My globe-trotting daughter’s overseas travels will soon be coming to an end. She has finished up her month-long community health nursing studies in England and will be flying back to Chicago this coming Wednesday. She’s had a thoroughly marvelous time and says she will really miss lovely England and all of the other places she has visited. Clearly the travel bug has bit hard, and neither of us is unhappy about that at all. Fortunately, aided by plenty of planning and preparation and a slew of good advice from others who were familiar with the cities on her itinerary, she met with few bumps in the road or unexpected difficulties along the way.

Since this journey was first planned, the final leg, after the studies in chilly England were complete, was to be a long weekend in Greece, primarily in Santorini. Jenny and her friends decided that rather than spend time in another big city, they would only stop over for a night in Athens on either side of some island time. The idea of warm days (at least, comparatively warm) spent at a relaxed pace after all the rush and bustle of the rest of the trip has been a bright beacon for the last several months.

So it is with some trepidation and more than a little interest that I’ve been watching the news of financial crisis and strikes in Greece over the last several weeks. Jenny has had little desire or opportunity to closely follow the news while abroad, but I didn’t burden her with constant updates about what I was hearing concerning her final stop. I did give her a brief heads up a few weeks ago when the stories of the first batch of strikes cropped up. I purposely kept my remarks low-key; I saw no need to make her anxious and figured if something of the events in Greece filtered through to her, better that it come from me. I didn’t want to scare her or her friends off of their plans; the situation doesn’t seem dangerous to them, and the last thing the Greek economy needs is tourists and their money staying away.

This past Wednesday saw the largest demonstrations (mostly peaceful) yet in Athens, with civil servants protesting the government’s austerity plans aimed at fixing the debt crisis and proving to the European Union that it can get the economy under control. In addition, strikes grounded flights, stopped ferry service and affected public transportation in Athens. I let Jenny know all of this, since they were to fly to Athens, take the metro to Piraeus where they would then catch a ferry to Santorini. I told her that I doubted more strikes would follow so quickly on the heels of this one-day event. I was glad to hear that she was not overly concerned, even if her travel plans might be affected along the way. She seems to have acquired enough travel savvy and confidence that the recent events in Greece will not faze her or deter her from her plans.

From what I can tell from a few brief lines on Jenny’s Facebook page, so far everything has gone as planned. Santorini is “gorgeous” and time at the beach is on the schedule for today. I’m so thankful my little girl has had such a fantastic and horizon-expanding trip. Even if she should meet with a few unexpected surprises on her way home, she’ll be able to add them to her list of events that have helped her evolve into an experienced global traveler.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

A Delta Connections flight, operated by Pinnacle Airlines, was canceled out of upstate New York late this week. Big deal, you say, the Northeast was hit by (yet another) big snowstorm at the end of the week; lots of flights were canceled. Well, this is true, but weather wasn’t a factor in this particular instance.

Mechanical problems? Drunk pilot? A bomb threat? An unruly passenger? You’re getting warmer, but, no, none of these was the reason the Rochester-to-Atlanta flight was dropped. Instead, as the plane returned to its gate after a passenger suffered a panic attack, a “spat” apparently broke out between two female flight attendants. The pilot, in ”an abundance of caution,” according to a Pinnacle spokesman, made the decision to cancel the flight. The 75 passengers said they were told they had to get off the plane because the stewardesses were fighting (can you imagine hearing that announcement coming over the speakers?!), and they were found alternate travel arrangements.

We’ve all heard all kinds of stories, some of them quite bizarre, about altercations aboard planes that have led to flights being diverted, emergency landings and the like. This is the first I can recall where a fight between crew members led to this kind of action. The airline spokesman said this was a verbal, not a physical, argument; but apparently it was of such a scale that the pilot felt it was best to ground the flight. I really find that remarkable, as well as dismaying.

