An Amazon River cruise, Aug. 16-24, 2014, was the sixth trip my husband, Ed, and I took with International Expeditions (IE) (Helena, AL; 855/246-0405 or 205/428-1700, www.ietravel.com). 

We’ve traveled with them often because the accommodations on their tours are always quite nice and their guides are very knowledgeable. Including internal air, the cost of this 9-day/8-night tour was $4,716 each.

Because our air tickets (on LAN Airlines) were procured by IE, we were met at the...

Nine months in advance, my husband, Gary, and I (ages 70-plus) and our daughter and her spouse began planning a trip to Ireland. After much searching for tours and being frustrated with scheduling problems, we contacted ITN advertiser David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe (Middleburg, FL; 800/570-1351, http://davidmcguffin.com).

Based on his 9-day “Essence of Ireland” tour, David designed a custom package for the four of us for Aug. 27-Sept. 5, 2015. We paid $3,039 each and were...

I read the subscriber’s letter “South Caucasus Comparisons” (July ’15, pg. 15) with interest, as I visited Georgia and Armenia in 2009. I, too, enjoyed my visit, although my opinion of the museums there was not as high as the writer’s.

I was stunned at the cost of the tours the subscriber took, however. I found both countries to be excellent budget destinations, where it was possible to travel very cheaply, if not always very comfortably. Also, I did not find it necessary to travel...