Summer is here  .......

Somewhat suddenly put nevertheless punctual.  The  sizzling heat  will be felt for a short time but there is comfort in finding cooling breezes around swimming pools or on beaches. Trying to benefit from the season can be quite stressful as there are so many activities that one would like to take advantage of.

Destinations for summer time fun with the family, picnics, parades, food feasts and music festivals, to name a few, vie for election.  One can enjoy the season locally or travel depending on the particularity of the event of choice.

The best part of summer for any child is – no school with homework.  But as concerned parents know, that doesn.t mean the learning has to stop for those months.  Help your child to bond, develop self confidence and have a very educational experience by sending them on vacation  that encompasses this recreational combination.    It can be a camp or it can be renewing bonds with family members. Of course organized youth programs can include art classes, drama productions, water sports and other fun  activities.  Some allow adult participation.  For children with social  learning challenges specialized camps are available in various locations starting with field trips to local state parks. 

Whatever the selected destination, be  cautious when there’s a heat index of 90 degrees or higher. Take extra precautions by wearing wide brimmed hats, sunglasses and long-sleeved shirts and pants. Drink plenty of water and seek immediate medical attention if you think someone is experiencing heat stroke.

Have a wonderful summer.

 

Which Travel  Destination?

Once upon a time, after  the vacation date was decided and  a destination selected, the traveler  went ahead and made the necessary reservations.  Not any more. An important element has been added to this process known as ‘surfing reviews’.    Answers are sought either through friends  who have visited these places or via  public opinion sites and blogs.

It is true that opinion sites encourage interactive consumer dialogue, provide a forum for democratic discussions and empower people to take charge of the marketplace encouraging the traveler to believe that he can arrange his own travel.

  A recent survey  found that there has been a proliferation of fake reviews on some of these sites leading to the suspension of a senior executive of a well known hotel chain who posted 105 fake reviews  on competing properties under an assumed alias.  This incident highlighted not just the question of how legitimate user reviews are but the significant and growing impact such reviews have on bookings.

This has led to some regulation as to how reviews are posted which should help the traveler in sniffing out good sites from dubious  ones. 

Watch to see if all the reviews are great – if so,  proceed with caution as although a universally positive set of reviews is possible, every traveler does not have the same requirements  and therefore reactions should be expected to vary.  Be skeptical.  A person who has a complaint is about six times more likely to post those thoughts on an opinion site than someone who had a happy  experience.  Travel professionals can assist with a more realistic perspective.  Not only do they themselves travel and inspect  some of these sites but they get constant feedback from their clients. These invaluable comments help other clients  discover what will work best for them.

 

Hesitating on your next  Cruise vacation?

The 9^th Annual Convention of the Cruise Lines International Association – CLIA,  held in Vancouver from June 19 to June 23, 2013 with about 1700 travel agents present,  was  just a fantastic experience.  Held when there was a lot of concern about cruise vacations,   in the wake of a string of cruise incidents over the past year, it was reassuring when all cruise lines recommitted to  the level of care and safety of all passengers through the  Bill of Rights that was passed in May 2013.

CLIA, is the world's largest cruise industry trade association with representationfrom 26 of the major cruise linesin North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. CLIA is also engagedin providing safe, environmentally-friendly and enjoyable holiday vacation experiencesfor millions of passengers every year.

CLIA  reminded us that when vacationing with children, and especially teenagers, even though parents may want to spend every waking moment with their teens, chances are that the feeling isn’t mutual.  Cruises offer great opportunities for teens to have time away from the family and better yet to have time with other teens  The best part about cruising for families is that teen’s desire for independence can easily be balanced with a parent’s desire for family time.  Still thinking !!!

 INTERNATIONAL CRUISE LINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS

The Members of the Cruise Lines International Association are dedicated to the comfort and care of all passengers on oceangoing cruises throughout the world. To fulfill this commitment, our Members have agreed to adopt the following set of passenger rights:

 

1. The right to disembark a docked ship if essential provisions such as food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical care cannot adequately be provided onboard, subject only to the Master’s concern for passenger safety and security and customs and immigration requirements of the port.
2. The right to a full refund for a trip that is canceled due to mechanical failures, or a partial refund for voyages that are terminated early due to those failures.
3. The right to have available on board ships operating beyond rivers or coastal waters full-time, professional emergency medical attention, as needed until shore side medical care becomes available.
4. The right to timely information updates as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship in the event of a mechanical failure or emergency, as well as timely updates of the status of efforts to address mechanical failures.
5. The right to a ship crew that is properly trained in emergency and evacuation procedures.
6. The right to an emergency power source in the case of a main generator failure.
7. The right to transportation to the ship’s scheduled port of disembarkation or the passenger’s home city in the event a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures.
8. The right to lodging if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an unscheduled port are required when a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures.
9. The right to have included on each cruise line’s website a toll-free phone line that can be used for questions or information concerning any aspect of shipboard operations.
10. The right to have this Cruise Line Passenger Bill of Rights published on each line’s website.

