Self-Guided Tour

For my husband, Guy, and me, Colombia was one of the last places in South America we had not yet visited, but we had been seeing positive news about the country.

If you are adventurous and want to immerse yourself in a country’s culture and cuisine, DIY travel may be for you. Having the freedom to spontaneously linger or detour is a huge benefit of this type of adventure. 

There are great bargains on transportation in London, as I learned in July 2015.

I purchased an Oyster card in a Tube station. Available from machines or cashiers, Oyster cards can be used for any public transportation in London. I paid £10 (near $15.50), and four days later at a different station I got back the £5 that I hadn’t used. Visitors can also buy Oyster cards online at https://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/london-visitor-oyster-card.

(First of two parts)

Prior to our June 2015 Canal du Midi cruise in southwestern France (see my August and September 2015 columns), my wife, Gail, and I allowed time to experience Montpellier.

My daughter, Cate, and her daughter, Frances, and I arrived at Mexico City (aka México, D.F.) in the evening and chose to stay right in Benito Juarez International Airport’s Terminal 1 at the Courtyard Mexico City Airport — Marriott (phone +52 55 4631 4000).

If you happen to arrive in Terminal 2, which is a 10-minute drive from Terminal 1, you’ll find that many hotels have offices in the main area and will swiftly shuttle you in their vans.