Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

July 2008 issue

Guide in Bulgaria

My husband and I traveled in Bulgaria, May 12-16, 2007, with a guide I found on the Internet: Patrick Peneff (e-mail patrick@guide-bg.com or visit www.bulgariaprivateguide. com).

Patrick and I communicated by e-mail, and he made all the arrangements, improving on my itinerary and booking our hotels. He joined us in Sofia with a car and was our driver and guide. He spoke perfect English and was informative, enthusiastic and very helpful.

We paid for our hotels as we went along and for the gas whenever Patrick filled up. He paid for his own expenses, staying in hotels where...

December 2007 issue

Accessible Israel

My husband, Leon, uses a wheelchair, and on our 3-week visit to Israel we found that most places tried to accommodate people with disabilities.

This was true even for the Old City of Jerusalem, where there were curb cuts and ramps here and there. The cobblestones were difficult, but I found that tipping the chair onto the two back wheels helped in maneuvering over the ancient stones. People were very kind and constantly offered to help push the chair up a ramp or over the cobblestones. The newer buildings and museums all were accessible.

Because of the wheelchair, we did not...

April 2007 issue

Driving in Slovenia

Although my wife, Paula, and I have traveled extensively, we prefer using public transit during our trips, allowing us to avoid the stress of driving in strange locales and the hassle of parking in cities. Slovenia, however, is best toured by car, since most of its attractions are not easy to get to by rail or bus.

So for our October ’05 trip to Slovenia (Feb. ’07, pg. 72) we rented a Lancia Musa from Hertz (800/654-3001 or visit www.hertz.com). A week’s rental with unlimited mileage cost $560. The CDW insurance would have cost an additional $100, but our credit card provided that...

May 2008 issue

Keeping up with the TSA

Many travelers are caught by surprise when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) changes the rules about what can be carried aboard aircraft and what constitutes a “prohibited item.” I suggest that before you finish your packing for each trip, you consult the TSA webpage www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm. You are able to sign up for e-mail notification for changes in several categories of interest, including the list of prohibited items.

Just because an item is permitted by the TSA does not mean you may not encounter problems when...

November 2008 issue

Azores pleasures

It’s easy to understand why the Azores, lying in the Atlantic about 800 miles off the coast of Portugal, has never been a stop on any grand tour of Europe. These Portuguese islands boast no great art or museums, have no must-see sights and aren’t known for their beaches or nightlife.

But here’s what they do have: to reach them, a shorter flight from the US than it takes from the US to mainland Europe; volcanic attractions like thermal springs, lava tubes and fumaroles (openings in the earth emitting hot water and steam); views from a Cézanne palette with his greens, oranges and...

November 2007 issue

A farewell to the QE2

The Queen is sold! Long live the Queen!

Little did we realize when boarding the QE2 in Los Angeles on Jan. 22, 2007, for her Silver Jubilee world cruise that the ship’s time afloat was limited*. But soon everyone knew that the venerable old lady of the seas had been sold to

“. . . Dubai World, which plans to turn the liner into a floating luxury hotel anchored at Palm Jameirah, the world’s largest man-made island, in Dubai, UAE,” as reported in ITN (Aug. ’07, pg. 95).

While my wife and I are not cruise buffs, per se, we have enjoyed a few sea voyages, starting in 1957...

October 2007 issue

Paris dining options

I would not go across town to eat there, but if you are in the neighborhood a good light dinner can be had in Paris at Plein Soleil (90 ave. Parmentier, Paris 11e, France).

Located just above the entrance to the Parmentier Métro station, it offers an area non-fumeur — not as good as a salle non-fumeur but better than the choking fog that envelops most Paris restaurants.

On our visit in February ’07 my wife had a tartiflette, which proved to be our old friend scalloped potatoes (appropriate since Parmentier was the father of the potato). She said it was so good, it made her...

March 2008 issue

Is your prescription the right one?

As usual, two weeks before embarking on my upcoming trip, I collected and counted all my medications, throwing in a few extra pills of each kind, just to be safe.

As had been my custom for years, I had checked out each prescription on the Internet before filling it at the pharmacy.

Although the medical sites I was using provided excellent information, they never indicated a medication’s maximum and recommended dosages, stating instead that it was up to the physician to order the proper quantity. Thus I could never find out if the prescribed amount was the right one for me....