Columns

November 2013 issue | Appears on page 2

What a subscriber learned flying standby
By David Tykol
Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Palphug Monastery, upper Paro Valley, Bhutan.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 453rd issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine, the one YOU help write.

Michael J.E. Burge of Ventura, California, hopes that travelers might end up a little wiser by hearing his tale. Mechanical problems and acts of nature cannot be controlled, but certain decisions might be made differently to make things go a little more smoothly.

He wrote, “My wife, Evelyn, and I enjoyed a very interesting trip to Sri Lanka and southern...

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November 2013 issue | Appears on page 57

Port Vila, Vanuatu — What to do and where to eat
By Lew Toulmin
Local girls chatting on the phone in front of a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in Port Vila. Photos by Lew Toulmin

(Second of two parts)

In my humble, resident-expat opinion, the best places to visit around Port Vila, Vanuatu, are (in order)…

The Summit Gardens — 11 gardens and a sandalwood plantation, plus a distillery and gift shop, all on a 600-foot-high plateau with fantastic flowers and views. $63 per person, including pickup at the ship, from www.thesummitvanuatutours.com, or just show up and pay $25 per person. Open 9-5 every day except Christmas and Good Friday. There...

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November 2013 issue | Appears on page 59

Europe — Suggested tipping amounts worldwide
By Philip Wagenaar
Who should you tip and how much? A guideline on gratuities worldwide (this month, Europe) (1 of 2)
November 2013 issue | Appears on page 61

Vallarta Botanical Gardens in Mexico
By Yvonne Horn
Hacienda de Oro visitors' center and restaurant is at the heart of the gardens.
Orchids of Mexico are featured in the Vallarta Botanical Gardens in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
November 2013 issue | Appears on page 63

Havana — the sea change
By Randy Keck
The Catedral de la Habana and its namesake plaza graces Old Town Havana. Photos by Randy Keck
Highlights of Havana (1 of 3 on Cuba)
October 2013 issue | Appears on page 2

What airlines and airports do with lost luggage
By David Tykol

Dear Globetrotter:

Knowing that ITN will send a free sample copy of the next-printed issue to anyone anywhere (worldwide) on request, subscriber Susan Bigelow of Palmetto, Florida, asked us to send one to a traveling friend of hers, Judy Gallagher, and included Judy’s address. She added a note about ITN: “It is the best travel magazine I have ever seen.” 

Eager to use that testimonial in my column last month, I hastily typed it up and, referring back to...

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October 2013 issue | Appears on page 58

What's Cooking in... Bali
By Sandra Scott
Grilling the fish satay.

When my husband, John, and I were making arrangements for a March ’13 hotel stay in Bali, Indonesia, we were advised that we could not arrive on March 12th because that was Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of silence, a 24-hour respite from all noise. Even the airport is closed. 

We stayed at the Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort (Jalan Raya Tanah Lot, Box 158, Tabanan 82171, Bali, Indonesia; phone, in US, 877/324-4856). The rate for a room booked online at that time was $195. We...

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October 2013 issue | Appears on page 59

Port Vila, Vanuatu — The least-known cruise destination?

By Lew Toulmin
During the April-to-June yam festival on Pentecost island, land divers risk life and limb to show their masculine prowess.

(Part 1 of 2)

Most Americans have never heard of Vanuatu, and even fewer have heard of its capital, Port Vila. Yet Vila, as it is often called, is becoming a major cruise destination, with about 140 port visits planned by cruise lines over the next 12 months, or about one every two or three days. 

The vast majority of these cruise visits are one-day stops by ships of P&O Cruises (phone, in Australia, 1300 159 454), sailing out of Sydney and Brisbane on a one-week loop...

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