Calling all WWII buffs! Normandy is a great travel venue at any time of the year, but this region of France is especially attractive during the anniversary week of D-Day. 

The Normans celebrate “le Débarquement” every year, and they celebrate in a big way. From June 5 to June 9, especially, you will encounter parades; fireworks; monument dedications; 1940s jazz concerts and “liberation balls”; ceremonies; commemorative church services; reenactments;...

My husband, Bob, had always wanted to go to the Italian island of Sardinia, and in 2013 he decided it was the time. He found a tiny apartment for us in the old walled city of Alghero. Listed online at VRBO.com (listing No. 1000021), the apartment cost €665 ($751) per week during September. We were there for 11 sunny days. 

We flew from Tucson, Arizona, to Alghero. When our American Airlines flight to Los Angeles, where we would connect to a nonstop flight to Rome, was...

My husband, John, and I, relying heavily on Tripadvisor.com and on DK Eyewitness Travel’s “Top 10 Crete,” visited Crete May 2-7, 2014, as the final leg of an independent tour of Greece. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, and we discovered that you don’t need a translator to get around.

An introduction

We arrived in the evening at the port in the city of Heraklion after a short, comfortable trip from Santorini on the Flying Cat 4 (phone...