They had always expressed the desire to travel the world, yet had never managed to achieve this wish – until now!

The lady concerned has been advertising for people who are going to travel to distant climes and who are prepared to carry small quantities of the ashes of her mother and father, and to deposit these in many exotic parts of the world.

According to the story, her parents are now at the base of the Eiffel Tower, in London, I think somewhere in the Middle East and in several other locations as well.

It’s an odd way of travelling, but nevertheless the oldies have eventually achieved their one main dream to travel.

Barbara received a snail mail letter today apparently from a Dublin based barrister by the name of Brian Hogan. This letter informs Barbara of the opportunity to join with Hogan in a somewhat unsavoury scheme to obtain 4 million euros by deception through claiming to be the next of kin of somebody sharing the same last name. This is one of the latest such scams.

Don't fall for these scams

Of course, this is an example of simple scams where the supposed transaction (through a credit union account) would need access to the banking details of the recipient of the letter (so that the dodgy barrister can collect his 50% of the funds for setting up the arrangement).

My suspicion is that you’re more likely to see money moving out of rather than into your bank account if you do in fact pass this information on as requested.

All we can say is that if you receive a letter like this in the mail, don’t assume that this will be the way to fund your next overseas vacation. It is simply one of the online scams now moving to the offline marketplace.

BE WARNED OF SUCH SCAMS

We visited Bratislava on the evening of Easter Sunday, and stayed until Tuesday morning.

In some ways this was a little unfortunate since most of the shops (and indeed the tourist information offices) were closed for the Easter break, and we therefore had to make the most of our own resources to discover just what Bratislava has to offer the independent tourist.

We were quite surprised about the breadth and variety of historic buildings and architectural monuments that abound in the old town sections of the city, despite the fact that this city seems to receive less tourist information and publicity than many other places in this region of Europe.

We are able to report that we enjoyed our time in Bratislava immensely.

Bratislava is a very compact city, and it is possible to walk around the old town region of the city at a relaxed pace, yet have sufficient time to take in the history and grandeur of the old Bratislava.

Napoleon leaning over a seat in the square

Even today, Bratislava’s population is less than half a million people, so the city still maintains a human scale, enabling the tourist a much better

opportunity to interact with some of the locals and find out some more about what it is like to live in Bratislava today.
We found that the time we spent walking about Bratislava was one of one surprise and delight after another. Not only was a seat in the old town square somewhat distinguished by a gentleman in eighteenth century uniform leaning over and looking over the shoulder of anyone sitting there, but

Bronze papparazi photographer in Bratislava

around another corner just a block away, a sly photographer was catching a snapshot of events in the next street (maybe a 1920′s version of the papparazi!).

As we visited Bratislava on Easter Monday, there was a service underway in the Cathedral adjacent to the square. A number of tourists took the opportunity to join with the local people in the church to celebrate the Christian significance of this time of the year.

The castle overlooking Bratislava (Hrad Castle) dominates the town, and has outstanding views in both directions along the Danube River (Danuj), as well as the surrounding lands. It was documented as early as 907 A.D., and has had many face lifts as it’s function has changed over the centuries. It is currently undergoing major internal renivations, and unfortunately the inside is not open to visitors at the moment.

Ice Hockey Player Sculpture

The other aspect of Bratislava that became very obvious as we continued our tour of the city is the fact that the forthcoming world Ice Hockey Championships are due to be held in the city in late April and Early May of 2011. We encountered a number of slightly larger than life hockey players in various colours located around the city in strategic locations.

This event will be a major boost to Bratislava, bringing the eyes of the world to this great part of Europe for at least a few days.

We encountered many local people during our time in Bratislava, and found that the majority had sufficient grasp of the English language to make themselves understood, and (more importantly for us) to understand our comments and questions.

We wouldn’t hesitate in recommending that Slovakia and Bratislava should be on the itinerary of anyone planning to visit this part of Europe.

