Features | International Travel News

April 2010 issue

Walking the English countryside

by Dee Poujade, Portland, OR

Imagine a week in an English country house enjoying tasty meals and comfortable accommodations and heading out every morning with experienced guides to hike the beautiful countryside. That’s how I spent the last week of July ’09 — staying at Harrington House in Bourton-on-the-Water and hiking in the Cotswolds.

Making arrangements

The British call this type of vacation a “walking holiday” and, while I never did learn the difference between an American “hike” and a British “walk,” I did find the experience most enjoyable.

My goal...

January 2005 issue

Southern Africa — the benefits of visiting in the wet season

by Nili Olay, New York, NY

My husband, Jerry, and I live in New York City. As much as we love the city, we do like to get to a warm climate for a while each winter. Southern Africa seemed a logical choice until I started to read the guidebooks. They all warned that during the wet season the animals are hard to see. Also, the words “wet season” were discouraging. Did I really want a lot of rain on my trip?

I decided to go ahead and at least research a possible trip —- if nothing else, we could always use the information at a different time of year. I read all the articles...

September 2010 issue

A tale of three cities: Recounting a journey to Prague, Vienna and Budapest

by Marvin Herman & Judy Licata; Delavan, Wisconsin

Firm in the belief that during the month of February most people would like to escape the Midwest for a warm climate while waiting for spring to come, my wife, Judy, and I felt that there was no better time to visit some of the wonderful old cities of Central Europe.

To take advantage of lower off-season prices and avoid the crowds, our plan for 2010 was to visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest, spending four nights in a centrally located hotel in each city.

Planning the trip

We booked our flights ($834 each...

April 2005 issue

From the city to the bush — a stop in modern Dubai plus a Kenyan wildlife safari

by John Chatfield, Contributing Editor, ITN

From the gleaming modern city of Dubai to a safari in the bush in Kenya — there couldn’t be a larger contrast.

In November ’04 I was on a familiarization trip to Kenya sponsored by African Travel, Inc. This was a joint effort of the Kenya Tourist Board and several American tour operators to boost tourism to Kenya, which had been hurt badly after the bombing of our embassy in Nairobi in 1998. There were over 160 travel agents visiting from throughout the United States.

Dubai

My itinerary was somewhat different, as I...

January 2011 issue

4,100 miles in 35 days — pulling out all the stops on a self-drive tour of Europe

The Swiss Alps as seen from within the Piz Gloria complex on the summit of Schil

I grew up in a small town, and the closest I had come to adventure was living vicariously through friends. But my college graduation trip to Europe was going to change that! I had 35 days free before I would begin my doctoral work, so my first step was to pick the cities I wanted to see — 22 in all. There were some places I absolutely had to go and adventures I had to experience. I threw caution to the wind and went for the kinds of things I would never consider any other day of my life.

July 2005 issue

Celebrating the diversity of desert peoples at Tunsia’s International Sahara Festival

Michael Keating, Olney, MD

The oasis of Douz in Tunisia lies in an uneasy balance with nature. A short nighttime walk outside town over the gently undulating dunes reveals a sky cluttered with the glitter of millions of stars. And yet those same dunes gently push against the town, silently covering the streets.

The oasis of Douz is just that: an oasis in the Sahara. The dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental encircle the town. Where the pavement ends, the sand begins. It’s the Sahara that determines the border.

International Sahara Festival

The talc-fine sand of the...

March 2004 issue

Accessibility assured on a New Zealand-Australia cruise

by Carol O'Hara, Orangevale, CA

Only a few short years ago, any traveler who used a wheelchair would weigh the advantages of cruising against the disadvantages of each ship. Older liners often were difficult for those in chairs to navigate because of their construction. They had a lack of accessible staterooms plus narrow halls and raised lips between sections of the ship.

Not so, today. The newer ships are a dream come true for less-able souls who love to travel. Wheelchair-accessible staterooms come in all price ranges, and many have roll-in showers. Ships’ halls are wider...

May 2010 issue

From cities to the serene – touring Japan’s Honshu island

by Mary Beltran, ITN

Covering both the cities and rural areas of the southern end of Honshu island, my six-day, early-November ’09 tour of Japan, organized and sponsored by JTB USA, Inc., began and ended in Osaka. Throughout my journey, I was struck by both the unfailing politeness of everyone I met and the attention to detail displayed in so many aspects of Japanese life.

Starting out

I arrived in Osaka’s Kansai International Airport, which is conveniently located next to the Shin-Osaka transportation hub, where travelers can choose a bus, a taxi or even a ferry to...