Features

December 2019 issue | Appears on page 39

An Arctic adventure to Norway and beyond
By David Nudleman
Our “meet and greet” with the leader of the pack.

My wife, Elisa, exclaimed in utter disbelief, “We’re going where in December?” “Above the Arctic Circle,” I replied.

In addition to traveling above the Arctic Circle, we would journey to Svalbard, “the northernmost inhabited place on Earth.”

As we would be traveling in winter, we would have the bonus of experiencing 24-hour polar darkness.

When I showed my wife where Svalbard was located on our world globe, she simply sighed....

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November 2019 issue | Appears on page 6

Stepping back in time in the Baroque towns of Sicily’s Val di Noto
By Fred Steinberg
View of Scicli from the Complesso Santa Maria della Croce.

When visiting the popular Sicilian tourist destinations of Palermo, Taormina, Mt. Etna, Catania and Syracuse, you’ll find modern comforts, but if you visit the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) of southeast Sicily, turn your watch back 50 years and be prepared for a laid-back, informal and super-friendly experience in the towns of Noto, Modica and Scicli, UNESCO World Heritage Sites known for their late-Baroque architecture and archaeological heritage.

“We’re welcoming and...

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November 2019 issue | Appears on page 20

Is a photo tour right for you?
By Donna Pyle
An image from our Patagonian photo tour — Torres del Paine National Park.

Throughout our 50 years of marriage, my husband, R.C., and I have enjoyed photographing the many places we’ve visited, adding to the joy of travel itself.

We would condense all our photos from each overseas trip into a “show” we could share with friends. In the days of slides, our rule was to make a trip fit into one tray (140 photos). Moving into the digital era, we’ve used software that has allowed us to share not only photos with clear labels but music from...

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November 2019 issue | Appears on page 32

Enjoying the ‘Best of the Caucasus’ on a 2-week guided tour
By Arlene Lichtenstein
The Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan.

When my husband, Alan, and I decided to tour lesser-visited destinations on our quest to see as much of the world as possible, we determined that the South Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia would be perfect.

I usually compare offerings from many travel companies for each trip we take to determine the best itinerary, price, etc. When I received information from Flo Tours (a company I saw advertised often in ITN) while doing research for this trip, I knew that what...

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November 2019 issue | Appears on page 36

Understanding the allure of Egypt
By Frank Stewart
At the Karnak Temple Complex, near Luxor.

I had been to Egypt on four previous occasions. My first and second visits took place a little more than 10 years ago, and both trips were the result of Fulbright scholarships I had been awarded to study the history and culture of Egypt.

Five years after my second trip, I was back in the country again, this time courtesy of an educational grant I’d received to produce an educational video for the Advanced Placement history classes I taught.

I spent that summer traveling...

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October 2019 issue | Appears on page 6

From the capital to the southern coast – exploring Spain independently
By Susan DeMaggio
View of the walled city of Ávila from the Mirador Los Cuatro Postes.

My husband, Emmett Lee, and I are avid travel enthusiasts (65 and 70, respectively) who enjoy the planning process as well as the actual travel experience, and we almost always rent a car to travel our own itinerary. We travel about four months per year, and when we aren’t traveling, we’re planning our next trip or the one after.

To celebrate my 70th birthday, we decided on a trip to Spain, spending three weeks on the Costa del Sol and 10 days in and around Madrid in...

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October 2019 issue | Appears on page 20

Lending a hand on a volunteer vacation in Rishikesh, India
By Sue Spirit
Second-grade students at Mother Miracle School in Rishikesh.

We need volunteers,” declared Shahla Ettefagh, founder and director of Mother Miracle School, which provides education for some of the poorest and most intelligent children in Rishikesh, India. That was all I needed to hear.

For several years I’d been sponsoring a girl, Kalpana, at the school and had always wanted to visit India. I am usually up for the most off-the-beaten-path travel experience possible, and this Rishikesh sojourn would turn out to be an immersion in...

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October 2019 issue | Appears on page 34

Rediscovering favorites and adding a few new sites to the list on return visits to Singapore and Malaysia
By Carole & Marv Feldman
View of Singapore’s skyline from the National Gallery of Art.

A family visit to the West Coast in June 2018 became the perfect springboard for another Asia adventure of discoveries (and rediscoveries).

From Seattle, Lady Luck gave us a rare opportunity of a free military charter flight (Marvin is retired Air Force) to Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, and from there we connected to another military flight to Singapore, our favorite city in all of Asia.

We love the exotic sites, cultural diversity, food and people of Singapore. No matter how...

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