Columns

September 2006 issue

Over-age-70 drivers in Ireland, driving Mediterranean islands
Q

Steve, I have heard that a driver over 70 years of age cannot rent a car in the Irish Republic. I called the Irish tourist office and their representative did not seem to know much about it but said it was probably “an insurance thing.” What can you tell me about this? Is it the government, the rental car companies or the insurance companies — or all three — that are behind this age discrimination? Are there any exceptions? Could we rent a car in Belfast, which is in the U.K., and then drive it into Ireland? — Thomas McKenna, Montpelier, VT

A

Dear Thomas, all rental car companies...

CONTINUE READING »
December 2006 issue

Friendly French, transportation options in Ireland

DEAR READER, I’d like to share an incident with you that I had on a recent trip to France.

Nearly a thousand years ago, in 1066 to be exact, one of my ancestors moved from a small village in Normandy to England and founded our family. He became known as “Gilbert of (or from) Venables,” and his descendants simply became Venables (without the “of”). Now every five years, the village, north of Paris on the Seine River and still small, hosts a party and all Venables are invited back to attend. This year, three of my cousins traveled with me to attend.

We picked up a rental a car...

CONTINUE READING »
October 2006 issue

Ballindalloch Castle, Norweigan Coastal Voyage
Q

Steve, I just wanted to express my appreciation for your article “A Wee Taste of Scotland” in the April ’06 issue. Amazingly, I’ve been to all of the places you mentioned. We’ve visited many Scotch whisky distilleries, and Strathisla is our favorite. But most of all, I appreciated the mention of Ballindalloch Castle. Surprisingly, I know nobody else who has been there. It’s probably the most picture-perfect castle I’ve ever seen, and I had the best ploughman’s lunch ever in its tearoom. One question — how does one pronounce Ballindalloch? We got slightly lost on our way there and asked a...

CONTINUE READING »
August 2006 issue

Boarding Pass
By David Tykol

Dear Globetrotter: Welcome to the 366th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

98.5% of ITN subscribers have passports. (With your fellow readers, you’re in good company. No other magazine can claim such a high percentage.) So for most of you, the following reminder will merely be something to tell your friends.

If you’re scheduled to take a trip that has you, on or after Dec. 31 of this year, returning to the United States by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, Central or South America, the Caribbean or Bermuda, you will need to have a passport.

A year later,...

CONTINUE READING »
April 2006 issue

Boarding Pass
By David Tykol

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 362nd issue of your overseas travel magazine. That’s over 30 years of publishing monthly — since 1976.

Just a “heads up” here — the drought of the last few years in East Africa had, at press time, affected hydroelectric production not only in Uganda but in Tanzania. Money for infrastructure projects as well as essential services was being diverted to the importation of thermal power plants and diesel subsidies. Low lake water levels were making it difficult for cargo ferries to reach jetties, as well.

If you’re visiting soon, be...

CONTINUE READING »
November 2006 issue

Routine Immunizations

(First of three parts)

No one likes getting shots. Travelers are particularly averse to jabs. So why bother? Protection.

Immunization, which is interchangeable with “vaccination,” aims to protect you from disease which can be debilitating or fatal. This is done by introducing a weakened or inert (read: dead) form of the germ (and, soon, cancer) so that your immune system sees the enemy and prepares for battle before the war begins. When the real thing gets into your body, your immune system has had time to make bullets specifically aimed at that germ, and so you have either...

CONTINUE READING »
May 2005 issue

Reviewers’ Corner

“Cycle Europe, 20 Tours, 12 Countries” by Jerry Soverinsky (2004, MBI Publishing Co. ISBN 0760318697 — 400 pp., $19.95 paper). When you are motivated to spend a couple of weeks on an adventure on wheels through Europe, this is the “bible” you must take with you.

How does this book differ from other guidebooks? It is highly readable because of its rich mixture of humor. It also makes planning vacations easy because of the abundance of road detail.

I was impressed with Jerry Soverinsky’s skill at inviting the reader to hop on his bike and pedal through his favorite parts of...

CONTINUE READING »
June 2006 issue

Boarding Pass
By David Tykol

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 364th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

The results of a recent study are based on the typical expenses of business travelers rather than tourists, but Oslo is now reportedly the most expensive city in the world, displacing Tokyo. Trailing those two are Reykjavik, Osaka, Paris, Copenhagen, London, Zürich, Geneva and Helsinki. The rankings were derived by the consulting firm Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), based in London.

Other firms arrive at different rankings. Mercer Consulting (New York; www.mercerhr.com) still...

CONTINUE READING »