GREECE: Room Share Available!

Greek Islands: June 1-13, 2011
Save cost of single supplement (filled)
Sorry this tour is FULL
See our fall Greek Islands Getaway

Visit Athens, and some of the most beautiful and fascinating islands of Greece: Crete, Santorini, and Mykonos!

Stay at small quaint local inns on the islands and a 5-star hotel in the heart of Athens.

Small group size (appox. 10), leisurely pace, fully escorted by WanderWoman™ tour director, privately guided tours by local specialists, delicious Mediterranean Cuisine...

For tour details see ITINERARY or call 207.236.0110

We hope you can join us!

EGYPT Urges Travelers to Support Freedom!

On Friday February 18, Egyptians will march on Tahrir Square, but this time to ask tourists to return to Egypt. Their slogan is "Support Freedom, Visit Egypt!" Tourism is Egypt's largest industry. The lack of tourists over the past weeks has had a detrimental effect on the economy of Egypt. The US State Department has not yet lifted travel warnings, but hopefully they will do so soon.

Hope to see you there!

Erja

Protests in Egypt Cause Tours to Cancel

The past week of protests in Egypt has resulted in the issuing of travel advisories and tourists to canceled their travel plans to Egypt. Most companies are offering full refunds to travelers who would like to cancel. Many of the large cruise & tour companies have canceled operations until Feb 28th, the date until when the US government's travel warning to Egypt is in effect.

For the most up to date travel warnings visit the US State Department Travel Advisory site.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/

For the latest on Nile Cruise cancellations visit:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news

Before you leave home register with the US State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

Traveling Overseas with your Credit / Debit Cards

Credit & debit cards are a convenient way to have money on hand while traveling internationally. But before you take your plastic on vacation here are some helpful travel tips.

1. Prior to your trip, check the international exchange fee charged by your credit and debit card companies. Some credit cards charge as high as 3% of the purchase amount. Bank of America Amex currently is offering a low 1% fee. Debit cards generally charge 1%. Some debit cards, such as some of TD Bank's debit cards currently do not charge an exchange fee. So it is a good idea to shop around. Note: fees are subject to change, so it is advisable to call all credit cards before deciding on which ones to bring.

2. Once you have booked your trip and selected your cards, BE SURE to notify your credit card company and the issuing bank of your debit card as to where and when you are planning to travel. If you neglect to do this your credit card company may suspect fraudulent activities if overseas charges appear unexpectedly, resulting in a hold on all transactions.

3. Make photocopies of all credit cards and important documents. Leave copies at home with a family member or a friend. NEVER send credit card info via email. So if your credit cards are lost or stolen you'll have access to your credit card number and other info. Keep emergency contact telephone numbers for cards in a separate place in case cards are lost or stolen. NOTE: 1800 numbers do not work out side of the USA, unless you have a US cell phone in which case you will be charged international calling rates for the call. If not printed on the back of your card, ask your financial institution for number that can be dialed from abroad.

4. Bring more than one card. The cards you bring should be from by different institutions. Sometimes there may be problems with networks and your card might not work for no apparent reason, so it is a good idea to have a back up. If traveling with your American Express card remember not all establishments accept American Express.

5. If renting a car you will not be able to use a debit card, you must have a credit card with you.

6. Request transactions in local currency. Some places will offer the courtesy of converting charges to USD, for which the exchange fee can be as much as 3.5% of the transaction amount. Be especially careful of this in Ireland since many establishments automatically convert charges to USD.

6. When using cards always be sure your card is returned to you after each transaction.

7. To prevent theft, keep all cards and money either in a money belt or security pouch worn under your clothes. Never keep your wallet in you pocket. If you use a shoulder bag wear the strap across your chest so it cannot be grabbed from you.

8. If your credit/debit cards are lost or stolen be sure to notify both the local police and the financial institution right away.

9. When you return home, check your statements carefully and if you notice any suspicious activity contact your credit card company and/or bank.

If you have other travel tips related to using credit cards while traveling we invite you to share them.

LIVE, LAUGH & TRAVEL!

The Wanderwoman Travel Team

WWW.WANDERWOMAN.COM

Tis the season...

To start planning travel for the NEW YEAR 2011!

Here at Eurynome Journeys we have some great deals for the New Year.

Check out out Early Booking Specials on Egypt, Greece, and Ireland.

