December 2015

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 39 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.

(Second of two parts)

Shaped like a ship with sails unfurled, the Macau Maritime Museum (1 Largo do Pagode da Barra, Macau, P.R. China; phone +86 853 2859 5481, www.marine.gov.mo [in Chinese and Portuguese only]) is located in the Square of the Barra Pagoda.

The first floor contains historical artifacts of traditional Macanese fishing and sailing, the second floor focuses on Portuguese sailing and the third floor displays modern sailing technology. An aquarium gallery has four large tanks showing different aquatic environments: riverbed, harbor, coral reef and shipwreck.

(Part 2 of 3 on central Mexico)

Europe is a treasure chest of great cultural monuments, but it’s also a continent filled with natural beauty, often overlooked by tourists sprinting from sight to sight or searching for the perfect souvenir. I’ve found that a day biking in the great outdoors can be just as culturally fulfilling as time spent in a great church or art gallery.

For people planning to visit the Cambridge American Cemetery in England or the Normandy American Cemetery in France, two apps include driving directions, parking info, hours of operation, cemetery maps, tours to follow and stories about Americans buried there. Released by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the apps can be downloaded for free on iTunes and Google Play. 

(Second of three parts)

World Heritage Sites are places of special significance as determined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization, or UNESCO (whc.unesco.org/en/list).

16 days, 15 nights. Highlights: In Buenos Aires, Argentina, city tour/fly to Salta/Humahuaca Gorge and Hill of Seven Colors/bus ride through Paso de Jama to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile/in BOLIVIA, 4x4 jeep to Salar de Uyuni and salt hotel/at Laguna Colorada, flamingo nesting center/fly to Santiago. From $2,990 ppdo. Single supp., $1,415. Internal air (two flights), from $150 per flight. Say Hueque (Thames St. 2062, Buenos Aires, Argentina; in US, 718/395-5504, www.sayhueque.com).

15-day, 14-night voyage aboard 100-passenger Caledonian Sky, April 30-May 14, 2016. Highlights: Tokyo city tour/bullet train to Niigata to board ship/in medieval samurai town of Hagi, Tokoji Temple/Karato Fish Market/Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima/in Takamatsu on Shikoku, Shikoku Mura Village, Noguchi Garden Museum/disembark in Kobe/overland to Kyoto, Heian-jingu Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Cabin, $13,980-$19,880 ppdo. Single (limited), $20,780. Zegrahm Expeditions (Seattle, WA; 800/628-8747, www.zegrahm.com).