Features

January 2010 issue | Appears on page 6

Awed by the natural beauty of Norway and Iceland

by Judith Anshin, Contributing Editor

For most people, “summer in Europe” evokes images of long lines for museums and tourist sites, fully booked hotels, busy airports and crowds, crowds, crowds. But in July of 2008 and 2009 I went to parts of Europe that were blissfully uncrowded and had great weather: Norway and Iceland.

Norwegian voyage

In 2008 I took the “Grand Norwegian Coastal Voyage” on the Hurtigruten ship M/S Trollfjord, sailing from Bergen to Kirkenes and...

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January 2010 issue | Appears on page 20

Pinching pennies in Paris

by Paula Prindle, Orient, OH

On our most recent trip to Paris, in May ’09, my husband, David, and I decided to put to the test all the articles we had read about free things to do in the city. We had never found Paris to be particularly easy on the wallet, and on this trip we were really pinching pennies.

Making arrangements

We started our planning by booking our airline tickets with frequent-flyer miles. These can’t be counted as free tickets, since there were...

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January 2010 issue | Appears on page 38

Raja Ampat: A diver’s dream destination

by Larry Taylor; Fullerton, CA

There is no doubt about it: the best snorkeling and diving in the world can be found in Raja Ampat. This west Indonesian archipelago contains more marine biodiversity than anywhere else in the world.

In 2002 The Nature Conservancy conducted a scientific survey of the islands, confirming the presence of 537 species of coral and bringing the number of recorded fish species there to 1,074. (One source has recently upped that to nearly 1,300.)

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January 2010 issue | Appears on page 48

Discovering Mexico’s San Luis Potosí

by Cesar Beltran, Contributing Author

I traveled to the state of San Luis Potosí in central Mexico in mid-June ’09 for a tour billed as a mix of nature, culture and adventure. In 1984 I had traveled independently through the southern part of the state, so I was looking forward to seeing how the area had changed and to making new discoveries.

Getting there

Our group of 25 people, from both the US and Mexico, was interested in Mexican culture, and we were able to choose...

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January 2010 issue | Appears on page 58

Making the most of four short days in Glasgow

by Joseph Phelan, Lincoln, California

My wife, Rose, and I spent four wonderful but hurried days in Glasgow, Scotland, in May ’09. We were there largely on last-minute impulse, as we already had plans to be in Newcastle, England, which is so close to Scotland.

We were in Newcastle as part of a Friendship Force (Atlanta, GA; 404/522-9490, www.thefriendship

force.org) exchange, and we were home-hosted by Les and Linda Dixon. We had never met the Dixons before, nor had we...

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December 2009 issue | Appears on page 6

Seven countries in two weeks on a tour-filled Black Sea cruise

by Joyce Bruck, Ocean Ridge, FL

I was to embark on a 14-day Holland America Line cruise through the countries of the Black Sea from the port city of Civitavecchia on Sept. 17, 2008. As a precaution, I always try to leave a one-day “fudge factor” in case something goes wrong, such as a missed or delayed flight, so I had booked an overnight at Hotel Traiano (phone +39 0766 544282, www.hoteltraiano.com), which I found on the Internet. I had arranged with the hotel for a driver to pick...

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December 2009 issue | Appears on page 24

Sri Lanka — Surprising and a bit surreal

by Teresa O'Kane, San Jose, CA

Sri Lanka is a place like no other. That’s what the marketing posters say, and why not state the obvious? But if I were in charge of marketing for Sri Lanka, my slogan would be, “Feel in the mood to drop down the rabbit hole? Come to Sri Lanka, where the unexpected happens.”

The Cannonball Run

In the capital city of Colombo, my husband, Scott, and I stayed at an old colonial hotel, the Galle Face (phone 941 12541010), which still feels “...

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December 2009 issue | Appears on page 38

Tips on volunteering overseas for the 50-plus crowd

by John Dwyer, Port Townsend, WA

There is a way to travel the world while spending time helping one’s fellow world citizens. It is by volunteering internationally.

Many worthwhile and fulfilling international volunteer opportunities are available to folks over 50 who wish to serve. One can choose from either long-term (two years or more) or short-term (one week or more) assignments.

I began volunteering internationally in 1991 when I joined the Peace Corps. I was sent...

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