Informing the international traveler since 1976.
December 2006 issue.
Articles are displayed in the order they appear in the magazine.
Boarding Pass
Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 370th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. January 2007 is when new rules would have gone into effect requiring all cruise passengers returning to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda or Canada to show a passport, but that deadline has been pushed back to June 1, 2009, by legislators, who [...]Travel Tidbits
Fethiye, Turkey, has a wonderful small market with everything you might wish to buy — great jewelry, rugs, spices. . . . On a June-July ’04 tour with Treasures of Travel (Edmonds, WA; 800/572-0526), I found wonderful things there for my home and for my friends. — PEGGY LONG, Portland, OR In Helsinki, Finland, I took [...]Travelers’ checks in euros
In the past we’ve taken fairly large quantities of American Express Travellers Cheques with us overseas for reasons of money safety. At least we got them at no cost from AAA! On a trip to Italy in September-October ’06 we learned a painful lesson regarding euro-denominated American Express Travellers Cheques. They may have been safe, [...]Credit cards
I have been reading with great interest readers’ reports about credit card/debit card use while traveling. I travel a fair amount and have always used my debit cards (business and personal), for reasons like not having to pay monthly bills; getting money from ATMs; avoiding extra exchange fees (with a debit card I get the [...]Yacht in the Cyclades
On a trip to Greece in September ’05, my wife, Margaret, and I took a 7-day cruise of the Cyclades Islands aboard the comfortable but not luxurious motor yacht m/s H&B, through Viking Yacht Cruises (4231 Lakemoor Dr., Wilmington, NC 28405; 800/341-3030, www.vikings.gr). The cruise cost $1,460 per person, including breakfast daily along with either lunch [...]Maps of Australia
Regarding the supposed unavailability of Australian maps in Australia (Oct. ’06, pg. 4), first, both of Australia’s major book chains (Dymocks and Angus & Robertson) have an extensive selection of maps, and one or the other (or both) are in most sizeable towns. Second, Melbourne and Sydney, at least, each have specialist map shops. Third, most state [...]Australia pleasantries
I’m responding to the reader’s comment, “Anyone considering traveling in Australia should get a good road map in the U.S.” (Oct. ’06, pg. 4). A friend and I spent two months touring Australia during April and May 2005. We traveled by plane, bus, ferry, train (The Ghan) and rental car. Before leaving the U.S., we bought [...]Northern Ireland back roads
On a September drive from the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to Belfast, we opted to take the more scenic coastal route. Although distances were not great, taking the smaller side roads meant adding additional time to our journey. The road was a narrow, white-knuckle route. Often, we pulled over to let approaching cars [...]December’s Funniest Thing
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 [...]Malaysia — an independent journey
by Lillie Echevarria, Livermore, CA Traveling to Malaysia with my friend Michelle in February ’05 was somewhat more challenging than traveling in neighboring Thailand, Cambodia or Viet-Nam due to the limited number of local tour companies available, especially in Borneo. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, our first stop as independent travelers was to book our free tour of [...]Re: passengers smoking on cruise
We took a 12-day cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, on the Diamond Princess, Feb. 24-March 8, 2006. We were disturbed by the cruise line’s lenient no-smoking policy, which is the most lenient of any cruise ship we’ve recently been on. The man in the cabin next door smoked from daylight to dawn. It [...]Barrage of images on Japan cruise
Subscriber G.L. (Hal) Merow mailed to ITN a copy of the following letter, which he sent to Cruise West, regarding a 13-night/14-day “Japan Unveiled” cruise taken aboard the “Spirit of Oceanus,” March 18-31, 2006. Without the airfare but including an overnight in Tokyo and another in Kobe, the cruise-tour cost $4,476 per person. In all, [...]Elderhostel cruise fit the bill
I took the “Pearls of the Baltic Sea” trip with Elderhostel (Boston, MA; 877/426-8056, www.elderhostel.org), sailing on the Minerva II out of Dover, England, July 13, 2006, and returning there on the 30th. We were among 70 Elderhostel travelers on a Swan Hellenic (Commack, NY; 877/800-7926, www.swanhellenic.com) cruise, and the rest of the 600 passengers [...]Around Croatia
