August 2012

As far as I’m concerned, there are two IQs for travelers: those who queue and those who don’t. If you plan ahead, you can avoid nearly every line that tourists suffer through (except for security checks).

Many museums are free one day a month — a great deal for locals, but for visitors it’s generally worth paying the entrance fee on a different day to avoid the hordes on a museum’s free day. The Sistine Chapel feels more like the Sardine Chapel when it’s open and free on the last Sunday of the month.

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II — on the occasion of her 60th year since ascending to the throne — the tower in London’s Palace of Westminster that houses Big Ben (which is the name of the Great Bell inside the 4-faced clock atop the Clock Tower) has been renamed the Elizabeth Tower by the House of Commons.

(First of three parts)

The first bluegrass festival cruise, “Mountain Song at Sea,” is being offered aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky, Feb. 1-4, 2013. On a sailing from Miami to Grand Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, artists will include the Dave Grisman Sextet, Peter Rowan, the Steep Canyon Rangers and more.

Cabins for the three nights cost $398 for an inside cabin, quad, up to $1,795, penthouse. Specifically contact Sixthman (877/379-9189).

(First of two parts)

8 days / 7 nights, through March 2013. Highlights: San José / Tortugeuro National Park to see howler monkeys, egrets and toucans / pre-Columbian ruins at Alma Ata Archaeological Park / have lunch with a Tico family / Arenal Volcano / thermal pools at Tabacon Hot Springs / walk suspension bridges through the treetops at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Land, from $1,450. Single supp., $150. Grand European Tours (Lake Oswego, OR; 877/622-9109).

9-day / 8-night walking tour of NEW ZEALAND, Nov. 8-17, 2012, and March 7-16, 2013. Longest walking day, 6-7 hours; some steep tracks. Highlights: Ferry from Wellington to Picton / walk part of the Queen Charlotte Trail / Abel Tasman National Park / in Matukituki Valley, Rob Roy Glacier / Mount Aspiring National Park / Routeburn Track. Land, AUD7,595 (near $7,778). No single supp. Bill Peach Journeys (Alexandria, NSW, Australia; phone +61 2 9693 2233).

17 days / 16 nights, April 19-May 5, 2013. Highlights: Colonial Semarang in Java / eighth- to ninth-century Buddhist monument at Borobudur / visit Batak tribe in Sumatra highlands / batik workshop / houseboat up the Sekonyer River / Camp Leakey Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Land, approx. $5,975. Single supp., $800. Internal air, $947. Far Fung Places (San Francisco, CA; 415/386-8306).

6 days/5 nights. Highlights: View from Tokyo Tower / Meiji Shrine / shop the Ginza / drive to fifth station (halfway up) of Mt. Fuji / Owakudani Boiling Valley (aka Hell Valley) / cruise Lake Ashi / in Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple / woodblock, cloisonné and doll making demos at Kyoto Handicraft Center. Land, $2,299. Single supp., $689. Pacific Delight Tours (New York, NY).

9 days / 7 nights. Highlights: In Tokyo, Imperial Palace, Sumida River cruise, Asakusa Kannon Buddhist temple, Nakamise shopping arcade / in Kyoto, Nijo Castle / 1,001 statues of Kannon, goddess of mercy, at Sanjusangendo. Land, from $2,229. From Los Angeles, from $3,099. Virgin Vacations (Ft. Washington, PA; 888/937-8474).