http://www.earthtimes.org The Earth Times online newspaper, serving the planet with travel and vacation news that matters to you en-us PHP/4.4.4 http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/244761,cruise-ship-calls-for-help-in-antarctica--summary.html Buenos Aires - The Argentine cruise ship Ciudad de Ushuaia, with 122 people on board, issued a distress signal Thursday after getting stuck in the ice, suffering a fuel leak and letting in a minimal amount of water, the Argentine Navy said in Bueno... Travel,General Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:18:17 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/244761,cruise-ship-calls-for-help-in-antarctica--summary.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/244304,turkish-airlines-says-no-to-mobile-phone-use-on-flights.html Ankara - Turkish Airlines (THY) has decided to scrap plans to allow passengers to use mobile phones during flights saying that fights could break out between passengers due to a lack of a culture of talking, Sabah newspaper reported on Tuesday. So... Travel,General Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:51:39 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/244304,turkish-airlines-says-no-to-mobile-phone-use-on-flights.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243904,tourism-turns-poor-villages-into-classy-resorts-in-spain--feature.html Patones de Arriba, Spain - On weekends, files of parked cars form at the entrance to Patones de Arriba (Upper Patones), a mountain village 60 kilometres north-east of the Spanish capital Madrid. Trendily dressed visitors stroll through the winding co... Travel,General Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:09:09 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243904,tourism-turns-poor-villages-into-classy-resorts-in-spain--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243746,extrathai-airways-operates-special-flight-for-haj-pilgrims.html Bangkok - Thai Airways International (THAI), the national carrier, arranged a special charter flight Friday to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Had Yai Airport to accommodate hundreds of Thai-Muslim haj pilgrims who were stranded in Bangkok by the airport ... Travel,General Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:03:00 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243746,extrathai-airways-operates-special-flight-for-haj-pilgrims.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243743,star-cruises-plans-to-launch-taiwan-china-cruise-service.html Taipei - Star Cruises, the world's third-largest cruise line and the leading Asia-Pacific cruise line, plans to launch a cruise service between Taiwan and China in early 2009, its Taiwan manager said Friday. Since Taiwan has dropped the ban on direc... Travel,General Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:57:03 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243743,star-cruises-plans-to-launch-taiwan-china-cruise-service.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243714,holidays-off-for-1200-germans-amid-bangkok-strife.html Hamburg - German package-holiday companies cancelled holiday departures Thursday for 1,200 Germans because Bangkok's international airport remains occupied by demonstrators. The holiday companies, which had also cancelled outbound trips on Wednesday,... Travel,General Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:18:41 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243714,holidays-off-for-1200-germans-amid-bangkok-strife.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243682,gloabl-air-traffic-declines-for-second-consecutive-month.html Geneva - Air traffic continued to contract in October, statistics released Thursday showed, marking the second consecutive month of global decline. In September, global air traffic contracted by 2.9 per cent compared to the previous year, while in Oc... Travel,General Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:54:29 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243682,gloabl-air-traffic-declines-for-second-consecutive-month.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243650,taiwan-to-allow-foreign-cruise-ships-to-sail-between-taiwan-china.html Taipei - Taiwan will allow foreign cruise ships to sail directly between Taiwan and China after a recently-signed direct shipping pact becomes effective, an official said Thursday. Deputy Transport Minister You Fang-lai, quoted by the Broadcasting Co... Travel,General Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:57:48 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243650,taiwan-to-allow-foreign-cruise-ships-to-sail-between-taiwan-china.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243641,lufthansa-cancels-mumbai-flights-after-attacks.html Frankfurt - German airline Lufthansa cancelled two flights to the Indian city of Mumbai on Thursday and said a decision on Friday flights depended on the likely safety for its crew and passengers. The flights had been set to depart from Frankfurt and... Travel,General Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:33:21 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243641,lufthansa-cancels-mumbai-flights-after-attacks.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243531,taiwan-exempts-five-european-countries-from-visa-requirement.html Taipei - Taiwan has exempted five European countries from visa requirements to promote trade and tourism with them, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The five countries are Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania and Estonia. Their citizens will be al... Travel,General Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:51:18 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243531,taiwan-exempts-five-european-countries-from-visa-requirement.