Tours

9-day, 8-night tour of GERMANY, AUSTRIA and FRANCE, enjoying crafts, food and drink at Christmas markets in most cities visited, November-December 2016 and 2017. Highlights: Tour Oberammergau/tour Innsbruck/in Munich, Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz/Black Forest/in Strasbourg, tour Old Quarter, Cathedral of Notre Dame/Rothenburg’s medieval Old Town/Würzburg/Nürnberg’s historic market has 200+ wooden stalls. From $1,899 ppdo or $2,099 single. Collette (Pawtucket, RI; 866/537-1923, www.gocollette.com).

8 days, 7 nights, Dec. 23-30, 2016. Highlights: In Edinburgh, Linlithgow Palace/near Braemar, Royal Lochnagar Distillery/Cairngorms National Park/Loch Ness/Loch Lomond/at Aberfeldy, Black Watch Monument/at Loch Tay, interactive Crannog Visitor Centre/in Glasgow, Stirling Castle and National Wallace Monument/Falkirk Wheel. From $3,510 per person, double occupancy (ppdo). Single, $4,890. Back-Roads Touring Company (Level 1, 107 Power Road, London, England, W4 5PY, U.K.; phone +44 877 3304850, www.backroadstouring.com).

10 days, 9 nights. Highlights: From Panama City, drive into jungle for canoe ride on Chagres River/meet Embera natives for music and dance/tour Gatun Lake/fly to Boquete for zip-lining, whitewater rafting/in Almirante, boat to Bastimentos Island/beach trips, birding tours, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, jungle hikes. $4,995-$5,295 ppdo (2 people) or $3,990-$4,320 ppdo (4 people). Latin Excursions (Aventura, FL; 866/626-3750, www.latinexcursions.com).

10-day, 9-night textiles tour, Sept. 8-17, 2016, focusing on rebozos (long scarves), in south-central Mexico during Tenancingo’s Feria del Rebozo. Highlights: In Mexico City, visit fashion designer Carla Fernández/see antique rebozos at Franz Mayer Museum/meet artisans in Morelia/on Purepecha Plateau, meet rebozo makers in villages/historic silver-mining city of Guanajuato/Santa Maria del Rio for inlaid wooden boxes and silk rebozos and to meet empuntadoras (fringe artisans). $2,685 ppdo. Single supp., $375.

10-day, family-friendly safari in ZIMBABWE. Highlights: Transfer from Victoria Falls airport to Hwange National Park for game viewing and a “pump run,” assisting with maintenance of wells/in Ngamo Village, interact with community and visit school/view game from Elephant Express railcar from Ngamo siding to Impofu siding/Mandavu Dam/Zambezi National Park/Victoria Falls. Depending on departure, $4,695-$4,995 ppdo (adult or child age 7-12) or $6,495-$7,195 single. International Nature & Cultural Adventures (Emeryville, CA; 510/420-1550, www.inca1.com).

15 days, 14 nights, Oct. 10-24, 2016. Led by Jon Cannon, expert in Chinese classic architecture and religious buildings worldwide. Highlights: In Beijing, National Museum of China/train to Qufu, birthplace of Confucius/in Taishan, cable car to Jade Emperor peak/in foothills of Wutaishan, 8th-century Buddhist temples/in Datong, Yungang caves/fly to Xi’an to see AD 742 mosque and Great Goose Pagoda/in Dunhuang, Mogao Caves. From £5,610 (near $8,080).

15-day, 14-night cultural tour led by folk dance expert Lee Otterholt, Nov. 7-21, 2016. Highlights: In New Delhi, India Gate, Qutb Minar/in Old Delhi, Chawri Bazaar/fly to Udaipur/Lake Pichola for island palace of Jag Mandir/in Ranakpur, 500-year-old Jain temples/train to Ajmer/Pushkar Cattle Fair/in Jaipur, folk dances/in Agra, Taj Mahal/in Varanasi, prayer ceremony by Ganges River. $3,995 ppdo. Single supp., $1,295. Jim Gold International (Teaneck, NJ; 201/836-0362, www.jimgold.com).

8 days, 7 nights on island of Poros, GREECE (through October 2016). Hosted by chef Katerina of the Odyssey Centre. Highlights: Transfer from Athens to Poros/prepare meal from fish bought at market/visit island of Hydra/cooking lessons and ingredients farm visits. $2,550-$2,750 ppdo. Groups of 3 or more, $150 less per person. Noncook price, $400 less. Single supp., $200. The International Kitchen (Chicago, IL; 800/945-8606, www.theinternationalkitchen.com).

11-day, 10-night escorted tour, Sept. 17-27, 2016. (Group of 15-25.) Highlights: Take rail from Zürich to Pontresina for excursion at Muottas Muragl/Bernina Express to Poschiavo/Glacier Express to Matterhorn in Zermatt/Chillon Water Castle/Golden Pass Classic to Schynige Platte/in La Chaux-de-Fonds, International Watch Museum/Emmentaler Show Dairy in Bern/Lucerne. $3,815 per person, double occupancy (ppdo), or $4,409 single. Magic Switzerland (Kansas City, MO; 800/337-9477, www.magicswitzerland.com).

6-day, 5-night family adventure trip in two national parks in CANADA, July through August 2016. Easy-to-moderate hiking, biking. Up to 6 guests per guide. Highlights: From Calgary, Alberta, bike ride in Bow Valley Parkway, Banff National Park/Silverton Falls/hike over Sentinel Pass/next to Jasper National Park, hike Athabasca Glacier/hike around Lake Louise/white-water rafting on the Kanana­­-