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..

Save up to $200 on Icelandair’s Glaciers, Geysers and Waterfalls package if you book the package before March 31.

Glaciers, Geysers and Waterfalls includes roundtrip airfare, buffet breakfast daily except arrival, transfers and five-night guided motor coach tour with accommodations and even includes some meals.

Crystal Cruises is scheduling wellness programming for the Crystal Symphony’s Sept. 5 voyage from London to New York.

The voyage visits Dublin, Iceland and Greenland.

Instructors from The Mayo Clinic and Tai Chi Cultural Center are on the agenda, as well as a Major League Baseball coach.

The 14-day voyage offers two-for-one fares, $1,000 per person shipboard credits and free air transportation from more than 20 North American gateways.

The 2010 fares are up to 15 percent lower than 2009 prices.

Wellness experts leading complimentary classes and talks include Dr. John McMichan, the former Mayo Clinic critical care, anesthesiology and medical education specialist; Jerry Kindall, a former MLB coach and player; Dr. Martin Lee, the founder of the Tai Chi Cultural Center; and Pat Laster, a veteran yoga instructor and specialist in relaxation therapies.

Ashore, guests can visit Reykjavic’s Blue Lagoon, whose waters are reputedly filled with healing minerals.

Fares start at $5,710 per person, double occupancy, including free air from 20 cities and the $1,000 bonus spending credit.

For more information, call 800-446-6620 or visit www.crystalcruises.com

Icelandair is currently selling Build Your Own Vacation packages to Iceland from New York and Boston for $579 per person, double occupancy, including roundtrip airfare, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, two nights hotel with breakfast and a free Norden Voyager Discount Card when booked by April 15, 2010.

Icelandair offers service to Iceland from Boston, New York-JFK, Seattle, and seasonal service from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando Sanford, Halifax and Toronto.

Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to over 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe. Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare.

Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport has been named the best airport in Europe according to the September 2009 Airports Service Quality survey conducted by the Airport Council International (ACI).

Iceland’s geographic location has always enabled Icelandair to offer the shortest and most direct flight route across the North Atlantic.

With an average layover of about an hour and a half, Icelandair now gives travelers the opportunity to spend some time in Europe’s best airport en route.

Passengers describe Keflavik International Airport as comforting, cozy and having a friendly atmosphere.

Travelers also noted the airport’s huge range of duty free stores and great value shopping.

With approximately 130 airports involved, The ACI survey is the world’s leading index for airport customer satisfaction ratings.

In addition, due to the strong value of the U.S. dollar against the Icelandic kronur, Iceland has been named a Top 10 Best Value Destination for 2010 by The Lonely Planet Travel Guide making duty free shopping an even greater bargain.

Icelandair offers service to Iceland from Boston, New York-JFK, Seattle and seasonal service from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando Sanford, Toronto (May 12, 2010) and Halifax (June 3, 2010).

Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to over 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe.

Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare.

For more information, visit www.icelandtouristboard.com

PACK YOUR BAGS: ICELAND’S FREE DVD AND BROCHURE SHARES SECRETS OF TRAVEL TO LAND OF 10,000 WATERFALLS

Islands magazine highlights Iceland on its Wish List 2010. Lonely Planet calls the country a “Best Value” destination for the year. Now it’s your turn to learn about our island nation located smack dab between the U.S. and mainland Europe.

Travel brochures can’t do justice to the scenic waterfalls, geysers, sizzling nightlife, and artistically prepared gourmet cuisine attracting an estimated 60,000 Americans each year.

That’s why the Iceland Tourist Board is offering a free DVD to anyone interested in traveling to this scenic North Atlantic country. The 5-1/2 minute video, appropriately titled Iceland: Beautiful, offers stunning footage of one of the world’s most pristine countries, located less than five hours from Boston Logan or New York Kennedy airports. The full version of the video can also be viewed on www.IcelandTouristBoard.com

“Iceland:Beautiful is a memorable way to show our vibrant and diverse nightlife, hip and modern fashions, world class cuisine made with organically fresh ingredients, and other attractions – did I mention 10,000 waterfalls? – drawing adventurous travelers to our eco island of pure and natural beauty,” explains Einar Gustavsson, director of the Iceland Tourist Board in New York.

To request a free copy of the DVD, or a good old fashioned printed brochure with “stop the car” vistas on every page, e-mail the Iceland Tourist Board at info@icelandtouristboard.com or call 212 885 9700 ext. 2.

For more information on Iceland, to view the new DVD, or download the 2010 brochure, log onto www.icelandtouristboard.com

The Yachts of Seabourn is offering two-for-one, cruise-only fares on more than 80 voyages in Europe and Asia, plus reduced roundtrip airfare from $499 for economy class and $1,999 for business class from 40 North American gateways.

The cruises depart from May to November and are seven to 15 days long.

To get the deal, cruises must be booked by April 30.

