You’ll see more of the world in less than a month than most people see in a lifetime on Abercrombie & Kent’s “Around the World by Private Jet” tour April 28-May 24. But it will cost you.
Travel in style aboard an L-1011 specially redesigned to carry 80 passengers rather than the usual payload of 344, stay in some of the world’s finest hotels and take a cruise on the Danube River between Vienna and Passau, Germany. You’ll board in Seattle and make stops in Hong Kong; Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Phuket, Thailand; Muscat, Oman; Petra, Jordan; Vienna; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Dublin, Ireland, before returning to New York.
The tour costs $46,500 per person double occupancy (single supplement $5,350) and includes everything–all transportation, all accommodations, all meals, sightseeing, special events and gratuities to drivers and local guides. Air fare from your home town to Seattle and from New York, and limousine transfers also are included. Call 800-323-7308 or visit the Abercrombie & Kent site on the World Wide Web (www.abercrombiekent.com).
Holiday bowls
Why sit on the couch to watch the college bowls when you can be watching the action from the stands? Sports Travel Specials can get you to the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., or the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. Each four-day, three-night package includes a game ticket, daily breakfast, and round-trip game and airport transfers. Air fare is not included in any of the tours.
Two Dec. 31-Jan. 3 packages are available for the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl depending upon your choice of accommodations: Stay at Don Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club and have access to Shula’s athletic club and championship golf course for $670 per person double (single supplement $290), or at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Miami for $935 (single supplement $395).
The Dec. 30-Jan. 2 Rose Bowl trip to Pasadena costs $1,250 (single supplement $495) and includes accommodations in the Embassy Suites in nearby Arcadia, a New Year’s Eve trip to watch parade-float construction and a reserved seat for the Rose Bowl parade.
The Dec. 30-Jan. 2 package for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year’s Day costs $820 (single supplement $490) at the Hilton Riverside Hotel and includes a New Year’s Day brunch.
The Fiesta Bowl package, Dec. 30-Jan. 2, in Tempe costs $665 (single supplement $355) at the Embassy Suites in Scottsdale.
Triple rates are available for each tour. Call 800-451-5772.
Rail riding
Amtrak is offering special “Explore America” fares that let you travel to any of the rail carrier’s 500-plus destinations. You can travel round-trip coach class in any one region of the United States (Eastern, Central, Western, Florida) for $168, any two adjacent regions for $218 or across America for $278.
Amtrak discounts for seniors and children can be combined with the fare. Riders 62 and older receive a 15 percent rail discount, and up to two children ages 2-15 can travel for half-fare when with an adult.
The special fares must be purchased by Nov. 15 for travel through Dec. 18 (not available for travel Nov. 25-30). For further information, call 800-872-7245 or check out Amtrak’s site on the World Wide Web (www.amtrak.com).
Senior circuit
Saga Holidays has added several new “Road Scholar” education programs to its winter tours for travelers 50 and older.
“Sicily: A Mosaic of Mediterranean Cultures” explores the island’s Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and African influences. The 14-night tour costs $2,649 per person (no single supplement) from Chicago with departures in Jan. 7 and 21. Wait for the March 18 departure, and the price climbs to $2,749. But book by Nov. 12, and you’ll save $200 per person on any tour.
“Venice in Winter: Art, History, Music and Romance” will immerse you in the city’s splendor at a time when it’s not overrun with tourists. The eight-night “Venice in Winter” tour costs $1,899 per person double (single supplement $229) from Chicago with departures in December, January and February.
“Turkish Treasures: Kusadasi and Antalya” is an 11-night tour to many of the greatest archeological sites in Turkey, including Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Didyma, Miletus, Hierapolis, Perga and Side. The tour costs $2,099 per person (no single supplement) from Chicago and includes all meals and excursions for departures Jan. 21 and Feb. 4. March 4 and 18 departures cost $2,149 and $2,199 respectively. Book by Nov. 12 to save $100.
Call 800-621-2151.
Doubling up
Cross-Culture has published its catalog of 1998 tours “designed for travelers rather than tourists.” The tours cover most of Europe as well as northern and southern China and “old Japan.” For those with the time and money, Cross-Culture offers tours of Central and Eastern Europe that you can mix and match to suit your taste.
For example, combine the “Prague Spring” tour with “Transylvanian Traditions” next spring for a 22-day tour costing $4,840 per person double (single supplement $625) from New York. In the summer you can spend 23 days on the “Hungarian Holiday,” “Prague Castles & Countryside” and “Viennese Waltzes” tours for $5,500 (single supplement $565) from New York. Connecting flights between tours are included, as are all meals.
For a 70-page booklet describing these and other tours, call 413-256-6303 or check Cross-Culture’s site on the World Wide Web (www.javanet.com/(tilde)xculture).
