Travelers' Intercom

I saw the article in the February ’05 issue, page 58. I have always chosen a tour to see different parts of the world, as I am a single traveler (not by choice). I’m hoping readers will write in and let me know how I can avoid the “single supplement.” Is there a central agency I can get in touch with that will supply this information?

I wanted to do a Sicily tour this year but the supplement was almost $600. The only tours I have taken without that charge have been Elderhostel trips (...

CONTINUE READING »

This is in response to Audrey Curtis, who wanted readers to submit articles on traveling alone (May ’05, pg. 122).

I’m a 66-year-old widow, but because my husband and I had different interests (he trekked in Nepal, I dug in Pompeii), while he was still alive we both frequently traveled sepatrately. I was lucky not to be forced, cold turkey, into solo traveling when he died.

For me, it’s more fun to travel with a group. I don’t want to spend every minute of every day with other...

CONTINUE READING »

During my visit to Turkey, Feb. 20-27, ’04, a friend and I had the good fortune to have as our tour guide Ms. Gülden Güllü (1786 s. 8/1 Sagsoz Apt., 35540 Karsiyaka, Izmir, Turkey; cell 90 532 441 9685 or e-mail gulden90@yahoo.com).

Licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, she was the best guide ever (and I am 70 and have been “around” a lot). She was full of facts, history, humor and energy and was most kind.

I can recommend two hotels from this trip: in...

CONTINUE READING »

Well, we finally did it, and I must say that there is not much of Egypt that we did not see! My husband and I, our son and daughter-in-law and our daughter and grandson started a 14-day independent tour of Egypt on June 24, ’04.

Our flights on Iberia Airlines were long, with very long airport layovers. In Madrid we had 10 hours, so we took the metro to the city and visited the Prado Museum. This was very easy to do, as our luggage had been forwarded to Cairo out of New York’s JFK and...

CONTINUE READING »

Here are some restaurants that we enjoyed in Aswan, Egypt, Feb. 6-9, ’05.

Panorama Restaurant is on the Corniche El Nil and across from the EgyptAir office. They are very pleasant here and offer fresh lemonade and banana drink. We had soup, a meat dish (kofte and spicy meat) and drinks for E£50 (about $8).

Aswan Moon, about five minutes north of the Panorama, is also on the Corniche El Nil and across the street from and near the Memnon Hotel. It is on a floating dock. It has...

CONTINUE READING »

Many visitors who in their home country drive on the right-hand side of the road can find driving on the left in Britain a daunting task, but with a little insider information, and by following a few golden rules, they usually get by unscathed.

It’s worth mentioning that, surprisingly, more people in the world drive on the left than on the right. We are often asked in fun, “Why don’t you change over to make life easier,” but the reply is always, “Why don’t you change over to conform...

CONTINUE READING »

One helpful hint for driving abroad is to avoid parking infractions. In Haarlem, Netherlands, several years ago, we found marked spaces with few automobiles and no instructions that we could see. But when we returned from the Franz Hals Museum, in the rain, there was our car — booted. As the rain grew heavier, we had to walk all the way across town to the police station to sort matters out.

Apparently, it was necessary to purchase a ticket from a machine about two blocks from where we...

CONTINUE READING »

Three friends and I booked a trip to Berlin for March 6-11, ’05, with Expedia (www. expedia.com). For $905 each, double occupancy, it included airfare, hotel and ground transportation.

We flew from the Washington Dulles airport to Frankfurt on United and connected with a Lufthansa flight to Berlin. We walked off the plane in Berlin to find our luggage on a carousel directly outside the gate, then walked through security to find our liveried driver outside the door and our new VW...

CONTINUE READING »