For More Info, Travel The Internet
From making airline reservations to looking up resorts, there’s an increasing amount of travel information available on the Internet. Some Northwest examples:
Alaska Airlines has become the first airline on which customers can book their own tickets using the World Wide Web. The address is http://www.alaskaair.com .
Washington State Tourism has its own Web site, with a statewide calendar of events, information on attractions and links to communities and attractions around the state. The address is: http:/ /www.tourism.wa.gov .
There’s also an online version of the state’s annual Washington State Lodging and Travel Guide, which features information about places to stay, an interactive state map, links to various state agencies, and a photo gallery. The address is http://www.travel-in-wa.com .
A new online magazine covers San Juan County and the surrounding islands; it’s described as part guide book, part weekly magazine. It includes maps, travel tips and tourist information, plus advertising and links to related sites. The address is: http://www.pacificrim.net/sjmag .
The Bellingham visitors bureau also has online information: http://www.bellingham.org/ .
For information on Washington ferries and highways, including pass conditions, dial up: http:/ /www.wsdot.wa.gov/ .
And finally, for reviews and listings of what to see in Southern Oregon: http://www.so-oregon.com .
Driving the Sound: The Royal Victorian car and passenger ferry will be back for a third summer season starting May 16. It’s an easy way to travel between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, and vehicle reservations can be made.
The ferry makes one round trip daily through Oct. 15. Last summer, it carried about 98,000 passengers and 27,000 vehicles.
The Victoria Line also is offering ferry/bus tours around the Northwest this summer in co-operation with Seattle-based Gray Line. The escorted tours include a week-long “Northwest Grand Highlights” (from Seattle to Victoria, Whistler and Vancouver, British Columbia; Winthrop and Leavenworth). There also are shorter tours.
For information, call the Victoria Line at (206) 625-1880 in Seattle or (800) 668-1167.
Chinese tombs: Relics from the tombs of China’s ancient rulers and emperors will be on display at the Portland Art Museum from May 1 through Sept. 15. More than 250 excavated objects will be on display, including a jade burial suit sewn with gold threads.
Tickets, issued for specific dates and times, are on sale at TicketMaster locations. For phone orders, call (503) 244-4400, or for more information call the Portland Art Museum at (503) 226-2811.
Tour Alaska: Princess Tours will be offering 11 Alaska Land Tour packages from May to September, 1996. Destinations include Denali National Park, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, the Kenai Peninsula, the Arctic and the Canadian Yukon. Packages include activities such as rafting, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding.
Tours start at $629. For more information or reservations contact any travel agent.
Adventure vacations: Adventure Associates offers a variety of trips that explore the Northwest, including sea kayaking off the Washington coast, rafting down Oregon’s Deschutes River, or hiking in the Cascades. Trips range from three to seven days and prices range from $55 to $865 depending on the type of trip chosen. Some of the trips are for women only. Call (206) 932-8352 for more information.
Attention Trekkies: Beam down to the Star Trek exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to celebrate Star Trek’s 30th anniversary. The exhibit begins May 25 and includes Star Trek artifacts, including the uniforms worn by Leonard Nimoy and Patrick Stewart.
Visitors can turn into a Klingon, command a starship, beam down to an alien planet and more in this interactive exhibit.
For more information call (206) 443-2001.
Go fly a kite: Take a Chinese kite-making class offered by the World Kite Museum May 18 and 19 in Long Beach, Wash. The class will teach the rigid wind sand swallow form of kite. On the final day, the instructor will fly a 450 foot Chinese dragon kite.
For more information call (360) 642-4020.
, DataTimes MEMO: Send information about travel opportunities around the Pacific Northwest to: Travel Editor, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.