• Message From Ina Rich - Chairman of Rich Worldwide Travel
  
  
• Business Values
• American Airlines Readies Lie-Flat Seats
• Marriott Hartford Downtown Opens.
  Adding Its Business-Guest Mix
• Planned Leisure
  Take It Easy... Relax... Rest... And Play!
• Carnival Provides Ships
  To Help In Katrina Relief Efforts
• Here Comes Club Med's Buccaneer's Creek
• Special Interest: Tut Tut
  It Would Be A Shame To Miss It
• Ready For A "Boo-tiful Vacation?"
  Halloween Is Just Around The Corner
• Passport "String On Your Fingers"
  Be Ready For New Requirements
• Personal Observations From RWT "Site-Seers"
  How You Rate Our New "Adventure Travel" Link
• Rich Worldwide Travel Briefs
  Short Takes - To Take You There!

HANDLING THOSE "DID I'S" BEFORE YOU GO

We can just about bet the house on it. You, too, have experienced a case of the "Did I's" just after leaving for some vacation time far from home. You KNOW you suspended newspaper delivery, locked windows, gave a neighbor a phone number to reach you in case of emergency, arranged for mail to be picked up by a friend, and have unplugged appliances. But STILL there's that uneasy feeling. Was there something ELSE that should have been attended to? Was the PC unplugged including the phone line? (You don't want a thunderstorm's lightning bolt to zap your modem.) Did you remember to take a phone card with you (and check its limitations)? What about an extra pair of eyeglasses in case you misplaced or damaged the ones you're wearing? And your camera. Did you clean the lenses, empty the picture card in the digital, buy space-free new cartridges for the cam recorder, take extra batteries and film? Did you break in shoes ahead of time so, if you were going to do a lot of walking, it would be pleasurable? Speak with our RWT experts. They'll be pleased to offer some reminders in advance of your trip, or suggest where you can find excellent checklists. Count on us to help in a myriad of ways before, during and even after every trip. We are pleased to serve. To initiate your travel plans, check out our links at www.richtravel.com. And happy traveling.

American Airlines has announced plans to install new lie-flat seats and enhanced inflight entertainment in the Business Class cabin on all of its Boeing 767-300s and Boeing 777 aircraft. The major carrier also announced intentions for additional cabin improvements on the Boeing 767-300, including larger and more spacious overhead bins. Enhancements to the Boeing 767-300 Business Class cabin are slated to begin next year, and American will begin installing the new Business Class seats on the Boeing 777 fleet beginning in 2007. Additionally, American is investing in the Boeing 777 First Class cabin by extending customer-favorite Flagship Suites to 20 additional aircraft, thus creating a superior product across the fleet. "We know how important it is to our passengers to be comfortable on their international flights, whether they are working, enjoying a meal and a movie, or just relaxing," says Dan Garton, Executive Vice President of Marketing. "Our new Business Class product will provide our customers with a comfortable and highly adjustable lie-flat seat, as well as quite a bit of work space and state-of-the-art inflight entertainment, all of which will create a world-class Business Class experience." For all your air travel (and land) arrangements, touch base with any RWT account executive.
 

The Hartford Marriott Downtown, connected to the new Connecticut Convention Center, has just celebrated its grand opening with 13,500 square feet of meeting space, including an 8,300-square-foot-ballroom (largest in the city), a rooftop pool and spa area, a 183-seat restaurant and a street-level bar. The 409-room property rises 22 stories above the Connecticut River and is just 20 minutes from Bradley International Airport. It is Hartford's first new full-service hotel in more than two decades. Recognizing the business traveler's need to be productive away from the office, guest rooms provide ample workspace, an adjustable ergonomic chair, dual-line phones, data ports, a clock radio and no-glare lamps with power outlets. Other hotel amenities for the business traveler include a 900-square-foot UPS Business Center that is conveniently located in the corridor between the hotel and convention center lobbies. The facility provides a wide range of business center services, such as access to computers and printers, as well as shipping facilities and supplies for both hotel guests and visitors. For arrangements involved in meetings- and conventions-related stays, contact Nathan Devore, Rich Worldwide Travel's co-president, by calling 212-997-1600 or 800-333-RICH (7424) ext.201. Devore's e-mail address is ndevore@richtravel.com. Or chat with any RWT account executive.
 

