Features

by Harvey Hagman, Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Little Paxos embodies what most people think of when they conjure up an image of an idyllic Greek island: brightly painted fishing boats; transparent, deep-blue water; small beaches in hidden coves; seaside tavernas; silvery olive groves; enchanting hiking paths, and little traffic.

On our 6-mile hydrofoil trip from Corfu, a Greek businessman told us, “There is something special about the sea and the sun and the light. Here you really feel like you are experiencing life fully.”

The Greeks call this small Ionian island, only 3 by 4...

In the November ’05 issue of ITN (page 86), I read with great interest about a cultural-immersion program called Global Awareness Through Experience (GATE). Immediately, I requested information by contacting the GATE office (912 Market St., La Crosse, WI 54601-8800; phone 608/791-5283 or visit www.gate-travel.org).

Within a week, Maria Friedman, the North American GATE coordinator, sent me information about her educational tours in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Europe. I chose the Guatemala Holy Week program, which took place over two weeks in April ’06.

This trip would...

I continue to be amazed at the number of people who travel a lot and are still unaware of UNESCO’s designated World Heritage Sites. ITN readers are undoubtedly exceptions, yet there are many others who are not aware of the criteria used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for identifying the 812 properties currently designated as World Heritage Sites throughout the world.

The impetus for the formation of the program occurred in 1952 when Egypt decided to build the Aswan High Dam, which would have flooded the ancient temples of Abu Simbel and...