Hotel Oddity #16
byI stay in a lot of hotels, some of which are the best or most unique in the world. This one in Hong Kong—not…
I stay in a lot of hotels, some of which are the best or most unique in the world. This one in Hong Kong—not…
Despite the focus on negative experiences compiled on this site, it is possible to travel without being ripped off. It bothers Bob and me…
The Nocturnal Sting and the Bite Skansen, Stockholm’s outdoor museum, suffered a nasty spate of pickpocketing incidents one midsummer. Up to eight known incidents…
Some years ago, before Bulgaria was part of the EU, Dodie B. and two male friends visited one of that country’s small port towns….
4-1/2 hours before Japan’s earthquake: it might have been my sister’s fault. Had she kept the slip of paper her bad fortune was printed…
The Wellington in Madrid is a lovely, old hotel full of charm, the official temporary residence of visiting bullfighters. Our room was large and…
“You remember that famous movie, the one shot in Naples?” shouted Officer DC. “In this restaurant they filmed that movie. The whole world knows…
One day in Spain and we are bombarded with sad stories, particularly of crime in Madrid. Crime in Madrid 1. Madrid Metro: A couple…
Hotel front desk safe Natalie is a tour sales manager for one of the major cruise lines. She’s an experienced world traveler and accustomed…
Wristwatches are a classic subject of seizure. The problem is not widespread, but concentrated largely in specific locales. Naples, Italy, is only one of…
Okay, this is priced in Canadian dollars, but still. $6.49 for a bottle of water? No matter how elegant it looks on the nightstand,…
My nephew, planning an extended jaunt through Vietnam, applied for a visa. What he received horrified him. A bilingual letter authorized his entry and…
On February 11, I flew Delta 110 from Buenos Aires to Atlanta. Before the plane pulled away from the gate and after several minutes’…
My brother-in-law, the self-proclaimed Swedish Okie and country bumpkin, is a book collector. This is only one of his meticulously organized bookcases. Though his…
Hotel hypocrisy. This is certainly not unique to the Delta hotel in Newfoundland, but that is where I was struck by the pretense and…
Jewelry, watches, pens, wallets… Ever wonder where all that pickpocketed stuff goes? Think Mrs. Pickpocket is decked out in your stolen pearls and Swatch,…
Very bad news on the travel front. Seems bedbugs are here to stay. The Wall Street Journal reports on a comprehensive genetic study of…
Unlike the Russian gas scams in my previous two posts, this one is recent, perpetrated by Russians in America. They’d steal a car—say, a…
Around the same time as Russian Gas Scam #1, a resident in one of those gigantic apartment buildings—I’ll call him Boris—found a way to…
In 50s Russia, men used to go through the enormous apartment buildings, knocking on thousands of apartment doors. They claimed to be from the…
Barely five minutes after hitting the streets of Bangkok, a jolly, friendly fellow approached. Conservative and 50ish, the short man put himself head-on into…