Travelers' Intercom

January 2018 issue | Appears on page 15

Airport ‘air assist’ around the world
By Virginia Shannon

During a 5-week trip to the Middle and Far East, Aug. 10-Sept. 17, 2017, I traveled business class on several airlines.My trip began when I drove from Naples to Ft. Myers, Florida, then flew American Airlines to Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and on to London. (Flying from Raleigh kept me from having to deal with New York’s JFK Airport or La Guardia and was very pleasant.)I am 92, and even though I can walk, I cannot stand for an hour in the Immigration line, so I use...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 16

What to expect in Iceland
By Jim Delmonte
Jim Delmonte in Iceland.

My daughter Jill Carrington and I did a trip to Iceland, July 14-28, 2017. 

From Keflavik International Airport (KEF), a taxi ride into Reykjavik would have cost $175. Instead, we took a Gray Line bus; the round trip cost $48. At a counter under a sign that said “shuttle to Reykjavik,” I bought our two tickets using a credit card. 

The shuttles leave every half hour for the 45-minute drive. You’re taken to their terminal in the heart of the city,...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 24

Tahiti with Windstar
By Nili Olay
The Wind Spirit anchored off Huahine. Photo by Jerry Vetowich

My husband, Jerry, and I planned to fly from New York City to California for a Jane Austen conference in early October. We decided to use Los Angeles as a jumping-off point and continue west. I suggested Hawaii and he suggested Tahiti. Why not?!

We chose Windstar Cruises (Seattle, WA; 866/351-0764, www.windstarcruises.com) because we’d had two successful cruises with them previously (Costa Rica/Panama and Athens/Rome). Luckily, a 7-day cruise, Sept. 21-28, 2017, worked with our...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 26

Private trips with Nature Safari India
By Mary O’Donnell
Mary O’Donnell and her niece, Caroline, at the Amber Fort in Jaipur.

The travel urge grabbed me when, as a teenager in post-WWII England (which was grey, weary and still rationed), my father announced that we were going to Guernsey in the Channel Islands for a holiday, our first since 1939!

We had a wonderful time on those war-torn, previously German-occupied islands. My world suddenly became an exciting treasure trove to be explored and savoured. Travel became my passion, both as a volunteer and a visitor.

Whenever possible, I use travel...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 30

Ireland with Are We There Yet?
By Diane Harrison
Statue of Annie Moore and her brothers at the Cobh Heritage Centre in Cobh. Moore was the first immigrant processed at Ellis Island. Photo by Diane Harrison

My parents and I took the “Ireland Express” tour, Sept. 3-9, 2017, with Are We There Yet? Tours (St. Louis, MO; 314/304-3508, www.arewethereyet dea.com). It included several sites we had not visited on three previous trips to Ireland plus sites we were revisiting.

At $2,399 per person, double occupancy, including airfare from St. Louis, Missouri, “Ireland Express” was a new tour for the company, which is operated by Dea Hoover. Dea and her husband, Declan...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 31

Family trip to Ethiopia
By Bob Cone
Bob, Addis, Matt, Anna, Javi and Joan kneeling above the Church of St. George in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Photo by Tefera Alemu

In 2003, when our first grandson, Addis (“new”), was born, my wife and I promised to take the family to Ethiopia when they were ready. In 2017, grandparents, parents and grandsons took the long-awaited trip, July 17-31. And what a trip it was.

For all six of us, the trip cost $11,000, which included one internal flight, accommodations for 10 of the 13 nights in two or three rooms each night, all meals and ground transportation. Guides’ tips were not included....

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 32

Bulgaria private guide
By Neil Johnson

When my wife, Kim, and I first started thinking about where to go in Europe in 2017, the idea of Bulgaria and Romania came to mind. After doing some research, we realized that there is so much to do in Bulgaria, it deserved to be our only destination for our trip, Sept. 1-17, 2017.

Based on his multiple excellent reviews, we contacted longtime ITN advertiser Patrick Peneff (bulgaria privateguide@gmail.com, www.guide-bg.com). His website is very thorough, providing multiple itinerary...

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January 2018 issue | Appears on page 33

Making friends through travel
By Dolores (Loie) Maminski

Several years ago, while having lunch in Rome, my husband, Bucky Edgett, and I struck up a conversation with a Norwegian couple at the table next to us. They were from Aurskog, Norway. We exchanged contact information and kept in touch by email and Christmas cards.

In 2016, we booked a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to see the solar eclipse in August 2017. Among the photos of participants, we saw that there was a couple from Aurskog. 

Aurskog has a population of about 13,...

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