Britain Has Safe Drivers, Adept Thieves
Britons may be Europe’s safest drivers, but they’re the most likely of all Western Europeans to have their cars stolen, according to the recently published European Union statistics handbook.
Among other stats:
The chances of having a fatal car crash are highest in Portugal, with 45 fatalities per 100,000 drivers. That compares with Britain’s figure of 11.1.
Britain has 977 car thefts per 100,000, while in Austria - the safest place to have a car - the figure is only 27 per 100,000.
Holland has the highest number of murders - 15 per 100,000. Compare that with Finland and Ireland, the safest places to be, each with only one murder per 100,000 people.
Backing down: American Express is dropping a $20 fee it began imposing on domestic air tickets of less than $300 early this year after airlines capped commissions. A spokesman quoted in Travel Weekly said the fees appeared to be “an impediment with customers.”
Most major airlines announced in February that they would limit some commissions they paid to travel agents, a move expected to cost agencies hundreds of millions of dollars per year. American Express was one of the first agencies to respond by charging fees to help make up the loss. It will continue to charge $10 for reissuing tickets and processing refunds.
On the road: Student Travels, the magazine of the Council on International Educational Exchange, has a new toll-free number for orders: 800-358-5971.
The free magazine is published twice yearly and is packed with information about the basics of international travel, study and work for young people.
Pet peeves: CompuServe, the on-line service, asked travel agents and others to list some of the things about flying that annoy them.
Among the many answers: flight attendants who wake passengers up to tell them the meal is ready, and people who “live” in the lavatories.
And speaking of peeves: USA Today asked flight attendants what bothers them. Among answers: Passengers who call them waitresses, passengers who tug on their uniforms to get attention. and passengers with sloppy manners or dress.
Hold the cheese: Travelers can now get a Happy Meal at the world’s first kosher McDonald’s, which has opened in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevaseret.
It’s like any other Mickey D’s elsewhere except in these respects: To conform with Jewish dietary laws that ban mixing meat and dairy products, this McDonald’s doesn’t serve cheeseburgers or milkshakes. It’s also closed on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath.
This is Israel’s 18th McDonald’s; the others use kosher ingredients but include dairy products on the menu.
Pets are us: The welcome mat is out for pets at Holiday Inn Main Gate East in Kissimmee, Fla., three minutes from Disney World. As part of the hotel’s new Pets Are Welcome program (PAW, for short), animals get a welcome snack and toy pack, in-room dog or cat beds (upon request) and the run of a fenced-in, grassy play-and-picnic area complete with brightly painted fire hydrants.
Pet-walking services are available, a local vet is on call around the clock and hotel employees are taking training seminars with an animal psychologist. For reservations call (800) 366-5437.
Doing the town? How’s your French?
If it’s not very “bon,” a company called Paris a Pied offers four colorful guided walking tours in English. The three-hour itineraries offer “juicy, interesting history made easy,” says co-owner Candy Gullett. Each tour is $45 per person (no more than six in a group).
Reserve before you go by calling (800) 594-9535; the Minnesota-based company also offers a free booking at service for good-value hotels.
Required reading: Do road maps seems to be getting fuzzier? The 1996 Rand McNally “Easy-To-Read Travel Atlas,” with type 32 percent larger than the usual, was developed this year for aging boomers and others who never leave home without a magnifying glass. It’s $14.95 at bookstores.
Such a deal: To attract more customers, Eurotunnel, which operates Le Shuttle, the train that transports vehicles through the Channel Tunnel, has cut duty-free prices by 33 per cent at its shops in the terminal cities of Dover and Calais.
A liter of Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch that cost $26.65 before the price reduction in late September now costs $17.25, and a liter of Courvoisier V.S.O.P. brandy has been reduced from $33.25 to $21.67.