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May 2004 issue

Scammed at Bucharest rail station

On Feb. 3, ’04, a friend and I were victims of a scam in Bucharest, Romania, inside the main entrance to the Gare de Nord and outside of Wasteels Ticket Agency.

Persons entering the train station in Bucharest are required to have a rail ticket or to purchase a nominal ticket. As we entered at about 11 a.m., we were approached by two men who seemed to be officials because they showed I.D. cards (which, of course, we could not read).

They asked for our tickets, which we showed them. They did not speak English but indicated they also wanted to see the contents of our money belts...

February 2004 issue

Also experienced curtailed cruise

I read ITN reader Helmut Richter’s letter, titled “Yangtze Cruise Curtailed” (Nov. ’03, pg. 34), about the river cruise portion of his trip “Imperial China, Tibet and Yangtze” with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), and have some comments to add.

My husband and I took this identical trip Oct. 15-Nov. 4, ’02. When we signed up for this trip, we were told that this was OAT’s most popular trip and we had the impression that OAT schedules frequent departures. In fact, during the course of our trip we encountered another OAT group taking the identical trip with another guide, which...

March 2010 issue

Apartments in Italy

My wife, Sandra, and I spent two weeks in Italy with our daughter and 14-year-old grandson in July ’09.

• In ROME we rented an apartment (Vicolo del Bologna 31) in the charming old Trastevere neighborhood. It claimed to have three bedrooms, though one of them was more like a large hall without windows. It also had 1½ baths (one with a washing machine), a large living room and a kitchen.

There were a few problems. It could have used a deep cleaning; the broadband Internet didn’t work, and one of the double bed’s mattresses was totally broken down. The other furnishings were...

December 2010 issue

An adventure of the heart… in Bacolod

After flying 18 hours on Cathay Pacific from Los Angeles to Manila via Hong Kong, I continued on Philippine Airlines (PAL) to Bacolod, located on the island of Negros in the Philippines.

I was met by Racquel, to whom I had been “introduced” five years before by Rick Zander, a California Rotarian (Rotary International member) living in Bacolod. I had supported Raquel through college, and her graduation from nursing school was the reason for this April ’09 trip. This was our first face-to-face meeting.

Racquel, who lost her parents to drugs and crime at six, grew up in Holy...

January 2005 issue

Taking care while traveling

I use the following technique to prevent being separated from my essentials at airport security (Nov. ’04, pg.18).

Before I leave for the airport, I transfer all items that I normally carry in my pockets, with the exception of my wallet, to a single plastic bag, which goes inside my backpack. Since there are no valuable items in this plastic bag, I don’t mind if the backpack goes through the security machine. Thus, I have nothing in my pockets but my wallet.

For 40 years, I have carried passports and tickets in a neck pouch (available at all stores where travel accessories...

March 2004 issue

Re automatic charge for gratuities

With reference to the growing trend of cruise lines to charge each passenger $10 per day for gratuities to shipboard staff, we booked for September ’03 an 18-day Mediterranean cruise on Cunard’s Caronia and noticed in their brochure that they would charge that much per day per passenger as a gratuity for shipboard staff.

We advised Cunard through our travel agency that we chose to tip their service personnel as we so desired and would cancel any automatic charge for gratuities charged to our account. Their Stateside office agreed to that and suggested that we advise the ship’s...

July 2005 issue

Accolades for Rothschild

I read the article on visiting Southern Africa during the rainy season (Jan. ’05, pg. 36). The writer’s trip was arranged by Leora Rothschild of Rothschild Safaris (1685 S. Colorado Blvd. #197, Denver, CO 80222; phone 800/405-9463 or visit www.rothschildsafaris.com).

I called Leora directly and talked about the article and a possible trip. She interviewed me as to dates, available time and price. Within days I had a sample itinerary. We subsequently adjusted some dates to fit airline schedules and in an amazingly short period of time I had the real itinerary completed from A to Z....

June 2010 issue

Bilbao vs. Madrid

For four exhilarating days, Dec. 11-14, 2009, I “basqued” in the élan of bodacious Bilbao. It was my fifth visit to that blossoming metropolis. Also a fifth visit, I stayed in Madrid, Jan. 4-11, 2010. While, I think, Madrid is getting by on its past, Bilbao has eagerly embarked on the future. For me, it is the most exciting and vital city in Spain.

Here’s an interesting contrast. Bilbao’s Museo de Bellas Artes (Plaza del Museo, 2, 48011 Bilbao, Spain; phone 94 439 60 60, www.museobilbao.com), though only a fraction of the size of Madrid’s Reina Sofia or Thyssen-Bornemisza, houses a...