Among the eligible departures are the Seabourn Spirit’s Adriatic and Dalmatian voyages, the Seabourn Legend’s French and Italian Riviera cruises, and the Seabourn Odyssey’s sailings in the Greek Isles, Turkey and the Black Sea.

In June, the new Seabourn Sojourn will begin its maiden season in Northern Europe, cruising Scandinavia, Russia, Scotland and Norway.

In Asia, Seabourn Pride offers voyages visiting Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and China, including pre- and post-cruise extensions to Beijing on some departures.

All-inclusive cruise-only fares start at $3,550 per person, based on double occupancy of an ocean-view suite.

Avanti Destinations has introduced a host of new products for 2010. Avanti President Harry Dalgaard said these programs are focused on the independent traveler who has “been-there-done-that” in the past and wants more unique and authentic things to see and do.

The famed wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the focus of Avanti’s three-day “Côte du Rhône Wine Package.”

It includes two nights’ accommodations in a Provençal country house in the heart of this wine region, a visit to the Maison Bouachon winery with tasting, a gastronomic dinner at a local restaurant, and a three-day economy car rental to explore other wineries in the area. The package is priced from $699.

A fun-filled wine-tasting vacation in Spain is provided for the adventurous traveler with Avanti’s three-day “La Rioja by Bicycle.”

The La Rioja area is in the heart of the Spanish wine region. The package allows visitors to discover the small villages, welcoming people, beautiful landscapes and friendly wineries of La Rioja.

Included are two nights in Haro, bicycle rental, a full-day wine expert to guide you and more.

The package is priced from $499.

The country of Iceland is spotlighted in the “Reykjavik City Package” which offers a short Iceland stopover between the U.S. and Europe.

The three-day package includes hotel and sightseeing, such as a visit to the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa with its mineral-rich waters. The package is priced from $215.

Most airlines allow the Iceland stopover with very modest surcharges, and it helps break up a long flight into more leisurely segments.

“In the past few months we have seen a strong surge in sales for our independent programs for Europe,” said Dalgaard.

“We think that many people put off Europe travel plans in 2008 and 2009 based on the general economy and the weak US dollar.

“Now things have improved on both fronts and, as always, the appeal of Europe travel is very strong – especially for innovative travel experiences.” The comprehensive full color “Essence of Europe” 

Have your travel agent  call 800-422-5053 or visit www.AvantiDestinations.com

Cruise West announced its second edition of the “Voyages of the Great Explorers” in 2011-12 which will comprise 25 itineraries to Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, the Americas and the South Pacific.

Those who book and pay in full by April 30, 2010, save up to $4,600 per person and receive free international air of up to $1,500.

While several ports are repeats from the original 2010 voyages, there are new ports in countries such as Israel, Greece, Morocco, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Nicaragua, Peru, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and more.

Shore excursions are included at every port and each voyage will be enhanced by an “Ultimate Explorers Experience” such as a noviciation ceremony and food offering to the monks in Rangoon. The cruise also offers guest speakers sharing knowledge of the people, cultures and sights from each journey. On average there will be seven to 10 lectures on a 14-night itinerary.

Each voyage, ranging from nine to 18 nights, will visit places that the larger ships can’t access, such as Ile Rousse, Corsica, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus; the beaches of Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, also known for its dramatic coastline; the coral reefs of Corn Island, Nicaragua, once frequented by Caribbean pirates; and Kumai, Kalimantan, Borneo, to experience dawn in the jungle and observe orangutans.

The 2011-12 “Voyages of the Great Explorers” will circumnavigate the world in 335 days, commencing in Singapore on Feb. 22, 2011, and ending in Hong Kong on Jan. 24, 2012.

The 25 voyages will visit six continents, 254 ports of call in 61 countries while crossing 14 seas and oceans, and transiting four canals — Port Suez/Port Said (Suez Canal transit); Corinth Canal/Corinth (Mycenae/Nafplion); Kiel Canal; and the Panama Canal.
Prices start at $6,545 for the 13-night Panama City-to-Lima voyage.

For more information, call 800-689-1783 or visit www.cruisewest.com

Low fare airline announces new schedule to Winnipeg

Starting June 2010, Iceland Express will fly twice a week from Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport to Winnipeg International Airport, in Manitoba, Canada.

This is in addition to new London Gatwick to New York, London Gatwick to Akureyri and Birmingham to Reykjavik services, all due to launch in June 2010.

Flights from London Gatwick to Winnipeg start at £467 return including taxes and the first flight will depart on 12 June.

“Iceland Express is delighted to announce a fourth new route for 2010, this is a very exciting time for us,” says Matthias Imsland, Iceland Express CEO.

“Winnipeg is a great destination for Iceland Express.

As well as offering a beautiful landscape, Manitoba also acts as a great base for British travellers who wish to explore Canada, USA and South America.

The destination also has a historical significance as Winnipeg has proved popular among Icelanders wishing to emigrate, with one third of Icelanders moving to the area between 1870 and 1910.

We believe the new route will also be popular among Icelanders visiting family.”

Iceland Express also re-launched its operation from London Stansted in November 2009.