Travel Briefs

May 2008 issue

Where (and when) the wild things are

The guidebook “Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries,” seventh edition,” by Mark Nolting (2008, Global Travel Publishers. ISBN-10 0939895129 — 640 pp., $29.95) includes the sections Best Time to Go for Game Viewing, What Wildlife is Best Seen Where, and Safari Activities (night drives, ballooning, canoeing, etc.). 

The author has run the Africa Adventure Company for 12 years. 

September 2008 issue

Bathroom directory

The website www.thebathroomdiaries.com lists over 12,000 public restrooms in over 120 countries and allows searches for specific amenities such as “handicap access” and “changing tables.”

August 2008 issue

Porsche museum

The Porsche museum, being built next to the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, will open in fall 2008, exhibiting 80 of the most valuable Porsche cars. The on-site museum (Porscheplatz 1; www.porsche.com) will remain open until the new museum is officially open. Admission is free.

October 2009 issue

Book bartering online

Bookins.com is an online site that is trying out a “barter” model for trading used books, DVDs and more.

It determines a “point” value for each item for sale on a member’s list (five points for a paperback; 10, hardcover; 15, best-seller, etc.). Once some items have been bartered, a member can redeem points to purchase a book or DVD. Members pay a set number of points and a flat fee of $4.99 for shipping.

Bookins.com sends a prepaid shipping box to the seller to ship to the purchaser. It also handles any customer complaints or follow-up. The site gets about $1 from each...

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January 2009 issue

Historic Dockyard

A one-hour drive from London, the Historic Dockyard Chatham (Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TZ, England; phone info line +44 [0] 1634 823807 or Trust office 823800, fax 823801, www.chdt.org.uk) is an 80-acre complex with historic warships, historic buildings and museum galleries. Among displays are a WWII destroyer, a Cold War submarine and a Victorian naval sloop.

It is signposted from the A2/M2 (junction 1). An entry fee of £13.50 (near $24) adult or £11 senior is valid for one year, excluding two events in April and September.

July 2009 issue

No Saga Pearl II

As of Sept. 16, 2009, British-based Saga Holidays (Folke­stone, Kent, UK; phone +44 [0] 1303 771 111; www.saga.co.uk) will be a one-ship cruise line.

Saga had planned to acquire Club Cruises’ M/S Astoria, then refit it and name it Saga Pearl II in time to replace the Saga Rose, which will sail its final cruise Sept. 8-16. However, the sale encountered legal snarls and stalled when Club Cruises went into administration (the British equivalent of bankruptcy) in December 2008.

The 655-passenger Saga Ruby has a full schedule of cruises planned for 2010.

May 2008 issue

Mobile translator

With the service chinaONEcall, travelers in China trying to understand someone who speaks only Chinese (a taxi driver, for instance) now can call a translator to interpret over the phone. The company is based in the U.K., and service is available 24/7 through mobile phones.

Prepaid packages of minutes are available starting at £39 (near $77) for 60 minutes. You can add more minutes in 30-minute segments while on the road. For info, in the U.S. call 877/660-2838 or visit www.chinaONEcall.com.

September 2009 issue

Guide Gecko.com

There are many online booksellers (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.). With search results on Amazon.com, you may have to sort through 30 pages of used copies to find that one useful book.

What sets GuideGecko.com apart is it pulls up manageable 2- to 11-page lists without all the repeats and older-edition clutter, AND it includes major publishers (Frommer’s, Budget, etc.) as well as smaller publishers with more esoteric and specialized guides.

There are multiple filters, allowing you to trim a list from “Asia” to “Indonesia” to “Indonesia, luxury” or “Indonesia, low budget...

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