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Archive for April, 2005
Luggage locks cut
I obtained through the TravelSmith catalog (800/950-1600 or www.travelsmith.com) two TSA-approved luggage locks with the red TSA-approved logo plainly visible on them. On Nov. 20, ’04, at the end of a trip, I boarded LanChile flight No. 500 from Santiago to Miami. Since I had been forewarned that many foreign countries were not familiar with [...]Lockstep
I used the special Transportation Security Administration locks on my luggage for flights from Seattle to Dulles to Vilnius, Lithuania, and then home from St. Petersburg, Russia, through Dulles to Seattle in June ’04. The locks were not cut, but the red symbol came off. The store would not exchange them. I used them again in [...]Speaking of ‘hub and spoke’
I enjoyed the article on LHSDGT (Sept. ’04, pg. 106). My idea of a great time is one location for two to three weeks with day trips out from a single location. Commonly known as the “hub and spoke” concept, it is much easier on an older population and allows for choices. One age group [...]LHSDGT, anyone?
Randy Keck’s article on long-haul, single-destination group tours, or “LHSDGT” (Sept. ’04, pg. 106), really hit home with me. For 25 years, when working in the corporate world, I was lucky to be able to go away for a whole week. Now that I am retired, I want to travel for long periods (at least [...]Travails of winter travel
In the article “Rewards of Winter Travel” (Sept. ’04, pg. 46), the author begged to differ with those who shun winter travel. Well, I beg to differ with her. Yes, one can travel prepared with layering, proper footwear and raingear, but rain, even prepared for, can put a damper on any trip. We had rain eight [...]Poverty in Bhutan
I visited Bhutan Nov. 4-15, ’01, fly-fishing with a guide and driver. I saw beautiful streams, few fish, beautiful country and a unique, most interesting culture and delightful people, but Shangri-la it ain’t! Poverty exists countrywide, you cannot drink the tap water and there is no road or rail travel to the outside. The only potential [...]Introduction to Bhutan
I spent 15 days in a very remarkable country, the kingdom of Bhutan, which is located in the eastern Himalayas and is one of the last bastions of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion. It is often referred to as the Land of the Peaceful Dragon and is regarded as one of the last “Shangri-las” [...]Noboribetsu, the Orient’s largest spa
During my annual vacation to the world’s best-kept secret, Sapporo, Japan, I always make sure I allocate one day for a trip to the most relaxing place on Earth, Noboribetsu Hot Spring Onsen (Spa). My last trip there was in April ’04. After getting the current train station schedule and buying an “S” ticket (about ¥4,040, [...]Old buddies, beer and Bavaria — second round
by Theodore Lewis, Severna Park, MD A little over two years ago, my longtime German friend, Walter, invited me to visit him in Germany and we took a wonderful tour along the Romantic Road (see Jan. ’03, pg. 52). For 2004 he suggested we visit the quaint and colorful towns and cities in another part of [...]Grande Mariner to Belize & Guatemala
We took a cruise from Belize to the Barrier Reef and Guatemala and back, March 12-23, ’04, with American Canadian Caribbean Line (461 Water St., Warren, RI 02885; phone 800/556-7450 or visit www.accl-smallships.com). The cost ranged from only $2,455 to $2,985. It was for 11 nights, with the option of arriving one day early and [...]
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