Boarding Pass

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 363rd issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

Indian Railways is lowering its fares in air-conditioned first-class cars by about 18%, and in second class by 10%, to draw passengers away from low-cost domestic airlines.

Air travel may take less time but costs 25%-30% more than rail travel. Rail officials hope to attract those who have time to spare and would prefer the savings.

The Foreign Affairs Office in Beijing, China, in a move to help the estimated 650,000 foreigners working there as well as the many tourists expected to attend the 2008 Olympics, is improving as well as adding road signs written in English on major thoroughfares. By the end of this year, the city’s shopping malls also will have signs in English.

In fact, a project already is underway to improve Chinese residents’ English-speaking skills, using language-learning programs on television, English-speaking corners and oral and written competitions. The goal is for one in three Beijingers to speak basic English by 2008.

A nonprofit advocacy group, Ethical Traveler (Box 5883, Berkeley, CA 94705; 415/788-3666, ext. 207, or www.ethicaltraveler.com), has completed a study and come up with a list of the 13 Best Ethical Travel Destinations in the developing world.

The group first considered the many countries in the developing world to which Americans were most likey to travel, then studied how each measured up for “ethicalness” in three categories.

To rate how well each country was doing at 1) ecotourism, the factors that were considered were conservation of the natural environment, low visitor impact and the benefits of tourism to the local population.

2) Evaluating environmental protection took into account carbon dioxide emissions, energy efficiency, percentage of protected land, percentage of mammals under threat, the environmental sustainability index and the number of international environmental treaties ratified.

3) To rate each country’s social development, the group looked at crime, government corruption, the status of women and how many international human rights and international labor rights treaties had been ratified.

The 13 countries to top the list are Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Uruguay.

Among other observations, the group’s website points out that while no country in the study ranked higher for ecotourism than Bhutan, whose entire tourism industry is based on sustainability, that country was at the bottom of the list, along with Thailand, in its commitment to human and labor rights. (Again, the countries considered were those which the group determined most Americans would actually want to visit.)

The group offers its list as a practical guide for those seeking a destination that is not only pleasing to visit but supportive of its people and environment. As you can see from the list, and something which researchers didn’t anticipate, many Latin American countries ranked high as ethical travel destinations.

It is hoped that, if travel revenue to such countries increases, other countries will see the benefit of doing what is environmentally and socially the responsible thing.

Occasionally, on a scheduled flight, tour or cruise, something goes haywire at the last minute, disrupting the expected experience. Some companies handle such situations well, doing everything they can to accommodate their customers. Other times, you, the traveler, have to be proactive in trying to come up with a satisfactory compromise or alternative.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Rochells of North Hampton, New Hampshire, embarked a ship in March ’05 looking forward to their scheduled cruise. Upon entering their cabin, however, they found a letter explaining that the ship’s port shaft bearing was damaged, which would reduce the ship’s cruising speed from 12 knots to six. Consequently, only about half of the stops on their itinerary would be visited.

Mr. Rochells wrote to ITN, “We arrived late in the evening for our midnight sailing. Given the lateness of the hour plus special-event crowding in the city, it seemed doubtful we could have arranged hotel accommodations or return travel.” They felt obligated to take the cruise.

The next morning, the captain explained that the problem had been identified the day before the scheduled sailing.

ITN sent a copy of Mr. Rochell’s letter to the cruise line, which replied that the ship operators had given them minimal notice of the mechanical problems and that they did not have the luxury of time to call every passenger prior to the sailing; many were already in transit.

The company rep wrote, “Upon boarding. . . everyone was given the option to sail or disembark. We would provide a full refund on the cruise fare for those who chose not to sail.”

However, Mr. Rochells says that no mention was made of a disembarkation option or a refund. He also told ITN that, while management failed to provide the expected service, the captain and crew did a great job and he is not seeking compensation.

What lessons can be learned from the Rochells’ crippled cruise experience?

First, be sure to ask what your options are; don’t wait for the company to approach you with a solution. From the response above, it seems the company was prepared to offer refunds; however, they may not have made that clear to the passengers.

When you’re faced with a situation like this, if you ask the company questions directly — Will you refund my fare? Will you arrange alternate accommodations? Will you absorb change fees for flights? — then you can make a more informed decision about what to do.

Given a choice, don’t feel pressured to continue with an altered itinerary if you truly feel you will be disappointed. It may be a hassle to return home after flying to your departure city, but perhaps, if the company is willing to make alternate arrangements, you can fully enjoy the trip you were looking forward to at a later date.

If you are unable to satisfactorily resolve an issue before departure, be sure to keep documentation for later follow-up. Take notes of any promises made regarding compensation or assistance. Take names and write down dates and times. And ask for and write down any addresses, phone numbers or e-mail addresses you may need later.

Once you have made your decision or have exhausted all of your options, relax. Order a pleasing beverage and make the best of it.

Bill Kepner of Oakland, California, wrote, “I have enclosed a sheet listing the addresses of some of the students in my travel photography classes at CLIR in San Francisco and Piedmont Adult School in the East Bay. I always recommend ITN to my classes as a ‘real people’ travel magazine, as opposed to some others which have a lot of pretty pictures but little for the ordinary traveler. Please send a sample copy to each.”

Done.

Neil F. Thorlakson of Bellevue, Washington, is a volunteer teacher at an elementary school. Once a month he instructs a fifth grade geography class. Neil asked to be sent back-copies of ITN for each of his 25 students.

He wrote back, “Thank you for the back issues. They arrived the day before my monthly geography class and the students were excited to receive them. They will go home, write a short paper on ‘where I would like to go,’ and each discuss the choice with their family.

“Geography is not presented in our elementary school, and I find that the students are most eager to learn. Hopefully, they will pass along the enthusiasm.”

Louise H. Wiley of Wilmington, Delaware, wrote, “Just a quick note to add to the article on Macau in the February ’06 issue. The church with only the front wall left, which the author mentioned, was the inspiration for the hymn ‘In the Cross of Christ I Glory,’ written in 1825 by Sir John Bowring, a British citizen, who was a governor of Hong Kong.”

Donna Judd of Fullerton, California, wrote, “A note of thanks to ITN’s photo columnist, Janet Denninger, who, in response to my request, wrote a very helpful article (January ’05) on taking photographs in Antarctica and Alaska, with tips regarding the unusual lighting, shooting from shipboard, etc. She then responded cheerfully and helpfully with a half dozen e-mails answering further questions. A class act!

“P.S. I also enjoyed ‘sharing’ ITN with a group of sophisticated travelers in Antarctica, as it is such a unique publication.”

Thanks for the photograph, Donna. It looks like Janet’s tips came in handy.

Their sweetest secrets: that’s what readers are sharing with you in this issue (page 50). I have one to add.

While on a “design district” tour in Helsinki a couple of years ago, we visited one outlet that had a bowl of candy out for patrons. I mentioned how good the candy was and was told it was Toffeefee, made of chocolate, caramel and hazelnuts. The next day, in Stockmann’s department store, I saw boxes of it on sale for €1 each and bought several as gifts.

Back home I inquired at a few stores, but there was no such candy listed in the books. Then, while shopping at Walgreens Drug Store, I saw the same brown boxes, only they were labeled Toffifay. Made in Germany, it satisfies a sweet tooth.

If you have read this far, then you know the answer to one question already. We’ve got an easy questionnaire for you on page 132. Your filling it out and sending it in will help the magazine immensely. Thanks in advance. — David Tykol, Editor