Hotels and Lodging

Everyone has their own travel preferences. I travel alone and prefer to mingle with the locals, not setting myself apart. I don’t want to stay in a 5-star hotel and be treated like royalty. I’d rather have people think I work in a hotel than that I’m a guest.

Going to an all-inclusive resort is not my thing because it’s too tiring to resist the temptations of all the “free” food (though, since I actually did pay for the food, it’s not exactly “free”), resulting in gaining a few pounds.

A car bomb was detonated at the Serena Hotel in Quetta, Balochistan Province, southwestern Pakistan, on April 22, killing five people and injuring 12. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Quetta is near the border of Afghanistan, where the Taliban is based.

"My wife, Eileen, and I left Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 12, 2020, flying to Quito, Ecuador, via Miami to join a cruise to the Galápagos Islands ... .

"Upon arriving in Quito, and because of COVID-19, passengers were greeted by airport staff in full hazmat suits checking our temperature and handing out health questionnaires, all before we entered the country."

(excerpt from John Leach's letter)

We invite readers to keep sending in your valued travel tips (125-word limit or close) related to anything that enhances the travel experience while actually traveling. Here are the latest (each followed by my own comments).

Marcia Bansley (Atlanta, GA) — Here are some tips I can offer.

• I always use a travel agent to set up my trips and Delta Vacations (800/800-1504, www.delta.com/us/en/delta-vacations), when possible, for good deals on hotels.

My husband, Bill, and I have been to Italy many times, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples and the island of Sicily, but in the summer of 2018 we ventured to new ground in northern Italy, and it was spectacular!

After visiting Switzerland, we flew into Milan, picked up a very expensive small car from SIXT rent a car (in US, phone 888/749-8227, www.sixt.com) — paying €350 (near $425) for 10 days — and drove to beautiful Lake Como.

We have two ITN subscribers to thank for suggesting the topic of our last essay contest, “Hungry for Hungary”: Debbie Wenck of Carlsbad, CA, and Kathy Hatfield of Montvale, NJ. The subject elicited essays with recollections from decades past. ITN staff judged the submissions, and the winning work — based on visits past and present — was that of KITTY CHEN DEAN of New York City, NY. Kitty’s prize is an ITN mug.