Hotels and Lodging

Getting into central London from Heathrow Airport with bags is usually an expensive and tedious process. Having stayed at a hotel in London's Marble Arch area, Jan. 8-15, 2019, I wanted to share my experience.

• Online, I looked at the Paddington Heathrow Express train from Heathrow's Terminal 5 to Paddington Station. It costs at least £20 (near $26) per person and would involve going on the Underground (with your bags), then taking a taxi from Paddington to your hotel.

• My son took a taxi from Heathrow all the way to our hotel for £80.

I am a volunteer advocate for Chris Elliott's travel help forum, Elliott Advocacy (www.elliott.org). I travel often but have never worked for a travel provider. I previously shared with ITN readers information about some of the issues people have reported regarding booking flights (Nov. '18, pg. 12). In this letter, I'd like to share some of the hotel- and car-booking issues we've seen, along with some personal advice, particularly about travel insurance.

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Those hesitant to travel independently in Central Europe might enjoy the kind of semi-independent tour that my husband and I took in June 2015. Most of our travel arrangements were made through JayWay Travel (New Rochelle, NY; 800/344-5785, jaywaytravel.com), mostly by email but sometimes by phone.

A group of five gunmen, members of the Somalia-based Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, attacked the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 16, killing at least 21 people, including one American, and injuring 28. During a 19-hour siege, Kenyan security forces killed all five gunmen to stop the attack. Nine people were later arrested in Kenya under suspicion of being involved in the attack.

A statement later released by al-Shabaab said that the attack was in response to President Trump's having recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

I read with interest the subscriber's article about Churchill, Canada, and the polar bears that she and her husband were able to see there (Nov. '18, pg. 42).

Through a tour operator, the couple stayed outside Churchill at the Tundra Lodge, which, she wrote, "sits 5 feet off the ground, with viewing platforms between cars and access to the Polar Rovers through a back deck. (We were told our feet wouldn't touch the ground outside for the next four days.)"