b'Staying in one of Switzerlands Million Stars Hotels will give youThe experience of camel riding at the pyramids is now a thing ofgreat views to explore the heavens above. the past.Travel Post- COVID(continued from page 39)Many people fly on Easy Jet, within Europe. The budget,from virtual pre-trip briefings with tour leaders, health ex-no frills airline, is cutting even more services. Beginning inperts and local guides, and they will be joined by a profes-February, they will be limiting overhead luggage bin accesssional photographer on the trip.If you book but are unable to passengers who have paid for a more expensive ticket.to meet the timetable of the first trip, you can reschedule Passengers paying only the basic fare must place carry-onsthat tour until December 31, 2022, at no additional cost.underneath the seats in front of them. Pack light, especiallyif your flight is long. It seems the heavens are opening up for tourists. Visitors to Switzerland can now book rooms in any of 50-plus Mil- Canadian travel is once again leading the pack. Exoduslion Stars hotels available throughout the country. Hotels on Travel Tours of Toronto is now offering Dateless Departures.the list had to meet certain star-gazing criteria, before they At first I thought these were for singles only (dateless), butwere considered a Million Stars hotel. The room must offer in actual fact they refer to travellers who reserve a tour withunimpeded views of the sky, which means being entirely Exodus. They will be guaranteed a spot in the first tour groupoutside, under a glass roof, or surrounded by a clear pod.to go to the location, once that country reopens its borders. A stay at a Million Stars hotel can be booked July through These Dateless Departure customers will also benefitOctober,dependingonthelocationandtypeofaccom-modation. If stargazing is your thing, but Switzerland isnt, then venture over to Ireland, where budding astronomers will have a chance to view the stars through a 14-inch tel-escope at the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory. Opened last October, the telescope has automatic guide and lock-on features, so viewers can focus on spectacular astronomical objects. At the observatory, visitors can enjoy interactive exhibits, including virtual-reality experiences.Jamaica has been a great getaway spot for many Cana-dians, but the government is concerned about their health-caresystem,duringthesedifficulttimes.Theyrecently introduced compulsory health insurance for all foreign visi-tors. The insurance will cost $40 per person and cover up to $50,000 in medical expenses while in Jamaica. Even if you have your own health or travel insurance, you must still pay this premium for the coverage before entering the country. The premium will be charged at the time the traveller fills out a travel authorization form.For anyone who has been to Egypt, riding a camel up to the pyramids is a great experience. Due to many people posting numerous videos of animals being mistreated near the pyramids in Cairos Giza archaeological area, the coun-trys Tourism Ministry announced that it would ban camel, horse and donkey riding around the complex. Good for the animals, but not for the owners, who probably should have looked into this sooner.Jonathan van Bilsens photosNtravel TV show, seen on RogersTV and YouTube, is now featuring Travel News Up-dates, similar to the ones listed above. To follow Jonathans travel adventures visit photosNtravel.com40 FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2021'