Travel Briefs

April 2008 issue

Korean landmark torched

The Namdaemun, a 600-year-old gate that guarded the ancient walled city of Seoul, Korea, was reduced to its foundations on Feb. 10 in a 5-hour fire fought by 100 firemen. The structure allegedly was set ablaze by a 69-year-old man who felt he had not been sufficiently compensated by the government for property.

Completed in 1398, the 2-story Great South Gate, which in 1962 was designated South Korea’s number-one national treasure, was made of wood and stone with a pagoda-shaped roof. Officials have stated it will take $21 million and three years to rebuild the landmark.

February 2008 issue

Heathrow’s Terminal 5

British Airways’ new Terminal 5 at Heathrow International Airport in London will open in March 2008. The terminal complex alone is equal in size to all of Gatwick airport.

One innovation — in the short-term-parking garages, when you get your parking slip a picture is taken of your license plate. Illuminated arrows on the floor guide you. When you return, slipping the ticket into a reader will display the car’s location on a map.

Another innovation (being built) will be an automated transport system using 4-person, driverless, electric “pod” cars running between a business...

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July 2010 issue

London Pass

Offering free entry and priority access to 55 major attractions, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Churchill War Rooms, “The London Pass” costs £40 (near $59) plus shipping for one day up to £90 for six days. It comes with a city map and a guide showing how to best use the pass. The website lists all attractions.

To purchase, contact Leisure Pass Group (P.O. Box 2337, London, W1A 5WE, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1664 485 020, www.londonpass.com)… or buy in-store at Britain & London Visitor Center (No. 1 Regent St., London, SW1Y 4XT, U.K.; phone 0870 242 9988...

May 2009 issue

Nohi Bus

Nohi Bus (www.nouhibus.co.jp/english), which serves Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Takayama, Japan, has translated its website into English. The line runs express buses from city to city and regional buses to smaller towns and tourist attractions. The website shows route maps, timetables and fares.

December 2009 issue

Private jet time-share

The Flexjet 25 Jet Card (888/240-2108 or visit www.flexjet25.com/2010) provides travel by the hour (in increments of 25, 30 and 35 hours) on a fleet of Bombardier Learjets and Challenge business aircraft. Jet card owners can arrange use of the jets of their choice to locations in the USA, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean.

Purchasers of the Flexjet 25 Jet Card – Gold Edition, starting at $122,900 (limited availability), will also receive a hospitality package to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Feb. 26-March 1, 2010.

The package includes three nights’ accommodation...

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September 2010 issue

Bike self in France

With its self-guided cycling and hiking tours in 2010, Discover France (8502 E. Via de Ventura #124, Scottsdale, AZ 85258; 800/960-2221 or 480/905-1235) is including the use of Garmin GPS units.

Thirty-plus itineraries from four to 14 days are offered, with baggage transfer and emergency support. Example — the six-night “Alsace Wine Country” bicycle tour, from Strasbourg to Colmar, costs €898 ($1,170) per person, double occupancy, for two-star hotels and €1,125 ($1,591) for three- and four-star hotels.

June 2008 issue

Astronauts at sea

Two of the 12 people to have set foot on the moon’s surface, NASA astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Charles Duke, will be aboard the 700-guest Seven Seas Voyager on the final segment of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Feb. 1-May 8, 2009, world cruise. Suites left for the 20-day segment from Istanbul to Fort Lauderdale, April 18-May 8, cost $8,495-$30,250 per person, double. RSSC (877/505-5370, www.rssc.com or travel agent).

April 2009 issue

Berlin Philharmonic

The Berlin Philharmonic orchestra (Simon Rattle, conducting) will perform an open-air concert at Berlin’s Waldbühne Amphitheater on June 21, 2009, at 8:15 p.m. The program includes works by Aram Khachaturian, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky.

A concert ticket costs €21 or €28 ($27/$36), depending on the seat. Visit www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en or call (030) 254 88 999.