International Travel News

Travel Briefs

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 63

CDC’s ‘The Yellow Book’

Compiled by the Centers for Disease Control, “The Yellow Book,” aka “CDC Health Information for International Travel 2012” (Oxford University Press, 620 pp., 7"x10", $45 paperback), covers about 70 infectious diseases, discussing their risks to travelers.

With maps and charts, the book also outlines medical issues in specific regions and countries, tells what vaccines might be needed, has tips for travelers with special medical needs and gives pre-...

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 68

Sri Lanka requires ETA

As of Jan. 1, 2012, travelers to Sri Lanka will have to apply and pay for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) in advance of arrival. (Citizens of Singapore and the Maldives are exempt.)

The ETA-processing fees are $25 for a seven-day, single-entry transit; $50 for a 30- or 90-day single- or double-entry “tourist purpose,” or $60 for a 30- or 90-day, multiple-entry business purpose. Fees are nonrefundable.

The citizens of 79 countries (including the US, UK and...

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 75

Nouvel Orsay

Paris’ Musée d’Orsay (62, rue de Lille; phone +33 [0] 1 40 49 48 14) unveiled, in October, the results of its 18-month-long, €20-million renovation. The Pavillon Amont now has four new levels of gallery space, while the museum’s fifth-level Impressionist space has been redesigned, with pieces rearranged.

The exhibition “The England of Oscar Wilde” runs to Jan. 15, 2012, followed by “Akseli Gallen-Kallela, A Passion for Finland,” Feb. 7-...

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 75

Backpacker Cheatsheets

Downloadable “Backpacker Cheatsheets” for 11 countries, including many in SE Asia plus Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, are available free from GuideGecko (www.guidegecko.com).

Each two-page PDF has a country map with travel routes and information on flights, places to stay, dining, sights, activities, nightlife, shopping, the currency exchange rate, phone numbers and more.

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 76

Dine on Brussels tram

A dining-and-sightseeing “Tram Experience” is being offered in Brussels, Jan. 15-Dec. 31, 2012. Holding 34 passengers, the tram passes city landmarks for two hours while serving classic Brussels dishes. The cost is €75 (near $105).

It departs Place Poelaert at 8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., at 7 and 9:30 Fri. and Sat. and at noon Sun. Reserve a spot with Brusselicious (phone +32 [0] 2 55154 70 or e-mail Olivier Marette at o.marette@visitbrussels.be).

For more info on...

December 2011 issue | Appears on page 76

Maritime Museum

Amsterdam’s Het Scheepvaartmuseum, or Maritime Museum (Kattenburgerplein 1, 1018 KK Amsterdam, Netherlands; phone +31 [0] 20 52 32 222), closed in 2007 for what was supposed to be a two-year renovation; it reopened on Oct. 2 with exhibits ranging from whales to Amsterdam’s Golden Age.

Two life-size replicas, the three-masted East Indiaman Amsterdam and the steamship Christiaan Brunings, are moored alongside the museum, which was built in 1656 as a warehouse for the war...

November 2011 issue | Appears on page 47

Hotel chains renamed

Accor Hotels will consolidate its budget brands starting in 2012. The least-expensive chains — Formule 1 and Etap — will be renamed Ibis Budget and have blue signage and logos. Current Ibis hotels (red logos) will retain their designation. Accor’s All Season chain will be renamed Ibis Style and sport green signage and logos.

November 2011 issue | Appears on page 51

Northwest Passage cruise

Wild Earth Travel (P.O. Box 7218, Christchurch, 8240, New Zealand; phone +64 0 3 365 1355) offers cruises through the Northwest Passage, which has recently been made more navigable by climate change. The sailing includes views of Greenland’s fjords, the Arctic Circle and the site of the lost Franklin Exhibition. The cruise, Aug. 19-Sept. 2, 2012, costs $6,995-$16,195 per person, double.