Religious Sites

Many opportunities abound for doing "service travel" and making a difference somewhere in the world, often at minimal cost to the traveler. One example is the United Methodist Church's Primetimers Program (Atlanta, GA; 404/942-4015, www.umcmission.org/primetimers), which offers trips that combine education and service at very reasonable prices.

12-day, 11-night Jewish cultural tour, May 6-17 & May 27-June 7, 2019. Group limit, 27. Highlights: In Sarajevo, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, Sephardic Jewish museum at 16th-century Il Kal Vježu/100-year-old Ashkenazi Synagogue/near Mostar, medieval necropolis of Radimlja/in Dubrovnik, CROATIA, 16th-century Jewish synagogue/Split/Trogir Cathedral/Roman ruins in seaside Zadar/Plitvice Lakes/in SLOVENIA, Lake Bled, Bled Castle/in Ljubljana, Postojna Cave/Trieste, ITALY. $3,480 ppdo (+ $110 for May-June tour). Single supp., $740 (+ $80, May-June).

20-day, 19-night photography tour, March 7-26, 2019. Highlights: In Bogotá, Paloquemao market for flowers, Museo del Oro, 17th-century Catholic church on Monserrate/Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral/16th-century pueblo at Villa de Leyva/near Ipiales, Las Lajas neo-Gothic cathedral/San Agustín archaeological site/Valle de Cocora and Don Eduardo coffee farm/in Calarcá, Jardín Botánico del Quindío/Cartagena's old walled city. From Miami, $5,895 ppdo. Single supp., $1,300. In Focus with Michele Burgess (Huntington Beach, CA; 714/536-6104, www.infocustravel.com).

Guide in Dubrovnik

During a half day of free time that we had in Dubrovnik, Croatia, while on a wonderful tour of the Balkans with Overseas Adventure Travel, my friend Cheryl Cohen and I took a private tour. Our tour guide, whom we found through Viator.com, was Vesna Barisic (vbarisic.dubrovnik@gmail.com).

On Viator, I had searched for "Jewish tour of Dubrovnik," and Vesna's "Dubrovnik Jewish Heritage Private Walking Tour" popped up. For June 28, 2018, booked through Viator, the total cost of the tour for Cheryl and me was $170.