World Traveler

Bali's uninhabited Isle de Menjangan, like every else in Bali is well-worth the visit, but Bali has a growing problem with feral dogs, rabies--and worse--with a chronic shortage of vaccinations. With more than 30,000 dog bites in the first half of 2010, the risk is real, and tourists should know to get to a pharmacy in order to buy the vaccination before heading to the hospital, which may not have the vaccination readily available. Photo by Eric Bajart/courtesy of Wikimedia commons.

When it comes to vacations spots even high-end or marquis-name vacation destinations can come with hidden risks. While some, such as stomach illness from unclean water, are a given, other destinations carry with them not only the possibility of a chronic infection but the disheartening possibility of accident, crime or impotent health systems that can make a bad situation get worse quick.

Below is World Travelers current “go prepared for trouble” list of typical and popular tourists destinations (high-risk/third-world destinations are already ruled out on this list). This is not created to criticize the destination as such, but to inform otherwise unwary travelers of risks well known to locals—and the facts on how to protect yourself, which are not always publicized.

1)      Bali. Highlighted in a recent article by the Associated Press, the Indonesian paradise has a serious problem with rabies and packs of mangy, basically feral dogs. Seventy-eight people have died in two years, officially, thanks to rabies, but the number is likely far higher. More troubling, there have been about 30,000 people bitten by feral dogs in the first six months of 2010. Packs of mangy dogs are often seen on beaches, and, according to the Associated Press, a “handful” of tourists have been bitten, none of them fatally. If bitten, head first to a local pharmacy, where you can purchase a rabies vaccination—and then go to the hospital. Keep it cool (packed in ice, but not frozen) and get to a doctor as soon as possible. Do not go to the hospital first (unless, of course, the bite is so severe that you have no choice) as rabies vaccination shortages in public hospitals are chronic, and you may simply be wasting time. Pharmacies have the vaccination for sale at prices beyond many Bali natives, so there you go. Moreover, depending on the location of the bite, it symptoms can arrive almost immediately or lie dormant for up to a year. Once symptoms appear—these include flu-like symptoms, agitation, fear of water, paralysis, shock or coma—it is too late. Also, know that you may need to extend your stay to complete the vaccination process. This correspondent, after being once bitten by a rat, suffered through seven such shots (in one typical vaccination series) over a period of weeks. It was no fun to be sure, but absolutely necessary.

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There is nothing like that sinking feeling of knowing your bags have not come through--and unless you are in the airport in Las Vegas (where slot machines are available), there is little to do but wait for the airline to sort it out. In the vast majority of cases, no fees will be reimbursed for delayed baggage, and no compensation will be offered for having to hit that business meeting in jeans or being stuck with only one suit. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Jerome.

A frustrated traveler recently heard about World Traveler, demanded a business card from your favorite correspondent and then (in quite an accusing tone of voice) said: ‘You’re with the airlines aren’t you?’

‘Well, no—but I do write about them a lot.’

At which point he scrunched up his brow and said: ‘If that’s true, then you can quote me in your articles. What we need is a traveler’s bill of rights.

Ah, yes. The conundrum of regulation versus deregulation.

That is really what this is about, isn’t it? At one point, back in the prehistoric days of airline travel, everything was not only regulated, double-checked and guaranteed, but it was also prohibitively expensive (well, for many of us anyway). Then deregulation hit, low-cost airlines leapt into the market and suddenly airline travel was, if not affordable for all, much more affordable than ever before.

The problem was (and is) that, in the opinion of many, “traveler’s rights” kind of got lost along the way. This is not to be confused with good service—and frankly, most airlines strive to give good service simply because it is a terribly competitive business—but when things go wrong, they go wrong badly. And during the scramble to realign schedules, overcome bad weather, deal with strikes, etc., too often the average passenger gets treated like cattle.

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Air France's reputation took a hit last week with revelations that a stewardess systematically stole money and items from passengers, beginning in January of this year. Photo courtesy of Philippe Noret/Wikimedia Commons.

The first rule of travel? Keep an eye on your belongings—even when flying by plane.

In what can only be considered an embarrassment for the company, a 47-year-old Air France hostess, Lucie R., allegedly stole thousands from passengers in the form of euros, yen, Swiss francs, checkbooks, credit cards, watches and jewels, according to the British daily The Daily Telegraph.

The thief primarily hit the Paris-Tokyo line, with the first thefts taking place in January of this year. Border police arrested her at Charles de Gaulle Airport last Friday at 4:30 a.m., according to the paper.

The news is not likely to help Air France ticket sales, but in fact the myth that your belongings are safe and sound on even long-haul flights is only that, a myth. Passengers from just about every known airline have arrived at their destination missing money, belongings, passports and the like—although this is perhaps the first time that a steward or stewardess was found to be systematically thieving over such a long period of time.

