HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ju8025@fasolt.albany.edu (Johannes Ullrich)
Subject: Re: car rental in Deutschland
Keywords: money cost
Organization: State University of New York at Albany
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 13:55:54 GMT

In article <1992Sep11.020918.26608@compu.com> fr@compu.com (Fred Rump from home) writes:
>Can anybody offer advice as to rentals out of Frankfurt? What's the going rate 
>over there - being the dollar is now worth only one or two tires instead of 
>four?
>
>Is it best to arrange rentals here with US companies? Any experience either 
>way? I need a vehicle for two weeks. Do I need to get an international 
>license?
>
>Fred
>-- 
>W. Fred Rump 	office:	   fred@COMPU.COM     'mans feet have grown/so big 
>26 Warren St.   home: fred@icdi10.compu.com  that he/forgets his littleness'
>Beverly, NJ. 08010                          		Don Marquis 
>609-386-6846    bang:uunet!cdin-1!icdi10!fr   

In August I rented a car out of Frankfurt (airport). I rented the car in the
US before departure. This turned out to be an extermly good deal. I paid for
the car $ 112 a week with unlimited kilometers. I Germany the same car was
offered by the same company for about 40 DM a day + 0.50 DM per Kilometer !

The deal was offered by DER-Tours and Sixt Budget Car Rental. I don't know
whether it was tied to the fact that my girlfriend had booked her flight with
DER and she got the flyer with this offer together with her ticket.

Have fun in Germany,

      Johannes.


-- 
Johannes Ullrich               ju8025@csc.albany.edu            
SUNY Albany                    ju8025@albnyvms.bitnet 
Center for X-Ray Optics        phone (518) 442 4496     
************************ Have fun *********************************************
Newsgroups: rec.travel,rec.food.restaurants
From: gwb@cbnews.cb.att.com (gregory.blum)
Subject: Re: Need info on Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, RI, and Providence
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 21:02:54 GMT

In article <GHJQBT0H@cc.swarthmore.edu> aperrin1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Andrew J. Perrin) writes:
>
>> Cape Cod is a place to avoid at all costs.  Unless of course you like
>> traffic jams, crowds, silly touron attractions, and bad food.  
>Oy!  The Cape is gorgeous, especially once the tourists are gone.  If you
>make it all the way out to Provincetown, and it's still open (I don't know
>if it's seasonal or not) try Sal's Place for terrific Italian/seafood.


I'd certainly agree that Cape Cod is especially wonderful this time of year.
You still get reasonable temperatures, there are almost no crowds, and the
water's about as warm as it gets (it's actually warmer now than it is in
June!!!).

Provincetown has a large number of good restaurants..... I'd recommend:

Ciro & Sals:  very good Italian, many dishes with fresh seafood in them
	      Note that this is NOT the same as the Sal's Place mentioned
	      above; that's good too, but I find this one much better.

Nappi's:      WIDE variety of fresh seafoods and some Portuguese specialties.
	      They have such a large menu that pretty much everyone can
	      find something that they'll like.... there's even a page of
	      vegetarian things.

Lobster Pot:  basic fresh seafood in rather plain surroundings,  but 
	      unbelievably wonderful clam chowder.
From: ian@spider.co.uk (Ian Heavens)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Cambridge
Date: 15 Sep 92 06:47:22 GMT
Distribution: rec.travel
Organization: Spider Systems Limited, Edinburgh, UK.

In article <1992Sep11.233924.4462@casbs.Stanford.EDU> kathleen@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Kathleen Much) writes:
>In article <PLANIUS.92Sep10195506@ips105.desy.de> planius@ips105.desy.de (P. Lanius) writes:
>>I've been in Cambridge for one day in 1989 and we spent all our time just
>>walking around in the city center. I liked Cambridge very much. The thing
>>I remember in particular is King's College and the students boating on
>>the Cam. I'm not perfectly sure, but I think there was a tiny round church
>>at the end of the main street, quite funny. Or was this in Oxford?
>
>No, it was Cambridge.  It's a Romanesque chapel of the Knights
>Templar, I think.  Don't miss "the backs" of the colleges--lovely

I am told that the Knights Templars based their round chapel
design on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which they appropriated
for a church on entering the city in 1099.

There is a very interesting Greene King in Cambridge.
ian

---
Ian Heavens				ian@spider.co.uk                 
Spider Software
Spider Park, Stanwell Street		
Edinburgh, EH6 5NG, Scotland		+44 31 555 5166 (Ext 4347)
--
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Another question...
Date: 7 Sep 92 16:31:14 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: arevalo@binah.cc.brandeis.edu's message of 5 Sep 92 08:27:56 GMT

In article <1992Sep5.082756.12797@news.cs.brandeis.edu> arevalo@binah.cc.brandeis.edu writes:

   #1 Is there a book or guide to youth hostels in Europe (England, Scotland,
      and France)??

