|
Rundown
for the Week of January 3, 2003
Listen
to the Whole Show
Opening
Of Show
|
South American Entertainment by Jeff Tyler 
Listen
in RealAudio
Sometimes road trips are, well, from hell. Jeff Tyler's trip started in Bolivia and ended up in Ecuador -- after 50 hours on South American buses, in both luxury and economy classes. If you were stuck driving for hours on end, how would you amuse yourself? You can only watch "Shrek" dubbed in Spanish just so many times. Jeff found some novel forms of entertainment.
|
|
|
|
Guide to Guidebooks with Adrian Kalvinskas and Kim Faye
Listen
in RealAudio
How many times have you applauded a detailed guidebook for leading you to the best hole-in-the-wall eatery on the outskirts of town? Today, there are nearly 30,000 travel titles for you to peruse before a trip. Savvy Traveler host Diana Nyad talks with two expert travel book buyers -- Adrian Kalvinskas from Distant Lands Traveler's Bookstore and Outfitters in Pasadena, Calif., and Kim Faye from the Traveler's Bookcase in Los Angeles -- to help you select the right book for the right trip.
|
Links:
Check out our Travelers Toolbox for a complete list of online guide resources mentioned during this segment, plus some editor's picks.
|
|
|
La Befana by Susan Van Allen
Listen
in RealAudio
Christmas, 2002, may be a fading memory here in the States, but Christians celebrate the holiday in different ways, at different times, worldwide. Susan Van Allen followed the folklore of her Italian heritage with a trip to Rome to do Christmas as the Romans do -- with Babbo Natale, a skinnier Santa and La Befana, an old crone with a hairy mole on her chin who rode around on a broom giving presents to children?!
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 G's over South Africa by Beth Schmidt
Listen
in RealAudio
Human beings have long been fascinated with flying. And, it's a fantasy for a lot of people to go up in the highest performance airplanes and actually experience the thrill of flying -- seeing the Earth from a bird's vantage point.. Well, Beth Schmidt got her chance to dip and roll via a 3-day vacation package offered by a South African company. Like roller coasters?
|
|
|
|
Sound Travels: Lhasa, Tibet - Music for Airports?
Listen
in RealAudio
Here are the sounds of cultures clashing ... of colonialism ... of political protest and acquiescence. Pretty heavy? Sure, but when traveling, haven't you seen or heard some small detail and suddenly, it turns symbolic? Well, Aaron Ximm recorded the sound of monitors piping in Chinese state television in the Lhasa, Tibet International Airport.
The airport is far from Lhasa -- nearly 60 miles away -- to "protect it in case of local uprising." The distance creates a feeling that, once you've entered the terminal, you've already left Tibet behind...for China. The monitors reinforce that feeling. Aaron says the signal of this brash, patriotic pop song falling apart somewhere above the Tibetan plateau is symbolic to him. "An excellent metaphor," he says, "for the incomplete imposition of Chinese culture on what remains of Tibet."
|
|
|
|
Traveler's Aid: New Year, New Baggage Rules
Listen
in RealAudio
The new year brings with it new baggage screening rules. From now on, all checked bags will be inspected for explosives. Most airports have SUV-sized explosive detection machines to handle the task; others are using hand searches, canine teams and trace detection -- that's when screeners swab your bag with a cloth to check for explosive material.
Another new rule is that passengers must leave their bags unlocked. Why? The explosive detection machines have a false positive rate of about 25%, so screeners have to open a lot of bags for inspection.
In light of the new rules, most travelers have two concerns: 1) "Won't all these inspections mean longer lines?" and, 2) "If I leave my bag unlocked, how can I keep my stuff from getting stolen?"
We check in with a couple experts to get some answers. Plus: Our "A to Z Guide to the New Baggage Rules."
|
|
|
|
Deal of the WeekEasy Ways to Earn Elite Status
Listen
in RealAudio
Our Travel-Expert-in-Residence, Rudy Maxa, helps you kick off the year right with a great elite travel deal:
The country's two largest airlines -- United and American -- are making it easier than ever to achieve the elite level in their frequent flyer programs through the end of March. Normally, if you fly 25,000 or 50,000 miles a year, you can step up a level or two in status in a frequent flyer program. That may allow you to check in at a business- or first-class ticket counter even if you're flying on a cheap, advance-purchase coach ticket. Plus, you'll earn miles at an accelerated rate, and you can upgrade more easily.
Click here to read all the details.
|
Links:
Check out our Travelers Toolbox for a list of online guide resources mentioned during this segment.
|
|
|
