Hello Fellow Travelers,
The year is flying by and it is time to send out our semi-annual newsletter. A short recap of this year so far is a bit longer than it usually is, as this has been a banner year in more than one way.
In February we did our annual winter trip to Central America. This time it was Belize to see the Mayan ruins, to Panama to see the natives there and to do the Panama Canal transit, followed by a return to Belize to relax on the beautiful islands and to enjoy the blue Caribbean waters.
In May we headed to the Southwest National Parks. Our summary of that is that even in May (off season?) the parks are so overcrowded that it was an impossible task to find even a parking spot at some of them. Although they do remain great places to visit, the crowds do lead to a deterrent to some degree. We did find that Canyon de Chelly Park did not have the same issues, with only a few other cars in the entire park.
July and August took us north to Alaska again. The wildlife sightings at Denali were some of the best and we were fortunate enough to see Denali in full view on both trips….quite a pleasant addition. Rick and Bonnie are doing well (for those of you who may be interested).
September was north again, this time to Iceland. We had hoped to see the Northern Lights, but were not fortunate enough to see them. The trip was again wonderful, but again the number of tourists that have discovered that island grows every year. This, of course, does increase the amount of monies spent on road improvement with two lane bridges being added around the whole island.
The end of September was a little calmer with a trip to the Ozarks. The Samson production was the highlight of the trip. The other shows and sights were all interesting to make it a nice relaxing journey.
October took us to South Africa. Kruger National Park may just have become my favorite place in the world. The sighting of animals was way beyond any imagination of how many we might see. In addition to the numerous (by numerous I am talking 100s, not 10) hippos, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, kudu, zebras, gazelles, wildebeasts, rhinos, cape buffalo, lions, impalas, leopards, hyenas, elands, etc, we also were able to see amber antelopes, wild dogs, and other seldom seen mammals. The more active displays were a leopard killing an impala and a pride of lions killing a zebra.
Left on the calendar yet this year is November going to Galapagos Islands, December to Israel, and January to India. This sums up how busy we have been this year. By January I will have traveled to 12 states, 12 countries, and 5 continents since February.
Now for the future:
India and Nepal Jan 8-25 $3550
We have room for one more couple on this trip if you are able to make a decision in the near future. This is a repeat of the trip we did last year with the addition of three days in Nepal.
Spain, Italy, Germany June 5-19 $3000
This trip is a nice overview of these three countries and their major cities and sights. Spain will include Barcelona, including an afternoon at the beach on the Mediterrean. Italy will include Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, and Sorrento. Germany will include Munich, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, along with a day trip to Salzburg in Austria and a day trip to Auschwitz in Poland.
Italy (in cooperation with NYM Cultural Center) June 20-July 2 $3750
This trip will focus on culture and art of the country of Italy. We start in Zurich to enjoy the Alps to Venice, continuing on to Florence, Rome, Pompeii, and Sorrento. All of the major architecture, art museums, and culture and foods of the region will be explored.
Ireland, Scotland, London July 15-30 TBD
We will explore Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Great Britain, and Wales. The major cities of each country will be explored along with the rural areas of each in order to observe the similarities and the differences of these countries. This trip will include planes, trains, and bus in order to accomplish reaching the areas we want to see in an efficient manner.
Alaska August 13-24 $3450
This is a repeat of the same Alaska trip we have been doing for the last 10 years. We will be traveling around the entire state of Alaska including an 11 hour trip into Denali and a 8 hour glacier/wildlife trip. It also includes one day of fishing in the Cook Inlet.
***We also are planning to have a 6 day fishing trip only to Alaska in 2020, including two days fishing halibut/salmon on Cook Inlet, 1 day fishing salmon on river, and 1 day of fly in fishing. If you have any interest in that sort of trip, please let us know, as space will be limited on this trip.
New Zealand October TBD
This trip is still being planned at this time, but will include time on both islands, unlike most tours that spend a little time in Auckland and then fly to the South Island. We will visit the Maori culture and other sights that you often hear about in this country. The tour will include time on the trains to be able to see more countryside than a flight allows. If interested in this trip, let us know and we will send you more specific information as soon as it is available.
Last note:
These are the trips we have planned at this time, but we are always looking for specials that may come up unexpectedly. If you have a place that is on your mind, we would be happy to alert you whenever a deal comes up that is too hard to resist. Otherwise, just let us know if you have a place you would like to travel to and we will plan it for 2020 if we have four people interested in the same location.
Happy trails to you wherever you may travel,
Diana and Jerry
(507) 456-6611 or diana@moreforlesstours.com