Travel Briefs

December 2018 issue

France cable car roof terrace

At Grand Motte mountain in Tignes, Savoie, eastern France, a cable car with a roof terrace has been introduced.

After taking a funicular from the village of Val Claret to the cable car base station (alt. 9,954 feet), passengers board the cable car, which can hold up to 100 people. As the cable car climbs to the top station (11,338 feet), reaching heights up to 1,640 feet, passengers can take the stairs to the roof terrace, which holds about 30 people, for 360-degree views of the Grand Motte glacier and Alpine valleys.

The cable car operates year-round, but the terrace is open...

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December 2018 issue

NZ cell phone law

Any traveler entering New Zealand, if asked by a Customs officer to hand over his cell phone and pass code, must do so, according to a law (the Customs and Excise Act 2018) that went into effect on Oct. 1. Anyone refusing to do so will have his phone confiscated, be fined NZD5,000 (near $3,330) and face arrest and/or deportation.

Customs officials say officers must have "reasonable cause" to suspect a device or its owner before asking to view the contents of a phone, so not all travelers will be affected. Also, it will be a file-by-file search while the phone is in "airplane mode,"...

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November 2018 issue

Pergamon panorama in Berlin

Originally on display for one year in 2011-2012, a panorama depicting the ancient Greek city of Pergamon opened this fall in Berlin at the Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama (Museumsinsel Berlin, Am Kupfergraben, 10117 Berlin, Germany; phone +49 30 266 424242, www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/pergamonmuseum-das-panorama/home....).

On view until 2024, the panorama offers 360-degree views of an artist's rendition of what Pergamon may have looked like in AD 129. This time, the central observation tower has three levels (with a lift), and the painting is 6 meters taller, measuring...

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November 2018 issue

British Air data breach

Between Aug. 21 and Sept. 5, a data breach involving British Airways' smartphone app exposed the passport numbers and credit card information of thousands of customers. It is estimated that the personal information of more than 300,000 people was stolen.

Only the accounts of customers who used the app to purchase or change flights were included in the breach. Accounts of people making purchases or changes on the airline's website (www.ba.com) were not exposed.

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October 2018 issue

Hurtigruten northern lights promise

On its 12-day round-trip cruises from Bergen to Kirkenes, Norway, from October through March, Hurtigruten (888/387-2566, www.hurtigruten.com) guarantees that if the northern lights are not seen during the cruise, each passenger will qualify for a free 6- or 7-day cruise.

A northern lights "sighting" is based on crew logs and announcements, not on the length of time the lights were visible or whether or not each passenger, himself, saw the lights. Any passenger qualifying for a free cruise would be booked in an inside cabin on a sailing between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.

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October 2018 issue

Air Canada data breach

A data breach involving Air Canada's smartphone app may have resulted in the stealing of the personal information, including passport information, of thousands of customers. Authorities are unsure how the breach occurred or who is responsible for it but noted that Air Canada had a weak password system. All customers with an Air Canada account have been asked to reset their passwords using new, more stringent guidelines.

Only customers who used the app to book flights were affected. Anyone who used Air Canada's website is not at risk. Credit card numbers were encrypted and...

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September 2018 issue

Bond museum, Austria

On the peak of Gaislachkogl Mountain, at an altitude of 10,000 feet in the Austrian Alps, a new James Bond museum, 007 Elements (Sölden, Austria; 007elements.soelden.com/home-en), opened in July 2018.

The futuristic building and its Ice Q restaurant (the film's "Hoffner Klinik") were filming locations in the 2015 Bond movie "Spectre." There is a screening room plus nine galleries, each with a different Bond theme, such as gadgets, vehicles or villains.

The only way to reach the museum is by taking the 12-minute Gaislachkogl Gondola from Sölden. The museum is open daily, 9...

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September 2018 issue

Belarus visa change

On July 25, Belarus increased the number of days that some visitors can stay visa-free from five to 30. To qualify, you must be a citizen from one of 80 countries (the US among them) and enter the country as a tourist through Minsk National Airport (MSQ). You also must present evidence that you will be flying out of MSQ within the allotted time.