You won’t win a prize, but you’ll have bragging rights if you get all of these right. You’ll also find some useful information in here too. At the very least, I hope you find it interesting.
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was damaged by a devastating fire in 2019. When will it reopen?
- On a direct flight from Istanbul to Mexico City, which country’s airspace will you spend the most time over? HINT: think of a globe…NOT a map.
- Outside of Florida, what are the world’s busiest cruise ship ports (by passenger volume)?
- How much does Global Entry cost for a 5-year membership?
- How many new cruise ship berths are planned globally before the end of the decade? (A berth is defined as one guest spot).
- Which country comes FIRST on the Global Happiness Index?
- How many fluid ounces of water will a person typically lose on a 10-hour flight in the dry airplane air?
- What is currently the longest commercial flight?
- What were the top three MOST visited countries in 2022 (the last year we have data for)?
- What country spans the MOST time zones?
- What European country is smaller than Central Park in New York City?
- What country has the most miles of coastline?
- The busiest airport (by passenger count) in the world is Atlanta. What airport is second?
- What is the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?
- What is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country?
I won’t make you wait until next week to get the answers… scroll the bottom for instant gratification.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
OCEANIA VALUE FARES AVAILABLE
Our friends at Oceania have some compelling fares on select voyages. The Catch: these must be booked by May 10:
ICELAND & BRITISH ISLES: Reykjavik to London departing August 20 for 9-days
- Visit 4 ports in Iceland, Faroe Islands, Glasgow, Dublin, Cornwall, London.
- Verandas from $5199 ($1300 off)
MEDITERRANEAN: Rome to Monte Carlo departing August 25 for 10-days
- Visit Rome, Sorrento, Catania, Malta, Tunisia, Sicily, Sardinia, Florence/Pisa, Corsica, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo.
- Verandas from $5199 (save $900).
JAPAN & ALASKA: LA to Tokyo departing October 3 for 25-days
- Visit San Francisco, Portland, Victoria, Vancouver, Ketchikan, Sitka, Seward, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Hokkaido (overnight), Miyako, Oarai, Tokyo (overnight).
- Verandas from $7099 ($3100 off).
NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA: round-trip Sydney departing January 25 for 16 days.
- Visit the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Akaroa, Dunedin, Milford Sound Fjord cruising, Melbourne (overnight), and then back to Sydney
- Fares from $7199.
The Oceania Fares above include all taxes and fees, round-trip air, beer/wine with meals, specialty dining, wifi on the ship, and a shore-excursion credit. Must be booked by May 10.
UNIWORLD FLASH SALE – Available to May 10 (or while space lasts)
If you’re ready to travel this year to Europe you can do quite well on Uniworld. Paris will be very busy this July & August with the Olympic Games, but in the rest of Europe there are some great travel opportunities. I’ve put a couple of examples below, but if you want to see the whole list: https://pamperedcruiser.uniworld.com/us/current-offers/2024-flash
PORTUGAL & SPAIN: Porto to Lisbon for 11-days
- Visit Porto, visit wineries in operation since Roman times, see medieval castles and Roman ruins, visit Spain’s Golden City, and spend 3-nights in Lisbon.
- Fares from $3399 – $3899 for departures in July & August (leaves every Wednesday)
BUDAPEST TO AMSTERDAM departing October 19 for 16-days
- Visit Budapest (overnight), Vienna, Wachau Valley, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Wertheim, Frankfurt, Rudesheim, Cologne, Amsterdam (overnight)
- Fares from $5499 ($2000 off)
Uniworld fares include transfers, an open bar, a choice of shore excursions in every port, gratuities, and wifi on the ship.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – Western & Northern Route
- Two nights in Quito followed by 9-nights on board the ship. Includes 4-hour flight from Quito to Baltra.
- Visit 9 islands in the Galapagos: See picturesque landscapes showcasing a range of ecosystems and see many of the species which made these islands so famous. You’ll get closer to the many natural wonders in small panga boats, kayaks and glass-bottom boat.
- On board the carbon neutral MS Santa Cruz II carrying 90 guests.
- Includes meals, drinks, gratuities, landing activities, and access to on board science center.
- $7933 per person (including taxes) for departures on September 3 or 17, 2024
TAUCK LAND CRUISES
SOUTHERN CHARMS: 8-days between Savannah, GA and Charleston SC
- Visit Savannah, the Coastal Low Country, Fort Pulaski, Hilton Head, Beaufort (exclusive tour of the Sea Islands), Charleston. Experience a Sunset Harbor Cruise, Historic plantations and Gardens, se the Davenport House museum, and enjoy a culinary demonstration.
- Departures in September and October from $4890.
Salt Lake City to Denver for 8-days, with 2-days on the rails with Rocky Mountaineer
- Visit Salt Lake City, Park City, Moab, flightseeing over Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, 2 days on board Rocky Mountaineer, and Denver
- Includes all hotels, transfers, Silverleaf PLUS rail car with adjoining Lounge Car, flightseeing, off-road Hummer trip, 16 meals, and gratuities.
- Departures June through October for $7590 per person
Recently booked a Viking Cruise?
Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online, by phone, or on board. Our clients worry that if they book on-line (or on board), that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.
We’ll check over your reservation to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.
We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.
There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
If you recently booked a Viking Cruise, please let us know as soon as possible.
Travel Trivia ANSWERS
At least make a guess before checking the answers
- December 16, 2024 – and the controversy about the restoration has already begun. Just go and enjoy it!
- CANADA – We flew Istanbul to Mexico in March, and I was amazed that we were over Canada for several hours. This is evidence that a) the earth is spherical, and b) Canada is insanely large. To challenge any flat-earthers… we also flew over most of Europe, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, and the United States, before entering Mexico.
- Shanghai and Barcelona. If you weren’t aware, the Chinese are starting to travel again, and with such a huge population, those places of interest to Chinese tourists will be VERY busy.
- Trick question… it doesn’t matter what you’ve paid in the past. Global Entry (and Nexus) are increasing to $120 this fall. You’ve been warned!
- 100,000 new berths – yep… growing in leaps and bounds.
- FINLAND… and they do this consistently. Most years, the Top 10 rankings include other northern European countries, as well as New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
- 60 ounces or 1.75 litres. Stay hydrated people!
- NYC – Singapore. It travels 9500 miles, and takes 18.5 hours. Hopefully they offer a bit of extra space in economy!
- France, Spain, and Turkey.
- France has 12 time zones, the United States has 11, and Russia has 9. This is a bit of a trick question, because we’re counting global territories. If you only count the site of the main (continguous) country, then France has 1 time zone, and the US has 4. Russia still has 9 (it really is huge).
- Monaco at 514 acres. Central Park is 843 acres. Vatican City (121 acres) would also be smaller, but there’s some debate over whether it is considered a “country” (even though it is politically separate from Italy).
- Canada – with about 125,000 miles of coast. That’s a lot of beaches (although many of them are frozen).
- Dubai – and its passenger count continues to grow quickly.
- Great Britain is comprised of England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom includes all of those, PLUS Northern Ireland. We tend to think of all these places as separate countries. They are — but not by the same definition used elsewhere. All the countries of the United Kingdom are ONE nation. For example, there will be an election in the UK before the end of January 2025 (who knows when!), and the people in all of those countries will elect ONE Federal Government with ONE Prime Minister.
- Mexico is the most populous Spanish speaking country with about 125 million people. Argentina is the largest by area.
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
