Private Tour

(Second of two parts)

Following a barge trip in Burgundy, France, in celebration of my husband, Steve’s, 80th birthday, we flew to Istanbul, then to Antakya (ancient Antioch), located on southern Turkey’s easternmost Mediterranean coast, about 30 miles from the Syrian border.

What was to be a 3-week journey with two other couples turned out to be just the two of us with our wonderful new friend and fabulous, attentive guide, Ümit Dogan, owner of Treasures of Travel (Edmonds, WA; 800/572-0526, www.treasures oftravel.com).

Yvonne Richter of San Diego, California, wrote (Jan. ’14, pg. 29), “My husband, Juergen, and I like to take customized private tours, and we prefer to use tour companies and guides that are local to the destinations. I would like travelers to write in about foreign tour companies and guides they’ve used for private tours, including as many of the following details as possible:

by Donna Altes; Napa, CA

Yvonne Richter of San Diego, California, wrote (Jan. ’14, pg. 29), “My husband, Juergen, and I like to take customized private tours, and we prefer to use tour companies and guides that are local to the destinations. I would like travelers to write in about foreign tour companies and guides they’ve used for private tours, including as many of the following details as possible:

by John Scheleur; Arnold, MD

My son and I visited Sri Lanka, Oct. 13-21, 2012, generating our own itinerary from suggestions off TripAdvisor.com (hotels, restaurants) and from the Lonely Planet guidebook and with the help of Mingkhwan Boonmanee of Diethelm Travel in Bangkok (Kian Gwan II Building, 14/F 140/1 Wireless Rd., Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; phone +662 660 7000, www.diethelmtravel.com).

My husband, George, and I made a 3-week visit to Southeast Asia, including a 6-day side trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, Jan. 21-26, 2014. Our goal was to really see and photograph Angkor Wat and its environs.

I lucked out and found a wonderful tour company online: ABOUTAsia Travel (ABOUTAsia House, Charming City, Charles de Gaulle Ave., Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone +855 63 760 190, www.aboutasiatravel.com).