Features

August 2009 issue

From yoga to scuba — finding plenty to do in French Polynesia

by Debi Shank, ITN

French Polynesia: the mere mention of the name conjures up images of turquoise waters, tropical breezes and long, lazy days spent adjusting a chaise lounge in an attempt to obtain the perfect tan. But is that all French Polynesia has to offer? I was invited to find out for myself on a weeklong April ’09 visit to some of the area’s resorts.

Getting there

All flights to French Polynesia go to Tahiti before continuing to the outer islands. My 8-hour flight from Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui (877/824-4846) was comfortable and uncrowded,...

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April 2020 issue

Touring Australia’s Top End in winter
By Lorenz Rychner
View of the iconic Sydney Opera House.

July is midwinter Down Under — not the best time to visit many parts of Australia but the ideal time to visit the tropical Top End. So when a fare of $665 per person, round trip from Denver to Sydney, popped up for travel in July 2019, my wife, Kathy, and I just had to grab it.

Getting there

Following a Delta flight from Denver to Los Angeles, we caught our connecting Virgin Australia flight to Sydney. We had splurged on the “Economy X” upgrade for $155 per person and were delighted to find that the extra legroom alone was worth it. We always reserve a...

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April 2018 issue

From traditional to trendy, Japan has it all
By David Tykol
The bronze Great Buddha at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura was one of many stops worth a picture on a week-long tour of Japan. Photo by David Tykol

I was standing at the top of a staircase leading to the 364-year-old mausoleum of Japan’s third Tokugawa Shogun. Surrounded by 70-foot-tall Japanese cedars, this forest setting in Nikkō was quiet, sunny and cool, and I was trying to figure out how they used to light the 6-foot-tall metal and stone lanterns standing like sentries along the walkways.

Only a couple of days later I was in Osaka, worming my way through throngs of people in what seemed like a mile-long indoor mall lined with department stores, trendy outlets and purveyors of high-end jewelry and watches.

...

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February 2020 issue

Exploring the ancient Chinese Silk Road
By Yvonne Michie Horn
Binglingsi Shiku, aka Thousand Buddha Caves, with sandstone peaks rising above the Liujiaxia Reservoir.

Shortly before my scheduled departure on ElderTreks’ September 2019 “Chinese Silk Road — The Great Silk Road Adventure” tour, a detailed itinerary arrived. A read-through took my breath away, as I mentally traveled along the Chinese portion of the ancient trade route that connected the East with the West.

Visits to mosques; pagodas; museums; lost cities unearthed from centuries of sand; ancient tombs; statuary-populated caves, and geological wonders ranging from desert dunes stretching past the horizon to mountains with peaks hitting the sky at nearly 25,000...

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January 2020 issue

Looking for the northern lights in Churchill, Canada
By Marcia Brandes
A frozen river winds through Winnipeg.

Seeing the northern lights has been on my “bucket list” since before I really had one. Having spent most of my life in southern or midwestern climes, I never had a chance to see them from my home. Many people hope to see them on a trip to Iceland or Alaska, but there is no guarantee, and I wanted something more certain than that. 

My husband, Steve, too, was excited at the prospect of seeing the aurora borealis, so when I found out that Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768, roadscholar.org) was offering an 8-day trip called “Into the Arctic Skies: Aurora...

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December 2019 issue

A month-long journey through Japan, by land and by sea
By Robert Ono
Hasedera Buddhist Temple in Kamakura.

A visit to Japan had been on my travel bucket list for a long time, and being retired allowed my wife, Betty, and me to spend a month there during cherry blossom season in March 2019.

Our itinerary would include two weeks of independent travel, one 9-day land-based organized tour and an 8-day cruise on Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess ($5,400 for two). The cruise provided a mid-trip break from packing and unpacking and a chance to easily expand the geographical areas we could visit.

While we enjoy independent travel, we realized the benefit of participating in an...

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November 2019 issue

Stepping back in time in the Baroque towns of Sicily’s Val di Noto
By Fred Steinberg
View of Scicli from the Complesso Santa Maria della Croce.

When visiting the popular Sicilian tourist destinations of Palermo, Taormina, Mt. Etna, Catania and Syracuse, you’ll find modern comforts, but if you visit the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) of southeast Sicily, turn your watch back 50 years and be prepared for a laid-back, informal and super-friendly experience in the towns of Noto, Modica and Scicli, UNESCO World Heritage Sites known for their late-Baroque architecture and archaeological heritage.

“We’re welcoming and very tourist-friendly but, below the surface, private people,” said Eugenia Giunta (...

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May 2019 issue

An Indonesian journey continues with visits to the islands of Bali and Komodo (Second of two parts)
By Donna Altes
We were welcomed to Cecer Village and treated to a dance performance while these ladies played the drums.

Following time on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Java, my June 2018 tour with Overseas Adventure Travel, or OAT (Boston, MA; 800/955-1925, www.oattravel.com), continued to Bali.

A festive atmosphere

We arrived in the middle of the exciting Galungan celebration, and I was speechless seeing the number of temples and shrines each family had… inside their homes, in their offices, in the local park — everywhere. At each one of these, someone placed a basket of offerings twice a day, which we had to sidestep as we entered many establishments.

We became...

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