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Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 18, the 352nd day of 2001. There are 13 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 18, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in effect.

On this date:

In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1892, Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1915, President Wilson, widowed the year before, married Edith Bolling Galt at her Washington home.

In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.

In 1944, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also said undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not be detained.

In 1956, Japan was admitted to the United Nations.

In 1969, Britain's Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.

In 1971, the Rev. Jesse Jackson announced in Chicago the founding of Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity).

In 1972, the United States began its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam at that time during the Vietnam War. The bombardment ended 12 days later.

In 1980, former Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin died at age 76.

Ten years ago: General Motors announced it would close 21 North American plants over the next four years and slash tens of thousands of jobs in a sweeping restructuring of the world's largest company.

Five years ago: FBI agent Earl Edwin Pitts was arrested, accused of selling secrets to the Russians. (Pitts was sentenced in June 1997 to 27 years in prison after admitting that he'd conspired and attempted to commit espionage.) Aides to President Clinton disclosed that Asian-American businessman Charles Yah Lin Trie, who delivered $460,000 in questionable donations to the Clintons' legal defense fund, had been to the White House at least 23 times since 1993.

One year ago: The Electoral College cast its ballots, with President-elect Bush receiving the expected 271; Al Gore, however, received 266, one fewer than expected, because of a District of Columbia Democrat who left her ballot blank to protest the district's lack of representation in Congress. Antitrust regulators approved the merger of British drug companies Glaxo Wellcome PLC and SmithKline Beecham PLC. Newspaper heir Randolph Apperson Hearst, the last surviving son of William Randolph Hearst, died in New York at age 85.

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2002. There are 336 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 29, 1820, Britain's King George III died insane at Windsor Castle, ending a reign that had seen both the American and French revolutions.

On this date:

In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio.

In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published, in the New York Evening Mirror.

In 1850, Henry Clay introduced in the Senate a compromise bill on slavery which included the admission of California into the Union as a free state.

In 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union.

In 1900, the American League, consisting of eight baseball teams, was organized in Philadelphia.

In 1936, the first members of baseball's Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, N.Y.

In 1958, actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married.

In 1963, the first members of football's Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio.

In 1963, poet Robert Frost died in Boston.

In 1979, President Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Ten years ago: Russian President Boris Yeltsin unveiled an ambitious plan to cut nuclear weapons spending and said his republic's weapons would no longer be aimed at any U.S. targets. A multinational Middle East peace conference ended in Moscow with participants sounding upbeat. President Bush presented a $1.2 trillion budget plan.

Five years ago: Threatened with lawsuits across the country, America Online agreed to give refunds to customers who weren't able to log on because of the overwhelming demand created by AOL's flat $19.95-a-month rate.

One year ago: President Bush promised to "act boldly and swiftly" to address the nation's energy problems, and directed Vice President Dick Cheney to head a task force to develop an energy strategy. DaimlerChrysler announced it was eliminating 26,000 jobs at its money-losing Chrysler division.

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MILLIONS AFFECTED BY CARSICKNESS HAVE NEW HOPE

Millions affected by carsickness have new hope with ViBAN® eyewear. Newly patented, ViBAN® is the first optical product designed for those who have difficulty reading or focusing while riding in a moving vehicle. Up to 40 percent of people have difficulty performing these tasks.

ViBAN® works by giving passengers control of their vision field. Engineered to block the passenger’s view of motion outside the moving vehicle, ViBAN® provides an undisturbed view of the inside. Once separated from motion outside, passengers are free to focus on a book, magazine, computer, hand-held game, or other activity inside the vehicle. Useful for both business and leisure travel, ViBAN® can be used while riding in a car, truck, bus, taxi, or train. Additional product information (and purchase) is available on the Internet at http://www.viban.com or by calling 888-577-7749.

Carsickness results from the body’s sensory systems sending inconsistent signals to the brain. During travel some senses signal the brain that the body is stationery. Other sensors, especially the eyes, signal the brain that the body is moving. This sensory imbalance may result in carsickness. ViBAN® eyewear blocks out the motion input signaled by the eyes - improving the passenger’s ability to perform focused tasks inside the moving vehicle.

Founded in 1998, ViBAN Corporation is the leader in vision-occluding eyewear and based in Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information, please contact:

David Tromble
Viban Corporation
http://www.viban.com
904-230-2221
junk2@mediaone.net

Santa's Workshop Back in Business

America's oldest theme park re-opens for 29th Annual Christmas Preview Season in North Pole, New York. Legal complications surrounding the sale of the park caused this historic attraction to be closed for the summer of 2001, the first interruption in its 52-year history.

NORTH POLE, NEW YORK - Santa’s Workshop, the oldest theme park in America, will reopen for business on Friday, November 23, 2001. Legal complications surrounding the sale of Santa’s Workshop caused the park to be closed for the summer of 2001, the first interruption in its 52-year history. This historic attraction traditionally closes after the holiday season and opens again in the summer.

Remember what Christmas meant to you when you were a child - the warmth, enchantment, and excitement? Once again, you can recapture some of those great moments with your family at Santa’s Workshop in North Pole, New York. Santa’s elves and elfins have been hard at work recreating the fairy-tale charm of this enchanting village just in time for the 29th Annual Christmas Preview Weekends.

The spirit of Christmas awaits young and old at Santa’s Workshop, where you can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus in their very own home. Enjoy the steam train, Reindeer Carousel, Kiddie Bobsleds, and the talking Christmas Tree. Watch the beautiful and inspiring Nativity Pageant. Be entertained and amused by Frosty the Snowman, Rowdy the Reindeer, Miranda Mouse, Chris Moose, and other members of the Mother Goose Guild as they perform throughout the day with puppet shows and live musical reviews.

Santa’s Workshop will be open weekends from November 23 through December 16, 2001 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The entrance will close at 2:00 p.m. to allow every visitor the chance to enjoy all of the park activities including a visit with Santa. Admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children with free admission for children under the age of two.

Family weekend packages are available for November 23-25, November 30-December 2, December 7-9 and December 14-16. The weekend package includes two nights lodging, two dinners, two breakfasts, admission to Santa’s Workshop, two evenings of memorable entertainment in the old-fashioned tradition of family and friends, and much more.

Santa’s Workshop is located in North Pole, New York - just three miles east of Whiteface Mountain Ski Center and 12 miles east of Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. For more information about Santa’s Workshop or to make a Family Weekend package reservation, call 800-488-9853.

For more information, please contact:

Donna Smallin
Lake Placid/essex County Visitors Bureau
http://www.lakeplacid.com
800-447-5224
donna@lakeplacid.com

"TRAVEL ORB ANNOUNCES LUXURY TRIPS TO THE WORLD’S GREATEST FESTIVALS"

Travel company offers package deals for worldwide festivals and events through leisure travel agents and corporate incentive offices.

SAN DIEGO, CA - The bulls have been running in Pamplona for the last 400 years...beer has been flowing at Munich’s Oktoberfest since the 17th century...and the hips have been swinging at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro for decades. Yet many travelers find it difficult to get accurate information about these events and almost impossible to secure any travel arrangements.

Now, a solution to finding information and scheduling travel arrangements is at hand. Travel Orb, a tour operator that provides luxury travel, promises that those who want to be a part of these festivals will experience the local traditions with comfort and style.

Travel Orb is pleased to introduce its initial festival packages for 2002. Each highly personalized journey is designed to be a creative and memorable experience that embraces the culture and activities surrounding each special event. With thousands of events worldwide, Travel Orb selects only a sampling for their festival showcase each year. However, Travel Orb also customizes trips for companies interested in putting together an incentive package for their customers or top-producing employees. They also work with groups to create specific travel packages.

"Travel Orb is the only company of its kind that packages worldwide festivals and events for both the incentive and leisure travel market," said Michael Donovan, VP of Sales. "Companies who use our specialized trips to increase sales and productivity will be amazed. Hawaii’s great, but it’s been done a million times. Have your employees run with the bulls or lift their steins at Oktoberfest, and you will definitely see an increase in your ROI!"

For more information, please contact:

Robert Stovall
Travel Orb Group
858-274-0467 voice
858-123-4567 fax
rstovall@travelorb.com

Visa Launches "Visa Destinations"

Breakthrough Travel, Retail And Entertainment Website Offers Exclusive Merchant And Cardholder Values And Convenience

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Visa International recently announced the launch of "Visa Destinations," an innovative, interactive, online travel portal providing Visa cardholders with exclusive offers and values from a select group of global travel, retail and entertainment merchants.

Featuring a wide range of valuable offers and information, this user-friendly, travel planning Website can be accessed through www.visa.com. The site contains retail, travel and entertainment offers from more than 600 merchants in key destination markets or by designated category around the world.

"Cardholders and merchants alike will benefit from Visa’s streamlined approach to added value and immediate information on this consumer-friendly, merchant-friendly, online website," said Tom Shepard, executive vice president, International Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorships, Visa International. "We expect the site’s range of special values, travel tips and information to generate widespread interest among cardholders, while enabling merchants to reach millions of consumers with customized promotions delivering remarkable flexibility. It’s safe to say there has never been anything like Visa Destinations for sheer convenience and value."

Unique Site Offers Benefits to Consumers and Merchants

A Merchant Online Offer Management Program allows merchants to design and input offers directly onto Visa Destination from their local terminals, with flexibility to track offers in real time. All of our merchant partners, along with travel agents, will have the ability to dynamically load offers onto the site at their leisure.

Visa currently is inviting key merchants globally and offering them the opportunity to participate. The online offer management program helps the merchant design an offer on Visa Destinations complete with promotional artwork. The system then reviews the input to ensure it meets all of Visa’s promotional criteria, such as following local and regional guidelines, as well as other online policies. That material is submitted to Visa which reviews the content. Once approved, the offer goes online.

Partners currently online include such leading brands Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Design Hotels, the Korea National Tourism Organization, Accor, Le Méridien, the Salt Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Sandals. It is estimated that Visa Destinations will feature more than 1,000 offers from participating merchants by the end of 2001.

"Visa continues to be one of the best in consumer marketing and is well known for developing innovative programs that are designed to benefit both its cardholders and its partners," said Keith Blizzard, Vice President, Strategic Alliances for Marriott International, Inc. "As a global partner, Marriott is pleased to be part of this exciting new travel service."

As the site gains heightened visibility and popularity among merchant partners, it is estimated that Visa Destinations will feature more than 1,000 offers from participating merchants by the end of 2001.

"Visa remains at the leading edge of customer marketing with innovative programs that are always designed to benefit both its cardholders and its merchant partners," said Mr. Cho, Hong-Kyu, President of the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO), "As a global partner, KNTO strongly supports the new Visa Destinations initiative and looks forward to working with Visa on this program."

