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April 2004 issue

Paris shuttle

The airport-to-Paris shuttle service PariShuttle (visit www.paris-anglo.com) was mentioned previously by ITN readers (Feb. ’02, pgs. 74-75). For a trip in September ’03, I tried to call the service and learned that their toll-free number from the U.S. is no longer available. You must call their other numbers or contact them through their e-mail address: ashuttle@club-internet.fr. (I made alternative arrangements.)

GLADYS ROWE SHELDON Albuquerque, NM

February 2005 issue

A ‘super day’ near London

London was crowded with tourists in August ’04 and it was also the wettest August on record. Daily sky bursts were the norm, and before your umbrella was fully extended you were sopping wet. So many people running for the same shelter at the same time only exasperated the situation.

Although it rains everywhere, there are many places in the outskirts of London, away from the crowds, that offer a super day of art, architecture, history and nature.

Kenwood House, a marvel of 18th-century architecture, filled with art treasures and surrounded by tranquil countryside, is a haven...

March 2005 issue

Companies came through

• A promotion run in 2003 by Grand Circle Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210; phone 800/221-2610 or visit www.gct.com) promised two $250 travel certificates applicable to your next GCT trip if you completed an extensive questionnaire on your future travel plans. We dutifully completed it and sent it in and waited and waited and waited, but no certificates.

After six months or so, and past the expiration date of the travel certificates, we began a follow-up campaign by telephone. When that proved fruitless, we sent a letter to GCT headquarters politely pointing out our...

April 2005 issue

Awed in Dublin

Dublin, Ireland, is a city of much charm and history. On our visit in July ’97 we walked past the impressive Custom House building and the 18th-century Bank of Ireland, which once housed the Irish Parliament. Heading up Grafton Street, we passed many excellent shops and galleries.

We entered the handsome main entrance of Trinity College, giving way into Parliament Square, a cobbled stone quadrangle which is flanked by the Examination Hall, the Theater, the Dining Hall, which dates back to 1743, and the Library, which dates back to 1712. The Library building stretches 209 feet and...

August 2010 issue

‘Shop on your own!’

Everyone knows that the first rule of travel is ‘Don’t drink the water,’ but on my trip to Egypt and Jordan, Feb. 23-March 12, 2010, I was amazed at how few people had learned the second rule: ‘Don’t shop where your guide takes you!’

Throughout the world, owners of tourist-trap shops pay large kickbacks (read “bribes”) to the guides, tour companies, taxi drivers and even street people who bring you to their stores.

Whatever it is, I can buy it for you at half price just down the street! I’ve even had shopkeepers whisper to me that they would cut the price by a large amount if...

July 2010 issue

Viking and the volcano

My husband and I took the eight-day “Paris & the Heart of Normandy” cruise with Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 800/304-9616). Excluding air, we paid $5,211 for two plus, for a three-day pretour in Paris, $1,398.

On shore excursions, passengers each had a portable receiver so we could hear the guide wherever we were standing. I have walking limitations, so the earphones made it possible to keep up.

The cruise was supposed to end April 18, 2010, but on our departure date Charles de Gaulle airport was closed due to volcanic ash. Viking took us and other...

January 2004 issue

Impressed with actions of China Focus

In April ’03 we were scheduled to depart for China on a tour with China Focus Travel (870 Market St., Ste. 1215, San Francisco, CA 94102; phone 415/788-8660, fax 415/788-8665 or visit www.chinafocustravel.com). Two weeks prior to our departure, China Focus canceled our tour due to the SARS outbreak. They did it to protect their customers and at a great financial loss to themselves. Within weeks they had mailed us a check for a complete refund.

We have talked and read of other tour companies that did not cancel or refund. We were very grateful we had chosen such a reputable company...

August 2010 issue

Northern Lights in Iceland

For our winter getaway, my husband, Jerry, suggested we go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Although Iceland sounds so cold, the average temperatures in February aren’t worse than New York City’s, and when I read up about the lights, I was hooked.

We decided to spend three nights in the countryside and three in Reykjavik. Our car rental from Budget through AAA cost $650 for the week.

Jerry found the perfect countryside inn, the warm and welcoming Hotel Rangá (851 Hella; phone +354 487 5700), 100 kilometers east of Reykjavik and close to all the major tourist sites...