And here’s my final set of answers to questions posted to this blog. Thanks for everyone’s interest!
Question: What brand/model laptop do you carry, and how do you typically use it to get online?
Answer: I use whatever laptop Brooke Burdick, the Communications Manager at my office, gives me for a trip. I had three or four Toshibas — each smaller and faster and equally dear to me. Then a Compaq. And now an HP. To get online, I generally take the phone wire out of the back of the phone and plug it into the gadget that lets me plug it safely into my laptop and dial up. More and more, hotels are offering Wi-Fi (wireless Internet), which I appreciate.
Question: I’d like to know how you like your new camera, and whether you think there’s enough of a difference in image quality/photo opportunities to justify carrying all the extra gear that comes with an SLR.
Answer: My new Nikon D-40 has been great so far. I really appreciate having an SLR. There’s no extra gear needed. I have one 18-55 mm lens (which came with it), a 2-gigabyte memory card, and essentially the same battery charger that comes with any pocket-sized camera. I noticed today how it seems more people are reverting back to the bigger SLR cameras like I have. The main drawback is that it’s a pain to carry. Today I left the hotel without it and, as usual, I missed two fun shots: a massive Holland America cruise ship gliding by the Venice harborfront looking like it would destroy the Doge’s Palace, and a bunch of white-bonneted chefs gathered outside an ancient building during a fire alarm.
Question: Do you have a specific camera bag, or do you keep you camera in your day bag?
Answer: I don’t believe in protective bags for my laptop or my camera. I treat them as gently as tender parts of my body and they do fine without protection.
Question: After reading Andy’s blog, I think it would be helpful if Andy had a section in your guidebooks for the college age person.
Answer: I’ll propose that to my son. He’ll be assisting on our tours this summer for six weeks and traveling on his own for 14 days (visiting a cousin in Sevilla and a girlfriend in Toulouse). I’m in Padua today with memories of how, about five years ago, 15-year-old Andy took his first solo European adventure: riding the train from here to Venice for the day to just explore on his own. His mom and I were nervous…and we all enjoyed a celebratory gelato upon his safe return. Now, Europe is Andy’s playground.
Someone responded thoughtfully to my concern about having a passport with no pages left to stamp:
If you’re out of pages for passport stamps, just go to the American citizen services desk at a US embassy or consulate. Fill out a short form, and in about 30 minutes you’ll have additional pages added to your passport. (I did this in January in Vienna, in less than 30 minutes. I suppose it could take longer in heavier travel periods.) Your passport doesn’t need to be completely filled; just down to only a page or two of space for stamping.