Offers and Benefits Printed at Home

Value added benefits and offers as well as promotional materials can be accessed and employed either online or offline. Valuable coupons from many merchants can be printed from the site and redeemed at select merchant locations. Other offers can be redeemed online or by telephone.

The site also includes relevant consumer content such as destination and cultural information, a link to Visa’s ATM Locator Guide, currency and time converters, and links to tourist and convention bureau sites.

About Visa

Visa is the world’s leading payment brand and the largest payment system worldwide. Visa-branded cards generate almost US $2 trillion in annual volume and are accepted at over 22 million locations around the world. The Visa organization plays a pivotal role in advancing new payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce - the ability to conduct commerce anytime, anywhere, and any way. For more information, visit www.Visa.com.

Visa’s extensive merchant relationships and marketing partnerships, as well as its unsurpassed acceptance in more than 300 countries and territories, provide travelers with unique and valuable travel benefits. For the past four years, Visa has been named the "World’s Leading Credit Card," most recently in April 2001, by the World Travel Awards, the industry’s most comprehensive awards program, recognizing Visa’s commitment to world travelers and the travel industry at large.

About Visa Destinations

The special features of Visa Destinations were designed by Lebensart Technology, a global company, offering full lifecycle, customer centric, solutions for international companies. The leader in Customer Delivery Solutions(tm), Lebensart technology, builds upon the practices of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Lebensart provides the tools and information to identify and target optimal customers, but allows the opportunity to acknowledge and anticipate needs and behaviors for effective, efficient personalized communication with customers, at every touch point.

China`s best kept secret

China hides a treasure trove of flowering plants . However, many tourists are disappointed when their China Tour takes them to gardens composed only of rocks, ponds and pagodas but no flowering plants.

Yunnan Province, however, in south central China is a wild mountainous region of lush green forests and climate conducive to year-round blooming of a kaleidoscope of colorful flowers.

In 1999 Kunming held the International Garden Expo, the site of which today still displays spectacular garden beds.

Known as "The city of eternal spring," Kunming is the starting point for all garden lovers who like to see flowers blooming in the wild.

Yunnan is the home of Rosa gigantea, the wild tea- scented China rose.

Explore the locations visited by Martin Rix and Roger Phillips in their TV series "Quest for the China Rose". In 1924, plant hunter George Forrest and anthropologist Joseph Rock discovered Camellia reticulata, wild tree peonies and the Banksian rose in Yunnan province.

See rare and endemic plants growing in their natural habitat in forests on Zixi Mountain and in the alpine meadows of Cang Shan Mountain.

Over 240 species of fragrant plants, 250 species of edible mushrooms and 170 native species of rhododendrons have been identified in these areas.

Find out more on the internet at www.toursgallery.com

For information about seeing colorful flowers in China phone Ken Osetroff at (07) 3359 6651
or Tollfree 1300 307 317.

Email gardens@toursgallery.com
Web www.toursgallery.com

Free Seminar - New Zealand Adventures

Outdoor Travel Adventures and Carefree Vacations are offering a free seminar on adventure travel to New Zealand. The seminar will be offered at their joint offices in Point Loma (San Diego, CA) on January 10, 2002 at 7:00pm.

Outdoor Travel Adventures and Carefree Vacations are presenting a free seminar, New Zealand Adventures, on Thursday, January 10th at 7:00 pm. Join us to learn what the "adventure capital of the world" has to offer for your next vacation.

This FREE seminar will be jointly presented by the owners of Outdoor Travel Adventures, Roseann Iovine and Wendy Pacofsky, and will feature a slide presentation followed by a question and answer session. The presentation will focus on the many outdoor adventure activities available on the North and South Islands, including hiking, sea kayaking, sailing, mountain biking, blackwater and whitewater rafting, snorkeling, canoeing, jetboating and glacier hiking.

Featured trips include our 12-day adventure, which covers the best of New Zealand from Auckland on the North Island to Queenstown on the South Island. This itinerary is available as a group departure in February or on request for independent travelers. The second featured trip is the Hollyford Track, one of New Zealand’s greatest year-round hikes. Finally, America’s Cup packages and other customized trips will be introduced. Discount offers on guided group trips will be offered to seminar attendees.

Carefree Vacations (a division of San Diego Travel Group) joined forces with Outdoor Travel Adventures last year to jointly promote and sell adventure travel. Carefree Vacations and Outdoor Travel Adventures will host the event at their Point Loma office at 2927-A Cañon Street (near the corner of Cañon & Rosecrans). Reservations are encouraged, and can be taken at (619) 523-2137. Visit the "What’s Hot" page at www.OTAdventures.com for other upcoming seminars, events, and travel features.

For more information, please contact:

Wendy Pacofsky
Outdoor Travel Adventures
http://www.OTAdventures.com
619-523-2137
wendy@otadventures.com

R. Crusoe adds new cruises to 2002 offerings

This deluxe tour company has added three exciting new itineraries to their already extensive cruising options for 2002. You'll find a summary of each in this release.

SAILING IN THE WAKE OF HISTORY WITH R. CRUSOE & SON

Chicago, IL - With R. Crusoe & Son, a cruise isn’t just plying the gentle waters of some exotic destination. It is a cruise through history, thousands of years in the making. In 2002, R. Crusoe adds three new tours to its luxurious cruise collection. Two voyages offer new, shorter itineraries to China and Egypt, accommodating those with a little less time to explore, while a brand new voyage highlights the sacred sanctuaries of Japan.

Journey Up the Nile is a 10-day program featuring a four-night cruise aboard the M/S Sun Goddess or the M/S Nile Goddess. Beginning in Cairo, a private Egyptologist shares insights on the wonders found at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The first two days of touring also include the religious mélange of the city: St. Sergus Coptic Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Mohammed Ali mosque, and the Citadel, as well as the pyramids of Giza, the solar boat museum, camel rides, and visits to Memphis and Sakkara.
Heading south to Luxor, board the ship and sail at a comfortable pace to the temples of Luxor and Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu’s Mortuary Temple of Ramses III, the Necropolis of Thebes and the Colossi of Memnon - all on route to Edfu’s Temple of Horus. Kom Ombo is next, along with an opportunity to wander through the Temple of Sobek and Hareies.
Continuing to Aswan, visit the dams, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple, and cruise around Elephantine and Kitchener’s islands. Disembark and fly to Abu Simbel, home to the Temple of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari Temple, before returning to Cairo. Departures are year-round, and are priced at $3,250 per person, double, including internal air. For a more in-depth program, highlighting a six-night cruise aboard the Philae, and many features unique to R. Crusoe & Son, consider the 13-day Cruising the Nile in Luxury. Cairo too.

Now turn to the East, where R. Crusoe offers the new 13-day Yangtse River & Beyond, Deep inside China, as an alternative to their popular 19-day Almost Last Chance to Cruise China’s Historic Yangtse. This new itinerary showcases the cities of Shanghai, Xian and Beijing, as well as a four-day cruise aboard the M/S East Queen between Yichang and Chongqing. No one travels to the Orient quite like R. Crusoe guests. While six days shorter, there is still ample time on this new program to enjoy activities simply not found on other tours. You’ll experience a private elevator to the top of Shanghai’s Pearl Tower - no lines, no waiting; dinner with a history professor to help put all the dynasties in order; a cooking demonstration, with lunch as you make it; a private tour of the Three Gorges dam project; and a rare, behind the scenes view of the Tang Dynasty murals in the basement of the Shaanxi Provincial Museum in Xian, accompanied by the museum’s curator. The list continues with The Bund, Yu Yuan Garden, Municipal Children’s Palace, Jade Buddha Temple and an acrobatic performance in Shanghai; an up-close and personal look at Xian’s terracotta soldiers; Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, the Mu Tian Yu section of the Great Wall, Forbidden city, and optional tai chi lessons or opera tickets. Departures are April through October; prices begin at $4,950 per person, double and include all internal transport.

R. Crusoe’s third new journey, Japan: Sacred Sanctuaries (15 Days), begins in Kyoto, the heart of Japan and its ancient capital, before embarking from the port town of Kobe on the Spirit of Oceanus. Cruise the inland sea to Okayama on Honshu, Japan’s largest island, and Korakuen, her most exquisite garden. Other highlights include Miyajima, and the sixth-century Itsukushima Jinja, a shrine built on wooden supports that extend out into the sea; Hiroshima and the Peace Museum; Kagoshima, where the Shimazu Dynasty ruled for seven centuries; Arita and the Arita Cermics Museum and workshops of local artisans; Hagi, a castle town of the feudal Mori Dynasty; and venturing to Korea, specifically Kyongju and Cheju-Do Island before a day cruising the China Sea to Shanghai. Departures are set for September and October and priced from $8,950 per person sharing a cabin or $15,215 for a single cabin including internal air.

Favorite itineraries from 2001 that will return in 2002 include The Road To Mandalay, aptly named after a ship - rather a floating palace - of the same name. This tour features nine days in fascinating Myanmar, formerly Burma, with time in Yangon, Sagaing, Bagan and on Inle Lake, plus a three-night cruise on the Irrawaddy River. Price per person, double is $3,990. Departures are October through March, or as an extension to Crusoe’s Indochina itinerary, or throughout the year on an independent basis. Other cruises offered on an independent basis include: barging in France, Doing the Danube Aboard the River Cloud, or sailing to the Galapagos islands with Galapagos. 12 Days of Tropical Phenomena.

For further information on R. Crusoe & Son’s small, select group tours or strictly private journeys, or to receive the latest brochure, call 888-490-8045, or email info@rcrusoe.com. Visit R. Crusoe’s Web site, recently voted one of the best by Forbes, at www.rcrusoe.com.

For more information, please contact:

Kelly Wisecarver
Sage Marketing & Public Relations, Inc.
http://www.rcrusoe.com
773-529-9731
kwsage@aol.com

Passkey Enables Seven More Cities; Total Is Now 43

Calgary, Ottawa, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Jose, Ft. Lauderdale, And Hartford Are Passkey-Enabled(SM)

QUINCY MA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Passkey, the leading processor of group housing reservations for the $96.4 billion meetings and convention industry has added seven more cities to its list of Passkey-enabled (SM) convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs). Calgary, Ottawa, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Jose, Hartford and Ft. Lauderdale are the cities that contribute to a 16 percent increase in the Passkey CVB portfolio.

In making the announcement, Tim Durant, Passkey, executive vice president and general manager for North America, noted that 63 percent of the 43 cites now Passkey-enabled are among the Top 40 CVBs in the U.S. "As everyone in the travel industry seeks better, more efficient ways to conduct business in the wake of recent events, it is more important now than before that housing managers use a shared industry standard such as Passkey to ensure quality and consistency for their meeting planners. Ultimately such tools help increase group business by providing increased timely communication, more accurate shared data, and better service to more satisfied customers," he said.

