Travelers' Intercom
Morocco tour ‘amazing’
My husband, Gerald, and I took a 2-week humanitarian trip to Morocco with Friendship Force International (Atlanta, GA; 404/522-9490).
Traveling and giving
I would like to know what others do in the way of traveling to other countries and taking helpful gifts to leave behind — a type of humanitarian tourism. I do not mean joining a church group or medical or dental group that is going specifically for that purpose.
Living it up in Peru
My wife, Berdine, and I took an independent trip to Peru, Feb. 21-March 3, 2013. We flew on LAN, nine hours nonstop from San Francisco to Lima on a Boeing 767. Business class had flat beds.
Black Madonna quandary
A subscriber wrote about his day trip to Montserrat, Spain, to see the Black Madonna (April ’13, pg. 46). He and his companions had purchased their tickets at a tourist information office near the harbor in Barcelona, below the Christopher Columbus statue.
Natalya in St. Petersburg
For our stop in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 21-23, 2012, during Oceania Cruises’ 14-day Stockholm-Dover cruise aboard the Nautica, our group of 12 preferred to have a private guide rather than take the ship’s big-bus tour.
Sardinia and Corsica with Saga
I wanted to tour the Italian islands of Sardinia and Corsica, and the only appealing itinerary I found that included both was offered by Saga (Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1303 771190.
Cheerful B&B host in Buenos Aires
On a trip to Argentina that my husband, Jerry, and I made with another couple in October ’12, the experience would not have been nearly as rewarding had I not followed the advice of some ITN readers (April ’06, pg.
On canceled tours
I was fascinated by the subscriber’s letter titled “South America for the Birds” (Jan. ’13, pg. 22), in which he recounted his tour “Guyana, Suriname & Trinidad” with Adventures Abroad.
Driver, port to Beijing airport
Getting from the port at Tianjin, China, where the cruise ships dock, to the airport in Beijing several hours away can be quite a challenge. The port, itself, is 45 minutes from Tianjin.
Private guide in Latvia
My husband, David, and I wanted to see more of Latvia than just its capital. About six months before our June 27-July 1, 2012, visit, we contacted the guide Ieva Sala (email ieva-sala@inbox.lv) through Tours-by-Locals (Vancouver, BC, Canada; 866/844-6783).
Winter Olympics tickets
The item titled “2014 Sochi Olympics” (April ’13, pg. 69) stated that individual tickets for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, were sold out but might be available later. On April 5, I bought confirmed tickets for seven days during the Games.
Apartment in Budapest
My wife and I rented an apartment from Budapest Vacation Rentals (phone, in the US, John Farago at 917/913-0815 or, in Budapest, +36 20 945 1679) for the week of Sept. 8-15, 2012.
Cartagena visit
Following a 9-day Panama stay, my wife, Faythe, and I flew to Cartagena, Colombia, for two weeks of exploration around the area, June 25-July 9, 2012. At the airport, we exchanged money at an ATM in the departure lounge before getting a taxi to our hotel.
Seeing more in Turkey
My wife, Carol, and I took the 15-day “Legendary Turkey” tour with Odysseys Unlimited (Newton, MA; 888/370-6765), May 29-June 13, 2012. The cost, including round-trip air from San Francisco, was $4,592 per person.
Did not find expected amenities on Easter Island
I was planning a trip to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) on my own and did some research on various websites.
Meal in Bolzano
During my third visit to Bolzano, Italy, May 5-9, 2012, I discovered an organic (in Italy, “bio”) trattoria called Aretè (Piazza Parrocchia 22; phone 0471 05 45 44).