Columns

(Third of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3)

Great white sharks!

From the safety of a small “shark watching” boat, our small group of mildly adventuresome travelers was watching a group of “young and reckless” travelers on a nearby “shark diving” excursion boat in Walker Bay, South Africa, southeast of Cape Town, in March ’05.

If you have seen documentaries of the great whites, some of the filming was likely done here at one of the world’s premier whale and shark viewing locations. Dyer Island, about a 30-minute cruise from shore, is shared between a 60,...

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 361st issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine. This is our 30th anniversary issue!

The following was sent to us by one of your fellow ITN readers, Robert E. Pine of Boulder, Colorado: “As a longtime subscriber to International Travel News, I thought you might be interested to know that my wife, Dorothy, and I have recently become the most widely traveled couple in the world. In October ’05 we visited Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir, completing the last four of the list of 315 destinations recognized by the Travelers’ Century...

In this edition of “Under the Microscope,” I will examine an important aspect of the greatly increasing trend toward small-group travel. In terms of who is in charge of leading groups, including solving any problems encountered along the way, how are these groups operated on the ground by tour companies?

Compare a recent issue of ITN with one from five years ago and the trend of more tour operators’ offering options for traveling in small groups is clear. This is in response to consumer preference and demand. The host of reasons most travelers prefer traveling with...