Family Adventures Last year marked the 1

Family Adventures
Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu and the first successful expedition to the South Pole. Why not resolve to make your own adventurous discoveries in 2012? There has rarely been a better time to do it. Around the globe, the world’s top adventure travel outfitters are busy unveiling more new trips. And whether your particular brand of adventure involves walking, biking, kayaking, rafting, sailing, or just kicking back and discovering an emerging destination, these new trips will leave you feeling like a real explorer.

http://ow.ly/i/tum8

Excerpted from a newlsletter at www.crui

Excerpted from a newlsletter at http://www.cruisemates.com

What the Media is Missing in Concordia

The Concordia incident is the worst tragedy in modern cruise industry history. But most of the focus has been on the actions of the captain abandoning a sinking ship, as well as a chaotic situation due to an uninformed crew. What has been completely overlooked is the sequence of events before the grounding of the ship.

Everyone on that ship should have been saved, with all of their possessions. The biggest mistakes (yes, plural) the captain made happened long before he ran away.

Costa Concordia is structurally identical to the Carnival Splendor – the ship that went dead in the water off the coast of Mexico two years ago. But in that case the captain sent up a Mayday immediately and Carnival rightly chose to keep everyone onboard and tow the ship to safe harbor. Those people were inconvenienced, but they didn’t suffer, and they survived in whole. I now fully understand the SOLAS “ship as a lifeboat” concept.
Had this captain called Costa when he first hit the rocks this entire event would have gone entirely differently.

The first obvious mistake Schettino made was not checking the charts for the route he took near Giglio. We know the ship made a similar sail-by last August. Reports say he was given the coordinates by a colleague, but he reportedly went off that course, and did not check the local charts.

Next mistake: there are usually several people on the bridge; a navigator, a watchman and the person steering the ship – not always the captain. All of them had to have known when they hit the rocks. At that point the ship should have been stopped to check the hull integrity.

We know the ship was sound for at least 40 more minutes. Was the ship going to sink from the damage that was done? It is unlikely because of the fully watertight sections. If the ship had been stopped slowly it could have been towed upright to safe harbor and everyone evacuated. This is the “ship as the lifeboat” SOLAS protocol adopted in July 2010.

But the ship continued on at full speed for 40 minutes before Schettino took action. It is said he stopped the ship, dropped the anchors to stabilize her, turned her around and then headed to shore. With an already damaged hull these are aggravating measures. Once again, he should have stopped the ship and raised a Mayday.

The captain turned the ship to the left to return to Giglio, but unlike cars which lean in on turns, ships lean out. The meant the ship was listing to the right, towards the shore. As it came in closer the current pushed the keel out and the ship tipped into the rocks. Had he turned the ship the other way the outcome might have been different.

But the ship appears to have been further damaged when it keeled over – making it take on water even faster, and once the water breached the open decks it filled very quickly until it stabilized. It is actually surprising, but a testament to the bouyancy of the ship, that it has not already sunk to the great deep.

This already indentifies three points were it is likely Schettino made bad decisions and violated statutory procedure. And while the media is focused on Schettino abandoning ship, in fact his most egregious acts – leading to loss of life – happened long before left the ship.

Was the Crew Uninformed?

No, they were abandoned. Every crewmember is assigned a duty for boat drill and given instructions for that duty only; solely to make sure passenger lifejackets are fastened correctly and lined up in neat rows to board the lifeboats.

Crews are trained by a staff of safety officers whose sole job is to handle emergencies. A ship this size should have between six and 12 safety officers. Training is predicated on the presence of these officers to run the lifeboats. It also assumes the ship will be upright, according to SOLAS standards, so all lifeboats are available.

• Where were the safety officers at this point?
• Why……

What the Media is Missing in Concordia A

What the Media is Missing in Concordia A newsletter by Cruisemates.com

The Concordia incident is the worst tragedy in modern cruise industry history. But most of the focus has been on the actions of the captain abandoning a sinking ship, as well as a chaotic situation due to an uninformed crew. What has been completely overlooked is the sequence of events before the grounding of the ship.

