My husband, Bernie, and I had been on St. Martin in March 2019, but we went back for a stay in Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the island, Jan. 5-9, 2020, for a specific reason: to go to the spot near Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) where you can watch planes landing right above your head.

The place at the end of the airport runway is Maho Beach, on Simpson Bay, and only a 2-lane road separates the runway from the beach. It is a public road and a public beach, so no...

Like everyone else, my husband, Richard, and I have vacationed in Paris in warm weather, but after one trip some years ago and another Feb. 7-27, 2020, we became convinced that winter is a better time to visit. It can be chilly but not as cold as New York, and it can be rainy but only intermittently.

First, fewer tourists are about. The queues in front of the Louvre are shorter, and at opening time they’re hardly existent. Montmartre and the Place du Tertre aren’t crowded...

I often read something in an issue of ITN, then cut it out and save it in a folder pertaining to that location. My New Zealand folder had collected several articles, and it came in handy when, on the spur of the moment in December 2019, I booked a 15-night cruise around New Zealand with Azamara Cruises (Miami, FL; 888/532-5828, www.azamara.com) for Feb. 23-March 9, 2020.

Including a 150% single supplement, I paid $6,148 for a partially obstructed cabin. Airfare, booked through Azamara...