Travelers' Intercom
Advantages of higher tour category
The subscriber’s letter titled “An Assessment of Costsaver’s ‘Cossack Explorer’” (July ’19, pg. 24) reminded me of a practice from which I’ve never deviated during my years of international travel.
Taste of Boi Bumbá Fest in Brazil
According to a Brazilian legend, a rich land owner’s favorite boi (ox) was slain by a farmer whose pregnant wife had a craving for beef tongue.
Hertz rental price discrepancy
For a trip to Mexico City with my wife, Arlene, Feb. 17-25, 2019, I reserved a car online with Hertz (www.hertz.com) in January. I was given a total cost of $192, which would equal MXN3,694.
Confusion in Tarifa
While sitting in the ferry terminal of Tarifa in Andalucía, Spain, on my way to Morocco on Nov. 15, 2018, I had an experience from which we all could learn.
Pickpocketed in New Delhi
I was in India with a group on a surgical mission in May 2019.
Motion sickness medication reminder
Before we left Ushuaia, Argentina, for our expedition-ship cruise to Antarctica in December 2018, our guide Sebastian held a meeting with our group of 23. By that time, he had already made this trip many times, but he shared an experience with us that had occurred on his first trip.
In the event of a death at sea
As I began preparing for an 80-day cruise around South America that was scheduled to start on Jan. 4, 2019, I became interested in what would happen to my remains should I not succeed in finishing the journey. (86 at the time, I turned 87 this May.)
BofA debit & credit card safety
In his letter titled “Protecting a Bank Account from Theft” (July ’19, pg. 38), Stanley Mui wrote about precautions he uses when traveling with both debit and credit cards. We use a Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card as well as a Bank of America debit card.
Balkans with ZagrebTours
My husband, Richard, and I wanted to see several countries in Eastern Europe on a private tour by car. (Negotiating trains and long-distance buses proved an impossibility, and a cruise would hit only coastal towns.)
SMOM: small ‘country,’ long name
During my trip to Rome in September 2017, I visited the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM).
An assessment of Costsaver’s ‘Cossack Explorer’
When I booked the Costsaver trip “Cossack Explorer,” April 14-27, 2018, it seemed it would satisfy my desire to visit cities like Veliky Novgorod, Smolensk and Minsk.
Biggest bang for the buck in Europe
We love to travel frequently and for several months at a time, so we spend a lot of effort on stretching our money. We’d like to share how we visited eight Central and Eastern European capitals for 50 days at a cost of $6,900 total for the two of us in fall 2016.
Smartphone strategies
When traveling internationally with your smartphone, there are ways to avoid the extremely high roaming and international calling and texting rates.