Columns

October 2013 issue

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 paid a media rate of $125 per night plus tax.

While most of the people in Indonesia are...

CONTINUE READING »
December 2013 issue

What's Cooking in... Ottawa
By Sandra Scott
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Secrets behind Truffled Poutine
November 2014 issue

What's Cooking in... Honduras
By Sandra Scott
TOP: Olvin with a typical Honduran breakfast. MIDDLE: Huevos Rancheros ingredients at the ready. BOTTOM: Eggs cooking in the sauce. Photos by Sandra Scott

I love jungle waterfalls and have played in many a pool at the bottom of a cascade. For a visit my husband, John, and I made to Honduras in June 2014, there was one place I particularly wanted to stay because of its location at the foot of a fall on the Bejuco River. It was Las Cascadas Lodge (Km. 6 Carretera a Yaruca, La Ceiba, Honduras; phone [504] 9923 6237 or, the Florida office, 352/385-7555, www.lascascadaslodge.com). 

The 3-room, boutique lodge lies east of La Ceiba at kilometer 6 Carretera a Yaruca. The turn, which is easy to miss, is east of the bridge over the...

CONTINUE READING »
December 2020 issue

Airlines to fill middle seats. Study on COVID transmission on planes. New ITN Travel Awards
By David Tykol
ITN is now smartphone-friendly.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 537th issue of your monthly worldwide travel magazine. Though featuring fewer pages than in previous years, and despite all that’s happened since the coronavirus showed up, ITN is still in production. We appreciate the continuing support of those who have felt moved to respond to Evenyl Roemmich’s “Travel Resource Challenge” (July ’20, pg. 26). It truly helps. Thank you.

•

This magazine is largely subscriber-written, and letters have started coming in with recommendations for travel in the United States. It...

CONTINUE READING »
January 2021 issue

Today’s Berlin — freedom’s victory dance
By Rick Steves
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, now a symbol of peace and reunification. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe an occasional dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here are some of my favorite European memories from Berlin — a reminder of the learning adventures that await us at the other end of this crisis.

•

I have a powerful image stuck in my mind of Berlin — bombed to rubble in 1945 and then divided by its notorious wall during the Cold War — as a city emblematic of the defeat of fascism and communism in Europe and a victory dance of capitalism and freedom.

Like ancient...

CONTINUE READING »
July 2021 issue

Airlines reimpose ticket-change fees. Countries' COVID-related entry requirements.
By David Tykol
A Hoffman’s two-toed sloth — Costa Rica.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 544th issue of your monthly worldwide travel magazine, keeping you abreast of your travel possibilities… and of travel news you might find of interest.

•

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many US airlines, including all of the big three (American, United and Delta), made it possible for travelers to change all tickets or get refunds without having to pay fees. This was especially appreciated by people whose plans were constantly changing, especially for international travel, due...

CONTINUE READING »
March 2021 issue

President Biden signs new travel-related orders. Airlines that filed for bankruptcy in 2020
By David Tykol
The port town of Ålesund, Norway.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 540th issue of your monthly worldwide travel magazine — our 45th anniversary issue!

The May 2020 and January 2021 issues had to be published online only (no mailed copies) due to the drop in supportive tour company advertising resulting from the COVID-caused shutdown in travel worldwide, but travelers are looking forward to the day when they can get back on the road and in the air.

I want to once again thank the many people who responded to the Travel Resource Challenge posed by ITN subscriber Evenyl Roemmich (July ’20, pg...

CONTINUE READING »
April 2021 issue

COVID-vaccinated travelers' benefits. Cruise lines selling ships. Tripadvisor's user warning
By David Tykol
Narikala Fortress, overlooking the Old Town of Tbilisi, Georgia, dates to the 4th century.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 541st issue of your monthly worldwide travel magazine, “yours” because it is largely comprised of letters, articles and photographs submitted by you and your fellow subscribers.

One regular reader of ITN, Helen Harper of Mill Valley, California, wrote, “Thanks so much for all your work on this magazine. I love it and eagerly await its arrival each month, especially now that we can only dream and plan for travel, which we hope will be possible again one of these days.”

That day is getting closer. Read on.

... CONTINUE READING »