Boarding Pass

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 412th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine, the one you help write.

Not to discourage your traveling to any particular place but to better inform you so you can travel more safely, I am sharing here some of the more eye-catching items in the world of travel news.

Honduras, a country of 7.7 million, has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with over 5,000 murders in 2009 and averaging more than 4,000 per year since 2004.

Factors contributing to the high rate are drug cartels, youth gangs, contract killings and, particularly since the June 2009 coup, politically motivated violence.

In April, the Defense Minister announced that army troops will be assigned to help police combat violent crime, in part by searching vehicles and pedestrians and pursuing criminal suspects.

The Caracas-La Guaira highway in Venezuela — the main route between the capital and Maiquetia International Airport — has become a stalking ground for thieves, who set up roadblocks (generally beside tunnels) to stop traffic and then rob and/or carjack victims, often at gunpoint.

An alert issued by the US Embassy stated that robberies could occur at any time, day or night, and at any place along the road. In some cases, travelers were followed from the airport and robbed en route.

Travelers are advised to take the route only during daylight and to make advance plans for transportation, not to wait until arrival to arrange transfer from the airport. A partial list of transportation companies is on the embassy’s website at http://venezuela.usembassy.gov/?b=72.

Bali, Indonesia, has seen an increase in crime in recent years, including murder, rape, robbery, bank fraud, ATM fraud and drug-related crime. Reported crimes specifically against tourists rose from 205 in 2008 to 293 in 2009.

In an effort to get more hotels involved in a safety and security training program, instigated in 2004, the island’s police chief urged visitors to stay at hotels that had achieved certification in emergency preparedness, indicating an improved ability to deal with potential threats, including terrorist attacks.

To be certified, a hotel must have one security officer for every 10 rooms, a closed-circuit TV unit on each floor, a metal detector at each entry point, alarm units at emergency exits and a fully operational ambulance.

Seven tourists died in a small-plane crash in Peru while on a charter flight to view the Nazca Lines on Feb. 25, 2010, and the civil aviation authority is reinforcing regulations on the aircraft used for the flights. Since 2007 there have been several aviation “incidents” and 12 deaths involving single-engine aircraft in the area.

An investigation at the Nazca airport revealed that 90% of the approximately 40 planes operating were at least 25 years old, and most had “technical problems,” such as loose bolts or uncalibrated instruments.

The new policy requires all planes older than 30 years to be decommissioned in August 2010 and all planes older than 20 to be pulled in 2011. Many of the older planes seat three to six passengers; new planes will be required to have at least eight seats, and both a pilot and copilot must be aboard each flight.

One out of every 10 tourists to Peru gets on a plane to view the Nazca Lines, massive geoglyphs carved about 2,000 years ago and discernable only from the air.

In South Africa, a Rovos Rail luxury train derailed on April 21, 2010, killing three of the 30 crew and, of the 55 passengers, leaving one in serious but stable condition and six others with fractures.

On its way from Cape Town to Pretoria, the train had stopped at Centurion Station to change locomotives. During a delay and with the engine uncoupled beside them, the train carriages began moving down the inclined track. Handbrakes applied on three carriages could not stop the momentum, and 10 kilometers farther, near Pretoria Station, the train derailed. The brake failure was being investigated.

Although 15 of the 19 carriages were damaged beyond repair, Rovos representatives said they have two complete train sets available and will continue to operate their current schedule.

This is Rovos Rail’s first major incident in its 21 years of operation.

Kathy Wheale of Greenville, South Carolina, wrote, “I always enjoy Wayne Wirtanen’s travel insurance articles. I find myself nodding my head while reading his travel advice.”

Wayne’s column “Eye on Insurance” is in this and next month’s issues. This month he includes a last-minute update on travel insurance and the Iceland volcano.

Barbara Skelly of Oakland, California, wrote, “As a longtime subscriber, I talk about ITN with enthusiasm frequently. Please send each of the following friends a copy so they can see how informative and fun to read it is.”

Barbara included the addresses of four travelers, who each will be sent a free sample copy of the next-printed issue.

Myrt Jacobs, in Goodyear, renewed her subscription and wrote (in very pleasant handwriting), “Thanks for always printing a great monthly magazine — best-looking item in our incoming mail. Know that you are appreciated. After 10 years plus, I am still writing to a fellow subscriber in Delaware whom I met though the ‘Person to Person’ section. — Happy Reader in Arizona”

We look forward to our mail, too. Keep those trip reports (and any suggestions) coming!

— Delirious Editor in Sacramento