March 2009

Around Oct. 31, 2008, I went online and tried to get an award ticket on LAN Airlines from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to São Paulo, Brazil, using American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

by Bill & Betty Reed, Denton, TX

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 US, 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 not chosen cannot be acknowledged.

This month’s winner is BOB PHILLIPS of Tillamook, OR:

What would I have done differently? (See Oct. ’08, pg. 2.)

In October ’08 we found airports in Italy now requiring a one- or 2-euro piece to secure a cart to transport your luggage. When you return the cart, you get your money back.

In response to Thora Jervey’s request for accounts of wheelchair travel (Sept. ’08, pg. 63), might my wife, Gerry, and I offer some thoughts?

I enjoyed Patrick Erricker’s tips on making touring in London more affordable (Dec. ’08, pg. 11). I’m into my sixth year living in Greater London (near the Kew Gardens tube station), and I wanted to share my five tips on enjoying London on foot.

London is a walker’s paradise, especially in April through October when the days are longer. There is more sunshine than people expect, and the weather is rarely worse than a mizzle (between a mist and a drizzle). Best of all, you could walk somewhere new every day for decades and never need a car.

What’s one thing we would do differently if we were to take our last trip over again? (See Oct. ’08, pg. 2.) After our experience in late April and early May ’08, we would not drive ourselves in England again.

Previously, we had driven all over Great Britain, South Africa and New Zealand, so we have experience with driving on the “other” side of the road. However, on this trip the traffic overwhelmed their roads, from the country lanes to the motorways.

A friend and I really enjoyed ourselves during an 8-day stay in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20-28, 2008. The country is very nice, traveling through the wineries was educational, and Valparaíso and Viña del Mar were really spectacular. But be aware that Santiago suffers from a serious petty theft problem.

by Steven Emmet, Solana Beach, Ca.

“Uzbekistan?” “Where is it?” “Why are you going there?” “Is it safe?” These were the questions most often asked regarding my planned April-May ’08 trip.