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243395,germany-advises-travellers-to-steer-clear-of-bangkoks-airport.html Berlin - Berlin's foreign ministry advised Germans on Wednesday to avoid Bangkok's international airport which is under siege by anti-government protesters. A foreign ministry spokesman said it was difficult to predict how things would develop. ... Travel,General Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:03:29 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243395,germany-advises-travellers-to-steer-clear-of-bangkoks-airport.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243381,singapores-october-tourist-arrivals-down-by-81-per-cent.html Singapore - Singapore's October tourism arrivals dropped by 8.1 per cent to 843,000 visitors from the same month a year ago, the Singapore Tourism Board said Wednesday. Indonesia (with 157,000 visitors), China (76,000), Australia (76,000), India (67,... Travel,General Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:51:28 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243381,singapores-october-tourist-arrivals-down-by-81-per-cent.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243373,philippines-urges-citizens-to-defer-travel-to-thailand.html Manila - The Philippine government on Wednesday urged its citizens to defer non-essential travel to Thailand as anti-government demonstrators seized the international airport in Bangkok. Foreign department spokesman Claro Cristobal said Filipino trav... Travel,General Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:21:08 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243373,philippines-urges-citizens-to-defer-travel-to-thailand.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243364,air-traffic-controllers-strike-forces-cancellation-in-athens.html Athens - A brief strike by air-traffic controllers at Athens International Airport forced the cancellation or rescheduling of 35 flights Wednesday. The debt-ridden state carrier, Olympic Airlines, said it would cancel 20 mostly domestic flights as a ... Travel,General Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:36:03 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243364,air-traffic-controllers-strike-forces-cancellation-in-athens.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243355,taiwan-warns-travelers-to-be-cautious-when-traveling-in-thailand.html Taipei - Taiwan warned its citizens Wednesday to be cautious when traveling in Thailand as anti-government protests are escalating, forcing the temporary closure of Bangkok's international airport. The Foreign Ministry urged Taiwanese who work or tra... Travel,General Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:12:08 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243355,taiwan-warns-travelers-to-be-cautious-when-traveling-in-thailand.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243312,new-zealand-protests-big-new-british-air-departure-tax.html Wellington - New Zealand has protested to Britain about a proposed huge increase in the departure tax charged air passengers, fearing it will hurt the tourist industry, already suffering from a slump in visitor numbers because of the international fi... Travel,General Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:00:07 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243312,new-zealand-protests-big-new-british-air-departure-tax.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243229,europes-highest-railway-station--how-do-you-say-that.html Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland - The strangest questions can cross your mind sometimes, such as how do you wish someone Good day! in Japanese? That would have been nice to know as the carriage door closed and passengers looked for seats on the Jungf... Travel,General Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:06:19 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243229,europes-highest-railway-station--how-do-you-say-that.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243225,romes-diocletian-baths-offer-glimpse-of-imperial-luxury.html Rome - A majestic hall at Rome's Diocletian Baths opened its doors to visitors Tuesday, after 30 years of restoration work at one of antiquity's most elaborate and spectacular thermal spa complexes. The 40-metre-long and 25-metre-high Aula X or Hall ... Travel,General Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:39:39 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243225,romes-diocletian-baths-offer-glimpse-of-imperial-luxury.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243139,poll-shows-cost-of-business-travel-to-rise.html Frankfurt, Germany - Business travellers should expect to dig deeper into their pockets for airline tickets and hotels next year, according to a survey by American Express. The study indicates that overall prices are not expected to increase vastly. ... Travel,General Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:12:37 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243139,poll-shows-cost-of-business-travel-to-rise.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243138,world-cup-host-south-africa-welcomes-bargain-minded-backpackers.html Johannesburg - A South African holiday does not have to include a stay at a luxury safari lodge in Kruger National Park or taking an expensive wine tour in the Western Cape province. Increasingly, tourists of modest means are exploring the country an... Travel,General Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:12:25 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243138,world-cup-host-south-africa-welcomes-bargain-minded-backpackers.html