Jetsettersblog

Auto Europe is offering several ways to save money on European car rentals this spring.

They include a free guaranteed one-car class upgrade, free GPS rentals and savings up to 15 percent off prestige car services.

Book early and receive a free one-car class upgrade in Italy, Germany, Ireland and Israel.

For example, reserve a compact class and receive a complimentary upgrade to an intermediate class. Additional upgrade categories are available.

In addition, for reservations through March 31, travelers will receive a free GPS rental with a minimum five-day rental of compact class or larger in select European countries.

The portable GPS units are the latest Garmin Nuvi 270s. The GPS units come with a dash mount but can be removed and taken into a villa or hotel room to plan the next day’s trip or to find a particular restaurant or museum. They also come loaded with mapping for all of Western Europe and most of Eastern Europe.

For the upscale traveler, Auto Europe is offering 15 percent off any weekly Mercedes Benz or Luxury car rental.

Upgrade offer varies based upon rental country.

GPS rental is available only for U.S. citizens residing in the United States and is valid for reservations paid for by March 31, for travel through May 31, 2010, and excludes delivery charges of $40 per rental..

The UK’s leading walking holiday specialist, Walks Worldwide, has launched its new 2010/2011 brochure revealing:

• 30 new trips around the world including 16 in Europe

• 16 new small group trips (some with a maximum of just 8 people)

• A lead in price of just £245 for the 8 day Emilia Romagna trip to Italy plus lots of other price reductions

• New look, user friendly and easy-to-navigate brochure

• New tailor-made options (plus the usual favourites)

New trips – here are just six to whet the appetite

Madeira – Levadas Unravelled – 7 days from £490 pp (self guided)

A brand new destination and a self-guided/self-drive option to this volcanic island which is both rugged and beautiful.

There are 1400km of Levadas, with walks from high in the mountains through sub-tropical forest via steep gorges down to the sea.

Sicily, Volcanoes and Aeolian Islands – 8 days from £645 pp (self guided)

Enjoy 8 days walking on Etna, Vulcano and Stromboli – all active volcanoes, exploring crater rims and recent lava flows whilst enjoying great food and wine in picturesque fishing villages.

The Accursed Mountains of Albania – 8 days from £595 (small group)

Join Walks Worldwide’s Mark Knowles on this exciting reconnaissance trip. Inspired by Robert Carver’s book ‘The Accursed Mountains’ this region in the north remains largely untrekked; a genuine adventure holiday for the open minded! Max. group size of 8.

Classic Inca Trail in Peru – 10 days from £975 pp (small group)

A ‘must do before you die’ trip for serious trekkers, the Inca Trail still retains its air of mystery and spirituality. An expert guide will add colour as you visit the ceremonial sites of Sayacmarca, Rucuracay, Winya Wayna and many others, hiking among soaring, snow capped peaks to the fabled Lost City of Machu Picchu.

Gokyo Lakes & Everest of Nepal – 22 days from £1145 pp (small group)

A more challenging and better trek to reach Everest base Camp; the 22 day trip provides a chance to go beyond the Everest Base Camp trail to the glittering Gokyo Lakes, with an ascent of Gokyo Ri for breathtaking views of Everest and Makalu.

Tazahart & Toubkal ‘Turbo’ (Morocco) 5 days from £295 pp (2 people – guided)

This new trip has been designed for walking junkies looking for a quick mountain fix!

The five day trip’s itinerary includes three days right up high in the High Atlas with a hike to the peak of North Africa’s highest mountain, Toubkal, at over 4000m.

Most Walks Worldwide trips are available with or without flights, for those who would rather make their own arrangements.

Transportation, accommodation, meals and guides are included as detailed on each trip’s itinerary/dossier.

For further information or to make a booking call 0845 301 4737 or visit www.walksworldwide.com

Walks Worldwide is a unique, specialist tour operator, dedicated to offering self-guided, guided and tailor-made trekking and walking holidays to all corners of the globe.

Its highly knowledgeable team has travelled and trekked all over the world, to give direct, firsthand advice from walking at altitude tips to the clothing and equipment best required. It is a proudly independent company which treats all customers as individuals and its highly personal service results in numerous people re-booking year after year.

Regent Holidays (0845 277 3317 www.regent-holidays.co.uk ) is delighted to introduce its Alternative Europe brochure, an all-new and unique brochure that combines the best of Regent’s innovative yet value-for-money tours, fly-drives and individual tailor-made tour suggestions across the Baltics, Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Train, bicycle and hydrofoil are among the many travel options offered in the new brochure, which also offers better value than ever – on the whole, 2010 prices are cheaper than or the same as 2009.

