By Rail . . .

Avis Expands to Western Taiwan With High Speed Rail Partnership Avis Car Rental, the first international car rental company to operate in Taiwan, today announced that it has expanded its footprint on the island.

Through a new partnership with Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), Avis will
provide access to rental vehicles at six of THSR's eight stations in the western part of the country. Taiwan High Speed Rail runs approximately 214 miles along the west coast of Taiwan, from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung and transported more than 44 million passengers in 2012.

"We are focused on broadening our global footprint while maintaining strong margins," said Patric Siniscalchi, president, Latin America/Asia Pacific, Avis Budget Group. "Our partnership with Taiwan High Speed Rail will allow us to do so by providing leisure and business travelers in the western part of Taiwan with convenient access to rental vehicles."

The Avis locations along the THSR route will be located in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung. With these six new rental facilities, Avis now operates a total network of 20 service points in Taiwan. Avis operates locations in Taipei which include the Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei City, Neihu, Nangang, Songshan, Zhongshan (two locations) and Bangiao, as well as Hsinchu City, Chupei City, Kaohsiung City, Hualien City, Taitung City and Miaoli.

About Avis

Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.

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BYWAYS OF CALIFORNIA & OREGON JUNE 6-9

June 4-9, 2013

This trip will GO!

We will run a unique tour aboard a special train of vintage private cars that will appeal to all rail-oriented travelers. This trip will be limited to a maximum of 45 guests, all of whom will have deluxe overnight accommodations aboard our special train.

There are no ups or extras here. We’ll provide it all from the moment you board the train in Emeryville until we return 6 days later. Nightly lodging will be aboard the train, so there’s no packing and unpacking along the way.

Itinerary:

June 4: We’ll depart Emeryville at approximately 8:00 AM. Stops as may be required at Martinez and Sacramento to board additional guests. From Sacramento we’ll proceed on the former Western Pacific to Keddie. At Keddie, we’ll take the left leg of the wye and head north to Westwood, where we’ll tie up for the night. (B,L,D)

June 5: After breakfast, a motorcoach will take you to Lassen Volcanic National Park for a tour of its unique thermal features. Once back on the train, a late lunch will be served and we’ll depart for Klamath Falls. (B, L, D)

June 6: Today we proceed to Chemult, then on to Bend. The afternoon is yours to explore Bend. (B, L, D)

June 7: We’ll depart Bend approximately 8:00 AM and head up the Deschutes River canyon to its confluence with the Columbia. We’ll turn west and head to Portland via the Union Pacific tracks on the south bank of the river. We’ll tie up for the night at Portland Union Station. (B, L, D)

June 8: We depart Portland 7:00 AM, and proceed via the regular Amtrak route to Klamath Falls, arriving approximately 2:30 PM. We’ll then take a motorcoach to Crater Lake Lodge where we’ll enjoy farewell dinner and sunset over one of the world’s deepest and clearest lakes far below us. After dinner our motorcoach returns us to the train. (B, L, D)

June 9: Our 7:00 AM departure will provide us with spectacular views of Mt Shasta, Castle Crags, and the pristine Sacramento River Canyon, as well as the Sacramento Valley agricultural powerhouse. All too soon we arrive Emeryville, and our adventure comes to an end. (B, L)

Pricing:

Roomettes: $5,199/person.

Bedrooms (sleep 2) $5,199/person, double occupancy.

Drawing Rooms $6,199/person, double occupancy. Third person occupying the same room travels at a 30% discount. Only one drawing room left!

Owner’s Stateroom: $6,399/person, double occupancy. Sold!

