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September 2005 issue

Driving in Italy

For a November ’04 trip in Italy (July ’05, pg. 55), we short-leased (this is different from a rental) a brand-new Peugeot 407 from Auto France (Wood-Ridge, NJ; 800/572-9655 or www.autofrance.net) for a total cost of $1,329 for 18 days, and that cost was comparable to a straight rental. The cost would have been $310 less had we picked up the car in France, but it included all insurance and all the warranties that we would have gotten with a rental.

It was delivered to us at Milan’s Malpensa Airport when we arrived, and we returned it to the airport the day we departed. We had leased...

June 2006 issue

Long travel days on India tour

I took a month-long tour to both North and South India with Adventures Abroad in February ’06. The basic cost of the tour was $4,870, but my total of $6,203 included single accommodation and an extra night in New Delhi pre-tour.

I cannot recommend this tour on several counts. I found the pace very strenuous, though very hardy travelers did not. As an example, on one day we started out at about 8 a.m. and did not reach our hotel until 8:30 p.m. The following day we departed about 8, and after a long day of bus travel we had a 5-hour train trip and arrived at our hotel after midnight...

November 2006 issue

Screaming infant on a flight

ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a reader to Virgin Atlantic Airways.

In September 2005 I took Virgin Atlantic flight No. 8, Los Angeles-London, returning on flight No. 23, London-Los Angeles, on the 14th. Flight 8 was a delight, but I am still recovering from the effects of flight 23. It’s about a kid who screamed for five minutes every 15 minutes for 13 hours nonstop, starting in the Heathrow Airport departure lounge.

I commented on this nonstop screaming to your representative at the desk and said I sincerely hoped I was seated away from this...

January 2006 issue

Osaka shuttle

I’m writing in response to the reader’s letter “Call for Airport-Ship/Hotel Transport,” regarding the exorbitant charges made by cruise lines for transit to and from airports (Nov. ’05, pg. 16).

On a cruise we took in October ’02, we disembarked in Osaka, Japan. As we had obtained our own air separately, transport to the Osaka Kansai Airport was not included. We would have had to pay the ship $178 for two for this service.

We became acquainted with a Japanese passenger on board and he told us of a shuttle service outside the ship terminal. However, we would have to use...

October 2006 issue

On pins and needles

In traveling, I have found it useful to use a string of safety pins and diaper pins in my travel purse to keep track of small items like keys and nail clippers and for many emergency uses.

On a March ’06 flight leaving Flores, Guatemala, where all hand luggage was hand inspected (no x-ray), the young woman pulled out the pins. Opening one, she poked her hand and shook her head “no.” She would not allow even small safety pins in my hand luggage!

In Guatemala City, another member of our group had her small sewing kit taken, not because of the safety pins or scissors but because...

September 2006 issue

Re shore tours, stockholder perk

I took a cruise on the Maasdam across the North Atlantic from Rotterdam to Boston, Aug. 2-20, ’06. I’m generally not a great fan of cruising on large ships, but this cruise made stops in the Faroe Islands, which I hadn’t seen before, and at places in Iceland and Greenland that I hadn’t been to on previous visits.

One of the stops in Greenland was at Qaqortoq, which is near the site of the first Viking settlement, which had been abandoned under mysterious circumstances. Unfortunately, HAL had not arranged any land tours there, so I asked at the shore excursion desk if they could call...

June 2006 issue

Melatonin for jet lag

In the February ’06 “Ask Steve” column, Mr. Venables wrote about beating jet lag. I must take issue with his comment, “… over-the-counter melatonin or prescription drugs… help with the sleeping going over but don’t do much for your inner clock.”

It is well known to those who deal with jet lag, and to researchers in the field, that appropriate use of melatonin resets one’s circadian clock and hence is of great value in dealing with shift work, jet lag or any other such circadian disrupters. We have some information on this on our website — www.darksky.org — and there is a lot more...

August 2005 issue

Aswan dining choices

Here are some restaurants that we enjoyed in Aswan, Egypt, Feb. 6-9, ’05.

Panorama Restaurant is on the Corniche El Nil and across from the EgyptAir office. They are very pleasant here and offer fresh lemonade and banana drink. We had soup, a meat dish (kofte and spicy meat) and drinks for E£50 (about $8).

Aswan Moon, about five minutes north of the Panorama, is also on the Corniche El Nil and across the street from and near the Memnon Hotel. It is on a floating dock. It has excellent food also, about 10% more expensive than that of the Panorama.

Nubian Restaurant,...