Rundown for the week of February 13, 1999
South African Wineries
What goes better with heartbreak than a sad song and a bottle of wine?
Course, the right bottle of wine compliments just about any mood.
Connoisseurs scour the globe for the ultimate vintage...France, Napa
Valley....even South Africa. It boasts a wine country that some
say, easily rivals it's French and American counterparts. The Savvy
Traveler's Reese Erlich is in Stellenbosch, a wine country town about
an hour's drive north of Cape Town.
Q&A I: Romantic Interludes
Rudy talks to listeners about their trysts on the road. He talked with
sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who has her own website. Visit www.drruth.com.
Janet Krebs Interview: Honeymoons
If you're in the Valentine's spirit...getting ready to tie the knot,
there's probably a honeymoon in your future. But with a million places
to choose, how do you decide where to go and how to plan your first
trip into your new life together? Janet Krebs, a travel consultant in
Nashville, specializes in weddings and honeymoons and she's offered to
help with a few tips.
Airline Movies
The Oscar nominations are just out and if you're a movie buff then
you're probably counting the days until the big event. It also
probably means that you're the type to purchase a headset and watch
the in-flight movie when you're flying. Ever wonder how the airlines
choose which films are best suited to a captive audience? The Savvy
Traveler's Annie Wu took flight to find out.
Deal of the Week
Maybe we Americans love Australia because the country reminds us
of our wide-open early days, when we were all pioneers and
space was plentiful. If you've always dreamed of going down
under, the price is right, right now. The Australian airline,
Qantas, offers some bargain vacation packages that advertise
"free airfare." Of course, the airfare is simply built into the
cost of the land portion of your tour. But it's a dramatic way
of saying prices are reduced.
Thanks to David in California who alerted me to this one--a
well-priced, 20-day tour that will make you feel like you've
really gotten inside Oz-land. Abel Tasman Travel will fly you to
Sydney and take you to popular destinations, including
Melbourne, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs and the Great Barrier Reef.
Tours, hotels, in-country flights, and some meals are included
for the great price of $3,000 per person. That's based on two
people traveling. Before you choke on the price, remember, that
includes airfare to and from LA. Travel is good between early
March and late June. Get the details by calling 800-727-1626
and asking about the Grand Australian Panorama tour. Or visit the website. Oh,
and you'll earn enough miles to qualify for a free, round-trip ticket
in the U.S.
Q&A II: General Questions
Rudy takes listeners' general questions about travel. He mentions:
Costa Rica
- Wildland Adventure specializes in Costa Rica tours that range
in price from $399 for three days to $2,290 for eight days. Prices are
for two adults, not including airfare (which is around $600, or $500
in low season). Call 800-345-4453.
- The Adventure Center offers a 10-day Costa Rica Explorer that
costs under $1,900 before April 5 and under $1,800 after that magical
date. That's all-inclusive, with white water rafting, and hikes up two
volcanoes, but you'll need to arrange biking as an addition. Call
800-227-8747.
- Pleasure Break
Vacations is offering seven-night vacation to either
Guanacaste region or Quepos Beach from just $399 per person from
Chicago. Mainly beach and relaxation, but the price is right.
- The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This nature reserve
includes both slopes of Tilaran Mountain and protects more than 100
species of mammals, 400 species of birds and 1500 types of plants.
- Poas Volcano is one of the deepest active volcanoes in the
world and its second crater, now a stunning lake, is well worth the
hike.
Home Rentals in Ireland and Vermont:
- For information on renting Susan DeColaines' cottage in Ireland, call 781-665-2106, or email her.
- Country
Cottages (Ireland), 800-674-8883. Rent European villas, apartments, mansions and more.
- European
Escapes (Ireland): 888-387-6589. Rent villas, apartments, or holiday homes throughout
Europe, on any budget, from modest to most luxurious.
- Holiday
Rentals on the Internet (Ireland and Vermont):
+44-181-741-7878. Has over a 2000 private homes to rent worldwide.
- Overseas
Connection (Ireland and Vermont): 888-72-VILLA or
516-725-9308. Worldwide vacation villa rentals.
- You may also want to get listed on The
Register, a directory of B&B's, inns and small hotels in the
U.S. It's updated every four months. Last year's prices started at $80
for a one-year listing with a 150-word description.
Delzell's Mexico
Funny isn't it, how you can build a life, attain a few goals...and
yet, sometimes still fantasize about chucking it all...packing a
couple of bags and heading far, far away from all that stuff you've
accomplished. We read books and go to films to try and place ourselves
in another world for a small space in time. Few of us ever make a huge
leap in lifestyle, but every once in awhile we come across someone who
does and it's always riveting to hear their stories. Carmen Delzell is
an ex-patriate living in Mexico. She was kind enough to send us this
postcard and share her story.
Next Week on The Savvy Traveler
Please join us again next week as we travel back to the 1920's to a
place where some of our country's greatest intellects and artists
resided ...Harlem.
Clip: " They were so very austere and very grand and very magnificent
and very oh my, they were ultra ultra."
A trip back in time to the Harlem Renaissance.
We go kayaking on Oregon's Hood River. And author Wade Davis stops
by...you remember him as the author of The Serpent and the Rainbow,
but his latest book takes quite another look at Haiti.
Clip: "Haitians have a wonderful expression. They say you white people
go into a temple and speak about god, we dance in a temple and become
god."
We explore Haiti with someone who's seen much more than poverty and
voodoo rites. And we'll hear from those of you who've managed to keep
traveling in spite of a disability. That and more so please come along
for the ride in next week's edition of The Savvy Traveler.
For tapes of the show
If you want your very own copy of The Savvy Traveler, order an audio
cassette. It's easy. Just call 303-823-8000. The price is $15. As Rudy
says, it's a steal.
The Savvy Traveler Newsletter
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call toll-free, 888-SAV-TRAV (888-728-8728), extension 3, or e-mail mail@savvytraveler.org.
