From the Q&A mailbox:

Question: Do you know about the Oyster Card that is sold for travel in London? How does it compare to the TravelCard that is also sold?

Answer: The Oyster Card is a convenient way of paying for London public transportation by loading a dollar (well, pound) amount onto a plastic 'smartcard' and having individual fares deducted by the electronic readers at tube stations and on buses and trains. A refundable deposit of £3 ... Read More

From the Q&A email:
Question:  Raymond writes: My wife and our daughter will be traveling in France for two weeks. Does AAA have have a phone card for calling from France to the U.S. or what do you suggest? ... Read More

Each day, Holland packs and ships much of the world’s supply of fresh flowers. The industry is a huge part of the Dutch economy. So it’s little wonder that Holland is a flower lover’s paradise. And the gates to paradise are Keukenhof.

Keukenhof is one of the world’s greatest displays of flowers. Each spring, thousands of visitors flock to a nearly 80-acre site near the town of Lisse to see a virtual sea of spectacular tulips and other flowers planted under and around trees and lakes in a setting that almost overwhelms with its beauty.... Read More

It’s about time you finally took a vacation, and your heart is set on Europe. Even though you’re already aware that the dollar is weak and prices on many travel services have risen, you're determined to enjoy a quality vacation without going overboard with costs. Besides 'packing light,' here’s some tips to manage the cost of your European vacation:... Read More

I was in Finland’s second-oldest town, Porvoo, whose Finnish name came from local phonetic attempts to say its Swedish name, Borjå. Most Finnish places I visited along Finland’s southern coast have populations of Swedish speakers. Porvoo has a wonderful district of cobbled lanes and red, wooden houses that today receives growing numbers of visitors but a part of which, up the hill, in the 1960s and 70s was often referred to as the “Shanghai of the Nordic Countries,” for, apparently, the inherent danger to life and limb contained... Read More

My husband and I promised our three grandchildren that we would take each of them on a special GRAND adventure (so named because we are GRANDparents traveling with GRANDkids) when they turned age 13.  Of course, it seemed so far away, until our grandson, Garrett, celebrated his 13th birthday on July 4, 2009. That’s when this all-American boy and his young-at-heart grandparents began their GRAND Adventure to wonderful northern European destinations.

In addition to the three of us, our good friends Peggy and Jerry along with their 13-yr. old grandson, Nick also joined in the GRAND Adventure! For months leading up... Read More

     Having had the good fortune to visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest last month, I can honestly say that these three cities are very similar, yet very different, and each is a jewel that should be inspected closely.  Each has a fascinating history, and their histories frequently intertwine.  All three have made tremendous strides over recent years to make their city easily accessible to tourists of all kinds.  Everything from the food to the sights to the night life offer a great deal of diversity at all economic levels.

If fancy hotels are what make you tick, you... Read More

“I don’t have to curtsy, do I?”  

When VisitBritain, the UK's tourism bureau, invited my husband, Paul Lasley, and me to come to London in June and meet Prince Philip, it sounded like a fun adventure. Even though we’re not royalists. My theory about royal blood is that several centuries ago, one gang beat up another gang, and the gang that won got to say that they and their descendents had “royal blood.” But a chance to go inside Buckingham Palace and meet the Duke of Edinburgh? We couldn’t turn it down. 

“I... Read More

     “How old is it?” That’s the question I always ask a tour guide when looking at an old structure, and in Europe they usually say something like, “Oh, that building is 400 years old.”

In Norwich, in the East of England, 400 years is just yesterday. Old is something that is, say, around 1,000 years old. In fact, the countryside around this ancient walled city is dotted with watchtowers older than that, dating from Saxon, Viking, and even Roman times.  Norwich—some two hours northeast of London by high-speed rail—is full of history and not... Read More

Question: Melissa Famiglietti asks: I am a member of AAA who has never used this service to book travel. Recently, I won a trip from a radio station from Boston to Milan, Italy! I am very excited about the free tickets, but also very nervous about booking the travel and hotel stays. My sister and I will only be there for a little over a week, but wanted to know the best way to see Milan, Lake Como, Switzerland and France on somewhat of a budget.

Answer: Renuka Sastri, AAA Publishing marketing manager says: Your AAA travel professional can... Read More