Informing the international traveler since 1976.
Feb 2005 issue.
Boarding Pass
Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 348th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. In a conference in Geneva in November, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) committed to four initiatives to simplify the airline business and cut costs. Implement 100% electronic ticketing by Dec. 31, 2007 — no more paper tickets. Implement “bar codes” on boarding passes to replace [...]Report Cards
On GREECE, December ’04. . . • Hotel Sakellaridi (Trikalon Street, 422 00 Kalambaka, Greece; phone +30 2432 022716 or fax +30 2432 075910) — in the town nearest to Meteora. Very nice, clean, friendly hotel. Inexpensive at €45 (near $60) including breakfast. (The cost is for drop-in guests; our tour from Athens stayed here.) I do [...]Burma: a land lost in time
by Rob Sangster, Nova Scotia “. . . For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say, ‘Come you back, you British Soldier, come you back to Mandalay!’. . . On the road to Mandalay, where the flyin’-fishes play. An’ the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ’crost the Bay. . .” With [...]Making calls to the U.S.
In 2003 my wife was badly “burned” by telephone calls she made to the USA from overseas, so I researched the market and came up with an excellent service: Iscom, Inc. (IsCard.com Division, One Silicon Alley Plaza, 90 William St., Ste. 702, New York, NY 10038; phone 212/324-1100, e-mail info@iscard.com or visit www.iscom.net). It’s available toll-free [...]Coping with the red tape of an overseas death
My husband, Jim, and I thought we were smart, well-prepared travelers with our duplicate passport photos and our extra antibiotics. After all, we had traveled extensively and Jim even wrote travel articles for various newspaper travel sections and ultimately even the photography column for ITN. I guess we were in total denial about the possibility [...]Woodcarving classes in Austria
We attended “Austrian Woodcarving Weeks” in Elbigen-alp, Austria, Oct. 10-24, ’04. This was at the Geisler-Moroder Austrian Woodcarving School (A-6652 Elbigenalp 63, Austria; phone 43-5634-6215, e-mail geisler-moroder@aon.at or visit www.geisler-moroder.com. Geisler-Moroder’s U.S. representative is Carl G. Wiggins; phone 205/979-1111 or e-mail wiggs7@ aol.com). The woodcarvers’ program cost $1,602 double and the noncarvers’ program, $1,102, including daily [...]Funniest Thing for February
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries [...]Tiny Luxembourg — a land of international diversity
Do you speak French? No? Then perhaps German? Not to worry, everyone you meet in Luxembourg will also speak English — and most likely Spanish. However, a phrase in Luxembourgish, the national language, best describes the citizens of this grand duchy: Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin, or “We want to stay what we are.” [...]Confirmed on tour, then bumped to another
On May 22, ’04, I called Grand Circle Travel to see about reserving the “Great Rivers of Europe” trip taking place Aug. 29-Sept. 16. I spoke to Robert in Customer Service and told him we wanted to reserve that date and the extension to Brussels. He checked and informed me that there was one cabin [...]Minerva II in the Black Sea
The Black Sea has always interested us, so in May ’04 my husband, John, and I flew from London to Istanbul to join the ship Minerva II for a cruise called “Grand Baroque to Grand Bazaar,” May 22-June 5. The plane had been chartered by the ship line, Swan Hellenic Cruises (U.S. office at 631 Commack [...]River Navigator on the Danube and Black Sea
Friendly faces, lively music, colorful art and beautiful churches are what my husband and I found on our 12-day “Danube and Black Sea Sampler,” a river cruise from which we returned on Oct. 17, ’04. The cruise was offered by Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; phone 800/322-6677 or visit www.vantagetravel.com). After [...]Marco Polo to Antarctica
I read with interest the description of the Marco Polo in the October ’04 “The Cruising World” column. I concur with Mr. Toulmin’s evaluation of the ship. I cruised to Antarctica in January ’03, spending a week crossing the Drake Passage, making landings on the Antarctic Peninsula to walk among the penguins and viewing Cape Horn [...]Comparing two bicycle tour firms
