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Combine picturesque Dutch cities, luxuriant waterlands, acres of bulb farms and the famed Keukenhof garden in full splendor with a witty guide, skilled barge pilot, master chef and 16 compatible travelers and you have yourself a fine vacation. That is what my friends Bernadette, Karen, Marian and I came away feeling about our May 2-9, 2010, bike tour aboard the canal barge Elodie.
The week-long independent tour of Jordan that my son, Eirik, and I took, July 1-7, 2010, was very enjoyable due to the kind cooperation of Ali Al-Hasanat, who runs Jordan Beauty Tours (Box 8, Petra 71810, Jordan; phone/fax +962 3 215 4 999, www.jordanbeauty.com).
My husband, Albert, and I highly recommend touring Japan with Journeys East (Middletown, CA; 800/527-2612, www.journeyseast.com). We’ve taken their in-depth “Farmhouse to Teahouse” tour twice, in October ’04 and ’09, and the second time around it was, if possible, even better.
The places we went, so carefully selected, the way we went — all the logistics handled smoothly on trains, buses and taxis, without a care on our part — and the overall tone of respect and appreciation for the culture were A+++!
I am writing on behalf of Elderhostel/Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768, www.roadscholar.org) in response to comments made regarding “super-senior” travel. Ms. Barbara Johnson (Jan. ’10, pg. 56) and Sue Hub (July ’10, pg. 42) each shared their opinion that our international programs are not intended for older travelers in their eighties and nineties. This is not the case, as Elderhostel welcomes all older adult lifelong learners on our unique Road Scholar learning adventures around the world.
A group of us decided to take the cruise “Brazil and Argentine Discovery,” offered by Holland America Line (HAL), March 11-25, 2010. Starting and ending in Rio de Janeiro, the Veendam would go as far south as Buenos Aires, with stops at several ports in Brazil and Uruguay.
We booked a pre-cruise extension offered by HAL in which we would arrive in Rio on March 7, spend the night, fly to Iguazú Falls for two nights, then go back to Rio for one night before boarding the ship the next day.
Although I ordinarily travel independently and avoid tours, for a visit to Iguazú Falls with a friend in March ’10 I requested quotes from the travel agencies listed in the Lonely Planet guide.
From the editor — ITN subscribers Darrell Booth and his wife, Debra, of Houston, Texas, got a little more adventure than they bargained for.
by Claus Hirsch, New York City, NY
by Cornelia Sulzer, Mill Valley, CA
So many people are traveling to China these days, either for work or for pleasure, but do many people know the southern part of China, where the ethnic minorities live?
