Dear Globetrotter:
Knowing that ITN will send a free sample copy of the next-printed issue to anyone anywhere (worldwide) on request, subscriber Susan Bigelow of Palmetto, Florida, asked us to send one to a traveling friend of hers, Judy Gallagher, and included Judy’s address. She added a note about ITN: “It is the best travel magazine I have ever seen.”
In June 2012, I slowly chauffeured our leased Peugeot on a one-lane road through the majestic scenery of the Provence in southern France. As I drove, I thought I should share with ITN readers how my wife, Flory (who passed away last year), and I journeyed 4,000 miles by car from the Netherlands to the Côte d’Azur and back, all at the age of 87.
Despite our difficulty walking and Flory’s needing to use a rollator, a 4-wheeled walker, which usually has a platform on which you can sit, we managed a wonderful trip.
I would like to know what others do in the way of traveling to other countries and taking helpful gifts to leave behind — a type of humanitarian tourism. I do not mean joining a church group or medical or dental group that is going specifically for that purpose. People can do things on an individual basis as well (although this is getting harder to do because of the limit of checking only one suitcase for free on international flights).
In last month’s issue, we printed letters written in response to a request from Kathi Snouffer of Portland, Oregon, who lamented, “Is there anyone else out there who CANNOT brag about going around the world for years taking only a day pack?” She explained that — with a husband standing 6'6", and wanting to be prepared for all weather conditions and social situations but not wanting to launder clothes on the road — they pack what they need and always check a bag.
ITN printed the following letter from Kathi Snouffer of Portland, Oregon: “Is there anyone else out there who cannot brag about going around the world for years taking only a daypack?
We asked ITN subscribers for recommendations of travel gadgets, that is, any devices or implements that help make traveling more convenient, safe or pleasurable. A number of responses were printed in last month’s issue, and a few more appear below. Have a gadget to recommend? Write to Travel Gadgets, c/o ITN, 2120 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com. Include the complete address at which you receive ITN (ITN prints letters from subscribers only). Photos are always welcome; include captions.
In his “Departure Lounge” column, ITN’s publisher, the late Armond Noble, asked subscribers for recommendations of travel gadgets, that is, any devices or implements that help make traveling more convenient, safe or pleasurable. He printed a few responses in his October ’11 column, and after we repeated the info request in the August ’12 issue, several more e-mails and letters came in. Some of those responses appear below, with more to come.
Dear Globetrotter:
Welcome to the 442nd issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine, the one that prints the reports you send in.
Dear Globetrotter:
Welcome to the 441st issue of your foreign-travel magazine, the one you can help write.
I took the “Southern Africa Odyssey” trip with Odysseys Unlimited (Newton, MA; 888/370-6765) and it was mostly wonderful. However, my experiences with luggage handling at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, left me with a very unpleasant aftertaste.
On Oct. 7, 2011, I flew from Portland, Oregon, to Washington (Dulles) and Johannesburg, then transferred with my luggage to a flight to Cape Town. Upon my arrival in Cape Town, I found that the lock had apparently been cut off my suitcase and my case had been rifled through.