Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

March 2009 issue

Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel

In Amazonia, man and nature live in harmony within the greatest biodiverse reserve of tropical forest on Earth. I’ve led several groups to the Peruvian Amazon, however my April 4-11, 2008, Brazilian Amazon visit trumped them all.

After a 5-hour flight from Miami, followed by an overnight in Manaus at the deluxe Tropical Manaus (Manaus, Brazil; phone +55 92 3658 3001, www.tropical hotel.com.br), with rates of $120-$450, we boarded our boat for the 90-minute trip on the Rio Negro to Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel (in the US, phone 877/442-7428, www.ariautowers.com).

On arrival, we...

December 2009 issue

Allow extra time at CDG

Near Paris, it is fine to arrive at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy CDG), but we have found departing and making connections there to be very difficult.

I arrived at CDG airport on May 16, 2009, three hours before my 10:40 a.m. flight to Atlanta. It was an Air France flight but ticketed through Delta. The Delta counter sent me to the Air France counter and then they tried to send me back to Delta to check in, but I refused.

After finally checking in, 45 minutes later, I was sent to the security area. The very long “international” line led to a roped-off area...

April 2009 issue

Specialized travel agencies

This is in response to the reader’s letter on code-share tickets (Feb. ’09, pg. 30). I would point out that if the reader had booked and purchased his airline tickets from a travel agency specializing in the country of his destination, he would not have encountered the problem of not being booked on the flights he attempted to book on the Internet.

The benefits of working with a specialized travel agency that has a contract with the major airlines servicing that destination are as follows:

• The airfare obtained by the agency is equal to and in many cases less expensive than...

December 2009 issue

On flight arrangements

Adding to readers’ comments about making flight arrangements for tours (Dec. ’08, pg. 41 & June ’09, pg. 41), my wife and I usually make our flight arrangements independently from the cruise or tour company we are traveling with. We do this because of the following:

• We like to arrive at least one day early and sometimes stay a day or two after the end of the cruise or tour, something that often is not allowed by the company unless you purchase an optional extension or an expensive hotel package.

• Flight itineraries bought through companies are designed for the benefit...

October 2009 issue

Coping in Cuzco

In the article on Peru and Bolivia (Aug. ’09, pg. 23), the elevation of Cuzco is given as 14,000 feet. This is incorrect. The altitude most often quoted for Cuzco is 11,150 feet.

I write because an altitude of 14,000 feet could definitely discourage people from traveling there. 11,150 is high but is more manageable.

Many hotels in Cuzco serve coca tea. Where we stayed, the Novotel, oxygen was also available from the desk as a free service. A new mask was provided for each user.

Additionally, Cuzco is well equipped to deal with high-altitude sickness. On our tour in...

August 2011 issue

Medical Needs Overseas: Blood-thinning medication

A subscriber mentioned the complications of taking the blood thinner Coumadin (aka warfarin), used by many of us traveling seniors with atrial fibrillation (May ’11, pg. 44). The patient’s blood has to be checked for INR (clotting) every month or more, and if the INR value is outside the range prescribed for the patient, his or her dosage is changed and the INR is retested after a few days or a week.

Even with my doctor’s prescription, getting these tests has been a significant hurdle during extended travel. Getting an INR test in Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina, for...

June 2009 issue

Guatemala easily

I have traveled on my own to Mexico and Central America two to three times a year for 19 years, doing all my own planning, but on a December trip to Guatemala I wanted to take it easy and let someone else worry about the arrangements while I focused on my photography.

I chose Caravan Tours, Inc. (Chicago, IL; 800/227-2826, www.caravan.com), whose 11-day/10-night “Guatemala, Tikal & Copán” tour starts at $995, land only. With taxes and single supplement, I paid about $1,500.

The tour price included all meals, hotels, guides, private buses with great drivers and a black...

November 2011 issue

Turfantastik for Turkey

I am so grateful to ITN subscriber Nancy Anderson (Feb. ’07, pg. 67), who told of her excellent experiences with Mehmet Ozbalci, owner of Turfantastik (Millet cad. Inan Is Hani No. 5/610, Aksaray, Istanbul, Turkey; phone [90] 212 589 33 25). I had kept her article, as I knew I wanted to visit Turkey.

When I Googled Mehmet’s name and saw that he was the tour operator retained by several well-known US, Canadian and Australian photo-tour companies, I was even more anxious to have him as our guide, as my husband, John, really enjoys photography. It ended up being one of the...