ITN Contributing Editor Randy Keck asked to hear from readers on the topic of travel etiquette. Following is an excerpt of a reply from Sylvia DeForest, of Seattle, WA (on cultural faux pas she and her husband committed in Tuva, Siberia, in 2008):
"Walking into and out of many yurts, we had to learn to never step on the threshold and never to turn our backs toward the family's shrine inside. We learned quickly, after gentle reminders. ..."
9 days, 8 nights. Group limit, 2-4. Highlights: In Lima, Larco Museum for pre-Columbian art/fly to Cusco for Sacred Valley/Pisac Archaeological Park/Pumamarca ruins near Ollantaytambo/in Chinchero, Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco/Vistadome train from Cusco to Machu Picchu for hike on Inca Trail/free afternoon in Cusco. From $5,495 ppdo. Latin Excursions (Miami, FL; 866/626-3750, latinexcursions.com).
Share a cultural insight about a particular destination that you were surprised to learn while researching your trip or about which, during your trip, you ended up saying, “I wish I'd known.”
Share a cultural insight about a particular destination that you were surprised to learn while researching your trip or about which, during your trip, you ended up saying, “I wish I'd known.”
Last year, an enigmatic email from a friendship begun six years before on an adventurous trip to Papua New Guinea piqued my interest. My friend Knox Bell shared that Original World/Spirit of India (San Rafael, CA; 888/367-6147, originalworld.com) was looking for “intrepid travelers” for a month-long adventure into the “Ancient Cultures of the Indian Himalaya” (plus Ladakh), and he thought of me! Within 30 minutes, I had called the travel agent and I was on board.
As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite memories from Portugal — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.
15-day, 14-night arts and culture tour led by textile expert, Feb. 3-17, 2021. Highlights: In Accra, visit “fantasy” coffin-carving studio, dye your own batik fabric, tour Trashy Bags factory/in Kumasi, Manhyia Palace Museum, fabric market/Elmina and Cape Coast castles/visit Kente cloth-weaving workshop in Bonwire/in Odumase, make beads from recycled glass. $4,295 ppdo. Single supp., $550. Behind the Scenes Adventures (Santa Fe, NM; 707/939-8874, btsadventures.com).
