Visas and Passports

My husband, William, and I were to take a 12-day Amazon River cruise aboard the Princess Regal, Jan. 16-28, 2007. The cost of our trip was $6,653 including airfare.

We flew out of San Francisco on Oct. 11, 2006, destined to board the Pacific Princess in Cape Town, South Africa, for a 29-day voyage across the Indian Ocean ending in Australia. After arriving in Frankfurt, Germany, for the last leg of our flight, with Lufthansa, the airline ramp agent denied us entry onto the plane because we each did not have one completely blank visa page in our passports.

• In addition to the various Lonely Planet guides on India, the DK’s “Eyewitness Travel Guide: India” is well worth looking at; the copious illustrations make it very easy to find your way through tourist sites without a guide. If you are heading to the South, George Mitchell’s “Blue Guide: Southern India” is a must. Two other books we never travel without are Lonely Planet’s “Healthy Travel: Asia & India” by Isabelle Young and “The Pocket Doctor, A Passport to Healthy Travel” by Stephen Bezruchka, M.D.

Several articles have mentioned the TSA-approved locks. My wife and I had been using the plastic cable ties instead of locks, as the locks put a great deal of strain on the loops of the zippers and have even caused some of the loops to break off.

In April ’06 we took a trip to the Galápagos with Stanford University and they advised us to use the TSA locks when traveling in South America, so we dutifully traipsed off to the lock store and bought two of them.

Although my wife, Paula, and I have traveled extensively, we prefer using public transit during our trips, allowing us to avoid the stress of driving in strange locales and the hassle of parking in cities. Slovenia, however, is best toured by car, since most of its attractions are not easy to get to by rail or bus.

My husband, Dick, and I took the “Essential Iran” tour with MIR Corp. (85 South Washington St., Ste. 210, Seattle, WA 98104; 800/424-7289, www.mircorp.com), Sept. 8-17, 2006, and thought ITN readers might be interested in the observations of two ordinary American tourists, a rarity there.

My wife, Gloria, and I took Celebrity Cruises’ 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise aboard the Century, Aug. 14-26, 2006. The itinerary took us from Amsterdam to Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen and back to Amsterdam.

In the pre-cruise literature there were draconian and confusing warnings about passengers taking shore tours in St. Petersburg not arranged through Celebrity Cruises and about the need for having a visa before leaving the ship.

I want to reiterate the warning about changing planes at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) in Paris.

Concerning the “ideal travel wallet,” I agree with Jeanine Healey (Jan. ’07, pg. 2). I have heard too many stories about travelers not being able to cash travelers’ checks or receiving a poor rate of exchange when they can cash them. I have always received the best exchange rate by using my ATM card.

Ms. Healey recommended taking a small amount of cash. This depends on what countries are to be visited. I usually take $700-$1,000 in cash, depending on the length of the trip.

I was very impressed with Susan Benton’s article “Traveling Solo in Tokyo” (Jan. ’07, pg. 46). Her tips and anecdotes were well-geared toward first-time visitors to Tokyo. In particular, I liked her suggestion of exploring Kichijoji, since suburbs like this often provide a view of the real Japan.