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An accordion player welcomes Noordam passengers to the port of Samaná, Domincan
Cruising to Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao aboard Holland America Line’s Noordam (2 of 2)
Blackpool has a new Madame Tussauds and a completely rehabbed Blackpool Tower
Big events in Britain and Ireland in 2012
Sites along Hong Kong’s Ping Shan Heritage Trail

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 340th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

ITN reader Margo Spears of Reno visited the Dominican Republic in February and sent in a trip report (see page 35). She added, “We also learned of a phone scam originating in the Dominican Republic, which we verified after we got home.

“In the scam, someone calls an answering machine stating that an emergency has occurred and to call an 809 number immediately. It turns out to be a Dominican Republic pay-per-call number that charges fees of several dollars per minute. The victim has...

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18th-century houses, now mostly shops and restaurants — Nyhavn, Copenhagen

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 440th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

If you’re reading International Travel News for the first time, all you need to know is that the bulk of the magazine is written by its subscribers, people who love to travel, and we print no articles or news about destinations within the United States.

When someone has a great meal on a trip or finds a really good independent guide, he’ll submit a report. Likewise, if someone feels she was not treated fairly by a tour company, airline, cruise line or whatever, she’ll send in the...

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Close-up of a leg of a giant tortoise — Galápagos Islands. Photo: Tykol
Editor’s travel news updates plus feedback to readers

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 342nd issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

A year and a half ago, ITN Contributing Editor Jim Patterson, who wrote the “Focal Point” column, went on hiatus following abdominal surgery. Recently, he informed us he was fit to travel again and we were looking forward to new material from his latest trip.

Sadly, we received this news from his wife, Betty: “Jim died of a heart attack photographing the beautiful flowers in Monet’s Garden at Giverny, France, on May 28. We had spent almost a week in Paris and at Mont-Saint-Michel...

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My own travel style has evolved over the years. In the past I generally bought one big, fat, wonderful railpass for my entire trip. These days, I cobble together a few cheap flights within Europe, some rail trips and a modest car rental (which I find is becoming a better value than rail).

Renting a car in Europe is generally more expensive and more complicated than in the United States but worth it for the freedom to explore Europe at your own speed.

First decide, though, if you’ll need a car. If you’re just going from big city to big city, take trains instead; Europe has an...

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