Jetsettersblog

Viking River Cruises is happy to announce its Early Booking Discounts for the 2009 sailing season has been extended and now expires on the 31st of October. Valid for cruises in Europe, Russia and China and now also including sailings on the newly renovated Viking Surkov in Russia and their ‘Roof of the World’ itinerary, a 16 day adventure exploring the imperial treasures of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai, 6 day Yangtze cruise as well as the Tibetan plateau known as ‘the roof of the world’.

The Grand European Tour, the iconic Amsterdam to Budapest cruise, from Holland’s windmill studded tulip fields to Germany’s fairytale castles, from the engineering marvel of the Main & Danube Canal to the picturesque vineyards of Austria’s Wachau Valley, this epic voyage presents the highlights of Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Starting from $5,799 per person in a category B deluxe stateroom, now offered with a saving of $1,250! Book and pay in full by 31 October and all you pay is $4,549 per person for an all-inclusive 15 day cruise along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers in a deluxe category B stateroom or higher.

Viking River Cruises award winning 12 day Yangtze cruise, Imperial Jewels of China, exploring cosmopolitan Shanghai and the historic imperial treasures of Beijing such as the Forbidden city, the Great Wall and famed Summer Palace combined with a cruise between Wuhan and Chongqing through the wildly beautiful Three Gorges and Lesser Gorges is also now offered at a discount. Save up to $750 per person in a deluxe category B stateroom or higher, now starting from $2,749 per person including the fantastic discount.

Grand European Tour, 15 days, Amsterdam to Budapest &
Eastern European Odyssey, 16 days, Bucharest to Nuremberg
For stateroom category B or higher - save $1250 per person
For stateroom category C or lower - save $500 per person

Treasure of the Rhine, 15 days, Switzerland to Belgium
Portraits of Southern France, 8 days, Chalon-sur-Saone to Avignon
Rhine Getaway, 8 days, Amsterdam to Basel
Romantic Danube, 8 days, Budapest to Nuremberg
Cities of Light, 12 days, Paris to Prague
Elegant Elbe, 12 days, Berlin to Prague
Paris and the heart of Normandy, 8 days, Paris to Le Havre
Tulips & Windmills, 10 days, Amsterdam to Amsterdam
Danube Holiday Delight, 8 days, Passau to Vienna
Danube Explorer, 8 days, Vienna to Nuremberg
China’s Cultural Delights, 17 days, Beijing to Shanghai
Imperial Jewels of China, 12 days, Shanghai to Beijing
Roof of the World, 16 days, Beijing to Shanghai
For stateroom category B or higher - save $750 per person
For stateroom category C or lower - save $500 per person

Waterways of the Czars, 13 days, St Petersburg to Moscow
Russian Rhapsody, 16 days, St Petersburg to Moscow
Footsteps of the Cossacks, 11 or 12 days, Kiev to Odessa
For all stateroom categories - save $500 per person
EBD discount for Viking Surkov is $350 per person, all categories.

For Terms & conditions please visit www.vikingrivercruises.com . All prices are listed in Australian dollars. Book and pay in full by 31 October 2008 and valid on 2009 sailings only.

For bookings and enquiries please contact your local travel agent or Viking at:
Australia:  Australia@vikingrivercruises.com or toll free number: 1800 829 138
New Zealand:  Newzealand@vikingrivercruises.com or toll free number: 0800 447 913

About Viking River Cruises is the leading river cruise line in the world, operating the world’s largest fleet of 22 deluxe vessels built specifically for river travel providing unique, deluxe vacations. All 22 vessels are fully owned by Viking River Cruises and operated by Viking River Cruises own Swiss hotel management and staff. Viking River Cruises is a member of International Cruise Council Australasia.

For more information and all details on Viking River Cruises product, service, please go to www.vikingrivercruises.com or contact Teresia Fors, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, +61 405 644 550 or teresiafors@vikingrivercruises.com

Gay travelers always find a warm welcome in Denmark. Now they receive the same treatment even before they board their flights on SAS. Scandinavian Airlines recently launched a Web site dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual/transgender travelers: www.flysas.com/gay . The site, created in partnership with Wonderful Copenhagen and Copenhagen Gay Life, offers GLBT maps, guides and event calendars for the city. It’s a useful resource any time, and it will be especially handy when Copenhagen hosts the World OutGames in 2009.

Europcar - Prius - final.docWorkers and residents in and around London can now escape the city whilst saving fuel, congestion charge costs and their conscience with the availability of the Toyota Prius from Europcar. The UK’s leading vehicle rental organisation is now offering the Prius, the world’s first and most successful hybrid power vehicle, from all of its London locations.

Driving pleasure, comfort and space haven’t been sacrificed to provide an eco-car. Instead the Prius combines style and superb handling with state of the art technology needed in these environmentally conscious times.

