I have not found the full Japan Rail Pass to be cost effective for my trips, as I travel slowly. Instead of the main pass, good on Japan Rail trains for the whole country, I’d like to mention that rail passes are also available just for sections of the JR network.

On my last visit to Japan, in 2016, I bought a JR West Sanyo-San’in Area Pass (www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/sanyo_sanin), which saved me money traveling only in western Honshu. I was able to buy it...

Hop aboard the fabled Orient Express train. Pedal the route of the famous Tour de France bicycle race. Explore the colorful canals and history-rich streets of Venice.

OK, so you can’t make these inviting journeys right now, but you can take virtual trips that immerse you in the sights, sounds and other appeals of those and other places and experiences … by reading about them.

The books described below are rated among the most outstanding travel writing in recent...

I truly enjoyed Rick Steves’ recollections of staying in touch via postcards while traveling on a budget in the 1970s (June ’20, pg. 32).

Believe it or not, I’ve continued the habit of sending postcards from my travels to a small circle of those who appreciate this way of communicating. It doesn’t matter that cards arrive well after my returns. There is still an old-fashioned magic in colorful pictures with exotic stamps and postal markings from afar.

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