Travelers' Intercom

March 2013 issue

WWI museum near Paris
By Margery Cohen

The impetus for our trip to Paris in May-June, 2012, was to visit the new World War One museum, the Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays de Meaux (rue Lazare Ponticelli, 77100 Meaux, France; phone +33[1] 60 32 14 18). It was built to house one man’s personal collections, from thimbles to ambulances. It opened in November 2011 and is state of the art.

My husband, Herb, and I took the train to Meaux (about 40 kilometers) and a taxi to the museum. There is also a local bus to the museum. Admission of €10 adult or €7 senior (near $13.50/$9.50) includes a wonderful audio guide. There also...

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December 2013 issue

Talk your way into a free cruise
By Chloe Winston

To cruise or not to cruise? That is the question. Cost is not the major drawback. What to consider is your body, your patience, your endurance and your ability to find pleasure in many new experiences.

A quick summary of the positives — great food, usually anything and everything you desire plus new experiences with cuisine; great cabin service, with stewards smiling, anticipating and pleasing; great ports of call (places you wouldn’t see otherwise), and great opportunities to learn and experience new things.

A quick summary of the negatives — tendering, i.e., transferring...

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April 2013 issue

Avoiding MSG overseas
By Carol Robles

I am very sensitive to MSG. I also am diabetic and need protein. When I first went to China, in the 1990s, I took those little packages of peanut butter crackers with me. Other than that, I ate lots of boiled rice.

On more recent trips to China, I found that local establishments were catering to American tourists. Especially if you are traveling in a group, you will be taken to restaurants that do not add MSG to food. “Add” is the magic word, however, since packaged goods and sauces used in restaurants generally already have MSG in them.

Don’t take any chances. When you first...

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June 2013 issue

Cartagena visit

Following a 9-day Panama stay, my wife, Faythe, and I flew to Cartagena, Colombia, for two weeks of exploration around the area, June 25-July 9, 2012. At the airport, we exchanged money at an ATM in the departure lounge before getting a taxi to our hotel.

Hotel Casa Relax (Calle del Pozo Nº 25-105, Barrio Getsemani, Cartagena, Colombia; phone +57 [5] 664 11 17) is located in the Getsem­ani area, outside the old walled city. The cost of COP150,000 (near $83) per night included an air-conditioned room and a nice breakfast. The staff didn’t speak much English. 

We took a 4-hour...

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August 2013 issue

Cook In Shanghai
By Evelyn Lew Cucchiarella

While spending two weeks in Shanghai, China, April 18-May 1, 2013, I took seven cooking classes from Cook In Shanghai (269 Zhaojiabang Rd. [near Jiashan Rd.], Bldg. 2, Room 502, Shanghai; phone +86 186 217 82 428, ). Two gutsy young women started Cook In Shanghai in 2011. I highly recommend it to foodies. It was really fabulous! 

I paid a total of $144 for four private classes plus $46 each for three public classes (class size limit, six people); the cost included materials. 

You are asked what style of cooking you’re interested in (Cantonese, Hunan, etc.) or what dish you...

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November 2013 issue

New Zealand with AAT Kings
By Patricia Rosen

I took a 15-day tour, “New Zealand Experience,” with AAT Kings Tours/USA (Anaheim, CA; 866/240-1659). It started on Oct. 8, 2012, and was a wonderful trip, with excellent guides and excellent hotels. 

I bought this tour through Travel Downunder (Bellevue, WA; 866/258-1629), which also arranged my flights. The owner, Wendy A. Schatz, was prompt with her emails and very helpful. 

Including 12 dinners, a lunch or two and all breakfasts, the tour cost $4,710. Airfare from New York City was $1,986, and insurance added $414. AAT Kings offers roommate matching; if they don’t have a...

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January 2013 issue

Moorea’s Club Bali Hai
By Len Nadasdy
Swimming pool at Club Bali Hai Hotel, Moorea.

I made my 24th annual visit to the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, March 3-31, 2012. Tahiti and its neighbors in this archipelago are the loveliest islands I’ve visited in the South Pacific.

Cook’s Bay on Moorea is the most beautiful tropical sight in the world. It’s framed by 2,000- to 3,000-foot mountains covered with a vibrant green jungle of flowering trees. The best things about this tropical Eden is there are no snakes or wild animals, and sea breezes seem to keep mosquitoes and other bugs to a minimum.

On my first trip to Moorea, in 1959, there was only one...

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July 2013 issue

Traveling and giving
By Kevin O’Brien

I would like to know what others do in the way of traveling to other countries and taking helpful gifts to leave behind — a type of humanitarian tourism. I do not mean joining a church group or medical or dental group that is going specifically for that purpose. People can do things on an individual basis as well (although this is getting harder to do because of the limit of checking only one suitcase for free on international flights).

On our travels, my wife, Jane, and I usually take one extra suitcase each. We pack toys, stuffed animals (the biggest hit), school supplies and...

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