Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

May 2010 issue

Traveling with O2 concentrator

My husband has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and uses a personal oxygen concentrator on domestic flights. These concentrators do not involve oxygen tanks but use the surrounding air. For people with disabilities, the FAA approves the devices on flights, and most airlines allow them with an approved doctor’s statement, which must be renewed annually.

(This is not a CPAP machine, which is used to treat sleep apnea and also does not involve an oxygen tank. Several airlines do not allow CPAP machines on flights.)

We would like to be able to travel overseas, but the...

October 2010 issue

Hotel Fita in Amsterdam

In Amsterdam, Hotel Fita (Jan Luykenstraat 37 1071 CL Amsterdam, Holland; phone [020] 679 09 76, www.hotelfita.com) may be the best value in Europe!

It’s only one block from the Van Gogh Museum, one block from the Steldelijk Modern Art Museum and three blocks from the Rijksmuseum and Concertgebouw. A parallel street, Pieter Cornelisz Hoofstraat, is lined on both sides with elegant clothiers for men and women, from Armani to Zegna, plus attractive cafés and restaurants.

Hosts Hans and Loes de Rapper provided a homelike, informal atmosphere. The rooms are welcoming and nicely...

April 2004 issue

Pacific Islands Festival

I’d like to alert fellow ITN readers to the upcoming 9th Pacific Islands Festival of the Arts. It’s held every four years by 27 island nations (including Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia) to meet and greet each other and share their traditions and cultures. It’s not really for tourists, but you can’t keep something that colorful a secret for long.

I’ve been to the last two (held in Western Samoa and in New Caledonia) and can’t wait for the one this year. It will be held in Palau and will run July 20-Aug. 1, ’04. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for July 24.

I go for the...

May 2004 issue

Costa Rica & Panama with Cruise West

My husband and I enjoyed a tour of Costa Rica and Panama, Nov. 6-15, ’03, with Cruise West (2401 Fourth Ave., Ste. 700, Seattle, WA 98121; phone 800/426-7702 or visit www.cruisewest.com).

We decided to fly to San José, Costa Rica, and spend a few days before joining the cruise. We prefer to stay in accommodations more appropriate for the country we are visiting and avoid “Americanized” hotels, which in the case of San José were destination hotels far removed from the center of the Old City. We enjoy staying in a “local” hotel near the historic parts of a city and where shopping and...

February 2004 issue

Enjoyed substitute itinerary

My husband, Don, and I took another fine trip with Viking River Cruises (phone 877/668-4546 or visit www.vikingrivercruises.com), “Vienna to the Black Sea,” via the Danube, on the Viking Europe, Sept. 14-Oct. 2, ’03. In a little over two weeks we visited Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia & Montenegro, Romania and Bulgaria. We could see some of Croatia, but no stops were made there.

Because the river was very low, the pontoon bridge at Novi Sad, Serbia, caused delays and itinerary changes. However, this gave us time in unscheduled places without tourists (Mohács, Hungary; Vidin...

March 2010 issue

Gas pump gloves

On our fall 2009 Europe visit, we found that many gas stations had boxes with plastic gloves for use when pumping gas. Good idea!

Often when fueling is finished, the automatic shutoffs are so abrupt that several droplets come back out at your hand. Or sometimes a little fuel is on the handle from the prior user. Most cars in Europe use diesel, and it’s tough to get that smell off your hands.

For that and health reasons, the disposable gloves are supplied at each pump. Much cleaner!

EMILIA & DUANE

ANDERSON, Albertville, MN

December 2010 issue

Kraków Klezmer-Hois

During a trip to Eastern Europe, my husband, Eugene, and I stayed at a wonderful, small hotel called the Klezmer-Hois (Ulica Szeroka 6, Kazimierz, 31-053 Kraków, Poland; phone/fax [+48 12] 411 12 45, www.klezmer.pl), May 1-8, 2010.

Located in the Kazimierz (Jewish Quarter) of Kraków, it is the epitome of charm, the dining room giving the feel of being in your grandparents’ home — tables covered with crocheted lace cloths, lovely pictures covering the walls, comfortable old furniture, etc.

And the breakfasts, included in the rate of PLN245 (near $86, which included a discount...

September 2010 issue

Traveling light

I can’t believe that on my first trip to Rome, about 20 years ago, I carried shoe polish and a travel iron! Since then, I’ve condensed what I take, traveling with a carry-on only and doing laundry as I go along.

I agree with other travelers that wrapping wet laundry in a towel and wringing it helps it dry faster. But rather than carry laundry soap from home, I do my laundry with whatever is available in the hotel — from shampoo to cakes of soap — and my clothes look just fine.

CYNTHIA THOMPSON

Hanover, NH