March 2011

The Budapest Card, valid for 48 (HUF6,300, or $29) or 72 (HUF7,500, or $35) hours, offers more than 150 discounts for visitors to Hungary’s capital.

by Randy Keck (Part 2 of 2)

by Julie Skurdenis

Holders of the London Sightseeing Pass — giving access to more than 55 attractions, including Kew Gardens, Churchill’s War Rooms and City Cruises’ Thames River Cruise — can “skip the queue” at busy sites. Add the travel option (only if purchased online) and ride the Tube and buses free.

A one-day London Pass costs £40 (near $54) adult or £27 child (5-15); a one-day pass with travel costs £48 adult, £29 child. A six-day adult pass costs £90 or, with travel, £137. Two- and three-day passes available. 120-page guidebook included.

by Philip Wagenaar (Part seven of a series)

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) There are no restrictions on length. 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 Ned Johnson of Seneca, SC:

Many people believe that someone over 70 cannot rent a car in the UK, but having this policy or not is up to each car rental company. At the age of 82, in 2009, I rented a car there from a major car rental company; I believe it was Avis. (A friend in England found out for me which companies had no age limit. I am too unskilled at the computer to do this for myself.)

My wife, Judy, and I enjoyed the following restaurants in Switzerland in September ’10.

To journey to Lhasa and continue on to Everest Base Camp to see the mighty Himalayan massif up close was a longtime dream of ours. For my husband, Larry, and me, this dream came true with our terrific guide in Tibet, Samdup Gyal (“Sam”), and our excellent, safe driver, Choeden.

We traveled to Tibet, May 12-23, 2010, with arrangements made by Third Eye Travel (Fremont, CA; 800/456-3393); the local company was Tibet YongDru Adventure.

My husband, Norman, and I worked with Arun at Third Eye Travel (Fremont, CA; 800/456-3393) to set up a personalized, 15-day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, Feb. 11-25, 2010.

We felt that the price was very reasonable, considering everything we got to participate in. The land cost was $2,159 each; internal airfare and visas cost extra. All our hotels were four-star, with breakfasts included.