Message Center

In June, my wife and I spent three weeks driving in both big-city and rural France. This was our third driving visit to the country in eight years. We speak minimal French.

Despite the higher gas and rental costs, a car allows you to get off the beaten track. Without exception, we have been accorded the utmost courtesy and friendliness. In many cases, our French hosts -- whether someone selling us gas or groceries, a tourism office person, a hotel clerk -- would go out of the way to assist us.

Although there are a growing number of moderately priced highway motel chains such as Ibis and Campanile, these tend to fill up with Europeans traveling south and elsewhere.

We can only hope that French visitors receive the same treatment in the United States as we do in France.

Kitt Rodkey, Sterling

Moroccan Insider

AMERICAN TOURISTS are not a rarity in Morocco -- totally the opposite ["Your Vacation in Lights," Aug. 27]. Even though Morocco is officially Muslim, bars and alcohol stores are widely present, so providing drinks is not unusual in hotels and restaurants.

At the hammams (public baths), the attendants have very hard, low-paying jobs. But nobody leaves the hammam without the sensation of being totally clean; scrubbing really works, and this is why Moroccans and people in most Arab countries take weekly trips to the hammam. A tip for the attendants is highly recommended, as it represents 50 percent of their income -- just like waiters in the United States.

Nadia Serhani, Alexandria

TSA Locks, Cont'd

I HAVE USED TSA locks on two recent foreign trips and haven't had any problems [Coming and Going, Sept. 10, and Message Center, Sept. 17]. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I will continue to use them. I like having my checked suitcase locked when I travel.

Brenda Flam, Silver Spring

I ALSO HAD my suitcase cut at the zipper and not the lock. I submitted a claim and waited patiently for six months, but received a denial. The TSA spent $500,000 to throw a birthday party for its first year. The taxpayers can foot the bill for that, but my $200 suitcase, damaged by them, got a denial. Their arrogance surpasses their ignorance.

Scott Aijo, Lewes, Del.

Credit Card Tip

LAST CHRISTMAS, my wife and I took a Caribbean cruise and were shocked on our third port of call when a merchant told us his attempts to process several minor credit card purchases were refused and told us to call credit card security. We knew we weren't close to our card limits and called security, then customer service, for each card. We were told our accounts had been flagged due to "unusual" spending patterns. After we identified ourselves to the agents and provided our cruise itinerary, our cards were annotated to allow further purchases. The agents recommended we contact them in advance whenever we would be making "unusual" purchases in the future.

We thought this tip might help other travelers avoid similar embarrassing situations in the future.

Bill Swan, Alexandria

Write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. E-mail: travel@washpost.com. Provide your full name and town. Letters are subject to editing.