Tut’s Egyptian Tomb Opens for a Brief Time

King Tut’s tomb, closed last year for two years of restoration, has been reopened to the public in celebration of the 70th anniversary of its discovery by British archeologist Howard Carter. The burial chamber will remain open until the end of January, presenting a rare opportunity to see inside the tomb, which has been closed for restoration and because some experts fear that tourist visits are damaging to its interior. According to a spokesman for the Egyptian Tourist Authority, it has not yet been decided when, or if, it will permanently reopen.

Travel Quiz: What four countries border Israel?

Windsor Apartments to Reopen: Eleven of the 15 rooms normally open to visitors in the State Apartments at England’s Windsor Castle, one of the principal residences of the British Royal Family, will reopen to the public Jan. 16 following repairs necessitated by a serious fire Nov. 20 in the castle’s east wing. However, St. George’s Hall and the Grand Reception Room--both severely damaged by the fire--remain closed and it is not known when they will reopen. The Gallery exhibition area and Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House have reopened, but the Dolls’ House will close again on Friday until Easter for routine maintenance work. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Siberia-Bound: Due to the popularity of previous summer service, Alaska Airlines for the third season will offer regular flights to the Russian Far East. There will be service this year for the first time to the port city of Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast of Siberia. The airline will offer four nonstop flights a week through September from Anchorage to Magadan, with continuing service to Vladivostok two days a week and Khabarovsk the other two days. Flights to Magadan and Khabarovsk begin June 6, and to Vladivostok June 8. A variety of tour packages, including trips to Irkutsk, the so-called “Paris of Siberia,” and rides on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, also are being offered.

Post-Holiday-Stress Vacation: Americans are more stressed out during the holidays than at any other time of the year, and nearly half feel as if they need a vacation by the time January rolls around, according to a Hilton Hotels-sponsored survey. Time--or lack of--is the biggest stress inducer. The time crunch is especially tough on women: 36% name “not enough time” as their least favorite part of the holidays, compared to 23% of men. From a host’s viewpoint, the worst part of having overnight guests is cleaning up after them. Men and women both agree on this, but women, not surprisingly, feel more strongly than men: 32% of women versus 25% of men listed it as the least enjoyable part of hosting overnight guests.

New Ski Service: Delta Airlines has just begun daily, seasonal one-stop service from Los Angeles to Vail, Colo.--the only airline to offer scheduled service to the central Colorado ski area. The Vail/Eagle County Airport, into which Delta flies, is 25 miles from the Beaver Creek Resort, 35 miles from Vail on Interstate 70, and 80 miles from the Aspen and Snowmass resorts. By comparison, Denver’s Stapleton Airport--a common jumping-off point for skiers from Los Angeles--is about 110 miles from Vail, 135 miles from Beaver Creek, 235 miles from Aspen. The LAX-to-Vail flight stops in Salt Lake City, but no transfer of planes is required. Returning to Los Angeles, a change of planes in Salt Lake City is necessary. The service will be offered through March 31, 1993.

Quick Fact: Domestic airline with best overall on-time record for the past year--November, 1991, through November, 1992: Southwest Airlines. (Source: Department of Transportation.)

It Makes Cents to Travel: Vacations pay off, not just for individuals but for the economy. Domestically, the state of California attracted the largest share of travel-related spending by U.S. residents in 1990--the latest year for which figures are available--with 13.9% (or $40.5 billion), according to a recently released U.S. Travel Data Center study. Florida came in second with 9% (or $26.1 billion) spent there.

Taking Pounds Off: Rank Hotels in London is offering a “pounds equals dollars” discount deal that sweetens the exchange rate so that $1 equals 1, rather than the actual rate--currently about 1 for $1.60. The discounted pounds will cut prices on rooms, meals and other hotel charges at five of Rank’s London properties, including the White House, the Gloucester, the Royal Lancaster, the Royal Garden and the Anthenaeum. Room rates are guaranteed in U.S. dollars and are in effect until March 31. For information, call (800) 223-5560.

What Price Power? Despite the program’s astonishing price tag, Washington’s Ritz-Carlton found that the special “inauguration package” it offered went fast and, not surprisingly, to a Democrat, although the hotel will not say which Democrat. The so-called “Premier Presidential Package” includes five days/four nights in an eighth-floor suite (the same suite where both Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle practiced for their 1989 vice-presidential debates), round-the-clock valet service, dinner for 12 in the suite’s private dining room, daily deliveries of Beluga caviar and champagne, daily delivery of a dozen red roses, therapeutic massages, terry-cloth robes with donkey monograms and use of a chauffeured Bentley. The price tag: $23,000. (Last inauguration, the same package cost $15,000.)

EVA Airways Begins Flights to LA: Taiwan-based EVA Airways has just begun daily flights between Los Angeles and Taipei, its first route into North America. EVA is Taiwan’s first privately owned international airline, established in 1989. In addition to LAX, it flies to Bangkok, Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Manila, Philippines, and Vienna, its one European airport.

Quiz Answer: Lebanon (on the north), Syria and Jordan (east) and Egypt (southwest).