 

  On July 01, 2013,  CLIA  announced that the IMO  implemented three additional safety-related policies from the 2012 Global Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review at the recently completed IMO Maritime Safety Committee meeting. All ten policies from the Review have now been included in formal IMO standards specific to Passenger Ship Safety.

 

Travel Trends

Choosing Cell Phones for travel

Choosing a cell phone today can be a very dizzy experience as I just learnt when trying to get a simple one for  use during my recent trip to Europe.  Not wanting to add this service  to my current contract, I was made to believe that obtaining  an inexpensive unblocked phone and adding appropriate SIM cards would solve the problem for  short visits overseas.  After receiving lessons from different vendors and subsequently settling on  what I considered the best choice, imagine my surprise when on arrival in Paris and requesting the installation of a SIM card was told that the phone was blocked and I would have to purchase another if I needed service.

For travelers with hearing loss, the decision may be further complicated as these persons  require more amplification to first hear the explanations of the different models available and then  find a cell phone capable of delivering,  whatever the circumstances,  as there could be added requirements to work with their existing hearing aid or implant or may even need more visual means of communicating by cell phone.

Thanks to FCC regulations and ever improving technology, people with hearing loss have excellent cell phone options – you just need to know what to look for – which, from my experience, is easier said than done. 

Why the fuss?  Cell phones use radio frequency –Radio Frequency - RF waves to communicate with cell phone towers and satellites.  However,  the RF waves  can produce a buzzing sound in hearing aids.  Fortunately recent regulations involve some efforts by cell phone and hearing aid manufacturers to minimize the RF interference in hearing aids.  Acoustic coupling works best when there is minimal background noise in the environment, such as on a busy street or while other people are talking.  To achieve optimal acoustic coupling the cell phone speaker must be held as closely as possible to the hearing aids microphone.

Another method uses a different electronic part in the hearing aid where the microphone is temporarily turned off while the electronic part - the Telecoil (also called a T-coil) is turned on.  Telecoil can be used with certain personal and public assistive listening devices such as hearing loop systems.

To learn whether your hearing aids have telecoils and how to operate them, consult with your hearing healthcare professional or check your hearing aid instruction  manual.  They may need to be activated and/or programmed.  Some of the newer ‘invisible hearing aids may not have a telecoil because of size limitations – see our Travel Blog for more on this subject.

 

New Orleans

Whatever the event, food is the common thing travelers experience when they go to New Orleans.  It is therefore no surprise that New Orleans is the home of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum – SoFAB, an institution dedicated to the food and drink of the South.   Five years after its opening, the museum is in the process of expanding and relocating, a decision that is believed will offer tourists and residents a richer way to experience the city’s culture.  This will include multiple opportunities to taste Southern foods or do some cooking.  The museum, formerly at the Riverwalk near the French Quarter, will move to a larger building at 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd in the Central City area and should be completed by the fall of 2013.

Maryland

Best known as the home of the U.S. Naval Academy, Maryland’s capital city, Annapolis, also has notable Black heritage sites like the Thurgood Marshall statue at the Maryland State House and sculptor Ed Dwight’s life-size Alex Haley Memorial, located at City Dock.

The state’s Capital Region near Washington, DC, includes Bethesda, where art lovers can check out some of the 20 art galleries and music lovers can enjoy a special summer concert series. Also in the region is College Park, home to the main campus of University of Maryland and the world’s oldest continuously operating airport.

College Park is part of Prince George’s County, where the premier meeting venue is the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center overlooking the Potomac River. One of the most popular destinations on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is Ocean City, where you’ll find 10 miles of beachfront, a three-mile boardwalk and 15 area golf courses.

Join Minerva Travel and experience the 27^th Anniversary of the Kinta Kinte Heritage Festival in Annapolis on September 28, 2013 – see details on our Special Deals page.

Airport Security – Update

Disabled Military Members & Veterans can now move through airport security checkpoints without having to remove shoes, light jackets or hats, according to a new policy announced March 27, 2013, by the Transportation Security Administration. The new policy is part of TSA's Wounded Warrior Screening program, which was established in 2005 in an effort to ease the screening process for wounded service members. These individuals will be escorted through the security checkpoint and will be eligible for expedited screening through TSA Pre-Check. They also will not be required to remove their shoes, light outwear jackets or hats when passing through security checkpoints.

On the other hand, TSA decided not to go ahead with a plan to allow pocket knives on airplanes which should have started on April 25, 2013 as more time is needed to examine the proposed policy change in response to strong opposition.

Reminder -  Check validity of all travel documents well in advance of traveldate.

Will be back in the fall.

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