Travelers' Intercom
Quick passport processing
In the letter titled “Avoid Passport Glitches” (Aug. ’07, pg. 33), tour company owner Bob Parda provides important information about passports. I travel frequently and, due to the visa-page considerations he mentioned, have always requested a 48-page passport.
Lalibela’s Monastery of Nakuta La’ab
I was very pleased to see the article by Yvonne Horn, “A 23-Day Exploration of Ethiopia,” in the August ’07 issue. The picture on page 10 is mislabeled, however. The photo of the priest with the vellum bible was taken at the Monastery of Nakuta La’ab in Lalibela, not at the large, modern, concrete Church of St.
Leading the eye
I learned from a professional photographer, who is also a Kodak retiree, that the color of clothing can be very important when traveling if you expect to be in your pictures. Bright, solid colors photograph well, like a red umbrella on a rainy day.
Bank card interruption
We have used our ATM card around the world and never had a problem. What a shock to find it would not work in Portugal, of all places, in May ’07. Two banks verified that the ATM system that works through MasterCard had been down for weeks.
Limits to enforcing nonsmoking on board
ITN was mailed a copy of a letter sent by a reader to Oceanwide Expeditions, as follows.
Re extra passport pages
Regarding extra pages for visas in your passport, I’d like to point out another problem.
Re international driver’s license
My daughter, who is a medical missionary in Togo, said she needed an international driver’s license to drive in Ghana for supplies. I was going to get one for her, so I went on the Internet and found all kinds of websites for these licenses.
How much to tip on tours
Richard E. Smith of Long Beach, California, opened up the topic of tipping on tours (April ’07, pg. 4).
Need a multi-entry visa?
I was on a trip to the North Pole, July 5-28, 2007, with Quark Expeditions (Darien, CT; 800/356-5699, www.quark expeditions.com). The group met in Helsinki and flew to Murmansk, at which time a couple from South America was refused entry into Russia. They had made a short, pre-North Pole trip to St.
Counteracting altitude effects
A year ago I posted in the “Person to Person” section a request for altitude sickness remedies because I was taking a group of people to Peru in June ’07; I own a yoga studio, and we lead an international yoga retreat every year.
Volunteering at Mother Teresa’s hospital
The Hospital for the Dying, in the Kalighat area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, is where I spent three memorable mornings as a volunteer. The hospital, established by Mother Teresa in 1950, is run by the Missionaries of Charity with the help of volunteers.
Visa cash withdrawal charges
I was in Thailand in February ’07 and made four cash withdrawals at ATMs using my Visa card. The withdrawals totaled $1,152.
Insurance paid off
Regarding travel insurance, all travel is a risk, but so is staying home, catching up on that “to do” list.
Renewing a passport
I read with interest the letter titled “Missed Cruise Due to Visa Snafu” (June ’07, pg. 32), about passengers not having enough blank pages left in their passports for stamping.
The Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu
My husband, Joe, and I traveled to Machu Picchu in Peru in January ’07.
Debit card fee error
On our trip to the Azores in spring 2006, in the town of Velas on the island of São Jorge I went one morning to withdraw money from the ATM at the local bank. The screen gave me a message that the machine was not, at the time, operative.
Fitting in with Tours of Provence
What immediately follows are two letters from ITN readers who each took a 2-week tour in France with Tours of Provence.
TSA-approved locks
Most folks know that bags are inspected at airports and, if necessary, checked bags are opened. If a bag is locked, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may chop the lock off, unless it is a special TSA-approved lock which they can open.