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In mid-July we mailed a survey to 1,000 ITN subscribers. By mid-August we had just about 800 responses. To show our appreciation, we’re giving out $800 worth of prizes. The prizes are sixteen 50-dollar gift certificates for the travel-supply company Magellan’s.

We don’t know who returned the surveys, so, at random, selections were made from the list of those to whom the surveys were sent.

The winners were, from east to west: Mark Benvenuti, Holliston, MA; Madeline Selden, Westport, CT; Irene Cherevaty, Chester, NJ; Dr. & Mrs. J. Linhart, Purchase, NY; Singlea Hall, New...

On my last trip to Europe, I didn’t take my usual $200 cash reserve. With just a few bucks in my wallet, I landed in Madrid, relying entirely on two ATM cards and no cash safety net. It turned out okay.

At the airport, I withdrew some euros from an ATM and tucked the bills into my money belt. After decades of traveling to Europe, I have found that the cheapest, safest way to go is to pay with cash for most items and withdraw money as I zip from one place to the next. The reason? To cut down on fees and fraud.

I realize fees don’t make an exciting topic, at least...

You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, “Every year I pack heavier.” The measure of a good traveler is how light he or she travels. You can’t travel heavy, happy and cheap. Pick two.

Too much luggage and camera gear marks you as a typical tourist. It throws up a wall between you and the grizzled Spanish fisherman mending his net. Serendipity suffers. Changing locations becomes a major operation. Con artists figure you’re helpless and move in. But with one bag hanging on your back, you’re mobile and in control — and less...