Informing the international traveler since 1976.
Archive for January, 2006
Can that pill hurt you?
Marilyn Chase, in her article “Buying the Wrong Medicine Overseas,” in the Aug. 16, 2005, edition of the Wall Street Journal, warns about buying brand-name prescriptions abroad. She states, “Several drugs in foreign countries sometimes have the same brand name as U.S. medications but contain completely different ingredients. “A safety alert issued to hospitals and doctors this [...]Double time
I read with interest the tidbit by Iris Bing on carrying a second inexpensive watch to keep track of the time at home as well as where you are (Nov. ’05, pg. 4). I have done that for years but with an inexpensive Timex watch that has two time zones. In St. Louis I use the [...]For your safety or control?
I believe the September ’05 “Boarding Pass” column has inadvertently pointed out the truth of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration): the TSA is not so much about passenger “safety” as it is about control and power over a, now, much less free citizenry. What a sad state of affairs for a people founded in the belief [...]Card limits
Before traveling to Italy in October ’05, I phoned my local bank, through whom I have a combination debit/credit Visa card, to let them know I’d be using my card in Italy for the next four weeks. The information I received (and I hadn’t actually realized I should ask about any of this!) was that [...]Money in Russia
If you are traveling to Russia, here are some things I learned during my trip in October ’04. Take lots of single dollar bills. You will need them for tips and small items in flea markets and at stalls. But take ONLY new or almost-new dollar bills. The Russians will not accept any money that is [...]Paris find
On a trip to Paris in April ’05, we came upon a small restaurant with terrific food and ate dinner there every night. It was the Café des Musées (49 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, France; tel. 01-42-72-96-17), open every day. My companion especially liked the fresh fig tart one night (warm from the oven), and [...]Enjoyed Benasque
In the Aragon region of Spain, we spent three days in Benasque, Huesca Province, in July ’05. This lovely town, surrounded by the highest peaks in the Pyrenees, is accessible only by car and provides a very interesting experience. The architecture of the oldest houses is unique, and the area offers trekking and fishing. An excellent [...]Cycling in Sweden
The upside of high gasoline prices in Sweden is that it encourages people to bike to school, work or shops. And since southernmost Sweden, the region known as Skane, has so many cyclists, it has developed an extensive system of bike lanes and trails, including converted rail lines, to accommodate them. That plus terrain ranging [...]Peter the Great Cruises
My husband, Ken, and I visited Russia for the first time, Aug. 19-Sept. 3, ’05, taking the river cruise between St. Petersburg and Moscow. After doing much research on the Internet and reading appreciatively the readers’ comments in the March, April and June ’04 issues of ITN, we chose to go with Peter the Great [...]Cruise to St. Helena
My wife, Eileen, and I enjoyed a holiday on the remote island of St. Helena, one of the last outposts of the British Empire, in the South Atlantic Ocean. We traveled July 13-Aug. 11, ’05, on the part-cargo and part-passenger vessel Royal Mail Ship St. Helena, the island’s only contact with the outside world. Everything [...]
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