Columns

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 423rd issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

In Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, authorities are finally doing something about overly aggressive taxi drivers and touts who harass and heckle not only visitors but locals. One hundred “ex-defense personnel” have been recruited to patrol the airport as well as the Howrah and Sealdah railway stations and Alipore Zoological Gardens. The tourist police won’t be able to arrest or penalize anyone, but they can forward cases to city or state police.

In addition, special booths will...

My husband, John, and I have been to Singapore several times. Our son Jim was an exchange student for one semester at the National University of Singapore and often ate at hawker stalls, informal streetside eateries.

Jim said, “A hawker stall was a great place for a filling meal on a limited budget.”

Over the years, the hawker stalls have transformed, just like Singapore. The eateries are now hygienic places with food prepared by licensed staff, but they are still considered places for a good, inexpensive meal.

Food is such an integral part of the Singaporean culture...

That cramped feeling you get from sitting in economy class could be a very real ailment.

For the last couple of years, Economy Class Syndrome — known as ECS — has been featured on evening newscasts and in a variety of health journals.

ECS is caused by Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT, which affects approximately two million people annually in the U.S. Deep Vein Thrombosis has become a hazard of air travel — especially for those seated in the coach cabin, where there is minimal legroom.

But ECS is not confined to the back of the plane. You may be at risk of DVT even if you...