14 JUNE 1935, Page 39

Curren t Travel News

Go for a cruise is undoubtedly the simplest answer to those who have left the question of summer holidays as late as this. A cruise saves endless trouble. It obviates the preparation of one's own itinerary ; there is no hotel to select and accom- modation to reserve ; passports are in most cases dispensed with. In fact, all that is necessary is to book a berth and pack. Add a good 50 per cent. to the passage money and you have some idea of the probable cost of the holiday.

That cruises to the Fjords and the Baltic are increasing in number every year is a sure indication of their popularity. A selection of those available from British ports during the next few weeks is included in this section. There are many others to be had during August and September, and any travel agent can provide a time- table of them. There are also numerous cruises to warmer climates available ; special tours to Canada ; reduced summer fares to Egypt and South Africa ; one thousand miles up the Amazon ; inexpen- sive round voyages to the West Indies and so on.

* * * Combined sea and land tours offer an amazingly wide choice of destination, since shipping companies have realized the possibility of attracting a new type of passenger by arranging for the issue of " combined tickets," which allow of a few days' sea journey to a fashionable resort, a stay of some days at the latter in one of the principal hotels and then a return home by a sister ship or, if the period between returning vessels of the company concerned is too great, by an-

other • company's steamer. The inter- changeability of tickets enables a stay of some •days to be made in places as far as the Grand Canary and Madeira within the normal holiday duration of two or three weeks. Places nearer home, such as Tangier, Mont Estoril, Lisbon, San Sebastian, Santander, Gibraltar, enable the sea traveller to spend longer time ashore. For instance, by leaving any Friday on a P. and 0. liner from London Docks one can spend four days at sea before reaching Tangier, remain a week at this resort and be back home within a total of fifteen days. The complete cost need not be more than £16—£17 second-class or f22—£23 first-class, including hotel. Ten-day, 11- day or 18-day tours to Madeira are possible by the same method ; the 18-day tour allows the visitor to spend nine nights ashore.

A useful compilation to refer to when arranging a cruise-tour of this kind is Messrs. Thos. Cook and Son's handbook Summer Holidays Abroad, or Messrs. Dean and Dawson's Holidays on the Continent. These are indeed helpful references for any- one proposing to travel at any time almost anywhere. A booklet of more specific interest to the "cruise-tourist " who is satisfied to choose one port of call and stay there is Messrs. Hickies' Cruising—Ocean Voyages: In this a section is devoted to tablefri of regular steamship services—dates of departure, routes, duration of voyage, and fares, while other pages are devoted to an analysis of these sailings for the benefit of the cruise-tourist.

On Guide Books in General

Tens of thousands of pounds must be spent annually on the production and dis- semiriation of tourist literature intended to assist the British public in preparing its holidays, and practically all of this is obtainable free from travel agencies or official tourist bureaux. Yet if one is to judge from the inquiries The Spectator's Travel Bureau so often receives, it can be doubted whether readers of this journal are by any means fully enough equipped with this class of reading matter. For this reason a list of addresses of European tourist offices where useful travel literature can be obtained is appended to these notes.