Soon pricing will be available for a July Maine Coast tour, our Fall trip to Malta and Sicily, and our New Years Escape to Rome in Dec 2011-Jan 2012.

SAVE the cost of the single supplement:

We have a room share opportunity on our Greek Island Hopping Adventure June 1-13

Early Booking Price
Reserve by Feb 7 and SAVE on Ireland: Grace O'Malley Tour August 9-18

Also SAVE an additional $100 if you can name the town in the above photo.

(One entry per person and some restrictions may apply)

We hope you are able to join one of our women-only travel adventures in 2011!

Live, Laugh & Travel!

Erja Lipponen, Owner/Founder

Eurynome Journeys

207.236.0110

Featured destination: CRETE

Crete is the largest island in Greece. The coastline offers sandy beaches, medieval port cities and quaint fishing villages. The interior of the island has fertile plains, mountains with traditional villages, and amazing hiking trials.

Best time to visit: May-early October

Weather: May to June warm and sunny. July and August are very hot, sunny and can be windy. September and October are less windy, and not as hot, still lots of sunny days. By October there can be a couple of rainy days, but nice for enjoying the outdoors and many of the tourist have gone home and there are more opportunities to experience local activities.

What to do: Explore archaeological sites from Minoan to Byzantine, gorgeous hikes, sea kayaking, quant seaside & mountain villages, medieval post cities, cooking lessons, wine tasting, markets with local crafts, sandy beaches and eco-resorts, dancing and music!

MUST SEE: Knossos archaeological site, Heraklion Museum, Samaria Gorge, small villages, Venetian old port city of Chania

GETTING THERE: There are several daily flights from Athens to Heraklion (HER), Chania (CHQ), as well as charters in the summer time from the UK and other Europen points.

The NEW Olympic Air

Aegean Airlines

Ferries also run regularly between Piraeus (Port of Athens) and Crete. From Piraeus overnight ferries go to Heraklion in Central Crete and Souda (Port of Chania) in western Crete. There is also a port in Eastern Crete, Agios Nikolaos/Sitia, the route is via Santorini and Milos. From Sitia there is also service to Rhodes.

Ferry schedules http://www.ferries.gr/greek-islands-ferry/ferry_crete.htm

For info about Crete visit: http://www.explorecrete.com/

KNOSSOS and the beginnings of Cretan Archaeology:

Crete is an island of myth and magical beauty. Already in classical times myths about the legendary King Minos of Crete inspired the works of poets and arts. According to myth King Minos demanded an annual tribute of seven youths and maidens from Athens, who were sacrificed the Minotaur, a terrible beast that was half man and half bull.

It wasn’t until excavations in the late 19^th and early 20^th century that evidence was found indicating that a highly evolved civilization thrived on Crete over three and half thousand years ago. The archaeological site of Knossos, just miles from the modern capital of Heraklion, appears to be a palace complex complete with an underground labyrinth. This find of the maze-like corridors on the lower level of the building led “archaeologist” Author Evans to coin the term “Minoan civilization,” after the legendary King Minos. Evans believed this civilization to have worshipped the Great Mother Goddess, as is suggested by the numerous female figurines unearthed by Evan's and his team (which included the grandfather of our guide on Crete).

The first British female classicist Jane Ellen Harrison visited Evans during his excavation. The finds at Knossos supported Harrison’s theories of an ancient goddess cult in Greece prior to the Heroic period of the Iliad. However Harrison was blackballed by most of scholars of her time and her work was not resurrected until the 1970s, decades after her death. Many of Harrison’s theories have become popular among scholars today.

Knossos archaeological site http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh352.jsp?obj_id=2369

Bio of Evans http://www.dictionaryofarthistorians.org/evansa.htm

Bio Harrison http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=harrja

Live, Laugh & Travel to Crete!

INSURANCE UPDATE

From Travel Guard:
"... any new volcanic issues in Iceland are now considered new situations for travel insurance coverage, except for travel in and out of Iceland since Iceland airports are not back to normal yet.

Volcanic Ash follow up questions & answers:

When is the eruption of the Iceland volcano on 4/14 considered to have ended?
The event of 4/14 is considered to have ended on 4/22/10 when Eurocontrol announced that air traffic had returned to normal level.

If I purchased a policy on or after 4/14 would coverage apply to a future eruption?
As long as your policy is purchased prior to any future eruption occurring, you would be covered under most of our U.S. products.

You can purchase Travel Guard Coverage through Eurynome Journeys or your travel agent.