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In this Issue...

  • Gemut.com's Facebook Page
  • Traffic Tickets in Europe
  • Free Day Offer with Eurail Select Pass
  • Do You Really Need Trip Insurance?
  • $1500 Air Credit on Uniworld Cruises
  • Gemütlichkeit Starts 2011 With Salzburg Coverage

Dear Europe Traveler,

We Go Facebook: Please Come See Us

We've been in the business of advising folks on European travel matters for 25 years now. In that time we've come in contact with thousands of really savvy travelers who visit Europe frequently. I recall talking to a man from Pennsylvania who had been smitten by Vienna. Couldn't get enough of it. Had retired 15 years before and made 60 trips to Vienna in those 15 years. He wound up sharing with me his intimate knowledge of a half-dozen inexpensive neighborhood restaurants. Later, I visited a few of them and wrote them up in our subscription newsletter, Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland.

I tell the story to illustrate that our reader/customer base is a great untapped resource of solid information about European travel.

We're going to try to share that resource through Facebook. Yes, there is now a Gemut.com Facebook page and we invite you to visit and discuss. Just click this Facebook.com link, then click the "like" link and you will be notified whenever we post news or special deals. Click the "discussion" link at our FB page to post a comment.

Traffic Tickets: A Growing Problem for European Tourists

You are probably more likely to get a traffic ticket in Europe than at home. But it is unlikely you will be pulled over by a cop and you might not find out about the ticket (or tickets) until you've returned from your trip. All over Europe authorities are increasing electronic traffic surveillance capabilities. For example, visitors are especially vulnerable to Italy's almost diabolical system of catching drivers who stray into restricted driving zones. Unaware drivers can easily rack up more than a thousand dollars in fines in just a few days. Electronic tickets are issued in Switzerland for going less than 3KPH over the posted limit, and Germany's "Blitzer" cameras are raising havoc with speeders. For our discussion on how (and whether) to pay European traffic fines and how to avoid them, read on...

Rail in Europe Gets Even Better

The European rail network continues to expand: City Night Line introduces Karlsruhe-Copenhagen via Hanover, and there are now direct express trains from Frankfurt to Kiev and Moscow via Warsaw. EuroNight routes, Salzburg-Zagreb, Salzburg-Budapest, and Dresden-Budapest have been added, and a new direct day train, Munich-Venice, departs at 11:31 and arrives 16:42. The Munich-Copenhagen overnight has been discontinued.

Here are two European rail deals: Book a six, eight or 10-day Eurail Select Pass through March 30 and get a free day of travel. The second-class Austrian Rail Pass is discounted 15-percent if purchased by March 30. Book here.

Do You Really Need Trip Insurance?

If nothing else, Icelandic volcanoes, freaky weather, and various international emergencies, have taught us that travel insurance should definitely be a part of the European trip-planning process. It used to be that too many travelers left home without insurance. Now, we're talking to people who want to buy it but don't really need it. We refer here to trip cancellation insurance, not medical coverage...though that is usually an included extra with trip insurance and is sometimes purchased by those who don't have medical coverage outside North America. To determine whether or not you need insurance, and how much coverage you should buy, read on....

$1500 Air Credit on Uniworld Cruises

Between mid-April and early November, Uniworld, the world's best river cruise company according to the Today Show, has committed to more than 30 sailings over a new itinerary between Prague and Koblenz. The ship is the just-remodeled River Ambassador with new French balconies added to top deck staterooms. Called Treasures of Prague, the Rhine & Main, the itinerary includes Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Nürnberg. It's a great cruise on a great ship, the problem is sales are apparently not what Uniworld had hoped for when they introduced the trip last fall and why they have come to us with a special offer for our readers.

Cruise/tour-only per person rates range from $2699 to $3299, a fair price without a discount. But here's what Uniworld is offering Europe Travel Report and Gemütlichkeit subscribers:

  • A $600 per couple discount on all Treasures of Prague, the Rhine & Main departures.
  • For July and August departures, a $1500 per couple credit toward transatlantic airfare purchased through Uniworld.
  • Note these prices don't include the $112 port tax and are for a category 3 cabin.
  • The Gemut.com discount for any Uniworld 2011 cruise is $300 per couple.

Call 800-521-6722 x 2 for more info. See the video.

February Gemütlichkeit Covers Salzburg

The 25th year of Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland starts with coverage of our recommended hotels, restaurants, sights and activities in the gorgeous city of Salzburg; How to see what's left of the Berlin Wall; and our analysis of what's ahead for 2011 in European air travel (don't expect high season fares to go down), auto rentals, and rail travel. Subscribe to the electronic version for one year for $49 or $69 for the regular mail issue.