We took a wonderful trip to the Czech Republic in July ’05. Since my husband’s hobby is genealogy, this theme has directed our last several trips.

We found, through ITN, a wonderful guide for our days in Prague. Sárka Pelantová (tel. [+420] 777 225 205, e-mail saraguide@volny.cz or visit www.prague-guide.info) continues to live up to her reputation for having excellent guiding abilities. She is knowledgeable, accommodating, organized — the best.

She took us (four adults and one...

My sisters and I traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia, independently in February ’05 and used Bun Pao Smith (e-mail bunpaosmith@yahoo.com) as a guide and driver.

He charged $25 a day for van transportation around Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. (We paid a little more to go to Beng Melea, which is a couple of hours away.) It was very nice to travel in his air-conditioned van, which was stocked with cold towels and bottled water.

Bun Pao took us wherever we wanted and also suggested...

In the central volcanic range in Russia’s Siberia, the town of Esso is on a tributary of the Kamchatka River. When we visited in July ’03 the streets were unpaved and without sidewalks.

Nearly everyone was using most of their yard for a large vegetable garden. Many kept chickens, rabbits, goats or cows. Buildings and greenhouses were heated with hot water piped from volcanic springs. There were no hotels but a number of guest houses, which provided meals as well as (somewhat spartan)...