A friend and I got together recently to compare notes and photos from our 2004 biking adventures in Europe. My husband, R.C., and I, Donna Pyle, have done seven trips with Hindriks European Bicycle Tours (Box 6086, Huntington Beach, CA 92615; phone 800/852-3258 or visit www.hindrikstours.com), most recently to the Andalucia region of Spain but also [...]‘Rolled’ in Milan
I was “rolled” in Milan, Italy, in January ’04. I was at The Royal Café, in the galleria near the Duomo, and wanted a simple salad. The waiter put one roll on a side plate. When I got the final bill, it listed $10.95 for the salad and €7 (about $9) for the roll! Ouch! As [...]Visiting the Valley of the Geysers on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula, part of The Russian Federation, extends from the northeastern end of Siberia, thrusting down to divide the Sea of Okhotsk from the Bering Sea. It is one of the few truly unexplored wilderness areas left in the world. Sharing a latitude with Alaska, it is remote and difficult to get to. Conditions [...]Accomodations Worldwide
Europe Les Gains bed-and-breakfast (home of Diana and Kit Wordsworth, 61310 Survie, Exmes, Normandy, FRANCE; phone 0033 [0] 2 33 36 05 56, e-mail christopher.wordsworth@libertysurf.fr or visit www.lesgains.tk) — located near Argentan in Normandy and set in the tranquil countryside of cider apple orchards and rolling green hills. In a 17th-century farmhouse on a working sheep farm, Diana [...]The challenge — and rewards — of visiting southern Ethiopia
It is said that Ethiopia has an image problem, and indeed it has. Years of relentless media coverage of famine, war and rebellions have taken their toll. Unfortunately, this has made travelers pass on the opportunity to visit an area that is unique, not only to Africa but worldwide. Deciding on a destination Ethiopia has four faces, [...]Tips on choosing a tour company
Many years ago I took my first trip with a travel company (which shall remained unnamed) and learned some hard lessons. It was a frustrating and expensive process, but it did pave the way for many other successful trips with very few unpleasant surprises. As a single female traveler, I initially ask the tour operator questions [...]USTOA tour-selecting tips
To help you in choosing a tour, the United States Tour Operators Association, or USTOA (342 Madison Ave., Ste. 1522, New York, NY 10173), suggests a number of questions to ask and points to consider. Questions to ask • What is and is not included in the price? Find out if airport transfers, service charges and airport [...]Bulgaria — a perfect vacation destination
We are extremely interested in history and enjoy visiting different cultures. In August ’04 we visited Bulgaria. After spending 10 days in this largely unknown jewel of the Balkans, we wanted to tell our friends that Bulgaria has everything anyone would expect for a perfect vacation. Customized tour Our trip was planned by Balkan Travel & Tours [...]Extended travels in Latin America
My wife, Elaine, and I traveled in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands at the end of January and beginning of February ’04 for two weeks. We then spent several weeks in Peru and finally a month in Panama. Here are a few comments that might be of interest to readers. ECUADOR & GALÁPAGOS — It seems most [...]A ‘super day’ near London
London was crowded with tourists in August ’04 and it was also the wettest August on record. Daily sky bursts were the norm, and before your umbrella was fully extended you were sopping wet. So many people running for the same shelter at the same time only exasperated the situation. Although it rains everywhere, there are [...]Booking on the Web
It is with much interest that I read the letter “Web Booking Provided No Satisfaction” (Nov. ’04, pg. 36), regarding a reader’s experience booking a cruise through Travelocity. She booked a Category Y Outside Guarantee and was surprised to find that her cabin was obstructed. She found that for $50 more she could get what [...]Keeping wallet in sight at x-ray
ITN printed a letter of mine about my going through Frankfurt Airport in 2003 and having a security screener insist that my wallet and passport be x-rayed (Nov. ’04, pg. 18). I expressed concern that they could have been stolen while they were at the other end of the conveyor belt and out of my [...]A few thoughts on personal security
