April 2022

13-day, 12-night classic sports car tour, sponsored by Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC), Sept. 30-Oct. 12, 2022.

This month’s winner KEVIN EDWARDS of Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Some 10 years ago I went to France with my wife, my sister and my brother-in-law. We enjoyed the sights in Paris for several days, then decided to visit Giverny, the house and gardens of the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

After taking the train to Vernon, the nearest town to Giverny, we decided to walk the 6 kilometers to the site, but before starting off, my sister and my wife needed to use the toilet. Fortunately, there was a modern pay toilet by the Vernon train station.

I travel with a carry-on and only enough clothes for three days. One advantage of traveling alone is that no one complains if I wear the same clothes over and over. I don’t consider travel to be a fashion show.

In each city, I stay a minimum of two nights so my clothes have enough time to dry. I hand-wash my quick-drying shirts and quick-drying underwear every night, and they usually dry overnight, unless the humidity happens to be high. My socks can take two nights to dry, so I wash them every two nights. I’ve found that Merino wool socks dry quicker than cotton socks.

As a 15-time visitor to India, my favorite place to stay upon arriving in Delhi has been Hotel Saptagiri (L-73/L-322, Mahipalpur Extn., National Highway-8, New Delhi - 110037, India; phone +91 11 4616 0000, www.hotelsaptagiri.com).

Providing a soft intro to India, this has been a very much OK hotel for one to three acclimating nights. My most recent visits were in 2017, 2018 and 2019, when a mid-range room cost about $50 per night (credit cards accepted) — a low cost for the quality and service.

The nation of Turkey requested that its name be spelled “Türkiye” in other countries in order to match the country’s name in Turkish. Potential visitors can find the tourism board’s new website at https://goturkiye.com.

After Ukraine was invaded by Russia on Feb. 22, multiple countries began enforcing travel restrictions on Russia, including closing off airspace to Russian flights and limiting Russian travel companies from doing business internationally. On March 5, Visa and MasterCard suspended transactions in Russia.

Australia opened its borders to leisure travelers for the first time since March 2020 on Feb. 21, 2022. Both COVID-19-vaccinated and (with medical exemption) unvaccinated travelers are allowed to enter, though those unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated are required to quarantine at an approved hotel for 14 days upon arrival. Regardless of vaccination status, all travelers are required to take a PCR test no more than 72 hours prior to travel or a rapid-antigen test 24 hours before arrival.

The Cameron Highlands Flora Park (lot 191, 39010 Brinchang, Cameron Highlands) in Pahang state, peninsular Malaysia, opened in November 2021. Within the park, greenhouses, winding trails and picturesque picnic spots offer views of thousands of flowering plants. The park is open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Entry costs MYR50 (near $12).