Travelers' Intercom
Tips for an Ireland visit
My wife, Paula, and another couple and I visited the Republic of Ireland, June 14-25, 2012. I have a few tips on topics that did not receive sufficient coverage in the guidebooks and Internet resources which we consulted pre-trip.
Market visit and lunch in São Luís
After a morning walking tour of the historical section of São Luís, Brazil, our guide, Juan Pitacco (jmpitacco@hotmail.com), showed us the central market square, or Praça do Mercado Central.
Engine failure in Antarctica
Oceanwide Expeditions’ m/v Plancius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, with 74 passengers on March 29, 2012, for what was to have been a 38-day, end-of-season Antarctica cruise that would end at Cape Verde in the Central Atlantic, the ship then being repositioned to the Arctic for the summer cruise season.
China Supreme Travel
My husband, Joe, and I were to visit China, Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 2011, as part of our around-the-world tour. I was apprehensive about booking internal tickets, myself, because Chinese airline websites are confusing, and I was concerned about not knowing about flight time changes because of the language barrier.
Italy train tickets from Trenitalia
Kathy Wilhelm made excellent points in her letter “Buying Train Tickets Online” (Nov ’12, pg. 11).
New Zealand by camper van
When my husband and I headed Down Under a few years ago, we thought that the month we would spend in New Zealand would be an appetizer before the main event, Australia. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Oceania ‘the best’
I took the “Exotic Lands” cruise of Oceania Cruises (800/386-9283), and what an appropriate title that was!
Buying train tickets online
I am a big fan of rail travel and have taken quite a lot of trains in both Europe and Asia. These days, I often wait to buy my tickets in-country. On my last European trip, in Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary in fall 2011, I would buy each ticket on the day of travel or the day before travel.
Capital One account changes
As someone who takes advantage of the Capital One no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card, I was excited to read from many sources in the September ’12 issue (page 38) that Capital One had a high-yield money market account with a debit/ATM card with no foreign transaction fee.
Culture and color of Guatemala
Eager to explore Guatemala, my wife, Gail, and I chose Caravan Tours (Chicago, IL; 800/227-2826) for our trip, Jan. 2-11, 2012.
Global Entry program ‘how to’
Going through passport control and Customs when reentering the United States can involve long lines — not our favorite way to end a wonderful trip. Recently, my husband and I eliminated the need to stand in those long lines. Interested?
Picturesque Madeira
An optional extension to Madeira proved to be the highlight of a trip my husband, Al, and I took this spring.
Crossing the Israel/Jordan border
Of the three border crossings between Israel and Jordan, the southern crossing, located in the desert between Eilat, Israel, and Aqaba, Jordan, is generally regarded as the quickest and easiest. It’s known in Israel as the Yitzhak Rabin Terminal and in Jordan as the Wadi Araba (previously Arava) crossing.
Impressed at Insight’s tour leader
That the 16-day “Treasures of Turkey” tour of Insight (Rye, NY; 888/680-1241) was sold out and there would be 40 travelers plus a tour director and driver on the motorbus was daunting news.
Kudos for Azamara
A friend and I were on the Azamara Quest during the fire at sea that occurred the evening of March 30, 2012.
Brazil’s Lençóis Maranhenses
Our 6-week trip to Brazil, Jan. 26-March 8, 2011, was flawlessly organized by Clara Tort of SouthAmerica.travel (Seattle, WA; 800/747-4540, www.southamerica.travel).
Blindsided by AmEx’s demand
My wife, Charlotte, and I took a wonderful trip to the Middle East and Europe, Nov. 8-30, 2011, that included a 16-day cruise from Safaga, Egypt, to Barcelona, Spain, on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager.
Indonesia with Friendship Force
I have traveled all over the world on various tours. My trip to Indonesia, May 3-27, 2011, introduced me to a new way of travel — as a member of Friendship Force International (Atlanta, GA; 404/522-9490).