Carnival Cruise Lines has chartered three of its cruise ships to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for six months as part of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The three cruise ships are the Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday. The Ecstasy, normally home ported at Galveston, Texas, operating four- and five-day cruises, and Sensation, normally home ported in New Orleans operating four- and five-day voyages, were pulled from service effective Sept. 5. Initial plans are for both vessels to be docked in Galveston. The Holiday, which is home ported at Mobile, Ala., operating four and five-day Mexico cruises, was pulled from service effective Sept. 8. Initial plans are for the vessel to remain docked in Mobile. All guests whose bookings have been cancelled will be offered full refunds and will have the opportunity to re-book their cruise on any Carnival ship. Guests who re-book on any Carnival ship will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit. For the latest information regarding all Carnival sailings, costs, accommodations and availabilities contact Aimee Presto, Rich Worldwide Travel's Cruise Manager, at 914-835-7600 ext. 145. Presto's E-mail address is apresto@richtravel.com. Or talk to any RWT account executive.
 

Club Med has announced a Dec. debut for the $60-million, 293-room Club Med Buccaneer's Creek, totally rebuilt on the site of the original resort on the island of Martinique. Nonstop charter flights to the island from New York City's JFK International Airport are slated to start on Dec. 17. The resort will offer a fitness center, an entertainment area and a spa. Rooms will have CD players, flat-screen TVs and pillow-top mattresses. A wide range of activities and sports will be available, giving guests the option of a very active vacation, or the very relaxing art of doing nothing at all. For booking arrangements, contact Rich Worldwide Travel leisure agent Ruth Miller at (914) 835 - 7600 ext.143. Her E-mail address is rmiller@richtravel.com. Or talk to a RWT account executive. Refer to Club Med Bucaneer's Creek.
 

In excess of 600,000 tickets to the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit have been sold since it opened in mid-June at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Visitors to L.A. who purchase a limited special hotel package will receive VIP tickets to the exhibit, which runs through Nov. 15. The VIP tickets allow entry into the exhibition via a special line at any time of day on the reserved date. The package also includes a coupon booklet with discounts to more than 25 other LA-area attractions. Among the hotels offering packages: The Wilshire Grand Los Angeles is featuring a promotional nightly rate of $169 including accommodations for two in an executive level room with executive club privileges, overnight parking and two King Tut tickets. Additional nights are $119 and do not include exhibit tickets. Downtown's Omni Los Angeles Hotel is offering deluxe accommodations for two with King Tut exhibit tickets from $179 per night. And at the Le Meridien at Beverly Hills, located five minutes from the exhibit, nightly promotional rates start at $219 per night. To arrange your Los Angeles King Tut stay and book air arrangements contact Rich Worldwide Travel's leisure agent Ruth Miller at (914) 835 - 7600 ext.143. Her E-mail address is rmiller@richtravel.com. Or speak with any RWT account executive. Refer to King Tut Packages.
 

Yes..fall is in the air... and soon witches and goblins will be on the minds of excited youngsters AND their parents caught up in the fun of the special holiday. For those who will be looking to use more sophisticated travel than simple broomsticks, a wide variety of vacation packages are offered through Rich Worldwide Travel with loads of Halloween-related features for family enjoyment. Check with RWT's leisure agent Ruth Miller at (914) 835 - 7600 ext.143. Her E-mail address is rmiller@richtravel.com. Or speak with any RWT account executive. There's even a "Hiking With Dracula" package to Romania including trekking in Transylvania, a mountainous region populated with medieval castles, fortified churches, quaint villages and plenty of Dracula-related legends. The itinerary's highlights include visits to the 14th-century town of Sighisoara and the birthplace of Vlad Tepes — more notoriously known as Vlad the Impaler or Count Dracula — and to the famous Castle Bran, often referred to as "Dracula's Castle." The total cost for the "Pure Adventures" Romanian tour is $739 per person, based on a minimum of six hikers.
 

The initial reaction is in, and Rich Worldwide Travel's new "Adventure Travel" link (click here) appears to have achieved a most positive response from those who have begun using its resources. RWT thanks you for your unsolicited comments, we are extremely gratified, and welcome additional ones at ndevore@richtravel.com.