02
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 was being quoted — it would be cheaper to take my own car at those rates) and knew most of the places I wanted to see, but I was having severe difficulty putting it all together.
My wife and I would like to share some wonderful restaurants we experienced while traveling in Europe in May and June ’03.
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.
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 sight.
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 she wanted from the cruise line directly.
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 many places in the outskirts of London, away from the crowds, that offer a super day of art, architecture, history and nature.
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 travelers head over to the Galápagos Islands by way of Quito, Ecuador. I would suggest that the city of Guayaquil is also a worthwhile stop. The plane to Guayaquil always stops in Quito, so there is an opportunity to see both cities.
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.
Our trip was planned by Balkan Travel & Tours in New York City (phone 888/763-4288 or 212/594-9000 or visit www.balkan-travel.com). It cost $1,115 per person, with additional airfare from LOT Polish Airlines of about $740.
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.
• What is and is not included in the price? Find out if airport transfers, service charges and airport and hotel taxes are included. Also, find out what sightseeing and meals are built into the price.
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 on three subjects.