Nyepi: Important advice you'll want to know about this Indonesian holiday

A day of silence for Nyepi, also known as Balinese New Year, will be observed from starting at 6:00 am March 7 and lasting until 6:00 am March 8. Does this observance affect foreign visitors? Yes.

How will this affect your plans? Check out the latest advice from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada:

“All people in Bali must remain indoors and silent during this period. The use of electricity is not permitted. Foreigners on the island should remain in their hotel rooms and seek the advice of hotel management. Anyone who chooses not to comply with these regulations risks being stopped by local security personnel and forcibly returned to their homes or hotels.

“In Bali, all seaports and the airport will be closed for this 24-hour period. Only transit, overfly, technical landing and emergency landing flights are allowed, but these flights will not be allowed to take any passengers with last destination in Bali or departure from Bali. Canadians should be aware of this and plan accordingly. Travellers should also note that outside of resort hotels, all stores and restaurants will be closed and all activities postponed.”

For more advice, see AllSafeTravels' Indonesia Travel Advisory page.

Leap year's extra day: Are there any holidays on February 29?

Leap year: it only comes around once every four years. While many argue this special occasion should be a holiday, very few people actually get the day off work or school. According to data on Q++ Studio Holidays, there are no special holidays to celebrate this extra day of the year.

In fact, the only country taking a holiday on February 29 is the Marshall Islands. However, the day off from work and school has nothing to do with leap year. Because the country’s Memorial Day holiday falls on a Saturday this year, everyone will be taking a day off in lieu.

The rest of the world will simply have an extra day of school and work.

New road rules for Oman

Planning a road trip in Oman? You’ll want to exercise caution when it comes to the rules of the road. According to a recent advice update from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Royal Omani Police are now implementing stiffer penalties for traffic offenses as of January 2008. Running a red light, using the shoulder to pass another car or driving with an invalid or expired license will result in a minimum 48 hour jail sentence.

Government travel advice warns that all travellers need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in Oman. Using a cell phone while driving is still prohibited, and anyone who is believed to be at fault in an accident may be jailed for 48 hours. Watch out for hazards such as wandering lifestock and poorly lit roads.

Want to know more? Check out the government advisories section on our Oman Travel Advisory page, and take a look at AST's Five things you should know before you drive abroad.

In and out of Kiribati

Think island hopping in Kiribati is easy? Think again!

According to government travel advice for Kiribati from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it is not always possible to travel directly from one part of the country to another. For instance, if you wanted to travel from Kiritimati (in the Line Islands) to Tarawa (in the Gilbert Islands), you’ll have to go through Nadi, Fiji.Ferry services are available for many of the islands.

A little research can help you make the most of your trip and prevent any hassles.

Heathrow worst for delays in 2007

More bad news about air traffic woes: The Association of European Airlines just released its figures for 2007 and European airlines saw their performance fall for the fourth year in a row. Approximately 23% of departures were delayed by more than 15 minutes. Not surprisingly, the worst months for delays were June and July.

But how do individual airports differ in performance? The numbers reveal who is the best and worst:

The worst offenders – Of the 27 major airports surveyed, London-Heathrow tops the list with a whopping 35% of flights delayed. Rounding out the top five are London-Gatwick, Rome, Dublin and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Looking for the airport with the fewest delays? For the second year in a row, Brussels was the most punctual where only 17% of flights were delayed. Rounding out the top five are Dusseldorf, Vienna and Oslo (also top ranking airports from last year) and Milan-Linate.

The good news? Good things are on the way for 2008. The AEA is hopeful that new legislation will help open up the skies – meaning less delays and less impact on the environment.

To see the full statistics, read the press release European Airlines’ 2007 Delays Highlight The Need For ATM Reform (pdf).

Kosovo gets its own advice

Looking for travel advice specific to Kosovo? Now you can find it.

If you’ve been listening to the radio, watching TV or reading the news, you already know that Kosovo declared independence on February 17. Word of the announcement and related civil unrest has already made it into government travel advice for Serbia.

But the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has taken it one step further: it has released a travel advice page specifically for Kosovo. The FCO is the first governent to separate Serbia and Kosovo travel advice.

Other governments may follow suit in the coming weeks. For now, all advice pertain to Serbia and/or Kosovo can be found on the Serbia (Kosovo) Travel Advisory page. (Note: Currently the advice and news is still so tightly integrated that we're keeping it on one page... for now...)

Car accidents leading cause of death abroad

Many U.S. citizens don’t know it, but the U.S. Department of State is required by law to publish statistics on how its citizens die abroad from non-natural causes. Here’s how the numbers rounded out for June 2004 – July 2007:

• A total of 2312 U.S. citizens died from non-natural causes.
• Of that number, 747 people (roughly one third of the total) were killed in a vehicle accident. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
• Homicide (435 cases) and drowning (303) round out the top three.
• On the regional level, more than half of the deaths occurred in the Americas, with Mexico leading the total for countries at 635.
• The least number of deaths occurred in Africa.

Should travelers worry? No - The statistics represent a very small percentage of people who lived and traveled abroad during this period. U.S. citizens made roughly 37 million international abroad by air in 2007 alone, according to ITA sources.

For more information, check out Death of U.S. Citizens Abroad and Statistical Summary from the U.S. Department of State website.