One important date is October 17 in Basel for the cider festival. If inclined I could add some hiking. I could add an Egyptian Tour with G Adventures (before or after Basel) and then head to Oman to check it out. Singapore and area.
G Adventures has Egyptian tours from Sept 28 to Oct 9; Oct 19 to Oct 30, and Oct 21 to Nov 1.
I need to investigate the savings to be made using loyalty plans like Star Alliance and Marriott Bonvoy. Star Alliance is connected with the loyalty plans of particular airlines, like Air Canada’s Aeroplan. When you fly on Air Canada you log the flight information at Star Alliance to gain their points.
To accumulate points, when booking through a booking service like Booking.com or Expedia, get the booking reference number then go to the airline’s website and enter that number. On their website you will be able to enter your loyalty plan number if the airline is a Star Alliance member (see below).
Star Alliance members
| Aegean Airlines | Air Canada | Air China (PRC) | Air India | Air New Zealand | All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Asiana Airlines |
| Austrian Airlines | Avianca | Brussels Airlines | Copa Airlines (Panama) | Croatia Airlines | Egyptair | Ethiopian Airlines |
| EVA Air | ITA Airways | LOT Polish Airlines | Lufthansa | Shenzhen Airlines | Singapore Airlines | South African Airways |
| Swiss International Air Lines | TAP Air Portugal | Thai Airways International | Turkish Airlines | United Airlines |
Marriott Bonvoy members
| The Ritz-Carlton | Ritz-Carlton Reserve | St. Regis | JW Marriott | W Hotels |
| Edition | The Luxury Collection | Marriott Hotels | Sheraton | Marriott Vacation Club |
| Delta Hotels | Le Meridien | Westin | Renaissance Hotels | Autograph Collection Hotels |
| Tribute Portfolio | Design Hotels | Courtyard Hotels | Four Points | SpringHill Suites |
| Protea Hotels | Fairfield | AC Hotels | Aloft Hotels | Moxy Hotels |
| City Express | Four Points Flex by Sheraton | Marriott Executive Apartments | Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy | Residence Inn |
| TownePlace Suites | Element | Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy | MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy | citizenM |
| Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy | StudioRes | Series by Marriott | City Express by Marriott |
A IMB Piracy Reporting Centre tracks piracy reports around the world and has an interactive map to show where the latest acts of piracy have been reported with a description of each incident.
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| Piracy incident off the coast of Somalia, Fwbruary 26, 2026 |
