Travelers' Intercom
Car rental snag in Ireland
Our family of 20 was planning a June ’11 visit to Ireland, where we would rent six vehicles. Our son mentioned that Visa would not provide insurance coverage on his rental, though it normally does when he uses that credit card to rent a car.
Brazil’s Pantanal
My husband, Ed, and I and our daughter, Allison, and son-in-law, Tim, took the tour “Pantanal Expedition” with International Expeditions (Helena, AL; 800/234-9620).
Security pass
I was rushed from my home to the hospital on April 27, 2011, after passing out on my way to the mailbox. I had a pulse of 30 beats per minute. About an hour later the doctors had implanted a pacemaker.
‘Disappointed’ on Cunard’s Queen Eilzabeth
I cruised on the Queen Elizabeth, Dec. 15, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, embarking in Southampton, England, and visiting Madeira, then crossing the Atlantic to Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica and Tortola before recrossing the ocean to Ponta Delgada, Azores, and Southampton.
By Bromo Volcano on Java
A friend and I visited Indonesia, May 5-27, 2011 (Nov. ’11, pg. 4). On Java we stayed near Borobudur temple at the gracious Lotus Guest House (Jl.
In and around Amsterdam
I spent three weeks in Amsterdam and the Netherlands in August ’11. If you have the pleasure of spending more than four or five days there, here are some ideas for saving money.
Smooth rolling in Africa
I would highly recommend the 14-day rail journey aboard Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa from Cape Town, South Africa, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, offered by The Society of International Railway Travelers (Louisville, KY; 800/478-4881)
Montevideo cautions
Over many years of travel, I’ve found that the warnings in Lonely Planet guidebooks’ “Dangers and Annoyances” sections are on target and certainly not alarmist.
Tracing ancestors from Germany
From 1821 to 1914, more than 44 million people left Europe heading for North America, and, of those, over seven million sailed from Bremerhaven, Germany.
Dealing with roommate issues on a tour
With some tour companies, you pay extra for single accommodations on the tour unless they find a roommate for you. But what happens if the roommate they find has issues that are not satisfactory to you? Loud snoring, for example.
Thai Customs rule change delayed delivery
I stay part of the year in Bangkok, Thailand, where I have an apartment. In fall 2010, for the first time, I used a luggage-forwarding service called Luggage Free to send over some of my possessions. It was just household bric-a-brac (clothing, books, DVDs, etc.).
North Island B&B, New Zealand
Less than an hour’s drive west of the Auckland airport on New Zealand’s North Island is Bush Sand & Sea B&B (26 Te Aute Ridge, Bethells Beach, Waitakere City, Auckland, N.Z.; phone 0064 9 810 9584).
Ethiopia’s enigmatic stelae at Tiya
It was my privilege to visit Tiya as part of a trip to Ethiopia with Spiekermann Travel Service (Eastpointe, MI; 800/645-3233) in January ’11. Tiya is regarded as the most important of the 160 archaeological sites in the Soddo region south of Addis Ababa.
A winter day in Ghent
While many may not view Brussels in December as an ideal getaway, my husband and I have long loved visiting Europe close to the Christmas holidays. In 2010 we centered ourselves at the Floris Arlequin Grand Place Hotel (€146-€179) in the I’llôt Sacré, Dec.
Montevideo Motor Museum
In Montevideo, Uruguay, the Museo del Automóvil (Colonia 1251; phone 902 47 92), at the corner of Colonia and Yi streets, is a hidden gem in more ways than one.
New deck plan results in less congeniality
My husband, Mark, and I took a Holland America Line (HAL) cruise on the Rotterdam from San Diego, California, to Callao, Peru, and back, Oct. 23-Nov. 22, 2010. We paid about $7,500 for the two of us.
The Aristella in Zermatt
Starting in Geneva, our small group of six took a train to Visp, then rode the Glacier Express for an hour through breathtaking Alpine valleys to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn.
Alluring Alicante
I was delighted to read Martha Wiley’s article “Spending the Day in Alicante” (Sept. ’11, pg. 18). Alicante is a lovely city. One of its attractions is its moderate climate — never too hot or too cold.
Far West Ski Association trips + Romania guide
My partner, Carolyn, and I took a three-week trip to Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania, Feb. 26-March 19, 2011, with Far West Ski Association (310/319-3757). This trip, like others organized by the FWSA about March every year, was part skiing and part touring.
Key to navigation
We’ve all been in a new city and obtained a map showing locations of various sites. On a trip my wife, Anne, and I made to Seville, Spain, in April-May ’11, we made sure to get a map, then note that on its table of hotels, ours was number 61.