We boarded the 1^st class train compartment of our service from Serbia into Hungary expecting a pleasant but unexciting journey of some 9 hours between one capital city and the next.

We had believed that the days of mystery and excitement in train travel were now behind us and remained in the era of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot. How wrong we were!

The first half of the journey went pretty smoothly.

En route we were interested in the sudden transitions between examples of real slum development poverty and prosperous commercial developments and residential neighborhoods, often just on opposite sides of the train track.

We then moved on to the flat agricultural lands beyond the cities in northern Serbia, and often could see nothing but fields, some freshly ploughed and others with crops breaking through the surface.

We also noted a high number of eagle nests in trees, many pheasants enjoying the delights of spring in the ground below and hares the size of dogs doing their thing as well.

However, once we arrived at the border with Hungary, things became more interesting.

The train stopped at the border station so that the Serbian authorities could do a final passport check before passing the train and its passengers on to the Hungarians.

The other passengers had left the train at this time, and we were alone in the carriage (or so we thought).

Suddenly our musings were interrupted by a gentleman who came up to us and asked whether we were travelling into Hungary. Although he didn’t look like a train company or government official, we nevertheless agreed that this was what we were doing.

Shortly afterward, two well dressed ladies boarded the train carriage, moved forward to the electrical control panel at the end of the carriage, and to our surprise opened the panel and manipulated some switchgear.

Ceiling panels in first class carriage

Next, the original man and another were in the rear section of the 1^st class train compartment working with electric screwdrivers to remove a number of ceiling panels. Once these were off, something was stuffed into the spaces revealed, and the panels were then replaced.

Finally another woman of the sort you wouldn’t like to come across on a dark night walked up to the from of our carriage and opened another panel to place an item wrapped in newspaper into the compartment revealed.

The original gentleman then came back, indicating to us that we should remain silent about anything we had seen.

The well dressed women then took some seats well apart from us and from each other, whilst the others moved down the train into 2^nd class.

Eventually the train moved forward across the Hungarian border and stopped again. A number of Hungarian officials boarded the train, checking passports, whilst another railway person completed a final ticket check.

Following a further extended delay (about 90 minutes) the train continued its journey.

Whilst en route, we discovered that the group in 2^nd class had returned back into our train carriage. We then saw one of the men climb onto the luggage racks and lie along them. The electric screwdriver was again put into action, so that the goods could be removed from their hiding place. Once this task was completed, the goods were transferred into bags, and the electrical compartment was once again accessed.

The scary woman returned to the front compartment to remove her package (which to our fevered imagination had about the shape and weight of a handgun), and return to the others.

At the next stop of our train, the scary woman left the train carrying (or maybe dragging) the two bags across the tracks to a parked car where another lady was waiting. When last seen, the parked car together with 2 women on board left the area, and the train continued on its way towards Budapest.

Whilst we have no idea just what we were witnessing, the scenes brought back memories of some of the episodes of a television show set in France during the time of Nazi occupation called “ ‘Allo ‘Allo”.

The blatancy of what was most probably some form of smuggling was to us quite astonishing (but maybe this sort of thing is quite common at least in this part of the world).

Needless to say, our attention to the countryside through which we were traveling was less acute than on the earlier parts of the train journey.

If you’re ever faced with something like this on a train journey, just stay calm and chill out!

It appears that many UK based passengers have reported problems in terms of claims for the additional costs incurred as a result of staying much longer on the continent than was originally planned.

EU air transport regulations do provide an obligation on airlines to provide a level of support for travelers as a result of delays in return travel. However, these obligations appear to be a little vague, and are based on “reasonable” expenses.

What is “reasonable” to an airline confronted with massive losses due to the recent volcanic ash events in Europe may not seem so reasonable to a stranded passenger.

Another issue that has become quite significant is that of relying upon limited forms of insurance. Many travelers make use of the travel insurance offered as part of the package for those with premium credit cards. Whilst this coverage certainly does offer a level of protection, you should still look at the fine print attached to this cover to ensure that it will meet your needs.

