11 FEBRUARY 1938, Page 42

TRAVEL NOTES

SPRING TOURS AND CRUISE!,

LMOsr of the leading shipping companies are making very tempting suggestions this year in the matter of cruising holidays, and anyone who cannot find a holiday to suit his particular requirements amongst them would be very difficult to please. The Orient Line, for instance, have twelve cruises in the First-class-only category by Orcades ' and ' Orion,' each a ship of 23,500 tons. There are sailing dates from April to September, and the destinations vary from the Eastern Mediterranean to Adriatic Norway and the Baltic. Fares are from 22 guineas. The same company have four more cruises in the 1st Class and Tourist category in July and August which are destined for the Western Mediterranean. Fares from £22 1St Class, £12 Tourist. These ships are very comfortable, and are to be recommended. A new programme of escorted tours to the Rockies and Pacific Coast is announced by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The tours last from four to seven weeks, .and there are shorter ones to Niagara Falls and the larger cities of Canada and the United States.

Some other attractive tours to Canada and the U.S.A. are announced by the Cunard White Star Line, allowing from 21 days' to 28 days' stay. EXcursion fares are offered by all types' of Cunard White Star Liners, including the ' Queen Mary.' There are two escorted tours : the first on April loth by ' Queen Mary,' returning by Antonia ' on May 6th, and the second on July 9th by Aurania,' returning by Berengaria ' on July 27th. Inclusive fares from £55 5S.

For those who fancy a holiday in South America the Blue Star Line have excellent cruises from London during April, May, June, July and August to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires via Lisbon and Madeira. The Royal Mail Line have a programme during February, March, April, May and June to Brazil, --Uruguay, and . the Argentine, with other departure dates later in the year. The Nederland Line offers short sea tours to Algiers, Villefranche (Nice) and Genoa by large naailships sailing from Southamp- ton. The Yeoward Line have weekly sailings from Liverpool to Lisbon, Casa- blanca, Madeira, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz. These cruises are from i6 to 23 days, and the fares from 20 guineas. Then we have those delightful cruises up the Amazon by the Booth Line, with sailings on April 8th and May 13th. These cruises are of seven weeks' duration and the fares are from £75.

A short series of continental cruises by pleasure yachts are suggested by Yacht Holidays, 3 Bayley Mansions, Bayley Street, London, W.C. r. There is one org nays to the Dutch bulbfields at 9 'guineas, another to Holland of 8-days for 9 guineas, a third to the Rhine, covering 15 days for 18 guineas, and a fourth to Belgium and Holland, 15 days for 18 guineas. Messrs. Lamport and Holt have a programme of Sunshine Cruises by ' Voltaire and ' Van- dyck,' first-class only in April and May to the Canary Islands and Casablanca, Santa Cruz de is Palma, Las Palmas, Teneriffe, Madeira, and Lisbon, 18 days from 25 guineas, sailing date April 14th; to the Mediterranean calling at Gibraltar, Ville- franche, Naples, Capri, and Lisbon, 19 days from 26 guineas, sailing date April 14th. The French Line have two cruises to the West Indies and the Spanish Main, the first leaving Southampton on February 25th, the second on March 25th. The cruises arc of 40 days' duration and cost from £79 first-class. The Workers' Travel Associa- tion have four excellent cruises this year. From July 16th to 29th the first cruise, sailing from Tilbury, visits Gibraltar, Casablanca, Teneriffe, and Madeira, the fare being D2. The second is a North Africa cruise from July 30th to August 12th, visiting Lisbon and Algiers, Gibraltar and Casablanca. Fare £12. The Floral Isles cruise between August 13th and 26th, calls being made at the Azores, Madeira, Casa- - ----(itirirtard-tm -page 25 / ;)

Travel Notes

(Continued from page 250,) - bLanca, and Lisbon. Fare £12. The, last of the series is the Southern Ports Cruise from August 27th to September Loth, costing £12 los. Ports visited include Gibraltar, Madeira, Santa Cruz de la Palma and Lisbon, returning to Tilbury.

For those who prefer tours on the Conti- nent the choice is equally varied, the most popular countries being Austria, Italy, Hungary and Germany, Switzerland, France and Czechoslovakia, with Holland and Belgium as popular as ever for shorter holi- days. Russia continues to appeal to people who wish to form their own opinion of that country by means of a personal visit, and this has now been made possible to many by tours organised to suit individual require- ments at an expenditure of Li per day. The charge includes travel, hotels, means, guides, and sight-seeing, particulars of which may be obtained from Intourist Limited, Bush House, London.

The Anglo-Hungarian trains to Budapest Spa which, during recent years have been so popular, have new itineraries for 1938, and the tours have the official recognition of the Hungarian and other governments. The " A " Tour takes 15 days and costs 27 guineas. It passes through France, Switzer- land, Italy, Jugo-Slavia, Hungary, and Austria, cities visited including Berne, Lucerne, Lugano, Milan, Venice, Budapest, Vienna, Davos and Paris. Departure dates, July 9th and August 13th. The " B " Spa trains provide a longer stay in Budapest and amongst the cities visited are Flushing, Salzburg, Budapest (to nights) and Vienna, returning to London by way of Flushing. The tour takes 16 days and costs 28 guineas. Particulars are obtainable from Messrs. Dean & Dawson, or from any of the recog- nised travel agents. Messrs. Thos. Cook have a Grand Tour of Italy lasting 15 days at 23 guineas visiting Paris, Turin, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Vesuvius, Caprik Florence, Venice, Milan, and Stresa. Departures on April 13th, May 2oth and June 3rd, with later dates to September. Another Italian tour of 21 days costs 36 guineas. This firm has published a handbook entitled " Easter," which con- tains suggestions for holidays both at home and abroad. It may be obtained from any of the firm's branches. The Rhineland can be visited for 9 days for £5 19s. 6d., Switzer- land costing the same amount for a like period under arrangements made by Messrs. Dean & Dawson who have a number of excellent handbooks concerned with Easter holidays at home and abroad. Czecho- slovakia is a country which is attracting more British visitors each year, and during 1938 this country has two special attractions for sportsmen : from February tith to zoth the Eleventh World Championship in Ice Hockey will be contested at the Winter Stadium in Prague, the railways granting a reduction of 5o per cent. on the fare for all visitors to the World and European Ice Hockey Championship from the frontier station to Prague. Tickets are also valid for the return journey from Prague, or any winter sports resort to any frontier station from February 11th to 28th. The second special attraction is the Sokol Festival to be held in Prague during July. Full particulars are obtainable from the Czechoslovak Travel Bureau, 21 Regent Street, London, S.W. t.