California Zephyr Railcar Charters, 1146 CharlestonSt., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, (714) 751-2032, www.CalZephyrRailcar.com

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OCTOBER 2013

Dinner at HearstCastle,
National Parks of the West
and
Byways of California and Oregon

Dinner at Hearst Castle, 2 Days October 2013

Experience what it was like to be an honored guest of William Randolph Hearst! These exclusive overnight getaways includes travel from Los Angeles to the region in vintage private railcar COLONIAL CRAFTS, a private catered dinner at Hearst Castle and special behind the

scenes tours personally conducted by the Museum Director. Also included is lodging in a deluxe ocean-front hotel in San Simeon, and a short wine-tasting tour prior to reboarding COLONIAL CRAFTS in Paso Robles. Aboard COLONIAL CRAFTS you'll be pampered by our professional staff who will provide luncheon, hors d'Oeurves and dinner prepared for you fresh in our kitchen, as well as our complimentary bar.

***This tour is limited to 20 guests***

Itinerary

Thursday, October 3: Our steward will meet us in the main waiting room of Los Angeles Union Station and conduct us to private railcar Colonial Crafts waiting for us on the rear of the Amtrak's Coast Starlight departing at 10:25 AM. As the train leaves the depot, we enjoy a champagne toast to begin our journey to San Luis Obispo. Luncheon will be served around Noon following the sound of the dinner chimes.

As we sit down, the ongoing views of the Pacific shoreline provide a continually changing scene for our meal. The tables are set with crisp starched linens, fine china and glassware in the railroad tradition. Our meals are prepared fresh on board by our chef. Enjoy throughout the trip our complimentary bar including premium labels of beer, wines from the CentralCoast and spirits.

After enjoying some mid-afternoon hors d'Oeuvres, we arrive in San Luis Obispo where we transfer to our waiting coach from HearstCastle. Our coach brings us directly to the front door of the castle where we will be greeted by the Museum Director, and treated to a rare behind-the-scenes tour. As we tour the Castle, we notice that our group are the only guests. At the conclusion of the tour, we will sit down to a four-course dinner under the collonade of the Neptune pool with the surrounding mountains and the ocean far below.

We get a taste of what it must have been like as one of Mr. Hearst's guests as the Castle has been reserved for our exclusive use. The Hearst family is still involved with the CentralCoast. Our meal features beef grown here on the Hearst Ranch and wines from grapes grown in the Hearst Vineyards.

After dinner, the Castle motorcoach will take us to our overnight accommodations at the Cavalier Ocean Front Resort.

2nd Day October 4 2013: After breakfast, we board our trolley coach for a trip over the CoastRange and down into the Paso Robles wine region. We will enjoy a tour and tasting at two wineries with a light lunch before we reboard Colonial Crafts at 1:38 PM. Heading south, we enjoy a glass of CentralCoast wine as we head up and over CuestaPass. Hor d'Oeurves followed by dinner are served as we observe the golden sunset over the beach as we glide back to Los Angeles and a 9:00 PM arrival.

Part of the proceeds from this tour will be used to benefit Hearst CastleTours of HearstCastle include climbing stairs. There are no elevators or ramps

For additional information and pricing
Download a Brochure

Contact Us Contact COLONIAL CRAFTS for availablity and booking information of private railcar charters and stationary parties.

Email Address

ColonialCrafts@earthlink.net

Telephone (Toll Free)

(877)224-1150

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Dropping in on Local Festivals
Easy to Schedule on Pure Adventures’
Self-Guided Bicycle Tours in Europe and the UK

Europe’s self-guided, active travel leader, Pure Adventures http://pure-adventures.com, that designs game plans for adventurous cycling vacations throughout Europe and the UK, suggests that one way to get into the heart of a country is to drop into a local festival. In the case of Italy, it might be a culinary feast, or, this summer in Ireland, a return to emerald roots at the summer-long event dubbed, The Gathering.

