Features | International Travel News

October 2010 issue

Ultimate Africa – going beyond the simple safari in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe

by Wanda Bahde, Summerfield, FL

For years, my husband, Ray, and I debated whether or not we should take Overseas Adventure Travel’s “Ultimate Africa” tour to Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Acquaintances who’d already taken the tour either raved that it was the best or warned that we’d be disappointed with the fewer animal sightings. We vividly recalled wildebeest migrations in Eastern Africa’s Kenya and Tanzania as a favorite travel memory.

Negative news reports about Zimbabwe’s political situation and a cholera epidemic compounded our quandary. Should we go?

...

February 2011 issue

Comparing two cruises through French Polynesia on the ‘Paul Gauguin’

Bora Bora with the famous Mt. Otemanu covered by a cloud.

For many years I had wanted to sail in French Polynesia on the M/S Paul Gauguin. I was attracted by my love of the sea and snorkeling and by the ship’s reputation for the pampering of its passengers. So I chose an itinerary, in late August ’09, that would give me maximum time to snorkel.

January 2004 issue

City markets & jungle trails — into the heart of Guatemala and Belize

by William Schoenemann, Port Ludlow, WA

Latin America is so close to the U.S., but for some reason (mainly security) many international travelers shun countries other than Costa Rica. My wife and I decided we should visit some of our neighbors.

Finding a reasonably priced trip that took in more than one country was not easy, but we finally decided to go with a customized itinerary from Global Travel, visiting Guatemala and Belize in February ’03.

Surrounded by volcanoes

We made our own arrangements on Grupo TACA airlines, which cost us a little over $400 each...

April 2004 issue

Visiting Vienna

by Russ Ellis, ITN

In October ’02, I was a guest on a 4-night tour of Vienna jointly hosted by Austrian Airlines and the Vienna Tourist Board.

Our whirlwind tour included visits to the Austrian Gallery Belvedere, housed in the Belvedere Palace; the MuseumsQuartier Wien, the world’s ninth-largest arts complex; the Albertina, once a Habsburg residence and now home to a comprehensive collection of over a million drawings and prints, and the Kunsthistorische Museum.

And what would a trip to Vienna be without visits to some of the city’s charming coffeehouses, where...

June 2010 issue

Finding reminders of royalty, World War II and the Communist era on a five-country tour

by Jennifer Petoff; San Francisco, CA

My husband, Scott, and I spent two weeks in Central Europe in May ’09 and were impressed by the richness of political history that we encountered on our journey. We visited Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava, each destination offering a window into the opulent lifestyles of kings and queens, the tragedy of World War II and the austerity of the Communist era.

Beginning in Berlin

We confronted the consequences of World War II almost immediately upon landing in Berlin. We took a taxi from the Berlin Tegel Airport to...

February 2005 issue

Bulgaria — a perfect vacation destination

We are extremely interested in history and enjoy visiting different cultures. In August ’04 we visited Bulgaria. After spending 10 days in this largely unknown jewel of the Balkans, we wanted to tell our friends that Bulgaria has everything anyone would expect for a perfect vacation.

Customized tour

Our trip was planned by Balkan Travel & Tours in New York City (phone 888/763-4288 or 212/594-9000 or visit www.balkan-travel.com). It cost $1,115 per person, with additional airfare from LOT Polish Airlines of about $740.

Due to our interest in history, I requested a...

March 2011 issue

An intimate look at Normandy and the Loire Valley

Colorful carousel at Honfleur’s old port.

We were inspired by Beth Habian’s article in the September ’09 issue about her trip to the Dordogne region of France — so much so that we immediately contacted George Nevin, the owner/operator of Intimate France, to ask about his 2010 tour of Normandy and the Loire Valley. We were pleased with his prompt and informative responses to our inquiries, so we booked the 12-day tour departing Sept. 12.

February 2004 issue

On a course to adventure — delving into the Peruvian rainforest

by Patricia Arrigoni, Fairfax, CA

From a treetop deep in the jungles of Peru, a tiny brown monkey stares down at me with curiosity. I aim my binoculars and stare back into his intense, dark eyes. We check each other out for a couple of minutes, then he is gone, swinging with ease to the next tree.

But there were more animals to discover on this May ’03 trip to Peru, like the saddle-back tamarin and the three-toed sloth, plus a selection of beautiful birds.

A complicated journey

I was one of a group of three American travel writers and three photographers on a...