An example of this is that one well known credit card provider has a travel insurance policy that allows for “Travel Inconvenience Cover”, defined as cover for:  delayed flight departure, flight cancellation, denied flight boarding, missed flight connection. Unfortunately the limit for this coverage can be less than $US200.

Many travelers consider themselves to be covered if they purchase coverage that is offered at the time of purchase of a flight ticket.

Again, such policies have very limited coverage for flight disruption, since they are limited to a specific pricepoint and are primarily aimed to protect the purchaser against losses relating to the specific air travel components of the trip.

Travelers wishing to cross the English Channel did have a number of transport options available, including Eurostar, other train services and ferries. Unfortunately the options were not as great for those passengers wishing to travel to or from the Americas, Asia, Australia and other locations outside Europe.

The basic message here is that travel insurance is a matter that travelers should carefully consider the terms and conditions that are offered, and not simply jump in unprepared.

John Kumm, Author,

Discover more informative information relating to travel at http://onlinetravelconsultant.com

The ash cloud that disrupted European air traffic - (Xinhua Reuters photo)

The recent worldwide travel chaos that resulted from the volcanic eruption in Iceland emphasizes just how fragile our technology hold over the forces of nature really are.

The amazing thing about this is that Iceland is fairly remote from most of the European airspace that was closed down for many long days.

It seems that the prevailing winds were at the time traveling in an unusual direction, and this resulted in the ash cloud’s spread over much of northern Europe, and in fact across well into Russia as well.

I seem to remember that this particular volcano’s last eruption was recorded from 1821 to 1823, with substantial explosive eruptions (similar to this year’s activities) happening between late June and Early August in 1823. Had such a string of eruptions occurred this month, then the skies may have been closed off to aircraft for 6 weeks or so.

It is perhaps a good thing that we didn’t have Jumbo Jets and other similar flying objects around in those days!

The result of an event resulting from “natural causes” cost many billions of dollars to the travel sector as well as resulting in massive disruption to the travel plans of many travelers.

Of course the other side issue of all of this that escapes attention in that of freight transport. Many businesses (particularly those with contracts to supply highly perishable goods like fresh seafood and cut flowers) suffered very heavy losses as a result of being unable to deliver their produce.

The flight disruption was also a timely reminder to all of us who travel to carefully read the wording on our travel insurance policy. Many of the people who were caught out this time found out (too late) that their policies had exclusions which prevented them from making a claim.

The other aspect of this event is that the “blame game” has now begun. Passengers are complaining that their airline held up flights for longer than some others. In turn, airlines are tending to say that the national air travel regulators in many countries closed off their airspace too early and were overly cautious in the time that the airspace was re-opened. In their defence, regulators have claimed that the advice that they received from vulcanologists and meteorological bureax were not sufficiently detailed and accurate.

We can be sure that this is now an issue that has managed to come to the front of the queue for issues that need some better organized process of measurements and decision making, so that dangerous situations are avoided, whilst nevertheless reducing the level of disruption to an absolute minimum.

There will definitely be more to come on this issue. Stay tuned!

John Kumm, Author

For other interesting and informative travel related discussions, visit us at: http://www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Today however I’m able to relate just such a tale to you, gentle readers!

Air New Zealand, not one of the world’s largest airline conglomerates, has managed to think a long way outside the square when the company realised that there were a number of different kinds of travelers using its services, and that simply dividing up the passenger cabin into economy (or coach) class, premium economy and business class didn’t necessarily take account of each of the differences.

In a flash of inspiration, Air New Zealand decided to analyze this factor, and have turned up 5 different categories of traveler, and decided to categorize them in terms of a TV show that some of us love (and dare I say equate to).

Now it’s time for you to consider each of these in turn, and decide just which type fits you best.

