PARK FOREST — After years of following Alfred Borcover, it was good to see that he is still “on the road” and with more time, too, to be on the go. His great Jan. 3 article — “70(?) and Counting” — certainly whetted my own appetite to get to some of the places he’s beaten me to.
But I notice — and I believe it is not for the first time — that he has mentioned that he is still a holdout for Antarctica.
He must go . . . and I believe he will discover that this last untouched place in the world will be on the top of his list. The place, so pristine and beautiful, exerts a spiritual force like no other. You find yourself drawn back again and again as I have been. On my third trip south — a first attempt by icebreaker to get into emperor penguin colonies in the Weddell Sea area — we had 34 professional photographers aboard, all “names,” all vying for National Geographic covers. The trip lasted 35 days.
In that time I asked each individually, “You have been to the tops of mountains and far under the seas all over the world in the quest of adventure and photographs; what has been your favorite place?” The answer was easy and without hesitation in each case. Antarctica was without peer.
We’re going for Antarctic trip No. 5 in December — a great month for Midwesterners to sail south to The Ice).
— Joan Larsen
PACKING IT AWAY
WILMETTE — In her “Travel Smart” story (Feb. 7), Cynthia Boal Janssens didn’t mention a money belt worn under clothing. I wear one whenever I travel abroad (and sometimes in the U.S.). I’ve never had my purse stolen, but by keeping important items in one place, I also don’t misplace them. I almost always wear two-piece outfits (top/skirt or top/pants) so that I can access it easily.
In the money belt I have: air tickets (minus the envelope — too bulky), traveler’s checks, cash, passport, credit card, driver’s license (if driving), copy of travel insurance (trip cancel, etc.), personal I.D. and next-of-kin information, U.S. Health insurance card, currency conversion receipts (if required when departing foreign country) and credit card receipts.
It’s not bulky if pouch is worn in back.
In my purse, I carry I.D., some cash, camera and non-essentials.
— Julie Williams
NO BRIBES, PLEASE
AURORA — “Bribing is easy to do, and can be fun if you know how,” claims Wink Dulles in “The Fine Life,” his guide to bribing your way round the world (March 7). By advocating a good-humoured acceptance of corrupt officials, Wink does his fellow-traveler a disservice.
Travelers who readily hand over bribes (or “fines”) when no transgression exists make life very difficult for those who come after them. The same officials, emboldened by their easy steal, will be more inclined to pull the same trick on the next foreigner that turns up. Moreover, they may radio up the road to their colleagues at the next roadblock with the news that the fellow on his way is good for $50. That may be “beer money” to Wink (whose expenses are perhaps covered by his publisher) but it’s a significant dent in the pocket of a budget traveler.
— Sean Burke
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