International Travel News

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January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Tips for East Europe travel

Here are a few tips from our travels in late April-May ’05. We spent seven days in Budapest, three in Kraków, seven in Praha and five in Berlin.

Use ATMs to get local currency. Don’t get too much, because in getting rid of excess money you are hit hard. Hungary’s forints were hard to get rid of in the Czech Republic and Poland!

We found cab drivers in these countries (with the exception of Germany) to be notorious rogues. Once you know what the approximate fares are, negotiate...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Libya denied entry to Americans

In October-November ’05, Americans arriving on ships were being denied entry into Libya and Libyan waters. Despite proper visa applications, the ships Sea Cloud, Le Levant, Le Ponant and Marco Polo were told not to enter Libyan waters since the majority of passengers were Americans. The Minerva, with mainly European passengers, was allowed to dock, but the 48 Americans were not permitted to disembark.

It is Nov. 6 and I am in Crete. Now, instead of visiting Libya, we will go to Sicily...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Kudos for Caravan-Serai Tours

In September ’05, my wife and I began a trip that was supposed to last six and a half weeks and cover Jordan, Egypt and Libya. The arrangements were made by Rita Zawaideh, president of Caravan-Serai Tours (3806 Whitman Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; phone 800/451-8097 or visit www.caravan-serai.com).

To save time and expense, Rita arranged for us to obtain our visas upon arrival in each country, procured a special Letter of Invitation for Libya and arranged for a representative to be...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Osaka shuttle

I’m writing in response to the reader’s letter “Call for Airport-Ship/Hotel Transport,” regarding the exorbitant charges made by cruise lines for transit to and from airports (Nov. ’05, pg. 16).

On a cruise we took in October ’02, we disembarked in Osaka, Japan. As we had obtained our own air separately, transport to the Osaka Kansai Airport was not included. We would have had to pay the ship $178 for two for this service.

We became acquainted with a Japanese passenger on board...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Airport Transit Guide

My husband, John, and I have been on over 30 cruises, usually arranging our own transport to and from the ship rather than buying the cruise line package.

In June-July ’04 we did a 35-day freighter trip out of Southampton, England, to several countries in Europe. Our bible is the “Airport Transit Guide” (2004. ISBN 1890407070 — 145 pp., $11.95 paperback), now in its 23rd year. Salk International puts this out, and it is available on Amazon.com and through Magellan’s travel store (800/...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Florence info

The Florence tourist office (Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche, Borgo Santa Croce 29r, 50122 Firenze, Italy; phone 055 2340444 or visit www.tours-italy.com/florence/tourist_offices.htm) was really helpful when I wrote in March for maps to help me with my trip to Italy in September ’05. The office sent me not only maps but lists of museums (also showing opening times and admission charges), hotel listings and other brochures.

The office in Florence was easy to find. It is a 2-minute walk...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Preparing for Japan trip

In preparation for my trip to Japan, I wrote to the Japan National Tourist Organization offices in Los Angeles, Kumamoto and Kagoshima. Their responses were in the form of pamphlets, maps and a valuable Japan Rail timetable. The offices in Kagoshima and Kumamoto provided more details and gave us information of tours offered.

Next I bought a Frommer’s guidebook on Japan, which gave me hotel listings, points of interest and information on hotels and their locations. My wife, Nancy, was...

January 2006 issue | Appears on page 0

Where to stay in South Africa

South Africa is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There is a rumor that every other house in South Africa is a B&B. We are sure this is an exaggeration but only a slight one. There are literally thousands of B&Bs, guest farms, lodges, game parks and other variations on the same theme. So how to sort them out?

An organization called The Portfolio Collection (Box 132, Newlands, 7725, Cape Town, South Africa; phone [+27] 21 689 4020 or visit www....