The national youth hostels organisations in Britain publish small handbooks
giving complete details of all their hostels.  They usually sell each other's
handbooks too.  The organisations are: YHA (England, Wales) SYHA (Scotland).

   #2 How much does it usually cost to stay in one. 

Between 5 and 10 pounds, depending on the quality (basic to reasonable
luxurious).  Translation: $10-20.

   #3 Should I bring soap and tioletries with me to Europe?

We have soap and toiletries too :-)

   #4 What the least expensive way to get from England to Spain?

Hitch-hike!  May take you a week or three to get there, but you shouldn't
have to pay very much.  Otherwise get a long-distance bus from London.

   #5 Should I exchange currency in a bank or other place?

Either, both.  All British banks change currency.  Most towns also have
several "Bureaux de Change" which specialise in currency changing; they
sometimes tend to be more expensive.

   #6 I've heard terrible things about food in England. What is
      good to eat? Besides McDonalds.....

*Sometimes* you can get terrible food; often you can get wonderful food.  It
varies a lot.  You just have to try a place to see if it's good or bad.  If
you're feeling very cowardly, there are thousands of cloned burger places.
Food isn't *that* different.  A reliable fast-food standby is usually baked
potato shops - a bit healthier than burgers, pizzas, chips.

   #7 What do I need to bring (anything) when staying in a hostel?

In Scotland, you need a thin sheet sleeping bag - these can often be
purchased from the hostel for about 5 pounds ($10).

   #8 What's the weather in England, Spain, and France like in
      November? Should I bring sweaters and winter stuff??

England (and the rest of Britain too) - yes, bring winter stuff.  Weather is
unpredictable but is likely to be cold & wet a lot of the time.
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)
From: kf@eaun144.sni.de (Kai Fischer)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Searching for Motorcycle Prices in Australia/Sydney
Summary: What are common Prices of XT/DR and where to buy ?
Keywords: Motorcycles
Date: 7 Sep 92 06:07:24 GMT
Organization: Siemens Nixdorf Info.Sys. AG, Paderborn, Germany


Hi Down Under !

I want to make a trip with 2 friends through australia, starting in Sydney
with motorcycles.

Our time is 03. January to 12. February '93, and the length of the trip
would be 12.000 to 15.000 Kilometers ( few Dirt Roads !! ).

We think the best thing is to buy a new or used motorcycle and sell it after
the trip to the dealer, where we bought them, or sell them to other
people ( perhaps to you ? )

What i would like to know is, what kind of Yamaha and Suzuki Motorcycles
can i buy in Australia, what are their List- and Street-Prices, and the
adresses of some GOOD Dealers ( Yamaha and Suzuzki preferred ) in Sydney
or Brisbane.
I'am interested in Yamaha XT600/XT660 Tenere, Suzuki DR650 or DR800 BIG
Dual Purpose Single Cylinder Motorcycles.
Further I would like to know if an insurance is required and what are
common prices of them.

Any hints would be very helpful.

--
Kai Fischer                      Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG
Mail : SNI AG, PSP SB 41, Riemekestrasse 160, W-4790 Paderborn, Germany
Phone: +49 5251 8 32642    Fax: +49 5251 8 31032     NERV: kfischer.pad
Email: kfischer.pad@sni.de      kfischer.pad@sni-usa.com from N.America
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: gregw@highland.oz.au (Greg Wilkins)
Subject: The end of Eurail & Interrail?????
Organization: Highland Logic
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 04:57:27 GMT


I read recently that the Maistricht (excuse the spelling) treaty or
some other aspect of EEC unification law, is going to cause the
end of Eurail and Interrail passes.  The article stated that the
passes are against free pricing policies or something?????

As you can tell I did not read the article very well.  Does anybody 
have anymore information on this?   Is it True? When will it
happen?

