Travelers' Intercom
AirBolt luggage lock
As the years pass, I find my eyesight is not as it used to be. Do you, like me, have trouble using luggage locks that feature small numbered wheels, usually four of them? I sure do, especially in dim light.
Bellejour in April
My husband, George, and I took Value World Tours’ Holland and Belgium “Tulip Cruise,” April 21-28, 2017, on the river ship Bellejour.
Quinta do Vallado + Paleolithic art
My husband and I stayed at a quinta (villa) in Portugal that I think ITN readers would be interested in knowing about.
‘Grand Balkan Tour’ with Atlas Tours
My husband and I took the “Grand Balkan Tour,” operated by Atlas Tours (Lokrumska ul. 1, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia; www.atlas-croatia.com), Sept. 12-24, 2017. We usually travel independently, but several people had suggested that seeing the Balkan countries with a group would be a better and safer option. I booked the tour through Kutrubes Travel (Boston, MA; 800/878-8566, www.kutrubestravel.com), an ITN advertiser. The cost per person was $2,600, which included most meals and entry fees to museums and parks. We visited seven countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Prior to the tour, Atlas sent tour members the wrong itinerary, one which omitted Slovenia. Kathy Kutrubes of Kutrubes Travel managed to get the correct itinerary for us. When we arrived at the hotel on our first night, we were not greeted by Atlas Tours, nor did they provide name badges or any information whatsoever. If it hadn’t been for a couple of group members who came to our rescue, we might not have connected with the tour.
Visit to Ostia Antica
Despite two visits to Rome, my wife, Paula Owens, and I had never managed to visit nearby Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s seaport. Located at the mouth of the Tiber River, Ostia Antica is less than an hour (by rail) from the heart of Rome. A Mediterranean cruise in January 2018 provided a good opportunity for us to finally visit this ancient coastal city from the ship’s port in Civitavecchia. Travel time was slightly less than an hour (by bus), 15 to 30 minutes less than taking a bus into Rome. The most convenient departure point for a visit to Ostia Antica might be Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, which is practically adjacent to the historic site. The stumbling block with that is finding somewhere to store your luggage during your visit. Ostia Antica was founded in the 7th century BC. Eventually, the city’s population peaked at possibly around 100,000. However, Ostia Antica was slowly supplanted as Rome’s primary port by the newer city of Portus. After centuries of decline, the city was abandoned by the 9th century. You enter the 120-acre site on a lane of stones and grass alongside a necropolis. Proceeding deeper into the city, you’ll find a large theater, public baths and latrines, private homes, a warehouse, shops and even cafés in various states of decay.
Cartagena heat
While on a 14-day Panama Canal voyage aboard Holland America Line’s Oosterdam, Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2017, my husband, Richard, and I participated in an onshore excursion in Colombia titled “Cartagena by Land & Sea.”
Trans-Siberian Rail on a budget
The feature article “Crossing Russia in Luxury on the Trans-Siberian Railway” (May ’18, pg. 40) surely had readers dreaming about such a great trip.
Volkssport Olympiad in Germany
Every two years, thousands of walkers converge somewhere in the world for the Volkssport Olympiad (www.ivv-olympiad-2017.com), organized by the Internationaler Volkssportverband (IVV), or International Federation of Popular Sports (www.ivv-web.org). My wife, Karen Heady, and I had the opportunity to participate in the 15th such event, June 6-10, 2017, in Koblenz, Germany.
Fantasy Travel in Greece
For a trip to Greece that my husband and I took from March 25 to April 16, 2018, we had our arrangements made by a travel agency based in Athens, Fantasy Travel (19 Filellinon St., 105 57 Athens, GREECE; phone +30 210 3310530, www.fantasy.gr), working 
PastBook for travel photo albums
When traveling, I take time each night to edit my photos on Facebook and create a posting of five to 40 photos with captions.
Solo trip around the world
An 85-year-old on a solo trip around the world, I left Dallas on Jan. 4, 2017, and returned Jan. 28. I traveled 30,000 miles, spent 100 hours in airplanes and visited eight new countries.
North Africa cruise ports canceled
My husband, Gery, and I were quite taken with the lead article in the November 2017 issue of ITN about an 8-day “Southern Mediterranean Discovery” cruise with Viking Ocean Cruises that featured Tunis and Algiers as ports of call.
Balance reimbursed by credit card
Three months before a solo trip to Saudi Arabia that I was taking with Spiekermann Travel Service (Eastpoint, MI; 800/645-3233, www.mideasttrvl.com) in January-February 2018, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A visit to Haiti
My family and I had been to a dozen Caribbean nations. We were thinking about Haiti but were unable to decide how best to have a positive impact on its people.
Missed out on Tunis and Algiers
In my experience, most cruise passengers fall into two categories: those who cruise primarily to enjoy the ship and shipboard activities and those whose focus is on the cruise’s destinations. My wife and I fall into the latter category.
Comparing cruise values
I would like to assure world traveler Albert Podell, whose letter “Longtime Traveler’s Reactions to His First Cruise” appeared in the May 2018 issue (page 24), that not all cruises are equal.
Unnerving taxi ride in Istanbul
After weeks of touring Central Asia, my friend Scott and I stopped in fascinating Istanbul for a 3-day visit on our way home.
Pay in euros, not dollars
In early April 2018, at the age of 80, I completed an 8-day drive from Perpignan, France, into northern Spain and back into France to Bordeaux (having rented a car over the Internet, without question, from Europcar).
Views and more in Cornwall
Those readers who are fans of the British TV show “Doc Martin” and who are planning a trip to England may want to visit Cornwall, where the show is filmed.