Travelers' Intercom
Auto-pay when away
Regarding “Hands Tied as Credit Limit Exceeded” (Sept. ’10, pg.
Hotel in Rio
My friend Mary and I stayed at the Windsor Martinique Hotel (Rua Sá Ferreira 30, Copacabana CEP 22071-100, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; phone 55 21 2195 5200, fax 2195 5222), about a half-block off the Copacabana beach, March 22-24, 2010.
Day trip to Mont-St-Michel
For a week’s stay in Paris, Feb. 27-March 6, 2010, I found the Paris Métro system just excellent.
Travelers Aid + travel tip
I’m a volunteer for Travelers Aid (202/546-1127, www.travelersaid.org). This charitable organization, founded in 1914, has information desks and helps travelers at 36 sites in the US, mainly in airports but also at bus and train stations.
Argentine adventures
We traveled in Argentina, March 24-April 7, 2010, spending a few days each in Mendoza, Puerto Iguazú and Buenos Aires.
Madrid, Prague & Budapest hostels
Lois Sundeen asked readers to write in on hostels (June ’10, pg. 14).
Quick visit to Uluru
I read the item about Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the September ’10 “Boarding Pass” column.
Auto-pay handles bill
Often away from the US for many weeks, I have found a method to pay my Chase Continental Visa card bill.
Witnessing illegal behavior on tour
A group tour of Western Europe I took in fall 2010 included a visit to Amsterdam. While there, several tour members tried marijuana, bought from one of the coffee shops.
Britain by foot
My husband, Robert, and I have enjoyed a lifelong love of walking the countryside of England, where if a path between villages was ever a public path, it must be kept so even if the land it is on is sold.
An adventure of the heart… in Bacolod
After flying 18 hours on Cathay Pacific from Los Angeles to Manila via Hong Kong, I continued on Philippine Airlines (PAL) to Bacolod, located on the island of Negros in the Philippines.
India travel tips
Here are some tips from my six weeks of traveling in India in February-March ’10 (June ’10, pg. 27, July ’10, pg. 30, and Aug. ’10, pg. 14).
Travelex prepaid debit cards
My husband, Nelson, and I traveled to France in June ’09 and to England and France in July-August ’10. Each time, we took cash to Washington Dulles airport and, before our flight, found a Travelex counter and got a Cash Passport prepaid debit card in euros. Each had a magnetic stripe but no chip.
Kraków Klezmer-Hois
During a trip to Eastern Europe, my husband, Eugene, and I stayed at a wonderful, small hotel called the Klezmer-Hois (Ulica Szeroka 6, Kazimierz, 31-053 Kraków, Poland; phone/fax [+48 12] 411 12 45, www.klezmer.pl), May 1-8, 2010.
Lively Lima
Drenched in Incan and Spanish history and culture, Lima, Peru, is an amazing place to visit, and the Plaza Mayor, with its Government Palace and cathedral, is a great starting point for a walking tour, as we found in November ’09. The architecture there is only one appeal.
Spray surprise
My wife, Dorothy, and I traveled through the Western Pacific in September ’10, visiting Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Fiji, Guam, Chuuk and Palau. Many of our flights were on Air Pacific, and while in flight the airplane cabins were sprayed with insecticide.
Apartment rental tips
Advice on renting apartments: that’s what we asked for from those of you who have rented outside of the US. The responses we received were so comprehensive, we culled portions from them to present in categories. This month: the advantages and disadvantages of renting.
On the road in Costa Rica
Flying Continental from San Francisco via Houston, my companion George and I arrived in San José, Costa Rica, on Oct. 26, 2009.