My wife, Sandy, and I are snowbirds who spend the winters in Puerto Vallarta. Each year we explore a different part of Mexico, and in March ’11 we made a six-day, five-night trip to the Guadalajara area.

We stayed at the bed-and-breakfast Casa Armonia (Reforma 43, Tlaquepaque, Centro, Jalisco, Mexico; phone, in Mexico, 01 [33] 3563 3218 or 3219 or, in US or Canada, 266/973-0128). It’s located one block from the city’s main plaza and Calle Juarez, one of Tlaquepaque’s main shopping...

My husband, Ed, and I stayed in Hotel Yigitalp Istanbul (Gencturk Cad. Cukur Cesme Sok. No. 38, Sehzadebasi, Istanbul, Turkey; phone +90 212 512 98 60) in October ’10.

This was an absolutely charming, old hotel with a 1930s feel to it. The front desk staff was wonderful, providing helpful suggestions and even giving us umbrellas to use on the day it rained.

With a three-night stay, airport transfers were free and a free half-day city tour was included as well as a 20% discount...

My one-day trip to Lesotho in September ’10 started with a one-hour flight on South African Airways from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Maseru, Lesotho’s capital. No visa is required for US citizens, and there are several flights each day, which makes a short trip very easy.

Including air, lodging, meals and guide, my Lesotho trip cost about $900. It was arranged by Adventures Abroad (Blaine, WA; 800/665-3998) to be a private tour prior to my joining their Southern Africa tour in...