Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 393rd issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine, the ORIGINAL forum for overseas travelers.

In ITN, most of the feature articles and essentially all of the letters are written by travelers who paid their own way and are sharing what they’ve learned not for profit but to help others better enjoy their trips.

Whether it’s a full-blown description of an interesting place you’ve found plus photographs (as on page 6) or a simple travel...

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 391st issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

No good deed goes unpunished.

In the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, the number of beggars and street children rose from 870 in 2006 to 2,600 in 2008. In an effort to reverse the trend, in June the legislative council made it against the law to give money to beggars. The penalty is up to three months’ jail time or a fine of up to 1.5 million rupiah (about $170).

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 389th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

In Brazil, Congress soon may pass a bill requiring all foreigners to get visitors’ permits from both the justice and defense ministries before entering the Amazon. Foreigners caught there without the permits could be fined 100,000 reals, or about $60,000.

The action is to fight “biopiracy” — the illegal use of the rainforest’s resources, including traditional or indigenous knowledge...