Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.travel From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: travel Mon, Mar 23 1992 Date: Mon, 23 Mar 92 05:45:26 EST Message-ID: 03-23 0000 DECISIONLINE: Travel USA TODAY Update March 23, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network VIETNAM A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT: Vietnam is no longer just a bad wartime memory, something to be evaded. People going there these days are going because they want to. And because the government is making it easier. Tour operators have been wasting little time since the Department of Treasury lifted its embargo against U.S.-organized trips there late last year. "It's like a cork out of a bottle," says one operator. (For more, see special Vietnam package below.) ATMS ABROAD ARE BETTER: Automatic teller machines abroad are no longer the traveler's nightmare they once have been, in no small measure because of how common they've become. Mark Brohan of Bank Network News estimates there are 273,000 ATMs worldwide with Europe leading the growth. They're convenient, with a better exchange rate than "over any sort of counter," says Ed Perkins, Consumer Reports Travel Letter. NUMBER MAY NEED CHANGING: To find automatic teller machines abroad, get an ATM location book with exact addresses from the bank. Some ATMs only take four-digit I.D. numbers. Get a new one if needed before going abroad. If there are letters involved, convert to numbers only using a phone keypad. If the card doesn't work, try later; phone lines may be faulty. If the machine eats the card, contact the home bank. RDU TO BE UNDER NEW RULES: Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina will be under the same rules governing the USA's busiest airports by 1994, says the Federal Aviation Administration. The rules will make commercial air travel safer and put new limits on private aircraft. At the behest of the National Transportation Safety Board, the FAA studied traffic there, 4.7 million passengers in 1991. CONCORDES INSPECTED: British Airways officials inspected all seven of their Concorde jets after a 5-foot by 10-foot rudder piece fell off during a Concorde flight from London to New York City. No one was hurt in the Saturday incident. The jet landed safely at Kennedy International Airport. It was the third time since 1989 Concorde rudders have disengaged. RENT A PHONE AT AIRPORT: United Airlines now has cellular phones available for rent for members of its Red Carpet Club. The phone service currently is available at Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare and San Francisco, according to the April issue of Frequent Flyer. WOLVES MAY RETURN TO PARK: Work has begun on an environmental impact statement on reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The target date for a draft of the statement is May 1993; a final decision may be made by 1994. NEVER MIND HEALTH FOOD: Lighter food - seafood in particular - was the favored menu choice at diners in the Drake Hotel's two restaurants last year, according to a survey. But room service orders showed a distinct preference for burgers as lunches and snacks at the New York hotel. SHIPPING ENVELOPES AVAILABLE: Airborne Express offers the Flight Ready Letter Express, a prepaid shipping envelope. Business travelers can buy the envelopes in bulk and fill in the mailing address, eliminating the need to memorize overnight-express account numbers while traveling. Call 206-285-4600 for information. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON VIETNAM: VIETNAM NOT FOR EVERYONE: The government has lifted restrictions on travel to Vietnam and travel is taking off, experts say. One of the lures: "There's no grand commercialism," says Fred Kaplan of "The Vietnam Guidebook." He concedes that "it's still a pretty tough place to get around. And Daniel Robinson, co-author of "Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia," says it's not for everyone. DIFFERENT TYPES VISIT COUNTRY: Travel experts identify four groups drawn to Vietnam. They are seasoned travelers looking for something different; twentysomething looking for another culture; veterans trying to heal the wounds of the war; and former Vietnamese visiting relatives. The Vietnamese government has created an agency to assist would-be travelers. And returning travelers invariably remark on the friendliness there. PASSPORT AND VISA NEEDED: Travelers who want to go to Vietnam need a passport and a visa ($60; call 310-377-2919). There are no nonstop flights; roundtrip fares can average $1,500. Travel time is about 25 hours plus layovers. November through March has the best weather. The food has been described as both "excellent" and "ghastly." A sense of adventure is helpful there. The capital: Ho Chi Minh City. (End of package.) 24-HOUR TELEPHONE INFORMATION: USA TODAY Weather Hot Line. 95 cents a minute. 1-900-555-5555. Travel Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM