Travelers' Intercom

June 2004 issue

Narrowboat in Wales

Along with another couple, my wife and I “narrowboated” the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in southeast Wales at the end of July ’03. We hired our narrowboat through Beacon Park Boats and had a wonderful experience.

Alistair and Sarah Kirkpatrick, the owners of BPB, furnished us with a practically new, 52-foot narrowboat that had two separate bedrooms with adjoining shower/toilet/sink (as well as a cellphone, in case we had any problems). The rental cost for one week, Saturday to Saturday, was $1,700; i.e., each couple paid $850.

We took the canal from Abergavenny to...

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September 2012 issue

Picturesque Madeira
A thatch-roofed cottage near Santana, Madeira.

An optional extension to Madeira proved to be the highlight of a trip my husband, Al, and I took this spring. It followed our eighth trip with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; 800/321-2835), the 15-day “Spain and Portugal in Depth” tour, March 18-April 6, 2012, which cost $2,395 per person plus $910 each for air from St. Louis.

The tour leader was excellent and gave us a lot of interesting information. We enjoyed seeing the cathedrals, mosques, monuments, churches and markets.

Four of us continued on to the island for five days at $995 per person.

In Funchal, the...

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July 2004 issue

A special place in the South Pacific

If you enjoy discovering new places, here is a very special treat.

Approximately 420 miles east of Sydney, Australia, is Lord Howe Island. It was discovered in 1788 and named after the English First Lord of the Admiralty. It is a remnant of a large shield volcano that erupted from the sea about seven million years ago and is now estimated to be one-fortieth of its original size. The island measures seven miles by one mile, with most of the population living in the northern part.

The spectacular landscape includes mountains and cliffs climbing to 875 meters. The area abounds...

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August 2004 issue

Making the best of a canceled cruise

We received a letter today, April 15, from the American Canadian Caribbean Line (461 Water St., Warren, RI 02885; phone 800/556-7450). Inside we found a voucher along with a visa refund slip for a cruise we had planned to take from Belize City. This cruise, on their ship Grande Mariner, was to begin on March 25, ’04.

That day, 48 passengers were looking forward to 12 days in the sun, snorkeling and relaxing on a small ship. We had just come back from a company-planned pre-cruise trip into the Belize interior.

Our captain, Mike, called a meeting of all on board. The news was...

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February 2012 issue

Panama and Kuna Yala

I took the 11-day land tour of Panama, “From the Pacific to the Caribbean,” in March ’11 with Explore! Worldwide (based in the UK, with an office in Oakland, CA; 800/715-1746). It was a good experience. The land cost was $1,670 plus a single supplement of $505. There were nine participants: four from the UK, two Canadians and three Americans. With a good background in the history and natural history of Panama, our local guide, Kenny Weeks, was excellent and accommodated our special interests as well. In addition to having a city tour, we visited the Panama Canal at Miraflores Locks, toured...

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June 2009 issue

India arrangements

Julie Skurdenis’ article on Gujarat (March ’09, pg. 62) brought back many pleasant memories of the trip my wife, Audrey, and I took there in 2003, especially of sites like the Modhera Sun Temple and the hike up Mount Shatrunjaya in Palitana.

Our party included a (then) 80-year-old friend who insisted she could make it up the nearly 4,000 steps at Palitana without the doolie (dholi, or litter) carriers. She did, and we made many new friends as we stopped along the way. The Indian pilgrims were amazed to see an older Westerner with such stamina!

My only disappointment with the...

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March 2012 issue

A glimpse at Macedonia and Kosovo
I took a fascinating trip to Macedonia and Kosovo, March 10-20, 2011. These countries were the two components of the former Yugoslavia that I had never visited, and I explored them with Dzengis Patel, an outstanding guide and driver.
April 2012 issue

Charming San Marino

A tiny, picturesque country encircled by Italy, San Marino is the oldest surviving constitutional republic in the world, dating back to AD 301. It’s noted for its postage stamps and tax-free shopping.

For my son, Mark, and myself, I arranged a two-day trip to San Marino for October ’11 through Hotels.com (800/246-8357). For two people, round-trip air from Rome to Rimini, Italy, and two nights in San Marino, including breakfast, cost $1,100.

This was my first experience with Hotels.com, so I called Alitalia to verify the reservation and e-mailed the hotel. Everything went as...

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