Calling All Readers | International Travel News

December 2011 issue

Attending a concert, play, opera, ballet…

We asked any of you who attended a concert, a recital or any music or dance performance or stage production outside of the US in the last couple of years to tell us how you learned about it and how you obtained tickets. We asked for the following.

State what you went to see, where it was (country, city and, if known, the venue) and approximately when you were there. Tell us how you learned about the event (website? newspaper? street flier?) and how you obtained tickets (venue’s website? box office? hotel travel desk?). Do you have any dos and don’ts to suggest regarding...

April 2011 issue

Coping with medical needs overseas

Annie and Fred Dintzis of Peoria, Illinois, sent in a request: “We’d like to know how travelers with medical problems cope in different locations overseas. Please solicit readers’ experiences, comments and tips on dealing with diabetes, various allergies, high blood pressure, etc.”

So we invited each of you to write in. We limited any experiences cited to those outside of the US and requested the following. Along with any experience and the steps you took, include where you traveled and when your trip was (or when your recent trips were). If pertinent, name the airline and the...

December 2008 issue

Flight arrangements for tours

Helene Schechter of Livingston, New Jersey, described having been unhappy with the flight arrangements that Overseas Adventure Travel had made for her and her husband for a tour; they ended up with a 7-hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany (May ’08, pg. 29).

In a follow-up letter to ITN, Mrs. Schechter wrote, “The quality of their tours should not be confused with those of their flight arrangements. OAT is definitely one of our favorite travel companies. We have always been more than satisfied with their guides, itineraries, value and accommodations. What I was attempting to do in my...

April 2011 issue

Apartment rental tips

This month, we’re wrapping up our five-part series on renting apartments outside of the US. We’ve got a few more tips from subscribers followed by recommendations of specific apartments. Anyone with something helpful to add may write to Apartment Rental Tips, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com (include the address at which you receive ITN).

Tips for when you get there —

In advance, tell the apartment owner when your plane is due and ask if the apartment will be ready. Occasionally, when my flight was due really early, I have...

January 2009 issue

Winging it finding a hotel

Many travelers book hotel rooms in advance for the first and last nights of their trips but wing it for all the nights in between. Some just start out cold, blowing with the wind. We asked you independent travelers to tell us how you go about finding nonreserved rooms in places you’ve never been to overseas and to answer the following questions.

What do you look for in a hotel, itself? What do you avoid? When is the best time to check in? What is the best way to ask for a room in order to get a better rate? What is the price range you aim for in particular countries? In what way do...

May 2011 issue

Managing liquids and gels with carry-on only

Barbara Glavish of Incline Village, Nevada, wrote, “Many readers have mentioned that they travel all over the world with just one carry-on bag. I do wonder how they cope with the rule prohibiting carrying greater-than-three-ounce containers of liquids, gels and pastes.* Do they carry lots of little bottles of body lotion, shampoo, face cream, toothpaste, etc? Do they purchase toiletry items on the go? I’ve found that in many places, even generic-type lotions, shampoos, etc., are much more expensive than others at home and, frankly, I can’t be bothered with hunting down these items while I’...

March 2009 issue

Boutique museums

Here is a note we printed from Hollie Stotter of Cambria, California, in our November and December 2008 issues on page 4: “I would like to see a list of boutique (small) museums in the world compiled. Each would be a small gem of a not-so-well-known museum that can be seen in less than an hour. For instance, a favorite of mine that I often have recommended to friends is the Jacquemart-André in Paris, an 1869 home preserved with its furniture, tapestries, rugs, paintings, etc. The Benaki Museum in Athens is another. Perhaps ITN’s travelers each can suggest a small museum that has an...

May 2011 issue

Coping with medical needs overseas

So we invited each of you to write in, using the following guidelines. Limit any experiences cited to those outside of the US. Along with any experience and the steps you took, include where you traveled and when your trip was (or when your most recent trips were). If pertinent, name the airline and the...