Travel
Alerts

since the removal of 85% of Indian money by the current govt. the banks have an extremely limited amount of currency to dispense and NONE for tourists.... atms are out of cash and the official line is tourists are allowed 5,000 Rs. ( 75 usd) per week .....take it from a long time traveler India is NOT the place to visit at the moment and this looks to continue well into the coming year......this condition is endemic in all of India

Two of the main walking tracks to the summit of Mt Maunganui will be closed for maintenance work from 5 Dec 2016 for 5 - 8 days.
There will still be one track open to the summit.

On Tuesday, November 29th, the employees of Chicago O'Hare airport have scheduled a strike. Flowing from this, travelers should expect significant service disruptions on the 29th and 30th impacting all flights in/out of O'Hare. In addition travelers should also anticipate a negative impact for all American Airlines and United Airlines flights throughout their systems, as both airlines use O'Hare as a hub.

From the 25th January 2017
These changes take place at London Gatwick
British Airways will operate from South Terminal

Easyjet and Virgin will operate from the North Terminal.

A major road construction project will necessitate closure of Devil's Garden campground from March 1 - November 1, 2017. Some trail closures will occur for 2 weeks at a time during this period as well. As this is the only campground within the park, please reference the link below for alternate suggestions in the area:

nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/c...

Reference the park's "Alerts and Conditions" page for current/scheduled trail closures and other road construction complications:

nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/c...

This Saturday, many Malaysians will be practising their constitutional rights to have a peaceful dem called BERSIH (Bersih is a Malay word for Clean and the color is yellow). There are a few objectives of the campaign, google it!
Thus, visitors can choose to support or avoid. Major parts of KL the focal point will be closed to traffic (motorists). Thus for tourists, use the trains as main modes of transport. Trains will continue to operate, unsure about public buses. This is the 5th outing and the authorities are much better at handling the crowd. There are always those who maybe secular and oppose (those wearing red) and they are making threats. Hope the authorities control them because they are threatening to use violence. A scare tactic used to scare us away.

There's no real reason to be particularly apprehensive about. Just be patient in getting from one place to another, bring some snacks/food, drinking water, umbrella (in case rain or too sunny) and if you are 'stuck' somewhere. Some eateries and shops may be closed for business as business may not be good with everyone concentrating on the rally and prevent shoplifting or looting as some may take advantage. I am unsure about touristic places but the Twin Towers KLCC mall should be open. Chinatown, Brickfields may be mostly closed as it is prime area. If you take a train to Petaling Jaya city, 30 mins train ride from KL, you can go to Amcorp Mall, Paradigm Mall (feeder bus from Kelana Jaya LRT station), One Utama (no direct adjacent train station) and Subang Parade are all Malls with quite nearby train station. Prepare that you may need to 'take it easy' on Saturday especially...many businesses maybe closed.
You could get on the train and enjoy the sights from the train and atmosphere. Or just hand around the hotel area. Check with your reception desk any latest advice and the news.
There maybe some provocation to create trouble by some minorities parties, to create sensation and fear, the message is to stay calm and walk away. This is a non-political peaceful demonstration by Malaysians. Some politicians have taken advantage of it. Using other channels like writing to our leaders, trying to bring it up to Parliament and many others have fallen on deaf ears.

Cheers!

After last year's cancellation due to terrorist threats and a lot of Vigipirate paranoïa.., the Festival is reinstated this december 8th, 9th and 10th, but made smaller and obviously more controlled, safety-wise.

fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/en/p...

Visitors most welcome!

Due to construction, there will be no service on the U3 between Münchner Freiheit and Scheidplatz. Substitute buses will run between the two stations until approximately March 31, 2017.

InterIsland ferries have been cancelled today until further notice.
There has been a large earthquake and until the ports have been checked thoroughly by engineers there will be no ships berthing.
This means travellers planning to drive between islands may have their trip disrupted at the moment.

India scraps 500 and 1,000 rupee bank notes overnight
bbc.com/news/business-379067...

Please see the links below and follow ongoing news. The video (in Italian) of Norcia and its basilica San Benedetto was updated this morning, 30 October.