Greg Wilkins @ Highland Logic 
       Snail : Suite 1, 348 Argyle St., MossVale, NSW, 2577, Australia
       Email : gregw@highland.oz.au
       Phone : (+61 48) 683490  or direct: (+61 2)8107029
       Fax   : (+61 48) 683474
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: REQUEST - Cheap Parisien lodgings
From: <JHVAUGHN@MIAMIU.BITNET>
Date: Tuesday, 15 Sep 1992 14:10:25 EDT
Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service

Stayed in July at the following for about $70 (FF350).  Clean, private bath, ar
ound the corner from the Balard metro stop, safe area of town, attractive and "
quaint".
Hotel du Parc Saint Charles  (2 star)
243, Rue Saint Charles
79, Rue LeBlanc    75015 Paris
Phone  45.57.83.86
FAX    45.58.60.68
 
Recommended!
John Vaughn   Miami University   Oxford, Ohio
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: citrin@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Wayne Citrin)
Subject: Hong Kong questions
Reply-To: citrin@soglio.Colorado.EDU (Wayne Citrin)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 16:51:10 GMT

Hi --

I'm going to be in Hong Kong for a few days over New Year's Eve, and I was
wondering what went on on December 31.

Also, I'm interested in hiking some of the longer trails on Lantau and Hong
Kong Islands.  I understand they can't be done in a day, so what should one
do about accommodation?  Should I bring a sleeping bag?  Also, are there
similar trails in the New Territories?

Thanks.

Wayne


-----------
Wayne Citrin   citrin@soglio.colorado.edu   citrin@cs.colorado.edu
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: jpenovic@encore.com (Jan Penovich)
Subject: Re: SOUTH FLORIDA SITUATION
Reply-To: jpenovic@encore.com
Organization: Encore Computer Corp., Fort Lauderdale FL
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 14:53:05 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.141105.7419@pony.Ingres.COM>, walker@Ingres.COM
(Lynn Walker) writes:
> 
> I was thinking of traveling to South Florida in the next few months. Good or
> bad idea?
> 
> I haven't been following the hurricane situation closely, so I'm not
sure what
> areas to stay away from, what hotels are full, etc.
> 
> I'd apreciate it if someone could post an update here. I'm planning to go to
> Ft. Lauderdale, or the Keys. Thanks.

  There is a lot more to South Florida than the area hit
  hardest by Hurricane Andrew. Broward County is OK (Ft.
  Lauderdale), as are Palm Beach, Monroe, and Lee counties.  
  Miami Beach is fine (the old Deco area in South Beach is up 
  and running just fine.)

  The keys weren't hit badly.  Everglades National Park and
  Miami Metro Zoo are closed.  They say that Metro Zoo will
  reopen sometime during the beginning of next year. Don't
  know about the Everglades.

  I suggest contacting a travel agent to find out the
  availability of hotels and car rentals.  There are an
  enormous amount of insurance appraisers, volunteers, police,
  etc. from other parts of the state and country who are
  staying at hotels.

  I would ask that people NOT write off Florida as a vacation
  destination.  There're still lots of things to do and places
  to go.  Much of Florida's income, as well as the income of
  residents, comes from tourism and tourist related industries.
  I'm sure that many of the people who lost their homes are
  employed in tourist related positions (cab drivers, cruise ships, 
  airlines, cleaning service, the company that bottles milk for 
  the hotels, etc.).

********************************************************************
TTFN,    ___           *   jpenovic@encore.com
      / /   /  /\   /  *   jpenovic@gould.UUCP
     / /___/  /  \ /   *   {allegra,ucf-cs}!uflorida!gould!jpenovic
/___/ /   /  /    /    *   {uunet,sun,pur-ee}!gould!jpenovic
                       *   Encore Computer Corp., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
*********************************************************************
From: ebuhwe@ebu.ericsson.se (Per Harwe)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Fall Colors in New England
Date: 15 Sep 92 14:43:34 GMT
Reply-To: ebuhwe@ebu.ericsson.se
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Richardson TX

When would you recommend to visit Massachusets, New Hampshire or Vermont this
year to see the fall colors at their peak? 

---
Per Harwe       	 	       | Internet: ebuhwe@ebu.ericsson.se
Ericsson Business Communications, Inc. | UUCP:   uunet!ericsson.com!ebuhwe
Anaheim, CA.			       |
The opinions are my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Travel to New Zealand
From: graeme@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz ( Graeme Moffat)
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 08:41:36 GMT
Organization: University of Auckland, New Zealand.

ramanath+@pitt.edu (Jayaram Ramanathan) writes:

>I'm planning on visiting New Zealand for about 2 weeks this December, and
>would like to obtain some information that would be useful for this trip:
>1. Cheap deals on airfares between the U.S. and New Zealand.
>2. Deals on accomodation and travel in New Zealand - I plan on
>   being in and around Auckland.
>3. Tips on things not to be missed, and general info on weather
>   conditions in December.