Everyone on that ship should have been saved, with all of their possessions. The biggest mistakes (yes, plural) the captain made happened long before he ran away.
Costa Concordia is structurally identical to the Carnival Splendor – the ship that went dead in the water off the coast of Mexico two years ago. But in that case the captain sent up a Mayday immediately and Carnival rightly chose to keep everyone onboard and tow the ship to safe harbor. Those people were inconvenienced, but they didn’t suffer, and they survived in whole. I now fully understand the SOLAS “ship as a lifeboat” concept.
Had this captain called Costa when he first hit the rocks this entire event would have gone entirely differently.

The first obvious mistake Schettino made was not checking the charts for the route he took near Giglio. We know the ship made a similar sail-by last August. Reports say he was given the coordinates by a colleague, but he reportedly went off that course, and did not check the local charts.

Next mistake: there are usually several people on the bridge; a navigator, a watchman and the person steering the ship – not always the captain. All of them had to have known when they hit the rocks. At that point the ship should have been stopped to check the hull integrity.

We know the ship was sound for at least 40 more minutes. Was the ship going to sink from the damage that was done? It is unlikely because of the fully watertight sections. If the ship had been stopped slowly it could have been towed upright to safe harbor and everyone evacuated. This is the “ship as the lifeboat” SOLAS protocol adopted in July 2010.

But the ship continued on at full speed for 40 minutes before Schettino took action. It is said he stopped the ship, dropped the anchors to stabilize her, turned her around and then headed to shore. With an already damaged hull these are aggravating measures. Once again, he should have stopped the ship and raised a Mayday.

The captain turned the ship to the left to return to Giglio, but unlike cars which lean in on turns, ships lean out. The meant the ship was listing to the right, towards the shore. As it came in closer the current pushed the keel out and the ship tipped into the rocks. Had he turned the ship the other way the outcome might have been different.

But the ship appears to have been further damaged when it keeled over – making it take on water even faster, and once the water breached the open decks it filled very quickly until it stabilized. It is actually surprising, but a testament to the bouyancy of the ship, that it has not already sunk to the great deep.

This already indentifies three points were it is likely Schettino made bad decisions and violated statutory procedure. And while the media is focused on Schettino abandoning ship, in fact his most egregious acts – leading to loss of life – happened long before left the ship.

Was the Crew Uninformed?

No, they were abandoned. I am a former crewmember who knows that every crewmember is assigned a duty for boat drill and given instructions for that duty only; solely to make sure passenger lifejackets are fastened correctly and lined up in neat rows to board the lifeboats.

Crews are trained by a staff of safety officers whose sole job is to handle emergencies. A ship this size should have between six and 12 safety officers. Training is predicated on the presence of these officers to run the lifeboats. It also assumes the ship will be upright, according to SOLAS standards, so all lifeboats are available.

• Where were the safety officers at this point?
• Why…

Cruisers Should Be Aware Of The Athens C

Cruisers Should Be Aware Of The Athens Convention
The Athens Convention is an international convention which limits the liability of
cruise lines to the $71,400 figure.” That amount is per person and is all Carnival would have to pay a Concordia passenger by law. A lawsuit would be another matter and I’m sure we are going to see lots of them. Unfortunately any lawsuit will have to be filed in
Genoa and will need an Italian attorney. Carnival will have to pay $500 per passenger to cover clothing, luggage, phones and computers left in the cabin. For those injured or killed, compensation may be very limited. This is all part of your cruise contract, usually in very small print. Never take your good jewelry on a cruise because the ticket contract limits the company’s liability for lost or damaged bags and their contents to $50 per guest or $100 per stateroom. The US is not under the Athens Convention, it is under a different law. But if an accident such as the Concordia happened here, the cruise line would still be protected. The law was written in 1920. If a ship sinks or or is badly damaged by fire, there is a pool of some $40 million to be split among all passengers.

