Travelers' Intercom
Travelex came through despite Alitalia’s silence
As my wife, Jeanell, and I were planning a trip to England and Italy in October ’06 connecting with a cruise, we felt we should have medical insurance. I had read in ITN (April ’06, pg. 54 & Aug. ’06, pg.
Tourists tip extra?
We ate at the restaurant Lubitsch in Berlin in May ’07. Recommended by a reader (Jan. ’07, pg. 75), it is indeed a very fine place to eat — good food and good ambience at a reasonable price.
Taxi tours of Gibraltar
On my Holland America cruise around the Mediterranean in October ’06, one of the ports of call was Gibraltar. The cruise line sold tours of “the rock,” but my wife and I wanted to go into the town first to do a little shopping and arrange for a tour by cab later in the day.
Flying from UK, only one carry-on allowed
The reader’s letter “British Air and Luggage” (June ’07, pg. 75) may confuse some people, I feel. He was discussing checked baggage; however, I found that the rules on carry-on baggage in the U.K. are still strictly limited.
Paris restaurant
Restaurant L’Impasse (4, Impasse Guéménée, 75004 Paris, France; phone 01 42 72 08 45 or visit www.limpasse.com) is a tiny, bistro-style restaurant which I visited Jan. 16, 2007. Within a 2-minute walk of the Bastille Métro stop, it’s tucked away in a dead-end street off of rue St.
Skip LAX when cruising
My wife and I took a cruise out of San Pedro, California, on the Celebrity Summit, March 31-April 14, 2007, visiting the Mexican Riviera, Costa Rica, Panama and Aruba and disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale.
Stockholder credit
I was surprised by the reader’s letter “Re Shore Tours, Stockholder Perk” (Sept. ’06, pg. 30) complaining about Holland America Line’s (HAL’s) customer service. While experiences are individual, I have found HAL’s customer service personnel to be unfailingly prompt and helpful.
Solo travel in South Korea
South Korea, the Land of the Morning Calm, is anything but calm. It’s a totally dynamic, 24/7 country. Alone on a week-long business trip to Daegu in June ’06, I extended my stay, adding a week in Seoul to experience South Korea. I avoided the common tourist spots.
Economy class syndrome
If you’ve recently been on a long plane trip more than five hours and have shortness of breath, you could easily have pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs).
Car and driver in Morocco
On a trip to Morocco, Dec. 20, 2006-Jan. 4, 2007, I arrived in Casablanca with only a hotel reservation and some ideas but no firm plans.
Add in tour’s extra costs
Our latest venture with Grand Circle Travel, a 2-week Extended Vacation in Italy in September ’06, provided the high-quality foreign experience we have come to expect from that company.
Keep valuables close by
In response to Mr. Halbert’s unfortunate loss of money from his hotel safe in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I’d suggest in the future he wear, tucked inside his clothing, a money belt and/or neck pouch and carry his valuables with him. My husband and I have never lost a thing by each wearing one of these.
Saving money in Australia
My wife, Pat, and I have been fans of the Entertainment Book® (Entertainment Publications Operating Co., 1414 E. Maple Rd., Troy, MI 48083; 888/231-7283, www.entertainment.com), with dated coupons, for years.
Expedia saved the trip
I booked a flight and hotel package with Expedia for April 19-26, 2007. I did this several months before departure and opted to include the Expedia Package Protection plan, which was good because I had to use it only three hours before my flight for a very unexpected reason.
Naxcivan of Azerbaijan
Nakhichevan or Naxcivan: whatever the name, it’s a small piece of land separated from but part of Azerbaijan. It’s located 250 miles west of Baku, the country’s capital, and is surrounded by Armenia, Iran and Turkey.
What to do with travel slides?
After dinner, either my wife or I would say, “Let’s go to Italy,” and we would look at all of the slides we had made on a trip — a wonderful way to relive it.
Doesn’t trust room safes
Murray Halbert’s tale of theft from his room safe at Angkor Wat (May ’07, pg. 41) resonated painfully with me, as something eerily similar happened while I was staying in a not-so-wonderful, smallish hotel in Bangkok in December ’06.
How much to tip on tours?
Richard E. Smith of Long Beach, California, opened up the topic of tipping on tours (April ’04, pg. 4).
Ship credit hassles
My husband and I sailed on Holland America Line’s MS Statendam for a “Japan and Transpacific Passage” (Japan/Siberia) cruise, April 29-May 21, 2006, which we booked through Vantage Deluxe World Travel.