Take these simple precautions and save yourself much discomfort and lost travel time:
Always avoid ice cubes. Normally ice is made from unsafe tap water, and freezing water tends to preserve microorganisms, which are released into your drink as the ice melts.
Avoid using unsafe drinking water for hygienic purposes such as brushing your teeth, rinsing your dentures, washing near your mouth, washing your hands before eating, or cleaning your contact lenses. You can use bottled water for all these purposes.
Drink bottled water from clearly sealed containers. Bottled water should be carbonated to ensure that the bottle was not simply filled with tap water and resold.
Try to drink from disposable glasses or straight from the beverage container or bottle instead of using unclean glasses.
Avoid drinking directly from the mouth of the bottle by using a straw.
Travel Tip - from Peter Greenberg
Easy Ways to Keep Track of Things
Here are some simple ways for you to keep track of your belongings, including the kids, when traveling. When traveling with the kids, whether to another country or to an amusement park, have your children wear rubber wristbands with your contact information written on it. They are a simple yet resourceful way to make sure that your children always have pertinent info with them to show to a helpful adult, just in case.
Before leaving for vacation, make sure that the first picture on your digital camera is of a piece of paper with your cell phone number written on it. Should your camera, or even memory card, get lost, if someone turns your camera on, he'll know who to call to return it. Email yourself your vacation itinerary, any important contacts, and a fraud hotline number. This way, all the information you need for your vacation is accessible practically anywhere in the world.
Your Health Coverage
Check your insurance coverage before you leave the country. Most insurance policies do not cover medical expenses incurred abroad, and medical expenses may be prohibitively high for travelers without insurance. Confirm your coverage and/or get extra insurance to cover you during your trip.
More on Passports
Here's another wrinkle in the ongoing saga with the major delays in U.S. passport processing!
The U.S. State Department issued new temporary rules allowing Americans who're still waiting for their new or renewed passports to fly to Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, or Mexico with simply a government-issued photo ID (e.g., a driver's license) and an official receipt for their passport application.
However, the travelers must still meet the longstanding entry requirements enforced by these countries for U.S. visitors (e.g., an official copy of a birth certificate, in the case of Mexico)!
The Los Angeles Times reports that passengers have begun showing up at the airport there for flights to these destinations with just a driver's license in hand. Not surprisingly, Mexicana and other carriers have been forced to turn these passengers away because they do not have the necessary documents to enter Mexico.
Making matters worse, some of the travelers submitted the only official copy of their birth certificates with their passport applications, which are now stuck somewhere in limbo.)
Remember, even if the United States has waived the rules for Americans traveling abroad, they must still satisfy the entry requirements of the countries they will be visiting.
In related passport news, the U.S. State Department confirmed yesterday that it will refund the $60 expedited processing fees paid by many applicants whose passports did not arrive early as promised.
For more details, visit http://travel.state.gov/.
Cruise News
Norwegian Cruise Line -- will offer the popular off-Broadway hit show "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding" aboard its three ships in Hawaii (the "Price of Aloha", the "Pride of America," and the "Pride of Hawaii"). The show allows passengers to interact with cast members during a traditional Italian wedding. Passengers can purchase show tickets as a shore excursion, since the show will run only on evenings when the ships are docked in Maui ($24.95 per person). Tickets for each production will be limited to 250-350 guests (depending on the ship), since the show will take place in an onboard lounge.
Cunard Line has scheduled a series of "Farewell Voyages" for its ship "Queen Elizabeth 2" before it retires in November 2008 to become a floating luxury hotel in Dubai. Among these new sailings (replacing two longer cruises that had been planned earlier) will be two trans-Atlantic crossings, a British Isles cruise, and a final sailing to Dubai.
Rental Cars
Hertz announced that it will add 1,000 Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid cars at 50 different airport locations in the U.S.A. (plus its downtown Manhattan locations).
Avis also plans to add 1,000 Prius hybrids by the end of June, mostly in California.
Enterprise is also adding flex fuel cars.
Resorts
Starwood Hotels-- officially opened the new 694-room Sheraton Cable Beach Resort in Nassau (the Bahamas) this week. The seven-acre resort features three freshwater pools with waterfalls, a swim-up bar, and oversized Jacuzzis, along with six restaurants and lounges.
