Travelers' Intercom

March 2013 issue

Loyalty transferred
By Thomas P. McKenna

The editor’s piece on frequent-flyer-mile programs raised some thoughts (Jan. ’13, pg. 2).

As I recall, when frequent-flyer programs first started, only 12,500 miles were required for a round-trip flight anywhere in the US. That requirement soon changed to 25,000 miles, which remained the standard for decades, during which frequent-flyer miles were generally considered to be worth about seven cents each.

A few years ago I tried to book a flight using my United Airlines miles and discovered that any reasonable flight schedule required 50,000 miles. Comparing the costs of the...

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December 2013 issue

Buyer, beware in Istanbul
By Peggy Scanlon

I was in Istanbul with three family members in September ’13. It was my third trip there, the first for the others. 

One of our group had trouble walking, so we had to use taxis several times. On two occasions, one of us, after giving the driver either a 50- or a 100-lira note, was handed back either a 5- or 20-lira note, far short of what we were owed, with the driver stating that that was the correct change. We couldn’t prove anything so ended up being cheated.

If I ever need to use another taxi in Istanbul, I will, upon paying the driver, say aloud, “I’m handing you 50...

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September 2013 issue

Sights in Ghent, Belgium
By Nancy Norberg

I had read that Ghent, Belgium, is small enough to walk on your own and that its Tourist Information office has a printed walking tour. Tucked back behind a big gate and not well marked, the office was difficult for my husband, Ed, and me to find on a visit in May ’12.

In the city center, the streets to the south of the Korenmarkt (Corn Market) are straight and wide, with elegant mansions of the French-speaking aristocracy. The streets to the north are narrow and winding, with low brick buildings of the Flemish‑speaking working class. The streets come together, more or less, in...

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January 2013 issue

What else to do in Beijing
By Nancy Tan

I took my children and grandchildren, 10 of us, total, to China, June 18-30, 2012. T.E.I. Tours & Travel (Pleasant Hill, CA; 925/825-6104) made all the travel and hotel arrangements for us except for the international flights, and we were extremely happy with their services.

We paid a land price of $2,195 per person, which included two nights in Shanghai, a 4-night Yangtze River cruise, two nights in Chongqing and three in Beijing. Internal airfares added $545 each. (The group flew home from Beijing, and my husband and I stayed for three more days at extra expense.)

Our...

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July 2013 issue

Anzio and Etna

My wonderful Italian cousins are always finding different day trips for us to enjoy when I visit them. On a trip to Italy in August ’12, we visited two very different places.

One was Anzio, site of the famous WWII battle about 56 miles southwest of Rome. From Stazione Termini in Rome, the train ride took about an hour. 

Right outside the Anzio train station was a beautiful fountain of Neptune. Surrounded by palm trees, I found it difficult to imagine this beautiful, serene seaside resort besieged by war.

We visited the American Cemetery, where fallen soldiers from...

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November 2013 issue

Applying for a Russian visa
By Lois Halunen

For any of you intrepid travelers who may be planning to attend the Winter Olympics in Russia in February 2014, it is not too early to take a look online at the Russian visa application form. It is daunting.

Although the Russian Consulate will not accept a visa application until 45 days prior to your trip, finding out what is required ahead of time will help. 

After reviewing the application, myself, I decided to use a visa service company and chose CIBT (eight locations nationwide; 800/929-2428), which was recommended by the tour company my friend, Olga, and I were...

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February 2013 issue

Ball’s Pyramid
By Skip Carpenter

While my wife, Bonnie and I were in the South Pacific on a “2012 Grand World Cruise” aboard Holland America Line’s ms Amsterdam, we sailed by Ball’s Pyramid (coordinates: 31°45'15"S, 159°15'6"E) on Feb. 24, the day before we arrived in Sydney.

Ball’s Pyramid is a rocky, cliff-faced islet rising abruptly from the sea to a remarkable peak. Measuring 1,844 feet high, 3,600 feet in length and 980 feet across, it is classified as an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera that formed about seven million years ago.

Located 12 miles southeast of Lord Howe Island, it is...

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August 2013 issue

Biking along the Fulda
By Ann Abeles

My husband, Fred, and I cycled from Gersfeld to Hannoversch Münden, Germany, April 28-May 3, 2013, on the 4-day, 5-night “Fulda River Bicycle Path” tour offered by BikeToursDirect (Chattanooga, TN; 877/462-2423).

The price, €467 (near $603) per person, included luggage transport between the hotels as well as full breakfasts. Lunches, snacks and dinners with wine or beer added $100-$120 per day, and rentals of 21-speed touring bikes cost $78 per person.

The cost of the tickets for the train from Frankfurt to Gersfeld was about $18 per person and from Hann....

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