<em>Jay Lloyd's Getaway:</em> Important Online Cruise Info
Many getaway travelers heading for destinations in the Mediterranean have been caught unprepared for the turmoil that scuttled their plans or left them stranded. Jay Lloyd looks at some important information web sites.
by KYW's Jay Lloyd
Mediterranean cruises have become popular and relatively reasonable winter vacation options. But many of them stop in places now in chaos.
My own sister, Andrea Berman, and her husband, Richard, weren't prepared for the conditions they saw even before the current turmoil in Cairo, Egypt.
"It was dirty, garbage in the streets, it was really awful," says Andrea. "We weren't comfortable being there. We could have done without that part of the trip."
There are three web sites that can provide advance warning of social, economic, and health conditions in a country, as well as clear warnings of danger. The prime site that should be checked when traveling abroad is maintained by the US State Department, at travel.state.gov.
For an insight into a nation's stability, look up the CIA World Factbook, at www.cia.gov.
And if you're planning or booked on a cruise, check out the news section of "Cruise Critic," at cruisecritic.com. It details itinerary changes resulting from local conditions.
Stay safe!
