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Health

Travel Health Information Sites

• International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers - Free membership with a directory of reputable English-speaking doctors, hospitals and clinics in 125 countries with set fees.
• National Center for Infectious Diseases Travelers' Health - Info on health concerns and vaccines for specific destinations.
• International Society of Travel Medicine - Great place to start looking for health and vaccination information before traveling abroad.
• Travel Medicine Inc. - World medical guide and products to buy with a "what-to-take" list.
• Travel Health Online - Health advice about more than 220 countries with crime warnings.
• Health Central - Broad, general health and medical advice.
• WebMD - Broad, general health and medical advice.

Jet Lag

To avoid jet lag the easiest way is to sleep all the way over (going east) and stay awake on the way back (going west). If you are flying business you have the option of dinner on request. As soon as you get on board order dinner and with dinner take a short acting sleeping pill (e. g. Halcyon or Ambien). Request that your flight attendant wake you for breakfast. Take the night flight and you then awake in the morning, Amsterdam time.

On the way home you need to stay awake as long as you can. Check out the in-flight movies (I have watched as many as four full features on the way home.) If you can stay awake until at least 9:00 PM (3:00 AM Amsterdam time) you should have no problem sleeping the night. Another short acting sleeping pill will ensure that you wake up on your home time. I have done Weekend Theater in London with this method.

Passport and Visa

New Requirements for Travelers Between the US and other North American and Carribean Countries as of December 10, 2006

Source US Department of State

The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:

• Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.
• As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

Travel Documents for U.S. Citizens Under WHTI. Under the proposed implementation plan, the following documents will be acceptable to fulfill document requirements:

• U.S. Passport:   U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and may also use a U.S. passport when traveling via sea and land borders (including ferry crossings).
• The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card):   This limited-use passport in card format is currently under development and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.  Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet.
• DOS and DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI:  SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.  As proposed, members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement. Background

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to develop and implement a plan to require all travelers, U.S. citizens and foreign nationals alike, to present a passport or other document, or a combination of documents, that denote identity and citizenship when entering the United States.  Congress amended portions of the Act in 2006.  The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is the Administration’s proposed plan to implement this mandate.

The goal of the Initiative is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized, secure and reliable documentation which will allow the Department of Homeland Security to quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler.

Passport countdown

• Flying out of the country in the new year? As of Jan. 23 you'll need a passport if you're traveling by air either way between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda, Canada, Central and South America.
• No passport is needed for travelers flying between the U.S. and its territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
• Details and passport applications can be found at travel.state.gov.
• Post offices that accept passport applications are listed at www.usps.com/passport.
• In Chicago, the main passport office is in the Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn St., 18th floor; 877-487-2778.

Anyone with a criminal record (including a DWI charge) should contact the Canadian Embassy or nearest Canadian consulate before travel. For further information on entry requirements, travelers may contact the Embassy of Canada at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W, Washington, D.C. 20001, tel. (202) 682-1740, or the Canadian consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Juan or Seattle.

In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have initiated procedures at entry/exit points. These often include requiring documentary evidence of relationship and permission for the child's travel from the parent(s) or legal guardian if not present. Having such documentation on hand, even if not required, may facilitate entry/departure.

Rental Cars

Word of caution about car rental companies

Most of them carry absolutely no insurance for their cars while you rent them, thus making your personal car insurance the primary insurer. If you use your credit card to cover your insurance deductible, all credit cards except for Diners Club will be secondary insurers. Yes, we were surprised to learn that even American Express Platinum has gone the secondary route. That means that the accident, whether or not it was your fault will get into your car insurance report. We find Hertz car company the worse offender because they charge for loss of use and add administrative costs to the handling of the accident. (not covered by any insurance we know of). On the cards side, we find Aadvantage Master card Platinum the worst offender. Takes forever to pay and will harass you with millions of forms just to see if you give on them and pay your deductible.

Our recommendation:

• Get a Diners Club card (now with a Master Card logo) which will cover the rental as the primary insurer and use it to rent your car.
• Pay the extra dollars to get insurance from the car rental company
• Avoid Hertz rentals if possible.

Tipping (US)

Throughout America tipping is more or less compulsory. In restaurants, waiters expect around 15 to 20 percent for good service, but it varies for other service industries such as taxi drivers and hairdressers. Porters and bellboys anticipate around one US dollar or two US dollars per piece of luggage. You are not expected to tip in fast-food restaurants or cinemas. Do not ever feel pressured in tipping well if the service is below standards. More and more there are top boxes popping up at the counter of coffee shops and some fast food places. Tip at your discretion