Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

July 2006 issue

Self-service check-in snag

Airport self-service check-in kiosks look great and sound great; unfortunately, they are of no value to someone like me because they cannot verify my age.

My wife and I are seniors and we get great prices on air tickets by using senior discounts. I normally purchase tickets via a phone reservation, then have an electronic ticket with e-mail confirmation. Since, at the airport, the machines cannot satisfy the airlines that we are being truthful about our age, we’re always stuck to wait it out (usually in line) for a “live body” from the airline to check our I.D.s and verify our ages...

December 2005 issue

To keep valuables

I had the gift of a lifetime in 2002 in that I was able to take a year-long sabbatical and travel around the world. I visited 30 countries in 333 days on the Oneworld airline alliance pass. It was a life-altering journey offering up the best year of my life. I am writing, however, to inform ITN readers of a valuable lesson that I learned the hard way.

While on a stopover in London, I visited the big orange easyInternetCafé across from Victoria Station. I found a quiet corner cubicle and wedged my small day pack beneath my feet up against the wall in the corner. When finished with my...

April 2005 issue

Travails of winter travel

In the article “Rewards of Winter Travel” (Sept. ’04, pg. 46), the author begged to differ with those who shun winter travel. Well, I beg to differ with her.

Yes, one can travel prepared with layering, proper footwear and raingear, but rain, even prepared for, can put a damper on any trip. We had rain eight out of 10 days in Croatia in November ’04.

I agree that the lack of crowds is delightful, but the flip side of the off-season is that many, nay most, hotels and even B&Bs are closed. As the above-mentioned writer was traveling with a group, no doubt with prearranged...

May 2006 issue

Ensuring credit card usage overseas

For several years my wife, Paula, and I have used the same airline-affiliated Visa cards without incident, traveling to Malaysia, Chile, Slovakia, etc. Recently, the airline began transitioning to a MasterCard issued by a different bank than the Visa issuer. During the application process for the new MasterCard, I told a representative of the bank’s credit card operation that we would soon leave for Spain and that we intended to use our new credit cards there. (We each were getting a new credit card.) She stated that this would not be a problem and even offered to overnight the credit...

October 2005 issue

CDG Airport woes

From a May-June ’05 trip to Europe, here are two caveats.

1. Beware of the short flight connection.

My wife and I decided to use up our Skymiles before the airline went bankrupt, so we organized a 3-week trip to Ireland. It was too late to get a direct flight, but a young lady at Delta worked diligently with us and finally found a way to get us from Daytona Beach to Atlanta to Newark to Manchester, where we picked up an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin.

The only foreseeable snag was on the return, which could be managed only via Paris. The itinerary showed a one-hour...

February 2006 issue

Venice airport-city transfer

Clean, modern and well-equipped, Venice, Italy’s, Marco Polo Airport (www.veniceairport.it) provides a convenient gateway to the city, but the transfer between the airport and your hotel certainly won’t be the highlight of your visit.

Any good, recent guidebook should detail the choices and direct you to the websites of the various service providers. During an October ’05 visit to Venice, my wife and I learned a few lessons that will help you know what to expect and make the right choice.

Before you leave home, determine your hotel’s location. Is it near a vaporetto stop or,...

August 2006 issue

A slow drive down Germany’s Romantic Road

by Harvey Hagman, Fort Myers Beach, FL

On my first trip along Germany’s Romantic Road, I didn’t know I was on it. It was July 1968 and I was sleeping in a tent outside the old walled town of Dinkelsbühl when I awoke to trumpets blaring and horses galloping. Sleepily, I peered out on riders in brilliant medieval costumes.

I had blundered into the Kinderzeche, this thousand-year-old town’s annual celebration that dates back to the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). In 1632, Swedish troops under Colonel Sperreuth laid siege to the town. After stiff resistance, it fell. As the...

November 2005 issue

Call for airport-ship/hotel transport

As avid travelers, we have been to over 100 countries. We love to cruise, and there is one thing we have a hard time finding good information about: how to get from the airport to the cruise port in an economical manner.

Since we purchase our own airfare, we do not have this transportation included in our cruise ticket, and we find the fees that the cruise lines charge to be exorbitant! Also, the local taxi companies seem to up the price significantly compared to the standard taxi rate for the same distance. If we could find a book that contained specific information, we would...