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June 2011 issue

Sicily tips

My husband, R.C., and I celebrated our 40th anniversary in the fall of 2009 with a trip to Slovenia, Croatia (May ’11, pg. 12) and then to Italy for Sicily.

In planning the Sicilian portion of our trip, I compared the itineraries of several tour companies and got advice from two traveling couples we know, to be sure we hit all the must-see places. We ended up following the Sicily itinerary in the guidebook “Karen Brown’s Italy B&Bs 2009,” and I would recommend that first-time visitors follow her Sicily plan.

A car is essential. We rented one from Economy Car Rentals (...

February 2010 issue

Singing indri

In the Perinet Reserve in Madagascar we saw our first lemur, the indri, which is the largest type and can weigh up to 15 pounds.

Singing indri voices echoed through the reserve as different groups called out to protect their territories. To me, their calls sounded remarkably like whale songs. It’s a sound I’ll never forget.

KATHY COOPER

St. Clair Shores, MI

November 2011 issue

Thai Customs rule change delayed delivery

I stay part of the year in Bangkok, Thailand, where I have an apartment. In fall 2010, for the first time, I used a luggage-forwarding service called Luggage Free to send over some of my possessions. It was just household bric-a-brac (clothing, books, DVDs, etc.).

Sometime in September 2010, I contacted Luggage Free by a form on their website and arranged to have them pick up four pieces of luggage from my home in North Carolina on Oct. 13. I also spoke with a company representative by phone and was informed that they would take care of all forms and fees and my luggage would be...

January 2010 issue

Leases Europe autos with Kemwel

The subscriber’s letter about leasing a car for 30-plus days in Italy (Nov. ’09, pg. 51) led my husband, Klaus, and me to contact the agent at bonvoyagebycar@yahoo.com. The agent claimed he could get us a better price than we would with a lease/buyback via Peugeot or Renault.

We then contacted Kemwel (Portland, ME; 877/820-0668, www.kemwel.com) and were told that, as the direct agents with the manufacturer, they handle 80% of the lease/buyback contracts with Peugeot in the US, thus no one else can offer a lower price.

Indeed, we have used their lease/buyback service in Europe...

March 2009 issue

Iwo Jima in WWII

Japan opens the island of Iwo Jima to visitors one day each year, usually in early March. During a tour with Military-Historical Tours (Alexandria, VA; 800/722-9501, www.miltours.com) in 2007, I took a truck to the cave where the Japanese hospital was located during WWII. The sides of the cave were lined with old shoes, an assortment of baskets, canteens, old gasoline drums and empty sake bottles.

About 20 yards into the cave there was a ladder leading up to a “spider hole” in the ceiling. From the outside it would have been camouflaged. A Japanese soldier could open it, pop his...

December 2009 issue

Vicenza, Marostica & Bassano del Grappa

In northern Italy, the communes of Vicenza, Marostica and Bassano del Grappa are commonly touted as “very wealthy.” Well, I wouldn’t know about that part, but in early May ’09, after a week’s stay in Venice, I was certainly happy to have discovered all three.

Vicenza is known as “an inland Venice” and for its many works of the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio.

Villa La Rotunda is considered Palladio’s finest work. (From the bus station, take the No. 8, or you can bike or even walk to it.) The design contributed to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. It is private, but my...

April 2009 issue

Navigating code-share tickets

In the letter “Weak Link re Code-share Tickets” (Feb. ’09, pg. 30), the writer’s problem with code-share tickets and seat assignment confirmations is by no means unique. Also, with a code-share ticket, unless you are paying attention you could go to the wrong airline to catch the flight. I offer the following guidance to prevent such occurrences.

Whenever a code-share ticket is involved, one needs to take the following steps (I will use the example given above, i.e., Orbitz + United + Air New Zealand):

Call the airline on which the ticket is issued, which in this case is...

September 2009 issue

Changing planes in Sydney

In October ’08, I flew to Sydney on United and then immediately connected to a flight to Canberra on Qantas. My bag was checked “through” to Canberra, though I had to claim it, of course, and go through Customs at Sydney.

After asking three people, I discovered that there is a “Qantas domestic transfer” desk hidden away in a corner of the international terminal. I expected I could drop off my bag there, but, after waiting in line, I was told that I’d have to travel with my bags on an airport shuttle bus to one of the domestic terminals. I suppose the domestic transfer desk is only...