An Article on MSNBC regarding cruise contracts. Some of the points are mentioned
above but there are others to be aware of including privacy and ownership of pictures
http://ow.ly/8zglS

Common air travel myths – busted By Chri

Common air travel myths – busted
By Chris Rodell, msnbc.com contributor

Frequent flier Warren Chang inexplicably began to fear flying last year. That’s a real hardship for any executive who flies 60,000 to 70,000 miles a year. For Chang it was even worse. He’s the general manager of fly.com, the website devoted to helping airline customers snag the best fares with the least hassle. It doesn’t look good for the purveyor of a website that encourages people to fly to say he was reluctant to do so himself.

So what did he do? He set about researching the facts he knew would ground his fears. Here are a few air travel myths — and truths:

Myth: Chances of surviving an airplane crash are slim

False. Chang cites a National Transportation Safety Board study from 1983-2000 that found that 95.7 percent of passengers in plane crashes during those years survived the incident. “In fact, there hasn’t been a fatality on a commercial aircraft since 2009,” he said.

Myth: Lightning striking a plane will cause it to crash

False. Good thing it doesn’t. Studies show that each commercial airliner gets hit at least once a year by lightning. Lightning striking the plane travels quickly along the plane’s skin and disperses into the air.

Myth: You have nothing to fear from impulsive mad men intent on opening the emergency exit mid-flight

True. Emergency doors are designed to open inwards before opening outwards. The tremendous pressure differential between the cabin and the outside air makes this impossible. “In fact,” Chang said, “the higher the plane goes, the tighter the seal.”
Myth: The recycled air on airplanes quickly spreads germs and infection

False. Planes recirculate air in the cabins every three to five minutes, but studies from the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board found that airlines are no worse than subways, offices or other enclosed places.

Myth: Everyone can’t wait to use their cell phones in-flight to yak away the hours

False. Fly.com did a recent study of 1,300 U.K. frequent fliers and found that fewer than 5 percent of passengers want in-flight mobile and Internet access.

Myth: It’s safer to fly than drive

True. “Study after study shows it’s safer to fly than drive,” Chang said. “The odds of dying in an airplane crash are 1 in 11 million while the odds of dying in a car crash are 1 in 5,000.” Joe Brancatelli of the business traveler’s website joesentme.com advises travelers to fret more about what they can control.

I’m more fearful about driving to and from airports than air time,” he said. “Passengers arrive or land late and are rushing away to drive a strange car in a strange city, and some of them have been drinking too much. People need to be more careful about what they can control.”

http://ow.ly/7HNRC

Whale Watching in Hermanus in South Afri

Whale Watching in Hermanus in South Africa claims to have the world’s greatest land-based whale-watching. Matthew Lewin offers a guide to spotting Southern Right Whales. Photo Alamay

Whale Watching in Hermanus in South Africa claims to have the world’s greatest land-based whale-watching. Matthew Lewin offers a guide to spotting Southern Right Whales. Photo Alamay

There is something awe-inspiring about seeing an 80-ton whale lift nearly two-thirds of its body vertically out of the water and then come crashing down in an explosion of spray.
It is a common sight in Hermanus, on the south coast of South Africa, about 80 miles west of Cape Town, between the months of August and November. Hundreds of Southern Right whales find their way each year to Walker’s Bay, making the town the whale-watching capital of South Africa. The whales, which spend the winter feeding on plankton in Antarctic waters, come up to the relatively warmer waters of the southern Atlantic to calve and breed.
And they can put on a terrific show. Apart from their dramatic breaching, they also exhibit behavior called “sailing” (sticking their tails up out of the water), “spy-hopping” (putting their heads up to look around) and “lob-tailing” (slapping the water with their tails).
Not everyone agrees on the reasons for these activities. It is possible that they are trying to dislodge lice and other parasites that cling to the distinctive white, wart-like bumps called callosities on their heads. Others swear that the whales are merely being playful.
The statistics are enthralling. An adult whale weighs the equivalent of ten African elephants, and a new-born calf will take up to 600 litres of milk a day from its mother for up to a year. And here’s something not a lot of people know: a testicle of a male whale weighs around 1,100 lbs.

