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March 2004 issue

Guide in Romania

We did a couple of tours of Romania with a young guide, Cristian Florea (Crif Tours, Strad Aleea Valea Viilor Nr. 2, Bloc. A53, Ap. 46, Sector 6, Bucuresti 77409, Romania; phone/fax 444 01 64, e-mail romtours@digicom.ro or visit www.digicom.ro/romtours).

His English is flawless, he is extremely knowledgeable and he can take you to some very unusual areas. I contacted several people he gave as references and all spoke very highly of him.

In May ’03, Cris drove four of us in a van for 11 or 12 days for about $1,200 each, including our hotels (the best available), breakfasts and...

June 2010 issue

All-business-class Open Skies

I previously reported about the all-business-class discount airline Maxjet, now defunct (Oct. ’06, pg. 32). When I was invited to take a flight by a similar operation, the British Airways venture Open Skies (866/581-3596, www.flyopenskies.com), I couldn’t refuse.

Open Skies started its combination first- and business-class service between New York and Paris in June ’08, later testing a route between New York and Amsterdam, which was shelved in July ’09. It launched a new route, between Washington, DC, and Paris, in May 2010.

On my trip, last June, check-in at New York’s JFK...

April 2004 issue

Auckland area guide

Four years ago we were introduced to the Auckland, New Zealand, area by an excellent and very knowledgeable tour guide, Don Cater of Southern Cross Tours (14 Rimu Rise, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand; phone/fax +64 9 415 8793, mobile phone +64 25 990450, e-mail cater.da@xtra.co.nz or visit www.southerncrosstours.co.nz).

We reported our find at the time in ITN (Aug. ’00, pg. 130) and have kept in touch with Don since then. In November ’03 we were happy to revisit New Zealand and found him the same charming gentleman as before.

He works on a private-hire basis. With a small...

February 2005 issue

Keeping wallet in sight at x-ray

ITN printed a letter of mine about my going through Frankfurt Airport in 2003 and having a security screener insist that my wallet and passport be x-rayed (Nov. ’04, pg. 18). I expressed concern that they could have been stolen while they were at the other end of the conveyor belt and out of my sight.

At the time I wrote, I had not been able to obtain a meaningful reply from either Lufthansa or the Frankfurt Airport authorities and sent a further letter to the airport officials. Upon returning from a lengthy trip, I found I had received a satisfactory reply from them. WILLIAM...

November 2010 issue

Frequent flyer miles from original airline

For an itinerary in January ’08 from San Jose, California, to Dakar, Senegal, with connections in Chicago and Brussels, my wife and I were ticketed with American Airlines (AA). The initial flight, San Jose-Chicago, was canceled due to a mechanical problem. The AA agent in San Jose rerouted our entire trip, issuing new tickets for flights from San Francisco to Dakar via Paris on Air France. This trip involved a lot of miles, for which we wanted frequent-flyer credit.

Since Air France partners with Delta, I submitted our ticket receipt and boarding passes for mileage in our Delta...

March 2005 issue

Pleased with global phone

A discovery! I purchased a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) phone for a trip to Egypt/Jordan in November ’04. Although there was no need for lengthy conversations with my progeny, I did feel a need for a phone should a crisis of some kind occur.

This phone is a winner. It cost $49 (I believe $52 with tax) and works in 130 countries but not the U.S. There are no minimums, fees or service charges. You pay only for the calls you make.

In my view, this GSM is head and shoulders above phone cards. What a luxury to be on a ship going down the Nile and be able to to...

April 2005 issue

Noboribetsu, the Orient’s largest spa

During my annual vacation to the world’s best-kept secret, Sapporo, Japan, I always make sure I allocate one day for a trip to the most relaxing place on Earth, Noboribetsu Hot Spring Onsen (Spa). My last trip there was in April ’04.

After getting the current train station schedule and buying an “S” ticket (about ¥4,040, or $39, round trip) at the international plaza information booth in Sapporo Station, the only thing that remains is to get a good night’s sleep before the special day.

By catching the 8:30 a.m. rapid-transit train, you can be at the hot spring by 10:15 a.m....

August 2010 issue

India travel tips

I spent six weeks in India in February-March ’10, traveling through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan, with brief visits to Ahmedabad, Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi (June ’10, pg. 27 and July ’10, pg. 30). I have the following tips to offer.

Reconfirm flights in India a day or two before departure. Jet Airways canceled my flight from Ahmedabad to Delhi on two days’ notice, and I learned about this only because I happened to have a chance to check my e-mail.

When you check in for a domestic or international flight, you may have to show your ticket and passport to a...