December 2008

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10-day/9-night tour in PERU includes 7-night river cruise. Highlights: From Lima, fly to Iquitos and board riverboat/wildlife viewing, including primates, black caimans, pink dolphins, jabiru storks/learn to make traditional Peruvian food/Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve/skiff tour to find nocturnal animals/visit a Ribereño village/explore rainforest/back in Lima, Cathedral, Plaza de Armas. Cruise price, from $3,048. Single supplement, from $1,898. International Expeditions (Helena, AL; 800/633-4734, www.ietravel.com).

12 days/10 nights. Highlights: Soweto/Lesedi Cultural Village/Panorama Route/Kruger National Park Game Reserve for lions, elephants, giraffes/in Swaziland, Ngwenya Glass Factory, Umfolozi Game Reserve/cruise St. Lucia Estuary, with crocodiles, hippopotami/Cape Town and Table Mountain/Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve/penguins at Boulders Beach/Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. Land only, from $1,699. From New York, from $3,569. Single supplement, from $436. Gate 1 Travel (Ft. Washington, PA; 800/682-3333, www.gate1travel.com).

10-day/8-night cruise-tour. Highlights: In Cairo, King Tut at the Egyptian Museum; Old Town/Pyramid of Giza/ Sphinx/Sakkara Step Pyramid/fly to Luxor/Valley of the Kings/Temple of Queen Hatshepsut/Colossi of Memnon/sail MS Nile Dolphin to Edfu for Temple of Horus/Kom Ombo/Aswan High Dam/sail a felucca to botanical gardens on Bustan island/return to Cairo. Land and cruise only, from $1,099. From New York, from $2,299. Single supplement, add 50% of land/cruise price. Value World Tours (Fountain Valley, CA; 800/795-1633, www.valuecruises.net).

14 days/13 nights in SRI LANKA, Feb. 7-20, 2009. Highlights: Elephants, dancers, drummers, acrobats and more at the Nawah Maha Perahera festival in Colombo/ancient cities dating back to 5 BC/hill capital of Kandy/Dutch Fort in Galle/leopards, elephants, monkeys, sloth bears, birds in Yala National Park. From Los Angeles, from $3,295. Ceylon Express International (Huntington Beach, CA; 800/423-9566, www.ceylonexpress.com).

9 days/9 nights. Highlights: Florence/Lucca/Leaning Tower of Pisa/medieval Siena/hilltop San Gimignano/wine tasting in southern Tuscany/Montepulciano. Land price, $1,399. Single supplement, $339. Local payment, €250 (near $318). Meal budget, €300 ($382). G.A.P. Adventures (Toronto, ON, Canada; 800/708-7761, www.gapadventures.com).

9 days/7 nights, June 30-July 10, 2009. Highlights: In Dordogne region, stay in Antibes for six 3-hour morning painting classes — one-on-one instruction in water media, acrylic, mixed media, collage, earth pigments/excursions to Matisse Chapel, Picasso Museum, historic Grotte farmers’ market, Château de Monbazillac, Moulin de Larroque art paper shop. Land price, $3,100. Single supplement, $550. Art Treks (Bolinas, CA; 415/868-9558, www.arttreks.com).

13 days/12 nights, July 2-15, 2009. Highlights: London’s British Museum/Tudor-era Christchurch estate in Ipswich/Cambridge colleges and Fitzwilliam Museum/National Stud in Newmarket/Sutton Hoo/Bronze Age artifacts in Moyse’s Hall, Bury St. Edmonds/“Constable Country” walk/ Canterbury Cathedral/Chartwell, Churchill family home/Dover Castle and secret WWII tunnels/site of Battle of Hastings in 1066. Land price, $6,399. Single supplement, $XXX. Olde Ipswich Tours (Ipswich, MA; 877/356-5163).

Many Americans board a plane for an overseas destination without fully realizing that they are flying into a completely different culture. Some experience culture shock: a psychological disorientation caused by immersion in a place where people do things — and see things — differently.

On a September ’07 visit to Luxembourg, we took a 19-mile bus trip from Luxembourg City (lines 110 and 111 leave on the hour) to the town of Echternach on the banks of the River Sauer.