| Paradise for pennies A rich Hawaiian vacation -- for the non-wealthy
LANIKAI BEACH, Hawaii -- Not a millionaire? Well, in Hawaii, for an afternoon you can pretend you're among the monied by soaking in the sun and sifting your fingers through the sugary sands outside celebrities' obscenely priced homes without having to pay the rent. That's because Hawaii is one of those lovely places where the beaches, including the somewhat restrained luxury of Lanikai on Oahu, are by law the domain of the public. Not even the most highly placed movie star or menacing hotel worker can (legally at least) chase you off your strip of sand. Though Hawaii is notoriously expensive, impecunious but crafty travelers can easily revel in much of what the state has to offer while holding tight to their pennies. For that, sticking to the most populous island, Oahu, is a good idea for those on a tight budget because of two very valuable advantages: more low-fare, direct flights and cheap public transportation to just about anywhere on the island.
Jagson cuts airfares to Himachal Pradesh
Jagson Airlines entered a price war Friday by fixing its airfare to any Himachal Pradesh destination from the national capital to as low as Rs.1,000. The decision comes barely days after budget carrier Deccan Airways announced trial flights before starting regular flights next month to Kullu and Dharamsala from Delhi. Until Deccan announced its entry in the skies of the hill state, Jagson was the sole carrier with airfares one of the highest in northern India. 'From the beginning of next month you can fly from New Delhi to Shimla, Kullu or Dharamsala for only Rs.1,000,' said Koustav M. Dhar, vice president Jagson Airlines. But the invitation price will not apply to return tickets, which will be higher, a Jagson official said. 'To avail this facility a ticket must be booked at least 40 days in advance or lesser days depending on availability of tickets,' Dhar explained.
A bookkeeper's life: pearls and cruises
STEVE Vizard's former bookkeeper, Roy Hilliard, has admitted he falsified the accounts of his jointly owned travel agency for nine years and used almost $274,000 of its money to pay for luxury purchases on his personal Diners Club account. A luxury overseas cruise, first class return airfares to Paris, and opals, pearls and diamonds from Cairns were among the array of expensive bills that he ran up between 1991 and 2000. He charged them to his Diners Club account and then paid the monthly bill using money either from Vizard's accounts or the bank account of travel agency Information Age Travel. Hilliard has previously admitted that $255,000 of his Diners Club bill was paid using money from Vizard's Performing Arts Services group but he claims all those expenses were personally approved by Vizard.
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