This is true for Regent’s popular tours including its 10 day Baltic Capital Cities Tour (from £635pp), its 8 day Tallinn & St Petersburg Tour (from £725 pp), the 10 day Highlights of Poland Tour (from £765pp) and the 8 day Classic Croatia Group Tour (from £795pp).

Kosovo remains in the brochure for the second year running following the success last year of Regent’s group tour, the first to arrive in the newly-found country since the Kosovan war.

A 6 day small group tour to the country costs from £765pp. Due to popular demand, the June tour is already sold out but Regent have added a second departure on 10th September.

2010 marks Regent’s 40th anniversary and 40 years since becoming the first operator to send UK tourists to Albania back in 1970.

The country remains a popular choice for Regent’s clients who can choose from a range of tours including the 12 day Classic Group Tour (from £1,395 pp), the seven day Tirana and Beach Stay (from £540pp) and the eight day Highlights of Albania Tour (from £1,455pp).

New additions to the 2010 brochure reflect Regent’s commitment to responsible travel. See Lithuania the green way on Regent’s 10 day Cycling Around The Curonian Lagoon (from £830pp). This is a self-guided, summertime tour taking in part of the 220km track alongside three bodies of water – the Curonian Bay, Nemunas River and the Baltic Sea. Expect staggering views, colossal sand dunes, Blue Flag beaches and historic towns preserved in time.

Regent continues to make excellent use of each destination’s infrastructure in its new 15 day tour of Latvia, Lithuania and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad (from £945pp). Similarly, its 11 day Capital Cities Tour (from £895pp) combines visits to Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, travelling between each city by train and hydrofoil.

Train is also the mode of transport for Regent’s new 11 day tour of Bucharest, Sofia and Istanbul (from £755pp), a tour that combines the flavour of West with East.

Regent’s new 10 day Classic Turkey Group Tour (from £1,595 pp) guarantees warmth as well as a charming taste of Turkey’s diverse geography from lively Istanbul to Cappadocia, the Mediterranean and the Island of Gallipoli.

Also new for 2010 is the Slovenia & Istria Fly-Drive, an 8 day tour from £695pp covering highlights such as Lake Bled, Bohinj and Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana.

The well thought out route takes you through stunning landscapes from the lakes to the Julian Alps, the coast to the southern hill region and along the Istrian Peninsula.

The flexibility of a fly-drive tour allows you to linger in each of the picturesque Venetian style coastal towns on your way.

These are just a few of the tour suggestions that Regent can organise for you, for even better value in 2010.

As a fully bonded tour operator with 40 years of expertise, the 2010 brochure perfectly reflects Regent’s deep-rooted understanding of each destination and its commitment to providing clients with innovative European tour suggestions. Rest assured that you are in the best possible hands with Regent’s team of well-travelled experts who will bring your holiday dreams to life.

All prices are based on two sharing on B&B basis, including return flights and airport taxes.

ATOL 6094 / ABTA Y1152

Auto Europe has launched a full-service car rental reservation mobile website.

Travelers can reserve car rental services, look up their current reservations or jump over to their main website for additional services on a web-enabled phone or PC.

With one click, car rental services can be arranged at over 4,000 locations worldwide including airport, hotel and downtown locations.

Simply select your rental country, pick up city, dates of travel, transmission and car category and from there, choose the car rental that best suits your needs.

If you already have a reservation but need to change or review your services, visit Reservation Look Up on the mobile site and enter your voucher number, and driver’s first and last name.

There is also a full FAQ section and information to contact Auto Europe if you have any questions about your reservation or using the site.

For additional services, select Full Site.

For more information,

visit www.autoeurope.com/mobile

“Live in harmony with nature” is the theme of the 2010 Romantik Hotel & Restaurant Guide, which features 205 hotels and restaurants in 10 European countries. Of the hotels showcased, 16 are new for 2010. In Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, there are new Romantik hoteliers, who enjoy advantages like improved marketing using various channels at home and abroad, an increased occupancy and the experience exchange with other hoteliers. For more information, call 800-650-8018 or visit www.romantikhotels.com

CIE Tours International launched its 2010 program of coach tours in Continental Europe and Eastern Europe. Destinations include Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, and the Baltic Republics.

