Travelers' Intercom
Local punished for good deed
In the letter “Car and Driver in Morocco” (July ’07, pg. 34), the writer mentioned that his driver was not a licensed guide and could not be seen behaving as one. That brought to mind a trip my husband, Steven, and I made to Morocco in April 2001.
Keep in mind when selecting a barge
This year we got stung with a barge trip in France and learned a couple of things that are important.
Assessing Botswana lodgings
My husband and I traveled throughout Botswana, then to Victoria Falls, in September and October 2006. We flew into Gaborone, Botswana, and stayed at the Gaborone Sun International Hotel (phone 09267-3951111 or visit www.sun-international.com). Bed and breakfast can be booked at $147 per night for two.
Safeguard your wallet
Dr. Wagenaar’s article on carry-on luggage (May ’07, pg. 87) was extremely informative and useful. I would only add the following helpful household hints.
Rossia cruise + spending cash in Russia
We took a cruise-tour in Russia, the 18-day “Tatars, Cossacks and the Golden Ring,” April 28-May 15, 2007, with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610, www.gct.com).
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Dive! Dive! Dive! No, not a line from a submarine movie but the call to Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, a great dive and snorkel venue which is not very well known to many people other than Brazilians.
Carry-on of choice
For at least 15 years, I’ve toted a black nylon LeSportsac carry-on, which weighs an ounce on a good day and is certainly within airline luggage limitations. With British Air, it’s all I get. With airlines that allow another personal item, for me it is a small LeSportsac backpack.
Funniest Thing for August
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length.
Marrakech ‘oasis’
In connection with a short trip to Marrakech to see one of the last remaining medieval North African walled cities, I stayed at Riyad Al Moussika (62 Derb Boutouil, Kennaria, Marrakech-Medina, Morocco; phone +212 [0] 44 38 90 67, fax 44 37 76 53, www.riyad-al-moussika.com).
Avoid passport glitches
The letter “Missed Cruise Due to Visa Snafu” (June ’07, pg. 32) highlighted the potential danger in not having sufficient blank pages in your passport.
Chancing street food in India
A friend in Delhi told us to never eat anything in India unless it is cooked and hot. This would have kept us totally healthy on our first trip, Nov. 14-Dec. 21, 2004, but we would have missed out on a lot of the best of India.
Planning for northern Spain
My husband, daughter and I traveled to northern Spain for 16 days, April 23-May 9, 2007. We’d all been to Spain and Portugal quite a few times and always stayed in paradores or pousadas.
Taking the grandkids
In May ’07 my husband and I took our granddaughter Laura to Rome, Orvieto and Florence. Incidentally, some guidebooks recommend getting tickets to the Colosseum at some other location to gain entry faster.
Rented car online for Heathrow
I had to fly urgently to the U.K. on family business and so made arrangements over the Internet to rent a car from Dollar Rent A Car at London’s Heathrow Airport, Feb. 10-20, 2007. The total price I was quoted on Expedia was about £110 (near $219).
Chilean guide ‘excellent’
On a visit to Santiago, Chile, Jan. 20-22, 2007, I used the services of an excellent local guide, Alejandro Molina (Vicente Perez Rosales 1654-C, La Reina, Santiago, Chile; home phone 56-2-2730241, cell phone 56 9 2983434 or e-mail amolina@ecoventura.cl or alejandromolinamarin@yahoo.com).
How Much to tip on Tours?
Richard E. Smith of Long Beach, California, urged readers to comment about tipping on tours (April ’07, pg. 4).
Passport pages
This is in reference to the letter from the couple who missed a cruise due to the lack of, in a passport, an entire blank page for a South African visa stamp (June ’07, pg. 32). We encountered a similar problem on a Holland America cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town, Oct. 17-Nov. 7, 2006.
Potsdam restaurant
When visiting Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany, do yourself a favor and enjoy a tasty and relaxing meal at the Wiener Restaurant & Café (Luisenplatz 4, Potsdam, Germany; www.wienerrestaurantundcafe.de).
Airport transfer advice
Concerning airport transfers, I have a few tips that can help.
Guide in Morocco
My husband, Shayne, and I had a very enjoyable 3-week trip to Morocco with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/221-0814, www.oattravel.com) in October ’06. We took their “Morocco Sahara Odyssey” plus the Essaouira and Casablanca extension.