Philly Loves You Back
New York is known as "The Big Apple." St. Louis is "The Gateway to the West." And Tacoma, Washington bills itself modestly as "The City of Destiny." The invention of pithy slogans and phrases like these is a key part of the tourism business, designed to lure you and your wallet there for a visit. Philadelphia has long been known as "The City of Brotherly Love" but now, that love has taken a new turn, as we hear from Karen Brown.
To find out more about travel to Philadelphia, call 888-GO-PHILA.
Q&A -- Most Romantic Destinations
Concierge School
When you stay at a nice hotel, there's usually a desk in the lobby marked "concierge." The person sitting behind it is the hotel's "ambassador of service." He or she manages the rest of the uniformed staff, finds you a rental car or theater tickets, sets up sightseeing trips, or whatever else you'd like. Who are these saints of service? Where do they come from? We sent reporter Judith Ritter, in Montreal, to find out.
Dealing with Fear of Flying
Rudy interviews Thomas Bunn, a former pilot who developed SOAR Seminars on Aero-Anxiety Relief. The program helps travelers cope with fear of flying.
You can order SOAR by calling 800-FEAR-FLY.
Deal of the Week
If I told you an airline would fly you from the US to Asia and back for only 999 dollars round trip, THAT would qualify as a bargain. But hey, we're looking for STEALS. So try this: Not only will this airline get you TO Asia for nine-ninety-nine, you get up to 30 days of unlimited travel WITHIN Asia to boot!
Now Asia is a big place, but that hasn't discouraged the folks at Cathay Pacific from making this offer they call the All Asia Pass.
You only need to book 10 days in advance, leave from New York or Los Angeles and complete your trip by December 15th. You can leave from other US cities for a modest surcharge. In Asia, you can shuttle between any of the 17 cities served by Cathay Pacific such as Denpasar in Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo. You must register for this deal by joining Cathay's Cyber Traveler's Club on the internet but that's free and easy.
Getting to and around Asia is usually expensive and it's not a region known for many airline deals. So this is a good one. The All Asia Pass for only nine ninety nine---That's my deal of the week.
Q&A II
Soccer fans may purchase tickets for the World Cup in France by calling Gulliver Travels (an official tour provider) in CA at 619-941-7323. Tickets must be purchased in conjunction with land packages and are available for U.S. Team matches only.
To order the following books, call Travel Books at 800-220-2665:
Thomas Cook publishes an International Airport Travel Book that provides detailed information on airport layout, services, transportation options in and out of the nearest city, etc.
Road Maps for Travel in South America -- a comprehensive book of travel maps published by Hallaway.
Love Hotel
In Japan, there are dozens of what are called love hotels -- clean, safe, establishments where couples often go to be....well.....alone together. In a country where most young adults live at home until they marry and where multiple generations still live under the same roof -- separated by paper walls -- love hotels offer an essential and rare commodity in Japan -- privacy. But writer Laura Kriska discovered that love hotels may be established havens for some -- not for others.
Laura Kriska lives in New York but was born in Japan and was the first American woman to work for a large Japanese car company. The Accidental Office Lady, a book Kriska is writing about that experience will be published next spring.
Next Week on The Savvy Traveler
We celebrate Halloween with costumes of a very elegant sort -- at a new exhibit called Best Dressed -- 250 Years of Style;
We join in the scary season with your calls about travel fears and our intrepid Michelle Kholos faces a few of her own;
We go to a town in New York that's just crazy for psychic mystery and the tourists like it too, especially at this time of year. That and more in the Halloween edition of the spooky Savvy Traveler.
If you want your very own copy of The Savvy Traveler, order an audio cassette. It's easy. Just call 303-823-8000. The price is $15. As Rudy says, it's a steal.
