Some Odds and Ends of Travel That May Get Lost Amidst Larger Developments

Tourism to Mexico has taken a heavy hit from a recent State Department warning that now lists 11 of Mexico's 32 states as areas where drug-related violence (and thus danger to the foreign visitor) exists. It may be that the Department has gone too far; it names the state of Jalisco, for instance, despite the fact that the seaside resort area of Puerto Vallarta is in that state and has experienced no problems to date. It names the newly-emerging resort area of Nayarit, whose seaside resorts are totally calm, but whose inland cities have experienced some violence. What a sad, sad situation.

Cruiselines still feel desperation cover the low-level of summer and fall bookings in the Mediterranean. It is now becoming commonplace for cruise brokers to offer 12-night Mediterranean sailings in autumn, including round-trip air to Europe from New York and two nights of hotel accommodations prior to the cruise, for a total of $1,899. (See www.onlinevacationcenter.com for several such deals). Since the airfare has a value of at least $1,000 (including fuel surcharge), the 12-night cruise is being sold for $899. Several cruiselines are apparently considering withdrawing a ship of two from autumn sailings in the Mediterranean and bringing them back early to the Caribbean.

To my mind, there have never been more fraudulent offers than the ones conveyed by postcards found each day in your mailbox. Last week, I received two offers for free-of-charge cruises from a company in Florida, which supplied no explanation for this largesse. When I phoned the number given for more information, I spoke with a raspy-voiced oldster who advised me there was no timeshare promotion associated with this gift to me, but that I would have to attend a "presentation" at a town in New Jersey before receiving the free cruise. When I insisted on more details, he hung up. Does anyone actually succumb to these offers?

The chip-and-PIN credit card that's almost universal in Europe, is about to become available to Americans. Two major banks -- Chase and Wells Fargo -- are conducting a test of the new card with selected customers of theirs, and two credit unions -- that of the United Nations and one operated for state employees in North Carolina -- are also issuing these sensible new cards that require use of a PIN code to be effective. Since the two credit unions won't permit outsiders to join, the new cards aren't available yet to the public at large, but it's obvious that a major roll-out is imminent. Possession of such a card will enable you to buy products in Europe from automated kiosks, like the ones at gas stations or railway terminals.

I need to end on a discouraging note, by pointing out that a recent decline in the value of the U.S. dollar (now priced at $1.48 for a Euro, $1.65 for a British pound) makes Europe a rather expensive place for Americans who insist on traveling as they used to, namely with hotel accommodations. If you haven't thought of doing so before, it's important that you look at such websites as Airbnb ( www.airbnb.com ) that will enable you to stay as a guest in a European home or apartment for not much more than you'd pay for a hostel. That decision on your part will greatly reduce your lodging costs and enable both a sensible and a pleasant vacation.