Calling All Readers

Subscribers were invited to write in about places, outside of the US, where they've had rewarding sightings of birds. (We cannot accept more submissions.)

In addition to the types of birds they saw, we asked travelers to each tell us where they were and the year/month/time their visit took place. We also wanted to know how difficult it was to reach an area, what equipment would be recommended and what the weather was like.

We printed responses about sites in Latin America in the last three issues. This month, we're in Africa.
__________

Friends my husband, Al, and I were visiting in SOUTH AFRICA in April 2013 took us to Pilanesberg National Park, about three hours northwest of Johannesburg.

It was a beautiful fall day, with the temperature in the 70s.

Pat Ove of Aurora, California, wrote, “Reading Stanley Mui’s article about his 10-day trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, for less than $1,000 (June ’17, pg. 44) brought back many happy memories of the $100-a-day trips my husband and I took for 20 years.

There must be many budget travelers reading ITN who are having exciting adventures discovering the world on $100 a day. I would love to read about their journeys. (For purposes of this information request, and considering inflation, perhaps the total of $100 per day should not include overseas airfare.)” 

Regarding traveling outside of the US on $100 a day (excluding international airfare), ITN subscribers were asked to tell us how they did it and where and when they traveled, specifying modes of transport, types of accommodations used and how those were found plus any other budget-travel tricks. The tips rolled in, and we’re presenting the responses over a few months.

* * *
My sister and I left our husbands home to take care of our pets and gardens and went to explore ITALY on our own for two weeks in July 2014. The idea was to stay close to local life, use public transportation and try to speak the local language.

Subscribers were invited to write in about places, outside of the US, where they’ve had rewarding sightings of birds. (We cannot accept more submissions.)

In addition to the types of birds they saw, we asked travelers to each tell us where they were and the year/month/time their visit took place. We also wanted to know how difficult it was to reach an area, what equipment would be recommended and what the weather was like.

The most responses were about birds in Latin America, and we’re printing the last of those this month, with letters about other areas to follow.

* * *
My husband, Knox, and I traveled to BRAZIL in July and August of 2012 to study wildlife, with an emphasis on birds. Because Brazil is a very large country, we concentrated on only two areas: the Pantanal of the Central-West Region and also a UNESCO reserve in the Atlantic rainforest, northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

Mazel Pernell of Rockville, Maryland, wrote, “I’ve enjoyed international travel with group tours. In planning my sixth trip to Africa for the fall of 2018, I didn’t find a set tour that I liked, so I’m working directly with a Ghana-based company to customize a 3-week guided tour that includes Ghana, Benin and Togo. I will be going solo.”

“I would appreciate hearing from any traveler who has been on an extended solo tour. Specifically, did you eat all or some meals with the chaperone/driver/guide? Did you pay for his or her meals? What would be a reasonable amount to tip the chaperone for a tour of nearly three weeks? (If a percentage of the total tour cost, what percentage? If a set amount per day of touring, how much? Another option?) What else do I need to consider?”

We printed a couple of subscribers’ responses last month. Here are a few more.

__________

In my opinion, custom travel requires more responsibility and specificity on your part. You have to be totally honest up front about your interests and the things you want nothing to do with, and you must be realistic and forthcoming about your physical abilities and limitations, including foot problems, your tiny bladder and food preferences and allergies.

Subscribers were invited to write in about places, outside of the US, where they’ve had rewarding sightings of birds. (We cannot accept more submissions.)

In addition to their providing details about the types of birds they saw, we asked travelers to each tell us where they were (including any contact info) and the year, time of year and even time of day of each sighting. We also wanted to know how difficult it was to reach an area, what equipment would be recommended and what the weather was like.

We printed a few letters last month and are continuing with locations in Latin America.

__________

We took a private, customized tour to Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Trinidad & Tobago in March 2014 arranged by Jim Turner at Amazing Peru ...

We hear back from travelers who have been on an extended solo tour.

Subscribers were invited to write in about places (outside of the US) where they’ve had rewarding sightings of birds.

After the article “Building Your Travel Bucket List” appeared in Contributing Editor Randy Keck’s column (Jan. ’17, pg. 56), ITN asked subscribers to each send in two lists of international destinations, excluding locations in Europe (which is so popular among travelers) and in the United States (which ITN does not cover).

ITN asked subscribers to each send in two lists of international destinations, excluding locations in Europe (which is so popular among travelers) and in the United States (which ITN does not cover).

ITN subscriber Carol Greene asked readers for their suggestions for lengthy foreign tours, writing, “When taking a tour to another country, one thing I don’t like is going through airports and spending a whole night or more on a plane and then being in the new country for just one or two weeks.