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Americans get the shortest vacations in the industrial world. With so little time, the pressure is on to make all the right choices when planning a trip. But how to select the right destination!? It ultimately depends on your interests and your tastes — and what your experienced travel writer tells you.
14 days / 13 nights or 18 days / 17 nights. Highlights: From Quito, ECUADOR, fly to Baltra Island and board the Tip Top IV / blue-footed boobies, frigate birds on North Seymour / snorkel, kayak in Darwin Bay off Tower Island / fur seals on Santiago / marine iguanas on Isabela / Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz / albatross, Nazca boobies on Española. Land / cruise, $5,500-$6,300. Single supp. (3-night hotel portion only), $300. Galápagos Travel (Aptos, CA; 800 / 969-9014).
21-day / 20-night tour of MYANMAR, CAMBODIA & LAOS. Highlights: In Myanmar, balloon ride over hundreds of temples in Bagan / monasteries in Mandalay / boat ride on Inle Lake, visit Intha villages / Oudomxai, Laos, home to 14 ethnic groups / Buddha images in Pak Ou Caves / Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, Cambodia / Angkor Wat / 12th-century Koh Ker. Land, $10,000; call for single supp. Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Stuart, FL; 800 / 244-3483).
6 days / 5 nights, Feb. 9-14. Highlights: In Hong Kong, Flower Market, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen Fishing Village / Year of the Snake parade / Kowloon cultural tour / New Year’s fireworks cocktail cruise / horse racing / lunch in Po Lin monastery. Land, $1,995. Single supp., $1,070. SITA World Tours (Encino, CA; 800 / 421-5643).
9-day / 7-night tour of TURKEY. Highlights: Istanbul / Troy / Pergamon / Seven Churches of the Revelation / theater in Ephesus where St. Paul preached. Land, $2,100. Single supp., $350. TEO World Culture Tours (New York, NY; 888 / 444-1110).
12 days / 12 nights, May 12-24, 2013. Highlights: Venice / Roman mosaic at Basilica of Aquileia / star-shaped town of Palmanova / day trip to Lipica and Piran in SLOVENIA / Cividale del Friuli outdoor market / Butterfly House in Bordano. Land, $3,895. Single supp., $550. Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800 / 676-1247).
12-day / 10-night river cruise in HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, AUSTRIA and GERMANY. Highlights: In Budapest, Hungary, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion / walking tour of Bratislava, Slovakia / wine-and-music evening in Vienna, Austria / Melk Abbey / Linz / medieval Regensburg, Germany / Munich. Cruise only, $2,499-$4,698; including land, $3,189-$5,388. Single supp. is cruise-only price plus 50% plus $390 for land portion. AmaWaterways (Chatsworth, CA; 800 / 626-0126).
12-day / 11-night North Atlantic whale-watching cruise aboard 105-passenger M / V Ortelius. Departures June-October 2013. Highlights: Hansweert, NETHERLANDS / Aberdeen, SCOTLAND / in Shetland Island waters, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins / Pictish stone ruins on Fair Isle / glaciers, bird-watching on NORWEGIAN island of Jan Mayan / look for blue whales, orcas, polar bears, walrus near Alkhornet / Longyearbyen. Cruise, from €1,500 (near $1,937) quad porthole to €2,900 suite. Single rate is base times 1.7.
8 days / 7 nights, departing June 8 & 22 and July 6, 2013. Highlights: City tour of Reykjavik / Deildartunguhver hot springs / Akureyri / Goðafoss waterfall / whale-watching / lava formations, birds at Lake Myvatn / Dettifoss / Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier / Skógar Folk Museum / horse show / Þingvellir National Park, site of Viking Parliament. Land, from $2,105. Brekke Tours & Travel (Grand Forks, ND; 800/437-5302).
