Features

November 2016 issue | Appears on page 20

Returning for a third time and Grenada’s still a charm
By Steven Cole
St. George’s University sits on a bluff overlooking a beautiful beach.

Like most travelholics, my wife, Sharon, and I are always looking forward to visiting the next place we’ve never been. And, yet, for various reasons, some places have a special attraction, begging for a repeat visit. For us, one such special place is Grenada (pronounced “Gre-nay-da,” not “Gre-nah-da”), where we were married in March of 1999.

We returned for a second honeymoon in March 2004, and in March 2016 we returned once more. As we’d already...

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November 2016 issue | Appears on page 34

Walking among the wildlife in Zambia and Zimbabwe
By Geri Spieler
The author with smiling schoolchildren in Mfuwe.

Kennedy whispered, “Watch where you step. Try to avoid twigs, and move slowly toward the tree ahead.” 

We watched the ground carefully, avoiding any brush or twigs that might alert the elephant herd ahead. We approached the tree single file, standing directly behind our guide. Then, moving behind us, silently he put his hands on my shoulders and positioned me just left of the tree but still somewhat covered by it. Similarly, he placed my husband, Rick, on the other...

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November 2016 issue | Appears on page 38

What You Should Know About Using Airbnb
Carole Feldman in her Cartagena, Colombia, Airbnb apartment. Photo by Marvin Feldman

Karen Wells of Traverse City, Michigan, wrote about an apartment that she and her husband rented in Sydney, Australia, through Airbnb.com, saying, “What a nice experience! We shared a young professional’s apartment but had our own bedroom and bath…. And we paid only a little over $100 per night! So it turned out great for us, but we have talked to others who used Airbnb in various countries and encountered funky bathrooms, cleanliness issues, unexpected steps, etc. We...

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November 2016 issue | Appears on page 44

A spectacular 3-week stay in Santiago
By Marv and Carole Feldman
Some of the hairpin turns encountered on our Andes crossing from Argentina to Chile.

Guidebooks, Internet postings and friends all raved about the spectacular road trip from Mendoza, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. During our spring 2016 visit, we discovered that they were right! 

This 230-mile, all-day journey on the luxury (semi cama) El Rápido Bus took us through some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. From Mendoza’s vineyards of green, we traveled across cactus-laden desert, through countless tunnels and past raging whitewater rapids,...

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October 2016 issue | Appears on page 6

Capturing amazing memories on a photo tour of Myanmar
By Julie and Tom Cassen
A novice monk modeling for us at Shwenandaw Monastery. Photo by Julie Cassen

We joined six amateur and two professional photographers for the “Amazing Myanmar” tour offered by Jim Cline Photo Tours (San Diego, CA; 877/350-1314, www.jimclinephoto tours.com) in September 2015. This 15-day tour was led by humanitarian photojournalist Karl Grobl, the company’s cofounder, with the assistance of local guide MM of Santa Maria Travels & Tours.

Pre-trip preparations

The very thorough pre-trip information we received for our tour included...

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October 2016 issue | Appears on page 18

Admiring the ancient landscapes of Sicily and Puglia
By Yvonne Horn
Matera’s cave dwellings, once “the shame of Italy,” are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When I think of Puglia, my mind’s eye sees swooping swallows, stands of ancient olive trees and fields carpeted with red poppies. I hear church bells chiming, announcing not just the hours but the quarter hours as well. 

When my mind wanders back to my May-June 2016 Italian adventure — the 15-day “Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions” tour from Overseas Adventure Travel and their 5-day pre-trip tour of Puglia* — I find myself...

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October 2016 issue | Appears on page 32

Fascinated by the flora and fauna of Japan
By Bev Hendrickson
View of Kyoto’s Silver Pavilion.

My friend and I departed San Francisco International Airport on March 15, 2016, so excited to be finally going to Japan, a trip we had been planning for about a year. During our planning, we discovered that few people we knew had been to this wonderful country. 

We chose a tour from World Untouched (Anchorage, AK; 855/527-7626, worlduntouched.com), a new company started by Justin Gibson, a guide we had traveled with before. We had gone with him to see the polar bears in...

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October 2016 issue | Appears on page 38

Active Years Travel Choices

Wendy Bach of Minneapolis, Minnesota, wrote (April ’16, pg. 2), “My husband and I are now 63 and in good health, and we want to chart out the active ‘this is the time to do it’ type of trips. We love hiking and biking and have taken bike tours. We haven’t done much of the big-group tours; we tend to plan our own itineraries and make our own arrangements. 

“So here is my question for ITN readers: If you could design the ideal sequence of places...

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