International Travel News

Travelers' Intercom

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 39

Inconsiderate behavior

Most of my travel is done with one travel partner or in a group of four, but I realize many travelers prefer the large-group experience and the camaraderie within the group.

My experiences around large tour groups have repeatedly been bad, however, with the tour members’ crowding into aisles in markets or at exits and entrances to buildings, being loud in restaurants and hotels, bumping into others and seeming to forget that there are people around who are not part of their group....

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 58

Aboard Peter Deilmann’s Heidelberg

Together with four couples, my wife, Ana Maria, and I traveled through the rivers and channels of the Netherlands and Belgium, May 10-17, 2008, on a cruise aboard MS Heidelberg booked with Peter Deilmann Cruises, or Deilmann Cruises Europamerica (Alexandria, VA; 800/348 8287, www.deilmann-cruises.com).

The cruise started and ended in Amsterdam. Pre and post cruise we stayed at the Radisson SAS, a good choice since it is located within reasonable distance of the many interesting sights...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 61

Procuring an India visa

My husband, Clyde, and I renewed our passports in June ’08. Then came the task of what to do about our 10-year India tourist visas in the expired passports.

Previously, I reported that the New York Consulate General of India website (www.indiacgny.org) indicated that one could travel to India with two U.S. passports: an expired one with a valid Indian visa and a current one (June ’07, pg. 14 & Sept. ’07, pg. 89). I even verified this on our trip through Indian Immigration in...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 62

NEXUS US/Canada pass

ITN readers who often travel between Canada and the USA before continuing overseas might wish to invest $50 for a 5-year NEXUS (866/639-8726, www.nexus.gc.ca) border pass, which facilitates travel between those two countries.

For those possessing a NEXUS pass and for those airports, such as Vancouver, B.C., that have the system, a Customs and Immigration check in or out of the country is a one-minute procedure. A kiosk reader scans your eyes and requests touchpad answers to four...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 62

Good Samaritans still need ID

I was on a United Airlines flight from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany, in June ’07 when the call came out for medical personnel to identify themselves. A passenger had fainted and fallen and remained unconscious.

A neurologist on board was unable to directly assist the patient since she did not have her medical license with her. Another doctor and I (an R.N.) treated the passenger, taking vital signs and checking her pupils for reactivity.

I asked the airline staff if...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 63

Coral World, near Eilat

South of Eilat, Israel, Coral World Underwater Observatory & Aquarium (phone 08/636-4200 or visit www.coralworld.com), off Derech Mitzraim, is a “must see.” The viewing windows are 20 feet below water level and you can see whatever is swimming by at the moment. There are also very interesting permanent exhibits. (Entry to park and oceanarium, ILS94 [$22] adult, ILS84 child.)

Nearby Coral Beach is excellent for snorkeling. We saw parrotfish, a gray moray and many colorful reef...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 63

Wheelchair traveler

I like to travel. As a full-time wheelchair occupant, having had a stroke 10 years ago, I want to pass along a few observations for handicapped travelers.

I like cruises best. I did do 6,000 miles by auto in summer 2007, but I prefer ships. I have done two Caribbean cruises, in 2006 and 2007, and a 10-day cruise to Manaus, Brazil, in 2008.

Cruising on a 700- to 1,400-passenger ship is best, for me. An elevator is a must.

I prefer to take an aide along as a roommate to...

September 2008 issue | Appears on page 64

Daintree, granddad of rainforests

We tend to think of the Amazon as the granddaddy of all rainforests, but, at a mere 10 million years old, the Amazon is really like a grandchild to the Daintree Rainforest on Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia. Daintree is a unique ecological gem, parts of it being as much as 140 million years old.

On a June trip to Australia with Overseas Adventure Travel (800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com), the cabins we stayed in were pushed right into the trees, and it was like living in the...