in some countries, don’t offer auto- matic until you get into the luxury range of Mercedes! See kids? I always told you that everyone should be able to drive a stick shift! Most companies quote prices in the currency of the country (I've not tned to convert these figures, fluctuations being what they are). Israel is a big exception - for paying in “convertible currency” e.g. American dollars, you get a tax-free auto. Considering that the tax can be a healthy chunk, use US. I’ve prepared the following graph from figures provided by four car rental firms. AVIS (112-800-268- 2310) Toronto office. Wendy. BUDGET (112-800- 268-8900) Toronto office. Stephen. TILDEN (604-273- 7755) Vancouver office. Marianne Maak, Reser- vations Manager. HERTZ (112-800-268-1311) Toronto office. Janice. I asked for the most basic model, sub- compact, standard tran- smission. For comparison, some figures for automatic are included in brackets. Some of the figures quoted are “specials” (Budget and Hertz). These require pre- booking and, as all figures quoted are a minimum 7 days. Minimum stay 14 days POS VA fea bergeae tren Tips on car rental abroad And now, for my last word. DO NOT EAT YOUR LUNCH IN A CAR IN A TROPICAL CLIMATE. Food attracts cockroaches which move in like the plague. Do not leave your groceries in a rental car for any longer than it takes to get from the shop to your condo. If you find that your car has cockroaches - and you'll only notice them at night when they come out to play tag on your pantyhose, spray the car well with “Rid- a-~Roach” and call the rental agency. They won't admit it unless you've got some corpses to prove your case! ‘CRUISE ALASKA We have specially low prices on our 7 night Alaska cruise departs Van. Aug 27 Contact us now Uniglobe Aurora Travel 745 Denman St. Van 687-3762 SALLY WATSON Hawaill Mexico (FROM SEATTLE) wee OP gh Avant Vt JAL 777 HORNEY STREET VANCOUVER F ¢ JAL semvices from 21,224 Minimurn stay 14 days maoamum 6 months SAL 7/7 VAOOWUINEDY oot eaE ET (FROM SEATTLE) seattle fares may be Mgher out of Vancouver See yout ACTA travel agent tor detaits SAPAN AIR LINES VANE Coe tVE be F4 BOOK NOW We are now registering passengers for Christmas departures Britain Caribbean Disneyland, etc. Book NOW and don’t be disappointed! PRIME TRAVEL 4-1760 Marine Dr..WV why oh ohy hy oy oh oy 2943 SUPER-SAVER RETURN TO SINGAPORE Two free stopovers no advance purchase Some cancetlatton penaites | aces quoted are on WAIKIKI | ArOny %379 WAIKIKI $479 8 Days, 7 Nights, Air & Hotel LAS VEGAS $295 5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hotel RENO $235 5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hote! TORONTO MAPLE LEAF TRAVEL for CHRISTMAS! Ape Apo Age Age 925-1212 SUPER-SAVER RETURN TO HONG KONG Maamum 6 Months One free stopover no advance purchase Some cancellahhon penaltes fares quoted are available on JAL services from Seattle fares may be Ingher out of Vancouver See your ACTA travel agent tor details (604) 688 -6611 (604) 688 6611