Italy’s Puglia is a relatively new region offered to Pure Adventures clients seeking self-guided tours of six nights. In addition to the trulli (white limestone dwellings that resemble pointed witches hats), this region bordering the Adriatic is one of Italy’s wilder sides, with ample urban-stress-relief cycling through agricultural vistas and national parks. Here, as elsewhere in Italy, there are year-round calendar of events for nearly every village. These events celebrate patron saints, the Virgin Mary and, of course, Carnivale. For possible tours see: http://pure-adventures.com/tours/cycling-italy.php

This website offers a sampling of events in Puglia: http://www.giraitalia.it/sagre/puglia/bari

Medieval festivals in towns around Florence begin cropping up in May, competing for attention with multitudes of food and wine happenings on four- and six-night self-guided tours. See: http://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-events/calendar.html

Onion and tulip festivals mix with Medieval music and dance in Umbria, and if cycling guests plan accordingly, they can take in a happening on a six-night tour. See: http://www.initaly.com/regions/umbria/calendar.htm

Another part of Italy that Pure Adventures offers over six nights is Maremma in western Tuscany. Here in May guests can stumble on a crossbow competition in a Middle Ages city and explore the secrets of the prized Prugnolo mushroom. See: http://pure-adventures.com/tours/cycling-tuscany-maremma.php

Hopping over to Ireland, this country’s 2013 cause célèbre is The Gathering, billed as an island-wide festival of events meant to draw in people seeking to connect with their Irish roots. On seven- and four-night Ireland self-guided tours cyclists can plan to tuck in more than one musical event along with pub visits. The tours focus on Connemara and on Galway and the Aran Isles.

“Because you’re on your own wheels and your own time, you can linger – or not – as you wish at these events that draw on a region’s history and culture. The only consideration then becomes the seasonal time frame in which Pure Adventures offers programs to a region,” said Loren Siekman, founder.

Self-guided tours – and surprises – are offered in 2013 in over a dozen countries including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland.

About Pure Adventures
Pure Adventures (http://pure-adventures.com) emerged in 2004 from Discover France Adventures (founded in 1994 by Loren Siekman) to meet North American client requests for high-quality, self-guided cycling tours beyond just France. Pure Adventures leverages and utilizes local expertise for route development, sites to see, people to meet, where to eat, shop and experience life as a local would. Pure Adventures award-winning tours are competitively priced and meticulously planned with substantial behind-the-scene support creating a unique combination that makes a Europe adventure more easily accessible to today’s active traveler.

The company adheres to eco-friendly living and low-to-no-impact travel. Vehicles and other energy consuming resources are not used to support self-guided tours. Electronic communications, cloud storage systems and document sharing help diminish paper printing and storage. Through annual donations the company supports sustainable travel and carbon offsets. Contact them by phone: 800-960-2221 or 480-905-1235, Email: info@pure-adventures.com, or visit online: http://pure-adventures.com.

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By Air & By Sea . . .

JET AIRWAYS

INTRODUCES NEW AIRBUS A330-300 AIRCRAFT ON NEW YORK-INDIA ROUTE

 

as contoured head rests, and the latest technological advances in in-flight entertainment -- all of which contribute to reduced fatigue on long flights. The 34 all-new air-cushioned seats in Première (business) class feature a contemporary "Contour Vantage 2" seat control (with lumbar support and a massage feature) and convert into horizontal flat beds for maximum comfort and more personal space for guests. Instead of single pod seating, the new configuration for the Première class cabin allows guests to choose single seats or seat pairs, ideal for couples or associates traveling together. The newly designed Première seats also boast: storage space; a cocktail table dining/work table with simple deployment;  individual in-flight entertainment on a 12.1-inch monitor with a huge selection of entertainment, including the latest Hollywood/Bollywood blockbusters; PC power and USB outlets for in-flight connectivity; and a unique eXport socket located immediately below the video screen that connects, screens and charges Apple products (iPods, iPads and iPhones). The dropping side arm enables handicapped passengers to easily enter and leave their seats.

The A330-300 aircraft incorporates Airbus' latest technology,

such as fly-by-wire flight controls and lightweight composite structures in its airframe - contributing to the operational efficiency of the aircraft. Onboard mood lighting and advanced safety features, including an inbuilt airbag within the seat belt in both Première and Economy classes, are also new.

In addition to giving Jet Airways' guests the very latest in comfort, safety, security and convenience, the introduction of the new A330-300 aircraft into its fleet allows Jet Airways to keep pace with the ever-evolving market needs of the industry and underscores Jet Airways' commitment to its long-haul routes.

 ABOUT JET AIRWAYS

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