Ottawa and Calgary join Vancouver, BC as the first non-U.S. Passkey-enabled meetings destinations. In making the announcement, Andree Steel, CAE, Vice President, Sales, Ottawa Tourism & Convention Authority said, "After much consideration, we elected to become Passkey-enabled to ensure improved housing services for our clients. We chose Passkey because we recognized the need to provide our clients with current technology as it relates to promoting attendance at their conference. Their delegates need 24/7 access to reservations and with our limited human resources internally we were not able to provide that service. In addition, we wanted a more sophisticated reporting mechanism for ourselves, the client and our hotel properties."

Ft. Lauderdale becomes the fourth bureau in Florida, in addition to Greater Jacksonville and The Beaches, Tampa, and Orlando to join the Passkey network. Kelly Tortoriello, Director of Marketing Services for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau noted that the CVB has already Passkey-enabled the IBEX 2002 and ARVO 2002 conventions in February and May of next year.

Santa Clara, Monterey and San Jose join 3 cities in Southern California, making 6 of the 8 largest California CVBs Passkey-enabled. Cheryl Little, Director of Destination Services for the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau commented, "We decided to switch to Passkey because we wanted to provide our clients with state of the art housing technology. This provides attendees such as the 10,000 delegates we’re expecting for the SPIE Photonics West in January a comfort level when making reservations through a centralized housing system."

About Passkey

Headquartered in Quincy, MA, Passkey.com, Inc. is the leading processor of integrated Web-based group housing and travel solutions for the $96.4 billion meetings and convention industry. As a meetings industry metamediary, Passkey provides Web-based applications for use by all key channels within the meetings and conventions industry, including: convention and visitors bureaus, global distribution systems (GDS), hotels, travel agencies, associations, corporations, meetings RFP engines and registration vendors. Travel providers that are Passkey-enabled (SM) can leverage Passkey technology to manage group housing for both city-wide and single property meetings. Passkey investors include: Lazard Technology Partners, Sabre (NYSE: TSG) (www.sabre.com), Galileo (NYSE: GLC) (www.galileo.com), Worldspan (www.worldspan.com), TravelCLICK (www.travelclick.net), DRV and McCord Group Travel Services (www.mccord.com).

Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay Expands With The Islands Most Elegant Estates...Reflecting Dreams Of An Exotic, Idyllic Lifestyle

JIMBARAN BAY, BALI, INDONESIA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay, most recently the recipient of #1 hotel in the world from Travel + Leisure magazine (World's Best Issue, August 2001), Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2001 and the Zagat Guide to International Hotels, Resorts and Spa (2001), is, once again, reinventing itself and expanding as it unveils its newest accommodations, Jimbaran Estates. The nine Estates are just steps from the beach at Jimbaran Bay, and provide understated elegance, a heightened sense of space and tranquility with water features, large swimming pools and spectacular tropical gardens.

The Estates' architecture, by Cheong Yew Kuan Area Architects of Singapore, marries the traditional Balinese walled garden concept of Jimbaran Bay with the post-modern design of its sister hotel at Sayan. They have created unparalleled accommodations for the ultimate tropical Asian beach vacation balancing the comforts and pleasure of indoor and outdoor experiences. Each of the Estates is palatial, ranging from 11,582 to over 24,187 square feet. The interiors were designed by Indonesia's renowned Jaya Ibrahim, providing oversized, comfortable and elegant furnishings with beautiful indigenous fabrics -- an idyllic ambiance for anyone who seeks the best of Bali.

Of particular interest are the Estates' features, which allow for both privacy and entertaining larger parties. Each Estate contains a two-story thatched roof pavilion with soaring ceilings in an open-air living and dining area on the first level. The second-floor, air-conditioned master suite contains a romantic canopied bed, an oversized indoor soaking tub, separate shower as well as an outdoor Jacuzzi. Adjacent to the living area is an air-conditioned library and den with a complete audio/visual system containing a CD player, DVD and Video players, radio, and satellite television. Additional bedrooms overlook a large pool and manicured gardens with their own bathroom and an outdoor shower.

Kitchens in each Estate are quite large and easily serviced by Four Seasons staff. Guests can ask for the services of a cook or butler to meet their needs or they can opt to have their meals delivered by villa service to their Estate. Alternatively, they have the choice of four restaurants at the Resort.

Tropical landscaping from Trevor Hillier prominently features the iconic fragrant frangipani and other stunning specimen plants indigenous to the Islands Of The Gods. The Estates are surrounded by Balinese stonewalls, have private parking and 24-hour security. Guests will enjoy all the amenities of the 35-acre world renowned Jimbaran Bay Resort, including access to Asia’s finest Spa and gym, tennis courts, library, and other guest services, all from a separate, adjacent private location.

Christopher Norton, General Manager of Four Seasons Resorts Bali states, "Our larger villas at Jimbaran Bay have always been greatly praised and now we can offer even more spacious accommodations for the ultimate in privacy for family vacations or a gathering of larger parties in search of a residential resort experience."

Introductory rates will be available from December 15, 2001 through March 31, 2002 exclusive of December 26, 2001 -January 3, 2002 and range from $850.00 to $1,750.00 per night; published rates are from $1500.00 to $3,500.00 per night. Considerations will be given to longer stays.

Since the late 1990's when the resort was first recognized by major polls and awards as #1 in Asia and the world, the property has continued to distinguish itself year after year by offering guests an expanded array of new amenities and services. This year saw the opening of an Asian cooking school with state-of-the art facilities. Other outstanding features of the resort include the highly-esteemed art gallery, Ganesha; four restaurants including a specialty noodle restaurant, Warung Mie; library/lounge with internet facilities; and The Boutique, the best one-stop shopping experience in Bali according to Architectural Digest.

With a history spanning four decades and a portfolio that now extends to six continents, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels, currently managing 51 properties in 22 countries. This year the property has opened hotels in San Francisco, Dublin, Prague and Caracas, and continues to expand, with over 20 projects in development stages in choice locations around the world. Four Seasons has claimed first position on many prestigious lists; recent honors include top ranking in the J.D. Powers Guest satisfaction Survey; AAA Five Diamond awards (receiving more than any other hotel company for the 20th consecutive year Four Seasons Hotel Dublin opened in February 2001; Four Seasons Hotel Caracas opened in January 2001; Four Seasons Hotel Cairo opened its doors in May 2000; and in 1999, Four Seasons properties opened in Scottsdale, Arizona; Punta Mita, Mexico; Paris; and London's Canary Wharf. Openings scheduled for 2001 include properties in San Francisco, Sharm El Sheikh and Shanghai. While most hotels bear the respective name of Four Seasons or Regent, some do not, including the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and The Pierre in New York. Four Seasons Hotels Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol (NYSE: FS) and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ("FSH"). Information on the company can be accessed through the Four Seasons web site at www.fourseasons.com For more information please contact:

Putu Indrawati
Director of Public Relations
Four Seasons Resorts Bali
Jimbaran 80361, Bali, Indonesia
Telephone: (62 361) 701010
Facsimile: (62 361) 701020
putu.indrawati@fourseasons.com

Paul Burditch
Burditch Marketing Communications
118 1/2 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA USA 90036
Telephone: (323) 9326262
Facsimile: (323) 9321425
paul@burditchmc.com

Tips for Taking the Edge Off Business Travel

Using everything from in-hotel libraries to take-along tech toys, the nation's road warriors find ways to cope

(ARA) - Today's business travelers are wired -- in more ways than one.

Plugged into voice mail and e-mail, hovered over laptops far into the night, business travelers have nowhere to hide from the pressures of work. Other stresses such as crowded highways, overbooked flights and unexplained delays can make just getting to a destination downright miserable.

With more business travelers on the road than ever before, it's no wonder today's road warriors are seeking ways to relax. According to the Travel Industry Association of America's National Travel Survey, 197 million trips were taken in 1998, with each business traveler taking an average of 5.4 business trips a year.

So how can the nation's road warriors cope with all of that travel? Here are 10 tips that just may take the edge off business travel.

1. Take a mental vacation. That's what nearly all business travelers do when they're traveling by plane. Ninety-five percent do not consider work their first priority during flight, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Delta Air Lines. Leisure, rather than work activities, is mentioned more frequently. In fact, more than half (55 percent) take advantage of onboard entertainment and 64 percent use the time to sit and think. A whopping 81 percent read for pleasure, topped only by the all-time favorite activity for business fliers -- looking out the window.

2. Escape in a book. If you're among those who enjoy reading to relax, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson has an in-hotel library program called Book It And Return that lends guests free books such as The New York Times best-seller "Tuesdays with Morrie." "With more than 80 percent of business travelers reading for pleasure during their trips, we encourage our guests to borrow a book from the in-house library. When they're finished with it we ask that guests return the book to any Country Inns & Suites North American property upon their next visit," says Yvonne La Penotiere, vice president of sales & marketing, Country Inns & Suites. "For each book that is returned, the company will make a $5 donation to Laubach Literacy, up to a $20,000 annual donation."

3. Get some exercise. After sitting in meetings and seminars all day, it's not unusual to feel the need for exercise and fresh air. More than one fourth of U.S. travelers have used a fitness center or gym while traveling. And last year one in eight played golf while on a trip of 100 miles or more away from home, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).

4. Find another outlet. Is shopping your sport? It is for many travelers, including those on business trips. Outlet shopping malls are becoming major attractions, with 55 million travelers visiting them annually. And while the shopping experience isn't necessarily the primary reason for most trips, many consider it another diversion from the daily grind. After all, walking around a mall is a form of exercise, too.

5. Create your own spa. A business trip is the perfect excuse to pamper yourself. Why not turn your hotel bathroom into your own personal spa? Pack some scented candles into your overnight case. Fill up the tub, throw in some bath oil and wallow in self-indulgence. Paint your toenails pink. And no one will see you if you use a bright blue facial mask.

6. Eat anything you want. When you're tired, stressed and frazzled, a club sandwich won't do. Splurge on room service and order a thick, juicy steak. Top off your meal with chocolate mousse and strawberries. Or forget the idea of a balanced meal altogether and have hot, buttered popcorn for dinner, and watch the in-room movie in your PJ's.

7. Tune everything out. Late night revelers keeping you awake? Bring along a sound machine. You can find portable battery-operated or plug-in models in gift and gadget stores. Some units even have cartridges for special effects, so you can drift off to the restful sounds of ocean waves, crickets or rain showers -- there's even a "white noise" version based on the sounds of a mother's womb.

8. Ask for it -- they just might have it. Following U.S. lodging industry trends that point to customized hotels for business travelers, Country Inns & Suites hotels offer guests the comforts and conveniences of home. According to www.countryinns.com, you can expect a variety of amenities, ranging from in-room coffeemakers and irons, to a "Did You Forget?" program that offers guests more than a dozen personal care items, from a toothbrush to a sewing kit.

