Tours in Review

July 2006 issue

India, Singapore And Japan with Worldview Tours

When we called Nino Mohan at Worldview Tours (Box 11417, Newport Beach, CA 92658; 800/373-0388) and told him we were interested in visiting India and making short side trips to Singapore and Japan, he faxed us back a temporary itinerary the next day. My wife and I discussed the itinerary, wrote down our questions and discussed them with Nino. He answered them all and revised the itinerary to our specifications.

Our trip, Feb. 6-24, ’05, including business-class airfare from Los Angeles and flights and trains in India, cost $3,228 per person. In India we had first-class hotels and...

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November 2006 issue

Wales with Simply Nice Tours

Stephen Hughes of Simply Nice Tours (250 S. Pitt St., Carlisle, PA 17013; 717/243-5112, www.simplynicetours.com) arranged everything for our July 26-Aug. 8, 2006, tour of Wales. This was the first time we took a tour offered by a small company where we were the only clients on that trip. We were a bit apprehensive about the logistics, but pickup in London and delivery to Heathrow worked beautifully.

The land price was $2,700 each. If there had been six or more people on the tour, the price would have been lower, $2,100 each. We were basically responsible for entrance fees and meals...

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May 2005 issue

Uruguay with Elderhostel

“Uruguay’s Colorful Birds and Gracious People” was a fine trip which my husband, Don, and I took with Elderhostel (11 Ave. de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111; phone 877/426-8056 or visit www.elderhostel.org), Nov. 4-16, ’04.

Though we are not serious birders, this was a chance to get away from the cities and into the countryside, primarily the Department of Rocha with the Atlantic to the east and Brazil to the north. Lagoons, lakes, fishing villages and deserted beaches each had their own beauty. There were many birds to see, as well as flowers, historic lighthouses and forts and...

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October 2005 issue

Tanzania & Kenya with 2Afrika, Inc.

If you would like to go to Africa, go with 2Afrika, Inc. (444 Washington Blvd., Ste. 2526, Jersey City, NJ 07310; phone 866/462-2374 or visit www.2afrika.com). Our 13-day trip to Tanzania was $2,595 with air from San Francisco, and the Kenya trip was $895. We left on our safari Jan. 29, ’05, and returned on Feb. 16.

What an amazing trip it was. The lodges were beautiful, clean and comfortable and the food was delicious and safe. The amount of wildlife we saw was amazing. We traveled in pop-up vans with four to six in a van, giving us lots of room to jump about taking pictures. The...

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December 2005 issue

Croatia and Slovenia with Vantage Deluxe World Travel

We highly recommend “Croatia and Other Hidden Treasures of the Adriatic” with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; phone 800/322-6677 or visit www.vantagetravel.com).

Our 15-day tour, April 20-May 4, ’05, cost $6,470 for the two of us, including air from Boston and optional travel insurance. Breakfast was included daily along with several lunches and nine dinners. Two optional day tours cost $128.

We flew on Lufthansa from Miami to Frankfurt, connecting with Adria Airways to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Seating on Lufthansa was tight, but the flight...

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April 2006 issue

Belgium and France with Leger Holidays

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow/Between the crosses, row on row,/That mark our place;…

— from “In Flanders Fields,” John McCrae, 1915

For anyone interested in WWI, the 5-day tour “In Flanders Fields‚ Passchenendaele and the Somme,” organized by Leger Holidays, Ltd. (Sunway House, Canklow Meadows, Rotherham, England S60 2XR; phone 0800 018 9898 or visit www.leger.co.uk), is a must. Our tour, July 18-22, ’05, cost £249 ($437), which included hotel, breakfasts, bus and a superb, knowledgeable guide, Vic Piuk.

At Victoria coach station in London, we boarded the Leger...

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August 2006 issue

Indonesia with Adventure Indonesia

The people of Java and Bali are warm and very friendly — and suffering severely from the lack of tourism. However, tourist areas are not crowded, the exchange rate is most favorable, and prices are very reasonable if not actually low. Consequently, I heartily recommend Indonesia as a prime destination for the soft-adventure traveler. I took the 15-day “Java/Bali Overland” tour, April 3-18, ’06, offered by Adventure Indonesia (Wisma 31 Kemang, Third floor, Jl. Kemang raya 31, Jakarta, Indonesia; phone 62 21 7182250/56 or visit www.adventureindonesia.com).

For a private tour for one...

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December 2006 issue

Chilean Special Journeys tour

I should mention a word about the owners of Chilean Special Journeys (28 Morrill Rd., Montville, ME 04941; 888/345-6077 or www.chileanspecialjourneys.com):

Scott Jones, from Maine, and his charming Chilean business partner, Claudia. The word would be TRUST, as we found them to be enthusiastic and reliable.

Due to a sudden illness, my wife, Olga, and I had to cancel our original tour booked for 2005, and our refund check, less the normal penalty, was in the mail in a matter of days. We were so pleased that we were able to take the 2006 tour.

The 21-day tour “Chile in...

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