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Show The Salt Lake Tribune TRAVEL Sunday, September 10,1995 Car-Rental Firms Go Back to Unlimited Mileage By Barbara Shea NEWSDAY The more things change, the more they remain the same — especially if customers object to the alterations. Car-rental companies quickly backed off their recent brainstorm to scrap unlimited-mileage rates and give all drivers only 100 free miles a day. The reason for this change of heart can be summedup in one word: competition. Alamowas thefirst to restore unlimited mileage, although,like the other major companies,it still offers some capped rates. Spokeswoman Sandy Rich- had gone up 100 percentfor the industry since 1992. Whenthe cap idea fizzled, major rental companies immediately announced increasesof about $5 a day on nearly all rates. And while they probably won't changetheir minds about that move, they’re offering a few new perks to entice renters away fromsmaller, cut-rate companies. Alamo, last of the major companies to start sereening customers’ driving records, so far seems to be alonein giving that up. Alamo’s Richardssaid her company was uncomfortable with the fact that there was no consistent industrywide standard to deterraine who would be rejected as a high-risk driver. ards said unlimited mileage usually offers the best Also, she noted, such record-scanning for accidents value. In some markets, however, travelers whoin- andviolations isn’t possible in all states, and Alamo tend to drive only a few miles can get a “slightly dl base rate with a 100-miles-a-day cap, she said, Budget has a two-tier rate system nationwide and gives renters whicheverrate turns out to be the most favorable for them after they've returned the car, according to spokeswoman Janice Cain. Hertz has removed mileagecaps from all car classes except minivans. At all three companies, drivers who exceed the allotted limit have to pay an extra mileage charge. Mileage caps wereintendedto aid the bottom line, hurt by rising fleet costs — which Hertz estimated Step Back In Time at Idaho Ranch # Continued from H-1 was a blacksmith who fashioned hardware for the buildings and a stone mason whocrafted the rock fireplaces. Visiting the ranch is akin to taking a step 65 years back in time, as manyof the log furnishings, hunting trophies and pictures that Paul took from the 1930s remain today. You will even find some of the original china, complete with the IRMC logo, and intriguing chandelierscrafted out of gnarled pine branches. The property changed hands and names in 1951, when Pocatello car dealer Edmund A. Bogert purchasedit, renamedit the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch and ran Rokmorpure bred Herefords on its pastures. In 1977, two years after Bogert died, his daughter, Rozalys Bogert Smith, reopened the ranch for guests after overhauling the buildings’ wiring and plumbing. She furnished the cabins with either queen or twin beds that bask in frontof fireplaces and had the showerstalls lined with sparkling. Oakley stone hauled from southern Idaho. You won't find televisions or telephones in the rooms, but who needs them when foundits searches were not affecting a large per- centage of renters. Budget and Hertz, however, say they have found the license checks worthwhile in helping to hold down liability costs. Alamo, which wasthe first car-rentai outfit on the information superhighway, recently madeit possible for renters to book a car directly via the Internet. You can review vehicle types and swaptraveltips with other vacationersas well (sign onto the compa- ny’s homepage, titled Freeways, at HTTP://WWW.FREEWAYS.COM). Andif you rent from Alamo by Sept. 4 and chargeit on your Visa eard, you'll get a double-upgrade coupon. you're searching for little tranquility in the mountains? While I discoveredit only after asking a friend to recommend a romantic retreat, many guests are repeaters. Many comea week aia time to savor the peacefulness the Sawtooth Valley offers and to enjoy the hundreds of alpine lakes and hundreds of miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails that riddle the mountains. And, no doubt, for the hot waterpool. Fed via pipeline from a hot springs on the banks of the Salmon River, the in-ground pool quickly soothes muscles left aching by hikes or rides taken on the backs of horses or mountain bikes. Open round-the-clock, you can floatin the pool underthe hot sun orat night while watching for shooting stars. Breakfast and dinner are included in the ranch’s packages. Sack lunchescan be arranged. While breakfasts are what you might imagine, with blueberry pancakes and eggs offered along with a cold cereal and fruit buffet, dinners from the fixed menu that rotates every two weeks are exceptional. One night might offer a New York steak charbroiled in mustard sauce or prawnsin a Creole sauce, while another night could feature baked salmon with fruit salsa, beef medallions in cognac sauceor Idaholeg of lambstuffed with garlic and basted with rosemary butter. Once a week there’s also a barbecue held in a meadow roughly two miles from the main