You know the cruising season has begun when the hurricanes and tropical storms lay into the Caribbean; it's just a hazard of the peak season. Still, this week we've been watching the progress of Hurricane Ida, which began way down in Central America and worked its way due north, eroding beaches in Cozumel and Grand Cayman before just not being downgraded back to Tropical Storm in advance of landfall in Mississippi.

Most affected by the storm were two inaugural sailings of Carnival ships, the Fantasy and Triumph from new home ports of Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, respectively. According to CruiseCritic, each voyage is now delayed by a day, turning a 6-nighter into 5 and Triumph's 4-nighter into 3 with no port calls; it's now a "cruise to nowhere." ]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-10T08:44:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/19/91323/687

If there is something we know about traveling during the late summer thru early fall, it's to buy trip insurance. We're sure some cruisers and Baja vacationers will be finding out the importance of such policies as Hurricane Rick hits Baja Mexico and diverts ships away from holiday ports in order to avoid the 100 mph winds.

Although Rick has already crested in strength and now it peters down to a category 3 hurricane, let us remember that having a category anything storm crash your beach holiday is never positive. Judging the infographic above, Rick is zeroing in on Mexico like a frat boy with fantasies of cheap Patron. With the storm due off the coast from late today through early tomorrow, cruise ships are skipping visits to Mazatlan and possibly even Cabo San Lucas, adding insult to injury for the city that counts on these near-daily cruise ship calls. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-19T09:38:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/8/75329/0439

There’s only a few months left until the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament hits the field. Starting in January, soccer fans from around the globe will travel to Angola to check out some heated competition, while patiently awaiting the arrival of the World Cup tournament. However, British fans of the football are being warned by their government to be extra cautious regarding their travel plans.

Crime levels in the capital city of Luanda are high according to the British Foreign Office, and they are encouraging fans to attend only if they are traveling with someone familiar with the local conditions. Angola only ended a long civil war in 2002, so things over there are still a little touchy. It might be a good idea for the British fans to keep their hooligan antics to a minimum, or at least save them for the games of the World Cup in South Africa. ]]> kjb 2009-10-08T08:58:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/28/145/40548

We hope not too many Jaunted readers were traveling through the Philippines over the weekend because it hasn't been pretty: a tropical storm hit the north of the country and caused the worst flooding Manila has seen for more than 50 years.

Almost half a million people have been displaced by the floods and sadly, at least 86 have been confirmed dead, with the final death toll expected to be a lot higher.

What this means for travelers: right now is clearly not a fantastic time to be landing in the northern Philippines. Apart from the fact that the locals are busy with more important things than entertaining tourists, with such widespread flooding there's also the danger of disease outbreaks. Postpone your trip if you can. When you do get there, remember we've also warned you to be wary of ferries, okay?

Related Stories:
· Storm Kills Dozens in the Philippines [NY Times]
· Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Saavedra] ]]> amandak 2009-09-28T09:00:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/6/91344/84776

Central America's most serious political crisis in years has Honduras sliding further into instability, and tourists are not surprisingly second-guessing trips to the tiny nation.

Exiled President Manuel Zelaya played at a return to Honduras on Sunday, borrowing a plane from Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and attempting to fly back into Toncontin International Airport in the capital, Tegucigalpa. But as clashes broke out between Zelaya supporters and police, soldiers blocked the runway and the ousted leader decided not to risk a crash landing—perhaps he was aware that even without the demonstrators, TGU is already one of the world's most dangerous airports. ]]> BS 2009-07-06T14:14:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/1/231457/4070

We bet that there a more than a few of you out there clutching tickets to Honduras, while shaking in your boots over the current military coup situation and wondering whether or not to cancel your vacation. This is why god invented trip insurance, and we recommend that if you have it, now would be the time to cash in on it.

We know that the Honduran Bay Islands are famous for scuba diving with whale sharks, but there's a friggin' military coup playing out back in the capital Tegucigalpa, and we paid enough attention back in junior high history class to know that it means potentially violent demonstrations, soldiers with guns in the streets, and a generally confused and upset populace. These elements, unlike malibu rum and pina colada mix, do not combine to form a perfectly relaxing vacation away. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-07-02T09:32:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/12/45813/331

Uh-oh. The Indonesian island holiday paradise of Bali is not quite the paradise we thought. It's just lost the status of being rabies-free, so now we've got to warn you about it.

Last year it was the chickens that were dangerous, but Australian health authorities have just confirmed that rabies is back in town. The Balinese are denying it for now, saying three locals died of a brain infection... after being bitten by dogs. We'll let you decide.

In any case, there are now warnings for tourists to consider rabies vaccinations before they fly to Bali and to look out for dogs, cats, monkeys and other animals who might scratch or bite you. Even if they're not (yet) foaming at the mouth.

Related Stories:
· Bali Tourist Paradise Bitten Again [The Age]
· Don't Play With Chickens in Bali [Jaunted]
· Bali Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: marcomazzei] ]]> amandak 2008-12-12T09:30:29-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/