Much more common is the disappearance of valuables (and entire suitcases) on long-haul flights. More than one major airline has chronically dealt with alleged thievery from baggage held “behind the scenes” during lengthy stopovers, and many travelers (including this correspondent) know the frustration of trying to get compensation for gifts, clothes and the like after the fact.

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Virgin Galactic's mother ship VMS Eve, with Spaceship Two hanging in the center. Spaceship Two, which will eventually soar into space on its own, successfully debuted in a flight together with the mother ship last week. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Virgin Galactic.

Love him or hate him, there has never been a billionaire like Sir Richard Branson—as is his mini-airliner/spaceship proved by taking travel possibilities literally higher than ever before during the spaceship’s first suborbital flight with a crew last week.

What this means in the big picture is really anyone’s guess, and although no one expects Branson’s venture, Virgin Galactic (http://www.virgingalactic.com), to turn the world into a Jetsons cartoon overnight, last week’s flight turned a corner in the world of tourism that thus far has only been the realm of fantasy fiction.

Simply put, Branson’s plan to send “space tourists” to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere for USD 200,000 a pop just got a bit closer.

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U.S. airlines are now facing heavy fines when passenger-filled planes sit on the tarmac for more than three hours. Such delays mean planes must return to the gate and disembark or face penalities of up to $27,500 per passenger. Photo courtesy of Pessimist/Wikimedia Commons.

Could “tarmac stranding” be finally coming to an end?

It appears so—and at least the progress shown by airlines is a good sign for travelers. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that five flights sat on the tarmac for more than three hours in May, the first month a new regulation promising to punish lengthy delays with painful fines came into effect.

And while five such strandings sounds bad enough, it is a far cry from the 35 such strandings in May of 2009, as reported by the Associated Press.

Which means the fines—or at least the threat of fines—appears to be working.

The U.S. Department of Transportation promised to put an end to tarmac stranding, which had not only been on the increase in recent years, but which also saw lengthy episodes where travelers were stuck inside stuff planes with little food, water and inadequate toilet facilities. Airlines guilty of tarmac stranding for more than three hours can now face fines of up to USD 27,500 per passenger (although passengers are unlikely to see any of this cash).

No fines have been levied in the May strandings, as each such event is subject to investigation.

By Preston Smith, editor, Psiloc

This blogger can be reached directly at preston.smith@psiloc.com.         

Most travelers should stick to tried-and-true (and safe) tourist areas. "Favela tours" in Brazil or post-disaster tours, like those of the 9th Ward in New Orleans, can be confining for safety reasons, and in worst-case scenarios can actually put your trip and well-being at risk.

No go areas? Suspicious persons on your trip?

Offers that are too good to be true? Rip-off artists out to ruin your vacation?

Hopefully, you will never run into any of these situations. The world is big, beautiful and full of adventure, but with adventure comes risk and unfortunately sometimes characters of, well, not the greatest character. Below are a few tips to avoid pitfalls that can not only ruin your vacation, but ruin your life.

1)      Think before you book. Actually, make that think not only for yourself, but for the well-being of your family. As one well-intentioned mom told World Traveler, “It’s easy to forget the impression some destinations will have on kids. We had always wanted to visit New Orleans, but a late dinner left us walking down the center of Bourbon Street with a four- and five-year-old on a Saturday night. Not my best move as a mother, let me tell you.”

2)      Book those free or discounted marketing trips with great trepidation. Although less popular than in previous years, you can still greatly reduce the cost of a trip by agreeing to view properties or condominiums with the vague intention of being “in the market.” While this correspondent personally knows some travelers who have perhaps not enjoyed, but tolerated (more…)

Parisian cafe culture is under pressure from no-smoking bans and aggressive, soul-killing franchises, but streets like Avenue de la Bourdonnais still have that French feel of yesteryear. Photo by Shawn Lipkowski/Wikimedia Commons.

You can’t do Paris without doing Paris cafes.

The problem is that if the current trend continues, one day you may not have a choice. For it seems–not unlike coral reefs and the world’s pristine beaches–that Parisian cafe culture is in jeopardy.

Yes, you read right. In jeopardy. As much as it pains the vast and incredibly detail-oriented staff at World Traveler, the Parisian cafe is on the demise.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the coffee. In fact, despite whatever you might hear, in Paris there is not a great deal of variation when it comes to Parisian coffee. It’s all good (usually). It’s all similar (if not at times identical). And generally speaking, cafes in Paris are not about coffee anyway. In fact, now that the cigarette ban is in place and many cafes have expanded dramatically onto public sidewalks, they seem to be more about tobacco than ever before.

Which leads us to the stats.  

“In 1960, there were about 200,000 cafes across France. Fifty years later, there are only around 40,000 left and, according to industry statistics, two cafes go out of business every day,” according to www.dw-world.de.

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