9. Bring the family. If your business trip takes you away from the family, bring them with you. More travelers are taking family members along with them on business trips, and extending their business travels into leisure vacations. Two out of 10 business travelers (21 percent) combined business and vacation on their last business trip, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.

10. De-stress the drive. An often-overlooked segment of the business travel market includes people who drive to their destinations. If you're among them, you're not alone. According to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a Virginia market research firm, U.S. business people spend 1.1 billion days a year on out-of-town trips, and more than 62 percent of the journeys are by car. While in the car, Americans bring a variety of tech toys with them -- as many as 57 percent, according to a survey by electronics retailer Best Buy.

Among the gizmos designed to take the bite out of travel, a surprising 16.5 percent of the survey's respondents, including 70 percent men, said they would choose a global positioning system (GPS) as their most desired product to bring along on a trip.

No matter how much things change, some travel truisms stay the same: When it comes to coping strategies, it seems most people would rather use a GPS than ask someone for directions.

CALIFORNIA INN OFFERS MOON OVER MENDOCINO DEAL

Mendocino B&B offers three-night romance package featuring special wine tasting plus other amenities during Valentine's Day and President's Day holidays.

MENDOCINO, Calif. - The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek offers visitors the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day and President's Day with a three-night "Moon Over Mendocino" package.

Valid from Feb. 14 through Feb. 18, the program offers a special Saturday evening wine tasting and talk by Michael Roumbanis from Mendocino's Brutocao Cellars & Vineyards. Guests will enjoy Brutocao's award-winning wines paired with the Inn's delicious appetizers. The package also offers $25 off the price of in-room massages (based on the massage therapist's availability), reduced rates on a special romantic dinner at a select group of local restaurants, and includes a basket filled with rich chocolate, Brutocao port wine and a teddy bear.

Rates for the three-night "Moon Over Mendocino" package range from $465 for a lodge room to $690 for a suite.

The bed and breakfast also offers a two-night "Amore" special, valid through March 31, excluding holidays and festivals. Guests enjoy an Italian supper basket with pizza and bottle of Mendocino wine. Amore weekday rates range from $225 to $375 and weekend rates range from $250 to $415.

All rates are based on double occupancy and are subject to a 10 percent room tax. Travel agents receive a 10 percent commission.

On Mendocino's quiet side, the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek comprises nine cottages, two small lodges and the 19th century Ledford Farmhouse all nestled on eight acres of hills, gardens, meadows and forest. The Inn serves delicious homemade breakfasts and evening hors d'ourves. All guest quarters are surrounded by gardens and have separate entrances, private baths, fireplaces, king or queen beds, cable TV/VCR, CD players and coffee makers. Many have spa tubs and featherbeds plus refrigerators and microwaves. The Inn offers easy access to the beach and a hot tub with panoramic ocean view.

A 3.5-hour drive north of San Francisco in Little River, the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek is an ideal coastal retreat for couples, families and nature lovers seeking to explore Mendocino's bounty.

For more information or reservations, call 800-731-5525 or visit the Web at http://www.schoolhousecreek.com.

R. Crusoe adds new cruises to 2002 offerings

This deluxe tour company has added three exciting new itineraries to their already extensive cruising options for 2002. You'll find a summary of each in this release.

SAILING IN THE WAKE OF HISTORY WITH R. CRUSOE & SON

Chicago, IL - With R. Crusoe & Son, a cruise isn’t just plying the gentle waters of some exotic destination. It is a cruise through history, thousands of years in the making. In 2002, R. Crusoe adds three new tours to its luxurious cruise collection. Two voyages offer new, shorter itineraries to China and Egypt, accommodating those with a little less time to explore, while a brand new voyage highlights the sacred sanctuaries of Japan.

Journey Up the Nile is a 10-day program featuring a four-night cruise aboard the M/S Sun Goddess or the M/S Nile Goddess. Beginning in Cairo, a private Egyptologist shares insights on the wonders found at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The first two days of touring also include the religious mélange of the city: St. Sergus Coptic Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Mohammed Ali mosque, and the Citadel, as well as the pyramids of Giza, the solar boat museum, camel rides, and visits to Memphis and Sakkara.
Heading south to Luxor, board the ship and sail at a comfortable pace to the temples of Luxor and Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu’s Mortuary Temple of Ramses III, the Necropolis of Thebes and the Colossi of Memnon - all on route to Edfu’s Temple of Horus. Kom Ombo is next, along with an opportunity to wander through the Temple of Sobek and Hareies.
Continuing to Aswan, visit the dams, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple, and cruise around Elephantine and Kitchener’s islands. Disembark and fly to Abu Simbel, home to the Temple of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari Temple, before returning to Cairo. Departures are year-round, and are priced at $3,250 per person, double, including internal air. For a more in-depth program, highlighting a six-night cruise aboard the Philae, and many features unique to R. Crusoe & Son, consider the 13-day Cruising the Nile in Luxury. Cairo too.

Now turn to the East, where R. Crusoe offers the new 13-day Yangtse River & Beyond, Deep inside China, as an alternative to their popular 19-day Almost Last Chance to Cruise China’s Historic Yangtse. This new itinerary showcases the cities of Shanghai, Xian and Beijing, as well as a four-day cruise aboard the M/S East Queen between Yichang and Chongqing. No one travels to the Orient quite like R. Crusoe guests. While six days shorter, there is still ample time on this new program to enjoy activities simply not found on other tours. You’ll experience a private elevator to the top of Shanghai’s Pearl Tower - no lines, no waiting; dinner with a history professor to help put all the dynasties in order; a cooking demonstration, with lunch as you make it; a private tour of the Three Gorges dam project; and a rare, behind the scenes view of the Tang Dynasty murals in the basement of the Shaanxi Provincial Museum in Xian, accompanied by the museum’s curator. The list continues with The Bund, Yu Yuan Garden, Municipal Children’s Palace, Jade Buddha Temple and an acrobatic performance in Shanghai; an up-close and personal look at Xian’s terracotta soldiers; Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, the Mu Tian Yu section of the Great Wall, Forbidden city, and optional tai chi lessons or opera tickets. Departures are April through October; prices begin at $4,950 per person, double and include all internal transport.

R. Crusoe’s third new journey, Japan: Sacred Sanctuaries (15 Days), begins in Kyoto, the heart of Japan and its ancient capital, before embarking from the port town of Kobe on the Spirit of Oceanus. Cruise the inland sea to Okayama on Honshu, Japan’s largest island, and Korakuen, her most exquisite garden. Other highlights include Miyajima, and the sixth-century Itsukushima Jinja, a shrine built on wooden supports that extend out into the sea; Hiroshima and the Peace Museum; Kagoshima, where the Shimazu Dynasty ruled for seven centuries; Arita and the Arita Cermics Museum and workshops of local artisans; Hagi, a castle town of the feudal Mori Dynasty; and venturing to Korea, specifically Kyongju and Cheju-Do Island before a day cruising the China Sea to Shanghai. Departures are set for September and October and priced from $8,950 per person sharing a cabin or $15,215 for a single cabin including internal air.

Favorite itineraries from 2001 that will return in 2002 include The Road To Mandalay, aptly named after a ship - rather a floating palace - of the same name. This tour features nine days in fascinating Myanmar, formerly Burma, with time in Yangon, Sagaing, Bagan and on Inle Lake, plus a three-night cruise on the Irrawaddy River. Price per person, double is $3,990. Departures are October through March, or as an extension to Crusoe’s Indochina itinerary, or throughout the year on an independent basis. Other cruises offered on an independent basis include: barging in France, Doing the Danube Aboard the River Cloud, or sailing to the Galapagos islands with Galapagos. 12 Days of Tropical Phenomena.

For further information on R. Crusoe & Son’s small, select group tours or strictly private journeys, or to receive the latest brochure, call 888-490-8045, or email info@rcrusoe.com. Visit R. Crusoe’s Web site, recently voted one of the best by Forbes, at www.rcrusoe.com.

For more information, please contact:

Kelly Wisecarver
Sage Marketing & Public Relations, Inc.
http://www.rcrusoe.com
773-529-9731
kwsage@aol.com

Passkey Enables Seven More Cities; Total Is Now 43

Calgary, Ottawa, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Jose, Ft. Lauderdale, And Hartford Are Passkey-Enabled(SM)

QUINCY MA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Passkey, the leading processor of group housing reservations for the $96.4 billion meetings and convention industry has added seven more cities to its list of Passkey-enabled (SM) convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs). Calgary, Ottawa, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Jose, Hartford and Ft. Lauderdale are the cities that contribute to a 16 percent increase in the Passkey CVB portfolio.

In making the announcement, Tim Durant, Passkey, executive vice president and general manager for North America, noted that 63 percent of the 43 cites now Passkey-enabled are among the Top 40 CVBs in the U.S. "As everyone in the travel industry seeks better, more efficient ways to conduct business in the wake of recent events, it is more important now than before that housing managers use a shared industry standard such as Passkey to ensure quality and consistency for their meeting planners. Ultimately such tools help increase group business by providing increased timely communication, more accurate shared data, and better service to more satisfied customers," he said.

Ottawa and Calgary join Vancouver, BC as the first non-U.S. Passkey-enabled meetings destinations. In making the announcement, Andree Steel, CAE, Vice President, Sales, Ottawa Tourism & Convention Authority said, "After much consideration, we elected to become Passkey-enabled to ensure improved housing services for our clients. We chose Passkey because we recognized the need to provide our clients with current technology as it relates to promoting attendance at their conference. Their delegates need 24/7 access to reservations and with our limited human resources internally we were not able to provide that service. In addition, we wanted a more sophisticated reporting mechanism for ourselves, the client and our hotel properties."

Ft. Lauderdale becomes the fourth bureau in Florida, in addition to Greater Jacksonville and The Beaches, Tampa, and Orlando to join the Passkey network. Kelly Tortoriello, Director of Marketing Services for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau noted that the CVB has already Passkey-enabled the IBEX 2002 and ARVO 2002 conventions in February and May of next year.

Santa Clara, Monterey and San Jose join 3 cities in Southern California, making 6 of the 8 largest California CVBs Passkey-enabled. Cheryl Little, Director of Destination Services for the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau commented, "We decided to switch to Passkey because we wanted to provide our clients with state of the art housing technology. This provides attendees such as the 10,000 delegates we’re expecting for the SPIE Photonics West in January a comfort level when making reservations through a centralized housing system."