Whale Watching in Hermanus in South Africa claims to have the world’s greatest land-based whale-watching. Matthew Lewin offers a guide to spotting Southern Right Whales. Photo Alamay

There is something awe-inspiring about seeing an 80-ton whale lift nearly two-thirds of its body vertically out of the water and then come crashing down in an explosion of spray.
It is a common sight in Hermanus, on the south coast of South Africa, about 80 miles west of Cape Town, between the months of August and November. Hundreds of Southern Right whales find their way each year to Walker’s Bay, making the town the whale-watching capital of South Africa. The whales, which spend the winter feeding on plankton in Antarctic waters, come up to the relatively warmer waters of the southern Atlantic to calve and breed.

And they can put on a terrific show. Apart from their dramatic breaching, they also exhibit behavior called “sailing” (sticking their tails up out of the water), “spy-hopping” (putting their heads up to look around) and “lob-tailing” (slapping the water with their tails).

Not everyone agrees on the reasons for these activities. It is possible that they are trying to dislodge lice and other parasites that cling to the distinctive white, wart-like bumps called callosities on their heads. Others swear that the whales are merely being playful.
The statistics are enthralling. An adult whale weighs the equivalent of ten African elephants, and a new-born calf will take up to 600 litres of milk a day from its mother for up to a year. And here’s something not a lot of people know: a testicle of a male whale weighs around 1,100 lbs.

http://ow.ly/i/iF7K http://ow.ly/i/iF7U http://ow.ly/d/mep http://ow.ly/6PC5s

Italian cities have been adding a per-pe

Italian cities have been adding a per-person, per-night hotel tax ranging from $1.40 to $7, effective immediately, which some tour operators are absorbing. Tour operators are anticipating that 2012 Europe prices will increase by as much as 25% over 2011 prices.

http://ow.ly/6nRGE

Selling South Africa: Agents Share advic

Selling South Africa: Agents Share advice
by Dori Saltzman September 01, 2011

South Africa is a complex destination with lots of must-see sights and myriad accommodation choices. For agents, planning a South African vacation requires a bit more knowledge and skill than, say, booking a one-week cruise. And because South Africa is often a once-in-a-lifetime trip for clients, travel sellers need to get every detail spot on.

To give agents with little to no experience selling South Africa a leg up, Travel Market Report asked South Africa specialists to advise their colleagues about what they need to know when it comes to planning, booking and marketing South Africa. Here’s what they said.

Best client prospects
“South Africa offers something for a lot of different clients – things like culinary experiences, adventure, wildlife and wine. Demographics don’t come into play too much, because there are so many price points.” – Donna Evans, owner, Team Travel / Andavo Travel, Aurora, Colo.

They’re usually people who have traveled to Europe several times and are looking for something different. These are usually not first-time travelers, unless they have some kind of cultural reason for going to South Africa.” – Joe Gandolfo, travel planner, The Travel Center / American Express, Kendall Park, N.J.

“Just about everyone – especially clients who’ve taken adventure vacations or love the outdoors are great prospects for South Africa.” – Margie Jordan, CTA, CEO, Jordan Executive Travel Service, Jacksonville, Fla.

“Suggest South Africa to clients looking for something different. When I see clients are unsure of where to go, I say, ‘I wouldn’t suppose South Africa would be of interest to you?’ I then tell them about my experience and how diversified the destination is. It has worked.” – Barbara Jathas, Skyway Travel, Ossining, N.Y.

“It does not take a lot of convincing, because South Africa is on so many people’s bucket list.” – Connie Ebright, owner, Ebright Travel, Glendale, Calif.

