European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Little things can result in big savings while on vacation a by hers by Barbara Shea new Day it was a simple Little Florida getaway but it presented an interesting assortment of challenges a from the usual airfare complexities to a couple of Subtle rental a car blunders to the mysterious disappearance of one Grapefruit from my carry on Luggage aboard a plane. The incidents All served As reminders that coasting through a vacation on automatic Pilot threatens to be costly. Rate shopping for a Florida Spring break always is wearing and after a couple of Days was tempted to Settle for the Best fare quote i had $396. The reservation clerk said she d hold it for 48 hours but pointed out that because seat availability changes continually i might do better if i kept trying. I sighed dialled three More times and ended up flying for $256 a a significant savings of $140. A a  a a a. A a a a. A a. A know the prices before trip starts by Mim Swartz Scripps Howard news service i Don t know Why but we americans go to other countries and like to compare the Cost of items. Usually it s the hamburgers at Mcdonald s. You always can Tell How expensive a place is by the Cost of its big macs. Of course the foreign Money Exchange rate has a lot to do with it now Runzheimer International management consulting firm has come see Chart for a sampling of items. Out with a global Price comparison of selected goods and services. Quot i addition to the obvious budget planning advantages an accurate knowledge of costs creates a Comfort zone that Lowers the frustration level of an individual or family immersed in a foreign rental car oversights at each endow the trip had the potential for running up the Bill. Because my american express card covers collision damage i declined the car company s supplementary policy when i picked up my wheels at the Airport. As i walked around the car looking for dents or cracked Glass i might later be blamed for i also flipped open the Gas a filler  see if the Cap required a key. Surprise a there was no Cap at All. The attendant went on her own search and discovery Mission and borrowed a Cap from a similar Model to Speed me on my Way. Would i have had to pay for a missing Cap if i had t reported it at the outset when i returned the car in Tampa an attendant met me As i drove into the lot global Price comparison noted the mileage and Gas level called up my record on a portable computer and within a minute handed me a receipt. However when i got around to looking at it As i waited for my plane i spotted a $78 charge for the loss damage waiver i d declined. 1 i raced Down to the rental counter where a clerk checked my copy of the contract and printed out a corrected Bill. If i had t looked at the receipt in the Airport i undoubtedly would have stuffed it in a envelope and forgotten it probably not a even questioning the amount when it finally showed up amid other expenses on my credit card Bill weeks later. As for the missing Grapefruit it pointed up the fact that the Friendly skies actually Are filled with total strangers. When i boarded the plane for my return flight i carefully stowed a bag containing 10 Orchard fresh Grapefruit in the overhead bin triple wrapped so none would amp cd be Caracas $4.20 $ .87 to 4m $2.52 $ 5.81 $.74 Frankfurt i�4toil 1.81 .61 13.29 4.10 1.56 i Hong Kong 1.87 .44 a 4.72 1.63 a London fl5l27i 1.67 .76 2.08 10.83 1.37 los Angeles 1.23 .53 3.65 ksc94 1 a a a .97 Madrid 1.49 .71 5.18 9.92 1.22 Mexico City 3.17 2.02 4.57 155341, 1.07 Milan ss�44s4.# 1.65 .98 8.33 15.19 1.65 Paris 5.20 1.81 .72 2.55 158711 1.92 do Paulo 3.08 98 .32 4.05 2634 .49 Singapore 3.08 1.66 .54 4.25 9.61 1.87 Stockholm #1545 2.89 4.74 1.82 Sydney 3j6v n 1.51 .55 4.96 13.831 2.09 Tokyo 5.75 / 3.89 Mem 8.67 21.86 4.64 1 Toronto 1.28 2.09 �?~s40 1.67 source so Apps Howard news server culture a says Chistopher Ritter a Runzheimer International vice president. For a Complete Cost of living analysis including housing transportation and a amps Susan Harris goods and services Contact Runzheimer International International division Runzheimer Park Rochester wis. 53167. Mem Swartz is travel Edh or of the Rocky Mountain news in Denver a a a a. A. Escape and go rolling Down the aisle. Then the Pilot announced Vve would t be Able to leave Florida for perhaps two hours because of weather delays in new York so i went Back to the terminal a along with most of the other passengers a to get a snack and Call a Friend who was waiting to meet me. When we finally reached Juk i hurriedly reached for my bags and noticed the handle was broken on one of the bags around the fruit i wondered How it could have ripped on a smooth flight in a tightly packed Luggage compartment but i did t give it another thought until i got Home and started unpacking. There were Only nine Grapefruit. This was an inexpensive lesson that a plane is no different from any other Public place where you take care to protect your belongings. Distributed by the los Angeles times Washington Post news service mount Everest gets visitors Center by de Douglas London observer service there Are lines to the Summit and garbage on the slopes and now the world s highest Mountain is to suffer the ultimate indignity a the mount Everest visitors Center. The chinese and tibetan mountaineering association has already started building and eventually there will be a restaurant museum medical Center and bungalows at a base Camp on the Northern Side of Everest. A Road already runs into the area but the Lack of facilities has discouraged All but the hardiest from visiting. Now the world s tourist elite can look Forward to four Star treatment with a satellite communications Center,.a laundry for washing Thermal undies and a Hospital in Case the Altitude a gets too much for them. That May be a receding problem a recent research by the chinese has found that the Mountain is 6.13 feet Shorter than it was in 1975. Distributed by Serl ppe Howard new ser let european Telephone numbers. And what they mean i to Access an International line i 1 to m 9 2, a Mem calling the Paris Uso from Italy or Germany 00 33 1 40.70.99.68 a sailing the . Embassy in Bonn from the United kingdom 010 49 228 3391 this is the International Access code. From Many countries including Germany and Italy it is 00. From the United kingdom it is 010. This number gets you out of the country you Are calling from. This is the country code. It normally appears in parenthesis and is usually two or three digits. This number gets you into the country you Are calling. Many cities also have their own codes. Paris is 1. Bonn is 228, Berlin is 30, Frankfurt is 69. In Italy Rome is 6 and Naples is 81. The last set of numbers is the local Telephone. For example All numbers in Paris have eight digits after the City code. It is common for periods to separate every two digits. Marry european countries however have no set number of digits. From Canada and a the United states dial 011 from Germany dial 00from Italy dial 00 from the Netherlands dial 00 from Spain dial 07 from the United kingdom dial 010 then dial the country code Austria 43 azores 351 a Belgium 32 Bulgaria 359 Canada 1 Croatia 385 Cyprus 357 czech Republic 42 Denmark 45. Egypt 20 Finland 358 France 33 Geft Nany 49 great Britain and Northern Ireland 44 Greece 30 Greenland 299 Hungary 36 Iceland 354 Ireland 353 Israel 972 Italy 39. Kuwait 965 Liechtenstein 41 Luxembourg 352 Malta 356 Monaco 33 Morocco 212 Netherlands 31 Norway 47 Poland 48 Portugal 351 Romania 40. Saudi Arabia 966 Slovakia 42 Slovenia 386 Spain 34 Sweden 46 Switzerland 41 Turkey 90 United Arab emirates 971 United states 1 a amp so Susan Harris August 25, 1994 stripes Magazine 25