TRAVEL

Travel tips for the holiday season

MANY OF us are pianning to leave home. This is the season when people uprcot and head for friends’ or rela- tives’ homes for Christrnas. Or, unimpressed with black ice, sleet and snow shovels, we leave for warm climates.

It’s also a lonely time for many, with family scattered or non-existent. They often wish to go somewhere where Caristmas isn’t as evident.

Here are some of the travel questions that crop up this time of year.

-@e@6 Aistine travel:

Arrive much earlier than usual at the airport. Flights may be overbooked and latecomers out of luck. Confirm and re-confirm bookings. Have all your travel documents in order — bring your birth certificates and proof of res- idence if you are travelling to the United States. If you have a pass- port, bring it.

The weather factor can cause problems this time of year. Flights may be delayed or cancelled. [ wouldn’t feel tco comfortable if Fd booked the last flight out on Christmas eve!

. If you are bearing gifts, carry ‘them unwrapped. Airport security thas the responsibility to protect “the travelling public from kooks with gift-wrapped weapons. Need I say more?

Travel to U.S. destisations, bear- _ing gifts: The visitor. te. the states is

allowed $100 worth of gifts, duty. free — provided | his stay in: the’.

States is in excess of 72 hours. _ - Over that amount, he will be sub- * .. ject to, 10% duty on amounts up to $1,000. Over that, it is wise to get some advice from -U-S. Customs Services. at Vancouver a International Airport — — 278-1825.

Barbara McCreadie

TRAVELWISE

It is also important to. know where your gifts were manufac- tured. If they were ‘‘Born in the U.S.A.” they will be duty-free. Free trade may have some effect on goods manufactured in Canada. Specific questions should be asked prior to arriving at the border or airport.

The $100 exemption for a 72- hour stay is allowed every six months.

‘Please note, at some border crossings you may apply for a re- fund of GST where goods are be- ing taken out of the country. It’s hardly worth it for a few beads and trinkets but if your gift is a mink coat... -

Travelling to Hawaii Christmas: If you are staying in a hotel

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with a dining room, reserve early for Christmas dinner. Many res- taurants close on Christmas day. Hotels save their seats for regis- tered guests but will let them go rather than see them empty.

If you are staying in a condo but don’t want the trouble of cooking, start early to find a hotel! or restaurant that will take your booking.

If you are planning to cook a traditional dinner in your condo, come prepared! Bring your stuff- ing seasoning and your gravy browner from home.

Buy your turkey in Hawaii from a store that will keep the bird frozen until the 23rd. Condo freezers don’t hold big items. The bird will require two days’ thaw- ing time in your fridge. [f you can buy a fresh bird, have the store keep it on hold unti! Christmas day.

Rely on aluminum foil roasters and casserole dishes. Buy these as soon as you arrive or you may be out if luck.

Fresh vegetables are expensive in Hawaii. You may want to modify your traditional menu and settie for some frozen or tinned accompaniments.

Christmas trees are available, if expensive. If you plan to do a tree, you’re wise to bring some lights and tinsel from home. Don’t pack breakable ornaments — get beachcombing skills for shells, str- ing popcorn and make bows.

Most condos have a tree in the foyer, ornaments to lend and a tree-trimming party in the week

busy and use. your-

before Christmas. If you are tooking for a place to forget Christmas:

Countries such as Mexico — in fact, all cf Central and South America, don't handle Christmas fike we do here. it is a religious observance. The real party is reserved for New Year’s Eve.

I’ve been told that resorts cater to a lot of single parents with children during the Christmas season.

I’ve also been told that resorts that cater to mostly Jewish visitors are a good bet for people who find Christmas trying.

Cruises, ‘oo, are great singles or couples without ties. And, if you're driving any distance:

Take care! Have good winter tires (or chains). Winterize your car, winterize your family — plen- ty of wari clothes and boots. Don’t forget warm hats or hoods: most of your body heat can be lost through an uncovered head.

We farget what real cold weather is like. I grew up on the prairies — Brian grew up in Vic- toria. On his only mid-winter visit to Medicine Hat, he was running around, tightly clothed at 20° below. ‘“‘It's not cold!”’

The cold is deceptive. The sun may be shining, the air crisp, the altitude invigorating but it can kill. The wind-chil! factor is deceptive, especially fur children. Get them acclimatized gradually.

Anyone who is a veteran of that climate will tell you about “‘air too cold to breathe’? — as kids, we wore scarves pulled over our

for

INS VONCE OF WORT) AAD EET VaSOC RIVER

SUNOS | WEDNESDAY COMIDAY —

Holiday

noses to filter the air. We layered our clothing, especially mittens. Frozen fingers weren’i pleasant. I remember that funny, waxy look of frozen skin — my fingers to this day are so heat sensitive that | feave lifting anything hot to my kids or husband who grew up protected from that kind of cold. Our farmily would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas — Fl be back in the new year with some El Cheapo get-aways!

Hendry Hall is located at 815 lth Street East, x. Van.

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