Lee Pledger’s Freighter Travel Club (now in...

Lee Pledger’s Freighter Travel Club (now in its 39th year) is devoted to dreamers and doers. Anyone with a love of the sea and a desire to run away--escaping the real world for a few days, a few weeks. Maybe even a few months. Besides freighters, members sail on tramp steamers, container ships.

Freighter travel has changed considerably since Pledger founded his club. In-port times have been reduced due to containerization and modern port methods. But cargo is still loaded/off-loaded by hand in some ports. The real joy of freighter travel, though, involves the time spent at sea. No crowds, no stress. A divorce from daily pressures.

Reports on freighter experiences by club members themselves are contained in a monthly newsletter published by Pledger. The newsletter is included in the club membership ($18 a year).

Write to Pledger, The Freighter Travel Club, P.O. Box 12693, Salem, Ore. 97309.

Booklets

A series of travel booklets produced by the U.S. State Department includes one titled “Your Trip Abroad” ($1). Information on passports, immunization, international driver’s licenses, car/health insurance. This and more. A second booklet (“A Safe Trip Abroad”) also sells for $1. Tips on safety, terrorism, assistance offered by U.S. embassies overseas. A third booklet in this series (50 cents) lists visa requirements for more than 200 countries along with the addresses where travelers may write for additional information. Write to Carol Collins, Consumer Information Center, General Services Administration, Washington, D.C. 20405.

Houseguests International

Trudy Alexy, president of California Houseguests International, is passing the word that, “We’ve moved, but nothing else has changed.” Alexy represents nearly 1,000 B&Bs; throughout California (inns, apartments, condominiums, mountain cabins). “Comfortable, affordable,” says Alexy. She caters to travelers who prefer a “friendly, personal atmosphere.” Listings from San Diego north to San Francisco and Crescent City and dozens of others between. One ocean-front mansion with its own private beach sleeps eight. For a free brochure, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Trudy Alexy, California Houseguests International, 18653 Ventura Blvd., No. 190-B, Tarzana, Calif. 91356. Telephone (818) 344-7878.

Car/Hotels in Europe

In cooperation with Air France, The Kemwel Group is offering car rentals for as low as $29 per traveler a week (based on two persons motoring together). Pickup points in Paris, Nice, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Rome, Venice, Lugano, Athens, Geneva, Zurich. Hotel/car packages start at $299 per person a week (double occupancy) and include a car for the week (beginning and ending in Paris) with unlimited mileage, plus six nights’ hotel with continental breakfasts. Accommodations are pre-booked for the first night. After that, each hotel makes your ongoing reservations. Other hotels in 20 European cities. These offers are good through March 31, 1989. See your travel agent or call Kemwel toll-free at (800) 678-0678.

Giveaway

Britain’s West Country is featured in a new booklet, “The Old England of Devon and Somerset.” Pubs, castles, pretty villages. This is a handy guide. Tells how to reach the West Country by road, rail, air from London. Contains addresses of local tourist information centers. Lists 70 hotels with rates quoted in U.S. dollars. The booklet (24 pages) was published by Devon and Somerset in conjunction with the British Tourist Authority. Write to the BTA, 612 S. Flower St., Los Angeles 90017. Telephone (213) 623-8196.

San Francisco on the Cheap

Here’s another budget hotel in San Francisco. Eighty-four rooms are up for grabs at the newly refurbished Pacific Bay Inn. Rates: $50 single, $60 double. Includes a continental breakfast. The Pacific Bay is three blocks from Union Square. Within walking distance of the financial district. A short stroll to the cable car turnaround, Saks, I. Magnin, Macy’s. Parking available. Management promises “personalized service.”

Pacific Bay Inn, 520 Jones St., San Francisco 94102. Call toll-free (800) 343-0880 (in California). Outside the state, dial (800) 445-2631.

Paris Hotel

L. G. of Montrose asks for the name of an “inexpensive hotel in Paris with a good location.” First off, due to the dive of the dollar, budget hotels are hard to come by. Forget the old days of $25 rooms. Few, if any, exist anymore. Here is a hotel I enjoy, though: the Saint-Simon. Only a couple of blocks off Boulevard St. Germain and a 10-minute stroll from Paris’ Left Bank attraction, St. Germain-des-Pres. Dates from the 18th Century. Quiet. Guests enter through a courtyard. Only 37 rooms. Loads of antiques. A cozy cocktail lounge.

I’ve been going to the Saint-Simon since the 1960s when it was a trifle weary but charming. Now it’s as up-to-date as the refurbished Ritz. Rates from about $115/$145 (no charge cards).

Hotel Saint-Simon, 14 Rue de Saint-Simon, 75007 Paris, France.

Closer to Home

Although weeks remain of the summer season, Sheila Moore of the Big Bear Inn is promoting “Autumn in the Mountains” and the areas’ Oktoberfest activities starting in September. “Promises to be great,” Moore says. During the Oktoberfest the hotel will provide German specialties, including sauerbraten, European beer. Beer steins will be given away certain days and the inn will turn on Old World charm. We’ve had good reports on this inn. Dancing, entertainment. Guest rooms with fireplaces.

Big Bear Inn, 42200 Moonridge Road, Big Bear Lake, Calif. 92315.

Reader Recommendations

California--Guy and Karen Gruppie, Long Beach: “Gramma’s Bed and Breakfast Inn, 2740 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley 94705, (415) 549-2145. A charming old mansion where the guest rooms are furnished with antiques. Delicious breakfasts of whole-grain cereals, fresh fruit and freshly baked breads and pastries. Rates from $71 to $130.”

California--Anne Hotchkiss, Los Angeles: “Great discovery--the North Coast County Inn, a B&B; on the Mendocino Coast. Four spacious, well-decorated rooms, each with private bath, fireplace and deck. Hot tub and lovely gazebo. Nancy and Loren Flanagan are hospitable proprietors. Rates from $85 to $115 include full breakfast. North Coast County Inn, 34591 S. Highway 1, Gualala, Calif.”

Hawaii--Dick and Marion Ruess, Huntington Beach: “A wonderful, friendly, one-day trip to Molokai. Includes a bus trip of Molokai, a horse-drawn wagon ride and quaint luau with Larry Helms. Larry is a well-educated native Mauian who made the trip memorable. Contact any Gray Line Tours agent. Complete round trip runs about $195 for two from Maui.”

England--JoAnn Richman, El Segundo, Calif.: “Found an excellent restaurant in Ripon, Yorkshire. The Old Deanery was built in 1625 as the residence of the dean of Ripon Cathedral, but is now a fine restaurant, bar and full fireplace lounge. Dinner for two, excluding drinks, was $25 U.S. Address: 42 Ripon Cathedral Road, Ripon, Yorkshire.”

England--Madelyn Middleton, Los Angeles: “B&B; run by wonderful hosts, Vernon and Evelyn Shaw. Near the Newmarket race track for those interested in thoroughbred racing. Cost 24, 5 additional for dinner. Wonderful breakfast and delicious dinners. One of the nicest we stayed in. Address: Falmouth House, Falmouth Avenue, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0NB.”