Of course, we don’t know (and probably never will) the whole story and its background. Perhaps the captain had flown with these attendants before, perhaps there was a history of unpleasantness between them, and perhaps he had had enough and felt drastic measures were necessary to put an end to it. (The two attendants have been removed from duty pending an internal investigation.) But doesn’t it bother you that two individuals who work in the service sector could not be professional enough to carry out their duties in a civilized manner? Their personal animosity and the captain’s means of handling it inconvenienced a great many people. Ironically, their behavior, in the pilot’s mind at least, was a threat to the safety of that flight — safety which it is their assigned duty to secure.

It leads me to ponder, as I have occasion to do too often these days, the increasing lack of public civility on display everywhere, from the U.S. Capitol to city council meetings, from the grocery store check-out line to . . . the airport. Sometimes it seems that people take their social cues from Jerry Springer instead of Emily Post. I know from reading the many letters to Global Traveler and blog comments here that our readers, many of whom travel the world and interact with a variety of cultures, practice and understand the value of courtesy and respect for others, even when others’ lifestyles or opinions don’t align with their own.

Maybe that’s the solution: Folks who have become too insular and self-centered need to get out and travel more. They need to mingle with their fellow human beings from all walks of life and practice the art of getting along with those different (and yet oh-so-alike, fundamentally) from themselves. That’s assuming, of course, that their flight to a new destination isn’t canceled due to dueling flight attendants.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Yesterday I blogged about some of the efforts that have been directed towards Haiti and relief for the survivors of the January 12 quake. As mentioned there and in GT’s January 21 edition of the eFlyer newsletter, a number of businesses in the travel industry have stepped up to offer large donations of supplies, money and aid. One company, Royal Caribbean International, has received a lot of attention over the past week for the decision it has made to continue port calls of its cruise ships at the line’s private resort in Haiti.

The company’s CEO, Richard D. Fain, in a letter on RCCL’s website, explained why they decided to continue to bring cruise guests to Labadee, located some 60 miles from Port au Prince and undamaged by the quake. He outlined the company’s ties to Haiti: a relationship that dates back over 20 years, hundreds of Haitians employed on the ships and at the resort, previous and future plans to provide humanitarian aid to the people. He noted that a broad spectrum of people, from taxi drivers to the U.N. Special Envoy of the Government of Haiti, had asked that Royal Caribbean continue to provide its vital revenue stream to the country in the form of tourist dollars. The website also notes the many ways that RCCL is providing aid beyond those dollars: a pledge of at least $1 million, supplies delivered with every ship docking, a promise that 100 percent of the net revenues from those port calls goes to relief efforts, and providing guests the opportunity to make donations directly by putting a charge on their onboard accounts.

In scanning through the comments to this letter and to the blog of Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean International’s CEO, I see that the majority of respondents are in favor of the company’s decision to continue its cruise visits to Labadee and praise the aid being provided. There are some sharp objections as well, though. One writer asks why at least one of the ships isn’t offered for use as a safe haven for Haitians and/or rescue workers. Another asks why Royal Caribbean places guests in proximity to “the Horror” and doesn’t simply provide monetary compensation to the vendors who would be impacted by the ships going elsewhere. One woman who is booked on a February cruise firmly states that she does not wish to go to Haiti but cannot get a refund from either the cruise line or her travel insurance if she cancels. I have to admit that I agree with her when she writes: “To vacation in such proximity to a disaster zone of this magnitude is disgusting. It’s not a zoo . . . .” Others express security concerns and worry about the spread of infectious diseases. Bizarrely, one man suggested that the company  organize special shore excursions which would allow cruise guests to tote backbacks loaded with relief supplies to areas in need!! (For a wise discussion of “Voluntourism,” see Richard Newton’s article on the subject in the January 2009 issue of Global Traveler.)

I’m curious what our educated and well-traveled readers think about this controversy. Do you think Royal Caribbean has made a wise decision in continuing its port calls to its resort on Haiti at this time? If you were booked on such a cruise, how would you feel about that part of the itinerary? Would you cancel the cruise? Go, but stay on the ship, or go ashore and spend liberally and donate heavily? What say you?

