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January 2006 issue

Airport Transit Guide

My husband, John, and I have been on over 30 cruises, usually arranging our own transport to and from the ship rather than buying the cruise line package.

In June-July ’04 we did a 35-day freighter trip out of Southampton, England, to several countries in Europe. Our bible is the “Airport Transit Guide” (2004. ISBN 1890407070 — 145 pp., $11.95 paperback), now in its 23rd year. Salk International puts this out, and it is available on Amazon.com and through Magellan’s travel store (800/962-4943 or www.magellans.com).

This guide shows transportation to the city from every...

June 2006 issue

Another delay

Two weeks before my departure to Málaga, Spain, on Jan. 25, ’06, I reconfirmed my flight on Iberia Airlines and told the representative I would need wheelchair assistance when I arrived at Madrid’s Baraja Airport. I ended up getting all the help I needed, as my connecting flight to Málaga was leaving in just one hour. The young lady who saw that I got to my gate would not accept any tip.

The journey home was not so simple. I had six hours to wait at the brand-spanking-new Terminal 4. It is not only visually stunning with its cutting-edge design, its use of state-of-the-art...

August 2005 issue

Booted in Haarlem

One helpful hint for driving abroad is to avoid parking infractions. In Haarlem, Netherlands, several years ago, we found marked spaces with few automobiles and no instructions that we could see. But when we returned from the Franz Hals Museum, in the rain, there was our car — booted. As the rain grew heavier, we had to walk all the way across town to the police station to sort matters out.

Apparently, it was necessary to purchase a ticket from a machine about two blocks from where we left the car. Even if there had been instructions, it is not likely we could have understood them....

November 2006 issue

Uganda’s Murchison Falls

I would like to correct a statement made in the letter titled “Uganda Wildlife,” regarding “the shooting of the tourist on Nov. 8, 2005, in Murchison Falls National Park. . . within the park boundaries” (Aug. ’06, pg. 83).

We were in Murchison Falls National Park, Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2005, staying at the Red Chili Rest Camp. We spent some time with the owner of the camp, Steve Willis, a 40ish expat Brit who had remained in Uganda after 10 years with the British government in Kampala.

While we were there, we also talked to a crew from New Zealand filming a documentary about the...

October 2005 issue

Money Matters Overseas

(First of two parts, jump to part 2)

ITN asked readers to write in about how they deal with money and making purchases overseas (anywhere outside of North America and the Caribbean). We asked, “Do you procure some cash of the country you’re traveling to before you leave the States or wait until you step off the plane and look for a bank or automatic teller machine (ATM)? What type of card do you use? Instead of cash or travelers’ checks, do you prefer using credit cards for purchases? What advice do you have for others?”

Some of the responses we received appear below. (Note...

January 2006 issue

Angkor Wat worth the climbing

When we toured Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, we first spent an entire afternoon in the temple complex. Later, we went to see the sunset on a famous hill. You can climb the hill up a very rough, rocky (actually boulders) path or take an elephant ride up.

The sunset was something I have not seen the like of anywhere else in the scores of countries I have traveled. Take good film to capture this phenomenon, and go early; it gets very packed up there!

We were also told not to miss the sunrise at Angkor Wat, so the next morning we were up and out by 5:30 to be picked up by our drivers....

July 2006 issue

Galápagos and Celebrity Xpedition

My husband, Ed, and I took a trip to the Galápagos in April ’05 aboard the 96-passenger Celebrity Xpedition (Celebrity Cruises, Miami, FL; 866/973-8466 or www.celebrity xpeditions.com).

The 10-night package included a 2-night pre-cruise stay, with meals, at the Marriott in Quito, Ecuador; a city tour; transfers; air transportation between Quito and Baltra Island and return; a one-night post-cruise stay in Quito (the dinner that night was at the Opera House, quite a grand place); the 7-night cruise; ocean-view staterooms; all meals; complimentary beverages, wine and bottled water;...

December 2005 issue

Car hire snag in Britain & Ireland

In an article about the hiring of vehicles (July ’05, pg. 95), the writer suggests that those who are over the age for hiring a vehicle should “Have a guide or younger person hire and drive the vehicle and reimburse him/her.” He goes on to say, “The person must have a credit card in his/her own name and must be able to satisfy all the rental requirements.”

I cannot speak for other countries, but in Britain and Ireland there are strict regulations appertaining to such circumstances, and it is important that travelers know these. In the following explanation, I will refer to the...