Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

January 2007 issue

Discovery — ‘low-key’ cruise with Brits

My wife, Esta Lee, and I took the “Grand Voyage to Scandinavia,” May 13-June 5, 2006, on the MV Discovery of Voyages of Discovery, formerly Discovery World Cruises (1800 SE 10th Ave., Ste. 205, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316; 866/623-2689).

The package combined a 2-week transatlantic cruise from Nassau in the Bahamas to Harwich in the U.K. and a one-week round-trip cruise from Harwich along the Norwegian coast.

The first segment, which included stops at Grand Turk (nothing to see, I felt) and the Azores (quite worthwhile), was the last cruise in Discovery’s winter season (and the...

March 2006 issue

Rethinking Bhutan

I have been traveling independently to Bhutan as well as taking groups there since 1999. Having returned from my 26th visit, I feel the need to try to advise those people intending to visit this tiny kingdom in the next few years that they need to go to see Bhutan for the right reasons. A lot has been written about this magnificent Buddhist enclave, and I will admit to the fact that it is still one of the most delightful places on Earth to visit. However, after my last trip, in October ’05, I vowed to never return during the high, festival (tourist) seasons.

Most visitors go to...

July 2006 issue

Loves London theatre

Every year I spend a wonderful four days in London, seeing as many theatrical productions as I can squeeze in. This year’s visit, in April, was one of my best experiences so far.

For convenience, I always find a hotel right off of the tube’s Piccadilly line. This time I stayed at the Grange Strathmore Hotel (58 Rochester Row, London, SWIP IJU, U.K.; phone +011-800-22-GRANGE or visit www.grangehotels.com). I paid £55 (near $98) for a single room with facilities en suite. It was very tiny but cute, clean and comfortable, with the friendliest staff that I have experienced in London....

December 2005 issue

Recommended Seville tours

My family and I had a wonderful 10-day trip through Spain in June ’05. We fell in love with Seville, where we had a fabulous local guide. Concepcion Delgado (phone 902-158-226 or mobile 616-501-100 or visit www.sevillawalkingtours.com) speaks excellent English and loves sharing her city with others. Anyone with only one day in Seville ought to begin the day with her tour.

She leads a daily 2-hour walking tour of the old part of the city. It starts at the statue in Plaza Nueva at 10:30 (Monday through Saturday) and costs €10 (near $12). There will be, at most, 15 people in the group...

April 2006 issue

Europe independently

My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Tunisia and several countries in Europe, Aug. 5-31, ’05. We had a great time, combining air, rail and autos as basic transportation. Several thoughts come to mind which might aid others planning to travel in Europe.

We used our local travel agent to research and book our rented autos in both Italy and Switzerland. We picked up the Italian car at Milan’s Malpensa Airport and dropped it off in Venice (the city location at the end of the causeway bridge). We rented our next car in Geneva, where we asked the counter...

May 2006 issue

Costa del Sol stay

I prefer to travel solo, so when Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610 or www.gct.com) offered their “Classic Costa del Sol” program with no single supplement, I was hooked.

Some say Spain’s Costa del Sol is overdeveloped. I say it is perfect for mature travelers who are looking for an affordable, sunny vacation. For my 2-week trip in December ’04, I stayed in an oceanfront studio in Torremolinos. The kitchenette afforded me a simple but lovely dining experience (the area is known for fresh seafood), and every conceivable variety of foreign cuisine was available nearby....

October 2005 issue

Easter Island guide

We cruised to Easter Island on Discovery World Cruises’ Discovery in February ’05. Dissatisfied with the excursions being offered by the ship, I arranged in advance for two half-day tours of Easter Island for our party of six. I had a list of eight sites I wanted to visit and allowed enough time to explore and photograph.

I contacted several tour agencies and selected Patricio Ballerino (e-mail patricio@aotour.cl or visit www.aotour.cl), based upon his responsiveness to my requests and upon the very reasonable price. For our party of six, we paid $45 per person for the two half-days...

August 2006 issue

Cameras in Antarctica

The January ’06 article by Janet Denninger on photography in Antarctica made me recall a trip my wife and I made there several years ago (pre-digital cameras).

We had spent several hours on South Georgia Island with thousands of penguins and seals. Photo opportunities were wonderful! During the time we were there, however, the weather became severe and the sea waves grew quite high. My wife insisted that I put our cameras in plastic bags for our trip back to the ship. I reluctantly did so.

We were among the first group to board the Zodiac for our return to the ship. As soon...