Likely to be windy, a bit cloudy & probably fine, reasonably warm but the
water still cool (although you never know, two years ago it rained all Dec)

>4. Any other points that you may consider important.

Auckland is the largest city in NZ, although small by US standards, it's
also the most impersonal & socially about 7 years behind the US ie watch
your wallet always & watch for street kids, don't wear flash clothes in dark
streets at night.

-- 
Graeme Moffat                g.moffat@aukuni.ac.nz \ Time wastes us all, 
Computer Aided Design Centre,  Fax: +64-9-366-0702 /  our bodies & our wits
School of Engineering,    Ph: +64-9-737-999 x8384 /  But we waste time,
University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, NZ \   so time & we are quits
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: guthrie@nb.rockwell.com (Karen Guthrie)
Subject: Re: Kauai weather ?
Organization: Rockwell International
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 19:20:38 GMT


In article <1992Sep8.190657.5780@PA.dec.com>, klee@wsl.dec.com (Ken Lee) writes:
> Typical winter weather in Hawaii is 80 high temperatures on the beaches
> when it's sunny.  Winter is the rainy season, though, so expect cooler
> temperatures when it's raining.  Note also that deep canyons and
> mountain tops can be quite a bit cooler than the beaches.
> 
> -- 
> Ken Lee
> DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
> Internet: klee@wsl.dec.com
> uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee

You realize of course that 8,000 people are homeless since the Hurricane
and that even Steven Spielburg can't get off much less onto the island
right now.

Karen
From: maslak@unix.SRI.COM (Valerie Maslak)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Hotel Esmeralda in Paris
Keywords: Paris Hotel
Date: 4 Sep 92 22:07:51 GMT
Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, California


A friend of mine who has traveled to Paris many times always stays
at the Hotel Esmeralda. He loves the location and says the hotel is
very nice for the price. Nothing fancy, but interesting atmosphere
and competent staff.

Valerie Maslak
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Date: Wed,  9 Sep 1992 08:24:34 -0400 
From: "Louise B. McFeaters" <lm00+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Hann Overland Travel

     I am trying to find the address of Hann Overland Travel for a trip
ti India. Went with them on my last trip there and have found they have
moved from their old address of Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London. If you have
any information on their present wherabouts, please respond. Thanks.

Louise
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: pleroy@us.oracle.com
Subject: Re: Seeking great ideas for Christmas
Followup-To: rec.travel
Organization: Oracle Corporation, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 19:14:27 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

In article <6102@pdxgate.UUCP>, h2co@odin.cc.pdx.edu (Candace O'Connor) writes:
> Hello.  I am getting into the habit of not spending Christmas at home;
> for the past few years my husband and I have gone various places for a
> few days to a week for the holiday, and enjoyed ourselves much more
> than we do spending Christmas at home.  Now I'm thinking of where to
> go this year, and I'll bet some of you have some really great ideas,
> so I am soliciting.
> 
> Example of a really nice Christmas mini-vacation: a few years back we
> drove down to the Grand Canyon.  I'd been there many times (used to live
> in NM) but my husband had never been there.  We stayed at the El Tovar,
> had outrageously beautiful weather (the Canyon is lovely with snow!),
> grand time.
> 
> Things I've been thinking of: Someplace out-of-the-way in Hawaii (I am
> a snow-and-ice person, but everybody else likes Hawaii, so maybe I would
> too).  Someplace around the Banff-Jasper area.  Cross country skiing
> in Yosemite.  Death Valley.  As you can see we are really flexible; just
> looking for an interesting, beautiful place to spend Christmas.  Possibly
> a really special, neat hotel someplace with lots of natural beauty. Last
> year we spent Christmas at the Empress in Victoria; the hotel was nice,
> but it was a little bit too bit-city.  Right now am limiting my 
> speculations to the US and Canada (not interested in Mexico), and to 
> things that would be fun for a short (1 week or less) getaway.
> 
> Any and all ideas, suggestions and experiences welcome!  Reply to this
> group or via email, and thank you in advance.
> 
> Candace S. O'Connor
> Biology Department
> 
> h2co@odin.cc.pdx.edu
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: London zoo update
Date: 8 Sep 92 16:58:50 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: nancyl@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu's message of 8 Sep 92 14:44:03 GMT

In article <Bu9KxH.E6@news.cso.uiuc.edu> nancyl@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (Nancy Lellenberg Bentrup) writes:

   Have we already wondered why the British Royal family doesnt part with
   some bucks for their zoo?!

