Features

November 2014 issue | Appears on page 20

Life on wheels – a motorhome journey through Scotland
By John Graham

by John Graham; Granite Bay, CA

In 1984 my wife, Margaret, and I and our two little boys, ages two and five, moved to London after the company I worked for offered me a job there. During the nine years we lived there we made many trips throughout the United Kingdom, including one long trip through the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland in our VW campervan.

Since the kids are now grown and we’ve retired, Margaret and I decided to return to Scotland to repeat that...

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November 2014 issue | Appears on page 34

Impressed By Indonesia
By Bill Reed

by Bill Reed; Denton, TX

Indonesia is a long way away. It was 50 hours from when my wife, Betty, and I woke up in Texas to when we went to bed in Bali. About 20 of those were spent in the air, much of it on Eva Airlines. I’m not sure I have ever flown on an airline with more congenial flight attendants.

 In the confusion of check-in, we left our luggage claim tickets at the counter. However, we weren’t worried, as we have never lost our bags in the many trips...

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November 2014 issue | Appears on page 44

Adapting to a change in plans to explore the magnificent landscape of New Zealand
By Donn Altes

by Donna Altes; Napa, CA

After being stuffed in like sardines on two lengthy transpacific flights, I hobbled through the airport in Auckland, New Zealand, noticing all the signs stating, “Do not bring vegetation into NZ; throw away all food, fruits, etc., or you will be fined.” I remembered an apple that I had with me and promptly made a deposit in one of the containers begging to be filled. 

In a hurry to meet the driver waiting to take me on my morning tour...

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October 2014 issue | Appears on page 6

From wildlife to waterfalls, enjoying a small-group adventure in Southern Africa
By Yvonne Horn

by Yvonne Horn, Contributing Editor

Over the span of a year or so, a number of travel articles about Namibia tickled my travel radar. So when I received an invitation from ElderTreks — with whom I had traveled twice before (Ethiopia, Aug. ’07, pg. 6, and Iran, July ’09, pg. 24) — to participate in an upcoming tour, I jumped at the chance.  

Their “Splendors of Africa” itinerary devoted a full 17 of its 25 days to Namibia before...

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October 2014 issue | Appears on page 20

Loving Languedoc
By Jack & Yvonne Prevo

Jack & Yvonne Prevo; McKinney, Texas

At the end of our review of a tour to the Normandy/Loire Valley area of France (March ’11, pg. 6) that we took with George Nevin of Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800/676-1247, www.intimatefrance.com), we stated, “We will definitely travel with Intimate France again!” We are here to report that we have, indeed, traveled with George again, and we were just as delighted with his tour of the Languedoc region of France.

...

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October 2014 issue | Appears on page 34

Visiting three of Japan’s sites of extraordinary natural beauty by rail
By Miyako Storch

My husband, Bernie, and I decided to revisit Japan in May 2014. Our main goal, besides visiting my family members, was to see once more the three most beautiful sites in Japan: Matsushima, near Sendai in northeastern Japan, Amanohashidate, in the north, and Miyajima, near Hiroshima.

We also had it in our minds to soak in a few of the numerous hot springs that the country has to offer. This was quite a big challenge for three short weeks, but we did our best.

Getting there and...

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October 2014 issue | Appears on page 44

Discovering England’s delightful Cornwall region
By John Scheleur

by John Scheleur; Arnold, MD

On Thanksgiving Day, 2013, I saw an ad in ITN from Dacey’s Cornish Tours (St. Paul, MN; 651/484-4689, www.daceyscornishtours.com) for a one-week tour of Cornwall, in the southwest corner of England, that sounded interesting. Founder David Warner, a transplanted Cornishman living in Minnesota, promptly responded to my inquiry with some trip details. 

I told David that my wife, Pat, and I were heading from Maryland to Pennsylvania for...

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September 2014 issue | Appears on page 6

Surprising Hong Kong
By Steven Cole
The Peak above Hong Kong’s Central District affords a stunning view.

by Steven Cole; Lowell, MI

For years, our good friend Johnny Cheung, a Hong Kong businessman who travels to the US often, urged my wife, Sharon, and me to visit his native city. However, some other destination always seemed to capture our interest more. 

But when Johnny visited us in Michigan in September 2013, he announced he’d be retiring soon and possibly moving elsewhere, so if we were ever to visit Hong Kong and have Johnny show us around, the time had come....

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