	The Marge Simpsons of the flying world see everything in a positive light, and are always fidgety and excited. The “Marges” of travel see the flying experience as fun and really enjoy engaging with all of the various aspects of the trip itself. You’ll recognize a Marge by the fun that he or she is having from the moment of getting on board right through to the end of the flight. The airline believes that about 10% of us are “Marges”.
	Are you perhaps a “Lisa”? The Lisa Simpsons of flying are considered to be the “cocooners”. These travellers  tend to view flying as a necessary part of most trips and are generally specialists in simply zoning out. Cocooners are not highly involved in the flight, and tend to look after their own needs, preferably in a quiet part of the cabin, away from family groups and other distractions. According to the airline, Lisa’s account for about 17% of the traveling public.
	Bart Simpson represents the traveling socialite. Almost 1 in 3 of travelers (about 30%) fit into the Bart mould. Socialites need interaction with others – they can’t entertain themselves, and must talk to crew and other passengers to ensure that they are recognized. “Barts” will also expect the airline to offer them the amusement and experience that they need to make the flight endurable.
	Maybe you are more like Homer’s boss, Mr Burns. This style of traveler is typical of many business travelers: he wants to be left alone, and is known to aggressively claim his territory within the cabin space, including the arm rest. The “Mr Burns” travelers will become angry with issues they see as failing to meet their own requirements and needs – things such as delay in clearing their meal tray or the traveler in front laying back their seat too far (in Mr Burns’ opinion). More than 25% of the travelers on your next flight are likely to represent Mr Burns. Are you one of them?
	Those passengers who don’t fit into the categories above are probably in the “Mo the Bartender” space. “Mo’s” tend to see the travel experience as simply an unpleasant way of getting from A to B. They don’t like flying, and are very hard to please. This group is not generally very receptive towards any attempt by the airline and its staff to make their experience special in any way.

This cable car service travels from the upper end of Bad Harzburg’s promenade up to the Bergstation on the Castle Mountain. The tramway was built in 1929, and has a length of some 500m. The elevation of the Bergstation is about 480m, and from the nearby Cafe, you can enjoy magnificent vistas of Lower Saxony.

The service operates for most of the year, but closes for maintenance from about the end of November until mid-December each year.

Amongst the offerings of the tramway is a wedding package! The ability to take your marriage vows suspended in mid air may well appeal to many couples (but unfortunately not to this writer!). The descriptive material tells the lucky pair that they undertake the ceremony in their “festively decorated car”, accompanied by the marriage registrar and witnesses (a limit of 6 people in this special car).

Eighteen of the wedding guests can “near-float” in an 18 person second car! Unfortunately, the other guests will need to wait at the Bergstation for the arrival of the bridal car.

I think that I’ll stick to more mundane locations for any wedding ceremonies that I elect to attend, but it is good to know that all tastes are catered for in Bad Harzburg!

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

At this festival, Mephistopheles draws Faust from the plane of love to the sexual plane, to distract him from Gretchen’s fate. Mephistopheles is costumed here as a Junker and with cloven hooves. Mephistopheles lures Faust into the arms of a naked young witch, but he is distracted by the sight of Medusa, who appears to him in “his lov’d one’s image”: a “lone child, pale and fair”, resembling “sweet Gretchen”.

The Faust legend is still used as a resource in many German language schools, but has become more of an academic treatise in most other countries of the world.

In 1932, as a part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Goethe’s birth, a “scientific” experiment was carried out on Brocken’s peak according to the terms of the Bloksberg Tryst, referred to in the “High German Black Book”, -a hand-written volume of magical formulæ that dates from about the fifteenth century, and contains much ritual for the practice of transcendental magic.

It is reported that the physical requirements for the Tryst included: a magic circle with the usual symbols, a triangle, a pine fire, a bowl of incense, a ‘pure virgin’, a ‘he-goat’, Latin incantations, and a noisome unguent made of bats’ blood, scrapings from church bells, soot and honey.

In the event, the experiment did not result in the goat being transformed magically into “a faire youth of surpassing beauty”. However, widespread reportage of the experiment certainly did not harm this region’s ability to further promote itself as a place of witchcraft and long held traditions.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com