European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Hot spots average january temperatures by Norm Zeigler travel outdoor writer there Are two main ways of coping with the european Winter reveling in it or escaping it. Those who choose the first option usually head for mountains and ski resorts. But for others snowy slopes and Chilly breezes hold Little Appeal. Like the protagonist in the old Joni Mitchell song they Quot get the urge for going Quot heading South to the Sun. Because of its geography finding place in the Sun is not As convenient in Europe As in the United states. Much of the continent is As far North As Newfoundland and Labrador. And Europe s southernmost Point lies at about the same latitude As Wilmington . This Means that from december through March most of Europe is not so hot. Ron Van Kranen Leisure travel director for scheduled airlines travel offices overseas in Frankfurt Germany states it More clearly Quot the Only warm weather guaranteed destinations from Central Europe within four hours Are the Canary  the canaries a volcanic archipelago off Morocco offer consistent year round Sunshine and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. As a Spanish province they belong to Europe politically but geographically they Are part of  canaries provide just what the doctor ordered for Winter weary Northern europeans a warm Waler swimming subtropical Sun and mile after Mil of Sandy beaches. The seven main islands. Have been subjected to varying degrees of development offering vacationers options from High Rise resorts to traditional villages. There Are other warm locations within a few flying hours of  Europe a Van Kranen cites Spain s Balearic islands Tunisia Morocco and Crete a but they cannot offer consistent Beach weather in midwinter. Other travel Industry officials Echo Van Kranen s views. Maxine Cain Public relations spokeswoman for the association of British travel agents in London says Casablanca. Morocco 63 Las Palmas Canary is. 73 Palma Majorca 59 it Alexandria. Egypt 64 Quot Nairobi Kenya 77&Quot ass map Al Canary islands Only sure bet britons flock to the canaries As Well As to other parts of Spain. For Many she says. Beach weather is not As important As simply finding a Haven from the Bleak British Winter. Torr Molinos the Costa Del sol and other summer resorts Are also among the popular Winter vacation spots. For Many British retirees it is cheaper to spend the Winter in Spain than stay Home _ and pay the1 heating Bills. Quot we be got a Strong Market of the Gray haired brigade Quot Cain says. A the most avid travellers in Europe and the world Are the germans. As head of Bat  Leisure time research in Hamburg professor Horst Opas Chowski has studied historical trends and closely followed German travel developments for 14 years. Traditionally germans vacationed in the mountains in the Winter. But in recent decades More and More Haye headed for sunnier climes. Quot there is such a thing As getting tired of Snow and Alpine landscapes Quot Opas Chowski says. An official with one of Germany s biggest package tour companies Nur tourist a in Frankfurt says the most heavily booked destinations for his company Are the canaries Tunisia Mallorca and the dominican Republic. Opas Chowski says among germans the Canary islands Are gaining in popularity after a period of stagnation. Quot a couple of years ago there were problems with prices overcrowding overbooking he says. Quot now Spain has been thinking Over How to change the focus from mass tourism to Quality tourism. Less can sometimes be More can t it Quot in the last several years Florida has become increasingly popular among German travellers. One reason is the Dollar s weakness against the Mark. Quot my personal prediction is ,. F Florida will become just As important As the Canary islands Quot Opas Chowski says. The Sunshine state has also enjoyed a big surge among British travellers Quot i think Florida we re talking Over a million go. Across a year from the  Cain says perennial vacation spots head the list of favourites a Miami Beach Disney world ,. Fort Lauderdale a but Cain says britons Are also discovering other areas. Quot i think maybe in the next year or so the keys will become very popular Quot she says. But Van Kranen says Sato Sells few packages to Florida or the Caribbean. Most service members he says wait until they return Home. Quot its much cheaper from the states Van Kranen says Van Kranen says the american military travel Market differs from the european scene in other ways. One important difference is the length of vacations. While europeans commonly take two three and even four week vacations Quot we know our travellers. They travel for a week Quot Van 1 Kranen says. The time element is one reason american military travellers Seldom Book the More exotic destinations popular. Among europeans a Thailand sri Lanka the maldives Indonesia Australia and others. This year Sato is launching a program called destination Sun in conjunction with the German company Sonnen Reisen. The offerings Are aimed at budget conscious travellers with limited time. They Are also intended to provide an alternate to bus Tours. Every year in april Van Kranen says thousands of military travellers Board buses for the grueling trip to Spain s Costa brava lured by Low prices and a Post Winter quest for Sunshine. The program will kick off with a four Day three overnight tour to Mallorca Over the presidents Day Holiday in february. The Price is 589 Marks about $360. The program will really get geared up around the time of the american easter. School vacation. Van Kranen says this is because by april some of Europe s marginal Winter destinations become True Beach vacation spots again. Some of the other destinations will Likely include Malta Turkey the canaries Portugal and. Greece. Because of terrorist attacks in recent months Egypt is still questionable. Van Kranen says lie Hopes sat customers will consider the destination Sun Tours As an alternative to the Spain bus trips. Quot we will try to track Down the people from the 24-Houf bus rides to Spain and try to get them on the four hour plane ride to grand Canary As Well As the two hour flight to  though prices will be higher than the bus trips Van Kranen says the goal is to keep tile Cost under 1,000 Marks about $635 a week. Ramc flight inexpensive alternative by Chuck Roberts staff writer there Aren t any direct air mobility come flights from Europe to South America. But there Are weekly am flights to the United nates where you 1 can catch connecting flights to locations such As Bermuda Panama and puerto Rico. And for those trying to escape the dreary Winter weather they would be leaving at one of the most opportune times to catch a hop from Rhein main said master sgt. David l. Johnson superintendent of passenger operations at Rhein main a Germany. The times to avoid Are during Spring break and summertime when students Are out of school. Quot then it gets saturated Quot Johnson said. There Are about two flights weekly from Rhein main a to Charleston fab , and about two flights each week to Dover fab Del. Flights go from Dover fab to Charleston fab where there Are about four flights monthly to Bermuda and Panama. Puerto Rico also is accessible from Norfolk Nas a.  f c. Singlea Malta As viewed from Valletta. January 28, tfjlj3 stripes Maga ii