About Passkey

Headquartered in Quincy, MA, Passkey.com, Inc. is the leading processor of integrated Web-based group housing and travel solutions for the $96.4 billion meetings and convention industry. As a meetings industry metamediary, Passkey provides Web-based applications for use by all key channels within the meetings and conventions industry, including: convention and visitors bureaus, global distribution systems (GDS), hotels, travel agencies, associations, corporations, meetings RFP engines and registration vendors. Travel providers that are Passkey-enabled (SM) can leverage Passkey technology to manage group housing for both city-wide and single property meetings. Passkey investors include: Lazard Technology Partners, Sabre (NYSE: TSG) (www.sabre.com), Galileo (NYSE: GLC) (www.galileo.com), Worldspan (www.worldspan.com), TravelCLICK (www.travelclick.net), DRV and McCord Group Travel Services (www.mccord.com).

Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay Expands With The Islands Most Elegant Estates...Reflecting Dreams Of An Exotic, Idyllic Lifestyle

JIMBARAN BAY, BALI, INDONESIA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay, most recently the recipient of #1 hotel in the world from Travel + Leisure magazine (World's Best Issue, August 2001), Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2001 and the Zagat Guide to International Hotels, Resorts and Spa (2001), is, once again, reinventing itself and expanding as it unveils its newest accommodations, Jimbaran Estates. The nine Estates are just steps from the beach at Jimbaran Bay, and provide understated elegance, a heightened sense of space and tranquility with water features, large swimming pools and spectacular tropical gardens.

The Estates' architecture, by Cheong Yew Kuan Area Architects of Singapore, marries the traditional Balinese walled garden concept of Jimbaran Bay with the post-modern design of its sister hotel at Sayan. They have created unparalleled accommodations for the ultimate tropical Asian beach vacation balancing the comforts and pleasure of indoor and outdoor experiences. Each of the Estates is palatial, ranging from 11,582 to over 24,187 square feet. The interiors were designed by Indonesia's renowned Jaya Ibrahim, providing oversized, comfortable and elegant furnishings with beautiful indigenous fabrics -- an idyllic ambiance for anyone who seeks the best of Bali.

Of particular interest are the Estates' features, which allow for both privacy and entertaining larger parties. Each Estate contains a two-story thatched roof pavilion with soaring ceilings in an open-air living and dining area on the first level. The second-floor, air-conditioned master suite contains a romantic canopied bed, an oversized indoor soaking tub, separate shower as well as an outdoor Jacuzzi. Adjacent to the living area is an air-conditioned library and den with a complete audio/visual system containing a CD player, DVD and Video players, radio, and satellite television. Additional bedrooms overlook a large pool and manicured gardens with their own bathroom and an outdoor shower.

Kitchens in each Estate are quite large and easily serviced by Four Seasons staff. Guests can ask for the services of a cook or butler to meet their needs or they can opt to have their meals delivered by villa service to their Estate. Alternatively, they have the choice of four restaurants at the Resort.

Tropical landscaping from Trevor Hillier prominently features the iconic fragrant frangipani and other stunning specimen plants indigenous to the Islands Of The Gods. The Estates are surrounded by Balinese stonewalls, have private parking and 24-hour security. Guests will enjoy all the amenities of the 35-acre world renowned Jimbaran Bay Resort, including access to Asia’s finest Spa and gym, tennis courts, library, and other guest services, all from a separate, adjacent private location.

Christopher Norton, General Manager of Four Seasons Resorts Bali states, "Our larger villas at Jimbaran Bay have always been greatly praised and now we can offer even more spacious accommodations for the ultimate in privacy for family vacations or a gathering of larger parties in search of a residential resort experience."

Introductory rates will be available from December 15, 2001 through March 31, 2002 exclusive of December 26, 2001 -January 3, 2002 and range from $850.00 to $1,750.00 per night; published rates are from $1500.00 to $3,500.00 per night. Considerations will be given to longer stays.

Since the late 1990's when the resort was first recognized by major polls and awards as #1 in Asia and the world, the property has continued to distinguish itself year after year by offering guests an expanded array of new amenities and services. This year saw the opening of an Asian cooking school with state-of-the art facilities. Other outstanding features of the resort include the highly-esteemed art gallery, Ganesha; four restaurants including a specialty noodle restaurant, Warung Mie; library/lounge with internet facilities; and The Boutique, the best one-stop shopping experience in Bali according to Architectural Digest.

With a history spanning four decades and a portfolio that now extends to six continents, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels, currently managing 51 properties in 22 countries. This year the property has opened hotels in San Francisco, Dublin, Prague and Caracas, and continues to expand, with over 20 projects in development stages in choice locations around the world. Four Seasons has claimed first position on many prestigious lists; recent honors include top ranking in the J.D. Powers Guest satisfaction Survey; AAA Five Diamond awards (receiving more than any other hotel company for the 20th consecutive year Four Seasons Hotel Dublin opened in February 2001; Four Seasons Hotel Caracas opened in January 2001; Four Seasons Hotel Cairo opened its doors in May 2000; and in 1999, Four Seasons properties opened in Scottsdale, Arizona; Punta Mita, Mexico; Paris; and London's Canary Wharf. Openings scheduled for 2001 include properties in San Francisco, Sharm El Sheikh and Shanghai. While most hotels bear the respective name of Four Seasons or Regent, some do not, including the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and The Pierre in New York. Four Seasons Hotels Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol (NYSE: FS) and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ("FSH"). Information on the company can be accessed through the Four Seasons web site at www.fourseasons.com For more information please contact:

Putu Indrawati
Director of Public Relations
Four Seasons Resorts Bali
Jimbaran 80361, Bali, Indonesia
Telephone: (62 361) 701010
Facsimile: (62 361) 701020
putu.indrawati@fourseasons.com

Paul Burditch
Burditch Marketing Communications
118 1/2 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA USA 90036
Telephone: (323) 9326262
Facsimile: (323) 9321425
paul@burditchmc.com
Tips for Taking the Edge Off Business Travel

Using everything from in-hotel libraries to take-along tech toys, the nation's road warriors find ways to cope

(ARA) - Today's business travelers are wired -- in more ways than one.

Plugged into voice mail and e-mail, hovered over laptops far into the night, business travelers have nowhere to hide from the pressures of work. Other stresses such as crowded highways, overbooked flights and unexplained delays can make just getting to a destination downright miserable.

With more business travelers on the road than ever before, it's no wonder today's road warriors are seeking ways to relax. According to the Travel Industry Association of America's National Travel Survey, 197 million trips were taken in 1998, with each business traveler taking an average of 5.4 business trips a year.

So how can the nation's road warriors cope with all of that travel? Here are 10 tips that just may take the edge off business travel.

1. Take a mental vacation. That's what nearly all business travelers do when they're traveling by plane. Ninety-five percent do not consider work their first priority during flight, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Delta Air Lines. Leisure, rather than work activities, is mentioned more frequently. In fact, more than half (55 percent) take advantage of onboard entertainment and 64 percent use the time to sit and think. A whopping 81 percent read for pleasure, topped only by the all-time favorite activity for business fliers -- looking out the window.

2. Escape in a book. If you're among those who enjoy reading to relax, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson has an in-hotel library program called Book It And Return that lends guests free books such as The New York Times best-seller "Tuesdays with Morrie." "With more than 80 percent of business travelers reading for pleasure during their trips, we encourage our guests to borrow a book from the in-house library. When they're finished with it we ask that guests return the book to any Country Inns & Suites North American property upon their next visit," says Yvonne La Penotiere, vice president of sales & marketing, Country Inns & Suites. "For each book that is returned, the company will make a $5 donation to Laubach Literacy, up to a $20,000 annual donation."

3. Get some exercise. After sitting in meetings and seminars all day, it's not unusual to feel the need for exercise and fresh air. More than one fourth of U.S. travelers have used a fitness center or gym while traveling. And last year one in eight played golf while on a trip of 100 miles or more away from home, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).

4. Find another outlet. Is shopping your sport? It is for many travelers, including those on business trips. Outlet shopping malls are becoming major attractions, with 55 million travelers visiting them annually. And while the shopping experience isn't necessarily the primary reason for most trips, many consider it another diversion from the daily grind. After all, walking around a mall is a form of exercise, too.

5. Create your own spa. A business trip is the perfect excuse to pamper yourself. Why not turn your hotel bathroom into your own personal spa? Pack some scented candles into your overnight case. Fill up the tub, throw in some bath oil and wallow in self-indulgence. Paint your toenails pink. And no one will see you if you use a bright blue facial mask.

6. Eat anything you want. When you're tired, stressed and frazzled, a club sandwich won't do. Splurge on room service and order a thick, juicy steak. Top off your meal with chocolate mousse and strawberries. Or forget the idea of a balanced meal altogether and have hot, buttered popcorn for dinner, and watch the in-room movie in your PJ's.

7. Tune everything out. Late night revelers keeping you awake? Bring along a sound machine. You can find portable battery-operated or plug-in models in gift and gadget stores. Some units even have cartridges for special effects, so you can drift off to the restful sounds of ocean waves, crickets or rain showers -- there's even a "white noise" version based on the sounds of a mother's womb.

8. Ask for it -- they just might have it. Following U.S. lodging industry trends that point to customized hotels for business travelers, Country Inns & Suites hotels offer guests the comforts and conveniences of home. According to www.countryinns.com, you can expect a variety of amenities, ranging from in-room coffeemakers and irons, to a "Did You Forget?" program that offers guests more than a dozen personal care items, from a toothbrush to a sewing kit.

9. Bring the family. If your business trip takes you away from the family, bring them with you. More travelers are taking family members along with them on business trips, and extending their business travels into leisure vacations. Two out of 10 business travelers (21 percent) combined business and vacation on their last business trip, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.

10. De-stress the drive. An often-overlooked segment of the business travel market includes people who drive to their destinations. If you're among them, you're not alone. According to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a Virginia market research firm, U.S. business people spend 1.1 billion days a year on out-of-town trips, and more than 62 percent of the journeys are by car. While in the car, Americans bring a variety of tech toys with them -- as many as 57 percent, according to a survey by electronics retailer Best Buy.

Among the gizmos designed to take the bite out of travel, a surprising 16.5 percent of the survey's respondents, including 70 percent men, said they would choose a global positioning system (GPS) as their most desired product to bring along on a trip.

No matter how much things change, some travel truisms stay the same: When it comes to coping strategies, it seems most people would rather use a GPS than ask someone for directions.

CALIFORNIA INN OFFERS MOON OVER MENDOCINO DEAL

Mendocino B&B offers three-night romance package featuring special wine tasting plus other amenities during Valentine's Day and President's Day holidays.

MENDOCINO, Calif. - The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek offers visitors the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day and President's Day with a three-night "Moon Over Mendocino" package.

