Travelers' Intercom

The following is ITN’s summary of a more-than-a-year-long investigation. — Editor

A subscriber, “Mr. Z,” wrote to ITN on Dec. 26, 2011, regarding a Caucasus-region tour that he took to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia with Kutrubes Travel (328 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116), Sept. 14-28, 2011.

Mr. Z explained that he had paid for the tour (this amount included $185 for a visa for Azerbaijan) and that on Aug. 10 he sent his passport to the tour company so that his Azerbaijani visa could be procured along with those of the other two members of the tour.

On Sept. 12, one...

CONTINUE READING »

I read the subscriber’s article “Searching for Wildlife in Three of India’s Top Tiger Reserves” (Aug. ’12, pg. 44), in which the writer described his disappointment. About four years ago I went to the same parks in India but in reverse order, although, except in Kaziranga, I stayed in different camps. I saw seven different tigers, one for 20 minutes as he walked ahead of and behind us.

Outside of a place like the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where the animals are in enclosures, it is dumb luck to see a tiger anywhere. It’s not like Chief’s Island in Botswana where the...

CONTINUE READING »

On a trip to Argentina that my husband, Jerry, and I made with another couple in October ’12, the experience would not have been nearly as rewarding had I not followed the advice of some ITN readers (April ’06, pg. 58; Nov. ’06, pg. 55, et al.) who, for anyone spending time in Buenos Aires, strongly recommended B&B Olleros 3000* (Olleros 3000 Colegiales, Buenos Aires, 1426, Argentina; phone 54 0 11 4554 7269, fax 4554 1097), located at the intersection of Olleros and Zapiola. 

The proprietress, Claudine Van Hemelryk, was great to work with, answering all of my questions via...

CONTINUE READING »
My husband, David, and I took a wonderful 16-day trip to India planned and coordinated for us by Indebo.
Rhino in Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Photo: Holt

My husband, Clyde, and I took a 35-day trip to India in March-April 2012 with arrangements made by Swagatam Tours (New Delhi, India; phone 91 11 25444000, fax 25444010).

We arrived at the Jaldapara Tourist Lodge-Maldarihat (phone/fax 91 3563 262230 or 91 3563 262606), one of the lodges where visitors to the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal stay. Swagatam had made our lodging arrangements, but the rack rate we saw was INR2,500 (near $45). Our wooden cottage with A/C was sufficient for our short stay, but we felt the food left much to be desired.

We would have...

CONTINUE READING »

In ITN, I especially enjoy reading travelers’ write-ups about countries on the list of places my husband, Juergen, and I want to visit. For those countries, in addition to the travelers’ experiences, I am especially interested in the tour companies used and the costs, as we like to take customized private tours.

For example, Carol Probst’s article “Albania – Enjoying Europe Without the Costs and Crowds” (Dec. ’12, pg. 36) made our planning for a May 2013 trip to Albania very easy. We emailed the Probsts’ guide, Enea Kumi, and told him we wanted just what the Probsts had requested...

CONTINUE READING »

I read the letters from people who had traveled to countries, listened to music and later sought that music out (Aug. ’13, pg. 56). As someone who received her degree in ethnomusicology, I have a few suggestions that might help travelers find recordings of the music they’re seeking.

If you know the name of the act (person or group), check to see if they may have something on YouTube.com. So many performers these days utilize this platform to promote their music. 

Sometimes, just doing a search on Google of something like “music from Bali” pulls up names of performers, but...

CONTINUE READING »

Kathy Wilhelm made excellent points in her letter “Buying Train Tickets Online” (Nov ’12, pg. 11).

Before leaving for a May-June ’12 trip to Italy, in late February I purchased several tickets from Trenitalia by setting up an account on the company’s website and booking Mini Fares (now called Super Economy) for all my long-distance train trips. By booking ahead, I saved a considerable amount of money.

For example, a ticket from Trieste, Italy, to Padova usually costs €27 ($35), but, by booking a Mini Fare online, I paid only €9.

Mini Fares are available on most train...

CONTINUE READING »