Travelers' Intercom
Finding travel partners
Being a widow and loving to travel, I sometimes have the problem of finding a suitable travel partner. I usually go with my daughter or one of two friends, but on occasion all three of them are unavailable for a trip.
Serendip serendipity
My wife, Danielle, and I took a segment of the Seven Seas Voyager’s 2008 world cruise, sailing from Singapore to Mumbai, in March ’08. It was scheduled to stop March 22 and 23 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but two days before our arrival the captain canceled the port, citing security concerns.
Recommended Cape Town guide
Selwyn Davidowitz, who owns I Love Cape Town (4 Ostende, 296 Beach Rd., Sea Point, 8005, South Africa; phone +27 [0] 21 439 1778, www.ilovecapetown.com… or, in the U.S., phone
Bargains in Bali
I traveled to Bali, Indonesia, May 14-26, 2008, and the island of the gods remains one of the cheapest destinations on the planet, just the opposite of my trip to Iceland and Norway last October.
Caught errors themselves
Nine months out, on Dec. 6, 2006, my wife and I called US Airways directly and purchased three tickets for a Sept. 8, 2007, flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Philadelphia and on to Venice, Italy, with return from Rome on Sept. 24.
Seat pitch
The website www.seatguru.com lets you see the seat layouts and dimensions (with comments) for each airline’s planes. I didn’t see a table listing the dimensions; you have to look it up plane by plane for each airline.
Security-friendly packing
Now that we have the TSA randomly going through our baggage, I pack clothes in gallon-size zip-lock bags.
Oslo-Stockholm train in summer
I read Rick Steves’ 2007 “Scandinavia” guidebook looking for tips on transportation between Norway and Sweden. I decided to try the train, booking passage from Oslo to Stockholm (a 5-hour journey) for July ’07.
Travel clocks, timers and timepieces
Here are a few follow-ups to the collection of letters in the July ’08 issue, pages 44-49.
Surprise mini-bar charge
My Florida cousin, Beverly, and I returned March 18, 2008, from a 2-week trip to the Azores, where we visited four of the nine islands. This was arranged by Abreu Tours (New York, NY; 800/223-1580, www.abreu-tours.com) and cost $3,002 per person, including airfare.
Tried Odysseys Unlimited
My wife, Dorothy, and I were trying to decide which tour company to take for a tour of the Chilean fjords and Patagonia.
Hiring a day guide
My husband, Steve, and I have had very good luck with hiring our own private guides when disembarking from a cruise ship, rather than paying the exorbitant prices for the line’s shore excursions.
Easter Island dining
My partner, John, and I, were on Easter Island, Feb. 6-11, 2008, attending this year’s Tapati Festival. In Hanga Roa, the island’s only town, we found that restaurants often serve only one item.
Bank of Internet
For purchases and obtaining cash while traveling, I use www.bankofinternet.com and have for years. The senior (50+) checking account gives me 3.4% interest, free checks and an ATM card where up to $8 a month is reimbursed for fees charged by other banks.
Bag left behind
I want to relate an incident that occurred on Aug. 4, 2008, at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
Elephant center near Kuala Lumpur
During a short stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in March ’07, my travel partner, Frank, and I took a private tour to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre. The reserve cares for homeless elephants and relocates elephants from areas where crops, people or the beasts themselves are at risk.
Backpack cushion
There was a write-up of Rick Steves’ handy little black (now in other colors) backpack (July ’08, pg. 84). This little item saved my backside on my April 11-May 11, 2008, trip.
Grand Circle Travel trip to Lapland
On a Grand Circle Travel trip to Lapland, we saw these graves. The white “flowers” that cover them are actually lichen.