Valid from Feb. 14 through Feb. 18, the program offers a special Saturday evening wine tasting and talk by Michael Roumbanis from Mendocino's Brutocao Cellars & Vineyards. Guests will enjoy Brutocao's award-winning wines paired with the Inn's delicious appetizers. The package also offers $25 off the price of in-room massages (based on the massage therapist's availability), reduced rates on a special romantic dinner at a select group of local restaurants, and includes a basket filled with rich chocolate, Brutocao port wine and a teddy bear.

Rates for the three-night "Moon Over Mendocino" package range from $465 for a lodge room to $690 for a suite.

The bed and breakfast also offers a two-night "Amore" special, valid through March 31, excluding holidays and festivals. Guests enjoy an Italian supper basket with pizza and bottle of Mendocino wine. Amore weekday rates range from $225 to $375 and weekend rates range from $250 to $415.

All rates are based on double occupancy and are subject to a 10 percent room tax. Travel agents receive a 10 percent commission.

On Mendocino's quiet side, the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek comprises nine cottages, two small lodges and the 19th century Ledford Farmhouse all nestled on eight acres of hills, gardens, meadows and forest. The Inn serves delicious homemade breakfasts and evening hors d'ourves. All guest quarters are surrounded by gardens and have separate entrances, private baths, fireplaces, king or queen beds, cable TV/VCR, CD players and coffee makers. Many have spa tubs and featherbeds plus refrigerators and microwaves. The Inn offers easy access to the beach and a hot tub with panoramic ocean view.

A 3.5-hour drive north of San Francisco in Little River, the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek is an ideal coastal retreat for couples, families and nature lovers seeking to explore Mendocino's bounty.

For more information or reservations, call 800-731-5525 or visit the Web at http://www.schoolhousecreek.com.

Free Seminar - New Zealand Adventures

Outdoor Travel Adventures and Carefree Vacations are offering a free seminar on adventure travel to New Zealand. The seminar will be offered at their joint offices in Point Loma (San Diego, CA) on January 10, 2002 at 7:00pm.

Outdoor Travel Adventures and Carefree Vacations are presenting a free seminar, New Zealand Adventures, on Thursday, January 10th at 7:00 pm. Join us to learn what the "adventure capital of the world" has to offer for your next vacation.

This FREE seminar will be jointly presented by the owners of Outdoor Travel Adventures, Roseann Iovine and Wendy Pacofsky, and will feature a slide presentation followed by a question and answer session. The presentation will focus on the many outdoor adventure activities available on the North and South Islands, including hiking, sea kayaking, sailing, mountain biking, blackwater and whitewater rafting, snorkeling, canoeing, jetboating and glacier hiking.

Featured trips include our 12-day adventure, which covers the best of New Zealand from Auckland on the North Island to Queenstown on the South Island. This itinerary is available as a group departure in February or on request for independent travelers. The second featured trip is the Hollyford Track, one of New Zealand’s greatest year-round hikes. Finally, America’s Cup packages and other customized trips will be introduced. Discount offers on guided group trips will be offered to seminar attendees.

Carefree Vacations (a division of San Diego Travel Group) joined forces with Outdoor Travel Adventures last year to jointly promote and sell adventure travel. Carefree Vacations and Outdoor Travel Adventures will host the event at their Point Loma office at 2927-A Cañon Street (near the corner of Cañon & Rosecrans). Reservations are encouraged, and can be taken at (619) 523-2137. Visit the "What’s Hot" page at www.OTAdventures.com for other upcoming seminars, events, and travel features.

For more information, please contact:

Wendy Pacofsky
Outdoor Travel Adventures
http://www.OTAdventures.com
619-523-2137
wendy@otadventures.com

MARRIOTT VACATION CLUB INTERNATIONAL RESORTS LIGHT UP HILTON HEAD ISLAND’S WINTER CARNIVAL Villa Deals Starting at $170 per night

ORLANDO, Fla. - As the annual "International Winter Carnival" heats up on Hilton Head Island, SC, Marriott’s Grande Ocean and Marriott’s Barony Beach Club resorts are preparing to warm up the festivities with exceptional villa rates from only $170 per night, available January 4 through February 28, 2002*. Travelers can choose from the following:

Marriott’s Barony Beach Club
A magnificent beachfront resort, ideally located at the island paradise of Port Royal Plantation, Marriott’s Barony Beach Club is offering spacious two-bedroom/two-bath villas from $170 - $200 per night. Resort amenities include an on-site spa with massage rooms, hydrotherapy, steam room and spa treatments, two swimming pools with whirlpool spa and children’s pool, Marriott Compass Kids’ ClubSM with scheduled activities for all ages, putting green, shuffleboard courts and barbecue grills. The resort is also conveniently located within minutes of 20 championship golf courses.

Marriott’s Grande Ocean
Nestled on 18 oceanfront acres on beautiful South Forest Beach, this richly-appointed resort features two-bedroom, two-bath villas from $180 - $200. Resort amenities include a tennis complex with lighted Har-Tru tennis courts and personalized tennis instruction from the Van Der Meer Tennis University, five swimming pools, including one indoor pool and nine whirlpool spas. In addition, the resort features a fully- equipped health club and sauna, three jogging and biking trails, Marriott Compass Kids’ ClubSM, poolside deli, sundries and convenience store and golf privileges at nearby championship golf courses.

All spacious two-bedroom, two-bath villas feature a fully-equipped kitchen complete with service for eight, formal living and dining areas, master suite with whirlpool tub, multiple televisions and a VCR, washer/dryer, complete set of linens and a private balcony.

Perfect for the entire family, the International Winter Carnival officially begins in January and will run through the end of February. Planned festivities will include the Sixth Annual Native Islander Gullah Celebration as well as the Jazz Fest. Additionally, the PTR International Tennis Symposium Championships at Van Der Meer Tennis Center will commence February 17-22, 2002.

Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI), a division of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), has a portfolio of 52 resorts in 29 destinations stretching around the globe. For information or reservations, please call 800-VILLAS-9 (800-845-5279) or visit our web site at www.vacationclub.com.
*Based on availability and commissionable to travel agents.

For more information, please contact:

Nadine DeGenova
Nadine DeGenova Public Relations
407) 682-2625
degenova.pr@mindspring.com
www.prproof.com

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with nearly 2,400 operating units in the United States and 63 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its ExecuStay by Marriott division; and operates conference centers. Other Marriott businesses include senior living communities and services, and wholesale food distribution. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 152,000 employees. In fiscal year 2000, Marriott International reported systemwide sales of $19.8 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.

"Celebrate President’s Day In London With Virgin Atlantic Vacations’ President Weekend Special From $449"

NORWALK, CT -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Enjoy a long weekend in London with Virgin Atlantic Vacations’ four day /three night air and land inclusive vacation. And since Valentine’s Day coincides with the holiday weekend, you might want to treat your special sweetheart to a romantic getaway in one of the world’s most exciting cities. Travelers can take advantage of the great savings this package offers, and experience the service and amenities of Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The "President’s Weekend Special" includes round-trip Economy airfare on Virgin Atlantic Airways, complete with Meet & Greet service at London airport; round-trip transportation between London airport and hotel; three nights accommodations featuring the Thistle Kensington Palace hotel; hotel taxes and service charges; and breakfast daily. Passengers will also receive the Virgin "Extras" which include Virgin’s exclusive London City Guide and Map, discount dining coupons featuring the Maxwell’s Restaurant Group, five extra wine tastings at Vinopolis, the "City of Wine" experience, and free online minutes at Internet Exchange.

Prices for Virgin’s "President’s Weekend Special" start from $449 per person, based on double occupancy for departures from New York. This is a set departure with travel commencing February 14th only. Airport taxes of approximately $99 are not included, and this is a non-refundable, non-changeable purchase. Surcharges may apply, and no request will be processed until full payment is received. Supplements are now available from over 50 other gateways at an additional cost. Upgrade supplements to Premium Economy and Upper Class are also available. This offer is subject to availability, and restrictions apply.

Planning and booking a Virgin Atlantic Vacations is just a click away on its updated and newly revised website, www.virgin-vacations.com. The site contains all of the details on this special, as well as the other vacations offered. Brochures can be requested online as well.

Virgin Atlantic Airways serves London from nine North American gateways: New York (JFK), Newark, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington (Dulles), Miami, Boston, and Las Vegas. And now, Virgin is offering departures to and from 50 other gateways through a partnership airline. For reservations and inquiries call Virgin Atlantic Vacations at 1-888-YES-VIRGIN (1-888-937-8474).

WeBeenThere Promotes Travel to Puerto Rico through New Campaign Featuring Network of Specialized Travel Experts

Kicks off campaign with contest to win a weeklong vacation in sunny Puerto Rico

New York, NY - WeBeenThere, an online network of specialized travel experts, recently announced a new campaign to promote travel to Puerto Rico. As part of the campaign, WeBeenThere is giving away a five-night vacation package to Puerto Rico in conjunction with Spirit Airlines, Avis Rent a Car and the Candelero Resort at Palmas Del Mar. WeBeenThere has identified Puerto Rico as a top destination for travel this winter based on its warm climate, diverse attractions and exciting culture.

"Puerto Rico has something for everyone. Sandy beaches and world-class diving, beautiful architecture, the rainforest, casinos and an active nightlife," said David Feit, CEO of WeBeenThere. "Our Puerto Rico travel experts have been all over the island and will help customers get the most out of this paradise destination."

With recent travel concerns, many Americans are now looking to vacation within the United States. As a commonwealth of the U.S., Puerto Rico offers American travelers all the benefits of the tropics without leaving the country. WeBeenThere travel specialists can help tourists build a vacation package tailored to their unique interests.

Win a Trip to Puerto Rico
WeBeenThere is launching the Puerto Rico travel campaign with a contest to win a five-night package for two on the Caribbean island. All subscribers of WeBeenThere's TravelSavvy newsletter are automatically entered to win.

The winner will receive roundtrip airfare courtesy of Spirit Airlines, a rental car provided by Avis Rent a Car of Puerto Rico and other great features such as golf, tennis and childcare furnished by the resort.

Other elements of the campaign include recommendations and first-hand information about travel in Puerto Rico through WeBeenThere's web portal and its Travel Savvy newsletter along with special tips for its Puerto Rico travel experts. "Our specialist travel agents really know the areas that they cover, and we plan on showcasing that knowledge, while promoting travel, " said Feit. As part of the campaign, WeBeenThere will host a reception in New York celebrating Puerto Rican culture on Wednesday, January 16, 2002. To attend the reception, please RSVP at info@webeenthere.com.

The Puerto Rico tourism campaign marks the first of what will be a series of tourism campaigns, each highlighting a different destination or travel theme. WeBeenThere hopes to demonstrate the effectiveness of booking through a specialist travel agent, by presenting the expertise of its agents through each campaign.