We spent two weeks in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, July 5-18, 2006, on the motorcoach tour “Crossroads of Cultures & Contrasts” with Brendan Worldwide Vacations (21625 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311-5833; 800/421-8446, www.brendanvacations.com). The cost was $1,623 per person, land only. We had a wonderful time. We started in Sarajevo, which is pretty, safe and reasonably [...]Normandy Safaris
For our trip to Normandy, France, in May-June ’04, we wanted to have one base for our 5-night/6-day stay plus a guide who would provide transportation and be familiar with the area. Martin Reeve’s Normandy Safaris (57 Raley Rd., Locks Heath, Southampton S031 6PB, England; phone 01489-576081 or visit www.normandysafaris.co.uk) provided a perfect match for [...]Tailored Travel in NZ
We had a fabulous 3-week trip to New Zealand in February ’06. I wanted to pass on the name of our guide, as he was the best we have ever had in all of our travels. His name is Robert Panzer, of Tailored Travel New Zealand Custom Tours (Thorpe RD 2 Wakefield, Nelson, New Zealand; [...]Around the world in 80 days
My husband and I have taken several trips around the world. On our most recent such trip, in 2005, dubbed “Around the World in 80 Days” (actually 83), we shopped in Hong Kong’s wet market, had an elephant massage in Thailand (my husband’s back massaged by an elephant’s foot), visited the National Museum of Bahrain [...]Attn: bird lovers
Lake Nakuru, Kenya, is a bird lover’s paradise. It is very shallow and can fluctuate up to 12 feet each day. When the water is low, you can see a white band of crystallized soda along the shoreline. On the lake are up to two million greater and lesser flamingos. There is pink as far as [...]Treated at a Hong Kong hospital
I spent two weeks in Shenzhen, China, in July ’06 during my husband’s 10-week stay on business. This is a huge city with nothing to brag about. There is a 5-story “copy” mall for those interested in purchasing fakes. I’m not a shopper. We stayed in the Sheraton Four Points, which had outstanding service. At my [...]Seiffen — Germany’s Christmas craft capital
by John Penisten, Hilo, HI The small village of Seiffen, nestled in the Erzgebirge Mountains near the Czech Republic border, is the Christmas craft capital of Germany. The area, part of the former East Germany, has a history as a woodcrafts center dating back to the late 1800s. With an abundant wood supply, Seiffen soon became noted [...]Driving and Buying Gas Overseas
We asked the independent self-drive travelers among you to share any tips on buying gas overseas (outside of North America and the Caribbean), including choosing which establishments to patronize, which gas to buy, etc., plus any warnings relating to the mechanical, economical or logistical aspects of automobiles, fuel, repairs, rescue, etc. Responses appear below. If you [...]Finding the right way ’round — a lesson in navigating British roundabouts
by Anton Prole, Wiltshire, England I wrote briefly in ITN about navigating Britain’s roundabouts (Aug. ’05, pg. 74), mentioning that a well-known travel writer had wrongly advised, “. . . if you don’t know which route to take, you just go around again and again until your navigator has sorted which exit to take.” That advice, [...]Taiwan, a melting pot of cultures, styles, and tastes
— by Beth Habian, Features Editor I was sitting in the office of the Taiwan Visitors Association watching a video designed to entice travelers to visit this self-proclaimed “stopover destination.” Colorful, exciting images flashed on the screen — beautiful footage of the vibrant cultural festivals, the unique costumes of local tribes and the stunning natural beauty [...]Chilean Special Journeys tour
I should mention a word about the owners of Chilean Special Journeys (28 Morrill Rd., Montville, ME 04941; 888/345-6077 or www.chileanspecialjourneys.com): Scott Jones, from Maine, and his charming Chilean business partner, Claudia. The word would be TRUST, as we found them to be enthusiastic and reliable. Due to a sudden illness, my wife, Olga, and I had [...]Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia tour
Twelve of us from across the U.S. met tour organizers Judy Slattum and Made Surya of Danu Enterprises (Box 156, Capitola, CA 95010; 888/476-0543, www.danutours.com) at the Zephyr Hotel in downtown Hanoi. Our group started together, then split into two smaller groups, one focusing on arts and culture (that was my group) and the other [...]Tour of Nicaragua
NICARAGUA When I was able to get about a week off of work, I decided to take a quick trip to one of the Central or South American countries I had not yet traveled to. After doing some research on the Web, I settled on Nicaragua, since it is relatively close and has a fascinating [...]Australia: Darwin-Adelaide on The Ghan, plus a visit to Kangaroo Island
