November 2009

by Ailsa Donnelly, Binghamton, NY

Interested by the chance to see an almost totally unspoiled African country, my husband, Nick, and I planned a visit to Malawi for February ’09.

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 United States.) 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 JIM HENDRICKSON of Lynden, Washington:

The Costa Rica tour a subscriber wrote about in the September ’09 issue (page 20) seems to offer good value for the money, but she did err in one matter.

I just finished reading Rick Steves’ “Techie Tips for Travelers” (Sept. ’09, pg. 58). It’s all good information, I’m sure. Call me old-fashioned or “out of the loop,” if you will, but doesn’t anyone travel to get away from it all anymore?

I receive e-mails, cell phone calls and phone messages at home from friends and family, but I’m not taking them with me when I go on vacation! I will check in with them when I get home, but while I’m gone I’m going to be too busy enjoying my trip and I don’t have time to deal with them.

I would like to commend Kent Shamblin for his letter “Relies on Travel Agent” in the September ’09 issue. His recommendation to travelers to find a good professional travel agent is excellent.

I agree 100% with Kent Shamblin’s letter about paying a small fee to have a professional travel agent book a trip (Sept. ’09, pg. 49).

I spent three weeks with a group in Hanoi, Vietnam, starting Nov. 3, 2008. Some of us frequently took a cab between our hotel and the Old Town shopping center. Usually the cab cost around 45,000 dong (near $2.50).

One time we took a cab back to the hotel and the meter showed 91,000 dong ($5). Obviously, a crooked meter! We refused to pay, settling for, I think, 50,000 dong.

Be aware!

VAUGHAN PARKER

Santa Barbara, CA

Although we are supposed to be savvy travelers, in April ’09 we were taken in by a scam that we were not ready for.

I am responding to the request for information on renting a car for more than 30 days (July ’09, pg. 31).

My wife, Rosalie, and I spent our 45th wedding anniversary in Italy, May 21-June 10, 2009. One of the places we visited was the municipality of Parma in the province of Emilia-Romagna. This area, which has long been overlooked by tourists, is noted for its numerous castles and châteaux similar to those of France’s Loire Valley.