Travelers' Intercom
Your Business Flights
While searching for discounted business-class fares from Los Angeles to Zagreb, Croatia, I came across Your Business Flights (Las Vegas, NV; 800/359-3050, yourbusinessflights.com).
Depending on kindness
I was lucky with my trip to Italy this year in that I had no major mishaps or missed connections on either planes or trains. However, in the stations, I still depended totally on others to help with my 22-inch suitcase, and someone always came through.
La Petite École – worth a detour
Central France is an area frequently driven through and not visited. Restaurant la Petite École (Rilhac, Vergongheon, France; phone 04 71 76 97 43, www.restaurant-lapetiteecole.com) is a good reason to make a detour.
Thinking of Singapore
I read the article about Singapore by Marvin and Carole Feldman (July ’17, pg. 34). It took me back some years ago to when I visited Singapore on discounted transportation as a courier.
Private tour of northern Italy
My friend Sandra and I spent four glorious days in Italy with Maria Rizziello of Treasures of Italy (Via Prandone 24, 14100, Asti, Italia; call, collect, 011 39 0141 294 801, email treasuresofitaly@outlook.com or visit www.facebook.com/treasures ofitaly). Maria conducts tours all over Italy.
Praise for JMG Tibet Tours
We just read the subscriber’s letter “Critique of ’Stans & South Caucasus tours” (July ’17, pg. 24).
Iceland by Bus
It seems as if everyone is going to Iceland this year! I returned on July 7, 2017, from an excellent visit there and wanted to pass along something I wish I had known when I was making my plans.
Azores Getaways’ off-season deal
For the visit to our 105th destination (as defined by the Travelers’ Century Club’s list of countries and territories at www.travelerscenturyclub.org), we were seeking a cheap foreign trip that required less than an 8-hour plane ride.
Notes on Chiang Rai
What a fabulous place Chiang Rai is! It’s located in the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, where three rivers come together creating boundaries for Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
Smaller tips ‘Down Under’
While reading Mark Gallo’s article “Tipping Abroad” (July ’17, pg. 53), I recalled an incident in Australia in the ’80s.
Bulgaria & Romania with Balkan Trails
If your travels ever take you to Romania and/or Bulgaria, I’d like to recommend a tour company there whose owners developed a wonderful 3½-week journey for my companion and me, Oct. 13-Nov. 3, 2016.
Tips on driving in Europe
Rick Steves gave some good, solid advice on driving in Europe (Aug. ’17, pg. 55), but he skipped over a few items that I consider very important, based on my 60 years of driving rented, leased and owned cars in 75 foreign countries, much of it in Europe.
‘Pay me what you want’
In the 1980s I did a whirlwind trip to Agra, India, while attending a conference in New Delhi. The first morning, I ventured out of my hotel to hire a pedicab to take me to the Taj Mahal.
Paid change fee on canceled flight
Around May 2016, when I was searching on Kayak.com for flights to Guadalajara, Mexico, the Mexican airline Volaris (www.volaris.com) always showed up as having the cheapest fares. When I looked at its Yelp.com rating, it was a dismal 1.5 stars.
Monetary award for canceled flight
I was scheduled to fly on United Airlines from Dublin, Ireland, to Washington, DC, on June 16, 2017. After hours of delay, United canceled the flight for mechanical reasons.
‘No forced marches’ with Intimate France
We took our third tour with George Nevin, owner and operator of Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800/676-1247, www.intimatefrance.com), Sept. 6-18, 2015, this time to the Dordogne area of France.
Is a hotel safe safe?
For five days in May 2017, my husband and I stayed at a reputable 4½-star hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The morning of the third day, I removed our passports from our room’s safe to carry with us. We were gone most of the day.
Beware of jet lag
Emily Moore’s report on Switzerland (June ’17, pg. 50) brings back memories of one of our favorite haunts, namely Mürren.