Funniest thing

March 2022 issue

Franc discussion
By Ed Graper

This month’s winner is ED GRAPER of Goleta, California:

A bit ago I was sitting on a bench in front of Café Lenôtre, near rue Cler in Paris, enjoying one of their amazing pastries when I was forcefully accosted by a beggar. Recognizing me as a foreigner, in perfect English he demanded money.

Thinking “How can I escape?”, I decided to be clever. I responded in my second language, Spanish.

His demands continued, without a missing a breath, in perfect Spanish!

Tell us about something humorous that happened to you while traveling outside the...

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April 2022 issue

No “air fluff” cycle?
By Kevin Edwards

This month’s winner KEVIN EDWARDS of Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Some 10 years ago I went to France with my wife, my sister and my brother-in-law. We enjoyed the sights in Paris for several days, then decided to visit Giverny, the house and gardens of the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

After taking the train to Vernon, the nearest town to Giverny, we decided to walk the 6 kilometers to the site, but before starting off, my sister and my wife needed to use the toilet. Fortunately, there was a modern pay toilet by the Vernon train station.

The toilet cost...

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February 2022 issue

Breakthrough in communication
By Jennie and Denzil Verardo

This month’s winners are JENNIE and DENZIL VERARDO of Elk Grove, California:

Following a trip to the Loire Valley, we had returned via high-speed train to the Montparnasse rail station in Paris. We hailed a taxi, and Jennie explained in French where we wished to be taken.

When the driver didn’t understand, we thought Jennie might have mispronounced the location, so she handed the driver the hotel’s card.

He looked at it, said, “Oh,” then carefully read it out loud, a syllable at a time.

It was only then that we realized he didn...

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January 2022 issue

Don't mention it
By Joyce Renee Lewis

This month’s winner is JOYCE RENEE LEWIS of Camano Island, Washington:

As a longtime backpacker, on both short and long trips, I suddenly had an epiphany and asked myself, “Why am I hauling around my dirty panties?” From that date, I started saving my old panties for future trips, and each night I would toss the used pair in the campfire (back when you could have a campfire, which dates me considerably). 

As an inveterate traveler, I decided to do the same, just throwing the old pair in my hotel room bathroom’s trash each morning. All went well...

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December 2021 issue

Chance meeting
By Jim Royle

This month’s winner is JIM ROYLE of San Diego, California:

On a trip around southwestern Western Australia in 2009, I got to the town of Esperance, with plans to visit Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid national parks. I intended to camp but wasn’t sure if there would be space in the campground at the more remote Cape Arid. If there wasn’t, I knew I wouldn’t have time to drive all the way back before dark. Ideally, I wanted to spend the night somewhere between the two parks. To see if there was any such place, I visited the Visitor Information Centre in Esperance....

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November 2021 issue

Her Polish not so polished
By Roger Ecker

This month’s winner is ROGER ECKER of Alameda, California:

The Soviet Union had collapsed and travel had opened up. My wife, Judy, and I, along with two of my brothers and their wives, rented a van in Vienna and traveled for several days through the Czech Republic, Poland. Slovakia and Hungary. In Poland, we arrived in Kraków in time for lunch at our hotel, the Holiday Inn.

Our waiter was lively, friendly and talkative. We learned that he had recently returned from exile in Paris, now that the borders were open.

My sister-in-law wanted to order iced tea with her...

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October 2021 issue

Good student
By Carol Peim

This month’s winner is CAROL PEIM, from Hendersonville, NC:

In March 2019 I was in Australia buying boulder opals. They are opals that are still encased in brown stone. I asked the owner of the store what the brown stone was called and she said, “Einstein.” I looked puzzled and asked why it was called that and she just said that that was its name.

When I went to another store and they asked if I knew what the brown stone around the opal was called, I proudly answered, “Einstein.”

She smiled and said, “Yes, that’s right,...

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September 2021 issue

Flattery will get you nowhere
By Russell Gluck

This month’s winner is RUSSELL GLUCK of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey:

My wife and I have observed that, during our travels abroad, the local guides generally have spoken English quite well, although they often had difficulties with idioms. An example of this occurred a few years ago while we were visiting China, where the guide’s command of English appeared to be excellent.

Our group had just gotten onto the tour bus in Beijing when one of our fellow travelers said something very complimentary to the guide. We all burst out laughing when she responded, “Oh,...

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