Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

July 2008 issue

Guide in Georgia

In Tbilisi, Georgia, in February ’08 I had the best personal guide I have ever had: Anna Uturgauri (Str. R. Eristavi 9, Apt. 1, Tbilisi, 0179 Georgia; e-mail annau@caucasus.net).

She is not quite 23 years old, but I found her, oh, so knowledgeable about Tbilisi and Georgia and any topic that arose.

What made her special, besides being so ebullient, was her desire to help me do what I wanted to do, not what the travel book suggested I should do. I told her I didn’t want to go to any museums because I could go to one or two by myself the following day at my own pace. Instead, I...

December 2007 issue

Europe train tour + UK

We can highly recommend the tour “Great Trains of Europe,” which we took July 8-20, 2007. This was our fourth trip with Grand European Tours, or GET (6000 Meadows Rd., Ste. 520, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; 800/552-5545, www.getours.com), and we were more than satisfied.

The nice thing about GET is they give you a day of leisure at most stops. We flew to London and stayed three nights, took the high-speed Eurostar to Paris, staying two nights, rode the TGV train (200 mph) to Geneva, bused to the train for Zermatt (no cars allowed), where we stayed two nights, then took the Glacier Express...

November 2008 issue

New tour brochure prices retroactive

Three of us from California went on a “Discover New Zealand” trip with Explore, March 2-30, 2008. We booked through Adventure Center in June ’07 based on the published brochure and website price.

In October ’07 we were advised that the cost would be an additional $750, a 15% increase. We already had secured our airfare and paid our deposit as well as bought insurance and felt we had no choice but to pay it.

Our guide was the owner of the local tour company, Antipodean Explorer, that contracts with Explore for this trip. He (told us that) he hadn’t raised the price on this...

April 2007 issue

Tipping on cruise-tours

We went on a 16-day cruise-tour from Beijing to Shanghai, “China’s Cultural Delights,” with Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546, www.vikingrivercruises.com), Aug. 5-21, ’06. Airfare was included, and the price was $5,500.

We were very satisfied with the cruise except for the matter of tips, but since it was our first cruise we didn’t really know what to expect. I believe the cruise brochure “suggested” $6 to $8 per helper per day, which seemed rather steep to us. Other people on the trip thought that amount was standard; otherwise, the cost of the trip would have...

May 2007 issue

Not a locksmith but. . .

Several articles have mentioned the TSA-approved locks. My wife and I had been using the plastic cable ties instead of locks, as the locks put a great deal of strain on the loops of the zippers and have even caused some of the loops to break off.

In April ’06 we took a trip to the Galápagos with Stanford University and they advised us to use the TSA locks when traveling in South America, so we dutifully traipsed off to the lock store and bought two of them.

The locks are made by CCL Security Products of Wheeling, Illinois. On each lock is the word “Prestolock” as well as the...

February 2008 issue

Bills paid before travel

Before a trip, first I arrange for every bill possible — car insurance, phone, etc. — to be paid by my credit cards. I never, never enter anything in a computer. Then I arrange for my credit cards to be paid by my bank automatically every month. I make sure my checking account has enough in it to cover the bills.

For that one guy who will only accept a check, I take care of him separately before the trip. Then I am carefree for a long trip.

I use two credit cards for travel, because both my MasterCard and Visa have been refused in the past. Near Bø, Norway, my girlfriend...

August 2008 issue

Alitalia’s financial woes

The reader’s report of an unpleasant flight on Alitalia (“Disappointed in Their Alitalia Experience,” June ’08, pg. 30) reminded me that, although ITN is the leading source of information on all things travel, sometimes you have to go to the business and financial pages.

Alitalia has been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for over a year. Small wonder, then, that the cabin staff were surly and uncooperative; they were worrying about their jobs. Small wonder, too, that there were few cabin supplies. Fortunately, there was enough fuel to complete the flight.

I am a confirmed...

October 2007 issue

Luggage lessons

We were booked to take United Airlines flight No. 899 from Los Angeles to Narita, Japan, on Oct. 16, 2006. We checked our luggage, then checked in for boarding. Just before boarding, it was announced that the flight was overbooked and that anyone who would take Singapore Airlines flight SQ11 a few hours later would receive an incentive credit of $400. We volunteered for the offer and felt lucky to be among the few people to benefit from such an offer.

However, upon arriving at Narita Airport on Oct. 17, our luggage was missing. We finally received it at our hotel in Nagasaki on...