When my wife, Bonnie, and I travel, I take along a Berlitz language phrase book and dictionary. There is one book for each language. It is small, about 4"x5"x½", and is divided into sections, such as Eating Out, Shopping, Making Friends. It has a limited dictionary. 

From it, I am able to learn a few of the language basics. The issue is that my pronunciation and accent sound like Greek to the locals. 

The nice part about this booklet is that it has phrases and nouns, say, for...

In ITN, I especially enjoy reading travelers’ write-ups about countries on the list of places my husband, Juergen, and I want to visit. For those countries, in addition to the travelers’ experiences, I am especially interested in the tour companies used and the costs, as we like to take customized private tours.

For example, Carol Probst’s article “Albania – Enjoying Europe Without the Costs and Crowds” (Dec. ’12, pg. 36) made our planning for a May 2013 trip to Albania very easy. We...

In France, check out the cheap bus transportation between the Nice-Côte d’Azur airport and Riviera towns. 

My husband, David, and I often visit my French mother in Juan-les-Pins, which is between Cannes and Nice. In the past, we took the No. 200 bus from the gare routière (bus station) at Nice’s Terminal 1, but that stop was discontinued. 

Now you must walk to the bus stop on the Promenade des Anglais to catch the bus. It is not a long walk, but you have to pass under the...