Travelers' Intercom
A note on cash advances
I asked my Paris bank about travelers’ checks and they told me that since they are paper and must be shipped while other transactions are carried on electronically, they have to charge more for the travelers’ check transactions. My young lady at the bank said they are just too much trouble in this electronic age.
Prebooked St. Petersburg shore tour
My wife, Gloria, and I took Celebrity Cruises’ 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise aboard the Century, Aug. 14-26, 2006. The itinerary took us from Amsterdam to Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen and back to Amsterdam.
Why don't we have that here?
Bill Altaffer of Mammoth Lakes, California, said he once saw a paramedic ambulance motorcycle in London. The medic could arrive at the scene of an emergency quickly even in heavy traffic. He then suggested that ITN readers write in about great ideas that they’ve seen overseas. Responses are shown below.
EgyptAir, Cruise West, Lindblad
I feel I have to respond to two letters, one dissing an airline (Oct. ’06, pg. 31) and one a cruise line (Dec. ’06, pg. 29).
Withdrawals overseas
The letter “Credit Card Surprise” (Oct. ’06, pg. 12) prompts this note I have put off for years.
Complaining brought police
In an exception to ITN’s policy of not covering travel in North America (or the Caribbean), we are printing the following letter from an ITN subscriber as a complement to the previous letter from Ruth Weiss.
Motorhome tour in Europe
We traveled on a 30-day guided motorhome tour from Germany to Switzerland, Austria and Italy, May 1-30, ’06, with European Motorhome Tours, or EMT (PMB C 9813, 3590 Round Bottom Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45244-3026; 520/205-0841, www.rvtoureurope.com).
Unexpected delay at Heathrow
With two friends, I traveled from New York’s JFK to London Heathrow on British Airways flight No. 112 on Sept. 15, 2006. Three hours after arriving at Heathrow, we were to connect with British Midland (bmi) flight No. 163 to Mallorca, Spain.
Pizza in Paris
I ate a lovely pizza and drank some great French rosé at Pizza Florenza (7 rue Tardieu, 75018 Paris; phone/fax 01 42 54 00 49) — in Paris, no less. This Italian restaurant has charming café tables outside and a charming manager named Tony.
Driving in Slovenia
Although my wife, Paula, and I have traveled extensively, we prefer using public transit during our trips, allowing us to avoid the stress of driving in strange locales and the hassle of parking in cities. Slovenia, however, is best toured by car, since most of its attractions are not easy to get to by rail or bus.
ATM card plus cash
Concerning the “ideal travel wallet,” I agree with Jeanine Healey (Jan. ’07, pg. 2). I have heard too many stories about travelers not being able to cash travelers’ checks or receiving a poor rate of exchange when they can cash them. I have always received the best exchange rate by using my ATM card.
Solo to accessible Egypt
I took an independent trip to Egypt, Oct. 26-Nov. 3, 2007, especially to see el-Amarna, where Nefertiti and Akhenaten had their City of the Sun.
Bike tour of Spain with BikeToursDirect
Some friends suggested the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca (Majorca) for a bicycle tour, and in a Web search BikeToursDirect (1638 Berkley Circle, Chattanooga, TN 37405; 877/462-2423, www.biketoursdirect.com) had what looked like the perfect option: a 7-night, self-guided tour, about 30 miles per d
St. Petersburg sight
CORRECTION — In the February ’07 “The Cruising World” column is a photo captioned “The famous armored cruiser Potemkin, moored at St. Petersburg.”
The ‘real’ Orient Express
The so-called Orient Express leaves Paris every evening at 5:16 p.m. and arrives in Vienna at 8:30 the next morning. We traveled on this train on May 11, 2006, and returned on May 20 (only because we had nonrefundable tickets).
Down in front!
I am curious to find out if any other travelers feel the same way that I do regarding this subject.
Pepto-Bismol seems to help
I’d like to second the recommendation made by Dina Fulmer in the letter titled “Fending Off Diarrhea” (Aug. ’06, pg. 85). When I was preparing for a trip to Guatemala in 1998, the group leader suggested Pepto-Bismol tablets (which don’t turn your tongue black; the chewables do that!) to prevent stomach disorders.
ATMs in Tokyo
I was very impressed with Susan Benton’s article “Traveling Solo in Tokyo” (Jan. ’07, pg. 46). Her tips and anecdotes were well-geared toward first-time visitors to Tokyo. In particular, I liked her suggestion of exploring Kichijoji, since suburbs like this often provide a view of the real Japan.
For a Tuscany day trip
While on a 2-week independent trip to Italy in June ’06, my two girlfriends and I found a wonderful company providing day trips into the Tuscan countryside outside of Florence: Doors To Italy (27500 Pinyon St., Murrieta, CA 92562; 951/704-5729, e-mail doors2italy@verizon.net).