My wife and I cruised from Shanghai, China, to Papeete, Tahiti, on the Insignia of Oceania Cruises (Miami, FL; 800/531-5619, www.oceania cruises.com), April 11-June 4, 2015. 

About a month before our departure, I was placed on a relatively unknown restrictive diet. I immediately called Oceania Cruises and advised the company of my situation. I was told that, while they had never heard of a low-FODMAP diet, they would have the chef contact me upon boarding.

After we boarded the...

Kirkenes, a brrrrr-cold town in far-northeastern Norway just miles from the Russian border, is a starting point for many cruises. My son Scott and I were there toward the end of March 2015. The weather was a dry cold, and we walked around on the well-maintained streets and sidewalks through the lightly falling snow. 

Kirkenes was an important port during World War II and was occupied by the Germans. We saw many bunkers, some in use as either wine cellars or playhouses for children. ...

When my wife, Sandra, and I woke up to temperatures around -34°F at our lake home in Minnesota on Jan. 2, 2014, that’s the day we decided that a winter break was in order. I quickly put together a February itinerary for Panama, then added a few days in Costa Rica. Despite the haste, this turned out to be one of our better trips because of the people and the places.

Our arrangements in Panama (eight nights) were ultimately handled by Judy Tovar of Easy Travel Panama (phone,...