The fleet of vehicles are exempt from the London Congestion Charge and can be driven certain distances using electric power only at the press of a button. This means zero emissions, less noise and better fuel economy – perfect for city and country driving alike.

“The availability of the Prius provides customers with an opportunity to put the hybrid to the test following news that Toyota aims to sell at least 1 million hybrid vehicles annually in the early part of the next decade.” said Catriona Lougher, Marketing Director for Europcar.

“Renting a car with Europcar is already a green choice as all our vehicles are on average just 3 months old and fitted with the latest technology to cut emissions. The average CO2 emission of our fleet is 157 g/km compared to the UK car parc of 164.9 g/km*. However, by making the Prius available we are bringing our customers a new way to drive greener that will also help them cut costs in terms of fuel and congestion charges. It’s all part of our commitment to exploit new manufacturer developments to bring customers the latest models to hit the road and a great rental experience.”

*Source SMMT 2007 report.

Reservations Phone: 1-800-626-0126Website: www.amawaterways.com

It’s a win, win, win situation. Book your ski holiday before 31st October and save £100 per person off the brochure price. This offer is valid on all Snowline and VIP chalets in all resorts for the weeks of 4th/11th/18th January 2009 and 8th March 2009, plus Christmas week in Morzine (21st December 2008).

Snowline and VIP offer an extensive range of chalets in some of the most desirable ski resorts in the Alps. From chic contemporary apartments to substantial, detached properties, each chalet has its own individual charm and unique style. Many are ski in or out, most have hot tubs and all come with DVD libraries and board games for cosy evenings around the fire. Whether it’s for larger families or couples, there is a chalet to suit everyone.

The early bird definitely gets the worm and with Val d’Isère, Zermatt and La Plagne all located at high altitudes, you are guaranteed snow throughout the season. It’s also guaranteed you’ll enjoy a warm stay and superb service; post piste spa treatments and massages, fine dining and all-day care for children by fully qualified and vetted nannies. So what are you waiting for…get ahead of the crowds and book now

Sample Saver Week Prices:

VIP (0844 557 3119; www.vip-chalets.com) offer 7 nights at Chalet Madrisah (sleeps Saver Week on 8 January 2009 at £779 per person including return flights from London, transfers and accommodation on a catered basis.

Snowline (0844 557 3118; www.snowline.co.uk)  offer 7 nights at Chalet Atilla (sleeps 14) Saver Week on 11 January 2009 at £509 per person including return flights from London, transfers and accommodation on a catered basis.

Two new ski-in/ski-out chalets

Free ski instructor or ski guide early booking offer

The best chalet cooked meals available in Les Trois Vallées

Chalet specialists Fish & Pips has added to its reputation as the market leader in supplying quality, gourmet ski holidays to Les Trois Vallées, by expanding its ski-in/ski-out chalet portfolio in Méribel for the 2008/9 ski season.

Staying true to its original philosophy, the programme is once again focused towards providing guests with exceptional cuisine, an outstanding collection of chateau and domaine-bottled wines and highly qualified staff.

Now in its fourth year the company was founded by experienced seasonaires and Cordon Bleu trained chefs Holly Fisher (the ‘Fish’) and Philippa Eyles (the ‘Pips’). Eyles comments: “The two new chalet additions fit perfectly with our existing portfolio, which has been very well received by visitors – with over 65% of our guests either being recommended to us or coming back for yet another ski holiday with Fish & Pips.”

New for 2008/9 are the ski-in/ski out five-bedroom Chalet du Guide (sleeps up to 12) and three-bedroom Chalet L’Ours (sleeps six). Both chalets are picturesque, traditional Savoyard style properties and are situated just moments from the ski lifts and village centre.

The price of a week’s stay at the Chalet du Guide, which also has its own hot-tub, starts from just £495 pp (week commencing 13 December), rising to £935 pp during half-term week (commencing 14 February).

A week’s stay at Chalet L’Ours starts from just £715 pp (week commencing 21 or 28 February), rising to £875 pp during half-term week (commencing 14 February).

Continues Eyles: “We continue to be 100% focused towards providing our guests with exceptional cuisine, and the only way to achieve this is by employing highly qualified and experienced chefs (unlike other tour operators who send inexperienced staff on a one week learn-to-cook course). With complete autonomy in the kitchen, allowing them to let their creative juices flow, we are confident that our chefs will provide guests with the best chalet cooked meals available in Les Trois Vallées this winter.”

As an added bonus, guests booking an entire chalet this winter, will also receive a free afternoon of ski guiding or instruction from a Parallel Lines ski instructor. Whether beginner or advanced, skier or snowboarder, adult or child, the British instructor will adapt the afternoon to fit with your requirements.

