THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 18, 1994 TAG: 9412160102
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines
YOU MAY not know where you're going next year, but the American Society of Travel Agents has a pretty good idea. It recently asked travel professionals to name the top five international destination cities or specific sights for 1995. The Top 10 choices (and percentage who mentioned each) are:
1. London 44.2; 2. Paris 21.4; 3. Frankfurt 10.2; 4. Cancun 8.3; 5. Rome 6.8; 6. Sydney 6.3; 7. (tie) Amsterdam and Great Barrier Reef 4.9; 9. Great Wall of China 3.4; 10. (tie) Bali and Berlin and Cozumel 1.9.
Remarkable . . . London named twice as often as Paris, Paris named twice as often as the third-place destination.
There's a fairly recent book that may help the uninitiated understand the appeal of those cities. It's called ``Locations,'' by Jan Morris (Oxford University Press, paperback, $8.85), and it is a collection of short pieces by her previously published in magazines.
Of London, she synthesized: `The thing about London is not that it is the most beautiful city in the world, or the nicest, or the most exciting, but that it is the most inexhaustibly interesting.''
Right. London is interesting because Americans understand London. We learn our history - European or world - with a decided Anglo spin. We are comfortable in London. The speak our language (almost) there.
London is interesting; Paris is fascinating. Paris is beautiful. Paris is infinitely better groomed.
Anyway . . . the point is, you can see them both, essentially for the price of one, with a flexible British Airways package called ``Winter Escape.'' Prices, from Norfolk, start at $759 a person, double occupancy.
The package features round-trip airfare plus six nights accommodations in London and/or Paris (or Amsterdam or Brussels). Onward travel on BA to the second city also is included.
To give you some idea of how good a deal that is, some recent calculations by London-based Employment Conditions Abroad Ltd. indicate that the average business person spends $297.46 a day in London and $350.19 a day in Paris. This, you should understand, is an average cost for business people on expense accounts.
The Winter Escapes are valid Jan. 1 through March 25; all travel must be completed by April 1, and tickets must be purchased by Dec. 25. Info: A local travel agent or (800) AIRWAYS (247-9297). SOME ALTERNATIVES
If you want to build your own package to Paris or London . . .
See the ``City of Light'' at the light price of $539. New Frontiers' winter package includes round-trip airfare from New York to Paris, seven nights' accommodations and breakfast. For $129 more, a six-day Metro/bus pass, museum pass, a short cruise on the Seine, a dining voucher and more. The ``Celebrate Paris'' package is available Jan. 13-March 18. Info: A local travel agent or (800) 366-6387.
Want to keep it simple? No hidden expenses or extraneous frills? No advance booking? Year-round ``Simply London'' hotel packages start at $119 (rates, guaranteed in U.S. dollars, include local tax and gratuities) for standard bedroom, full English breakfast, choice of four guided walking tours, shopping guide and entertainment guide. Room upgrade is $30/night. Radisson Edwardian group includes 10 dignified country-house style hotels in various settings in London. Info: A travel agent or (800) 333-3333. NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA?
How about an Irish getaway? C.I.E. Tours International has a three-night trip to Ireland starting at $499 a person, double occupancy, from New York or Boston during January and February. In addition to round-trip flights on Aer Lingus, the price includes a standard-shift car with unlimited mileage; accommodations at farmhouses or bed-and-breakfast establishments; Irish breakfast daily, and local tax and service charges. A package using first-class hotels starts at $570. Info: a travel agent or C.I.E. (800) 243-8687. ABOUT THAT MAP . . .
Last week I mentioned a new Virginia map featuring the state's many scenic roads and byways and included a toll-free 800 phone number by which readers could obtain a copy. There was overwhelming response, some of it confused. Let me say this about that:
1. The phone number I gave is (800) VA-LOVE1. It's kind of cute and maybe even easy to remember - but difficult to dial. For instance, that is a ``one'' at the end, not an exclamation point. You also may dial (800) 82-5683-1 to reach the map people. Do not call me at home.
2. If you get a busy signal, that means all the lines are tied up. The map apparently is popular. Keep trying. Do not call me a home.
3. If you do not get an answer, it is possible you have dialed incorrectly. See No.1 above. The number is operable 24 hours a day. Try again. Do not call me at home.
4. You do NOT need a Touch Tone phone to call an 800 number. A rotary phone will work fine. It is just like any other long-distance call, except it is free.
5. If you want to write instead of call, here's an address: Virginia Scenic Roads Map, Department of Transportation, 1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23219.
6. Please do not call me at home about anything. My office phone is listed at the bottom of this column. IT KEEPS ON GIVING
Looking for a Christmas gift that will be used over and over? The editions of Entertainment Guide are a coupon clipper's friend, especially this year, with four American Airlines coupons good for up to $600 off the price of air fare for four people on travel within the contiguous United States and to Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Also included are four coupons for discounts of up to $120 off a Continental fare in the United States or internationally. There are also coupons good for discounts on car rentals, hotels and cruises.
The Entertainment guides make good gifts because they keep on giving till next December. They sell for $27.95 to $47.95, depending on city or destination, and are available for more than 50 cities, as well as for Canadian and European destinations.
The Hampton Roads guide sells for $35; for information, call (804) 473-8668. For info on other guides, call (800) 445-4137. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
Virginian-Pilot/The Ledger-Star, P.O. Box 449, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449.
Or call: (804) 446-2904. by CNB