travel insurance articles

Travel Tidbits
Travel Tidbits, May 2006 issue.
For our 8-week Australia-New Zealand trip, we booked most of our lodging before leaving because we did not want to have to arrive at a destination and hunt for a hotel. Incidentally, every hotel and several B&Bs we stayed in provided a washer and dryer.

Ensuring credit card usage overseas
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
For several years my wife, Paula, and I have used the same airline-affiliated Visa cards without incident, traveling to Malaysia, Chile, Slovakia, etc. Recently, the airline began transitioning to a MasterCard issued by a different bank than the Visa issuer.

On ATMs
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
I agree in general with many of the readers’ “Money Matters” comments in the December ’05 and January ’06 (pg. 92) issues.

Credit card vs. ATM vs. travelers’ checks
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
My wife, Glenda, and I traveled in Central Europe for a month in fall 2005 and used two credit cards for purchases and services (an American Express card and a Citibank MasterCard) and one debit card for ATM cash withdrawals (a Visa card obtained from our credit union).

Waiting for assistance
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
ITN was mailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a reader to Traveler’s Emergency Network (TEN) on Dec. 8.

Off-hours car rental fee
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
While on a Princess cruise from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, we stopped in Falmouth, England, on Sept. 25, ’05. I had confirmed reservations for a rental car from Europcar.

Hebridean Island Cruises
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
For those who fervently believe that “less is more” and “smaller is better,” we recommend Hebridean Island Cruises, Ltd. (Griffin House, Broughton Hall, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 3AN, England; phone 44 [0] 1756-704704 or visit www.hebride

Costa del Sol stay
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
I prefer to travel solo, so when Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610 or www.gct.com) offered their “Classic Costa del Sol” program with no single supplement, I was hooked.

Lessons from an apartment stay in Italy
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
For a trip to Italy a few years ago, for 17 days we rented an apartment in Ronciglione, an hour’s drive north of Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. There were advantages and disadvantages to having a base and making day trips.

Trattoria in Rome
Travelers' Intercom, May 2006 issue.
My trip to Italy in October ’05 included a stay in Rome. Before going, I jotted down the address of the Trattoria Otello alla Concordia from an earlier issue of ITN (April ’05, pg. 4). I’d eaten at that restaurant on an earlier trip and loved it!