Travelers' Intercom
Arrangements for Ecuador
As my grandchildren graduate from junior high, I take each on a trip anywhere he or she chooses. In June ’07 I took my granddaughter Alli to Ecuador and the Galápagos.
Bright future
A reader wrote that he and his wife travel with 100-watt lightbulbs to replace the 40-watt ones often provided in hotel rooms (July ’07, pg. 37).
Smithsonian Journeys’ Travel Adventures vs. Signature Tours
My husband, George, and I went on a 16-day Smithsonian Journeys tour, “Treasures of Angkor Wat and Vietnam,” March 19-April 3, 2007.
Biking Germany, Austria and Hungary
I read about biking down the Danube in the March ’04 issue, phoned the writers for more info and began a 2-year planning effort.
Airport driver lots
A quick comment on cell-phone parking lots at U.S. airports, mentioned in the September ’07 issue, page 2. . . In July ’07 we had occasion to try the lot at Orlando International Airport while collecting some members of the London Symphony Orchestra for the Florida International Festival in Daytona Beach.
Fake bills in Buenos Aires
My wife and I visited Argentina in August ’07. Upon our arrival at Buenos Aires’ airport, in nearby Ezeiza, we passed through Immigration into the baggage-claim area and went to a money-exchange kiosk run by Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.es).
IAMAT medical care abroad
One of the perils of international travel is dealing with illness or other health emergencies when in a foreign country.
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.