travel
Escape Artists offers up a global discourse ranging from great finds close to home to adventures far afield. You'll find weekly travel deals here, too. Share your road wisdom, rave about great finds and rant about roadblocks that get in the way of a great trip.
Contributors: Travel editor Kerri Westenberg, Curt Brown, James Lileks and Bill Ward.
Email us with tips and questions.
Posts about International travel
A book lover's bucket list.
Posted by: Bill Ward Updated: April 26, 2012 - 7:24 AM
It would be interesting to know how close the newish downtown Minneapolis library came to making this compendium of the world's 25 most beautiful public libraries.
Perhaps a bigger question is how feasible it is to actually be able to focus on reading or research in a space such as the one below, in Paris. (Only three of the 25 are from the U.S. of A., by the way.)
Air France faces strike
Posted by: Kerri Westenberg Updated: February 6, 2012 - 11:46 AMIf you are heading to France via Air France, take note: The airline has cancelled flights and is making ongoing adjustments due to a strike by aviation workers that began today. Despite the actions, Air France is operating a majority of its flights. The strike is expected to run through Thursday, Feb. 9. According to a press release from Air France, the airline expects to operate 85 percent of its long-haul flights and 80 percent of its medium-haul flights. They have canceled or rescheduled some flights, but only 4 long-haul flights, according to the Washing Post.
If you are scheduled to fly the airline during the strike, you will be able to postpone or alter your flights. If you proceed with travels, Air France suggests passengers ensure their contact information is thorough and accurate. You can change your plans or update contacts and check the current flight schedules at the airline website.
After a cruise, no longer taking captain for grant
Posted by: Curt Brown Updated: January 22, 2012 - 12:25 PMEvery day around noon on our Celebrity Solstice cruise through the Caribbean, Captain Gary would come booming over the loudspeaker and give the thousands of passengers longitudinal information we didn't understand, distance information equally confusing (sea miles vs. regular miles?) and the he'd sign off with a little joke. Three examples and I quote: "Man who walks in front of car will get tired; man who walks behind car with get exhausted and man who stands on toilet will get high on pot."
On New Year's Eve, hour after he deftly U-turned to drop off a passenger in St. Maarten for undisclosed reasons, we saw Capt. Gary sipping champagne with the revelers around the pool deck. He cemented his amiable personality on the last night in the big theater after the standup comic suggested next time, the over-70 crowd avoid napping in public spaces because, well, it's hard to be sure they're napping.
But now, after the shipwreck off Italy, I'm lefting wondering a could things:
How rigorous is Captain Gary's training and certification?
Will the cruise industry survive with its floating Old Country Buffet, very 20th century (two formal nights in a week, really?) ways?
But mostly, I'm left with a sense of gratitude for Captain Gary and his mates, for steering us clear without us ever thinking twice about safety or life and death drama that unfolded in the Mediterrean. So, thanks Gary, for the jokes, songs and getting us into port.
Passport for baby
Posted by: Kerri Westenberg Updated: September 30, 2011 - 1:34 PMAn expectant mother recently asked about getting a passport for her yet-to-be-born baby. She's wondering how quickly she can get it done as she's due in early October and hopes to bring the newborn overseas for the Christmas holiday.
I went to the resident expert, Robert DeWitt, director of the Minneapolis Passport Agency.
“Babies can get passports the minute they are born,” he said. That enthusiasm notwithstanding, in practice it’s a different matter.
To get a passport for a minor, the child must be present at the time of the application and so should both parents. If one parent can’t be there, though — because she’s recovering in the hospital, for instance — the other can bring along a completed, notarized “statement of consent.” Filling that out and getting it notarized before the hospital visit, though, would require the impossible (or a leap of faith): knowing the minor’s name and birth date.
Her best best is to drive as a new family to a “passport acceptance facility,” such as a government service center or a post office, once she and the babe are dismissed from the hospital. She'll need the baby’s birth certificate, both parents’ IDs and a passport photo for the baby, which she may be able to obtain through the hospital or the passport facility.
Since she is due in early October, she should have no problem getting the passport in her hands before the family departs in December. Routine passport applications are being processed in four to six weeks.
Anyone in urgent need of a passport can head to the Minneapolis Passport Agency. This office, at 212 3rd Av. S., can process applications within a few days, but should be used only by the truly desperate. The fee for an expedited passport is $60 in addition to the cost of the passport itself, which is $105 for a minor.
Click here for more information and to print passport application forms.
Tips for crossing the border
Posted by: Kerri Westenberg Updated: May 31, 2011 - 11:41 AMHeading out of the country anytime soon? Here are tips for crossing the border sent from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• Tip #1 – To avoid fines and penalties associated with importing prohibited items, travelers should familiarize themselves with the “Know Before You Go” section of the CBP website
• Tip #2 – Be prepared to declare all items acquired abroad. Travelers should prepare for the inspection process before arriving at the inspection booth and have their approved travel documents ready.
• Tip #3 –Monitor border wait times for various ports of entry. Travelers can find wait time information at the CBP website. To experience shorter wait times, travelers can use ports of entry during periods of lighter traffic or less heavily traveled ports of entry during periods of heavy travel.
• Tip #4 – Build extra time into the trip in the event of crossing during periods of exceptionally heavy traffic.
• Tip #5 – Know the difference between goods for personal use versus commercial use. For more details, go here.
• Tip #6 –Do not attempt to bring fruits, meats, dairy/poultry products and/or firewood into the U.S. without first checking whether they are permitted. More info here.
• Tip # 7 – International border crossers should expect a thorough inspection process, even during busy holiday periods, when entering the U.S. CBP officers are authorized to conduct enforcement examinations, ranging from checking luggage to a personal search, without a warrant.
• Tip #8 – If you are a frequent cross-border traveler and haven’t already become a member of a trusted traveler program, sign up now.
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