International Travel News

Travel Briefs

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 4

Black Watch Museum

At Balhousie Castle in Perth, Scotland, the Black Watch Museum reopened on June 25 following a one-year, £3.5-million renovation and expansion,

One of the most famous regiments in Scotland, the Black Watch was formed in 1715 to calm the troubles in the Highlands, and it has fought in many of the biggest conflicts of the past 300 years, including the American Revolution and both World Wars and, more recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rotating and permanent...

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 4

New Zealand wine trail

The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail (phone +64 27 477 4412) is a 240-mile self-drive touring route which traverses the major wine-producing areas of both the South Island and North Island, including Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Marlborough.

A map of the route is available online, along with sample 6- and 7-day itineraries with suggestions for dining, sightseeing, winery visits and other activities. The trail organizers also list various package tours which visit the route.

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 11

Commercial space flights list

Virgin Galactic hopes to be the first company to offer commercial space flights.

Upward of 500 people have paid deposits of $250,000 each to be one of the first space tourists.

No date is set for the first launch, but the company’s future astronauts have access to a variety of events held by the company, including G-force training and attendance at test flights.

Guests may book online or contact one of the Space Agents listed on the website.

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 47

Extremadura birding

The ninth annual Extremadura Birdwatching Fair will take place in Monfragüe National Park, a 2½-mile drive east of Madrid, Spain, Feb. 28-March 2, 2014. The program will be announced on the fair’s website, but in past years it has included talks on rare species, walks with photography experts, and guided explorations of the park’s wildlife.

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 60

New Zealand oyster festival

In the port of Bluff, near Invercargill on New Zealand’s South Island, the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival (phone 03 212 8889) will be held May 24, 2014, to celebrate the Bluff oyster, a local delicacy. Tickets cost $25 each and can be purchased in advance through Ticket Direct New Zealand (phone 0800 484 2538).

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 62

North American beaches app

The app Waterkeeper Swim Guide, available on iOS and Android devices, has data on many beaches in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The app detects the user’s location and shows which beaches are safe to swim in, accessing recent data from government agencies and local Waterkeeper Alliance chapters. The data is also available online at www.theswimguide.org.

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 76

Special Needs at Sea

The website Special Needs at Sea (800/513-4515 or 954/585-0575) now posts the accessibility features of the ships of four cruise lines: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.

Special Needs Group, Inc., plans to add one cruise line per month to the portal until all ships used in the North American market that have features for the mobility limited have been included.

When a site user clicks on the name of a cruise line...

October 2013 issue | Appears on page 76

BioMuseo in Panama

Panama’s new BioMuseo, aka Museum of Biodiversity [website in Spanish only], is scheduled to open in January 2014. The 43,000-square-foot museum, designed by Frank Gehry, will include eight display galleries highlighting Panama’s flora and fauna, from the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3,000,000 years ago to the present day.

For five departures on the cruise “Costa Rica & the Panama Canal,” Nov. 16, 23 & 30 and Dec. 7, 14, 2013, with Lindblad Expeditions/National...