Source: Damaged Buildings Crumble After Another Powerful Earthquake Rattles Italy | NBC4 Washington nbcwashington.com/news/natio...
Follow us: @nbcwashington on Twitter | NBCWashington on Facebook

francetvinfo.fr/meteo/seisme...

In anticipation of a series of strong storms, many park campgrounds and roads to Hurricane Ridge and Hoh were closed on Oct 13 and will remain so until the threat has eased and any damage repaired. Travel to the park is not advised over the weekend. Please reference the NPS website for updates:

nps.gov/olym/learn/news/olym...

Last week, the BSF and district authorities asked visitors and tourists not to move towards Attari for the ceremony on Thursday.
firstpost.com/india/bsf-canc...

The ceremony was reopened to stone-throwing on the Pakistani side. Authorities are re-eveluating whether to keep it open.
indianexpress.com/article/in...

Keep an eye on the news for further closures.

You may have seen this on the national news, or not, but due to Switzerland closing its borders for refugees, they have been stuck in Como City and up to now have been sleeping rough in the main rail station there. The numbers are increasing daily, and the local authorities have prepared a 'holding' area away from the station so that they can live more comfortably. Until this is complete and they have all moved into it, you might want to travel via a different route.

MADRID - The Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued an "orange alert" for the Andalusian provinces of Seville, Córdoba and Jaén as temperatures are expected to reach 40 degree Celsius on Monday.

Three other Andalusian provinces are also under "orange alert," while a "yellow alert" has also been issued in 13 provinces throughout the country.

Images of Seville youtube.com/watch?v=peBWykX3...

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The responsible persons for Oktoberfest have released their new security concept. See here:
oktoberfest.de/en/article/Ok...
In brief, quoted from Oktoberfest website::

1. 1. A security fence will be introduced and backpacks and big bags will be prohibited##

Details from the website:

1. 1. The new measures at the 2016 Oktoberfest

Backpacks and heavy bags are strictly forbidden,
a corresponding check is performed at all entrances,
in addition, identity checks and baggage checks (for smaller bags) may be performed there,
the open flank at the slopeside along Theresienhöhe is closed by means of a security fence in order to prevent avoidance of the checks,
the entrance at the Theresienwiese subway stop is modified in such a manner that no guests are able to enter the festival area unchecked.##

1. #

Control of luggage at the Oktoberfest is enforced by prohibiting any bags with a capacity of more than 3 liters. Exceptions will be made for justified causes like for example waitresses, handicapped people, competitive marksmen and members of the parades. Small handbags remain legal in general. There will be luggage depositories around the fairground.##

Southern Railway staff members are planning 2 more days of industrial strike action on Wednesday 7th September and Thursday 8th September.

It's likely that the action will affect all "Southern" trains operating between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport including the "Gatwick Express". Southern services to and from south coast destinations like Brighton will also be affected.

Expect a revised timetable, delays and possible cancellations if you are travelling on the dates above, Visit the Southern Railway website http://www.southernrailway.com/ for more information.

A 6.2 magnitude quake hit central Italy earlier today causing widespread destruction and many fatalities, and strong aftershocks are a possibility. Among the hardest hit towns are Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto. Travelers to the region should stay abreast of the situation and make alternative plans as necessary.

http://www.thelocal.it

Addendum to earlier travel warning regarding Zika.

5 new cases of Zika have been detected in Miami Beach.
As of now there is a travel warning against travel to the area for pregnant women or women who may be planning on becoming pregnant during the next 8 months.

Tickets have started coming on this website eventbrite.com/e/open-house-... for free tickets on special buildings around London. Tickets are going really fast but do keep checking as new locations are popping up on every day and different times.

Berlin is currently bothered by several groups of estern european pickpockets. Beware in stations, near tourist attraktions, fleamarkets and on escalators. Don´t wear your wallet in the backpocket. Don´t be too nice to young women, who asked you to subscribe a petiton for humans rigthts or something else. While you are buisy, someone else takes care of your belongings. Beware of hugs from strangers or your mobile phone will be gone. Keep your documents in your Hotel if possible! Be especially carefull at Alexanderplatz in the Center, Kottbusser Tor in Kreuzberg and Warschauer Brücke in Friedrichshain.

