Travel Briefs | International Travel News

September 2013 issue

Auto Europe motorcycles

Auto Europe (888/223-5555) now allows travelers to rent motorcyles in Cancún, Mexico; Spain, and France. Models available include Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Honda and BMW. Rates vary by country, make and model but typically run $300 to $1,000 per day, including insurance.

Bookings must be made by phone; info is not on the website. A US motorcycle driver’s license is required to make a reservation. There is no upper age limit. Some bikes come with a “saddlebag” for a backpack or small duffel.

December 2012 issue

Music machines, UK

Self-playing pianos, a wind-up banjo, an automatic xylophone and an enormous gramophone are among items on display at Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music (The Oak House, High St., Northleach, Glos., GL54 3ET, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1451 860181).

The shop/restoration workshop/museum displays instruments, music boxes and automata from before the days of broadcasting. Open 10-5 daily except Christmas and Boxing Day. Shop admission is free; museum admission costs £8 (near $13) adult, £7 senior or £3.50 child.

November 2012 issue

Pudong district, Shanghai

By Sandra Scott

The first time I was in Shanghai, China, in 2000, the skyline of the Pudong district reminded me of the 1960s space-age, animated TV show “The Jetsons.” When I returned in April ’12, I was even more impressed with the city’s development.

Shanghai has more skyscrapers than New York City, with 2,000 more being built. While the 1,535-foot Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower (center left) is the most iconic, it is not the tallest structure.

The Shanghai World Financial Center is 1,614 feet high and the tallest building in China. The best view of both is from the 1,380-foot-tall...

December 2013 issue

Jūrmala, Latvia, car fee

On the coast of the Gulf of Riga, the popular beach resort town of Ju¯rmala, Latvia, about 16 miles west of Riga, collects an entry pass fee for vehicles. However, it has announced that from Oct. 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014, it will waive the fee. The entry fee of LVL1.5 (near $2.75) will be reinstated for the summer season, April 1-Sept. 30, 2014.

April 2013 issue

Chile auto museum

Auto Museum Moncopulli (phone 64 210744, [website in Spanish]), 80 miles north of Puerto Montt in southern Chile, boasts 100 vintage cars, 26 of them Studebakers dating from the ’30s to ’60s. Among other makes are a Ford Model T and a 1965 Ford Thunderbird.

Located at km 25, Ruta International 215, in Puyehue, Osorno province, the museum is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 15-March 15 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 16-Dec. 14 (closed Jan. 1 & Dec. 25). $4 adult or $1 child.

November 2013 issue

‘Florence for Foodies’

In Italy, a 7-night “Florence for Foodies” tour is offered by Tourcrafters (Libertyville, IL; 800/482-5995). This land-only package includes arrival transfer; 3-star hotel; buffet breakfasts; a food-tasting walking tour; hands-on cooking classes in English; dinner in a Florentine palace, and a full-day tour of Siena, medieval San Gimignano and the Chianti wine district.

At $915-$1,266 per person, double (depending on hotel), it’s available Nov. 1, 2013, through March 2014 (with some holiday blackout dates).

A more formal 6-night cooking tour, “Get Professional with Apicius,”...

February 2013 issue

Bavarian kings

An exhibit on the history of the Wittelsbach dynasty in Bavaria (1180-1918) is at the Museum der Bayerischen Könige, or Museum of the Bavarian Kings (Alpseestrasse 27, 87645 Hohenschwangau, Germany; phone +49 [0] 8362 92 64 64 0), near Neuschwantstein Castle, on the Alpsee.

Among items exhibited in the 2-story, 1,000-square-meter space are jewelry, portraits, porcelain, a 90-piece carved tableware set and a sumptuous cloak worn by Ludwig II.

Open daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., April 1-Sept. 30, and 10-6, Oct. 1-March 31. (Closed May 12.) €8.50 (near $11) adult, €7 senior. Add €1.50...

October 2013 issue

Special Needs at Sea

The website Special Needs at Sea (800/513-4515 or 954/585-0575) now posts the accessibility features of the ships of four cruise lines: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.

Special Needs Group, Inc., plans to add one cruise line per month to the portal until all ships used in the North American market that have features for the mobility limited have been included.

When a site user clicks on the name of a cruise line and then a particular ship, he can see what equipment is on board (scooters, wheelchairs, bed lifts...