—by Vernon Hoium, Minneapolis, MN During a previous visit to Australia, I was advised that The Ghan, an Australian train which then ran from Adelaide to Alice Springs, would continue on to Darwin beginning in 2003. As it turned out, the line was not completed until February ’04. We returned in June ’06 to take The [...]Amsterdam Canal Tours
I think of Amsterdam as a painter’s palette with a variety of colors to dip into. There are the vibrant rainbow shades of the famous floating flower market complemented by the subdued ochre tones of old city buildings bordered by blue canals. And everything in this gallery of a city is easy to get to and [...]Montevideo, Uruguay
During our stay in Argentina, March 30-April 13, ’06 (Sept. ’06, pg. 84), my husband, Joe, and I took a few days to travel to Uruguay. We wanted to see both Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo and decided to spend three nights in Montevideo. While in Buenos Aires, we went to the ferry to reserve our [...]A Novel Approach: Panama Canal, Russia and Ukraine, Kashgar
Panama Canal On reading the current series on Panama by Randy Keck, my wife, Jean, and I are reminded of our trip there 10 years ago. As we recall, it was arranged as a more or less private tour through Panama Jones. The thing that the company owner, Winston Rice, said up front and emphasized was that, [...]Sweet Confections: Kopinko, Hopjes and Chocolate
Kopinko in SE Asia A wonderful and intense-flavored coffee drop named Kopinko is made in Indonesia but is available in Thailand as well as Viet-Nam. We bought as much as we could carry in January ’05. A fellow traveler who had lived in Thailand clued us in. The deep flavor is not to be believed. A 150-gram [...]Exceeding posted limits
A reader recently “fumed” about speed traps in New Zealand after receiving a $25 fine for exceeding the posted 100 km/h speed limit by 10 km/h (Oct. ’06, pg. 79). $25? Just wait until you get to Switzerland, where exceeding the posted limit by as little as either 2 or 3 km/h (depending on the officer’s [...]Bardo mosaics
I enjoyed the article in the September ’06 “Mideast and Mediterranean” column regarding the Bardo museum in Tunis. I’ve been there and it just keeps getting better. I thought readers would enjoy going online to www.worldisround.com. Put Tunisia in the search box, then go to the photos of the Bardo posted by Paolo Motta, they are [...]Reason to smile
While on a tour in France in the fall of 2005, my husband and I feared that we were going to run out of toothpaste before we got home, so we went to a pharmacy and bought a tube of toothpaste called Elmex. Even though we couldn’t read French, we could see that it had [...]Ask Steve » Friendly French, transportation options in Ireland
DEAR READER, I’d like to share an incident with you that I had on a recent trip to France. Nearly a thousand years ago, in 1066 to be exact, one of my ancestors moved from a small village in Normandy to England and founded our family. He became known as “Gilbert of (or from) Venables,” and [...]Travel & Health » Travel-specific immunizations
(Second of three parts) In the last issue, I covered routine immunizations, telling which ones and how many to get as well as when to get them prior to going on a journey. In this issue I will cover the recommended travel-specific immunizations worth considering before traveling abroad. Hepatitis A: this is the most common vaccine-preventable travel [...]The Discerning Traveler » Glimpses of rural northern Portugal
(Second of two parts, click here for part 1) Sitting in a small café in May 2006, my bica (espresso) in front of me, I put the finishing touch on the second installment of my Portugal travelogue. The results appear below. The Alto Douro wine region Beautiful vistas of the Douro River, of small picturesque villages, of quintas [...]Far Horizons » San Blas Islands, Panama
(Fourth of four parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). Just prior to the conclusion of my two weeks in Panama as a guest of tour operator Panama Jones, I had the opportunity to fly to the San Blas Islands and overnight at Dolphin Island Lodge. These islands stretch along some 200 miles [...]December Report Cards
FIRST, FAST & FURIOUS — The following is a sampling of reports received from ITN readers around the globe. ITN invites you to join our corps of reporters — just drop a card in the mail while the travel impressions are fresh in your mind. To obtain your ITN Report Cards, send a self-addressed, stamped, [...]All Aboard! » European railpass travel
Last January’s railpass price increases were very friendly. We won’t know most of the 2007 prices until the first of next year, but you can insure that you won’t have any unpleasant surprises by locking in 2006 prices before year-end. When you buy before the turn of the calendar, you have six months to validate your [...]
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