For more information about the upcoming event, this campaign, or future campaigns please contact Chris McManus at (718) 832-3054.

About WeBeenThere

WeBeenThere, LLC is a travel company representing hundreds of the world's best specialist travel agents. WeBeenThere brings service and expertise to the online travel market through its carefully screened network of expert agents. Utilizing its vast breadth of travel expertise, WeBeenThere partners with consumer web sites to bring a higher level of expertise to travel content. Travel industry suppliers use WeBeenThere to market their products and information to the best quality specialist agents, and the public. Its Travel Savvy newsletter reaches more than 60,000 avid travelers. For more information visit www.WeBeenThere.com.

For more information, please contact:

Chris McManus
Webeenthere, Llc
http://www.webeenthere.com
(718) 832-3054
chrismcmanus@centerstagecomm.com

ExperienceThailand.com Delivers One-Stop Planning Power To Savvy American Travel Markets

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand announces the launch yesterday of ExperienceThailand.com, the Internet’s most comprehensive site dedicated to Thailand’s high-end leisure and M.I.C.E. travel markets. Utilizing the latest in web technology, ExperienceThailand.com thoroughly showcases Thailand as the preferred Southeast Asian destination for American business and blue-chip travel. The site is at once highly informative, intuitive, and user-friendly.

ExperienceThailand.com serves two vibrant travel markets whose interests sometimes overlap, but whose needs can be unique. The site’s two distinct sections - Leisure Travel and M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) Travel - therefore function independently, but work in tandem. The Leisure section covers every aspect of recreational travel to Thailand - from packing, to getting there, to hotels, to getting around, to what to do, to where to eat, it’s the definitive resource for discovering all the country has to offer. The site’s M.I.C.E. section features invaluable up-to-the-minute information on doing business in Thailand, including an exclusive mix of detailed venue data, exciting deals and insider feature stories.

Throughout ExperienceThailand.com, simple navigational tools and beautiful graphic interfaces guide users directly to their specific areas of interest. The site offers quick access to its exclusive databases of hotels, restaurants, cultural events, historical sites, shopping, recreation, tours, and more.

With its debut, ExperienceThailand.com becomes the clear destination for anyone pondering or planning a trip to Thailand. Nowhere else can so much be found about the rich beauty and gracious bounties of the Land of Smiles. For more information please visit www.experiencethailand.com.

Crete Hotels & Rooms by CreteTravel.com - a new reservation service offering the "special and unique in Crete"

Visitors to Crete can now book rooms and villas that are truly special in Crete, online yet backed by considerate and professional personal service. The new service can be accessed via www.cretetravel.com or directly at http://www.crete-hotels-rooms.com . Showing detailed information and photos online - this new section of the CreteTravel.com website provides a selection of the "special and unique" places to stay in Crete. Providing a personal, professional and efficient service is the mission.

CreteTravel.com has added a Reservation service for visitors to Crete. This is a selection of SPECIAL places to stay in Crete, Greece, that can be reserved via the "Crete Hotels & Rooms by CreteTravel.com" service.

Detailed descriptions, photographs, maps and local area information are available to view.

Each reservation is handled personally for the Villas, Hotels, traditional houses, apartments and studios specially selected by the CreteTravel.com team.

Each place to stay is selected for its luxury, charm, character, location or atmosphere.

The CreteTravel.com team will give any individual advice and information requested by visitors booking their accommodation via the new service.

The new service can be accessed via www.cretetravel.com or directly at http://www.crete-hotels-rooms.com .

For more information, please contact:

Roger Ellman
CreteTravel.com
http://www.cretetravel.com
+30 810 811 966
info@cretetravel.com

Europe Express Two City Air/Hotel/Rail Packages From $549

BOTHELL, WA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Travel wholesaler Europe Express announces discounted prices on their City Combo package line. Packages start from $549 per person for a Paris/Amsterdam Combination package or a Brussels/Paris Combination package. Other offers include a Brussels/Paris Combination package and a Brussels/London Combination. Packages include round-trip airfare, six nights hotel and more.

"These packages are our most popular and their prices have never been this low," commented Christopher Ford, President of the company. "These prices are unprecedented and we are already seeing an increase in booking these packages. Consumers should take advantage of these savings while they are still available. This is a unique time in the travel industry and we suspect the savings will not last much longer."

PACKAGE INCLUDES:
Roundtrip airfare on Continental or US Airways
6 Nights Hotel Accommodation with Continental Breakfast (3 Nights in each city)
Rail ticket for travel between each city
Hotel taxes and service charges

PACKAGE

PARIS/AMSTERDAM COMBINATION

NEW YORK
$549

CHICAGO
$649

LAX/SFO/SEA
$699

PACKAGE

BRUSSELS/PARIS COMBINATION

NEW YORK
$549

CHICAGO
$689

LAX/SFO/SEA
$709

PACKAGE

BRUSSELS/LONDON COMBINATION

NEW YORK
$569

CHICAGO
$669

LAX/SFO/SEA
$729

PACKAGE

LONDON/PARIS COMBINATION

NEW YORK
$599

CHICAGO
$699

LAX/SFO/SEA
$749

Nationwide gateways are available. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and do not include airline departure tax or a weekend surcharge. Prices are subject to availability and may change without notice. Packages valid for select travel dates between November 1st, 2001 and December 31st, 2002. Consumers can check the Europe Express Web site for full details on departure dates. To view any of these offers, or to purchase a vacation package, customers can visit www.europeexpress.com. For phone reservations, call (800) 927-3876 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. (PST). All products sold by Europe Express are covered by the United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA) $1 Million Consumer Protection Program and comply with the Washington State Consumer Travel Protection Program.

Choose a Wedding Surrounded by Maine's Timeless Beauty

(ARA) - For bridal couples, the timeless beauty of Maine, its sense of space, tradition and simple elegance, is truly a haven. Maine is where people come for the essence of what marriage means: family, commitment and loveliness.

"There's the sound of water, the smell of pine," says wedding planner Anne Stanley of The New England Wedding Company. "When you think of forming a lasting bond, you want that connection to nature. It adds to the meaning of the day."

Whether it's a grand wedding at a seaside inn, a small gathering of hikers on the top of Mount Katahdin, or a spiritual moment at the Vesper Hill Children's Chapel in Rockport, Maine is a place where wedding couples can honor essential values.

It's also where they come when they want to elope, adds planner Sally Bullard of A Maine Wedding. "It's just such a beautiful place to be alone."

Maine has seen weddings on mountain summits and seaside cliffs, on lobster boats, party boats and grand schooners, on grassy islands, garden bowers and snowy ski slopes. But most Maine weddings are set in inns, and many boast a striking water view.

The Asticou Inn of Northeast Harbor, where both lawn and garden reach right to the ocean, has a dining room with its own dance floor. Likewise, couples marry beside the water at the sumptuous Black Point Inn on Prouts Neck, but many choose the 1802 Spurwink Church, returning to the inn for a garden party or a formal reception in a room with grand cathedral ceilings and a warm brick fireplace.

For intimacy, the turreted, shingle-style Grey Havens Inn, located on its own cove in Georgetown, is as classic as Maine gets. As with many smaller inns, you'd need to rent the entire locale for two days, so it's best to plan well in advance.

Maine's waterside inns are not always on the coast. At Migis Lodge, the ceremony can take place beside Sebago Lake, with the bride arriving on a wooden boat. Because of its popularity as a summer resort, however, weddings are limited to the late spring and fall. "Typically people plan a wedding weekend with a lobster bake the night before," says Robin Hammond, who coordinates weddings for the lodge.

Wedding celebrations lasting an entire weekend are quite common in Maine. A lobster bake is traditional, so if that's not the wedding banquet, it takes place the night before, followed by a day that could include a canoe trip, a schooner voyage or a bike ride around Maine's wooded back roads. Then comes the wedding!

For a wedding that's truly intimate, the Chesuncook Lake House is as good as an island. Located in Maine's great north woods with striking vistas of Mount Katahdin to the south, guests arrive by plane, boat or snowmobile, but not by car: There are no roads. Still, there is a small village that has an old, nondenominational chapel where many a wedding has been consecrated.

While inns are convenient places for a wedding, wedding planner Johanna Tutone says her ultimate Maine wedding would be held under a tent on one of Maine's many uninhabited islands. But such a wedding means barging everything from silver platters to port-a-potties, and this can be costly. So Tutone often sets people up in her own field overlooking the sailboat-trimmed port of Tenant's Harbor.

There are so many options for weddings, including renting a house or sailing away by the light of a silvery moon on one of Maine's many commercial schooners, that many seek the advice of planners like Tutone. While not all Maine planners are listed on the site, a good place to start looking for a wide range of local services is at www.weddingstreetjournal.com. For more information on Maine tourism, visit www.visitmaine.com.

Security Tips for Americans Traveling Abroad

(ARA) - With many Americans planning trips overseas, it is important to be prepared for the unexpected. And with more adventure and eco-travelers, Americans are going to more remote areas of the world. At the same time, kidnappings, muggings, hotel break-ins and other crimes are also on the increase. Having a plan to handle medical and security problems before leaving is one way to reduce the odds that problems will occur.

International SOS, the world's largest medical and security assistance company, recently hosted a security roundtable for a number of its members. One result of the conference was a number of travel tips based on circumstances that most travelers, no matter how experienced, don't consider until it's too late. Among the tips:

- When possible, avoid taxis. Ask your hotel's concierge to recommend a driver or car service.

- If you must take a taxi or limo, don't volunteer information about your trip, its duration or its purpose to your driver. It's nobody's business but your own.

- Put your luggage into the trunk of a taxi or car by yourself after the driver gets out and opens the trunk for you.

- Request a room on a lower, but not the ground, floor in your hotel. Ground floor rooms are less secure while rooms above floor six are too high for most conventional fire equipment to reach.

- Most hotel locks are not secure. Purchase small, inexpensive door and window locks and use them when traveling.

- If you have arranged for transportation at the airport, have a mutually agreed-upon object or password that is known only to you and the driver/company picking you up instead of having your name on a placard.

- Bring a small flashlight with you on your trip. Having a flashlight will make you feel more secure if the power goes off.

- Always have the "do not disturb" sign on your door, and don't let anyone who is unidentified into your room (confirm through view-hole if possible).

- If you are a woman traveling alone, bring a package of men's boxer shorts with you. Before answering the door to your hotel room put the package on your bed, turn on the shower and close the bathroom door -- your visitor will think you're not alone.

- When leaving your hotel room, leave the "do not disturb" sign on your door and turn your TV onto the local language station. Any unwelcome guests will assume you are in, and are a local.