As from tonight 19th of August there will be the first night tube service on the Central and Victoria Lines, which will offer a 24 hour service on Friday and Saturday's. Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines are following in the Autumn.

For more information please check TFL website
tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-imp...

As of August 1, 2016, paper tickets for unreserved regionale trains must be purchased for a specific DATE as well as destination, and must be used by midnight of the designated date shown on the ticket. They can no longer be pre-purchased for a destination with the intent of using them them on ANY date within the next 60 as was previously allowed.

The tickets must be validated prior to boarding, and are good for 4 hours - versus the previous 6 - after validation. Passengers will be allowed to complete their journey without penalty if the ticket expires while they’re on the train to the designated destination but are not allowed to interrupt the originally designated journey at any point.

This does not mean that you can’t pre-purchase tickets; the important change is that you must now specify the date you’re going to use them. They can be changed without penalty only once up to 23.59 of the day prior to the designated travel date. They can also be refunded, subject to usual restrictions. This does not apply to electronic regionale tickets as those are already date specific but do not require validation.

This is an attempt to reduce fraudulent, multi-journey use of unvalidated tickets.

Trenitalia has not yet provided this information in English but I expect they will shortly. This notice is also valid without expiration or until/unless Trenitalia makes another change.

trenitalia.com/cms-file/alle...

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) warns pregnant women against visiting an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission in northern Miami, Florida. At least 14 people have been infected in the first locally transmitted Zika with 10 new cases having been discovered yesterday.
All are believed to have been mosquito borne / transmitted.
Currently our news is full of news on people being quickly screened with uncertainty as to how many people may be infected.
So far it is contained to a 1 mile radius however, as it is very near downtown Miami and with many people working there fear is that it will spread quickly

Traveling to Sweden from Denmark, you will have to show your passport, Nordic Driverslicense, or national ID card. If you're driving accross the Øresund bridge, this will only set you back a few seconds. If you're taking public transport, be ready for long delays, short and full trains.
I travel accross every weekday. Takes me between 30 to 45 minutes extra each day.
To go from Copenhagen to Malmö, you have to take the metro or the train to the Airport. Disembark, go to the other track, go through an ID-control. Embark on the empty train with loads of other passengers. This trains stops for 10-15 minutes in Hyllie (first stop on the Swedish side) where the police go through the train asking for passports.
It's been this way since 4. January, and will, according to Swedish authoroties, remain so untill 4. November. There are possibilities fur prolonging the situation even longer.

The State Department alerts U.S. citizens that the 14th session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from July 17 - 22, 2016. As with all large events, there is the opportunity for criminal elements to target participants and visitors. Large-scale public events can also be a target for terrorists.

Expect road closures, hotel room shortages, and movement restrictions in and around Nairobi’s Central Business District during the conference. Protests, rallies, and demonstrations could occur with little notice. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.

More details here. travel.state.gov/content/pas...

The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens traveling to or living in Haiti about the lack of adequate emergency medical facilities, and the security environment in Haiti. Haiti’s emergency response network, along with the continued presence of serious crime and civil unrest, should be carefully considered when planning travel. This replaces the Travel Warning dated August 5, 2015 and provides updated information regarding the changing nature of crime involving United States citizens in Haiti.

More details - travel.state.gov/content/pas...

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey. In light of the July 15 coup attempt and its aftermath, we suggest U.S. citizens reconsider travel to Turkey at this time. This replaces the Travel Warning dated June 27, 2016.

More details here. travel.state.gov/content/pas...

The Hidden Canyon Trail closed on June 6, 2016 for trail maintenance. The trail will reopen in 2017. The Hidden Canyon Trail is a side trail, in and out hike from the East Rim Trail. The East Rim Trail remains open.

Point Imperial and Cape Royal roads, and multiple hiking trails within the park have temporarily been closed for safety. The lodge and campground area is still open and accessible. Expiration date of this alert is uncertain so please reference the park website for updates:

nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/c...