Tours in Review

March 2006 issue

Turkey with Treasures of Travel

My wife and I traveled to Turkey with Umit Dogan, the owner of Treasures of Travel (Box 714, Edmonds, WA 98020; 800/572-0526). The land price of our 21-day tour was $2,800 per person. We used frequent-flyer miles to fly Air France to and from Istanbul.

Because we wanted to book the tour as early as possible so as to be able to use our miles for free business-class air, we made our arrangements for the tour in early January of 2005.

Knowing that the dates we chose, Oct. 28-Nov. 17, ’05, were late in the season, I asked Umit if he would still take us if the minimum of 10...

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July 2006 issue

Russia with Peter the Great Cruises

Our group of five left Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 19, ’05, for a 16-day cruise from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Moscow with Peter the Great Cruises (2610 East 16th St., Brooklyn, NY 11235; 800/828-7970 or 718/934-4100 or www.cruiseruss.com). We boarded the m/s Shashkov the afternoon of Aug. 20 and disembarked in Moscow on Sept. 3.

We chose Peter the Great because of ads we had seen in ITN. The cost of $3,367 per person included nonstop round-trip air from Atlanta; a one-way flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg; all transfers; a cabin on the ship for 14 nights; all meals; escorted...

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November 2006 issue

Morocco with Oussaden Tours

My husband and I are experienced travelers (125 countries) and know there are very few travel bargains any more. When we read an ad in ITN for a 15-day/13-night tour of Morocco for $2,085 each including air from New York, we thought the price was too good to be true.

With departures guaranteed, the package from Oussaden Tours (8 W. 38th St., Ste. 104, New York, NY 10018; 800/206-5049, www.oussadentours.com) included stays in 4-star hotels and two meals daily (including one with a Moroccan family) plus an optional night in a tent on the Sahara. We traveled about 2,500 miles in a 2006...

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August 2005 issue

Vietnam with Value World Tours

My wife, Esta Lee, and I visited SINGAPORE, VIET-NAM and CAMBODIA, Oct. 31-Nov. 16, ’04, on a tour arranged through Value World Tours (17220 Newhope St., Ste. 203, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; phone 800/795-1633 or visit www.rivercruises.net).

After a $300-per-person early booking discount, our total payment for two people was $6,246. This price included flights on Singapore Airlines starting in Los Angeles; three nights in Singapore; three nights in Ho Chi Minh City; seven nights on a riverboat; two nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia (for Angkor Wat); most meals, and sightseeing....

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December 2005 issue

France, Italy and Monaco with Olde Ipswich Tours

I have traveled many times to Europe, and “A Gourmet European Wine, Cuisine & Travel Experience” from Olde Ipswich Tours (8 Herrick Dr., Ipswich, MA 01938; phone 877/356-5163 or visit www.ipswichtours.com), April 14-27, ’04, was the best tour, without exception, that I have ever taken. (2006 tour, May 1-15, is priced at $4,999 land.)

Olde Ipswich owner, Jean Moss, is a friendly, energetic, accommodating tour leader who willingly did whatever was needed with a smile. Our group consisted of nine people plus Jean and a driver traveling in a comfortable van. We spent 13 nights in...

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April 2006 issue

Malta with Grand Circle Travel

Historical ruins, awe-inspiring cathedrals, great museums and spectacular scenery. A civilization that dates back 7,000 years. Because of its strategic location, Malta has been occupied by many different countries, and its culture, cuisine and architecture reflect this diversity.

On our Nov. 8-22, ’04, tour of Malta with Grand Circle Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210; 800/221-2610 or www.gct.com), we learned about the island’s complicated history through lectures, a home-hosted lunch, a movie and, of course, local tours.

We also arranged a 4-day pre-trip to London...

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July 2006 issue

India and Nepal with SmarTours

Our enchanting introduction to India began and ended rather disappointingly on Air-India, on which we traveled round trip from New York to New Delhi.

The flights were full and noisy. The seat-assignment policy in economy (no advance seating reservations) resulted in my wife and I having to sit apart on the way back. When I did have an assigned seat, someone took it and Air-India personnel let him keep it. We did not deplane during our stop at Heathrow; instead, we had to stay aboard while the cleaning crew and service personnel vacuumed around us.

Fortunately, we have nothing...

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November 2006 issue

Kenya and Tanzania with Overseas Adventure Travel

Since our retirement, my wife, Dorothy, and I follow a custom of celebrating Christmas away from home. We spent the 2005 holiday season on the tour “Best of Kenya and Tanzania,” Dec. 13-31, with Overseas Adventure Travel (One Broadway, Ste. 600, Cambridge, MA 02142; 800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com).

East Africa is an area of great natural beauty mixed with abject poverty — huge collections of animals alongside native peoples scratching out a living yet apparently cheerful.

This itinerary started from Nairobi, Kenya, and went north to a tented camp at the foot of Mt. Kenya — a...

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