We had a wonderful new experience in cruising — quite different from the ocean cruises we have taken but every bit as enjoyable — with Uniworld River Cruises (17323 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316; 800/733-7820).

Our one-week trip down the Danube River from Passau, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary, aboard the River Princess, April 22-29, 2007, cost $4,572 for both my husband and me, including an upgrade to category 3 and airport transfers but not airfare, as we used frequent-flyer miles....

My partner, Pamela, and I decided to support the work of Earthwatch (3 Clock Tower Place, Ste. 100, Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754; phone 800/776-0188 or 978/ 461-0081, www.earthwatch.org), a wonderful organization which allows laypeople to volunteer to work with scientists on expeditions all over the world. I had participated in prior expeditions in Nepal and South Africa, and we had decided to join a research project in Botswana.

We signed on with Earthwatch and booked our flight on...

A coincidence — as the July 2007 edition of ITN arrived, I was completing a survey of comments on Grand Circle Travel’s (Boston, MA; 800/248-3737, www.gct.com) “Heart of Italy” trip, which we took May 20-July 7, 2007. I was, therefore, interested to read the reader’s letter “Add in Tour’s Extra Costs” (page 28) about virtually the same trip taken the year before. Both were Extended Vacations, the only differences being a few tweaks in schedule and visits.

On this particular trip we...