Come to that, they don't seem to make any charitable donations at all, do
they?  They're all "patrons" of various charities, and Princess Anne seems to
do a lot of charity work, but not much *money* seems to change hands.  I'm
sure they could wipe out the debt of a good few third world countries if they
put their mind to it.

In this particular case, they probably don't donate money because they don't
want to be controversial - the government (the Queen's government, in theory)
has already refused to donate extra money; also, there's a bitter struggle
going on between the staff (many of whom are knowledgeable animal
specialists/scientists) and the board of governors (very few of whom would
know a poodle from a giraffe, it's said).

--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)
From: louis@cs.athabascau.ca (Louis Schmittroth)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Tourists
Keywords: xenophobia, ascendancy, superiority, lack of
Date: 7 Sep 92 15:36:11 GMT
Organization: Athabasca University

In article <1992Sep1.103026.17473@spider.co.uk>, laurence@spider.co.uk (Laurence Dearling) writes:
> Tourists

	[Great post about tourist adapting to local customs, etc.]

> As Goethe once wrote .. "Alle Menschen werden Brueder" 
> (All men become brothers)

Qibble.  It was Schiller who wrote the above in "Lied der Freude", or
in English, "Ode to Joy."  Another one of the loud, obtrusive Germans,
Beethoven, put it to music in his 9th Symphony.  Every year 5000 loud
obtrusive Japanese gather together in a gigantic choir to sing the whole
thing in the original!  
-- 
Louis Schmittroth louis@cs.athabascau.ca
========================================
Not everything that counts can be counted.  Not everything that can be
counted counts.   - Charles Garfield
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: julie@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas)
Subject: Re: For visitors to Moscow - offer (Some summary)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:59:04 GMT

In article <ABMemhgiV7@smena.russia.msk.su> SV@smena.russia.msk.su writes:
>I want to say thank you for everybody took part in the discussion about
>accommodation in Moscow.
>
>One advise for Nancy and Julie: try to extend your knowledge of the world,
>not limiting yourself in the borders of your own country only.
>
>Your remarks are so  far from any understanding of economical situation
>in Russia...  For $5 per night here you may find a room in a flat of your
>closest friend only.

I have one more followup to this post.  I guess I must have missed the
rest of the discussion on this subject but I thought it was just
Sergey, Nancy, and myself.  In fact, I had pretty much put the
whole thing out of my mind and have forgotten much but it seems 
that just because I joined this conversation I'm being placed on 
a side I was not on.

I now know where I will and will not stay in Moscow.

Julie
#include "std_disclaimer.h"
#include "witty_sig.h"
Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: jon@leland.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis)
Subject: Re: Loud irritating ... tourists   ENOUGH!
Organization: Jon's Cafe Americain
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 00:21:54 GMT

In article <37598@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> acohen@cs.ucsd.edu (Ariel Cohen) writes:
>
>   Reading the "Loud irritating ... tourists" thread is a real education.
>So far I've learned the following facts about tourists from different 
>countries:
>

                   [national tourist stereotypes deleted]

   Well here in San Francisco we get tourists from all over, and I can
tell you that you've missed some.  For instance:

       The Dutch.  They're really awful, clomping up and down Telegraph
       Hill in their wooden shoes, asking where the tulip gardens are,
       and demanding to know why they don't serve raw herring at 
       Fisherman's Wharf.

       The Luxembourgers.  These people are always wandering around
       setting up companies and complaining because no one knows
       where their country is.

       The Mongols.  They're really a pain, always riding their horses
       in hordes up and down Market Street and pitching yurts in 
       Golden Gate Park.

       The Nepalese.  You see them pointing at Nob Hill and saying,
       "Hill?  You call that a hill?  Why, back home ..."

       The Trobriand Islanders.  They keep complaining about the lack
       of kava roots and asking, "How much is that in cowrie shells?

       So people shouldn't be complaining just about us Yanks.  You 
could have it worse!
-- 


Jon Corelis               jon@lindy.stanford.edu
Stanford University       BITNET:  BR.JGC@RLG.STANFORD.EDU
From: medusa@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: POSTCARDS
Date: 13 Sep 92 22:42:30 -0300
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

My sister who is an avid reader of this newsgroup, and a seasoned
traveller herself, is currently freezing off her booties in the 
sub-artic in a desperate attemtp to pay off her student loans.  To
relieve her lonliness and remind her of all the places she has yet
to visit could some of you please send her a postcard.  I and she
would appreciate it greatly,  THANKS,  Susan.  Her address is
        	Margaret McGarvey
                616 Anson Drive,
                Yellowknife, North West Territories
                Canada, X1A 2X4
Newsgroups: rec.travel