The Exciting Pyramids of Egypt by David H. Urmann

The amazing pyramids in Egypt are considered as the largest and most fascinating structures ever constructed. Most of these pyramids were actually built in the Middle and Old periods of Kingdoms in Egypt.
The amazing pyramids in Egypt are considered as the largest and most fascinating structures ever constructed. They constitute one amongst the most enduring and potent symbols of the ancient civilization of Egypt. Most of these pyramids were actually built in the Middle and Old periods of Kingdoms in Egypt.

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Taking the kids: Family fun at national parks

By Eileen Ogintz

Organized national park tours take the stress out of planning a family vacation.

That was 17-year-old Stephanie Little's reaction to her family's vacation plans to head to Yosemite National Park. "She's really kind of a beach bum," explained her mom, Michelle Little from their Oklahoma home.
Anyone who has toured the national parks with their kids -- and that includes me -- knows that despite the spectacular scenery (to grown-ups anyway), the up-close encounters with wildlife (put down that video game and look at that moose!) and the invigorating hikes (how much longer?), there are still the inevitable travails of traveling with children.

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Are timeshares worthwhile?

(AP) -- Question: I'm thinking about buying a timeshare. Would it be a worthwhile investment?

People often buy a timeshare and never use it, according to the author of "Timeshare Vacations for Dummies."

Answer: Timeshares can bring their owners substantial savings in time and money when planning vacations, but experts warn that they should never be viewed as a financial or real estate investment.
Timeshares are typically resort condominium units that multiple parties have the right to use, generally by the week, and are an alternative for people who don't want to rent and can't afford to own a vacation home or condo outright. The timeshare system also allows owners to trade weeks at a property with timeshare owners elsewhere.

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Taking the kids -- and keeping them safe

By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) -- It's never going to happen to you, right?

You're never going to be that hapless parent in the ER someplace far from home with a badly sunburned child (as happened to me in Hawaii), or one who has hit her head falling off a bike, broken his wrist on the playground or swallowed Dramamine from the glove compartment (yes that was me too) or worse.

A lot worse. Every day this summer, 17 children will die from unintentional, but mostly preventable, accidents reports Safe Kids Worldwide, www.safekids.org, a not-for-profit organization charged with reducing childhood injury. Forty-one percent of accidental deaths for children occur during the summer months. Kids will be rushed to emergency rooms nearly 3 million times this summer from car crashes, bike accidents, falls, drowning, ATV accidents and more. Experts believe many accidents happen on vacation.

"Parents may be distracted by the fun of a trip and have a tendency to not be as vigilant," says Dr. Denise Dowd, associate professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and a spokesman for the Academy of Pediatrics. (Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics Website at www.aap.org for summer safety tips.)

Whether on vacation with the kids or enjoying the summer at home, you can't let down your guard -- even for a moment, says Alan Korn, director of Public Policy and General Counsel for Safe Kids Worldwide.

All of us shuddered at the news that 4-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing from a Portuguese resort condo in May. Her parents, both physicians, were eating dinner 50 yards away, returning to check on Madeleine and her younger siblings often. The hunt for Madeleine continues.

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But even that benign visit to grandma's can prove dangerous if the house hasn't been child proofed, says Dowd. "Bring your own portable crib rather than using one at a hotel or a relative's house that is who-knows-how-many years old," Korn adds, along with your own crib sheets. Those that are too large can be a hazard to a baby.

Get your baby's safety seat checked before you leave to make sure it's installed correctly. According to Korn, four out of five seats the Safe Kids' inspectors check at safety events around the country are not installed correctly. Even worse, children 4 to 8 (40 to 80 pounds) are not sitting in booster seats, though they can reduce the risk of injury by 59 percent. (For more on car safety and information on where you can get your safety seat inspected, visit www.usa.safekids.org or The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration www.nhtsa.dot.gov/)

Even if the kids whine, insist they wear appropriate safety gear -- life jackets on boats, and helmets when doing wheeled sports. The one time 12-year-old Tommy Michalson skateboarded without a helmet -- "on a wide smooth sidewalk," while his family was vacationing from Kansas in Colorado last summer he fell and suffered a head injury so severe he died 13 hours later. The anniversary of his death is this month.

"Our message and hope is that parents make sure that helmets are worn EVERY time their child participates in a wheeled sport, even if it is just on the driveway or a sidewalk," Cheryl Michalson, Tommy's mom, said at a Washington, D.C., safety event recently.

"Most people don't realize that injury -- not cancer, nor any other illness -- is the number one killer of children in this country," says Safe Kids' Alan Korn. Significantly more of these injuries happen in summer than any other time of the year, he explains, because kids -- and their parents -- are outside doing activities that while fun, can present risks, whether at a skateboard park, a hiking trail, a pool or a beach.

