Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Traveling Internationally with Your Kids
(www.travelwithyourkids.com), and
Family Travel Files
(www.thefamilytravelfiles.com).
Student Travelers
If you're traveling internationally, you'd be wise to arm yourself with an
Interna-
tional Student Identity Card (ISIC),
which offers substantial savings on rail
passes, plane tickets, and entrance fees. It also provides you with basic health and
life insurance and a 24-hour helpline. The card is available from
STA Travel
(
&
800/781-4040
in North America; www.sta.com or www.statravel.com; or www.
statravel.co.uk in the U.K.), the biggest student travel agency in the world. If you're
no longer a student but are still under 26, you can get an
International Youth
Travel Card (IYTC)
from the same people; this entitles you to some discounts (but
not on museum admissions).
Travel CUTS
(
&
800/667-2887
or 416/614-2887;
www.travelcuts.com) offers similar services for both Canadians and U.S. residents.
Irish students may prefer to turn to
USIT
(
&
01/602-1600;
www.usitnow.ie), an
Ireland-based specialist in student, youth, and independent travel.
3
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Sustainable tourism
is conscientious travel. It means being careful with the envi-
ronments you explore, and respecting the communities you visit. Two overlapping
components of sustainable travel are
ecotourism
and
ethical tourism. The
Inter-
national Ecotourism Society
(TIES) defines ecotourism as responsible travel to
natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local
people. TIES suggests that eco-tourists follow these principles:
W
Minimize environmental impact.
W
Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
W
Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
W
Provide direct financial benefits for conservation and for local people.
W
Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climates.
W
Support international human rights and labor agreements.
Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Psychologically speaking, Scotland is a
politically conflicted place. In 1999, its
Parliament was restored after being
dissolved for nearly 300 years follow-
ing the union between England and
Scotland in 1707. Most Scots have a
fierce pride in their country, which is
every bit as old as its larger and more
dominant neighbor to the south. But
whether that self-belief will ever trans-
late into complete self-government is
open to debate.
The traditional political parties—Labour,
Conservative, and Liberal Democrat—
remain staunchly in favor of the current
union, while the leading independence
group, the Scottish National Party, has
seen its percentage of the vote drop in
21st-century elections. But SNP members
are not the only ones who advocate
Scottish independence: New parties with
growing electoral success, such as the
Greens and Scottish Socialists, also back
full autonomy from rule in London.
