Petra, Jordan, had always been on my bucket list. In September 2017, I spent eight nights in Israel (which I had visited in 1979) followed by five in Jordan on a tour with Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com). It’s the Jordan portion that I’m writing about here.

For the “Israel & Jordan” tour, I paid $8,365, land only, which included single accommodations throughout (the single supplement was somewhat more than that charged by other companies)...

My husband and I stayed at a quinta (villa) in Portugal that I think ITN readers would be interested in knowing about.

Quinta do Vallado (Vilarinhos dos Freires, 5050-364, Peso da Régua, Portugal; phone +351 254 323 147, www.quintadovallado.com) is located in the Douro Valley, northeastern Portugal, near the Prehistoric Rock Art Site in the Côa Valley (near Spain’s border).

The quinta was small, with only eight rooms, two of which were well-appointed cottages with porches...

Despite two visits to Rome, my wife, Paula Owens, and I had never managed to visit nearby Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s seaport.

Located at the mouth of the Tiber River, Ostia Antica is less than an hour (by rail) from the heart of Rome. A Mediterranean cruise in January 2018 provided a good opportunity for us to finally visit this ancient coastal city from the ship’s port in Civitavecchia. Travel time was slightly less than an hour (by bus), 15 to 30 minutes less than...