Travelers' Intercom | International Travel News

January 2011 issue

Driving in Switzerland?

There are two things travelers planning to drive in Switzerland need to be warned about.

1) In Switzerland, the road-tax sticker, called a vignette, is mandatory if you travel on the Autobahn or on equivalent roads (those signed in white and green). It must be displayed on the windshield and stays with the car. It is not transferable.

The price is 40 Swiss francs (near $40), and it can be purchased, before you enter Switzerland, at gas stations, convenience stores, post offices and also right on the border at the border-police locations. In Germany, you can also get it at all...

November 2010 issue

On credit cards

I have traveled extensively overseas and have never run into any problems using my US credit cards. I usually use my Capital One Visa, as I think I get better rates with it. I never use debit cards.

A few years ago in Denmark, a chocolate shop wouldn’t take my American Express card. The store owner told me they could send their Visa and MasterCard charges in one package and the processing center would separate them, but American Express wouldn’t cooperate, so the store just didn’t accept AmEx.

Also, I never notify my credit card issuers that I’m going someplace. It seems to...

July 2010 issue

Thai food in India

In Delhi, India, I recommend the splendid Spice Route Restaurant in the Imperial Hotel (Janpath, New Delhi 110001, India; phone +91 11 2334 1234). The venue itself is like visiting an art gallery.

We were there in January ’09 and the Thai food was outstanding. It was a little on the expensive side for India but well worth it.

JUDIE KESSON

Coronado, CA

An Express Lunch at The Spice Route costs INR2,000 (near $47) per person.

January 2004 issue

Guides in Romania

My wife and I spent four days in Romania with a local guide at the end of October ’03. In addition to seeing Bucharest, we traveled into the mountains and saw the wonders of Sighisoara, Brasov and Sinaia, plus some wonderful villages still not overrun with tourists.

Our guide found us fantastic lodgings in bed-and-breakfast homes which averaged about $14 per night. Romania is still one of the cheapest places on Earth. Great meals could be had in Bucharest for under $20 a couple, including multiple courses and a bottle of wine.

I really recommend seeing this country with...

April 2010 issue

Hold that train

European trains generally run on time, but if your train is delayed and you have a tight connection, even the Swiss sometimes will hold the following train a few minutes until the arriving train comes in and passengers can transfer.

This happened to us on Oct. 9, 2009, when our Milan-to-Basel train was delayed 45 minutes by some security issue. The officials held the Luxembourg train we needed to catch, and passengers made the connection.

If you find yourself in such a situation, it doesn’t hurt to seek out the contrôleur (conductor) on the tardy train and explain your...

May 2010 issue

Awaiting refund for canceled cruise

My husband and I phoned Elegant Cruises on March 31, 2009, and booked a two-week Adriatic cruise on the ship Monet for Nov. 4-18, 2009. On a total of $9,270, we sent a deposit of $1,500 that day by check. The company accepted our last payment on Aug. 4.

On Sept. 22 they phoned to inform us that they would not be sailing. A follow-up e-mail said, “due to the current economic situation, we have been forced to lay up the ship for the rest of the season of 2009. A full refund of your cruise will be sent, and we would also cover the cancellation fee on the airline ticket.”

I...

February 2011 issue

Save those documents

Upon returning from a September-October 2010 trip to Ethiopia, I had two occasions to use the papers that I had squirreled away relating to the trip.

When I landed at the airport in Addis Ababa after a Lufthansa flight, I realized that my almost-new suitcase with the four rotating wheels (which I had purchased after hunting all over town) was badly damaged. The zipper was broken, there was a dent in the frame and the material was torn.

Even though I was tired, I persisted in the lengthy process of filing a written complaint at the airport. I made sure I got a copy of the...

January 2011 issue

Car rental experiences

I agree with the travelers who take digital pictures of their rental cars upon picking them up (Sept. ’10, pg. 40). I do so, myself, and although I have returned cars with a scratch or two it has never been an issue.

I have found that rental cars tend to be inspected more thoroughly at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports than they are at the less-well-known airports (e.g., Bristol), where the return inspections have been cursory or nonexistent. I do get a “prerental” damage description from the rental agent.

We rented a car at and returned it to Heathrow in June 2010. The...