The tours are described in a new brochure, CIE Tours International River Cruises & Coach Tours, Europe 2010 and also on www.cietours.com

A focal point of the program is the Passion Play with Vienna to Warsaw, a 13-day/11-night/18 meal escorted coach tour that includes a performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play, one of 2010’s top travel events.

The Oberammergau visit includes afternoon and evening sessions of the play along with a souvenir program, as well as lunch, dinner and hotel accommodations in the Oberammegau area.

The tour itinerary, which starts in Munich and ends on Warsaw, visits five countries: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.

The sightseeing takes in the forests of Bavaria as well as visits to Salzburg and Czestochowa.

Half-day sightseeing tours with local guides are also provided in Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Crackow, and Warsaw. Departures are on selected Tuesdays, May 18 through Sept. 7, with land-only prices starting at $3,498.

The price includes first-class hotel accommodations with private bath for 11 nights; 11 buffet breakfasts and six dinners; visits and admissions to the Oberammergau Passion Play, fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle of King Ludwig, Hofburg Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Fisherman’s Bastion, Mattias Church, Royal Cathedral and Yasna Gora Monastery; sightseeing by luxury motorcoach with professional tour director; all local taxes, hotel service charges and porterage; deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags and strap. Other tours featuring Oberammergau are also on the CIE’s website.

For information, call 800-CIE-TOUR or visit www.cietours.com

Rail Europe’s TGV Twitter contest will take place daily from Dec. 14 to 24 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST.

To be entered to win the contest, participants need to log onto Rail Europe’s Twitter page, www.twitter.com/raileurope , and correctly answer a trivia question regarding the TGV train.

The first five people to tweet the correct answer each day will automatically win a $200 credit to be used towards a TGV journey, valid for booking until March 15.

Winners will be announced daily at 4 p.m. EST.

All winners will also be automatically entered to win the TGV Twitter Grand Prize.

Rail Europe is offering a free trip for two to Paris.

The trip for two includes roundtrip airfare from New York to Paris, five hotel nights in France and a roundtrip TGV journey from Paris to one other city in France, with the destination to be determined by Rail Europe Inc.

The grand prize winner will be drawn on Dec. 29.

For more information, visitvisit the banner at right.

Holiday Options is featuring Albania for the first time in 2010 with highlights of the programme including small group tours and, for more independent clients, the lively beach resort of Durres.

Announcing the introduction, director, Alan Brown said: “I held many misconceptions about the country but, following visits in June, I was amazed by the beauty, diversity and high stands of the accommodation, roads and general infrastructure.”

The company believes that, until Albania becomes more open, first-time visitors will want their hand held, hence the decision to offer guided tours devised specifically for Holiday Options.

Highlights of the seven-night two-centre ‘Mysterious Albania & Unknown Montenegro’ trip – which has exclusive departures between May and October – include a sightseeing tour of Tirana, the archaeological site of Apollonia – one of the most important heritage sites in Europe – the historical hilltop town of Kruje and the ancient city of Scodra.

Prices lead in at £755 per person (twin share) inclusive of return Gatwick, transfers, four-star hotel accommodation with breakfast, selected lunches and dinners, entrance fees and services of an English speaking tour escort.

Regional departures are also available, supplements may apply.

For independent clients, the company is highlighting seven-night holidays at the four-star Hotel Adriatik Resort Hotel in the lively seaside town of Durres, home to international-style hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping malls.

Facilities at the hotel, which overlooks a stunning sandy beach, include large pool, tennis, fitness centre, Jacuzzi and sauna, along with a choice of bars and restaurants.

Available between April and October, prices range between £699 and £799 per person (twin share) for seven nights inclusive of return flights from Gatwick to Tirana, transfers and accommodation with breakfast.

Reservations: 0844 477 0452,

www.holidayoptions.co.uk

Eurail.com is offering students a new discount when traveling abroad — two free rail travel days.

Now through Dec. 31, all youth travelers age 25 or younger on their first day of travel, with a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC), can purchase a 21-day Eurail Global Pass Youth and get a total of 23 days at no additional cost.

As part of this Eurail special, promotional pass holders traveling with Superfast Ferries from Italy to Greece or vice versa can upgrade from deck to a bed in an AB4 shared cabin.

With a Eurail Global Pass, students with ISIC discount cards will receive two free days on the 21-day pass, for a total of 23;

an upgrade to a shared cabin when traveling between Italy and Greece on Superfast Ferries;

extensive rail travel in 21 countries; free and fast shipping, lowest prices and secure payment;

and the ability to order up to six months in advance.

For more information, visit the banner ad at right.