My husband, Norman, and I knew we wanted to hire a tour guide to show us the major sights of Panama City in August 2010, and our trip’s best find was Alvamayita (Alva) Pinzón (cell phone 507 6676 4147 or e-mail alvamayita@yahoo.com).

We called her from the US to discuss our tour needs and her rates and availability. I had researched and called many tour companies recommended in the travel books, so I knew what our tours would typically cost. Prices for Alva’s tours were equal to or...

On a 46-day cruise of Spain, Africa and the Caribbean aboard the Prinsendam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA; 877/932-4259), we stopped in Lüderitz, Namibia. On our walking tour, we saw Goerke House, whose turreted roofs soar right out of the windswept craggy stones.

Hans Goerke was a German military officer and later a diamond merchant who built the house for his bride in 1910. At the time Goerke House was built, fresh water had to be brought in from Cape Town, South Africa, 800...

My husband, R.C., and I celebrated our 40th anniversary in the fall of 2009 with a trip to Slovenia, Croatia (May ’11, pg. 12) and then to Italy for Sicily.

In planning the Sicilian portion of our trip, I compared the itineraries of several tour companies and got advice from two traveling couples we know, to be sure we hit all the must-see places. We ended up following the Sicily itinerary in the guidebook “Karen Brown’s Italy B&Bs 2009,” and I would recommend that first-time...