by Mary Beltran, Associate Editor, ITN

Some years, as the Christmas holiday approaches, I get a definite “Bah, humbug” attitude. I feel overwhelmed by the boxes of decorations, the cards to be mailed and the shopping and baking to be done in preparation for family celebrations. During the 2004 season, I was invited to go to France’s Alsace region to get a taste of how they celebrate Christmas. I decided it would be a good way to get over the “glooms,” and it was an opportunity to...

by Judith Rosen, Alexandria, VA

Before planning our month-long trip to Romania and Bulgaria, Alan and I asked for suggestions in ITN’s “Person to Person” section. Among four gracious replies, both Al Jungers and Carla Menist reported favorable experiences working with Sirma Nedeva of Alexander Tours (Sofia, Bulgaria; phone/fax +359 2 983 33 22 or visit www.alexandertour.com), whom we contacted. (Sirma now has her own company, Across Europe, Ltd., where she can be contacted at...

by Florence Drake, Readfield, ME

I wanted to do something special for my 60th birthday. So was born the idea of a birthday trip. This wasn’t to be merely a trip to celebrate my birthday, taken when it was most convenient. This trip had to have me someplace wonderful on my birthday.

I researched our many travel catalogs. However, most itineraries would have had us either flying to or from someplace or otherwise trapped — in airports or on a long bus ride between cities — on...