Romania’s many faces were readily accessible and wonderful to see during our 2-week visit, Sept. 2-16, 2013. The cost of the trip was €4,800 (near $6,520), which included accommodations, breakfasts, all driving and guiding, airport/hotel transfers and all museum admission fees.

We booked our trip through Medieval Tours (Piata Romana 9, scara C, ap. 34, sector 1, Bucharest, Romania; phone 0040 21 326 62 68) six months in advance, in order to work out our itinerary, but that may not...

I traveled to Copán, Honduras, in October ’13 to visit the Copán Ruins, and I can highly recommend the hotel I stayed at, Hotel Marina Copán (Copán Ruinas, Honduras, C.A.; phone [504] 2651 4070, fax 2651 4477). 

It was built in 1945 and has maintained its colonial architecture throughout. The 49 rooms are positioned along a maze of corridors, with a central pool area and lush gardens. Hotel amenities include a restaurant, bar, gift shop, pool, hot tub and free WiFi access. 

The...

This is in response to the request for lodging information from those of us who travel “on a shoestring.”

I traveled independently in Turkey in May of 2012. I left my wheeled suitcase at the Coşkun Pension in Istanbul and traveled for three weeks with only a backpack.

The transportation was delightfully simple. I took dolmuses (minibuses) for cheap regional travel, two 5-hour coach rides and two in-country flights on Turkish Airlines.

I was 85 when I took this trip, and...