Those were the good old days, when I could walk all day, race through airports, bound up and down metro station steps with multiple suitcases in hand, tackle museum after museum to maximize my city museum card, then climb up to my sixth-floor hotel room without breathing (too) hard. I remember running to catch trains, strolling through endless vineyards, climbing every tower and every steeple just because they were there and visiting all the booths at the Christmas market....

Having taken two previous safaris (one in South Africa and one in Botswana and Zimbabwe) that were planned by Rothschild Safaris (Denver, CO; 800/405-9463, www.rothschildsafaris.com), as my wife, Marie, and I began to think of traveling to Kenya, we knew we would once again use Leora and her team to plan our January 2019 trip because of the personalized service we could expect.

We booked the international air travel, with upgrades, independently by using Delta SkyMiles and...

When visiting the popular Sicilian tourist destinations of Palermo, Taormina, Mt. Etna, Catania and Syracuse, you’ll find modern comforts, but if you visit the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) of southeast Sicily, turn your watch back 50 years and be prepared for a laid-back, informal and super-friendly experience in the towns of Noto, Modica and Scicli, UNESCO World Heritage Sites known for their late-Baroque architecture and archaeological heritage.

“We’re...