Riddle of the Month
Bus Driver
A bus driver was heading down a street in Colorado. He went right past a stop sign without stopping, he turned left where there was a "no left turn" sign, and he went the wrong way on a one-way street. Then he went on the left side of the road past a cop car. Still - he didn't break any traffic laws. Why not?
send your answers to Mary@TheTravelBugOnline.com
I will let you know if you are correct.
each room. Then we left to walk in to the city center. We ate lunch at Foley’s Bar on Merrion Row and had our first taste of Irish food and a pint of Guinness. We had coffee afterward – we were asked if we wanted it black or white – with white meaning “with cream”, sort of a cappuccino style. Foley’s dates back to the late 1700’s and was originally 
the site of a Gallows, situated close to the Huguenot Cemetery.While in the city we window shopped, crossed the bridge over the canal to see the Tall Ships docked there. We went to Archbishop Ryan Park in Merrion Square and saw Oscar Wilde’s statue with a nearby inscription: “I can resist anything except temptation”.
Storehouse means where the fermentation process occurs in which the yeast is added to the beer. We learned how they brew the beer, tasted their current promotion, the Northstar (third in a series of four brews), and had a pint of Guinness on the 7th floor, in the Gravity Bar, which has a panoramic view of Dublin.· After a short hotel break, we were on our way to the Jameson’s Distillery, which was founded in 1780. We were greeted with a drink of the famous whiskey, had a great tour of the distillery, learned why Irish whiskey is better than all others!, and then had dinner and were entertained by Irish singers and dancers, where we finished off with an Irish coffee.
The “Doors of Dublin” ~ all the doors are painted with bright colors. It is said that this is a result of a revolt against the British. The Irish had been told to paint their doors black because of national mourning over the queen’s death. Rather than obey these orders, the Dubliners painted them in the brightest colors possible. Another story goes that the wives wanted the doors painted different colors so their husbands would recognize their own home after a night on the town.
ch there, then continued on to see the Burren, a limestone terraced land that was once an ancient seabed. We saw houses with thatched roofs (becoming more popular). The people were very friendly.
The Irish claim that America was first discovered by an Irishman, St Brendan, the Navigator, in the 6th century. http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/58/04712670/0471267058.pdf
Palm trees grow year round in Ireland. Apparently due to the mild climate, there is rarely any snow and the ground doesn’t freeze, so palm trees thrive.
My niece was married (November 2006) in St Thomas at Bolongo Bay. My husband and I went down for the wedding and stayed for a week. We did the all-inclusive option and stayed in a beachfront room (ground floor). When you arrive at the resort you are welcomed with a rum punch while you are checking in (you are also welcomed at the airport in St Thomas with a rum punch!).
I have to say that it was a most wonderful vacation. You get over the outdated room pretty fast. The staff makes you feel like family, they get to know you by name, and they get to know your preferences. Even if you do not choose all-inclusive you still have access to their water equipment. The Beach House restaurant (it will be changing its name soon to the Lobster Grille) on the property is 5 star- you order off the menu and everything is delicious. The service is excellent, although you don't want to be in a hurry. The only night we were in a hurry was karaoke night, so we could get good seats! The Beach House is closed for dinner on Sunday and Monday, but they also have an informal restaurant called Iggies. They have karaoke there as well as themed nights. The drinks are powerful - they don't water down the drinks for the all-inclusives.
We took the catamaran cruise to St John's island for the day - it is included if you stay 7 nights.
The next evening my niece was married on the catamaran. It was a sunset cruise (5 - 7 pm) and we had about 30 guests on the catamaran. The crew was wonderful, and it was nice that we had already been on the boat with them and got to know them. First we had hors d'oeuvres and rum punch (or whatever you wanted to drink - it was an open bar), and they played music while we sailed. We sailed out to Buck Island, dropped anchor, and they exchanged their vows with the sun setting behind them. We had plenty of champagne, then headed back to Bolongo Bay for dinner on the beach. Dinner was great and there was a band with a dance floor. There were a few glitches - their wedding planner was brand new - but if you are laid back, I would highly recommend it. I didn't think I would like this kind of wedding - I am used to the more traditional ones - but I have changed my mind. I think it was very romantic and it was fun staying there while being on vacation. I will definitely return for another stay!
