by Randy Keck (Part 1 of 3 on Turkey)

A long-awaited opportunity to visit the much-heralded nation of Turkey finally materialized in April ’09. My exploration of the western half of that country was hosted by FLO-USA (Orlando, FL; 888/435-6872, www.flo-usa.com) and Turkish Airlines (800/874-8875, www.thy.com) and revealed a fascinating, overtly visitor-friendly destination offering limitless attractions.

I was traveling in a small group of three on a 14-day/12-night tour...

(Part 2 of 2 on the Azores)

The second portion of my November ’08 sojourn to the Portuguese Azores with my wife, Gail, focused on the capital city of Ponta Delgada and the main island of São Miguel. The three days we spent on the island, hosted by Azores Express and the Azores tourist office, resulted in our having a capsule view of a lifestyle we found to be enviable.

Arriving in Ponta Delgada on our interisland flight from Pico in late afternoon, we were met by our...

Experienced international travelers have become used to periodic disturbances, including acts of violence in foreign lands, and typically factor such considerations into travel plans. Most are also philosophical about the fact that, on occasion, foreigners traveling overseas are also victims of such acts. This reality, however, does not deter most travelers from their chosen explorations. This is because, in terms of risk/reward assessment, basic common sense prevails.

Catastrophic...