Be especially careful near water. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death to children ages 1 to 14, according to Safe Kids. Sixty-four percent of all children's drowning deaths occur during the summer. And it's not just babies who get into trouble. Insist older kids and teens swim with a buddy. "Drowning can happen so quickly," says Dr. Dowd.

Even 17 years later, Stew and Kim Leonard can't believe how quickly. One minute 21-month-old Stewie Leonard was helping his dad put up balloons for his sister's birthday party at a rented vacation house in the Caribbean; the next minute he was gone. Leonard thought his son had wandered into the kitchen where his wife was; she thought the toddler was with her husband.

By the time they found him in the pool a few minutes later -- a balloon floating nearby -- it was too late. At least half a dozen adults were around the pool at the time but no one noticed. Nearly nine in 10 drowning-related deaths occur while a child is being supervised "Just talking about it I feel a lump in my stomach," Leonard, the scion of a prominent Connecticut family, says. "Your eyes have to be glued on your child."

To promote water safety, The Leonards established the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation and, with the help of their four daughters, have written "Swimming Lessons with Stewie the Duck," and "Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim"(available with a CD for $4.95 from www.stewleonards.com. All proceeds go to the foundation; a Spanish edition will be out this summer.)

Worldwide Safe Kids suggests parents download a Water Watcher Card from www.usa.safekids.org: While you've got the card, you are responsible for watching the kids in the water. You're not to talk on the phone, read, or grab a beer until you've handed over the card to another adult, says Korn, noting that drowning doesn't happen like in the movies. "Nobody screams or thrashes. A child goes under and that's it."

"We want kids to have fun," he says, "But on vacation, you've got to keep being a parent." E-mail to a friend

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

Copyright 2007 EILEEN OGINTZ, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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A canceled flight, but no refund

By Christopher Elliott

Tribune Media Services

(Tribune Media Services) -- It's been two years since Niel Bratteli bought a roundtrip plane ticket from Dallas to Boston for his son. The airline, ATA, stopped flying from Boston to Dallas and his online travel agency, Travelocity, promised Bratteli a refund. But countless calls and e-mails later, there's no sign of the money. What's wrong?

Q: I don't know if this is a lost cause, because it happened more than two years ago. But I thought I'd ask. We booked a roundtrip ticket for our son to fly from Dallas to Boston through Travelocity on ATA Airlines in July 2005.

His outbound flight was in September and his return would have been in December. But that fall, ATA discontinued its Boston-Dallas route and canceled the return ticket.

After many e-mails and hours on the phone, Travelocity told us that it was up to the airline to process the refund, but that the money would be refunded to Travelocity, which would then credit us.

We have since received many promises that the refund was on the way, both by phone and e-mail. But we still don't have the refund. We inquired about it again last week, to which we received a form letter saying our "issue detailed requires further research by our Consumer Relations Department."

Travelocity asked for a copy of the actual billing statement from my card issuer along with my son's trip ID or ticket numbers. "Once received, we will be able to investigate and will contact you directly," they assured us.

Our e-mail included all past messages from them, which had the original confirmation and price of the ticket ($276). What should we do?

-- Niel Bratteli, Paris, Texas

A: I think you've already done enough. It's time for ATA and Travelocity to return your money. Now.

Under ATA's rules, also known as its contract of carriage, you're entitled to an immediate refund of the unused fare. (You can find the relevant portions in rules 135 and 260). There is no mention of a two-year waiting period, as far as I can tell.

Travelocity didn't live up to its promises, either. Its much-publicized "Travelocity Guarantee" leaves you with the impression that this should have been handled much differently. "If we learn of an issue from any of our partners or customers that might make your trip less enjoyable -- like hotel construction, a hurricane, or an airport closure -- we'll contact you before your trip and help make other arrangements," it says.

As I review the account of your son's flight, it seems you weren't contacted, you weren't offered an alternate flight, and Travelocity simply kept your money. That's disappointing.

I think you could have gotten a better answer from Travelocity, if not ATA. I list customer service contacts on my Web site to whom you could have appealed your case. Working the phones on a refund request doesn't make much sense. Everything needs to be in writing.

Of course, that's no guarantee that you won't get caught in a form-letter loop. When I contacted Travelocity on your behalf, it also asked me for your reservation number, even though I had already included it in your file. I guess they wanted to be sure.

After I re-sent your son's reservation information, a Travelocity representative contacted you and apologized for the delay, adding, "This is not our usual customer service."

I think that goes without saying. A check for $119, which covers the return portion of your son's flight, is in the mail.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at celliott@ngs.org.

Copyright 2007 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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