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September 2014 issue | Appears on page 14

Instead of Heathrow

By Cory & Lou Pepoy

If you’re visiting anywhere in England outside the London area, consider using the Manchester or Birmingham airport rather than Heathrow, as each is so much easier and less congested. In addition to the big American and continental carriers, they also serve most of the smaller airlines, like Flybe, Ryanair, Germanwings, etc.

We flew on United from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Manchester Airport (via Washington Dulles), and we have two caveats to pass along. First, the American airlines...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 16

Returning to France after just a few years

By Michael Mahoney

Here are some reflections on a return visit to France, Oct. 26-Nov. 7, 2013, after four years away.

• The flight on Air France (800/237-2747) from San Francisco to Paris, nonstop, was good as ever. Two hours after dinner, the cabin crew handed out ice cream bars to the passengers.

Unless I’ve been growing taller, which seems unlikely, the seat pitch in economy in the Airbus was screwed down about as far as it could go. My knees were firmly pressed against the seat in front....

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 25

Apartment rental scam

By Steven Cole

Editor’s note: In the following letter, ITN is withholding the identities of certain individuals.

In late 2013 my wife, Sharon, and I started planning a trip to Hong Kong and sought to rent an apartment, as, versus staying in a hotel room, we like the extra space, and occasionally we like to cook a meal.

We tried various websites that list holiday apartments and, at first, didn’t find quite what we were looking for. Then, one day, we found an apartment on Craigslist.com that...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 26

Wanted more direct air routing to ship

By James Eggleston

Editor’s note: ITN was emailed a copy of the following letter, sent by a subscriber to Oceania Cruises.

My husband, Stephen, and I traveled aboard the Riviera on the “Italian Escapade” cruise, July 3-13, 2013, sailing from Rome to Venice and including Florence, Sorrento/Capri, Amalfi/Positano, Taormina, Corfu, Kotor and Dubrovnik.

We have traveled on four other cruise lines, and our experience aboard the Riviera was, by far, the best.

The atmosphere was, indeed, casual...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 28

From Vatican to Holy Land on Azamara Journey

By June Diehl

My husband, Bob, and I took a cruise from Italy to Israel aboard the Azamara Journey of Azamara Cruises (Miami, FL; 877/999-9553).

We had a balcony room, and the trip cost $3,499 per person (plus $137 in taxes), which included gratuities, drinks (but not specialty drinks) and a shore excursion. Insurance with Travel Guard cost $327 each. We purchased air travel through Azamara and ChoiceAir, paying $1,274 each and each getting a ship’s credit of $500.

On Oct. 4, 2013, we flew...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 30

Returning to dreamlike Japan

By Sunny B. Buchanan

What is it about certain cities or countries that makes them so magical that they seem to call you to return? After my first trip to Japan in March 2010, I couldn’t shake the dreamlike visions from my mind.

I found an ad in ITN for “Japan on the Colorful Road” with Essential Travel & Tours (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; 310/544-9596). After talking to them, I knew this was the trip I needed to take to see if Japan was as wonderful as the vision I had in my mind.

The tour I took...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 31

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

By George Dottl

My wife and I discovered a new beach paradise during our trip to Vietnam in January and February 2014. The temperature was 87°F every day, with a low of 70°F at night. Long Beach is a great beach, and during our visit it had hardly any waves. The water was so calm, we saw parents floating their babies on inflatables.

We stayed at La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc (Tran Hung Dao St., Duong Dong Beach, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam; phone +84 [0] 77 3982 988), which is, in my opinion, the best...

September 2014 issue | Appears on page 31

Southeast Asia touring

By Deborah Zack

My sister and I (both seniors) took a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, Dec. 16, 2013-Jan. 2, 2014. We set up the trip about eight months in advance through a travel agent, Stacy Robinson Kores of Protravel International (Chicago, IL; 312/895-4608). I would rate her a “10” for her dedication in making our tour right.

In arranging the itinerary, Stacy used Swain Destinations (Ardmore, PA; 800/227-9246).

One thing — often, where our itinerary said “all day,” it actually ended up...