Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

March 2007 issue

Morocco arrangements

My wife, Sandy, and I took a 16-day trip to Morocco, Aug. 29-Sept. 15, 2006, visiting via train the Imperial Cities of Fes, Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. We traveled with a private driver/guide for four days from Marrakech to Fes. We booked our arrangements through the Internet and, excluding airfare, our total cost was about $3,600.

What follows are random thoughts that we hope will be helpful.

Contrary to what Lonely Planet and Rough Guides have to say, the trains in Morocco are poor and don’t run on time. Every train we took and every train we saw while waiting...

July 2008 issue

Tips for Southern Africa

Best meal — This was in Cape Town at the Khaya-Nyama Game Restaurant (267 Long St., Cape Town, 8001, South Africa), which served everything possible, such as buffalo, ostrich, warthog, etc. The average price was $20. Small place; reservations almost a necessity.

Best deal — This was with Explore, out of London, going overlanding for 28 days for $3,000 plus $500 local payment. We were camping for 24 days and had four nights in hotels. All campsites had hot showers. There were some chances to upgrade to hotels or fixed tents.

I have “done” 23 trips with Explore. I book through...

December 2007 issue

Denied Saudi Arabia visa

I was part of a group of eight Americans scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Oct. 22-Nov. 2, 2006, under the auspices of Advantage Travel & Tours. I was the only member of our tour group whose visa was denied. I also was the only member of the group who was Jewish and so indicated on the visa application form question asking us to list our religion.

My travel agent had assured me that the “official policy” of the Saudi government is they do not discriminate on the basis of religion.

My letter respectfully requesting an explanation of my visa denial was ignored by the Saudi...

April 2007 issue

Baltic cruise with two boys

My two sons, aged 11 and 15, went with me on a fabulous 10-night sailing around the Baltic on the MS Amsterdam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA; 800/426-0327, www.hollandamerica.com), June 22-July 1, 2006. Not including airfare, the price was $7,000 for four of us in a family cabin (my husband opted not to go at the last minute). We embarked and disembarked in Copenhagen.

I have a few suggestions for readers going to that area of the world.

Holland America charged around $4 per person per way to get into each port. If you like to walk and want to save $24 round trip (for...

May 2007 issue

Japan’s Ainu

The island of Hokkaido, Japan, conjures up images of wild land and misty mountains where wild bears once roamed. However, on the Muroran, Hokkaido, port stop of our September-October ’05 cruise aboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess, what we first saw were tunnels. We went through at least five long, dark tunnels before we even got a glimpse of the country road.

Our destination was Shiraroi, an Ainu village. The Ainu are the aboriginal people of Japan. They once inhabited the entire archipelago, but about 10,000 years ago they were pushed north into Hokkaido by the “modern”...

November 2007 issue

Airport driver lots

A quick comment on cell-phone parking lots at U.S. airports, mentioned in the September ’07 issue, page 2. . . In July ’07 we had occasion to try the lot at Orlando International Airport while collecting some members of the London Symphony Orchestra for the Florida International Festival in Daytona Beach.

This was not the greatest experience, as the lot was only half paved and had no information except a board showing which airlines arrived at which terminal.

More inconvenient was the distance this lot was from the terminals. It took 15 minutes of hard and crowded driving to...

February 2008 issue

Nothing beats a flush in NZ

Perhaps we do have this in the States, but we’re not finding it in my local home improvement store.

While in New Zealand in 2007, my husband, Jim, and I were impressed that most of the toilets had two levels of flush. You could do a low-use flush or a full flush. What a boon in water saving, even if there were no instructions and it took me two days to figure it out!

MARION DURHAM

Tempe, AZ

August 2008 issue

All set in Santiago

Cecilia Parodi of Sol International Tours (Kodak, TN; 800/765-5657, http://solintl.com) provides excellent service. She arranged for our Feb. 6-7, 2008, stay in Santiago, Chile, and we found her to be efficient and professional, responding immediately to all our questions and concerns.

The four of us women paid $171 per person, which included transfers to and from the airport; our double-occupancy “executive” rooms at the Eurotel Hotel Providencia, and a car, driver and English-speaking guide for an 11-hour city tour. We were very pleased with everything.

NANCY SUMMERS