Travelers' Intercom
Consider Guatemala
Having made three trips to Guatemala, when I read Judith Anshin’s story in the January ’06 issue it brought back many happy memories of this beautiful land and of the wonderful people who live there.
Custom India
My friend and I, who both qualify as seniors, first traveled to India in January ’03 for a month. We paid for the car and driver and then just arranged things as we went along, charging hotels and meals. Sometimes we looked at as many as three hotels before we chose one.
Mobal GSM phone
A recent television program listed things one should have for traveling, including the best shoes, the best white shirt, the best go-everywhere black pants, the best backpack, etc. What was omitted was something I consider essential: a Mobal GSM phone (Mobal Communications, 171 Madison Ave., Ste.
Found inefficiencies in booking
ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a reader to Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT).
A semi-independent tour of China
Over the last 20 years, China has built up its infrastructure so that it is quite reasonable for individual travelers to tour on their own. Still, there is some risk and one can have some trepidation in undertaking this adventure, especially outside of the big cities.
Hidden pocket
Protecting your money while traveling abroad has gotten more complicated over the years, but not for me.
Driving in Poland a tight fit
On our first trip to Poland, in October ’05, I read that the road fatality rate in that country is one of the highest in Europe.
Amazon jungle cruise
A small ad in ITN caught my eye and my imagination. Who hasn’t dreamed of taking a small boat cruise on the Amazon?
Southern Chile agent
My husband and I were in the southern part of Chile in January ’05 and found the best tour operator we’ve encountered in our years of travel.
To help clothes dry
To limit luggage to “carry-on” only when traveling over an extended period, I pack three shirts, three sets of underwear and three pairs of socks and wash soiled items nightly. Washing is easy, but wringing sufficient water from my wash has been a problem. I now extract water using a lettuce spinner.
The ZürichCARD
I trust Rick Steves, so when he suggested in his “Switzerland 2005” guide that travelers should pick up a ZürichCARD, I listened. In November ’05 I purchased a 72-hour card, and I am very glad I did.
Paris and Nice notes
We took an an excellent trip to Paris (six nights) and Nice (three nights), May 23-June 2, ’05, arranged by France Vacations (Chatsworth, CA; 800/332-5332 or www.francevacations.net).
Warsaw Camera Market
We visited the camera market in Warsaw, Poland, in June ’05. With new and used cameras, computer equipment, cell phones, etc., it’s open only on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
‘Golden weeks’ in China
My wife and I returned on Oct. 16, ’05, from an 18-day tour of China and Hong Kong. The trip, called “Yangtze River Splendors,” was operated by Orient Flexi-Pax Tours (New York, NY; 800/545-5540 or www.orientflexipax.com) and booked for us by our local travel agent. Our departure was from San Francisco on Sept.
Minerva II on the Black Sea
Beth Habian’s article “Spain… plus Italy and Corsica — Cruising the Mediterranean with Swan Hellenic” (Nov. ’05, pg. 6) was right on target. The Minerva II offers a unique cruise experience. My 15-day Black Sea cruise, Aug. 20-Sept. 3, ’05, greatly exceeded my expectations.
Provence dining and more
We had a 2-week stay in Provence, Oct. 5-19, ’05, with Idyll, Ltd. (Box 405, Media, PA 19063; phone 888/868-6871 or visit www.untours.com). We stayed in Velorgues, France, in the Oasis 2 apartment, a luxurious 2-bedroom rental with dishwasher, washing machine, patio and lots of privacy.
Drove in Greece
Renting a car in Greece seems the best way to travel, as public transportation is limited. For our trip, our car rental was from Budget through Auto Europe (888-223-5555 or visit www.autoeurope.com).
Airport-pier options in Japan
In ITN’s October ’05 “Person to Person” section, on page 126 Mr. William Suter asked for information on reasonably priced ways to get to the cruise ship pier near Osaka, Japan, from Kansai International Airport (KIX). I would like to give some suggestions.
Rubbing elbows with the locals
Digital photography beats film in lots of ways. Still, there’s “lag time,” that delay after you press the digital camera’s shutter button but before the picture is recorded.