All prices include seven nights’ catered chalet accommodation (daily breakfast and afternoon tea plus a four-course evening meal six days a week with unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks). Flights and transfers extra.

Please telephone Fish & Pips on 01483 421 777, or visit www.fishandpips.co.uk or further details.

Pierre Graff, chairman and CEO of Aéroports de Paris, and Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, inaugurated the new terminal 2G at Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Sept. 9, in the presence of Christine Lagarde, Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment of France. The decision to build Terminal 2G corresponded to two fundamental desires — AirFrance and its regional subsidiaries, Brit Air, City Jet and Régional, wanted to consolidate their traffic in a single location, and Aéroports de Paris wanted to increase its handling capacity to support the growth in traffic within the Schengen area.

The new terminal has more gate parking stands, improved connections for passengers and a new lane for aircraft to minimized taxiing time and save on fuel. It also has gate-parked aircraft, easier international connections, rapid baggage check-in system and simplified access, all designed to reduce operating costs. The new terminal is designed to handle the needs of disabled and reduced-mobility passengers, and has new services for business travelers.

Once terminal 2G enters into service, flights will be operated to the following 20 destinations: France: Clermont-Ferrand (Brit Air & Régional), Limoges (Airlinair for Brit Air), Mulhouse-Basle (Régional), Pau (Régional), Rennes (Airlinair for Brit Air), Strasbourg (Brit Air);? Germany: Bremen (Régional), Hanover (Régional), Leipzig (Régional), Munster (Régional), Nuremberg (Régional); Spain: Bilbao (Brit Air), Vigo (Régional); Italy: Florence (City Jet), Genova (Brit Air), Pisa (Brit Air), Trieste (Brit Air), Verona (Régional); Slovenia: Ljubljana (Régional); and Sweden:

 Gothenburg (City Jet, Régional). There is a 750-space parking lot adjacent to the terminal, 18 self-service check-in kiosks, 10 self-service transfer kiosks, 12 baggage drop-off points including one specially designed for reduced-mobility passengers, 8 customer information points including one specially designed for reduced-mobility passengers, 20 boarding gates and 12 disembarkation gates. The new terminal can handle about 70 flights per day.

For more information, visit www.aeroportsdeparis.fr

The Eurail Group is bringing out several special edition extended rail passes, offering free travel days good for travel throughout Europe in the spring. With fewer crowds, lower airfares and more availability in hotels, spring is a good time to travel to Europe.

Tourist attractions, such as museums and monuments, are less crowded and the weather is also pleasant. Eurail is launching a special off-peak promotion, offering free travel days on two of its products: the Eurail Select Pass and the Eurail Global Pass.

The Eurail Select Pass allows customers to choose three or more adjoining countries in which to travel, enabling a tailor-made rail pass. For those wishing to cover more ground, a Eurail Global Pass gives travelers access to 21 participating countries from January.

Customers buying a 15- or 21-day Eurail Global Pass will instead receive 21 days or one month, respectively. The Eurail Select Pass 3 Countries, valid for six or eight days within two months, now comes with an additional two travel days.

These passes go on sale worldwide (outside of Europe) from Oct. 1.

To be eligible for the additional travel days, passes must be purchased before the end of November. Travel can start as from March 1 and must be completed by May 31.

All Eurail Passes are available from Eurail’s network of authorized Sales Agents worldwide: ACP Rail International (www.eurail-acprail.com);

Eurail (www.Eurail.com); Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com);

www.OctopusTravel.com;

Rail Europe (North America: www.raileurope.com,

rest of the world: www.raileurope.fr),

and STA Travel (www.statravel.com)

Auto Europe has extended its free GPS rental offer in Europe with car rental services.

Travelers will receive a free Gamin Nova 270 or similar for the duration of their rental with routing maps of Western Europe and most of Eastern Europe with car rental services in Italy, France, Austria, Ireland, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and Norway. In addition, Auto Europe is also offering this promotion with any Peugeot Open Europe lease of 17 days or longer and with any long term rental of 21 days or longer. The free GPS offer is valid with minimum seven-day car rental reservations booked now through Sept. 30. The offer applies in Italy, France, Austria, Spain and Norway with any intermediate car rental or larger for travel through Nov. 30.

The GPS offer is valid in Ireland and Switzerland for travel through Oct. 30. Germany is valid with any compact car rental or larger for travel now through Oct. 31. UK is valid with any intermediate car rental or larger for travel through Oct. 31.

Free GPS offer is valid on select Peugeot models with Auto Europe’s Peugeot Open Europe program for travel through Nov. 30, and with any car category booked for 21 days or longer for travel through Oct. 31. Free GPS rental validity dates exclude shipping and handling charge of $40. Optional insurance is available at $1 per day.

Offer is subject to change without notice. Additional restrictions apply.