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Hurricanes / Weather / Travel Warnings / Travel Safety / Travel Alerts / → All Tags

Is Your Weekend in the Projected Path of Hurricane Earl?

The weather is still dry here in New York City, even though weathermen promised that the wrath of Hurricane Earl would be felt in high winds and heavy rain by now. Earl, however, seems a bit late to our Labor Day long weekend and we hope he doesn't come to the picnic at all.

According to the Weather Channel, the hurricane has decreased to a Category 2-level storm, but that doesn't mean that it'll end up being just a nice summer rainstorm by the time it hits Cape Cod Saturday. Luckily for everyone, Earl has kept far enough off the coast to only generate wind, rain and waves and none of the scary stuff that makes you fear your house could fall around you. Peak winds are 105 mph, but that's offshore.

The estimated hurricane path for the weekend has a fraction of that wind speed hitting the east coast above Long Island, until the bulk of the beast enters right into Canada's Bay of Fundy, between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, bringing only 65 mph winds with it at that point. Earl has already done his damage to North Carolina and the Outer Banks, causing storm surge waves to wreck piers and flood roads.

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Travel Warnings / Northern Ireland / Travel News / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags

The Government Warns Against Traveling to Northern Ireland

If you were planning a trip to Northern Ireland, the U.S. government believes you should think twice and perhaps even cancel your plans. The good news is you can still go there to party on St. Patrick's Day in 2011..

The region has a history of violence, but a spree of bombings over the last month prompted the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs in Ireland to issue a warning to tourists. The warning is for April through August, when many parades are held, so those St. Pat's plans are still a go. The official statement tells travelers to remain alert in their surroundings as violence can break out at potential flash points. It went on to say that peaceful demonstrations could turn aggressive and possibly escalate into violence.

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Travel Warnings / Mexico Travel / Travel News / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags

What's Up With the New Travel Alert for Mexico?

In advance of the prime spring break season, Uncle Sam issued a small new travel warning recently. The US Department of State has added to a security alert from last summer, and the new safety suggestions run through this August. The government maintains that loads of people enjoy Mexico each year, but they’re asking visitors to practice common sense during their visit. That means no hanging out in areas known for drugs, prostitution, or bad guys.

Not that these are traditional wet T-shirt hot spots, but parts of Michoacán, Durango, Coahuila, and Chihuahua are some areas that might want to be avoided at this time. Especially since there have been cases of US citizens being abducted and murdered. It’s important to stick to the touristy areas when possible if you're unfamiliar with the country and especially the language, and make the most of exploring during daylight hours. That means no flashlight tag, no matter how much it reminds you of elementary school.

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Hurricanes / Weather / Mexico Travel / Travel Warnings / Cruise Travel / → All Tags

Hurricane Ida Is In Your Caribbean, Messing With Your Cruises

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."

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Hurricanes / Weather / Mexico Travel / Travel Warnings / Cruise Travel / → All Tags

Hurricane Rick Swatting Cruise Ships Out Of The Way En Route To Baja

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.

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Travel Warnings / Africa Travel / Sports Travel / Sports / Soccer / → All Tags

UK Warning Soccer Fans To Take It Easy In Angola

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.

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Floods / Philippines Travel / Philippines / Disasters / Travel Warnings / → All Tags

Hope You Aren't Planning A Trip To The Philippines This Month

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]

Dangerous Travel / Honduras Travel / Airport News / Wars / Travel Safety / TGU / Travel Warnings / → All Tags

Honduras Travel Gets Riskier After Weekend Airport Drama

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.

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Travel Warnings / Honduras Travel / Wars / Travel Safety / → All Tags

Is It Still Safe To Travel To Honduras?

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.

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Beachgoers Beware / Bali Travel / Disease / Travel Warnings / → All Tags

Rabid Dogs Coming To Bali Beaches

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]

Camping / Travel Warnings / Travel Safety / → All Tags

Beware the Caravan Gas Bandits

We've heard this criminal strategy often works on overnight trains, but a warning this week from the British Foreign Office tells us that nasty crimes in France are also using this trick: the gassed-while-you-sleep idea where you wake up and discover all your most prized possessions have disappeared.

So be careful if you take a caravan or camper to France, especially if you decide to save a few euro by sleeping on the side of the road. There have been several incidents where tourists sleeping in roadside rest areas have woken up to discover they've been robbed. As one victim explained, "When we woke up everything was gone and we had a really woozy feeling". So stay in an official campsite and make sure any woozy feeling you wake up with simply comes from too much French wine, rather than the actions of thieves.

Related Stories:
· Beware Sleeping Gas Gang [Telegraph]
· Weird Thief at Melbourne Exhibition [Jaunted]
· Stop Thief! He's Got My Hair! [Jaunted]

[Photo: dubrax]

Climate Travel / Travel Warnings / World Monuments / Machu Picchu / → All Tags

Waterworld II: Machu Picchu Island

The World Monuments Fund has joined the Gore battle cry. The non-profit introduced its 2008 list Wednesday of 100 famous natural and historic sites in danger of drowning. For the first time, the World Monuments Watch lists climate change as a threat, in addition to political conflict and unchecked development. Potential global warming victims include Machu Picchu, the historic neighborhoods of New Orleans (which have, arguably, already fallen prey to the crisis), and all of Shanghai. Yikes.

Is the report a legitimate warning or another ploy to elicit enough fear in lazy Americans to change consumption habits? We still plan on flushing twice and using that extra cardboard holder to keep our hands from burning on a hot cup of Starbucks. But just in case, we're recruiting Costner for our team.