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Do you know who Josh Wilson is? He may not be a household name yet, but thanks to his guitar, The Beatles‘ “Hey Jude” and a security breach at Newark International Airport, he may just become one.

On Sunday night, Newark was shut down for about six hours when an unticketed passenger slipped into the secured area of Terminal C. Obviously, being trapped in an airport with the threat of a security breach would get to anyone, so I am sure passengers were cranky, angry, tired and scared, especially in light of the attempted attack on Christmas Day.

Well, Christian singer-songwriter Josh Wilson helped raise the spirits of the frustrated passengers. He grabbed his guitar and led the terminal in a rousing sing-along to one of the Beatles’ most beloved hits. Watch the clip here. As you watch, you can definitely notice the faces of passengers beginning to brighten and break into smiles.

Wilson, hailing from El Dorado, Arkansas, has released five contemporary Christian CDs since 2004. With the video garnering more and more hits every day on YouTube, it may not be long before his career really takes off.  All this because of one simple act — Wilson tried to make people smile and engage a disgruntled crowd. He did wonders for their spirits, and he may have just done some wonders for his career.

Maybe the TSA should hire Wilson to sing on planes stuck on the runway for three-plus hours and there will be no need for all these new regulations!

Speaking of entertainment in airports, check out this video. TAP Air Portugal sure knows how to wish its passengers a Happy New Year!

– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

Two bright, pretty young women choose to spend part of their college experience studying in a foreign country. Then, little more than a month after they begin sharing an apartment together, one is found brutally murdered and the other is charged with the slaying. I am referring, of course, to Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old British student killed two years ago in Perugia, Italy, and Amanda Knox, now 22 and hailing from Seattle, Wash. Amanda was convicted this week after a year-long trial and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

 With my own 21-year-old daughter preparing to depart on her travel and study abroad experience in just a month, I find this story contains all my own worst fears about what my child could encounter so far from home. While I’ve experienced first-hand the joys and expanded horizons that overseas travel provides, and our older daughter survived and thrived during her own foreign study several years ago, I also know there are dangers that a naive, albeit bright, young woman may face.

I’ve followed the Amanda Knox case almost from the beginning, at least in part because her family lives in the Northwest and she attended the University of Washington. The story was often in the news as her parents tried to counter all the salacious stories the Italian press pumped out over the last two years — most based on wild rumors and imagination rather than fact. Print and television newsmagazine reports which closely examined the police investigation and prosecution tactics have convinced me that Amanda and her then-boyfriend have been wrongly convicted.

Apparently, I’m not alone.  After the verdict, Washington’s Senator Maria Cantwell cited the “negligent handling of evidence by investigators,” harsh treatment Knox received after her arrest and the fact that jurors weren’t sequestered and were exposed to all the highly negative news coverage throughout the trial. She also stated that she had serious concerns about whether anti-Americanism tainted the trial.

Is it likely that my own precious child will be murdered or wrongly accused of a horrific crime while she travels? No, but nevertheless I will be sure to share with her an article from Global Traveler’s July 2008 issue by Leif Pettersen about what to do when facing an encounter with legal authorities overseas. Along with all the magazine’s great articles on destinations she’ll be visiting, I’ll include Ron Bernthal’s piece from May 2009, “Safety First.” While Jenny’s school has advised its students on guarding against pickpockets, drugged drinks and travel scams, I’m not sure they’ve covered what to say and NOT say when involved in a crime (as victim or accused) in a foreign country.

I’m not one of those parents who wants to wrap her child in cotton and protect her from all the bad things in the world. I trust her instincts, resourcefulness and brains to get her through most of the situations she’ll encounter as she travels (she has survived quite nicely on her own in Chicago these last three years, after all!). I believe she will return enthused about all she will have seen and experienced and wiser for facing the wider world on her own. That won’t keep me from sharing those articles with her, though, and praying for her safe return every day she’s gone.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader