Travelers' Intercom

My husband, Bob, and I took the trip of a lifetime around the world, November 2010-January 2011, by combining two Oceania Cruises voyages. Here are a few helpful hints for others who’d like to circumnavigate the globe.

We found that most of the world accepts US currency. Take lots of one-dollar bills and other small denominations. Bargain; most of the world does.

English truly is spoken — at least a little bit — almost everywhere.

Hiring a taxi is generally a great way to get a tour of an area, but make sure the driver speaks at least some English.

Hop-on/hop-...

In the article on the Azores in the April ’09 issue (“Far Horizons,” pg. 72), the writer states, “Today Pico is regarded as one of the best whale-watching venues in the world, with a viewing season running from April to October.”

I have no doubt the author was told this, as multiple people told me the same during a visit in September ’08. Of course, most of them had never been anywhere else but the Azores. One was a local guide, who then casually mentioned that I was lucky to have seen a whale, as she had been whale-watching three times and never seen one.

Apparently, the one...

While planning a trip to the south of Italy recently, I thought about all the ways that my traveling differs today from back in the “old days.”

For example, in ’66 my wife and I and our two children took a several-week trip around Europe. I used a travel agent for air tickets and car reservations, but most agents could not handle booking the small, two- and three-star family hotels that we liked to use.

To make a reservation for one of those hotels, I first had to purchase a guidebook, invariably one of the Michelin Red Guides, for there were few others published. There was...