Gardens

6-day, 5-night, “moderate”-level walking tour in northern ENGLAND. Departures May-Aug. & Oct. 2020. Highlights: From base in Wooler, coastal path via Dunstanburgh Castle to Boulmer/Alnwick Castle, gardens/estate village of Hethpool/Chillingham Castle/village of Rothbury. From £659 (near $856) ppdo. Ramblers Walking Holidays (Hertfordshire, England, UK; info@ramblersholidays.co.uk, www.ramblersholidays.co.uk).

At the foot of Montjuïc, on the coast of Barcelona, Spain, visitors can find the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera (Carretera de Miramar, 38, Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona), a public garden specializing in cactuses and other succulents from around the world. Around 800 species grow in the garden’s 7.8 acres, which overlook the Mediterranean.

The park is open daily, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., April 1-Oct. 31, and 10-7, Nov. 1-March 31. Entry is free.

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Two magnificent châteaux bookend what is known today as the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.

5 days, 4 nights in IRELAND, May 12-16, 2020. Highlights: From Dublin, Belmond Grand Hibernian train to Coolmore Stud, which breeds racehorses/at Limerick Junction, visit Racing Yard, meet jockey Tommy Stack/in Cork, Fota arboretum/Jameson whiskey distillery/tour of Kilgobbin House garden led by Countess Dunraven/karst formations at The Burren. From $7,875 per person, double occupancy (ppdo). The Ultimate Travel Company (London, England, UK; in US, 855/634-5789, www.theultimatetravelcompany.com).

After flying from Miami, Florida, to Barcelona, Spain, I headed for the cruise terminal to board the SS Marina, which would be my home for the next two weeks, Nov. 16-28, 2018.

I would travel to Iberia and nearby islands in the Atlantic with Oceania Cruises (855/623-2642, www.oceaniacruises.com). For the cruise, airfare, insurance and transfers, I paid $7,891 as a single.

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I’m not a big planner. Many of my life experiences have been the result of my opening the door each time opportunity knocked.

My traveling companion, Judy, and I visited New Zealand in January 2019 on a tour with Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com), which had a wonderful itinerary, covering primarily the Queenstown and Wellington areas. It was a great experience. However, we wanted to see more of the North Island, so we made arrangements for a private tour.