The Scoop
The Scoop
Travel tips and other news
ID pouches ease security hassles
Like
most travelers, Judy Jacobs hated the frustration of keeping track of so many
documents while flying. Then one day, while waiting in line to clear security,
she lost her driver’s license.
Jacobs’ panicked dilemma is nothing new. Driver’s licenses, tickets and
passports are often left behind on planes or found by airport cleanup staff.
“There was an increase in lost items after 9/11,” says Holly Bachmeyer, a
landside operations manager at Denver International Airport. “We find hundreds
of lost IDs each year.”
After
that experience, Jacobs, a Texan in her 50’s, determined never to lose her
documents again. She designed a unique travel pouch which would allow ID and
travel papers to remain visible, yet secure in the pouch. The devise uses clear
plastic windows of various sizes, and can be worn around the neck. The pouch
includes a pocket for a mobile phone.
While
the travel pouch was obviously no fashion statement, it did meet with the
approval of fellow travelers. “People stopped me in airports and said, ‘Hey,
that’s great! Where did you get that?’” Jacobs says.
Eventually the
Texas businesswoman
decided to bring her invention to market. The resulting “Security Pouch” is now
sold online at
www.EasyTravelAir.com for $14.99.
Similar neck pouches or identification holders can be found across the country.
The Belt Pouch Explorer fastens around the waist, while Samsonite’s document
wallet can be worn on the waist or neck.
“It
helps to just relax and take your time getting through security,” says Bachmeyer.
“A pouch to keep documents together would be helpful. People throw things in the
screening bins, and then forget to pick everything up. They’re thinking about
other things, and not focusing on getting through security. It helps to plan
ahead like this.”
oOo
Thank
You For Barging!
European barge
industry offering huge discounts on
luxury cruises throughout Europe for 2003
As
a gesture of good-will
and encouragement to American travelers,
owners of barges on the canals and rivers of Europe are announcing
discounts of up to 50% percent on selected
vessels and sailings through November, 2003.
“We
know the current situation is making everyone nervous about traveling too far
from home,” says Derek Banks, British owner of a number of barges cruising the
canals of France and one in
Scotland. “However, we also know that a barge
cruise on tranquil waters in the
competent hands of an English-speaking crew
is the perfect antidote to our current woes right now, and we want to do everything we can to
encourage Americans to consider barging.”
Barge cruises are typically six nights and
seven days with just about every extra imaginable:
gourmet meals, fine wines, guided sightseeing,
open bar. The deluxe and ultra-deluxe vessels
often have spa facilities on board.
Destinations include England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland, Belgium
and Germany. Prices normally range from $1,690
per person on first-class vessels up to $5,000 per person for ultra-deluxe
cruises. But the new discounts currently being offered bring the price
down nearly 25% to 50% on some selected cruises.
themselves float in areas far away from the
hustle and bustle of large cities. Ellen Sack, The Barge Lady in Chicago, a veteran broker of barge cruises in the
U.S., says that her clients seem to value and
appreciate barging even more since the world situation has heated up so much
this past year and a half. “Clients who do choose to travel and barge come back
with reports on how their cruise was the first time they have been able to
disconnect from the current troubles
around them.”
For more information, please call
The Barge Lady, Inc. at 1-800-880-0071.
To view the entire fleet, go on line at
www.bargelady.com.
Photos Courtesy European Barge Industry
o0o
bmi airlines reinstates
direct service from Washington Dulles to Manchester, England
While some airlines are
reducing flights, bmi airlines announced that it will reinstate its service between
Washington Dulles
and Manchester, England in June. The airline currently operates non-stop service
between Chicago and Manchester. Operated with new
Airbus A330-200s, bmi offers three classes of service on its transatlantic
service with each passenger having state of the art video equipment that allows
16 audio and 20 video channels, as well as the latest Nintendo™ and classic PC
games.
Through its code-share
partner United Airlines, bmi offers flights from more than 30 US cities to its
gateways in Chicago and Washington, DC. Once in Manchester, it’s a quick
connection to London’s Heathrow Airport, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Members of frequent flier programs including Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines
and all other Star Alliance™ carriers accrue mileage when traveling on bmi.
bmi has been the recipient
of more than 50 industry awards since 1990 including being named the best UK
domestic airline for 11 consecutive year.
For more information:
http://www.flybmi.com
Phone:
800-788-0555 (within the US)
