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The DeChant Travel Letter April 16, 2005
This month features an important Passport Rule Change. a very special map (see your house from outer space), a great sale on French Barge Vacations, an update on ‘WiFi hotspots, Renting Cell Phones for Europe, tips for travel to the UK, Mexico, and France plus a unique guide to literary tours worldwide. Government
Rule Change regarding passports----Please be advised
that the Passport requirement for U.S. Citizens to re-enter the
country from the Caribbean is changing. One report I heard said that Canada and Mexico are included as well but I have not seen written confirmation of that. Send for a passport now. It can take a month to get one. See your house from outer space-----One of our readers sent us this information Go to http://maps.google.com---Click on ' Satellite' in the upper right of displayed page. That will bring up a map of North America. Place the cursor near where you think your house is. Use the ladder bar on left to zoom in. As the picture magnifies re center the picture on your location. Continue to zoom in with the ladder. You will finally get a picture that will show your house for most areas of North America. You can print or send this photo to others. If anyone knows how to save it to a jpeg, please let me know. That would make this outer space view perfect. They also have a normal map view as well. But the satellite photo is incredible. 21 Luxury French Canal Cruises are now on sale from www.frenchhotelbarge.com. Dates included are from April to August 6. Single Supplement is lowered. Upper deck prices are lowered. 21 different departures are offered. They include tremendous savings on the Anacoluthe, Libellule, Litote, and Lorraine in France. If you have not experienced this type of vacation, give their website a look to see the vacation of a lifetime. We have had hundreds of our readers take this vacation and all have loved it. Mention this newsletter for an additional $50 savings per cabin.
Finding the (Wi-Fi) Hotspots when you travel is getting easier for your laptop computer or PDA. You can purchase a Wi Fi finder for about $30 from CompUSA or Radio Shack. You can also check out the WiFi Hotspot Locator from JiWire. The site currently lists 61,014 hotspots in 98 countries. There are quick links which take you directly to lists of hotspots grouped by type -- hotels, cafes, airports, and (most importantly) free. The site also offers product reviews, an auto-updating directory program, and a weekly newsletter. http://www.jiwire.com/ or www.wififreespot.com for a listing state by state. It lists most free hotspots. I have found signals in nearly every neighborhood. I live on a boat in Fort Lauderdale in the winter and from my boat there are 4 signals besides the free signal from the marina where I live. WI FI is great. Renting Cell Phones For the UK Most USA cell phones will not work in Europe. Cell phone rentals are plentiful but most include high rates for usage, both incoming and outgoing calls. There is one company for the UK that now offers cell phone rentals that include free incoming calls, perfect for the traveling businessman. In addition to free incoming calls the cost for outgoing calls within the UK is only 15p per minute (about 28 cents) for calls within the UK and only 20p per minute (about 36 cents) for calls to the USA and Canada. I recently used one of these phones and it was very convenient to call for restaurant reservations, play tickets and essential for keeping in touch with the office. The phones are on a “pay as you go” basis and come with £5 of calls minimum. You can recharge the phone as per your needs at thousands of locations in London. There are normally several within a block or two of anywhere you may find yourself in London. www.london-vacations.com www.londonapartmentvacation.com
For cell phone Rentals in France you once again get free incoming but the cost for outgoing is slightly higher (50 cents) and calls to USA and Canada are about 80 cents. But for the businessman the free incoming is the key to affordable cell phones in France. www.paris-vacations.com www.parisapartmentvacation.com Both phones work in the rest of Europe but incoming calls may be charged for and outgoing calls may be more expensive. If you are going to the United Kingdom there are an unlimited number of destinations from which to choose. So how do you decide what areas to visit? http://www.britannia.com/ is an excellent resource to help you get the most for your hard earned vacation $$$. It covers England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This site contains a wealth of information on travel within the UK, including hyperlinks to dozens of interesting related sites. There is a special
guided tour of Paris
available to readers of this travel letter at a 10% discount.
Contact
info@american-dreamvacations.com for more information. Cinco
de Mayo Each May 5th, people around the country hoist
a toast to Mexican culture. But what exactly are they toasting? Some
people say that, way back when, some Mexican citizens needed an
excuse for a party and decided on May 5 arbitrarily. Others believe
it coincides with Mexican Independence. Both are wrong. Cinco de
Mayo actually pays tribute to a battle that took place between
Mexican and French troops. In 1862, Mexican troops defeated French
soldiers at the battle of
The Literate Traveler
So you are sitting there, reading your favorite book, and
As always, if you do not want to receive this free travel letter just reply as such and we will take you off the list. We do not purchase lists nor do we sell names. Our list comes from direct requests and recommendations of friends. If you have a friend that you think would enjoy this letter please send their email address to us.
In the meantime remember that when on vacation, one gets out of the vacation what one puts into it. Go for Quality. We will continue to send some recommendations of quality vacations and cost saving techniques your way.
Ed DeChant, Editor ---- The DeChant Travel Letter --- eddechant@earthlink.net 412 East Shore Trail, Sparta NJ 07871 973 729 4213 Fax 973 729 2940
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