Middle East

In no specific order, following are the places I have visited that I consider to be the greatest of the natural wonders of our world. (The Grand Canyon in Arizona would be on this list, but I’m concentrating on sights covered by ITN, those outside of North America and the Caribbean.)

Several entries from my list of Lesser Known Natural Wonders, listed at the bottom, would be in this category if they were more widely known. I have been to 183 of the 194 countries on the ITN Official List of Nations.

In a letter on a tour in Turkey (March ’06, pg. 50), the reader mentioned that their two days of touring cost $562 for two people. It appeared to be all local travel, airport/hotel transfer, guide, admissions, etc. I was really surprised that they were delighted with the price; I have taken two trips to Turkey with FLO USA, Inc. (Lake Mary, FL; 888/435-6872) and would highly recommend them for travel to and within Turkey. Their prices are absolutely the best, the service is incredible and they advertise in ITN.

My husband, Ray, and I took a 24-day, 2-segment cruise in Europe on the Insignia of Oceania Cruises (Miami, FL; 800/531-5658, www.oceaniacruises.com), May 21-June 14, ’06.

For the first segmnent we embarked in Barcelona, and when we arrived in Lisbon we had visited six countries plus Gibraltar. Originally, we were booked to go to Libya, but because of problems with the government the itinerary was changed. The second segment, June 2-14, from Bilbao, Spain, to Dover, England, hit five countries.

When traveling out of Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines, my husband, Steve, always goes to our favorite airport sandwich shop, Capriotti’s, and buys us each a sandwich for the flight. On Christmas eve 2004 he ordered an extra Italian sub for the crew on the plane and told the guy behind the counter what it was for. At that, the sandwich shop guy threw in a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings. Together, they could feed four.

—by Steve Emmett, Solano Beach, CA

Our getaway to Lisbon in early March 2006 was intended as a late winter escape from New York’s prolonged freezing temperatures. Lisbon’s temperatures were in the low 60s during the day and the flight from New York less than seven hours, making it ideal for my daughter Katie and me with only four days to spare.

The itinerary for our 12-day “Aegean, Danube & Black Sea Explorer” tour from Insight Vacations, Inc. (801 Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92805; 800/582-8380, www.insightvacations.com), while demanding, offered rewarding traveling experiences in each country. Our May 22-June 2, ’06, trip covered approximately 3,000 miles in its 12-day itinerary through TURKEY, BULGARIA, ROMANIA and GREECE.

My husband, Al, did his homework and found a tour company in Cairo that made all of the arrangements for a 19-day holiday go like clockwork.

Tussock Creek moleskins

Are you considering a trip around the world (Dec. ’05, pg. 53)? Our recommendation would be “Go for it!” In March-April ’05 we traveled around the world, spending five weeks in 10 countries, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime. Here are the particulars.

1. We used United Airlines and their Star Alliance partners. They have specially trained agents who assisted us with the itinerary and the details.