- Buy plastic connectors that you can place on your luggage when leaving your room. It won't prevent someone from opening your bags, but it will tell you if someone has opened them and taken something or placed contraband items such as drugs in them.

- Never stay in a hotel with hard keys. Hotels with security cards are safer. Keys have a way of being passed around.

- Dress comfortably and try to fit in. Wearing clothes that are the height of fashion tells potential muggers or scam artists that you're foreign and well off.

- Don't advertise your nationality. Wearing a "hip" tee shirt that announces your nationality often attracts the wrong kind of attention. Try to look like everyone else.

- Don't use business cards as luggage tags, or any of the prestigious credit card or designer tags that provide more information than is absolutely necessary -- thieves look for tags they recognize.

- Don't allow yourself to be distracted when sightseeing. Scams on unsuspecting travelers often begin with someone trying to distract their attention. Be aware that scam artists often work in pairs or groups and use distractions to give them time to rip off tourists.

- Consider purchasing a traveling insurance policy or join a travel assistance program such as International SOS. For as little as $55 for two weeks, you are never more than a toll-free call away from medical, security or travel-related assistance.

Caribbean Village Playa Grande Announces Grand Re-Opening With Free Golf!

Golf Packages Available At One Of The Caribbean’s Best Golf Courses Designed By Robert Trent Jones Sr.

MIAMI, FL -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- The newly renovated Caribbean Village Playa Grande, located in Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic, celebrates its grand re-opening with special all-inclusive packages for golfers offering over 50 percent savings between now and Mar. 31, 2002.

Vacation packages start as low as $87* superior room per person, per night based on double occupancy.

Playa GrandeStay for seven-nights and receive three FREE rounds of golf or stay for three-nights and receive one FREE round of golf. **

Master your swing with the help of onsite professionals as well as three one hour Back to Basics golf clinics. Score a hole in one at one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, the Playa Grande par 72-championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., in which 13 of the 18 holes are along a 7,042 yard golf course off a cliff in the Caribbean Sea.

The all-inclusive vacation includes well-appointed accommodations, unlimited meals, snacks, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, nightly entertainment, non-motorized watersports, landsports, beginner’s scuba clinics, and taxes and gratuities.

Occidental-Allegro Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest all-inclusive resort company and the largest hotel chain in the Caribbean, currently operates more than 80 city hotels and beach resort properties located in diverse and exciting locations such as Spain, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Kitts, Aruba, Antigua, Tunisia, and Morocco. For more information, please call (800) 858-2258 in the U.S. and Canada, 52-5-208-1223 in Mexico, 34-91-395-900 in Spain, and 49-6172-67870 in Europe. Visit Allegro Resorts on the Internet at www.allegroresorts.com or Occidental Hotels & Resorts at www.occidental-hoteles.com

* Kids 12 and under play, eat and stay FREE when sharing a room with an adult. Children can enjoy a variety of activities designed for them at the supervised "Little Village Club." This special offer is valid until Jan. 5, 2002.

** Mandatory golf cart and caddy not included.

Rediscover America: Take a Driving Vacation!

"See the USA in your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call..." Many of us remember Dinah Shore singing that catchy tune in the 50's and ‘60's, when America was in love with the automobile. Family cars were large, with two-tone paint, soaring tail fins, 400 gas-guzzling horses under the hood, and room for everyone, including the family pet.

Driving was the only way to travel! Summer vacations were eagerly anticipated. Itineraries were planned to include stops at historic sites, national parks, or Aunt Betty's house on the way to the sea shore. Something interesting was always around the next bend in the road. Remember Coppertone billboards and Burma Shave signs? And if you drive south on I-95 through North Carolina, Pedro still urges you to stop ‘south of the border.'

Give some thought to driving on your next vacation. Planning is easy with today's internet. If you're looking for history in Williamsburg, VA, family fun in Orlando, FL, Cuban coffee in Miami Beach, sunny days on Florida's gulf coast, or other destinations in the USA, visit http://www.lodgingsplus.com for vacation rentals at your destination, and planned stops along the way.

Not sure where to vacation? Lodgings Plus offers a free email newsletter, Lodgings Plus News. Each issue features lodging options, vacation rental specials, property reviews, destination information and travel news. It's easy to subscribe to Lodgings Plus News, visit http://www.lodgingsplus.com, click on ‘News and Specials' and fill in your name and email address, send an email to news@lodgingsplus.com or call 1-888-253-7585 (toll free in the USA and Canada).

Take the family on a drive through our great country this summer. See its rolling farm lands, distant snow capped mountains, strikingly beautiful canyons, white sand beaches, quaint village squares, and world famous cities.

Perhaps the words of the song should be: "See the USA in your SUV (minivan. . . Honda)?" . . . Are we there yet?

For more information, please contact:

BJ Collier
Lodgings Plus
http://www.lodgingsplus.com
301-253-2966
bjcollier@lodgingsplus.com

Get Home For The Holidays With AA.com(R)

Recent Site Enhancements Make Holiday Travel Planning Easier

FORT WORTH, TX -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- Just in time for the holiday season, the American Airlines Web site, AA.com, offers helpful site enhancements to make travel planning easy, including the addition of a new Travel Information Center. Found on the AA.com homepage, the Travel Information Center provides the latest news, tips, and requirements for air travelers.

"Now more than ever, families and friends feel a need to visit with one another," said John Samuel, vice president of customer technology for American. "Our great fare sales, bonus mile offers and the recent updates to AA.com’s home page provide visitors with a faster, more convenient place to plan and shop for all of their holiday travel needs."

In addition to the Travel Information Center, AA.com added several new site features, including:

Award Booking

AAdvantage® members now can book the most popular award, the 25,000-mile PlanAAhead Award, in one easy online transaction. In addition, members will receive the standard online booking bonus of up to 1,000 AAdvantage miles when they use the award-booking feature on AA.com.

After logging in with an AAdvantage number and password, members just click on the AAdvantage option, then the Award Booking link. The award-booking feature can be used for air travel on American Airlines or American Eagle to destinations within the 48 contiguous states, Alaska or Canada.

Net SAAver & Special Offers(SM)

AA.com’s newly expanded Net SAAver & Special Offers section features a bigger, better selection of everything from low fares to the latest bonus mile offers, discount vacation packages, special promotions and sweepstakes. All of these great deals are easily available in one location, www.aa.com/netsaaver. The specials change frequently, so visitors should bookmark the page and check back often to find the best Net SAAver & Special Offers.

Flight Status Notification

Whether flying out of town or picking up a family member or friend from the airport, customers can ensure they are where they need to be, when they need to be there with AA.com’s new flight status notification tool. The feature provides proactive notification of American or American Eagle flight arrival or departure time, as well as gate and baggage claim information. Delivery options include voice message via phone, or text message via e-mail, alphanumeric pager, text-enabled wireless phone or personal digital assistant. Registration is easy - just go to AA.com and click on Flight Status Notification.

Car & Hotel Booking

In addition to booking air travel, busy travelers can now make car rental and hotel reservations on AA.com. The site offers more than 40,000 hotel properties and most major national car rental companies. As an added incentive, customers can enjoy special negotiated hotel rates in more than 300 major domestic and foreign locations. Check it out at www.aa.com/travelplanning and select Reserve a Car or Hotel.

Destination Guide and Weather Updates

AA.com also offers maps, driving directions, weather updates and travel information for almost 200 destinations worldwide. Site visitors can customize their travel information by selecting a destination and then choosing to receive information on sights, dining options and activities, as well as smart travel tips. For details, go to the Travel Planning section on AA.com, then click on Travel Resources.

About AA.com

The award-winning American Airlines Web site, www.aa.com, is recognized as one of the largest e-commerce sites on the Internet (Media Metrix). AA.com was recently named one of Yahoo! Internet Life’s "10 Most Popular Travel Sites," and ranked as one of Smart Business magazine’s 2001 SMART BUSINESS 50. For customers who log in with an AAdvantage® Travel Awards Program number and password, AA.com offers personalized news, information and specials, including Net SAAver & Special Offers(SM), the best place to find fare specials, AAdvantage bonus offers and discounted vacation packages online. In addition, the site offers online management of AAdvantage accounts, award booking and proactive flight-status notification by voice- and text-message via a variety of communication platforms. The world’s largest carrier, American Airlines is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2001. Together with its regional affiliate, American Eagle, American serves more than 240 cities in more than 50 countries and territories with more than 4,100 daily flights.

MORE ROOM FOR MORE COACH PASSENGERS...ONLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINES

Couriertravel.org a leading travel association in courier and budget travel resources announces a new lifetime membership structure and re-formatted website.

CT WebTechnologies, Inc. redefines a Courier Association

Couriertravel.org a leading travel association in courier and budget travel resources announces a new lifetime membership structure and re-formatted website. Members past, present, and future have direct access to the company’s specialized travel resources and 7 years of industry experience. The company notes that their one-time only fee of $40 is equivalent to what most people are charged in service fees by their travel agent per trip, or by other on-line service providers as a yearly fee.

"We’ve made it easy to locate freelance courier runs so our customers can save a bundle on their international airfares. Our new fast-link e-mail system now offers unbelievable savings on last minute courier positions. In fact we recently sent members from New York to Hong Kong for $200, and from San Francisco to Singapore for $150 round trip with a few days lead-time," says Pavel Goldstein, President and site Webmaster.

CT Web Technologies has developed a specialized flight finder system that lets members and non-members alike view current listings of courier flight opportunities. Pricing, stay-times, airlines and travel specifics are all outlined in a convenient format. The site also offers a free travelers desk with access to worldwide hostels, live web cams from major cities, international cyber cafes, and a host of value-based travel resources for the general public.

By offering greater courier schedule access, and alerting travelers to last minute courier needs, the company will continue its dedication to customer and member services. A special members’ forum, "courier clips" allows members to submit their courier trip reports online for even greater insights into specific destinations.

Couriertravel.org has recently restructured their website, and implemented new service options to substantially lower the learning curve for first time couriers. "While some groups choose to lead the traveling public into half-truths and marketing gimmicks, our goal is to educate and deliver real pricing and product information for everyone," said Goldstein.

Though many people have heard about on-board couriers and great fare savings, there is a general fear of the unknown. Our members fly for established shipping corporations who ship directly through U.S. and International Customs to expedite their time-sensitive freight. For the inconvenience of carrying a little less luggage, couriers enjoy a host of exciting International destinations. Read about the world of couriers at: www.couriertravel.org

For more information please contact us at customerservice@couriertravel.org or call us at 303.582.2751 we look forward to serving you.

Pavel Goldstein - President - Jessica Dean - Vice President - Larry Bunte - VP Marketing and Sales

For more information, please contact:

Pavel Goldstein
CT WebTechnologies, Inc.
http://www.couriertravel.org
303-582-2751
pavel@couriertravel.org