Spotlighting your expertise
“I have a blog, AfricaTravelExperience.com, that provides great travel information on South Africa. I continually talk about my travels, showcase my photos and share Africa every chance I get.” – Jordan

My website is devoted to Africa. My business cards have an image of safari animals and state that I am a safari specialist. And I blog and twitter about specific camps or hotels in Africa I have visited.” – Ebright

“I used Facebook, email and all kinds of social networking to show pictures of where I went in South Africa and to describe places. That piqued the interest of some people, who then contacted me about going.” – Gandolfo

Reasons (for you) to go
“It is much more effective when you can say, ‘I’ve been there; I’ve seen it. Let me tell you something about it.’ Clients trust me more because I’ve been there. They’d rather speak to someone with personal knowledge than go on the Internet.” – Gandolfo

“Most clients realize how many options there are for South Africa. They get totally frustrated trying to decipher the differences between all the accommodations and which are the most game-rich areas. That is something that requires someone who has been there many times and who has site-inspected or stayed in most of the lodges. Clients who book on their own quickly learn that the Internet can lie, and photoshopped images are not always as they seem.” – Ebright

ITINERARY PLANNING
Determine what’s important
“It’s best to know what you want before you start booking. You need to qualify your clients; you need to find out what their activity level is, what their interests are. Do they want to see cats or elephants?” – Evans

Must-sees for first-timers
“A must-see in Cape Town is Cape Point, where the cold Atlantic meets the warm Indian Ocean. It has unique flora and fauna found only in this one place in the world. Tour the Winelands for spectacular wine tasting.” – Ebright
http://ow.ly/6jfdu

Jenny and Shirley were Elephants at the

Jenny and Shirley were Elephants at the same circus when Jenny was a calf,
and Shirley was in her twenty’s. The two lived one winter together, but
then were separated twenty-two years ago.

It’s very rare for elephants to display this kind of emotion in captivity,
and it’s probably the first time such a thing has been documented on film.
Click teh link for the video

http://www.dogwork.com/relp8/

Africa sent a strong message to poachers

Africa sent a strong message to poachers of its elephants by setting ablaze nearly five tons of contraband ivory worth millions of shillings on Wednesday. President Kibaki led representatives of regional governments in lighting the ivory pier at the Kenya Wildlife Service Training School in Manyani. “Through the burning of this contraband ivory, we are sending a clear message to poachers and illegal traders in wildlife about our collective resolve to fight this crime in our region and beyond,’’ the President said before lighting the fire.

Poachers and illegal traders in ivory, he added, must know that their days were numbered and severe punishment would be meted to those engaging in the decimation of wildlife.“We cannot afford to sit back and allow criminal networks destroy our common future,” he added. The large crowd that turned up to witness the rare event cheered as the President lit the ivory. The tusks, which made a seven-foot pier were piled on a fire grid bar built by Dynamic Green Technologies. It was doused with kerosene, donated by Total Kenya, and pumped from several gallons situated 500 metres away.

But even as the world witnessed yet another burning of the tusks captured from poachers and dealers across the globe, wildlife conservationists demanded tougher laws to stamp out the illicit trade. They cited light sentences handed to poachers and dealers in game trophy as the main reason the illicit trade continued to thrive. This is the third time an ivory stockpile is being destroyed in Africa. The Zambian government burned another pile in 1992.The event was the highlight of the first ever African Elephant Law.

The consignment comprised 335 solid elephant tusks and 41,553 ivory hankos or processed ivory.
They were seized by the Singapore customs authorities in June 2002 and subsequently brought
to Kenya by the Lusaka Agreement Task Force in March 2004 for investigations. The investigations determined its probable origins as Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Experts who spoke to the Nation said a kilogramme of elephant tusks fetches between Sh13,000 and Sh16,000 on the black market. This places the value of the 4.9 tons at between Sh63 million and Sh78 million.

Nigeria and Liberia, he said, had virtually lost all their elephants while Senegal remained with only eight. The 1989 burning of ivory by Mr. Moi helped Kenyan check the slaughter of its elephants.

In 1989, the population of the elephants in Kenya had dropped from 167,000 in the 1970s to a mere 16,000.However, Kenya managed to reverse the slide and now has 37,000 elephants. Ms Soila Sayialel,an elephant conservationist at Amboseli National Park, said time had come for the government to move from the routine burning to enactment of tough laws. “Governments can burn ivory to create awareness but unless we have tough laws, the danger remains,” said Ms Sayialel. Wild Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which called on countries to strengthen law enforcement and clean-up domestic ivory markets.