Travelers' Intercom
USTOA tour-selecting tips
To help you in choosing a tour, the United States Tour Operators Association, or USTOA (342 Madison Ave., Ste. 1522, New York, NY 10173), suggests a number of questions to ask and points to consider. Questions to ask
Guide in England
I was taken on a private tour of cathedrals and monastic sites in northern England by Michael Boote of English Country Holidays (West View Cottage, Town St., Sutton-cum-Lound, Retford, DN228PT, England; visit www.merviel.com). My tour took place July 6-11, ’04, and cost $2,600. I was traveling alone.
Minerva II in the Black Sea
The Black Sea has always interested us, so in May ’04 my husband, John, and I flew from London to Istanbul to join the ship Minerva II for a cruise called “Grand Baroque to Grand Bazaar,” May 22-June 5.
Booking on the Web
It is with much interest that I read the letter “Web Booking Provided No Satisfaction” (Nov. ’04, pg. 36), regarding a reader’s experience booking a cruise through Travelocity. She booked a Category Y Outside Guarantee and was surprised to find that her cabin was obstructed.
Comparing two bicycle tour firms
A friend and I got together recently to compare notes and photos from our 2004 biking adventures in Europe.
Enjoyable dining, Europe
My wife and I would like to share some wonderful restaurants we experienced while traveling in Europe in May and June ’03.
Woodcarving classes in Austria
We attended “Austrian Woodcarving Weeks” in Elbigen-alp, Austria, Oct. 10-24, ’04. This was at the Geisler-Moroder Austrian Woodcarving School (A-6652 Elbigenalp 63, Austria; phone 43-5634-6215, e-mail geisler-moroder@aon.at or visit www.geisler-moroder.com. Geisler-Moroder’s U.S.
Extended travels in Latin America
My wife, Elaine, and I traveled in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands at the end of January and beginning of February ’04 for two weeks. We then spent several weeks in Peru and finally a month in Panama. Here are a few comments that might be of interest to readers. ECUADOR & GALÁPAGOS —
Sights in Germany
My husband and I traveled by train to Berlin, Germany, in June ’04. We used public transportation there (U-Bahn and S-Bahn), seeing all of the exciting landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, once a dividing point between East and West Berlin and now a symbol of German unity.
Ely’s Octagon
Ely, Cambridgeshire, in England, is a beautiful small city with a glorious 12th-century cathedral whose most outstanding feature, to me, is the Octagon Tower. Constructed of eight massive pillars which support 200 tons of timber, glass and lead, the Octagon seems to hang in space.
Attended the Summer Olympics
My wife and I had no plans to go to the Olympics. Neither of us are big sports fans. In fact, I had never been drawn to any sport on TV until they started televising poker. That’s my kind of sport!
Guide around London
Before our visit in October ’02 I had never been to London, and we three girls were a little nervous about a private tour guide; I was traveling with my daughter and my sister.
On procuring visas
On our trip to Southeast Asia in January ’05, we will be visiting Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Hong Kong.
For Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet
My fiance and I took a wonderful 2-week trip to Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in September ’04.
Smoking and air travel
In response to the inquiry about smoking in air terminals, as recently as September ’04 people were smoking in the airports of the Azores. These are, obviously, small places; smokers were not confined to designated sections but present even in the gate areas.
A gîte can’t be beat
Inspired by the article on renting “a home away from home” (Aug. ’04, pg. 38), I am sending some comments concerning renting gîtes in France.
Taking care while traveling
I use the following technique to prevent being separated from my essentials at airport security (Nov. ’04, pg.18).
Wanted flight itinerary printout
We are using our frequent-flyer miles for the first time for a trip to Antarctica in January 2005. We had enough miles with both Delta and United. I started calling more than a year early to book our flights and learned that you can’t book more than 11 months out.
Hitting the museums in Germany
We traveled to Germany, May 7-June 2, ’04. We had seen much of the country’s natural beauty, the Romantic Road and other attractions on a previous trip. This one was planned with art as the main objective.