lodge. Guests, 20 at a time, are hauled to thesite via a buckboard pulled by Buck and Bob, two burly draft horses. The barbecuewe attended featured pork loin and primerib with salad, rolls. scalloped potatoes, upside-down pineapple cake and brownies. To reach the ranch from Salt Lake City, head for Sun Valley and continue north over Galena Pass. You'll find the ranch, which is open from early June through late September, nine miles south of Stanley on the right side of the road. While the ranch has a three- McCarthey: H7 neighboring Jordan's fabulous city of Petra The Red Sea has some of the world’s finest underwater flora and fish For more information, contact your local travel agent or Epiro- Jerusalem’s Anniversary ® Continued from H-1 ry of King David establishing the city as capital of his kingdom. The event has been five years in the making. A record numberof tour- a SIGN OF THE TIMES A town in southwest France has had a tough time keeping tourists from swiping municipal signs as souvenirs. The town of Condom, tions at hotels. @ Consider carrying a whistle is nounced it will inaugurate a se- ries of 7-daycruises out of Eilat Israel's resort on the Red Sea, WOMEN GO SAFELY Women make up 44% of fre- ask the concierge about the neigh- quent travelers nationwide. and if there are any areas to avoid. By sheer numbers they have become road. Here are a few safetyrules est development in the Middle East peace process. worth noting: @ Don’t let down your guard Theitinerary allowstourists to the Kings, MountSinai, Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza, as well as borhood, the location of recommended restaurants ‘THE WASHINGTON POST To get a job abroad, consider PrEG the International Employment Hotline, a monthly newsletter $9.00 shops @ Make sure your hotel door closes and locks properly. bystaff or repair person to visit your room @ Take your nametagoffafter leaving your meeting. aD) STATA Finding Jobs Overseas and @ Verify by phone anyrequest Stay aware of your surroundings and belongings, even while mentally focusing on the business at hand. visit Egypt's Luxor, the Valley of Bai BPP a ind oat ABO Reise\cg ers With Ad $1.00 Discount Exp. 9/30/95 Daily 8:30am,Fri-Sat 6pm, New 4pm Sun. ON =ae ee 11/11 10 Days $779 ST. LOUIS, 11 Shows, Some meals Every sat$28 MoyCash Back 9/13 $18 e AUGHLIN/LA ae 10/15 10 Days $661 10/8 5 Days $134 Some Meals with overseas job opportunities. Listed are jobs with international and private voluntary organizations such as CARE and the World Wildlife Fund; govern- sum- driving. @ Never park in poorlylit hotel passenger Odysseus. It is the lat- conferences, @ Do not rent a car late at night in a strange city and then set out or airport lots. more of a crime target on the professional ren as a deterrent the brandy armagnac. starting Nov. 11 aboard the 450. mer volunteer stints and helpful hints on howto apply. Subscriptions are $39 per year, from P.O. Box 3030, Oakton, Va. or battery-operated personal si- ™@ Whenyon get to the hotel RED SEA CRUISES Epirotiki Cruise Line has an- administrators andhealth professionals — in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Also included are alone, use name to register or make reserva- known in France for produ oO ment jobs and contractors’ positions; and gigs with private companies — for engineers, teachers, ™@ When traveling initials rather than your first tiki Cruise (800) 221-2470. with about 8,000 inhabitants, ists are expected over the period. @ When flying, stow possessions in the overhead bin across from your seat — not the bin above you — so you can watch them TET 9/17 & 10/29 3 Days $75 Wine Country, py Cruise, Hearst Castle, Solvang, Disneyland, Chi inner Knotts| ~ 7s LAUGHLIN, M 9/24 & 10/22 5 Days $99. 4 Meals 11/2 7 Days $350 PEEL aayea 10/1 5 Days $155 Scotty's Castle, Crater, Furnace Creek, 2/20 7 Days $374 Death Valley sep ET Junction : Te N 9/17 5 Days $164 12/28 7 Days $449 [NYE Cruise & Party, Reserved Seats, Sea World 2 Nights Tahoe 2 Nights Reno EM UA eatsWrMeleoy 280-DONA, 28 oan “TOLL FREE. 1-800-83 22124. night minimum, occasionally the luck of the draw frees up two nights back-to-back, so ask if any are availabie if you're short of time. Phone: 208-774-3544. One Of You Pays. One Of You Sist NowFight Tt Out. ‘Two For The Price Of One! Act Now! You Must Book By9/30/95! Akeové mt So New! ywed Gi ges! rt lectures#videos on The Caribbean, ‘ith "Cap Za,Lites Take a 4 day Carnivalcruise on the “Fun Ship” HOLIDAY to Catalina and Ensenada from Los Angeles and the second person cruisesfree! Or, if you can only get awayfor the weekend, our 3 day cruises to Ensenadastart from just $249, Plus third and fourth guests cruise free* on our 3 and 4 day HOLIDAYcruises! You'll enjoy an unequalled vacation experience thatincludesfine dining, an endless variety of activities, the best entertainmentatsea, full casino, Nautica Spas. program, pampering service and most importantly “Your Kind of Fun! Call yourtravel consultant and see for yourself why Carnival is The Most Popular Cruise Line in the World! 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