During a February ’03 trip, my pocket was picked in Santiago, Chile. The last time I was a victim of street crime was in 1966 when a band of street urchins stole my wristwatch in Saigon. I’m an experienced traveler and have made many visits to big, dangerous, third-world cities, like New York and Los Angeles, [...]Enjoyable dining, Europe
My wife and I would like to share some wonderful restaurants we experienced while traveling in Europe in May and June ’03. • In Hall, AUSTRIA, a pretty medieval town about 15 minutes from Innsbruck, we ate at the Goldener Hirsch restaurant (A-6060 Hall-Unterer-Stadtplatz, Austria; phone 05223/53124). For $18 for two, we had soup, entrées, vegetables, beer [...]Guide in Turkey
After spending three months trying to put together a 3-week trip to Turkey, I was ready to throw in the towel. It seemed there was a choice of either packaged tours or backpacking but little in between. I knew I wanted a car and driver (but did not want to pay the small fortune I [...]Guide in England
I was taken on a private tour of cathedrals and monastic sites in northern England by Michael Boote of English Country Holidays (West View Cottage, Town St., Sutton-cum-Lound, Retford, DN228PT, England; visit www.merviel.com). My tour took place July 6-11, ’04, and cost $2,600. I was traveling alone. For two or more people, it would have [...]Sights in Germany
My husband and I traveled by train to Berlin, Germany, in June ’04. We used public transportation there (U-Bahn and S-Bahn), seeing all of the exciting landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, once a dividing point between East and West Berlin and now a symbol of German unity. We visited the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church, or Gedächtnis-Kirche. I [...]All Aboard » Eurostar walks on water
—All Aboard is written by Jay Brunhouse The high-speed Eurostar train linking London with Paris and Brussels through the Channel Tunnel celebrated its 10th anniversary with a news-making “walk on the water,” and at the same time publicists seized the opportunity to report happy operating results. Eurostar had achieved the highest market share in its 10-year [...]Cruising World » Paradise lost: Sex verdicts threaten Pitcarin’s survival
Island paradise or hell on Earth? Three New Zealand judges apparently took the latter view as they sentenced six of Pitcairn island’s few male inhabitants to two to six years in prison for numerous rapes and assaults that took place over a 40-year period on the last remnant of the British empire in the South [...]New on the Bookshelf
—by Chris Springer, Contributing Editor “Crete” by Barry Unsworth (2004, National Geographic. ISBN 0792266439 — 170 pp., $20 hardcover). Crete has never wanted for literary attention, but this book is a welcome addition to the library of works on the place. After writing a novel set in ancient Greece, Barry Unsworth sets off to explore Crete firsthand. [...]Travel & Health » The malaria medication controversy
Is its prevention worse than the disease? This theme has run wild lately with regard to malaria, and it is time to set the record straight. Let’s look at the facts and calm the excitement with some common sense. To understand why we need protection against malaria, let’s understand what we are fighting. Malaria is a potentially [...]The Discerning Traveler » Friendly Satillieu in the beautiful Ardèche
It was raining when we left Amsterdam on our way to France in May 2003. I put the car on autopilot and drove south until the sun came out. We found ourselves in Satillieu, a typical small town in the French Ardèche. We checked in at the 2-star Chaleat Sapet (Place de la Faurie, 07290, Satillieu, France; [...]Mideast & Mediterranean » Cuenca to Toledo with a camera over my shoulder
—Timeless Roads of the Mideast and Mediterranean is written by Ed Kinney. (Part 5 of 6 on Spain) Continuing on our April ’04 photographers’ tour, entitled “Spanish Explorer,” the eight of us left the mountainous city of Cuenca and drove to Toledo through the La Mancha area of Spain. These austere plains, with occasional windmills, were highlighted in [...]Far Horizons » Under the Microscope: tour departure dates
—Far Horizons is written by Randy Keck. Periodically, in future I plan to do “Under the Microscope” columns which will examine in detail various terms and aspects of tours and touring. This first column will take a close look at advertised tour departure dates listed by tour and other travel operators. When the departure dates are attached [...]
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