Travelers' Intercom
Train travel ease in Japan
My wife and I find that the train system in Japan is really efficient. Their departures and arrivals are timed with precision; the cars are very clean, and the system gives wheelchair users very good service. Also, when you tell them your destination, the ticketing agent takes into account various station changes.
Bill paying while away
ITN reader Dorothy Morris wrote about not being able to mail her bills from New York’s JFK airport (Feb ’06, pg. 11). There is another solution to having your bills handled while you are gone and that is to use a bill-paying service.
Superb Emilia-Romagna trip
I reveled in a superlative trip to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Oct. 4-20, ’05. I planned it with the help and guidance of Leftheris Papageorgiou, owner of Hellenic Adventures (Minneapolis, MN; 800/851-6349 or www.hellenicadventures.com), which I learned of through their ad in ITN.
Guide in Lithuania
I’m a genealogist, and I wanted to explore the towns and villages in Lithuania where our parents and grandparents lived in the early 1900s. Through the Internet, I found Ms. Nijole Pakalniene of Lithuanian Holidays (Šeimyniškiu˛, St.
Fine print exclusions
My wife and I stayed at the Tokyo Hilton for six nights in October ’05. I am a member of the Hilton HHonors guest reward program, thus when we checked out I expected to see a note that said my HHonors account would be credited with a certain number of points.
Impressions circling South America
On our cruise around South America, we sailed on two oceans and cruised in grand fjords flanked by snow-covered mountains. We encountered penguins, petrels, cormorants and condors plus porpoises, sea lions and whales. Icebergs, large and small, passed by.
Military Highway in Georgia
Re the letter “Armenia’s Military Highway” (March ’06, pg. 19), actually the Military Highway and Mt. Kazbek are in Georgia, not Armenia. The highway follows the Terek River, which cuts an 8½-mile gorge, the Daryal Gorge.
TravLtips didn’t blink
In late summer ’05 we booked with Cruise West, through TravLtips, a Central American cruise to take place during the Christmas holidays. At the time, we noted the ship’s departure on our calendar but forgot to note that we had to be in Costa Rica the day before.
Central Europe left impression
Arriving in Poland for the first time, on a 3-country tour with Elderhostel (Boston, MA; 877/426-8056 or www.elderhostel.org), Sept. 7-24, ’04, took me back to the morning of Sept. 1, 1939, when I heard Hitler’s speech on the radio as he sent his troops across the Polish border.
Sense of direction
I read with great interest the various letters regarding driving internationally (August and September ’05 issues). I have had similar experiences in my travels in 70-plus countries. There is one bit of advice I would like to add. It has saved me on numerous occasions.
Europe independently
My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Tunisia and several countries in Europe, Aug. 5-31, ’05. We had a great time, combining air, rail and autos as basic transportation. Several thoughts come to mind which might aid others planning to travel in Europe.
HK and Beijing with a walker
I took an 8-day trip to Hong Kong and Beijing, China, Nov. 8-16, ’04, booking my trip through Asian Affair Holidays (800/742-3133 or www.asianaffairholidays.com), an arm of Singapore Airlines.
Guide in Turkey
Being loyal ITN subscribers, and packrats, we scanned several years of back issues as we researched our October-November ’05 trip to Turkey. We found a reader’s referral (May ’99, pg.
International cell phone
Number one on my list of things which get packed is an international cell phone. I have one from Mobal Communications, Inc. (171 Madison Ave., Ste. 300, New York, NY 10016; phone 212/785-5800, fax 212/681-7431 or visit www.mobal.com).
Georgia's Military Highway
The Military Highway in Georgia began as a track used by invaders in the first century. Later, as part of the Silk Road, it was an important link between Europe and Asia before becoming the main link with Russia.
Money Matters: trimming wallet, PIN security, rubles vs. dollars
Trimming waist and cost
Motoring in Morocco
I took my sixth trip to Morocco in October ’05 and chose to rent a car for the first time, after reading in a recent issue that another subscriber enjoyed driving there. (I usually use the trains and have found them almost comparable to those in Europe.)
Setting the pace
I read with great interest Wesley Wilson’s letter regarding his handicapped wife’s negative experience with Vantage Deluxe World Travel on their September ’04 river cruise in Europe (July ’05, pg. 27). Although Mrs.
Dining by the Dom
Alter Wartesaal (Johannisstrasse 11, Cologne, Germany; phone 49 [0] 221-912 885-0 or visit www.wartesaal.de [in German only]): located adjacent to Cologne’s Hauptbahnhof, this fine restaurant is in the rail station’s old first-class lounge.